Words Do Not Escape Me Regarding "The Artist"

Against all odds, I loved “The Artist.” I am not a big fan of silent films, so I thought a film that recreated a silent film would not appeal to me. In fact, my assumption was incorrect. “The Artist,” directed by Michel Hazanavicius, does not just simply recreate a silent film, rather it tells the story of a silent film director in the style of a 1920’s silent film. It is about one director handling the transition of fame in silent films to being washed out in Hollywood by the advent of talkies. The fact that “The Artist” is in black and white did not bother me. Some of the greatest films in history are in black and white: “Eraserhead,” “ Anatomy of a Murder,” “Psycho,” “ Citizen Kane,” the greatness of the Marx Brothers films, “ Young Frankenstein.” Black and white does not turn me off from seeing a particular film. “The Artist” tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a film director and actor in 1920’s Hollywood. George experiences success in silent films. As the film opens in 1927, we see a packed theater enjoying one of his films, complete with the live orchestra that would provide music to accompany silent films. George is established as very successful and popular. As just a few years pass by over the course of the film, George is made bluntly aware by film producer, Al Zimmer (John Goodman), that he has fallen out of favor with the introduction of talkies. As was the case with some silent film stars, when talkies began being made, some silent film actors were no longer in favor, usually because they did not have particularly good voices. I would have been a great silent film star, however, my voice would have shut down theaters around the world.
At the same time that George is at the apex of his success in 1927, beautiful young actress Peppy Miller (Argentinian actress Berenice Bejo), comes to “Hollywoodland,” seeking fame in the movies. She impresses a casting director and finds herself a role as a dancer in a film. At that point in the film, she meets George. Peppy and George hit it off and have an undefined relationship. The film does not go out of it’s way to define what their relationship consists of, but we can speculate. What happens to Peppy and George is what the remainder of the film explores. You will have to see it to learn more.
The Artist does a superlative job of conveying it’s story with no dialogue other than the occasional dialogue card that is shown, those cards that will pop up in silent films that tell you what the characters are saying. There are not many of these in the film because the actors do such a great job of conveying emotion and moving plot along without any words, just facial expressions and actions. It is fantastic!
An additional treat in “The Artist” is the performance of the canine thespian in the film. George Valentin has a dog that goes with him everywhere. The way that the dog responds to the action in the film is flawless. The name of the dog actor, according to the credits, is Uggie. Uggie is a very smart addition to the film by the filmmakers. Uggie adds an additional bit of depth to the character of George Valentin. I liked George even more because of his devotion to his dog and the fact that he took his dog everywhere he went.
My only qualm with “The Artist” is the introduction of ‘s George’s wife as the object of his negligence. His character did not necessarily have to be married for any of the plot developments to occur. Her character was superfluous and just left us feeling a bit of dislike for Jean for neglecting her for no apparent reason that is introduced in the script. Of course, one may infer through either personal experience or from other films the reasons for the gulf between them, however, it would have been better just to leave her character out of the film, altogether. It would have been better just to leaver her character out of the film.
The success of and the reason for my excitement about the “The Artist” lies in the fact that, as mentioned previously, it flawlessly tells the story of the two lead characters with very few words, just actions and music. As well, the score in the film is great, especially in some of the key emotional scenes. The film does not try to convince us that the 1920’s were an especially special era either. Though some may feel that it was, I was not interested in a visual exploration of the greatness of the time or for the film to attempt to convince me that it was a magical time. My fears that “The Artist” would be such an exploration were alleviated quite quickly and I realized that it was about George and Peppy, not an excuse to make a modern silent movie lookalike. At the same time, for fans of silent films and fans of the 1920’s, I think “The Artist” adds the additional boon of representing the era in a realistic manner, the same way a film like “Grindhouse” was a lot of fun for me as a fan of 1970’s grindhouse films.
As a result of seeing “The Artist,” I am now interested in seeing Hazanavicius’ two spy film spoofs which he made prior to this, “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” (2006) and “OSS 117: Lost in Rio” (2009). Both films star Jean Dujardin and the first of these films also stars Berenice Bejo, Hazanavicius’ wife. After I have finishing writing this, I may see if Netflix has these two films. If you would like find out the results of my search, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Epistemology Tonight, c/o Pockenstenton Labs, P. O. Box 1701, Zzyzx, CA 91225.
In conclusion, I submit that “The Artist” is my second favorite film of 2011, behind Alexander Payne’s, “The Descendants.” “The Descendants” is a more emotionally raw film and it’s ability to deftly mix very emotional drama with comedy is flawless. “The Artist” is almost right up there in it’s ability to mix drama and comedy, however, the immediacy of the actions in “The Descendants” captured my favor more. I, obviously, highly recommend “The Artist” to anybody. It paints it’s story on a canvas upon which any artist would be proud.

