Genre: Mystery

Year: 1935

Country: UK

Rating:

Starring: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

My Review: An Alfred Hitchcock espionage thriller. Produced in 1935, this black and white movie is a great spy thriller, with a subtle touch of British humor. If only the sound production was better. The acting was pretty good (for the time). With Robert Donat and Madelline Carroll playing in the lead roles. These two complemented each other nicely, and they played more than one role in the movie. Robert Donat actually played four different characters! The story begins in a somewhat contrived manner, but it gets better in a hurry. Foreign agents are planning to smuggle vital secrets out of the country, and someone's got to stop them. A thrilling mystery, and grand adventure across the length and breadth of Great Britain. The secret reveal makes for a fantastic ending twist.

Summary: A man in London tries to help a counterespionage agent, and is soon finding himself in one jam after another.

Genre: Drama, History

Year: 1954

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Will Geer, David Wolfe, Mervin Williams, David Sarvis, Rosaura Revueltas

Director: Herbert J. Biberman

My Review: This B&W movie was produced in 1954 - at the height of the 'McCarthy' communism witch-hunts - Directed and produced by film industry professionals (members of the original 'Hollywood Ten') who had already been blacklisted (because of their communist affiliations/refusing to testify (on First Amendment grounds) in congressional hearings (House Committee on Un-American Activities)) by all the big studios. The producers created their own film company, used their own funds, and cast real miners/members of the community to act in this film. The story is a tragic but true tale about the exploitation of workers, racial bigotry, sexism and corporate greed. All subjects shunned by major studios. A politically charged story about unsafe conditions, unfair treatment, and a strike at the 'Empire Zinc' mine in New Mexico (actual events took place in 1951). Mexican American workers are treated like slaves by the corporation that owns the mine, the company store, and the workers homes. When one too many accidents, and lax safety measures results in the death of yet another worker, the miners go on strike. Striking for wage equality (with Anglo workers), safer conditions (in the mines) and better sanitation (in their homes), the men and women of this company town take on their corporate bosses in a fight for their lives, their rights and human dignity. The neo-realist film style, and narrated drama was extremely well done. The non-professional actors were clearly doing their best. Vested in the authentic feel, and emotional currency of the film. The film tackles immense social issues, portrays the prejudice of ignorance, the corruption of corporate greed and solidarity of union workers united in a just cause. Crossing multiple social lines, challenging the film industry, defying congressional pogroms, promoting equal rights, civil rights, women's rights and other social issues. Despite the amateur acting (four cast members were professional actors), and less than perfect cinematography, this historic movie is well worth watching. With messages that rise far above it's flaws, this movie is listed in the library of congress as one of the top 100 most important and influential U.S. made films. The film was denounced by US House of Representatives for its communist sympathies, the FBI investigated the film's financing, the American Legion called for a nation-wide boycott, film processing labs were told not to work on the film, unionized projectionists were instructed not to show it. After opening in New York City, it wasn't shown for nearly 10 years because American theaters (aside from a dozen or so) wouldn't show it. During shooting and production, the cast and crew were threatened daily. Rifle shots were fired at the set by anti-communist vigilantes. The leading lady (a paid actor) was deported to Mexico during filming. A small airplane frequently buzzed the set in an attempt to disrupt production. I give it a 5 out of 5.

Summary: Based on an actual strike against the Empire Zinc Mine in New Mexico, the film deals with the prejudice against the Mexican-American workers, who struck to attain wage parity with Anglo workers in other mines and to be treated with dignity by the bosses. The film is an early treatment of feminism, because the wives of the miners play a pivotal role in the strike, against their husbands wishes. In the end, the greatest victory for the workers and their families is the realization that prejudice and poor treatment are conditions that are not always imposed by outside forces. This film was written, directed and produced by members of the original "Hollywood Ten," who were blacklisted for refusing to answer Congressional inquiries on First Amendment grounds.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Year: 1943

Country: Japan

Rating:

Starring: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Yukiko Todoroki, Ryunosuke Tsukigata, Takashi Shimura

