No Country for Old Men.

Review #1921: No Country for Old Men.

Cast: 

Tommy Lee Jones (Ed Tom Bell), Javier Bardem (Anton Chigurh), Josh Brolin (Llewelyn Moss), Woody Harrelson (Carson Wells), Kelly Macdonald (Carla Jean Moss), Garret Dillahunt (Wendell), Tess Harper (Loretta Bell), Barry Corbin (Ellis), Stephen Root (Man who hires Wells), Rodger Boyce (El Paso Sheriff), and Beth Grant (Carla Jean's mother) Written, Produced, and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen (#659 - True Grit (2010), #765 - Fargo, #1063 - Blood Simple, #1517 - The Big Lebowski, #1552 - A Serious Man, and #1629 - Miller's Crossing) 

Review: 

The movie is adapted from 2005 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. While the Coen brothers were trying to adapt the novel To the White Sea, producer Scott Rudin approached them with the rights to make a film adaptation of the book. This is the 12th feature film by the Coen brothers, who as usual edited the film, with this coming off the heels of their previous work such as Intolerable Cruelty (2003) and The Ladykillers (2004). Take it for what it is worth when it comes to how they went with Bardem: he told them "I don't drive, I speak bad English and I hate violence", and yet he was their ideal choice to star in the film (after Heath Ledger had been in talks before bowing out)...provided that his schedule would work with them, because it would have been Mark Strong if that didn't work out. At any rate, this proved to be one of their most successful films, with the Coens receiving three Academy Awards for their work in this film. 

For me, part of the thing that comes with looking at movies that fall into multiple categories is to look at how it manages to execute what you might see coming from the genre without becoming consumed by what you expect over all things. The film has been called a "neo-Western", "crime thriller", or even "noir". For me, the movie was at its most curious and enjoyable in its setup when it comes to showing the stories of the three lead characters, one that knows when to say something meaningful. I think I can acknowledge the faithfulness of the novel and book with its meditation on the futility of trying to make a clean getaway while also thinking it is just a really nice shaggy dog thriller. Inevitable or not, I just found more to like overall in their previous works such as Miller's Crossing (1990) and Fargo (1996) when it came from top to bottom execution. But don't take my words as a big criticism, because the movie is still pretty good, an old-fashioned period piece that deals with the pitfalls of chance and fate for 122 minutes. They weave a tale that is generally compelling with a generally involving cast and locale.

In a sense, the movie is almost a slasher film, if only because Bardem's sociopath character kills nearly every person he meets (which basically translates to about a dozen people). He is deniably the best part of the film in how he shows unwavering terror with no reservations about just who he is: an agent of death, one who looms over everything. Of course, Brolin is no slouch in comparison when it comes to the other side of fate: trying to evade what and where one is going to end up regardless of the layers of inevitability. Jones has the least amount of time among the three, but folks who are familiar with Jones and his ability to make any type of cut-and-dry role seem interesting to spend time with. He is caught in the middle of fate: being ill-equipped to deal with the ever-changing frontier. Harrelson is the odd man among the supporting cast, a bargaining man who unintentionally is the weak link among the supporting players because of how he comes and goes, particularly when Macdonald and Corbin make such interesting presences without as much time to spare (the latter has one scene with Jones total while the former is the only one to share a scene with each of the main three). The landscape of the film is quite nice, in that one never thinks about the setting of the film being 1980 beyond just figuring it is 1980, complete with the barest of music and cinematography by the dependable Roger Deakins. As a whole, it is a movie that takes its time to build the layers of bleakly amusing fate that works most of its wonders through the usual Coen building blocks of genre blending and distinct characters that ends up making a solid (if not perfect) experience.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

WarGames.

Review #1610: WarGames.

Cast:

Matthew Broderick (David Lightman), Dabney Coleman (Dr. John McKittrick), John Wood (Dr. Stephen Falken / WOPR), Ally Sheedy (Jennifer Mack), Barry Corbin (General Jack Beringer), Juanin Clay (Patricia Healy), Dennis Lipscomb (Watson), Joe Dorsey (Col. Joe Conley), Michael Ensign (Beringer's assistant), William Bogert (Mr. Lightman), Susan Davis (Mrs. Lightman), and Irving Metzman (Richter) Directed by John Badham (#088 - Short Circuit, #1293 - Dracula (1979), and #1456 - Saturday Night Fever)

Review:

"If you get the characters right, everything else falls into place...Every actor has to be directed differently from every other actor...You have to make the set a comfortable place to be where it's okay to fail."

Films are a product of their time but some of those films represent the age they came from more than others, whether of good quality or not. WarGames is certainly a film for its decade, made in a time where computers for the home were growing in popularity but before the Internet (in other words, a time before my time). The story for the film was done by Walter F. Parkes and Lawrence Lasker, who developed their script over the course of a few years beginning in 1979. The original core involved a "dying scientist and the only person in the world who understands him - a rebellious kid who's too smart for his own good." Three people would play their part in shaping the film with computers: a meeting with Peter Schwartz, then of the Stanford Research Institute, shaped the film with hacking, since he felt a new subculture was arising in hacking with kids. Willis Ware of RAND Corporation helped inspire the idea of hacking into the computer with remote access (whether military or not). David Scott Lewis (a real-life hacker would eventually move to clean tech) would be the model for Broderick's character, and he had argued that the film has the most accurate representation of hacking. The character of Falken was originally inspired by Stephen Hawking, while the character of Beringer was inspired by then commander-in-chief of NORAD General James V. Hartinger. The original director for the film was Martin Brest, who shot for a few weeks before being let go by the studio, owing to his dark approach to the material, for which Badham would go the other way (treating it as a film to look fun and exciting rather than a dark rebellion). Noted writer and script doctor Tom Mankiewicz would also make contribution to the film, albeit without a screenplay credit.