Hop in the Supervan

Can you think of a movie in which you can find guys with Gabe Kaplan hair, see inside cool, souped-up vans from the late 70’s, see Len Lesser from tv’s Seinfeld, hot women smoking joints, an outdoor game involving crawling through cardboard boxes, and see guys with Incredible Hulk and Mr. Spock masks? I can. It’s called “Supervan.”
The 1976 film, “Supervan” captures a time when there were contests to see who had the best and coolest van, whether it be one with carpeting along the entire interior or one with lots of interesting artwork painted on the outside. There were several films in the late 1970’s that attempted to sell tickets by capitalizing on the current trends. Citizen’s Band (1977), Skateboard (1978), Skatetown USA (1979), and “Tilt” (1979) starring Brooke Shields are a few examples.
After an opening credits sequence featuring the memorable song, “Ridin’ High,” we are introduced to Clint Morgan (Mark Schneider), owner of a souped-up van he hopes to enter into a van contest, specifically, the Second Annual Non-National Invitational Bicentennial Invitational Freak-Out ’76. Who wouldn’t want to go back in time and attend anything called Bicentennial Freak-Out ’76? On his way to the said Freak-Out, Clint runs into some mean bikers who, through not particularly sensical means, lead him into a compactor at a dump where his van gets crushed. None of this really makes much sense, but that is ok since we know we will eventually arrive at the Freak-Out. At the dump, Clint rescues Karen Trenton (Katie Saylor, a regular on the 1977-78 science fiction series, “The Fantastic Journey” which starred Roddy McDowell and Jared Martin). Karen was being attacked by the previously mentioned bikers. Eventually, Clint and Karen get away, however his van is destroyed so his hopes of winning the Freak-Out are dashed. A tow truck towing a pick-up truck takes Clint and Karen to the laboratory where a special solar-powered super van is being made. You might call it Supervan. Actually, in the film, it is named Vandora. Vandora is designed by Clint’s friend, Vince (Skip Riley) who works for T.B. Trenton (Morgan Woodward) at Mid America Motors. Morgan Woodward, who has a fantastic Tom Snyder hairdo, was regularly featured on the tv show “Dallas” as oil baron, Punk Anderson, and guest-starred a few times on the Logan’s Run tv series which aired during the 1977-78 season on CBS. An interesting side note is that “Dallas” and the earlier sci-fi shows, “Logan’s Run” and “The Fantastic Journey,” were all produced by Leonard Katzman. Some of the actors from the sci-fi shows would eventually appear on “Dallas.”
Through a series of events, Clint and Karen enter Vandora into the Freak-Out contest. T.B. Trenton, the owner of Vandora is not pleased by the theft of his super van so he and his henchman make their way out to the contest to try to retrieve the vehicle. The best scenes in “Supervan” take place at the Freak-Out. It feels a bit like stepping into 1976 and experiencing a bit of the trends of the time. This is where the value of the film lies. It is not a serious film and it does not try to be so. It was obviously made to cater to the youth of America who may be into the van craze of the late 1970’s. As such, it succeeds in being entertaining for 91 minutes. People, like myself, who enjoy movies that flaunt their 70’s-ishness will enjoy “Supervan.” Others may not find it as interesting. The music in “Supervan” is surprisingly good. I wonder if the soundtrack is available anywhere. I wouldn’t buy the dvd, but “Supervan” is worth checking out if you ever have the opportunity. Blockbuster.com has it, however Netflix does not. I suppose you could buy it from Amazon if you are so inclined. If nothing else, see “Supervan” to see to nice-looking 70’s women smoking joints and the crawling though a cardboard box contest. I am driving away in the Supervan, giving it 2 ½ out of 4 windshield wipers.