Director: Akira Kurosawa

My Review: The directorial debut of my favorite director - Akira Kurosawa. Produced in during WWII (released 1943 and 1945 (see below)). This movie wasn't released in the U.S. until 1974. The movie is set in 1880s Japan. Feudal traditions are still firmly in place, but western (American) influence is beginning to affect Japanese society, and this movies contrasting morality play points to ethnic tensions, social conventions and the concepts of honor in a fantastic WWII drama. Unfortunately, this film was heavily edited by Japanese censors (During WWII), and parts of the original footage (17 minutes/1,845ft) have been lost. This criterion collection does it's best to present the available footage. The restored footage has good lighting and sound, despite the poor condition of some film segments. The story - Sanshiro Sugata is strong, stubborn, young man (at the beginning of the film) seeking to learn Jujitsu, but quickly switched to Judo after he witnesses the spiritual and honorable conduct of a Judo master in confrontation with a gang of vengeful Jujitsu students. The movie is split in two. The first part (Sanshiro Sugata) ends on an apparently incomplete note. A sequel was produced and released in 1945, completing the feel and flow of the movie. Together these movies tell one tale, and I'm rating the two together as one. The story is the tale of Sanshiro Sugata as he grows to become a man, learn respect, learn balance, earn respect, and ultimately win the girl and come to harmony in his life. It's a strong but subtle morality play with some obvious anti-American segments (it was made under the watchful eyes of WWII Japanese censors). Akira Kurosawa's balancing act; in producing and directing this film, mirrors the main character's balancing act; in balancing his physical and spiritual growth. An excellent story greatly marred by time and censors. My rating for the two movies, viewed together: 4 of 5.

Summary: Sanshiro, a strong stubborn youth, comes to the city to apprentice at a jujitsu school. His first night, he sees Yano in action, a master of judo, a more spiritual art, and he begs to be Yano's student. As the youth learns technique, he must also learn "satori," the calm acceptance of Nature's law. If he can balance strength and control, then judo may become the training regimen for the city's police, Sanshiro can gain respect from an old teacher in a jujitsu school, and he can win the hand of Sayo, that teacher's daughter, who is also sought by jujitsu's finest master, the implacable Higaki, who vows to kill Sanshiro in a midnight fight on a windswept mountainside.

Genre: Drama

Year: 1963

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren, Veronica Cartwright

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

My Review: Another Alfred Hitchcock horror movie - This one's in color, made in the U.S. and released in 1963. While Hitchcock usually made suspense thrillers, his forays into the horror genre are unforgettable. This is one of those classics that resonates to this day. The idea that something as innocuous as birds could suddenly become violent and attack en masse is quite disturbing. These creatures live in peace with humans, and we hardly notice them in our day to day activities. That they could turn on us makes for a rather unsettling premise. The film starts out as something of a romantic comedy; setting up a lovable mismatched pair. Tippi Hedren plays the chic, independent socialite, Melanie Daniels. Rod Taylor plays the practical, eligible, but a bit conservative lawyer, Mitch Brenner. The two flirt, engage in practical jokes and seem to hit it off despite their protestations. Despite this light hearted romantic set-up, the movie has other plans in store. As Melanie Daniels follows Mitch to upstate California (an hour north of San Francisco bay), her impetuous plans of impromptu romance are quickly dashed as she becomes involved in an isolated instance of sheer terror at Bodega Bay. The green screen work was excellent, allowing for some spectacular visual effects. Unfortunately, it wasn't perfect, and viewers could easily tell when it was being used. Hitchcock, knowing that this effect might cause disbelief and dissonance when it came to certain scenes, used the effect liberally throughout the movie. The use in scenes that lacked birds cut the dissonance experienced when it was used in certain key scenes. It also allowed greater production control in scenes featuring outdoor backgrounds. The use of montage shots and high speed edits also helped create a sense of high speed attack or panic in various scenes. Then there's the suspense. That thing that Hitchcock was such a master of. This movie features that substance in a great degree, and it's presence heightens the horror to a great degree. The only thing missing was the presence of a fitting score. I give this movie a 4 out of 5.

Summary: Birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people, in increasing numbers and with increasing viciousness.

