WATCH WITH WARDY
Taking up No Good Boyo's challenge, here are some motion pictures I consider worth watching. As I have indicated before, I often can't remember films minutes after I've watched them, so I'm going to struggle to come up with twelve, but here's my first four:
HUD - Martin Ritt, 1963
I challenge any thirty-something man to watch this film and not feel an urge to get into shape and start swaggering around in a white vest, as Newman's towering performance as the cynical, womanising drunkard, Hud, bewitches us all. One of his lesser-known roles, the blue-eyed wonder dominates every scene, as he battles with his idealistic father for his share of the family cattle farm. Apart from a few dodgy moments of acting drunk, his rasping, bullish performance is surely one of his best.
Favourite line: How many honest men you know? You take the sinners away from the saints, you're lucky to end up with Abraham Lincoln!
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS - Woody Allen, 1986
My father-in-law holds that all Woody Allen films are the same, but to me, that's only a problem if you don't like them. Being a huge fan, it's difficult to choose only one, but Hannah and Her Sisters has everything, a spot-on cast, great comic moments, pleasant music, family drama and Allen's own performance as a hypocondriac in the midst of a existential crisis seeking the meaning of life through trying out different religions.
Favourite line: I read Socrates. This guy knocked off little Greek boys. What the Hell's he got to teach me?
THE STRAIGHT STORY - David Lynch, 1999
The strangest thing about this film is the fact that David Lynch directed it. The slow-moving, touching, and true, story of an elderly man, Alvin Straight, who travels across three states on a motorised lawnmower to visit his estranged brother Lyle, who has recently suffered a stroke, it's a mediation on old age, forgiveness and quiet determination. The music's great, the ending moving and the little subplots along the way are a delight.
Favourite line: I'd give each one (his children) of 'em a stick and, one for each one of 'em, then I'd say, 'You break that.' Course they could real easy. Then I'd say, 'Tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that.' Course they couldn't. Then I'd say, "That bundle... that's family."
SMOKE - Wayne Wang, 1995
Written by Paul Auster, one of my favourite writers, this is a film about a tobacconist's in Brooklyn, New York, where people congregate, sit around and chat. The characters are compelling, such as Harvey Keitel's Augie, who owns the store and photographs the same scene at the same time every morning with his camera and tripod. The interlude "Augie Wren's Christmas Story" is also touching. Probably doesn't sound great, but I liked it.
Favourite line: It's my corner, after all. I mean, it's just one little part of the world, but things take place there too, just like everywhere else. It's a record of my little spot.
HUD - Martin Ritt, 1963
I challenge any thirty-something man to watch this film and not feel an urge to get into shape and start swaggering around in a white vest, as Newman's towering performance as the cynical, womanising drunkard, Hud, bewitches us all. One of his lesser-known roles, the blue-eyed wonder dominates every scene, as he battles with his idealistic father for his share of the family cattle farm. Apart from a few dodgy moments of acting drunk, his rasping, bullish performance is surely one of his best.
Favourite line: How many honest men you know? You take the sinners away from the saints, you're lucky to end up with Abraham Lincoln!
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS - Woody Allen, 1986
My father-in-law holds that all Woody Allen films are the same, but to me, that's only a problem if you don't like them. Being a huge fan, it's difficult to choose only one, but Hannah and Her Sisters has everything, a spot-on cast, great comic moments, pleasant music, family drama and Allen's own performance as a hypocondriac in the midst of a existential crisis seeking the meaning of life through trying out different religions.
Favourite line: I read Socrates. This guy knocked off little Greek boys. What the Hell's he got to teach me?
THE STRAIGHT STORY - David Lynch, 1999
The strangest thing about this film is the fact that David Lynch directed it. The slow-moving, touching, and true, story of an elderly man, Alvin Straight, who travels across three states on a motorised lawnmower to visit his estranged brother Lyle, who has recently suffered a stroke, it's a mediation on old age, forgiveness and quiet determination. The music's great, the ending moving and the little subplots along the way are a delight.
Favourite line: I'd give each one (his children) of 'em a stick and, one for each one of 'em, then I'd say, 'You break that.' Course they could real easy. Then I'd say, 'Tie them sticks in a bundle and try to break that.' Course they couldn't. Then I'd say, "That bundle... that's family."
SMOKE - Wayne Wang, 1995
Written by Paul Auster, one of my favourite writers, this is a film about a tobacconist's in Brooklyn, New York, where people congregate, sit around and chat. The characters are compelling, such as Harvey Keitel's Augie, who owns the store and photographs the same scene at the same time every morning with his camera and tripod. The interlude "Augie Wren's Christmas Story" is also touching. Probably doesn't sound great, but I liked it.
Favourite line: It's my corner, after all. I mean, it's just one little part of the world, but things take place there too, just like everywhere else. It's a record of my little spot.
posted by M C Ward | 12:42
7 Comments:
The only one of those I've seen is the Woody Allen, which I liked a lot (especially the sound track and the bit where Allen goes to see the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup and picks my favourite bit as the clip).
I'd like to see Smoke: Harvey Keitel is a great actor and I usually like quirky little films about eccentric people. I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan - though I think he's a good director - but I too liked Hannah and Her Sisters very much, and there are some great performances in that film. Anything by David Lynch would be worth seeing, though I've never seen that one.
Smoke is a fabulous film - what a project to set yourself: Take the same photo from the same spot at the same time every morning forever.
Am I right in thinking a second film (not so much a sequel as just another film with the same characters and location) was made?
Well spotted, young David. Blue in the Face was the name of the picture in question, with Lou Reed playing an unexpected cameo.
I love Smoke and Hannah. I've heard about the David Lynch, but don't know Hudd at all! I'll add it to my list of things to do. Thanks MC.
Re The Straight Story: The bundle of sticks is one of Aesop's fables, and traditionally includes the line "Untie the faggots," said the father, "and each of you take a stick."
Guess the old timer just wanted to tell it in his own way...
Thanks, Boggle. I didn't know that. Thinking about it, it does seem kind of fablish. I can see how "Untie the faggots" could have been wildly misinterpreted too.
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