Does a Semicolon Feel Inferior to a Colon?

PART ONE: THE BEGINNING, PART ONE

In the summer of 1990, tensions were high between the United States and Iraq. “Ghost” was a number one hit at the box office. Greyhound Bus Lines files for bankruptcy. MC Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This” was rockin’ the country with it’s smooth grooves. NBC airs episodes of “Quantum Leap” for five straight days! Perhaps I, too, could write lame scripts for pseudo documentaries on The Discovery Channel.
Also in the summer of ’90, a young man you may have indeed met, one named Michael Harris, saw a particular film for the first time. You may know this young man as Mike. You may know him as Harris. You may know him as Michael……or……you may just simply know him.....if that is possible.
Our young friend was invited one Friday evening to see a film he had heard of but had never seen. This film…..a film that was a movie…..some know as……”The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The location was set: the General Cinema Valley View Theater, the great 2 screen picture palace once a proud member of the now defunct General Cinema family of theaters. I believe the great Valley View closed just a few years after our young friend’s introduction to it’s wonders of amazing wonders. One thing that struck our hero was that the concession stand was open for this midnight showing of the Picture Show. Michael wondered to himself, having learned by this time of the inner workings of a movie theater concession stand from his job at the long gone AMC Irving 6 Theater, why it would be open during Rocky Horror, but was but a few minutes away from finding out. One other thing that struck our hero was the fact that three girls had invited him to go see a movie at midnight….and he got to sit in the back seat with the most attractive of the three. 17 should have been a much better year.
Seated in the auditorium, the first thing by which our friend was struck was how cool it was that the print of Rocky Horror appeared to be one struck in 1975 when the film was first released. There were plenty of splices and cracks in the film, much to his delight. I know some shudder at the notion of watching a film with multiple splices and frames missing, however, in an old film, this can be quite exciting. I think it emphasizes the fact that you are watching celluloid run through a projector. I used to love going to the dollar cinema in Irving, the Chateau, and watching movies there. The prints of the film were sometimes beat up badly and the splices and dirt to be found at every reel change was inspiring. The splices in the opening song from the film, “Science Fiction Double Feature,” were mesmerizing. Why can’t all films have such splices and dirt marks on them?
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was at the tail end of it’s midnight show popularity in 1990, so it was a full auditorium in which our friend sat with his three sexy friends. Our friend was only slightly annoyed at not being able to hear the dialogue in the film because he knew that seeing “Rocky Horror” is an experience more than it is watching a movie. He had never experienced an audience participation event such as this evening at the Valley View. The experience was better than the movie. It was great to watch the live performers say things like “Oh, shit!” in response to a line from the second song in the film, “Janet.” Of course, the classics, “Sweet Transvestite” and “Time Warp” were fun to hear and watch performed by the live actors also. The last good song in “Rocky Horror” is “I Can Make You a Man,” sung by Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter to his creation, Rocky. Our hero, Michael, found to movie to fall off dramatically after the first hour, around the time Meat Loaf enters the film.
There was then, in 1981, a follow-up to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” called “Shock Treatment.” At this point, the story of our hero Michael’s first viewing is complete. Let us leave him now and move onto something else of equal, but certainly not greater importance.