Genre: Documentary

Year: 2009

Country: Israel

Rating:

Starring: Shawn King, Galen Brandt, Bruce Damer, Daniel Kottke, Leander Kahney

Director: Kobi Shely

My Review: MacHEADS is a documentary which starts out by focussing on the freaks and geeks that lay at the fringes of the Mac community. Like many other Mac documentaries, this one does a disservice to the phenomenon and the ethics behind Apple the company and it's loyal users. The makers of the documentary once again (like others before them) think that it's valid to focus on these misfits of Mac, rather than illustrating the normal people who use Macs and the Macs impact on the computer industry. It's a shallow collection of personal stories from those who scream out 'Look at Me, look at me, I use a Mac, I'm cool!' Take for instance the 'sex columnist' Violet Blue, who declares that she's never knowingly slept with a Windows user. How helpful is that? Oh, I get it, all Mac users must be freaky sex addicts, and they're so anal and compulsive that they won't sleep with someone who doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as them. Technically the movie was well produced, but the direction was unfocussed and didn't really say much about Apple. How it has changed itself, the industry, or Mac users in general. Unless of course, the average Mac user actually is a tongue piercing specialist who lives with his mother, dates sex addicts for money and believes that the latest iGizmo is a holy relic delivered straight into his hands by god himself. Who knows, maybe I'm the only Mac user who isn't collecting shoes that Steve Jobs once wore? It seems to say that Apple's products are a drug, and the users are addicts with sick personalities. I was offended that this movie cast such a negative light on Mac users. In fact, I would say that this movie, despite the praise of those they interviewed, reflects poorly on Apple products in general - Apparently, only the crazy hippies and nut jobs want a Mac! There are compulsive and obsessive people in all segments of our society. Why do the producers/makers of this movie think that the people willing to stand in line for three days are typical Mac users? 1 out of 5.

Summary: MacHEADS is an in-depth examination of what makes the Mac, the iPhone, and all Apple products in general a cultural phenomena rather than just consumer electronics, and explores the extraordinary loyalty to Apple products by their followers, as well as their obsession with those products.

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Year: 2009

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov, Greta Gerwig, AJ Bowen

Director: Ti West

My Review: I watched "The House of the Devil" on Halloween's eve - For some reason, Netflix thought I'd rate this a… We'll get to that later. For now, a review. Released in 2009, here's a horror movie in the tradition of 70s and 80s slasher flicks. I would like to thank the director for not dowsing us with unnecessary buckets of gore (ala the Saw franchise) or nothing but senseless violence. The movie starts out with a somewhat unrealistic premise, set in the early 80s. The main character is a cash-strapped college student (Samantha - played by Jocelin Donahue) looking for a house to rent. An entire house? An immense house, all for her? She hasn't got a family, and she doesn't have a steady income, but that explains her desperation for money and any job she can get. Any job she can get… and baby sitting can't be that much of a risk, right?… So why is this guy willing to pay such a huge amount of money? Now that I think about it. The plot holes are the same plot holes you'd see in a horror/slasher flick from the late 70s/early 80s. The kind where you yell at the screen: "Don't effin' open that door", "No don't park in the graveyard!", "Go get the knife', 'Don't answer the phone!", "For god's sake, call 911!". It actually got me involved, evoked an emotional response, invested me in the character. The characters are definitely typecast from the genre, and they play to type (great character direction, fair acting). Samantha's private little dance scene (with walkman and headphones) - to the tune of 'One Thing Leads to Another by the Fixx' - was outstanding. A true tribute to the 80s. Wow! Did I actually like this movie? Filled with starts, startling suspense and cliched circumstances, this movie really works as a homage to those silly satanic slasher flicks of the late 70s/early 80s. I have to hand it to the director. If that's what he was going for - and I'm sure it was - then he nailed it. The lighting, colors, camera work, titles, soundtrack, and editing was very good (all in period to the film genre), but the sound production could have been better (the late 70s/early 80s kind of sucked at that). Thanks for a great, light-weight (no brain twisting plots here), suspenseful (the slow pace really pays off here), slasher, horror flick. The only thing missing was a little nudity (the late 70s/early 80s were more liberal in that regard), and a weak, inexplicable ending. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Summary: