Jason's Blog, page 167

Totem

The wraparound cover for a French fanzine about animal characters in comics, published by the comic book store La Bulle d'Or in Brussels, 2004.

Titanic

Why am I watching Titanic?? I felt like it, allright?! Leave me alone, will ya! I'll watch Titanic if I want to! I don't have to explain myself... I'll watch Last Year in Marienbad tomorrow, okay?! So, anyway... Written and directed by James Cameron

The film is some sort of pop art masterpiece. I wish Cameron had taken out some of the cheesiest lines, but asking for more three dimensional characters is kind of missing the point. I'm not sure if that would make it a better film. Actually, there should have been a scene of Billy Zane twirling his mustache. Well, he would have to grow a mustache for that. Cameron is very good in the way he introduces his female characters: Winslett in this film, Mastrantonio in The Abyss and Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2. The film never drags, but they screw it up towards the end, trying hard not to make it too much of a bummer. The scene of old Rose throwing the diamond into the sea is clearly supposed to be a big, emotional moment, but... it's not. It's kind of silly. And really, Cameron, Celine Dion?!

The Exorcist

Linda Blair pees on the carpet, masturbates with a crucifix and is being rude to her mother, Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow comes to the rescue. Directed by William Friedkin.

It's difficult not to notice how slow the film is. Slow seen with modern eyes, that is. The moody Iraq prologue lasts 10 minutes, for chrissake, the first bed shaking sequence comes at 45 minutes. If made today that would probably have been the first ten minutes of the film. It's slow, but we actually get to know the characters before shit starts to happen. One thing that gives the film its power is that Friedkin never shoots it as a horror film. The copy I have is the extended edition, so it also has the spiderwalk sequence. These early scenes of demonic possession are the most creepy ones. When they give Blair the makeup and start doing the different voices it actually gets less scary. I read somewhere that Jack Nicholson auditioned for the part of the young priest but Friedkin didn't want him, and I can't help but imagine how that film would have been.

Manhattan

Woody Allen can't choose between Diane Keaton and Mariel Hemingway. Also starring Meryl Streep, directed by Woody Allen.

The film looks great. There's the black and white cinematography by Gordon Willis, and Allen has found his directorial style here - the long takes and people walking in and out of the picture. But the characters are a bunch of whiny, rich people. It's a bit hard to care about them. If the film is supposed to be a satire of the Me Generation from the 70s, I guess it works a bit better. And it's a bit funny that the film ends with what is now the ultimate romantic comedy cliché: the rush to the airport or whatever for the declaration of love scene. So, in the end I find the more uneven early films more appealing. The fact that they were not perfect is part of what I like about them.

Lettering

Some handlettering for newspaper headlines found in the Bukowski story in Athos in America.

R.E.M.

Okay, top five R.E.M. albums:
1. Fables of The Reconstruction
2. Murmur
3. Life's Rich Pageant
4. Reckoning
5. Green

Bananas

Woody Allen is dumped by his girlfriend Louise Lasser and leaves for South American republic San Marcos where he gets involved in a revolution. Directed by Woody Allen.

Maybe the weakest film so far, but there are some good scenes, like the interpreter at the airport bit. There's also the scene with a young Sylvester Stallone. But a row of gags doesn't necessarily make a film and you can't help but feel a certain emptyness, with characters that are not much more than clichés and sterotypes.

Take The Money And Run

A fake documentary about Woody Allen's life as a bankrobber. Written and directed by Woody Allen.

This is the first Woody Allen film I ever saw. It was shown on Norwegian tv in the 70s. I had no idea who Woody Allen was at the time. I remember it to be quite funny. The gun of soap bit stuck in my head. Rewatching it now, it's an uneven film. The first half is funny, the second half, after the prison escape, drags a bit. The parents wearing masks gag gets old. But being a "mockumentary" (the first?) gives the film actually a certain freshness.

Love And Death

Russia, 19th century. Woody Allen and Diane Keaton decide to assassinate Napoleon. Written and directed by Woody Allen.

Well, I had to rewatch this film as well. It's uneven, especially if you've seen it a couple of times. Some jokes fall flat. But there's some pretty funny stuff as well and the Woody Allen shtick hasn't gotten old quite yet. Get off my beard, you little jerk!

Play It Again, Sam

Humphrey Bogart is giving Woody Allen tips on how to pick up girls. Also starring Diane Keaton and Tony Roberts. Directed by Herbert Ross.

A lot of the early Woody Allen films where he just tried to be funny have dated pretty badly. Of those films I think Play It Again, Sam is the best one. The blind date sequence is still hilarious. The film has one recurring gag that is dated, where Roberts keeps calling his office to let them know where he can be reached. God knows what kids make of this film. It's a bit like me seeing a Bob Hope film or something when I was a kid. So, anyway, Woody Allen is funny and Diane Keaton is irresistible. I have a crush on her from this period, the early 70s. She might even be more appealing in Love and Death, where she gets to be funny on her own and not just an object of desire for Allen.