Gentlemen prefer Kazan

Circle April 3 on your calendar--that's the day you want to attend CineVerse and catch “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947; 118 minutes), directed by Elia Kazan, chosen by Art Myren, a social message film that scored big at the Academy Awards in the late 1940s.

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Sifting through the Grifting

It was interesting to revisit Stephen Frears' "The Grifters" yesterday and its fascinating character study of three intertwined con artists. Here is a roundup of our group discussion of that film:

HOW DID THE GRIFTERS DEFY YOUR EXPECTATIONS? WHAT WAS SURPRISING ABOUT THIS FILM?

·       It’s a “neo noir” (modern film noir), yet it doesn’t consistently employ murky shadows, high-contrast lighting and dark urban settings; instead, the environment is sunny Los Angeles, with its beautiful skies, gorgeous homes and colorful trappings; in this way, the film is making an ironic statement: the backdrop is sun-drenched and bright, but the interior lives of the characters are dark and gloomy

·       It’s a twisted love triangle, in that one of “the lovers” is actually the mother of the man in the middle; indeed, The Grifters offers hints of incest and a thematic Oedipal complex

·       It doesn’t attempt to glamorize or sugarcoat the lives of these con men: they are depicted as emotionally disabled shysters who consider themselves above everyone else, especially the pathetic suckers they fleece

·       The movie is very well cast: it’s obviously crucial to nail down the top 3 parts, which was accomplished with the casting of John Cusack, Angelica Huston and Annette Bening; the supporting roles are also perfectly fleshed out by strong character actors like Charles Napier (Gloucester), J.T. Walsh (Cole) and Stephen Tobolowsky (the jeweler)

WHY ARE FILMS ABOUT CON MEN, SUCH AS THE GRIFTERS, OFTEN SO ENTERTAINING?

·       We are privileged to see the tricks of the trade, the secret techniques of the professional hucksters

·       These pictures are often terrific character studies as well as rewarding plot vehicles:

·       As Ebert put it: “Movies about con men are seductive because the audience is on both sides of the moral issues; we want to see justice done, of course, but at the same time we’re intrigued by the audacity of this character who is trying to out-think his opposition. And there is hardly ever a con man who isn’t likable, because, after all, if he can’t win your confidence, how can he take your money?”

THE GRIFTERS IS RIFE WITH IRONIES AND CHARACTER CONTRADICTIONS. CAN YOU CITE ANY EXAMPLES?

·       Roy believes he strives to be a top con man, but he’s really hoping to find one person who won’t con him and whom he can love; he fancies himself as independent, but he’s “actually defensively insular,” as critic Glenn Erickson surmises; and he’s risking so much for so little reward ($20 grifting tricks)

·       Myra comes across as sexy, conniving and deadly, and she’s going for the big stakes, but she also hints at an underlying anxiousness and low self-worth

·       Lilly is emotionally hardened by the dangers of the grifter life, and we see her as a smart, independent woman, but she’s actually a slave to Bobo, her boss and is desperate for tenderness and someone to trust.

MOVIES THAT COME TO MIND AFTER VIEWING THE GRIFTERS

·       David Mamet’s House of Games

·       The Sting

·       The Killing (also a pulp tale set around a racetrack)

·       Psycho (in its similarities to the Arizona motel scenes and the male lead’s “mother” issues)

·       Dangerous Liaisons (both movies feature three characters trying to locate a moral anchor yet finding emptiness)

·       Angel Heart, in how the two “elevator descending into hell” endings are similar

OTHER FILMS BY DIRECTOR STEPHEN FREARS

·       My Beautiful Launderette

·       Dangerous Liaisons

·       High Fidelity

·       The Queen

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High plains Grifters

Enter the world of con men, intrigue and high-stakes charlatanism, courtesy of producer Martin Scorsese, a la “The Grifters” (1990; 110 minutes), directed by Stephen Frears, chosen by Joe Valente, next up on the CineVerse calendar for March 27.

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South side version of West Side Story

Hard to keep your feet from tapping while watching "West Side Story," which was on the schedule last evening at CineVerse. Here are the notable points of our group discussion:

WHAT ARE THIS FILM’S GREATEST STRENGTHS?