PART TWO: DUODENUM

Some do not think of “Shock Treatment” as a sequel to Rocky Horror, but more as just another story featuring Brad and Janet, the two lead characters from Rocky Horror. Either explanation works for me. I did not know much about “Shock Treatment” other than the fact that two different actors play Brad and Janet, and that some of the cast members from Rocky Horror return: Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Charles Gray, and Nell Campbell. I knew Tim Curry was not in it nor was his character, Frank-N-Furter. I also remember that reviews for this film were not favorable back in 1981. I am not sure why that would have been so. “Shock Treatment” is a fun and fairly briskly-paced musical with some good songs and a surprising performance by the very interesting actress, Jessica Harper, as Janet. Susan Sarandon played Janet in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The most interesting thing about Jessica Harper, aside from her stunning beauty, is her list of credits from 1976-1981:
1976—Inserts—a good X-rated United Artists released film starring Richard Dreyfuss, about a successful Hollywood filmmaker in the 1920’s who begins making silent pornos
1977—Susperia—an Italian horror film directed by Dario Argento
1977—an episode of Hawaii Five-O
1978—The Evictors—a low budget horror film
1980—Stardust Memories—a Woody Allen film
1981---Pennies From Heaven—a musical starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters
1981—Shock Treatment—the follow-up to Rocky Horror

In 1989, she would co-star with Garry Shandling on his brilliant Showtime program, “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” on which she played Garry’s girlfriend.

I did not know she could sing and sing very well! Harper plays Janet wonderfully as a woman who is still a bit on the naïve side, but is growing more annoyed by her equally naïve husband, Brad, played by Cliff DeYoung, who also is a fantastic singer.

At the beginning of “Shock Treatment,” we find Brad and Janet in the audience of what turns out to be a 24-hour plus television show run by Farley Flavors (also played by Cliff DeYoung). Brad and Janet are chosen to take part in a game show hosted by Bert Schnick (Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna), on which Janet can put Brad in a mental institution so as to change him. I know this sounds goofy, but it works in this film. The mental institution is part of another tv program called Dentonvale, named for the town in which all this takes place, Denton. I don’t think Denton is supposed to be in Texas, but it is more fun to think it is. Richard O’Brien, Riff Raff in Rocky Horror, plays Dr. Cosmo McKinley and Patricia Quinn, Magenta in Rocky Horror, plays Nation McKinley. The McKinleys are the doctors assigned to cure Brad. Through a variety of musical numbers, Janet grows to find Brad’s naïve ways frustrating and goes along with allowing him to undergo “a little bit of shock treatment.” "Shock Treatment" is one of the best songs in the film, however, Jessica Harper’s solo “In My Own Way” and the song performed at the beginning and the end of the film, “Denton USA,” are better with “Denton USA” being the best song in the film. There are no bad songs in “Shock Treatment” which is one reason why it is so enjoyable. It reminded me of the slightly better “Rock N’Roll High School” (1979). Both films are fun and do not take themselves seriously. Both of these films would be more palatable to the average movie buff than “Xanadu,” “The Apple,” or “Can’t Stop the Music,” three other musicals from the same time frame (1979-1981) which are commonly looked upon as crap, however I embrace these three films because they are off-kilter and just trying to have a good time. I embrace “Shock Treatment” and “Rock N’Roll High School” as well, though these two films are obviously better movies and do not inspire the same kind of laughter that the other three do.

I found “Shock Treatment” to be a continuation of the story of Brad and Janet that happened to include four cast members from “Rocky Horror,” but not those actors’ same characters. There are some cool references to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in “Shock Treatment,” such as the return to Denton and a picture of the famous lips from Rocky Horror on the cover of a magazine. There may have been more, but it has been a long time since I have seen “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Some maintain that in “Shock Treatment,” director Richard O’Brien, is making a statement about fame and the willingness of society to assign fame to any random person who does not deserve such fame. It is easy to make this claim, however, in 1981, the concept of reality tv and fame out of nowhere was not as prevalent as it is now. There was usually a good reason for someone becoming famous back then. Now, it is true that it seems one can become famous for doing nothing like the Kardashians or any given person who has gained internet fame. I think O’Brien is making the statement that the tastes of any given audience or society can be easily swayed to one direction or another by just simply suggesting that any given person or thing should be famous. In “Shock Treatment,” Janet is chosen to be a celebrity out of the blue and the audience accepts her as such without any prior knowledge of her existence. I don’t think O’Brien had any foreknowledge of the abomination that is reality television. Maybe he did have a suspicion. Anyway, aside from trying to pick his brain, “Shock Treatment” is a very enjoyable movie that allows the viewer to simply have fun while poking a little bit of fun at the modern society of the time. Netflix it and have fun. Don’t be shocked to find you enjoy it.

