tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post114799516880081772..comments2023-11-05T04:31:48.615-05:00Comments on Elusive Lucidity: Ten Underrated FilmsZChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10211734319629732065noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1162304027601018722006-10-31T09:13:00.000-05:002006-10-31T09:13:00.000-05:00Campaspe,Gavin Millar has done a fine job on subse...Campaspe,<BR/><BR/>Gavin Millar has done a fine job on subsequent TV work: his adaptation of Roald Dahl's <I>Danny the Champion of the World</I> captures the atmosphere of the book (with its inherent sentimentality, too) very well, and he does a fine job with the young actor who plays Danny. It's harder to discern his presence in the <I>Foyle's War</I> episodes he directed, although all are good examples of that show's strengths.<BR/><BR/>I love <I>The Year My Voice Broke</I> and <I>Flirting</I>; at the time the latter came out, it was said that it was the second part of a trilogy, but I'm still waiting for the last section...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148499430197833212006-05-24T15:37:00.000-04:002006-05-24T15:37:00.000-04:00Zach,I must cop to being hasty or careless or both...Zach,<BR/><BR/>I must cop to being hasty or careless or both in my wording of the survey topic. I "and'd" when I should have "or'd."<BR/><BR/>Basically, I've had this list of 10-15 movies rattling around in my head for a while. Some I consider underrated; others were unfairly overlooked. I figued the same might be true of people filling out Edward Copeland's Best Best Picture ballots. <BR/><BR/>A nice, if unexpected, consequence of so many people contributing has been a breadth of suggestions I never anticipated. Mostly, I thought people would champion a few personal favorites and guilty pleasures.<BR/><BR/>In any case, I appreciate your link and your list. 'Loose and haphazard' is definitely the way to go, not least because that's how I conceived the question.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.Mr. Middlebrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06022458380864603774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148490308309889562006-05-24T13:05:00.000-04:002006-05-24T13:05:00.000-04:00Filipe, yes, it's been great to read some of the p...Filipe, yes, it's been great to read some of the positive reactions to "Bug." Of course, I was a big fan of both "Rules of Engagement" and "The Hunted," so I can't exactly call "Bug" a comeback, but certainly I am very excited to see it. Odds seem likely that it will be a bit stronger than Friedkin's other post-"Exorcist" horror pic, the infamous "The Guardian."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148452453789682592006-05-24T02:34:00.000-04:002006-05-24T02:34:00.000-04:00The brazilian alternative press at cannes really l...The brazilian alternative press at cannes really loved Friedkin's Bug. Eduardo from A Film By even called it the best film in the festival along with the Bellocchio.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148442425653909572006-05-23T23:47:00.000-04:002006-05-23T23:47:00.000-04:00I am a Friedkin fan, but generally have taken the ...I am a Friedkin fan, but generally have taken the position that his filmography proper really begins with "The French Connection." So, I read Zach's illuminating comments on "Minsky's" with a great deal of interest. I saw the film when I was first getting into Friedkin's work (I was like 14 at the time -- quite the young auteurist!), and didn't think much of it. But, then, I don't really trust my 14-year-old opinion very much. Later, I did see "The Birthday Party" -- from Pinter -- which seemed to me the most interesting of the pre-"Connection" films. Have you seen that one, Zach? It's interesting to note that Friedkin did make another comedy once, a film called "Deal of the Century," and I'm not sure what to say about that one... <BR/><BR/>"To Live and Die in L.A." is excellent, and "Sorcerer" - if I may bring up yet another film - is probably his masterpiece. But now I am eager to see more early Friedkins.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148360851110421612006-05-23T01:07:00.000-04:002006-05-23T01:07:00.000-04:00Dan, I would love to share some stories, but I'm a...Dan, I would love to share some stories, but I'm afraid mum's the word on this particular collection, always has been, out of consideration for the owner of the collection, who can hardly keep up with the sheer number of requests he gets to loan out prints.