• Outstanding choreography by Jerome Robbins and stellar music by Leonard Bernstein; the dancing itself is among the most epic in scope and ambitious ever attempted for a Hollywood musical
• Daring and energetic camera movement and angles: many high and low camera angles, actors and dancers who sweep toward the camera
• Fantastic use of color, particular the color red, which seems to signify love and passion and later hatred, violence and death; by the film’s conclusion, almost all other colors except red and death have disappeared
• Rita Moreno and George Chakris, who both won Oscars for their roles as Puerto Rican lovers, and who steal virtually every scene they’re in
• A cinematic blend of urban realism and colorful fantasy: some sequences were shot on location in and around grungy New York tenements, while most scenes were shot on sets and reproduced environments artificially

WHAT ARE THE MOVIE’S GREATEST WEAKNESSES?

• Arguably, the love story, based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; here, the impact of that timeless tragedy is lost because the film’s story doesn’t end in both lovers’ deaths. This could feel like a somewhat tacked on Hollywood softened blow
• In tandem with the romance, the casting of Natalie Wood (who isn’t Puerto Rican, has her singing voice dubbed, and isn’t an outstanding dancer) and Richard Beymer (whose singing voice was also dubbed and who doesn’t project as a very credible gang leader
• A slower second half, which doesn’t have as many song and dance numbers to help it rise above an otherwise bland dramatic unfolding
• Dialogue and scenarios that haven’t aged gracefully; this story smacks of sentimentality, corny love and grief exchanges, and occasional overacting 

THEMES THIS PICTURE ATTEMPTS TO EXPLORE INCLUDE:

• Racial strife, as demonstrated by the gang warfare between the Anglo Jets and the Latino Sharks, the latter group which seems to have to overcome prejudices and challenges not only from their gang rivals but from the police and the economic system; even the attempted rape is motivated more by racial hatred than lust and sexual deviancy.
• The contemporary ills of society: This film is fairly socially progressive in its exploration of topical societal problems, such as juvenile delinquency, racial discrimination, sexism, and the capacity for sudden violence to erupt in a supposedly civilized world
• The vicious cycle of violence: violence and hatred are carried on from one person and one generation to another; just consider Maria herself, who must live with the anger and bitterness of Tony’s killing; also, the social and cultural conundrum presented by the film is mutual abandonment: the adolescent gang members want nothing  to do with society because society wants nothing to do with them, which creates a circle of blame and defeat: nobody wins
• The disintegration and false promise of the American dream: immigrants come to America for greater opportunities and freedoms, but often encounter bigotry, disenfranchisement and disillusionment
• In this way, the film’s moral is about the responsibility of the society to the individual, and vice versa, and the violence that ensues when each doesn’t assume that responsibility, as intelligently posited by one blogger
• Entrapment and imprisonment, as exemplified in the motif of characters being in a “cage” (the playground fencing, railing in stairwells, etc) and seemingly unable to escape their fates

OTHER FILMS BY ROBERT WISE

• The Body Snatcher
• The Day the Earth Stood Still
• The Haunting
• The Sound of Music
• Star Trek:  The Motion Picture
• Editor on Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons

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...from your first cigarette to your last dying day

Here's a picture that will get your heart racing and your feet thumping: “West Side Story” (1961; 152 minutes), directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, chosen by Len Gornik. It's up next on the CineVerse schedule for March 20.

Note: due to this film's long runtime, we'll start promptly at 7 p.m. and extend our discussion to 10:15 p.m.

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Navigating Cidade de Deus

One of the most thought-provoking pictures of the last 10 years is "City of God." CineVerse had a chance to delve deeper into this Brazilian instant classic, and here are the highlights of that group discussion.

WHAT IS VISUALLY INTERESTING ABOUT CITY OF GOD?

