Movies 11-15
1933 - King Kong (#41) - A confession: I love Godzilla movies, as well as Ray Harryhausen animation, as seen in movies like Jason and the Argonauts. Perhaps it's childish of me, but put on virtually any movie that features a poorly-integrated giant beast jerkily moving around wrecking stuff, and I'm in. That said, I didn't much like King Kong the first time I saw it, and a second viewing didn't redeem it much. First, and most importantly, the animation was very cool. I especially enjoyed the periodic close-ups of Kong's face, where the stop-motion wriggling of brow, eyes, nose and mouth was oh, so gloriously cheesy. But that alone wasn't enough to save a repetitive, poorly acted and dull film. I'm sure you know the story, so I won't repeat it here, but suffice it to say that it featured a series of very long, very similar-to-one-another battles between Kong and other creatures on Skull Island. Then there's the capture by our hero, who apparently just left acting class for how to talk like a 1930's gangster stereotype. And no, he's not playing a gangster in this movie, he just apparently loves to talk in a nasal sneer, for every single line. I think King Kong is revered for a few iconic scenes, such as the impressive gate on Skull Island and the sequence on the Empire State Building. And those are great moments in filmmaking, but they're just moments in an otherwise rather tedious film.
2 tiki torches out of 5
1934 - It Happened One Night (#35) - A rather misleading title, since the movie takes place over many days, but it doesn't diminish much from a well put-together zany romantic comedy. Having now seen it twice, I recognize that it won't make you laugh out loud over multiple viewings, but it's cute and charming, sure to make you smile throughout. The film follows a now-standard formula for this genre, with two perfect opposites forced into a situation together, in this case a road trip from Florida to New York, first by bus: hence the original title Night Bus, and various other means later on. With Clark Gable as the wry and cynical newsman helping to transport the spoiled, rich Claudette Colbert, crazy situations are sure to result. As you can imagine, they start off despising one another, but somehow by the end of all they go through, they find that they just might be in love. Surprise! Okay, no big shock there, but it is worth watching for the snappy banter between the two. My favorite exchange is actually toward the end, between Gable and Colbert's character's father, as the father tries to find out if Gable is really in love. His response to the simple question, "Do you love her?" is just perfect. It's a fun little movie - I like it quite a bit.
4 night buses out of 5
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty (#86) - Who doesn't love a good story about a nasty, mean sea captain putting his men through hell on a journey to the East Indies to pick up some breadfruit plants? Well, I wasn't quite sure if I would either, but this classic surprised me in some ways. In others, I was mildly disappointed, but overall it was a pretty good film. There are really only three important characters: the ill-tempered and cruel Captain Bligh, the obnoxiously chipper Midshipman Byam, and our hero the second officer (or thereabouts) Fletcher Christian. I loved the odiousness that Charles Laughton worked into every aspect, every moment of his Captain Bligh - the character is written to be hated and the viewer has no trouble doing just that. Fletcher Christian is a good everyman, duty-bound to his captain yet outraged over the treatment of the men, and conflicted by it all. But man, for a character designed to be sympathetic, Byam was just so eager and up all the time that I almost wanted Bligh to keelhaul him. That detracted from a mostly interesting story, based on true events. The action keeps you interested all the way through, up to the climax of the mutiny! And then the movie keeps going for something like 40 minutes. I understand that the story went on from there, but by the time things wrap up, it feels like a bit of a letdown. Up to the mutiny, and aside from Byam's overexuberance, it was enjoyable. A few tweaks could have made this great, but as it is, it's still a solid film to watch.
3 tall ships out of 5
1935 - A Night at the Opera (#85) - As you know, I love the Marx Brothers. At the same time, I cannot stand opera, at least as far as I even understand it. So what happens when I watch a movie combining the two? As it turns out, I like it quite a bit. I just let the opera be the framework for the crazy antics of the brothers, and it ends up being a lot of fun. That said, there are long operatic song numbers in the movie, and I typically end up fast-forwarding through them to get back to the story. The story, insofar as there is one, surrounds the well-meaning but bumbling Marx Brothers trying to help a friend break into the opera and get the girl he loves, while antagonizing the bullying star of the show and trying to swindle the rich widow out of her money. As in Duck Soup, that's but a vehicle for hilarious situations, including classics like the stateroom of the cruise ship, the three aviators, a contract dispute, and a scene where a detective thinks he's found the three brothers hiding out at Groucho's apartment. These are all great, laugh-out-loud moments, and definitely make the film worth watching. The only downside is the excess opera singing, and an ending that gets maybe just a bit too frenetic. I don't love this one as much as Duck Soup, but it's a must-see for any fan of the Marx Bros. and it makes me laugh every time.
4 opera masks out of 5
1936 - Modern Times (#78) - This film is the reason I thought I really liked Charlie Chaplin, until I saw his other movies and ended up unimpressed. Despite what others say about the beauty of City Lights, I think this is his best work, at times beautiful, tragic, touching, sad, and hilarious. The Tramp here is at his most lovable, an innocent man simply trying to work, but consistently tossed aside by the efficiencies of the modern world. Along the way, he meets and falls for a young street urchin, with whom he wants only to start a decent life with. Their struggles to get by are poignant for an era of depression, perhaps equally so today, but through it all they get by with their love for one another. It truly is moving, and yet at the same time, it is a really funny comedy. For as much as the tramp tries to do good in life, something outrageous always seems to come up. As a corporate worker today, I had to laugh at the ridiculous-but-maybe-not-so-much idea of the worker feeding machine, and the insanity that occurs while he's in jail is almost too much to believe. Finally, though this is mostly a silent film, one of the last sequences features Chaplin working as a singing waiter, with uproarious results. Those are my favorite scenes, but through it all you have the classic Chaplin, hopefully trying to make the best of it. It's a great movie - a definite keeper.
5 gear cogs out of 5
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