<BR/><BR/>I will say something about Renny Harlin. I went so far as to write a formal request to interview him around the time DRIVEN was in theaters. I used Truffaut's letter to Hitchcock as my model. A publicist from Warner Bros. read it and phoned me. She was pretty confused, as I recall, which probably accounts for why she bothered to call at all. I was put in touch with Harlin's personal assistant, who then informed me that Harlin was on vacation, and that I should try back "at a later time". Well, six months went by and I tried back. Harlin was still on vacation! Another six months rolled around. Still gone. After that I gave up. And then he didn't make a film for another two and a half years.<BR/><BR/>Regardless of whether it's true or just bullshit that he was on vacation -- definitely he was on a hiatus from filmmaking, or perhaps a forced exile after the flop that was DRIVEN (B.O. only reached 30 million after two and a half month, which is still half of what the film cost to make) -- Harlin and his associates weren't interested. I tried to imagine him reading the letter, but instead of finding in it the flattery that Hitchcock found in Truffaut's, or that Hawks might have found in a similar letter written by Daney, he probably balked in disbelief, writing it off as a prank.<BR/><BR/>If this situation -- which I have no way of proving -- were true, then in my mind Harlin would be a lesser artist. The very fact that Hitchcock and Hawks were willing to speak with obscure auteurist writers is by virtue a sign that they were invested in what they were doing. But I have never read so much as a "director's statement" from Harlin about any of his work. Perhaps the layer of Hollywood bullshit is just too thick these days. Renny Harlin can be lampooned as a "hack" and that can hurt the films as a products in the market place. William Friedkin, a very serious artist, tends to suffer on that front as well. Last week I ran into a professor at Columbia who was on his way to Cannes. I asked if he intended to check out BUG, Friedkin's new one. "Yeah -- thanks for the tip, Gabe!" was his sarcastic reply.<BR/><BR/>I think in these situations, all we can do is reply with an earnest: "You're welcome!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148349569066371452006-05-22T21:59:00.000-04:002006-05-22T21:59:00.000-04:00Gabe, if the "certain prominent filmmaker" was Sco...Gabe, if the "certain prominent filmmaker" was Scorcese, I'd be interested in hearing more about his collection / screening facilities, etc. Not for gossip's sake, but out of a general interest in his much mythologized collection.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148346635075025062006-05-22T21:10:00.000-04:002006-05-22T21:10:00.000-04:00Gabe, no I haven't seen Mindhunters. I kept an ey...Gabe, no I haven't seen <I>Mindhunters</I>. I kept an eye on it to come out for about two years and then ineptly let it pass me by in theaters. The reason I exert thought on Harlin at all goes back to your defense of a few of his films, including <I>The Long Kiss Goodnight</I> ... <BR/><BR/>I have <I>Slattery's Hurricane</I> recorded off of TV in my room. Still waiting to be watched. <I>Dark Waters</I> was the first De Toth film on DVD, I think--nothing to do with the Salles/Connelly film. Amazon lists its release date as June 1, 1999.<BR/><BR/>Budd Boetticher's <I>Decision at Sundown</I>, with Randolph Scott, definitely <I>feels</I> like a De Toth film to me.<BR/><BR/>Dennis, let us know if you get to see <I>Land of Gold</I>. I'd like to know if I'm not crazy for having reacted so strongly to the film when I saw it.ZChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10211734319629732065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148337194024240752006-05-22T18:33:00.000-04:002006-05-22T18:33:00.000-04:00Gabe: My one and only encounter with PLAY DIRTY ca...Gabe: My one and only encounter with PLAY DIRTY came on ABC-TV when I was about 9 or 10. I've not seen it since, and barely remember it. But DAY OF THE OUTLAW shows up occasionally on Turner Classic Movies, which is where I obtained my DVD copy (letterboxed!) The only other DeToth I own is the Randolph Scott western MAN IN THE SADDLE, which I got for Christmas last year and have not seen yet. <BR/><BR/>Zach: Thanks for the research on LAND OF GOLD. Think I'll start digging around myself. Perhaps the University of Oregon might be a good place to start.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148166361116380612006-05-20T19:06:00.000-04:002006-05-20T19:06:00.000-04:00I've noticed PLAY DIRTY is a recurring daytime pro...I've noticed PLAY DIRTY is a recurring daytime programmer on Showtime (FYI--in case anyone wants to tape a cropped version of it).<BR/><BR/>A good 35 of the film is housed at Eastman. It's not the rarest De Toth; I think it was especially popular in Europe and still pops up on the revival circuit now and then. I'm sure there many prints of it out there. DAY OF THE OUTLAW is a real rarity, and was shown in Chicago in the last year. Not sure where that came from.