Movies I’ve been watching

REANIMATOR (1984) is Stuart Gordon’s adaptation of one of the minor HP Lovecraft stories that turns it into a gory, black-humored, thoroughly entertaining film about restoring life to the dead and a disembodied head’s plot to raise a zombie army. Wonderful fun. “Your theories of brain death are twenty years out of date!’
REANIMATOR RESURRECTUS (2004) is the making-of documentary that came with the Reanimator DVD I bought; the biggest surprise to me was that Stuart Gordon started out in serious theater (“The Organic Theater premiered Mamet’s Sexual Perversity in Chicago.”) before starting to think about doing a Frankenstein film. And then a friend suggested a story called “Herbert West Reanimator” by some guy named Lovecraft (which explains why he started with that rather than one of the a-list stories—and his willingness to rehearse his actors in contrast to the usual low-budget rush job explains a lot too). This fills in some of what was dropped as they went along (establishing the villainous Hill had hypnotic powers even before he was beheaded) and discussions as to what made it work (“Every character has an arc—even the dean goes from a respectable college head to a drooling undead maniac!”) and Gordon’s cheerful admission that this will probably remain the high-water mark of his career (“Every movie I make, they say it’s not as good as Reanimator—but this film enabled me to have a career in movies.”). Interesting.
DRUNKEN ANGEL (1948) was Akira Kurosawa’s first team-up with Toshiro Mifune, here playing a tubercular Yakuza in post-war Japan who bonds with the gruff drunk of a local doctor despite Mifune’s refusal to follow doctor’s orders to stave off death. Reminiscent of the Italian neo-realists of the period in its seedy setting and gloomy plot; the emphasis on the Yakuza code of honor being bullshit (“Don’t give me any of that feudal loyalty crap!”) makes me suggest double-billing with REMAINS OF THE DAY for similar cynicism about honor and duty. “A Yakuza can always be trusted to do the wrong thing.”
WONDER WOMAN (2009) is a weak animated reworking of WW’s’s origin wherein the escape of Ares (Alf Molina) from Paradise Isle results in Princess Diana (Keri Russell) winning a contest to return to the outside world and take him down, with the help of skirt-chaser Steve Trevor (Nathan Filion). Didn’t do anything for me vocally or dramatically, though it does show how Amazon Warrior has become the standard interpretation of Wonder Woman these days. “Your daughter has a great rack.”
AVANTI (1972) is the charming story of stressed-out businessman Jack Lemmon arriving in Italy to pick up his late father’s body and discovering his long-term relationship with Juliet Mills’ mother, with the inevitable result of the next generation following in their parents’ footsteps. Surprising to think something this light-hearted came from the same brain as Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard (also surprising to realize it’s a Filmed Play since it doesn’t feel like it at all). “My uncle is a cardinal-do you think I would lie?”
ST. ELMO’S FIRE (1985) was the Brat Pack’s shot at adult roles (not having seen this since it came out, it’s startling how young they look now) as a newly graduated pack of college friends (Timothy Hutton, Mare Winningham, Judd Nelson, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy) grapple with job problems, relationship problems and drug problems on the course to maturity. Certainly better than many other films with similar themes. “No-he isn’t sleeping with the fat chick.”
Despite all the unfavorable comparisons of Pierce Brosnan’s Bond to Daniel Craig’s that I’ve seen, TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997) shows Brosnan was good in the role, as he and Chinese agent Michelle Yeoh and Pierce Brosnan try to thwart Jonathan Pryce’s scheme to touch off a China-UK war with Teri Hatcher caught in the crossfire (I’m inclined to agree with one film book’s description of her as “this is what happens to the Bond girls right after they make love at the end of the movie.”). “I think your employment with us is ended.”
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) is a fun animated fantasy in which the son of a Viking chieftain locked in battle with local swarms of dragons befriends one of the deadliest of them all and begins to suspect that the two sides needn’t be locked in mortal battle-and that there might be something more terrible to worry about. Charming; with Gerard Butler as the dad and David Tennant as one of the supporting voices. “Take this helmet-it’s made from one of your mother’s breastplates.”
FOUR ROOMS (1995) is a slight Plaza Suite style comedy in which worried bellhop Tim Roth must cope with deranged sexpot Jennifer Beals, a coven of witches (including Ione Skye and Madonna) that needs his sperm and the rebellious toddlers of Antonio Banderas and Joan Chen during one New Year’s Eve event. This gained its main claim to fame from having Quentin Tarantino in a supporting role right after Pulp Fiction, and it doesn’t have much else going for it. “You will come when we call you.”