Alice's Restaurant.

Review #995: Alice's Restaurant.

Cast: 
Arlo Guthrie (Himself), Pat Quinn (Alice Brock), James Broderick (Ray Brock), Pete Seeger (Himself), Lee Hays (Himself – Reverend), Michael McClanathan (Shelly), Geoff Outlaw (Roger Crowther), Tina Chen (Mari-chan), Kathleen Dabney (Karin), William Obanhein (Himself – Officer Obie), and James Hannon (Himself – the blind judge) Directed by Arthur Penn (#981 - Bonnie and Clyde)

Review: 
The enjoyment of the film may rely on what you feel about the culture or the style that the film bases itself around, and while I might not call it a masterpiece (or anything too great), I did find that this was a fairly useful movie experience. This is an adaptation of the folk song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", that had been written and sung by Guthrie two years prior (along with having a length of 18 minutes), based on a true incident that had happened to Guthrie, in which he had been arrested for littering, with some liberties being taken. Guthrie himself is a capable lead who seems to have the right sense of presence and timing for the film, being fairly interesting to watch on screen. There is a casual but fairly entertaining atmosphere to all of this. Quinn and Broderick also pull capable performances, though the film is more an expression of the times than a developed plot, which may attract or repel audiences from it. If one considered it to be an extended music video, it may actually play better, but it doesn't hold much of a candle to something like Tommy (#687). The ending scene is an interesting one, mostly because of how it lingers on one particular image (while having a part from the song playing), which certainly makes for an enduring image that sticks out. Whether your view of the film is domineered by nostalgia or (in my case) curiosity, this is a movie that has as much appeal as the song it is adapted from that aims to show the spirit of the time - for better or for worse. I can't say this is a really good movie, but I can see the appeal for others, and I guess that is all for the best.

Here we are, five to go. On to October.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

Review #981: Bonnie and Clyde.

Cast:
Warren Beatty (Clyde Barrow), Faye Dunaway (Bonnie Parker), Michael J. Pollard (C.W. Moss), Gene Hackman (Buck Barrow), Estelle Parsons (Blanche Barrow), Denver Pyle (Frank Hamer), Dub Taylor (Ivan Moss), Gene Wilder (Eugene Grizzard), and Evans Evans (Velma Davis) Directed by Arthur Penn.

Review:
August holds significance for this film, as it was released 50 years ago on this month, with three different premieres: August 4 (for the Montréal Film Festival), August 13 (New York), and August 23 (Los Angeles) before going into general release the following month. In any case, I decided it made sense to finally cover this movie today to see how it has aged after (roughly) 50 years. There is something about how the movie works on nearly every level, from its cinematography by Burnett Guffey to its dynamic cast to how it becomes more than just a movie with violence (and lots of it) that opened the floodgates to a new level of bloodshed in cinema that is still readily apparent today. There have been countless other films revolving around criminals and/or a good deal of violence (such as say, The Wild Bunch (#591), though that was a Western), but this does not manage to fall into the background because of how it operates itself, with the ending scene being shocking in its execution. Of note is the use of squibs (a miniature explosive device) in order to imitate bullet hits, which surely stands out from prior movies that didn't have as much (or any) blood for the violence. The editing by Dede Allen is also quite good, having a rapid pace that rolls with the action neatly, with influence coming from the styles used for films directed during the French New Wave. Beatty and Dunaway both do great jobs, along with having a great chemistry together that seems instantaneous. The rest of the cast is also quite excellent in roles that led to further fame (along with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Parsons), with Hackman and Parsons being enjoyable to watch in their interactions within the Barrow Gang. In a film as rough as this is, there is still a level of humor and excitement one can get from all that happens in the movie, from the first scene with Beatty and Dunaway to the Gang escaping from the cops with Parsons holding onto a spatula. It's a forthright kind of film that never seems inauthentic with its goals and pace. The film does take liberties with what happened in real life with the Barrow gang, but it does not alter the fact that this is still a fine piece of entertainment that never ceases to be anything other than captivating.

This was a controversial film upon release, with criticism being about the level of violence apparent in the movie, but it was still a major success (no doubt due its appeal for the generation the movie was released to). No matter what you might think about how the film portrays violence, the legacy that Bonnie and Clyde has in changing the way violence is depicted on screen is undeniably still felt today, for better or for worse. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but it definitely pulls no punches in how it operates itself and achieves all of its goals.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.