Be sure to go listen to the latest episode of the HomeVideodrome podcast, where Jim Dirkes and I go off on tangents about Don Dokken, the horror that is the new sit-com Whitney, and how iTunes & NetFlix think we have crappy taste. Of course, we also talk about movies, good, bad, and stupid. So, go forth, listen, and enjoy!
Carlos was one of my favorite films of 2010, Olivier Assayas’s cracking chronicle of the career of notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal is as entertaining as thrillers get, all 339 minutes of it. Split into three episodes that serve as a whole, Carlos moves along at a brilliant clip, especially given its length. The only bit where it slows down is towards the very end, which feels like a function of the actual true-story, more so than stretchy writing.
Assayas takes the time needed to flesh out Carlos as a character, doing a brilliant job of depicting the on-the-run lifestyle held by wanted terrorist. The way Assayas approaches Carlos as a character makes his film the antithesis of Steven Soderbergh’s intellectually dishonest Che, a similarly ambitious film that covers a similar figure (and is also available on Criterion). Assayas depicts Carlos as a terrible man who does terrible things, but is fully realized on the screen as a human being, as opposed to the filmmaker’s idea of what Carlos should be. This is a stark contrast to Soderbergh’s Che, in which he depicts the murderer-turned-left-wing folk hero as a wise holy man who can do no wrong, especially in the film’s second part The Guerrilla.
What makes Che intellectually dishonest is that Soderbergh’s approach to the material is not unlike Roberto Rosselini’s approach to recreating history, in that he opts not to dramatize history, but to instead merely depict it happening. Doing so removes the feeling that the events are being openly manipulated by the director in that there are no sweeping musical cues, there is an absence of style from the camerawork, and the events don’t feel contorted in order to serve a three act structure. This helps the audience to feel at ease, as though Che is being treated fairly by the filmmakers. Where the intellectual dishonesty came in was in the way Che was dealt with as a character, he was never seen doing anything morally questionable, and Benicio Del Toro plays with with a piousness that smacks of the sort of idiotic reverence to the subject seen by people who wear the man’s Christ-like image on T-shirts. Despite the deceptively even-handed approach, these subtle manipulations make it obvious where the filmmakers fall on their subject matter.
Assayas is clearly more interested Carlos as a character, not as an example of an ideal, or as any kind of folk hero. He sees parts of the story as the stuff cracking thrillers are made of, and treats the material accordingly, also taking the time to us the day-to-day life of an international fugitive in between the tense showdowns and nail-biting hostage situations. The length may seem intimidating at first, however the film’s three-part structure make it more manageable, and if you want to try before you buy the excellent Criterion edition, the entire thing is available on NetFlix (as is the trimmed down 165 minute theatrical cut).
When Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon came out this summer, Bay and the studio were beating that 3D war drum hard in the press. As we all know, 3D hasn’t exactly been burning up the box office the way Hollywood hoped it would. Certainly there are many factors to blame, the blue devil himself, James Cameron, will tell you that it’s the glut of movies with ugly retrofitting that were originally shot in 2D.
For those of us living in the real world, the main reason is that audiences simply don’t want to pay more to see a gimmick that essentially adds nothing to the movies at hand, apart from a dimmer picture and some visual distractions akin to attempting to amusing a baby with some jingling car keys. But Bay insisted people see it in 3D, going so far as to issue a letter to projectionists informing them on how to properly exhibit it. Bay even trotted out Cameron himself in order to tell everyone how great the 3D was in the movie, and that it’s the best use of it since Avatar. Hollywood was trying really hard to save 3D, and they were using Transformers as their ace in the hole.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon comes to Blu-ray and DVD this Friday, September 30th, but curiously, there is no 3D Blu-ray edition to be seen. Being so highly touted in the 3D department, it’s odd that they’re not doing this. Apparently a future super-cool-wow-headache-inducing edition is in the works, but not much has been said about it. My guess is they’re going the Jimmy Cameron route of helping to further the ruin of the environment by double-dipping this beast. If you’re a mark for having the 3D version at home, or if you have to have the release with the most stuff, I’d wait awhile and pass on snagging this. I realize Hollywood has more riding on 3D in the theater than 3D at home, but at this point, if they’re trying to push it that hard, it makes me wonder what the strategy is.
As for the movie itself, it’s certainly the best of the series, but that’s like saying it’s your favorite member of the Insane Clown Posse. I will give it this: the final hour of the film is the most breathtaking spectacle Michael Bay has put together, as it far outshines the boring, drawn out desert battle in Transformers 2. However the film is still full of the materialistic mentality where boys and their toys and gadgets reign supreme, and interchangeable vapid female lead indicates that these toys include women in the minds of the filmmakers. You can read my full review here.
Other Noteworthy Releases
Ben-Hur: The William Wyler classic starring Charleton Heston is getting the deluxe treatment in a brilliant three-disc Blu-ray set that includes the original silent version among the plethora of extras.
Available on a Blu-ray deluxe set and a DVD set
Mimic Director’s Cut: Mimic was Guillermo Del Toro’s Hollywood debut, however he disowned the final product because the film was taken away from him and recut by the studio. Here’s he’s presented us with his version of the movie. I’m not a big Del Toro fan, like Tim Burton he gets lost in his own visual shtick and often forgets the script, but Mimic is the only movie he’s made that didn’t have much going for it. Depending how thorough the gutting of this movie was, I doubt a new cut can save it, but we’ll see.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD
The Phantom Carriage: Victor Sjöström’s silent Swedish ghost story from 1921 comes to Criterion. Fans of Ingmar Bergman will remember Sjöström as the protagonist in Bergman’s classic film Wild Strawberries.
Go West/Battling Butler: Another treat for silent movie fans, here we get two Buster Keaton films from Kino, remastered on Blu-ray. Kino has done a fantastic job with their Blu-ray releases of silent films, and their work on Keaton’s films has made for essential purchases for any old-school comedy cinephile.
Available on Blu-ray
Footloose: In preparation for Craig Brewer’s upcoming remake, the original starring Kevin Bacon gets a re-release on Blu-ray and DVD. People are up-in-arms about a remake of Footloose, as though Brewer is remaking Citizen Kane or The Godfather. Brewer’s remake has been called purposeful by those who have seen it, as Dennis Quaid’s performance adds layers to the less-nuanced role filled by John Lithgow in the original. Fans of this movie will be surprised and thrilled by what Brewer does with this material. Don’t ignore it.
Basket Case: How can you not love Frank Henenlotter’s early-eighties exploitation classic? This heartwarming film about a boy and his murderous, deformed, former-Siamese twin on a killing spree is about as weird and entertaining as low-budget horror gets.
Available on Blu-ray
The Blood Trilogy: A Blu-ray three pack of Herschell Gordon Lewis movies, including Blood Feast, 2000 Maniacs, and Color Me Blood Red. Gorehounds, go nuts.
Available on Blu-ray
The Godfather of Gore: Speaking of Herschell Gordon Lewis, Something Weird Video is releasing this documentary on the man’s career, so you can know more on the original go-to for gore aficionados.
Available on DVD
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 & 3: A Blu-ray two-pack of Nightmare movies, including the bizarre Freddy’s Revenge, as well as The Dream Warriors, which includes rad special effects and 100% more Dokken.
Available on Blu-ray
Heathers: The eighties dark comedy classic gets a re-release on Blu-ray.
Available on Blu-ray
Married With Children: I bring this up in honor of John Nolte. This week, you can snag the entire series of Married With Children for $39.99 on Amazon. That right there is a steal!
Available on DVD
The article originally appeared over at Parcbench
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