Make Love AND War Horse

“War Horse” is not Steven Spielberg’s best film, however, it is among his best ten films. Set in 1914, “War Horse” tells the story of a horse named Joey, born on a farm in England. Joey is purchased at an auction by Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine), a young man who lives on a farm with his parents, Ted and Rose (Peter Mullan and Emily Watson). In the typical Spielberg way, the training of and love for the horse by Albert, commences in a semi-eye-rolling fashion. Thank goodness, though, the elements that create said rolling of the eyes pass after around the 30 minute point of the film. Once the horse, Joey, is purchased by the British Army for the World War I effort, the film rarely deviates into a screenplay formula that one may expect. “War Horse” is a straight-forward telling of what happens to Joey after he leaves the Narracott farm. Joey has encounters with several different owners and, as expected, is involved in many war battles. It is called “War Horse,” after all.
I appreciated the straight-forwardness with which the story of Joey is told. There are no side plots in the film and there are no forced love interests in the film, though, at one point early in the film, Albert rides Joey past a car with a cute young British woman and her, we suspect, boyfriend. At this point, I thought to myself, ‘Ok, here is where the sappy love story will begin.’ Luckily, the film does not pursue this and stays focused on the story of the horse. That is an excellent choice, as the story of the horse and his involvement and use during World War I is very interesting. There are only a few battle scenes in the film which is wise, because, this film is about the horse, not war. The first one in which the British cavalry ambushes the French Army is very well-done. I never got the sense at any point in the film that Speilberg was attempting to position himself one way or the other as pro or anti-war. Again, this is a very wise move. “War Horse” is not about political stances, nor should it have been so.
“War Horse” is based on the 1982 book by Michael Morpurgo which, according to Amazon.com is narrated by the horse. It has also been adapted for the stage in England: http://warhorselondon.nationaltheatre.org.uk/. According to The Royal National Theatre’s website, “Actors, working with astonishing life-sized puppets by the internationally renowned Handspring Puppet Company, take audiences on an unforgettable journey through history.” I would enjoy seeing this performed on stage. I have neither read the book, or, as stated, seen the play, however, Spielberg appears to do a great job of adapting the source material into a film version.
As I alluded to earlier, the first thirty minutes of the film are the weakest as I could see the screenwriting template used to introduce the main characters of the film and to establish the townsfolk as mostly hard-working farmers. Of course, there is a bad guy who appears in this opening portion of the film. David Thewlis plays Lyons, the landlord of the Narracott family farm. Before any of the wartime activity in the film begins, the scenario of Lyons threatening to take away the family farm unless they can come up with the money for the rent payment plays out. Lyons is pretty much a stock character, the jerk landlord. Anyway, once this situation plays itself out and we get past the setup of the main characters, the film improves for all the reasons I have discussed in the above collection of words and punctuation marks. The first thirty minutes of the film contain a lot of formulaic elements, however, the amount of such elements diminish substantially after that, allowing the film to set a fast, though not race car fast pace throughout the remainder of the film. “War Horse” is 146 minutes, however, as is the case with good 2 hour plus films, it does not feel long at all. The acting in the film is wonderful,especially Peter Mullan as Ted Narracott and Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls of the British Cavalry. I liked the fact the Spielberg used mostly unknowns in this film. Emily Watson is likely the most well-known cast member in the film. Unknown, of course, does not mean inexperienced, as most of the actors in "War Horse" do have extensive work in British cinema.
As far as horse movies go, “The Black Stallion” remains the gold standard. “War Horse,” however, is certainly not only high on the list of equine films, but it is also high on the list of Spielberg films, eclipsed only by his very best which includes “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T,” “Close Encounters of The Third Kind,” “Schindler’s List,” “Jaws,” and “Duel.” Yes, I said it. “Duel” is better than “War Horse.” Some of you might say, ‘horse feathers’ to that. Such is life. Anyway, your time will be well spent going to see or renting when it comes out on dvd, “War Horse.” I’m not going to be a neigh-sayer. Get on your horse and go see it.

