At Long Last Love.

Review #2249: At Long Last Love.

Cast: 

Burt Reynolds (Michael Oliver Pritchard III), Cybill Shepherd (Brooke Carter), Madeline Kahn (Kitty O'Kelly), Duilio Del Prete (Johnny Spanish), Eileen Brennan (Elizabeth), John Hillerman (Rodney James), Mildred Natwick (Mabel Pritchard), and M. Emmet Walsh (Harold) Written, Directed and Produced by Peter Bogdanovich (#1000 - The Last Picture Show, #1475 - Mask, #2093 - Targets)

Review: 

Admittedly, a handful of films that were thought of as flops are really just because they fit the bill of something worth tearing down because of its star or director being, well, worth taking down a peg. In this case, Peter Bogdanovich might have been an easy target. He had made a tremendous debut feature in Targets (1968) after once being a stage actor, film essayist and critic. Sure, it wasn't a hit with audiences, but it was a damn good thriller. The Last Picture Show (1971) came out of the blue to rip-roaring success. His next film was a homage to screwball comedies in What's Up, Doc? (1972); Paper Moon (1973) was a road feature that adapted a play to pretty good acclaim. And then there was Daisy Miller (1974). The lavish period adaptation of the novella of the same name that Bogdanovich labeled as both "good" and "completely uncommercial" was not exactly a favorite at the time. At Long Last Love (1975) did not have the time or luck to change a perceived slump by Bogdanovich. He was inspired to make the film when he was given a book of song lyrics that had been done by Cole Porter by his then-girlfriend Cybill Shepherd (star of two of Bogdanovich's previous films). It was the first Bogdanovich written entirely by himself (after having co-written a few of his other ones) and it would be one where the actors would sing the song live, which is tough to do if one is not exactly in with dancing on step. It was rushed into theaters and torn apart enough to the point where Bogdanovich printed an open letter of apology. Reynolds stated his belief that the film "Not as bad as it was reviewed. What was reviewed was Cybill and Peter's relationship." Various versions of the film persisted over the years (with different scenes added or missing), which included a cut that wasn't even done by the director. Apparently, a studio editor named James Blakely (a Porter fan) had made an edit of the film (lasting 121 minutes) that honed to the shooting script that was similar to the first preview cut that found its way as the "default" used for streaming. Bogdanovich (having heard of the Netflix version and being delightfully surprised) acknowledged the edition and with a little bit of additions, a "Definitive Director's Version" came out in home media in 2013. But in general, one probably does have to take a little bit of effort to see the film more than other certain flops, particularly when compared to other Bogdanovich films.

Sure, the footwork and singing in certain areas is a bit curious to view for those familiar with musicals. Sure, it has an air of strange elegance that could only come from someone who pushed on making a "jukebox musical" of Cole Porter songs with a loose execution in, well, take your pick. Sure...I actually liked it. It is a playful meet-cute that is full of strange imperfections that seem quite amusing when packed in such a dazzling feature that is old fashioned and yet amusing. These are eccentric "different class" people that are seen doing things such as say, dropping glasses off buildings or casually parking cars with a thud on the lawn. They bumble and stumble in such casual effectiveness that could only come from someone who believed in the actors to basically be like the figurines that are seen to introduce and end the film in that wind-up fashion (complete with a look once described as "Black and white in color"). Reynolds glides through the film with such a casual aura that benefits the proceedings in the charm that arises in offbeat singing/dancing that seems more on the joke in stumbling neatness. Of course, I might be biases because, well, I like seeing Reynolds even in a strange movie like this. Shepherd might have been a lightning rod for criticism, but she doesn't do a terrible job here. Sure, she wavers in certain numbers, but she isn't exactly meant to be playing an angel anyway (goofy brat might be the word here). Del Prete (an Italian singer/songwriter/actor) is adequate, albeit mostly as a straight man (with the obvious qualities in hunky goofiness) to other odd qualities, at least when Kahn is right there to play up this frivolous foursome that really need someone to be there with them for those good times rather than melancholy. It is the support from Hillerman and Brennan in amusement that end up saving the film from dottering away, for which one can be grateful. There are worse ways to hear songs played out than this film, ones where they drone on and on or never really elevate the material, but At Long Last Love just happens to be lightly charming in a way that seems to be an out of its time curiosity that plays with the musical while not forgetting the interest that arises in its Porter jukebox for a chuckler that is about people who happen to sing rather than just a straight to the point singing film. On that note, it is a Bogdanovich movie worth looking into with a curious glance because of the clear delight he has in making a tribute to the old days that I'd affectionate without being beholden to doing everything just as one would expect it to be. It is the kind of odd duckling that belongs in the discussion for viewing not as a flop but as something to marvel as a director's vision that hits its mark.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Well, here we are with another theme August finished up. Fourteen reviews (one redux) saw a few surprises in the mix from theatrical interests such as Trap and fun times such as Showgirls. I've been trying to get into the spirit of viewing+reviewing movies with the proper amount of commitment that I hope has been maintained to usual expectations.

