DVD ReviewI’m in week two of the movie potluck over at Anomalous Material. This week my flick came from Anna of the blog Life of a Cinephile and Bibliophile. She recommended the 1957 Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis classic, The Sweet Smell of Success. This is one of those movies that I’d always heard about but never seen.
What a slimy bunch of creeps to spend an hour and thirty-six minutes with! This is one of those old-time films that remind you that people have always done horrible things to each other. Next time someone talks about the degeneration of our current society, point them toward this little gem.
Burt Lancaster plays JJ Hunsecker, a Broadway columnist who’s power to make or break people with a mention in his widely read column has clearly gone to his head. Tony Curtis as Sidney Falco, is a Hunsecker wannabe. He’s a crappy PR agent working out of his dingy one room apartment. He wants the type of status Hunsecker has and he’s willing to do the dirty work to get there.
These two slimeballs manipulate and threaten people left and right. They have dirty
secrets on everyone in town and they’ll use them to get their way. Falco is always begging Hunsecker to drop his clients' names into his column. Hunsecker just may throw Falco a bone if he will help to break up upcoming jazz musician’s relationship with his beloved baby sister. We see glimpses of possible character redemption in Hunsecker’s love for his sister and in Falco’s resistance to ruin the innocent musician.
My age was showing as I watched this film and recognized the young jazz musician, Martin Milner, as the guy from the 70’s TV show, Adam 12. I also spotted Darrin’s boss from TV’s Betwitched, and a handful of other old-time actors.
This was a very fast talking film and I’d love to see the size of this script compared to similar films of the same length. Tony Curtis attacks the role as Sidney Falco. He talks fast, paces, fidgets, chats up the ladies and shows a vulnerability underneath his big shot façade. I haven’t seen many Tony Curtis films and I enjoyed watching this vibrant performance. He’s a couple of years away from some of his more famous roles and it’s clear he was a star on the rise.
On the other side, Burt Lancaster had already turned in some of his most memorable performances and had nothing to prove. His give and take with Curtis is powerful and they share the screen well.
Overall, I’m glad I saw this film. I’m not sure I would have stuck with it if it wasn’t a recommendation. It did become quite melodramatic at times and the main characters were so unlikeable, it would have been quite easy to turn this off. However, I found myself thinking about these characters hours after the film was over. That in itself is the makings of a good film.
Welcome little fiends! Yes it is October, a super special month on the couch. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. As some of you may know I’m the daughter of a huge horror film fan. My dear Mom never met a monster, vampire, zombie or demon she didn’t like. I was raised on Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Cushing.
Now that I’m an adult, I’m pretty thick skinned when it comes to horror films. Frankly, most of them are not scary these days. We’ve swapped gross for scary and I’m challenged to find a film that can produce the nightmares I had as a child.
So join me this month as I dive into the archives of classic things that scared the crap out of me! I’ll be here every Friday to share another scary clip and I hope you’ll tell me some of the things that scared you. I’m feeling particularly creepy this month so expect me to highlight some other chills throughout the month. I will reserve Fridays though for my special gems.
First up, a clip of a movie I never saw. It was 1978, years before Anthony Hopkins would creep me out in Silence of the Lambs. I literally was unable to sleep until they finally stopped airing the trailer for this flick. Okay, I’ll just spill the beans right now. Number one fear, DOLLS. I did not own many dolls as a child. I mostly stuck to stuffed animals. One of the few dolls I owned, a Drowsy Doll, later went on the have a cameo in the 1971 horror film, The Brotherhood of Satan. What was her role? Oh, she killed the parents of the little girl who owned her! Dolls should not share the earth with us. There’s only one thing more dangerous than dolls, ventriloquist puppets. The trailer for Magic made such an impact on me that I can recite the whole thing to this day! I even remember it was directed by Joseph E. Levine. I don’t even know who that is!
Is there a movie you were ever too scared to see and did you ever face your fear and watch it?
You Don't Own Me - Lesley GoreLet’s have a little girl power this week! I have always loved this song, even though it’s before my time. I’ve always been drawn to how empowered she was in the early 60’s. You are probably more familiar with her huge hit “It’s My Party.” For me though this is the Gore song I’m always going to spin. She may have a bouffant, but don’t mess with her!
To continue with my Saturday double-feature romp, I saw Easy A, the new teen comedy starring Emma Stone. I wanted to wait until I got the opinions of my 17 year old daughter before writing this up. I saw this movie in the afternoon and she went later that night with a group of friends. As soon as the film ended for me, I texted her (how teen of me!) and told her that she’d totally love it. I hit the nail on the head. It’s basically my fault that I raised her to expect a little more from her movies, even the teen sex comedy ones. Her friends constantly drag her to horrible movies like 17 Again, and she knows they’re bad going in.
Easy A, however, is a gem completely raised to new heights by the winsome Emma Stone. My daughter and I have loved her since Superbad. I hope this is a break out role for her like Juno was for Ellen Page. She’s witty and sassy and the camera loves those gorgeous doe-eyes!
I’m going out on a limb and saying that if John Hughes made a movie today it would be Easy A. Now before you jump down my throat, think about it. The characters are so loveable you want to spend time with them. A couple of years from now, you’ll pass this on TBS on a Sunday afternoon and you will sit and watch the whole thing again. This is a typical John Hughes film: overly witty banter, over-blown situations and misplaced musical numbers. It’s never a secret that this film is a love letter to Hughes: Stone sings in the shower like Ferris Bueller, gives a “geek” her underwear like in Sixteen Candles and has the hunkiest guy in school suddenly into her. Everything sexual is simply implied, but everything on-screen is quite chaste.
The adult roles are where this film departs from Hughes and into its own territory. Hughes uses adults as the idiots, props and enemies, whereas director Will Gluck shows us fully developed adult characters. Not all of the adults are likeable, but it’s refreshing to see Stone’s character actually getting along with her parents and the mutual respect and trust they show each other. She actually has adults she can confide in when all the teens have turned their backs on her, and it’s nice to see them looking out for her.
Penn Badgley as our “perfect hunk” brings the typical balance of teen hotness with a strong dose of sweet relatable guy. As usual, most seventeen year old guys are not this hot, but that follows a long line of teen comedies too, so it still works.
Overall, you may think I’m giving this movie too much credit, but you have to remember how important teen movies are to you when you are in your teens. My daughter immediately came home and asked if we could get Easy A when it comes out on DVD. Sure, I shared some of the best all-time teen flicks with her, but shouldn’t she be allowed to have some of her own?
By the way, I read The Scarlet Letter in High school, so I have all the territory covered when viewing this flick!