Help Yourself to This Fine Film

"The Help" is one of the best films I have seen in quite awhile. It tells the story of Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), a recent graduate of the University of Mississippi, who goes back home to her family in Jackson, Mississippi. Set in the summer of 1963, "The Help" focuses on the social treatment of the black maids who work in the households of Skeeter's family and the other families around the, then, small town. The treatment in question is not of any physical nature, rather, it is of a mental nature. The maids are treated in most of the households as lesser beings who are only good for cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Their responsibilities are numerous, yet they are treated as lesser beings by their employers. Skeeter notices this and, after having acquired a job at a newspaper as editor of an advice column for housewives, decides to pursue the stories of these maids for an article in the New Yorker magazine. The first maid Skeeter interviews is Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis). Aibileen works for Elizabeth Leefolt(Ahna O'Reilly). Aibileen takes care of and basically has raised Elizabeth's daughter, Mae Mobley. Aibileen opens up to Skeeter and talks about the treatment of black maids in Jackson. Soon afterwards, Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) talks to Skeeter about her experiences. Minny, who works for Missus Walters (Sissy Spacek) and her daughter, Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) is more outspoken than Aibileen. The assassination of Jackson, Mississippi-born civil rights activist, Medgar Evers, not depicted in the film, but referred to, is a turning point in the film and takes place about halfway through. It is at this point in which the film really takes hold of the viewer and establishes itself as a strong Oscar contender. More of the maids in the town begin to tell Skeeter of their experiences of being a black maid in a mostly prejudiced environment. Minny tells an especially interesting story which, due to the subject matter of the story, allows for the identities of the maids and identity of the city in which the book takes place, to be safe. Skeeter is able to collect enough stories from enough maids to warrant publication of her book which is entitled, "The Help." Residents of Jackson buy the book, read it, and are fairly certain that the book is about their town. The rationale for thinking it is about their town becomes apparent during the second part of the film.
The best performances in the film belong to Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis. Their performances are both very understated in their own way. Minny is very outspoken, however, Spencer does not play this character as over-the-top sassy. She plays it just right and does not "steal the show." "The Help" is not a film in which you would want anyone to "steal the show." It is one of those rare films in which story and character are everything and if any one performance is overwhelmingly flawed, then that can effect the film adversely. Fortunately, director Tate Taylor does a masterful job of constructing this story. The first half of the film focuses mostly on Skeeter and her return home. I was glad that the second half of the film focuses more on the maids and the publication of Skeeter's book, a book which, through the stories told by the maids, delivers tremendously in it's honesty. It is wonderful to see a movie about how a book can change, or be a small part of changing a society's mindset. This is the true power of "The Help." The writers, as portrayed in the film, have power through her words. The stories are the maid's and Skeeter is the builder of the narrative.
Bryce Dallas Howard delivers a fine performance as Hilly Holbrook, a true bitch in every sense of the word. I guarantee you will hate her. Her character is almost so reprehensible that seeing her in a scene made me begin to dislike the film, however, thankfully, the focus of the film is not entirely on her and, in the end, I liked her performance. It is one that infuses so much hate that you realize what a great performance it is. I must reinforce, though, that the best performances in the film belong to Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis.
"The Help" is a fantastic film. It does not preach because it knows we already have heard the sermon. It uses what is a fact--the existence of prejudice against blacks in the early 1960's Southern United States--and uses this to tell the tale of how a book can bring about an amount of change in thinking and how a book can hold power over any given person. I urge anyone who reads this review to not be "Help"less and seek out this film.