There was not quite enough time to consider more films to give "acknowledgement" for August, with a few shortlist misses being movies such as: Treasure Planet, Heartbeeps, 1941, City Heat, Quintet, Moment by Moment, and Staying Alive (the latter three have been thought of for Turkey Week before). The future is uncertain for August 2025, but I'm sure there will be a suitable "A" thing for next time around. I'll try to find some interesting films for September 2024 before, well, you know about October and November. See ya soon. 

Targets.

Review #2093: Targets.

Cast: 

Tim O'Kelly (Bobby Thompson), Boris Karloff (Byron Orlok), Peter Bogdanovich (Sammy Michaels), Nancy Hsueh (Jenny), Arthur Peterson (Ed Loughlin), Monte Landis (Marshall Smith), Sandy Baron (Kip Larkin), James Brown (Robert Thompson, Sr), Mary Jackson (Charlotte Thompson), Tanya Morgan (Ilene Thompson), Gary Kent (Gas Tank Worker), and Mike Farrell (Man in Phone Booth) Directed and Produced by Peter Bogdanovich (#1000 - The Last Picture Show and #1475 - Mask)

Review: 

I would think that the best tribute one can do for horror is to showcase a film from a first-time director that got his start within the school of Roger Corman. Peter Bogdanovich was a prolific filmgoer and even had worked as a film programmer at the Museum of Modern Art after studying acting. This included a spell as a film critic before setting forth for California with his wife Polly Platt to break into the industry of film, following by example critics from France who made their mark in directing films of their own. Of all places, he happened to meet Roger Corman during a film screening (because he was asking publicists for invitations), and they made a quality connection, to the point where he got offered to be his assistant. This would change, however, when Corman needed his help with The Wild Angels (1966) to deliver uncredited rewrites to the script while directing second unit work, for which he stated that he "haven't learned as much since" when it came to those months of working on the film (he worked once more with Corman with an edit of Planeta Bur that was called Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women for mostly TV crowds). The following year would see him get his chance to direct a film, provided with one stipulation by Corman: he needed to use Boris Karloff for the film, because apparently, he owed Corman a couple of days of work for American International Pictures. Bogdanovich and Platt came up with the story for the film (he is solely credited with the screenplay, however), with the latter serving as production designer. Samuel Fuller lent advice to the script but refused to receive credit on the film, which was shot in just over three weeks. You might say this is the fitting swan song of Karloff that he deserved. It was the penultimate film he appeared in during his lifetime, with Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) coming out in the winter prior to his death on February 2, 1969 at the age of 81. True to what one would smile with in an AIP film, footage from The Terror (1963) is utilized for the opening sequence of the film along with being shown as part of a "drive in feature" for the climax at the end of the film, while footage from The Criminal Code (1931) is also used. Undeniably, the first thing that could come to mind with the film is the shooting that occurred at the University of Texas at Austin within the observation deck of the Main Building tower. At total of eighteen people ended up dead at the hands of a man with a collection of rifles and shotguns (along with two stabbings) that shot from above before the efforts of officers such as Houston McCoy and Ramiro Martinez stopped the killer (incidentally, that day saw several Austin citizens take up weapons to try and shoot the killer from afar, but Allen Crum, a bookstore manager who had heard the shots and rerouted street traffic, was the only civilian to storm the deck). The film was shot in '67 but not released until the summer of the following year, which had tragically seen the assassinations of American political leaders just months earlier. Paramount Pictures had distributed the film, which received muted audience attention but had garnered Bogdanovich attention from studios, and his next feature came with The Last Picture Show (1971). 

