Bootleg Film
1999, directed by Masahiro Kobayashi
Bootleg Film is an independent Japanese film about two men driving to the funeral of a woman. One man was the woman’s husband, the other was her lover. The husband is a cop, the lover is a yakuza, or Japanese gangster, and they are both old friends. They drive through stunning mountain scenery, drink beer, and talk about movies. The film starts off goofy, with sped up action and slapstick violence, then becomes strangely violent, with multiple murders randomly committed by our “heros.” Overall I felt this film had nothing to say, and the plot seemed randomly assembled, with only thinly developed characters that were full of contradictions. The ending had one nicely surreal moment, with two previously dead characters climbing out of their graves and walking away hand-in-hand, but as the credits rolled, I was left feeling confused and cheated. Surrealism in film is great, but when it’s ineffectually cobbled to realism, it just makes a big mess, especially when the filmmaker has nothing to say.
Interiors
1978, directed by Woody Allen
The sixteenth film in my Woody Allen filmography viewing, Interiors is most reminiscent of my favorite Allen film, Crimes and Misdemeanors. An entirely serious dramatic affair, Interiors has no sign of Allen in the cast, no Jewish jokes, no ravings about the inanity of life. Instead, we get a very sad story about an overbearing, mentally deranged mother and the ill affect she has on her entire family. This film deals with the prospect of death and how it sometimes brings people closer. I loved how Allen used stark images and long silences to convey some of the deepest emotions here. One of my new favorites.
Get On The Bus
1996, directed by Spike Lee
I had no idea how potent racism was just fifteen years ago! And maybe it’s worse today than I thought it was. Spike Lee made a timely film here, releasing it only a year after the historical Million Man March, in which African American men all over America marched on Washington to send a message to the American public: we are strong and we are working hard to fight the negative stereotypes and be good men. On the film’s bus, which is headed to Washington for the march, is an intriguing cross-section of the black male community: an old Christian man, a young gangster, an Islamic convert, two homosexuals, a college film student, a Hollywood actor, a Conservative car salesman etc. They sit and debate all sides of the problems facing modern African American men. There are no easy answers, and much is unresolved, but we at least see the complexity and the humanity of the issues at stake. Get On The Bus is both a sermon to the choir and to outsiders. To his fellow African Americans, Spike Lee says be patient, be smart, be strong. To everyone else, Lee says be understanding, be forgiving, and stop being racist! Despite Lee’s underlying Liberal worldview, I was deeply moved by this film, and I felt like I came away with a deeper understanding of what it is to be black in America.
Reservoir Dogs
1992, directed by Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino is like a little boy playing pretend here. He loves shooting people and then getting shot, falling down, clutching at his chest and screaming his last breath. Reservoir Dogs is a film that is just that, violence for the joy of its melodrama. It wants us to react like little boys: “Oh man! Did you see how he shot that guy so coldly? Did you see how he got shot and he died so dramatically? Cool!” The film is a series of macho confrontations and acts of melodramatic, deathly heroism. It’s crude, crass and sprinkled liberally with Tarantino’s genuine brand of everyday conversation: the characters talk about tipping waitresses, the meanings of pop songs, racial gender differences etc. The ending is as shocking as it is laugh-out loud melodramatic. Not a film I’d watch again, due to its pervasive crudeness, but still very well written and made.
Jaws
1975, directed by Steven Spielberg
It’s sensational. It’s probably the best, most universal monster film I’ve ever seen. The evil dragon, in this case a great white shark, is terrorizing the villagers and devouring their maidens. Three brave heros volunteer to slay it. They go on a grand nautical quest reminiscent of Moby Dick and The Old Man and The Sea. The monster is terribly cunning and vicious, but the heroes finally prevail and slay it after a long and weary battle. It’s fun and scary and has great music. Watch it if you haven’t!