Honestly, I was okay with the film, albeit with the observation that it just seems like a spunkier version of another film about hacking that would come out twelve years later with Hackers (1995), which also dealt with a high school hacker inadvertently getting his way into a deeper mystery. Actually, that isn't too far off, since Parkes and Lasker would return to write another film together that dealt with hacking (in this case security) with Sneakers (1992). After all, the film proved an influence to others in higher places of civic authority in the danger of "automatic dialing and access capabilities of the personal computer." In other words, it spooked President Reagan about hackers. Ten years after the release of this film saw the first ever convention dedicated to hackers with DEF CON (which happens to have attendance from folks interested in hacking alongside federal agents). This was the first major role for Broderick, who had started acting with stage and TV work two years prior. He does well what is needed here in wistful curiosity, where one cares to see where the line goes with hacking rather than wanting to see him get stuffed in a prison locker (one can only wonder what would've happened with the dark interpretation of the script by Brest, which might have been weird or really stiff). Coleman, a character presence in film and television, does well with what is needed in an authority foil with keen sense to go with what is needed in the scenes spent in the war room. Wood, known for his work in the theatre since the 1950s, does well with sardonic charm that lends itself well to the second half in maturity and futility. Sheedy (also in her second role, having appeared in Bad Boys less than two months prior to this film) is fine, breezy in those moments spent with Broderick, but the true presence of mind comes with Corbin, who provides booming bravado that is crisp in those moments spent in wavering circumstances with computers and choices. Admittedly, the one thing that sticks out to me regardless of age is that NORAD command center set, which is elaborate with all of its technological gizmos and lighting that probably makes the actual NORAD seem strange in comparison. Of course, it just happens to be a movie that tries to have a bit of adventure with hacking that will hit its target more so than missing it. In other words, it works for what it is without looking like a stodgy relic, walking that fine line between casual and tense in undertones that work for whoever wants to see where it will play out in 114 minutes. It is a movie about tech and the danger that could come from an over-reliance of it when faced with requirements of something as deep as nuclear war scenario-making. John Badham certainly made an eclectic range of warm films over the course of three decades, and while this might not be his greatest effort, it certainly stands well among his line of work in solid entertainment for engagement in tone and execution.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Review #1130: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Cast: 
Burt Reynolds (Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd), Dolly Parton (Mona Stangley), Dom DeLuise (Melvin P. Thorpe), Charles Durning (The Governor), Theresa Merritt (Jewel), Jim Nabors (Deputy Fred), Lois Nettleton (Dulcie Mae), Noah Beery Jr. (Edsel), Robert Mandan (Senator Charles Wingwood), and Barry Corbin (C.J.) Directed by Colin Higgins.

Review: 
Admittedly, some films can have some interesting back-story to them. This film, for example, was adapted from the 1978 musical of the same name by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson, who had developed the musical loosely based on events that occurred in La Grange, Texas in 1973. The two contributed to writing the film alongside director Higgins (who had written films such as Harold and Maude), with this being his third and final directed effort before his death in 1988. Carol Hall, writer of the music and lyrics for the musical, contributed to the music for the film alongside Parton, in her second film role after 9 to 5 (1980). One of the production companies involved with the film is Miller-Milkis-Boyett Productions (named for its three people involved, Thomas L. Miller, Edward K. Milkis, and Robert L. Boyett), with them being responsible for producing shows such as Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley alongside films of their own such as Silver Streak (1976) and Foul Play (1978).

With all of that in mind, the film proves to be a fair if not flawed charmer. It doesn't come off as a surprise that the film fell to cuts (reportedly the original version lasted roughly two-and-a-half-hours), particularly when the film starts and ends with Nabors giving off narration to help with telling parts of the story, and that certainly feels a bit weird for something that lasts 114 minutes. At the heart of trying to provide charm is the duo of Reynolds and Parton, who certainly seem to want to generate excitement, particularly when singing together. For the most part, they do a fine job in providing a chuckle and a smile, but it isn't anything too greatly special that you would see from other musicals. Reynolds pulls off his typical swagger and mischievous charm with the kind of effort you expect from him. Parton comes off as appealing and interesting to watch that I don't find too surprising - making the character come alive with a good sense of humor. Their duet song "Sneakin Around" is a decent one to listen to with a foot-tap or two. DeLuise essentially plays a caricature of any sort of "decency police" huckster with the kind of zip and edge (alongside a wardrobe suited for spectacle) that certainly plays fine against the coziness of Reynolds and Parton. Durning stands out in part due to his song "The Sidestep" that certainly clicks as an ear-worm while also being pretty amusing, particularly for the character played. Nabors (who sings the first song of the movie with "20 Fans") is quirky but a welcome presence for a film trying to balance humor with music. The other members of the cast are okay, but the real focus is the main trio, with occasional parts of raunchiness. The movie moves itself at a gradual pace with trying to go through its material with flashes of singing and humor that comes off okay. Its story does sometimes stumble when it comes to its romance, and the cuts made to the film perhaps play a big part in making it have a bit less meat to it than the aspects with songs. One of the more amusing sequences involves Reynolds confronting DeLuise in the town public square, complete with gruff language and a fountain. While I can say that I knew pretty quickly that it was not going to be a great kind of movie, I found myself enjoying it enough to make the experience worth it.

On a sadder note, I would like to say my respects to Burt Reynolds, who died on September 6. In the eight films I have viewed that have featured Reynolds, there is not one performance that isn't in some way memorable or entertaining. His performance in Deliverance is especially one that stands out amongst other fun times delivered in movies such as The Longest Yard and Smokey and the Bandit. I'll end this with a quote from the man himself - "All you really have in the end are your stories.”

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.