yayamagic Reviews

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Frankly wonderful

[5 May 2004]

I know that Angela Lansbury is a terrific actress. She demonstrates it here, creepily.

Lawrence Harvey, too. Terrific.

But I couldn't keep my eyes off Frank Sinatra. Even during that bizarre dialogue exchange with Jamie Lee's mom on the train, Frank held me with his man on the edge character.

Also, my apartment is like his. Pick a topic, any topic and I've got a book on the subject.

Another thing I noted was the natural integration of the Korean War company. It never was mentioned. I liked that.

Notting Hill (1999)

3 cheers

[15 December 2003]

3 cheers and 4 points go to Hugh Grant. Zero to Julia.

Sorry, I am just not charmed by the pretty woman any more. Her trademark slow, slower slowest wide grin just acts like nails on a blackboard for me now - it's not acting!

Hugh though, yes! Thank you. Well done.

The Salton Sea (2002)

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

[3 September 2003]

I like my wild rides tainted with some sentiment and civility - and this movie delivers.

When confronted with the offer to participate in the absurd Bob Hope/Ebay caper, Danny Parker says "I'll pass, thank you" and Jimmy Finn says "I'm good."

I love how polite Danny is - when talking to Quincy or to the cops or especially to his friend Jimmy Finn. In this wild wild world of the meth tweeker scene, I appreciated this bit of civility. This movie had some wonderful moments for me, and the scenes between Jimmy Finn and Danny are my favorites.

Val and Vincent starred in two of my favorite movies - Tombstone and Household Saints and now I'm adding The Salton Sea.

Wonder Boys (2000)

Time Out of Mind

[5 June 2003]

At a recent Dylan concert, my friend Charlie pointed out a shiny gold statuette placed unobtrusively atop one of the speakers way in the back of the stage. It was the Oscar which Dylan won for his Best Song "Things Have Changed" from this movie, from "The Wonder Boys." I was glad that my friend pointed out that gold thing in the background because it added a whole other dimension to the concert. There was a story behind the statue - the whole "Wonder Boys" story and I was glad to be familiar with it. No, Bob never mentioned the statue. Why should he? He's Bob Dylan. He just did his thing, played his music.

Life presents us with the absurd as much as it does the mundane. Watching the way people handle the good and bad drama in their life is a hobby of mine. I liked the way Bob Dylan kept his "Wonder Boys" gold quietly present.

Michael Douglas' Grady Tripp doesn't call attention to his abnormally odd weekend, either. Douglas' Grady always maintains his cool even with a transvestite's tuba and his mistress' husband's dead dog and "the Crabtree pharmacopoeia" in the trunk of his ass-marked car. Grady deals with all of it. Grady deals with everything this peculiar weekend shows him - with a calm voice and an attitude mellowed from either age or experience or pot. In the here and now, he is calm and quiet but we all know that he'll have his anxiety or heart attack quietly near offstage with as few crowds and drama about them as possible.

Grady speaks lines like "gimme the gun, James" matter of factly, the same way that his married girlfriend tells him she's pregnant, the same way he'd order a drink from Oola. Why add drama and histrionics to the mix? He is what he is. Things are the way they are - even though things have changed.

One of the things that separates one human from another is the way we deal with change. isn't it? Personally? I want to hear about the absurdities of life. I like observing how people deal with it all. I like those stories.

Tripp's fellow travelers are in flux too - it's not just Grady going through change - his wife (unseen), his mistress (France McDormand), his editor (Robert Downey, Jr.), his students (Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes) - all of them are experiencing an extraordinary weekend but there's hardly a voice raised in the storytelling.

The soundtrack alone is worth the viewing, thanks, Bob Dylan! And Curtis Hansen, Michael Chabon - tell me another story, please! If you can manage to bring a similarly wonderful ensemble cast - even better!

Moonstruck (1987)

La Bella Luna!

[5 June 2003]

People call this Cher's movie, but Olympia Dukakis makes it for me. It's under her roof that I heard some of my favorite dialogue in the movies.

I am not a violent person, but "Old man . . . you give those dogs another piece of my meat and I'll kick ya til ya dead!" has got to be on my top ten list of memorable quotes.

I like the conversations around this family's kitchen table maybe because growing up, meals in my house were pretty silent even though there were seven of us. Funny that it took an Irish screenwriter to capture the Italian cadences. These people aren't caricatures of Italians or any other ethnicity, they are just a vocal family.

In another time, with just a few changes in the script, this story could have been high operatic drama. But it's not. It's a romantic comedy not a tragedy - even though it contains elements of tragedy - death under a bus, a lost limb, betrayal of marriage vows, and misinterpretations and misunderstandings.

But these characters TALK about what's on their minds. You want to know where the Met is located? You ask your hairdresser. You think your husband is flirting with another woman? You tell him that while you're both working behind the wine counter - in front of a customer. You're mad at your brother, you want to know why men need more than one woman, you want your son to pay for the wedding of his only daughter? If you really want to know, if you really want results or answers, you speak up!

Besides movies based on Agatha Christie novels, it is rare that a story ends with bringing the entire cast together more satisfyingly than "Moonstruck." The morning-after-the-opera scene in Rose Castorini's sunny kitchen with all the characters present is one that I can watch again and again. "You've got a love-bite on yer neck - your life's goin down the toilet!" "I want you to stop seeing her" "Who are we waiting for?" "Johnny Cammarari" "You're a part of the family!"

No matter what sort of table you grew up around, rent or buy this movie.

And remember, "No matter what you're gonna do you gonna die, just like everybody else!"

All About Eve (1950)

All about Adults

[5 June 2003]

This is not a movie geared for those who would stand in line for the latest cinemeplexific car chase head banging rock music special effect buster of blocks. This movie is all about adults. And the main focus is (SHOCK!) and adult woman!! Who is hitting 40!!

Bette Davis' Margo Channing is successful and self-involved and loving and generous and jealous and human. Ann Bancroft's Eve has such a sincere and melifluous voice. Thelma Ritter's character is a fast talking dame, Celeste Holm's is a more contemplative one and Marilyn is a hoot. Watch Margo get applause, get drunk, get duped, get a clue, get her man. "Glory Hallelujah!"

The men in the film, nameless here but wonderful on screen, are not spineless tools for the women. Okay, maybe Celeste's husband is easily manipulated as is the producer - but Margo's man "When I want something, I go after it, I don't want it to come after me" and Sanders' critic "who do you think you are fooling?" are manly men right off the rugged individualist rack (okay, it's a long rack . . .)

Great story, well told, great cast, well done!

If anyone thinks that any of these people are not *perfect* in this movie - George Sanders? Thelma Ritter? Marilyn Monroe? Celeste Holm? Bette Davis? Ann Bancroft? - I would like to take issue with you - behind the cineplex at high noon.

The Mighty Quinn (1989)

Easy does it

[4 June 2003]

This is an easy movie to like.

I love Maubee's mystery and his history with Xavier. I love Xavier's uniform and his relationship with all islanders.

Even when Maubee is tearing down the house, he has a smile on his face. Even when Xavier forgets to pick up his son and finds him hours later, alone and in the dark, it's not the end of the world, the child is entertaining himself and he forgives his father - easily.

These island inhabitants are comfortable to watch. What my grandmother would have called "easy in their skin."

"Don't you know this is a goin' down road?"

I love that line.

And I love a place that would designate a mountain road "a goin' down" road during certain parts of the day.

Also, this rendition of Bob Dylan "Mighty Quinn" is the easiest version to my ears.