·       It’s shot in documentary style, as if saying what we’re seeing is real, and it is: this is shot on location in “the city of god” slums and starring nonfactors from the streets and based loosely on real events

·       The filmmakers tell a visually kinetic, fast-paced story through amazing camera movement, lighting and editing

·       Examples include a whirling camera (360 degree shot), jittery handheld style camera movement, Matrix style revolutions around freeze-framed subjects, point of view shots of a bullet, overhead birds-eye view shots of violence (as if shot from hidden surveillance cameras), alternating film speeds (sudden speedups), strobe light effects, split screens, time lapsed photography

·       Exxageratedly saturated colors for added interest and effect

WHAT IS NARRATIVELY INTERESTING ABOUT CITY OF GOD?

·       It’s told in non-linear fashion, whereby the story starts and suddenly stops in the middle of a tense, telling scene only to drift back into flashbacks for context and backstory and develop characters, and scenes are revisited; this style harkens back to films like Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas and The Godfather Part II

·       We have a strong protagonist who guides us through the story with his voiceover narration, but arguably we don’t learn much about Rocket, who remains a bit enigmatic; this is a character study of the characters around him, but interestingly the film doesn’t reveal much about Rocket other than what he witnesses and the choices he has to make

·       The narrative is episodic in nature, with vignettes pieced together to create a whole film; each vignette plays out like a mini movie unto itself

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY THEMES THIS FILM EXPLORES?

·       How cheaply human life is valued in the slums and among criminals: this is exemplified in how easily some criminals injure and kill other human beings, and also in the poor dumb chicken on the run in the opening scene; the chicken symbolizes Rocket, who is suddenly caught between two opposing forces on either side of him; the fact that the chicken escapes gives us hope that Rocket will, too

·       The corrupting influence on children of a lawless, impoverished environment devoid of true adult authority

·       How young males are often fixated and obsessed by violence and the need to climb the social hierarchy ladder

·       The transformative nature of art: how art can depict the harshness of life and also provide a means of escape from it; the “art” being discussed here is Rocket’s photography, which gives him a lens through which to frame his reality and through which he can choose a better life with better choices

SOME CRITICS HAVE ARGUED THAT CITY OF GOD GLAMORIZES VIOLENCE AND GIVES IT AN APPEALING SHEEN TO IMPRESSIONABLE YOUNG VIEWERS; DO YOU BELIEVE THIS IS TRUE OR NOT?

·       The cold blooded ruthlessness with which Lil ‘Ze and his cohorts inflict extreme violence on young children (the boy shot in the foot, the other in the head) and innocent victims (such as the ones in the brothel) gives credence to the opposite argument; these scenes should turn your stomach, not make you want to become a criminal

·       The passion that Rocket shows for photography—an art that provides a creative outlet for him and which represents a positive contrast to the dark allure of the underworld—is a powerful, life-affirming love that shows how there can be things more attractive than becoming a gangster

·       On the other hand, we see the somewhat romanticized, pleasure-rewarding lifestyle of the gangster, who can have almost anything he wants, and understand how that may be magnetizing to an impressionable youngster

DOES CITY OF GOD REMIND YOU OF ANY OTHER MOVIES OR BOOKS?

·       Goodfellas, in its characters and structure: a picture voiceover narrated by the main protagonist; an evil supporting character (Joe Pesci and Lil’ Ze)

·       Gangs of New York, in how each film depicts two cities: one served by the law, the other by castaway criminals

·       Luis Buneul’s The Young and the Damned

·       Oliver Twist, in how the street gang run by Fagan and the Artful Dodger lead youth to crime

NOTABLE FILMS AMONG THE RECENT LATIN NEW WAVE

·       Central Station directed by Walter Salles (1998)

·       Amores Perros directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (2000)

·       Son of the Bride directed by Juan José Campanella (2001)

·       Behind the Sun directed by Walter Salles (2001)

·       Y Tu Mama Tambien directed by Alfonso Cuarón (2001)

·       The Motorcycle Diaries directed by Walter Salles (2004)

·       Pan’s Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro (2006)

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Take a trip to the City of God

It's been called a Brazilian "Goodfellas," a masterful examination of street gangs and the allure and danger they hold for one kid who turns to art for an escape. Make plans to attend CineVerse on March 13 for one of the best films of the 2000s: “City of God” (2002; 130 minutes), directed by Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund, chosen by Erik Martin.

