So last week, I came down with a cold, and there was a family decision to quarantine me from the baby. So, while recovering, I hunkered down and in between frantic spates of schoolwork I caught up on a few films. I think I started at the wrong place. Let me begin again.
The week before Christmas it snowed heavily here. Anytime I'm surrounded by heavy snow, I get in the mood to watch a scary or at least tense film set in a desolate snowswept location. A great fall back is The Shining, which is pretty standard for me. Last year, it was John Carpenter's The Thing.
This year, I really felt the urge to rewatch Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express from 197(4?). I saw it for the first time about 4 years ago and it left quite an impression on me. Sadly, I had difficulty getting hold of a copy, so I read the book, which I had at hand. It was really wonderful, and I feel that Agatha Christie is a dream for filmmakers. She's pure plot, minimal characterization, and leaves so much room for screenwriting and directing embellishment. I ordered a DVD set containing 4 Christie adaptations, including Murder on the Orient Express, as well as Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun, both with Peter Ustinov as Poirot, and The Mirror Crack'd with Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple. Anyhow, starting about two weeks ago, I started the set beginning with MOTOE, then Death on the Nile, both of which I've seen before, and then Evil Under the Sun, which was truly delightful, particularly for the banter between Dame Maggie Smith (at that point without the 'Dame' I'm pretty sure... wait, is she 'Dame'? I like calling her Dame Maggie) and Ustinov. I still haven't gotten around to The Mirror Crack'd.
This led me to request the 197something version of And Then There Were None, from my online rental service, which I haven't seen since I was 9 or 10 I think. I remember it really frightening me when I was a kid. Now, aside from some great atmosphere and set pieces, it just seems a touch serious. But I do love watching Oliver Reed with his swagger and the kind of extremely abrasive "Fetch me a coffee, sweetcheeks" sort of machismo thats kind of inimitably 1970sish.
I had the urge to keep up with this mystery/thriller run, so I started on the films based on Steig Larsson's Millenium trilogy. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was appropriately dark and edgy, and was a nice little piece of tense suspense. I followed that with The Girl Who Played with Fire, which was a bit of a let down after the really fantastic opening film. It did, however utilize a lighting technique which, for some reason I really like: Deep blue primary key lighting, with little splashes of bright yellow or orange in the background. It's one of those strange things that I always enjoyed, and I can't say exactly why. Like underwater sequences in films.
The real surprise from this period was Roman Polanski's The Ghost (called The Ghost Writer in the states). I was expecting a slightly above average thriller from a classic thriller director just phoning it in. Instead, it was a great little claustrophobic chamber mystery, with fantastic performances. It really kept me engrossed until the end, and in my opinion, there's not a frame of fat. It is all tense and well constructed.
Aside from those, a few highlights from my week of sickness that broke from the generic tendency were:
Che Part One- really challenging and beautiful.
Opening Night- John Cassavetes does a backstage drama, very fascinating if you like his work.
Onibaba- a very dark and beautifully shot Japanese film. Drama turned supernatural horror
Paths of Glory- I rewatched this Kubrick gem after about 8 years or so. Beautifully shot but absolutely devastating. Great film.
Anyhow, that's what I've been into lately. If I think of anything to add, I'll make a few notes a bit later.
Any suggestions?
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