The film runs at 90 minutes long, which means the buildup is considerable (roughly a third of the film is spent with scenes that mix the once begotten horror star and the modern form of horror in everyday life) in establishing the horror that comes in the modern sense of what happens with a man wrapped with using a gun on people. You know, it is that fateful moment when the killing starts may very well be the best sequence to highlight above all else. He shoots members of his family but proceeds to drag the bodies to the bed before he cleans up and leaves, with a camera shot showing the note he wrote that closes with a sentence perhaps more chilling now than ever: "I know they will get me, but there will be more killing before I die." Don't forget about the sequence that is shown minutes later after his first round of killing where he goes to buy ammunition...300 rounds of it that seems him have conversation with the store owner about shooting pigs. While being on top of a tall structure, the sniper even has time to eat and drink as if he was on a picnic. Karloff is presented as the representation of the last vestiges of the old horror before it is swept away by the modern horror, a tired old man that would rather fade away than be called a man of "camp", one who knows the days of the painted monster scaring people are washed away by the headlines or TV they see everyday (the tower killings was one thing, but seeing footage of the war abroad in Vietnam would certainly be one way to shape a person's outlook). Karloff the man and Karloff the star seem to merge here with the tone presented here as someone who knows the craft and has seen it all. It pains one to see his awkwardness at hearing the questions asked to him by kids for promotion before he is spurred to tell a scary story (complete with advising a camera decision). The story, which sees the camera move closer and closer before the reveal (an appointment with Death), is one that only Karloff can tell. The appearance of O'Kelly is one of two things he is most known for, with the other being the fact that he was passed over for the regular run of Hawaii Five-0 after he had shot the pilot episode in 1968 (in general, he stopped acting in the 1970s). The smiling act of a man who looks like the ideal family man close to his parents and wife is all the more perfect to the looming dread that comes when one sees that same man with a rifle perched upon a tall structure. His family is as normal sounding in bland generalities as he is, which makes the end result all the more frightening. One doesn't really know people beyond what they see out in the open (such as, say, a restaurant). 

A half-century since the release of the film has seen plenty of media attention shown to guns because we live in a world where one either gets pegged as being tough on guns or seeming a tool of the lobby that yearns to make it as quick or efficient to get one ASAP. To get back on topic, remember that this man we are viewing (from his pointing to his drive-by escape attempt) is never seen in the perspective of having a clear motive beyond shooting. Consider that when the Austin shooter was examined upon his death, all they found was a pecan-sized tumor to go alongside his suicide notes, which had one part involving him saying that he couldn't really understand himself these days, where "these thoughts are too much for me" (incidentally, he stated an urge to use his life insurance policy not only to pay off debts but to use the rest to donate to a mental health foundation). Undeniably, the film may fall along the line of thriller rather than horror, but it is impossible to resist a film that sees the ugliness that comes in a time that seems more gruesome than the time before it within a confrontation of past and present. Mass killings were not something that arose from the deep (I am reminded of an array of explosives set up by a man that killed over 40 people in 1927), but the coverage of such killing and the way we think about it certainly has had an impact on us as a whole. The fear of being killed lurks for those who wonder what it would mean for their loved ones, especially for one stuck by an unprovoked killer. The mad doctor or the old dark house seems like child's play, particularly since 1968 happened to also be the year that saw films such as Night of the Living Dead come out to strike upon audiences. The film is an examination of a time where the "monster beyond us" type of horror is now washing away for a horror of the "monster within us". As a swansong and a reminder of just where we are when it comes to violence, Targets is undeniably an efficient film to start any month off, October or not. 

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Next up: Curse of the Cat People.

Mask (1985)

Review #1475: Mask.