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Crossing the "Line"

Errol Morris' riveting documentary "The Thin Blue Line" proved to be a thought-provoking film for CineVerse attendees yesterday. Here is a recap of our major discussion points:

HOW IS THIS FILM DIFFERENT FROM MOST OTHER DOCUMENTARIES YOU’VE SEEN, AND HOW WOULD IT HAVE BEEN INNOVATIVE FOR 1988?

·       It doesn’t rely on voiceover narration to tell its story

·       Instead, it recreates supposed events through the accounts of the eyewitnesses and people involved via dramatic but artificial re-enactments

o   His primary technique is to shoot things like objects related to the crime scene, such as the milkshake, gun, or car taillight from different angles and different viewpoints as further questions or clues are introduced

o   These recreation shots are illuminated with high key lighting and set against a bland black background

o   He sometimes uses slow motion for exaggerated effect

o   these re-enactments, interestingly, don’t focus on any actor faces

o   this approach became common in later documentaries, police procedural shows and crime dramas

·       It employs a proper score written for the film

·       It has the interviewees make eye contact with the camera, creating a more intimate experience for the viewer as if they are being directly talked to; these subjects are also not identified via introductory subtitles, and they are distinctively framed within each shot

·       It uses other elements interestingly: maps, clips from the drive-in film, newspaper clippings, mug shots, close-ups of visual evidence, clocks, an ashtray, etc.

·       The filmmaker’s approach is previsualized cinematography; every shot is carefully created, which is a departure from the random and unplanned realism of cinema verite (loose, raw, handheld style) often employed in documentaries  that aim for unpolished, spontaneous, on-the-fly footage

·       The final gripping scene, in which Harris confesses, only uses shots of a tape recorder shot from different angles (this was a happy accident due to a camera malfunction), quite a curious way to capture a film’s most important scene

DO YOU FEEL THE FILM IS OBJECTIVE AND IMPARTIAL, OR IS IT OBVIOUS THAT THE FILMMAKERS HAVE A BIAS HERE THAT ADAMS IS INNOCENT, THEREBY NEGATING THE AIMS OF DEPICTING THE TRUTH FAIRLY?

·       You can make the case that Morris is not prosthelytizing Adam’s innocence, but rather bringing to light the flawed logistics and testimonies that resulted in his conviction

·       Morris also allows all sides to tell their stories

·       However, he seems to give Adams the last word and, in the editing choices, subtly give him greater preference

·       Perhaps the strongest evidence of the film’s possible persuasive bias is the fact that it helped free Adams from a wrongful imprisonment

DOES THE THIN BLUE LINE REMIND YOU OF ANY OTHER FILMS OR WORKS OF ENTERTAINMENT?

·       Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, another movie that tells the story of a crime from several different viewpoints and attempts to explore the nature of truth and reality

·       Countless crime scene and police procedural TV shows that have utilized the crime recreation approach with highly stylized, slow-motion footage and impressionistic shots of various objects, clues, etc.

OTHER DOCUMENTARY FILMS BY ERROL  MORRIS

·       Gates of Heaven (1978), about two pet cemeteries

·       Vernon, Florida (1981), about the inhabitants of a small town

·       The Fog of War, about war mastermind Robert McNamara

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Thin line between justice and injustice

Up next on the CineVerse slate: “The Thin Blue Line” (1988; 103 minutes), directed by Errol Morris, chosen by Brian Hansen--one of the finest documentaries ever created, and one that helped lead to the freeing of a presumably innocent man from prison for a crime he apparently didn't commit. Join us March 6 for this unforgettable movie.

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Oscars got it right, per CineVerse poll results

Based on results of the latest CineVerse poll, which asked the question, "which 2012 Oscar-nominated film deserves the best picture Academy Award," our blog's voters were rewarded. "Argo" topped the CineVerse poll at 36%, and it also won the best picture Academy Award last Sunday.

Runners up in the poll included "Lincoln" (26%), "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook" (10% each), and "Django Unchained," "Life of Pi" and "Amour" (5% each).

Stay tuned for another CineVerse poll with a fresh new topic coming soon.

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