<BR/><BR/>Of the ones I remember seeing when I had access to a certain prominent filmmaker's incredible private library, SPRINGFIELD RIFLE and MONKEY ON MY BACK definitely stood out. I saw a good 'Scope print of THE INDIAN FIGHTER, which is on DVD now. Amazingly, the pretty interesting DARK WATERS is also on DVD (maybe an attempt to bank in on the name cache of the similarly titled Walter Salles film??).<BR/><BR/>The last De Toth I saw was SLATTERY'S HURRICANE, in a bad print. I didn't get too much from this particular screening, though Fred Camper, who probably saw a better copy, seems to find it pretty interesting:<BR/><BR/>http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/15752_SLATTERYS_HURRICANE<BR/><BR/>I think it's time we all revisit DRIVEN. Zach, have you seen MINDHUNTERS? I haven't yet; just curious if anyone actually *likes* this film....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148137538010299982006-05-20T11:05:00.000-04:002006-05-20T11:05:00.000-04:00Campaspe, please let us know what you think if you...Campaspe, please let us know what you think if you get to see some De Toth films or revisit <I>Tender Trap</I>, which I myself will write about here if I revisit it in the foreseeable future. (Also, as you're coming to NYC, I could easily lend a few VHS dubs of De Toth titles to you if you don't mind watching the films in that way.)<BR/><BR/>I'm not a Lewis Carroll aficionado (though I've liked what little I've read), but <I>Dreamchild</I>, too, will deserve some words here when next I see it ...ZChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10211734319629732065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148133423476023242006-05-20T09:57:00.000-04:002006-05-20T09:57:00.000-04:00Brian--I haven't read the Rosenbloom book but will...Brian--I haven't read the Rosenbloom book but will keep an eye out for it. I know that <I>Minsky's</I> was a mess-in-the-making ...<BR/><BR/>Girish--I haven't seen <I>The Year My Voice Broke</I> yet; I thought <I>Wide Sargasso Sea</I> was a Duigan misfire though, like his 2000 film <I>Paranoid</I>. I don't know <I>To Live and Die in L.A.</I> (it's one of those films I've almost rented many times...).<BR/><BR/>Aaron--I haven't seen those other Reynolds vehicles, really. Olivier Assayas, I think, praised the <I>Cannonball Run</I> movies in Film Comment some time ago.<BR/><BR/>Peter--Stoney still has the same 'one doc a week' requirement, but video has made it much easier! (Not to mention the recent vogue for feature documentaries.)<BR/><BR/>Noel--I'm willing to believe Dennis Potter was the major creative force behind <I>Dreamchild</I>; but it's a well-directed film, very palpable in its handling of emotional content, and good screenwriting and strong conceptualization can only guarantee that so far ... <BR/><BR/>Dennis--on <I>Land of Gold</I>, what you see is practically what I know. Steve Marts has made a few nonfiction films, I guess, including one about an adventure trip to Alaska that you can get from <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B00004Y55Q/102-8416296-6982502" REL="nofollow">Amazon.com</A>. <I>Land of Gold</I> is available to be viewed in 16mm at the NYPL Donnell Media Center, with this description: "Summary: Presents a non-narrated composition of farm scenes set to a musical background. Focuses primarily on shots of technology in motion." As for other libraries (public or research) holding it, I have no idea. I don't know if the copy I saw in an NYU class belonged to the NYPL or to NYU. Let me check on Monday and see if I can find a little more information about what institutions might hold this film, at least. <I>These Hands</I> is available on VHS from California Newsreel, probably easy to find in university libraries or public libraries with good video selections. <BR/><BR/>As for De Toth--he's amazing. I've seen one or two of his that I thought were merely OK, but he can turn the simplest B-western into a real keeper. Off the top of my head, <I>Thunder Over the Plains</I>, <I>Springfield Rifle</I>, and <I>Riding Shotgun</I> are all quite good. His 'last' film, <I>Play Dirty</I>, is absolutely worthwhile two, and there's at least one good circulating print of it. (Gabe could maybe confirm or deny additional info on this.) His "real" last film, according to IMDB, <I>Terror Night</I> ('87), has been seen by almost no one, it seems ...ZChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10211734319629732065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148132171304415782006-05-20T09:36:00.000-04:002006-05-20T09:36:00.000-04:00I must definitely see some De Toth! I like The Ten...I must definitely see some De Toth! I like The Tender Trap, but confess I didn't see it as much more than fluff; now I am pondering.<BR/><BR/>The one forehead-smacking choice in your list, for me: Dreamchild. The Alice books are incredible works of genius to me, but many people find them strange and frightening. That wonderful movie managed to show you both visions. It was also touching to see Coral Browne get such a good late-career role. I haven't seen anything Millar made since.The Sirenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13587505433284584391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148086298641363642006-05-19T20:51:00.000-04:002006-05-19T20:51:00.000-04:00Zach, you said you could "barely" find any informa...Zach, you said you could "barely" find any information on <I>Land of Gold</I>. Would you mind sharing what you could find? I've never heard of this film, but I'd surely love to see it. I'm from Oregon and am very curious about filmed representations of that state, whether in fiction or, even more rarely, documentary form.<BR/><BR/>Also, <I>two big thumbs up</I> (!) for your words on De Toth. I was floored by <I>Day of the Outlaw</I> when I finally caught up with it last year, and now I've got two more must-sees-- <I>Land of the Comanches</I> and <I>Ramrod</I>-- to add to the ever-growing list.<BR/><BR/>Finally, I love films like <I>These Hands</I>. Any idea if this is available anywhere?Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148071751853517572006-05-19T16:49:00.000-04:002006-05-19T16:49:00.000-04:00Nice list, Zach. But Dreamchild of course is the w...Nice list, Zach. But Dreamchild of course is the work of Dennis Potter, one of the best writers that ever worked on TV (his best rarely translated well to film--except, arguably, Pennies from Heaven). In this case I'm not sure it's the director at all.Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148043346949998822006-05-19T08:55:00.000-04:002006-05-19T08:55:00.000-04:00By golly, I had a documentary class with Stoney al...By golly, I had a documentary class with Stoney also, way back in 1973. One time I mentioned that it was a challenge to watch a new documentary every week even with what was offered around NYC institutions and theaters. Stoney assumed all of the students also had televisions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148006162299869572006-05-18T22:36:00.000-04:002006-05-18T22:36:00.000-04:00I’m also fond of Needham’s Hooper, and indeed, the...I’m also fond of Needham’s <I>Hooper</I>, and indeed, the rest of his smash ‘em, crash ‘em Reynolds vehicles of the period. <BR/><BR/>I remember reading somewhere (Andrew Yule’s bio?) that the character of the director in that film was based partly on Peter Bogdanovich, with whom Reynolds had just filmed the two so-called “disasters” <I>At Long Last Love</I> and <I>Nickelodeon</I>. I don't know the veracity of this, but it seems fitting that Reynolds would thumb his nose at his former director in one of the first films that would see him returning to his publicly well-received "good ole boy" persona.Aaron W. Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11988034390125865431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148005554936886452006-05-18T22:25:00.000-04:002006-05-18T22:25:00.000-04:00Girish, there is nothing irrational about your lov...Girish, there is nothing irrational about your love for TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. One of the few '80s movies with an annoying synth soundtrack that holds up, with the kind of fierce, uncompromising spirit of the best genre films. Or, uh, it's pretty good.The 'Stachehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03426658288145524160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1148003476986138892006-05-18T21:51:00.000-04:002006-05-18T21:51:00.000-04:00Great post, Zach. A most fun read.Re: Duigan, The ...Great post, Zach. A most fun read.<BR/><BR/>Re: Duigan, <I>The Year My Voice Broke</I> and <I>Wide Sargasso Sea</I> are also interesting films.<BR/>Re: Friedkin, I have great, perhaps even irrational, affection for <I>To Live And Die In L.A.</I>.<BR/>"Cassavetes' <I>Faces</I> in a Sinatra vehicle" also evokes for me Minnelli's great <I>Some Came Running</I>.girishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05079328617099035797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10161060.post-1147997344607802922006-05-18T20:09:00.000-04:002006-05-18T20:09:00.000-04:00I've of course seen none of these, and only heard ...I've of course seen none of these, and only heard of the Harlin, Friedkin and De Toth (the latter through you, probably). Have you read Ralph Rosenbloom's <A HREF="http://www.deep-focus.com/flicker/whenthes.html" REL="nofollow">When the Shooting Stops the Cutting Begins</A>, Zach? An interesting take on filmmaking from an editor's perspective. He talks extenstively about <I>the Night They Raided Minsky's</I>.Brian Darrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17693169310367670898noreply@blogger.com