Cast: 
Cher (Florence "Rusty" Dennis), Sam Elliott (Gar), Eric Stoltz (Roy L. "Rocky" Dennis), Estelle Getty (Evelyn Steinberg), Richard Dysart (Abe Steinberg), Laura Dern (Diana Adams), Micole Mercurio (Babe), Harry Carey, Jr (Red), Dennis Burkley (Dozer), Barry Tubb (Dewey), Lawrence Monoson (Ben), and Ben Piazza (Mr. Simms) Directed by Peter Bogdanovich (#1000 - The Last Picture Show)

Review:
"Directing is really creating an atmosphere, a particular kind of atmosphere and usually one that is very peculiar to the director. It doesn't necessarily have to be. Some directors have no personality and it shows. But one way or another, what the actors are doing or the crews are doing, they're trying to please the director."

Peter Bogdanovich has had a long and varied life, with plenty of it spent in some way around film, a subject he loved starting in his youth. He studied acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory in his twenties before taking up work at the Musuem of Modern Art as a film programmer. He wrote his first book at the age of 22 in The Cinema of Orson Welles, the first of numerous books about seminal directors of cinema (which later included another book about his friend Welles along with an appearance in The Other Side of the Wind), with further works involving Howard Hawks, John Ford (which he did a documentary of years later), and Allan Dwan. He later desired to make his own films (inspired by the directors he loved along with the French critics-turned-directors like Francois Truffaut), and an encounter with Roger Corman led to his first work with The Wild Angels (1966). 1968 was the year of his first directorial efforts, with Corman having him shoot footage for a English-dubbed version of Planeta Bur that became Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women (which he did not take credit for). His first true directorial debut came with Targets (1968), as Corman had two days of Boris Karloff to use (Bogdanovich would also have a small part in the film while writing the script with help by Samuel Fuller). The 1970s were both his rise and fall from prominence: The Last Picture Show (1971), What's Up, Doc? (1972), and Paper Moon (1973) each recieved tremendous praise and attention, while Daisy Miller (1974), At Long Last Love (1975), Nickelodeon (1976), and Saint Jack (1979) recieved middling-to-negative notice. By the time of Mask (1985), he had already filed for bankruptcy, having self-distributed They All Laughed (1981) to financial failure (the story of that film and its stars is best for another time). His career has lessened in recent years, but he has kept himself busy within films (which also included work in television and documentaries) alongside acting, teaching directing at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and a podcast about his life released this year.

He was inspired to do the film because of his late partner's fascination with The Elephant Man with the similarity of alienation whether beautiful or ugly. There is two versions of the film, with the key difference being in music along with a few additional scenes. The Director's Cut (which I viewed) includes the music of Bruce Springsteen, which was noted as the favorite of Rocky Dennis, and the singer had wanted the music in the film, but catalogue disputes led to the usage of Bob Seger instead (Bogdanovich later sued the studio over this as a breach of contract). The film is based on the brief life of Roy Dennis (1961-1978), who lived with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, in which calcium builds up in the skull that affects facial features and life expectancy. Wracked with a disease that gradually made him legally blind alongside headaches and troubles, Dennis nevertheless tried to live a normal life with family and school. The film was written by Anna Hamilton Phelan, which took certain liberties with the life of Dennis and his mother (born Florence Tullis), who described the film as a "fairly tale" while liking Cher's depiction of her. It isn't hard to see why one could like this film, since it proves quite interesting in its honesty and care for its depiction of its main subject without needing to wallow in melodramatic cliches. Stoltz, wearing award-winning makeup Michael Westmore and Zoltan Elek, is immeadiately someone we follow along with no need to focus on what he looks like but instead by how we judge others without such a task: through what we hear and see in his actions through the film, whether that involves trying to make the best of his life within school or with the people that accept him for who he is, which Stoltz handles with charm. Cher proves to be an interesting presence, expressive and provocative whenever in view for us with others or up close that makes an organic performance. Elliott shows up from time to time as a collected presence of coolness, proving a worthwhile time without having to say much beyond that distinct voice. The others in the cast make their moments count, such as a bright Dern in one of her first breakthrough roles, or Getty and Dysart in their distinct difference when interacting with Stoltz and Cher, or the warm rough presences of Carey Jr and Burkley. The film utilizes its two hours wisely, making its key moments count with dignity in warmth or tension without suffocation, whereas a lesser director would have turned it into something to cry incessantly at without grace. On the whole, it is a bittersweet achievement of entertainment, one that pulls plenty of emotion for its subject with balance and a game cast to serve as a fair achievement for its director and for its decade as a whole.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

The Last Picture Show.

Review #1000: The Last Picture Show.

Cast: 
Timothy Bottoms (Sonny Crawford), Jeff Bridges (Duane Jackson), Cybill Shepherd (Jacy Farrow), Ben Johnson (Sam the Lion), Cloris Leachman (Ruth Popper), Ellen Burstyn (Lois Farrow), Eileen Brennan (Genevieve), Clu Gulager (Abilene), Sam Bottoms (Billy), Randy Quaid (Lester Marlow), Gary Brockette (Bobby Sheen), Sharon Taggart (Charlene Duggs), Barc Doyle (Joe Bob Blanton), Bill Thurman (Coach Mr. Popper), Jessie Lee Fulton (Miss Mosey), Joe Heathcock (Town Sheriff), John Hillerman (English Teacher), and Frank Marshall (Tommy Logan) Directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Review: 
Here it is. The big one. I hope to satisfy you folks with the review of this film, which I had been longing to do for quite some time, so what better way than now? It also happens to be a film set and shot in my home state of Texas. Enjoy the show.

It sometimes feels hard to explain the benefits or the highlights of the town you live in, especially if you live in a small city. What does it have that another city doesn't have? Is there much to having civic pride? Based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry, The Last Picture Show is an interesting look into what makes up a dying little town such as this, and the characters that live in it. Bottoms and Bridges are a fairly effective duo, each having an interesting quality to them that stands out, such as Bottoms' eyes and Bridges' charm, and they both do tremendous jobs that stick out in a cavalcade of stand-out performances. Shepherd (in her debut role) does a spirited job, managing to be interesting along with alluring. Near the halfway point of the film, Johnson's character reminisces about the time spent in a prairie, and the way that he talks about old memories seem like something you could hear from someone in your neck of the woods if you gave a listen. He doesn't have too many lines (in fact he is in the film for nine minutes), but it is the way that he expresses them that makes him an enduring figure in the film, as if he was the soul of the town. Leachman also pulls a capable job, particularly during the climax. The rest of the cast stick out in their own little ways. This film was nominated for six Academy Awards, with Johnson and Leachman winning for supporting roles. These are characters worth watching because these are characters that we can see with fair honesty. They don't suddenly become comic characters for no reason, nor do they become melodramatic, and that serves to be a key highlight and something worth striving for in film today. Is it a bleak film? At times it is, but it also manages to be moving along with enduring, and Bogdanovich is the one responsible for making a movie as put together and complete as this one is.

The city's flatness and empty nature is perfectly captured by the cinematography by Robert Surtees, in part because of how he arranges the shots; the fact that it is shot in black-and-white (decided by Bogdanovich through a conversation with Orson Welles) also helps in showing this town (and its people) with a certain aesthetic that proves fitting for the movie. Everything from the music (with songs from artists such as Hank Williams) to even the clip of the "last picture show" (from the ending of Red River) is planned out in an effective manner. The film proved to be a success upon release, and a Special Edition Director's cut was released in 1992 that added seven minutes to the run-time (making it 127 minutes) that adds a bit to the film's stature. It's a coming-of-age film, but it also is an honest movie that never seems to break its mood nor its intentions. This is a movie worth watching in part because of how it captures the essence of the time it portrays along with its town that seem fresh even after over 40 years since its release.

I just wanted to give a word of thanks to any and all viewers of Movie Night over the past one thousand reviews. It has been a pleasure doing so many reviews in nearly seven years, and I will be the first to say that they have improved in quality over time - but having at least a few people read them (and share appreciation on occasion) feels nice. I do not know what is in store for the next batch of reviews, but I hope that you will enjoy them. Thank you. 

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Attached is a compilation of various celebratory landmarks over the past few years, from the 50th all the way to now. Enjoy: