What do you look for in a movie?

The day I signed up to formspring (as an experiment) someone asked me the following question. Can you articulate what you always search for in movies? I realized I probably couldn't do it in 140 characters on twitter. So I'll try right here.


Saying it depends on the movie is too noncomittal. So let's say instead that a movie should always be striving to be its best self. Flaws are really easy to put it up (and can even be hugely endearing) within a movie that is primarily itself. Same goes for television. I think this is why I have so little patience for knock offs, dully conceived remakes and product that doesn't challenge itself but merely regurgitates better stuff.

[tangent] I hate to pick on reality television (too easy) but it's a helpful example. The other night I walked in and The Boyfriend was watching Top Chef. Only it wasn't Top Chef. It took me a few seconds to calibrate that it was just one of many shows that use the same lighting design, same patterns of judging, same gender / age / race mixture panel of judges, same entrances and exit system for winners and losers and whatnot. This is why I detested that Work of Art reality show that was recently on. I actually felt like vomiting when I saw it (rare feeling for me). You'd think a show about visual artists would, in being its best self, be inherently different than a show about fashion designers or a show about chefs. But it was EXACTLY like the others. It had no connection whatsoever to ART, only to other reality shows. It's such a creatively bankrupt genre and it's really sad because -- this next bit is for Joe who hates that I pick on reality TV -- this genre is not inferior at it's core. It shouldn't really be any different than any other in its capacity for flexibility in form and content. There have got to be about 410,273 ways to make a competitive rulebook (at least) and who says it even has to be a traditional competition with one winner for every show? Why does each show have to be the same? Football doesn't have the same rules as tennis. A musical doesn't need the same scene structure as a historical drama.

editor's note: I got sidetracked. I was thinking about TV because I'll be live-blogging the Emmys AUGUST 29th. (Lots of movie stars are nominated) Heads up! [/tangent]

So what I look for in a movie is that it be true to itself, first. For example, I don't need to be "entertained" if the movie is a contemplative exploration of something solemn. I just need it to be thought provoking. Second, I'll admit that I am very focused on performances because acting and human psychology fascinate me. I'm not really a plot person. I think you can make a good movie from virtually any story or subject matter if you have interesting characters and/or visual finesse. So I'm often happy when I get those things even if the story is a thumbs down. It's a visual medium and I'm a visual person. Therefore, expertly judged and delivered eye candy wins me over more than a well turned plot (generally speaking). And as anyone who has read The Film Experience for more than a week or three probably knows, in no particular order these things are generally pluses for me: interesting themes, shot differentiation (I hate it when a director doesn't understand that a movie needs more than just a series of closeups), visual beauty or at least visible aesthetic style, a sense of humanity, great lines of dialogue, good actressing, an interesting color palette.

My favorite intangible thing about great cinema is harder to explain. The movies that thrill me most tend to be the ones where I can sense other movies -- not actual existant movies but imaginary other movies within the movie I'm watching -- just off to the side should the camera wander. This is probably why I feel absolutely alive when I'm watching Robert Altman's Nashville and it's probably why The Purple Rose of Cairo breaks my heart every time.

Some people like explosions. I like explosive characterizations. We all have our preferences. Speaking of... What do you look for in a movie? I'm assuming no two of us are the same. We're beautiful snowflakes! [*gag*] And since no two of us are the same, it's a great question.

Woody Allen's Best Work?

I'm a week late chiming in here but I can't let the topic pass me by as a major fan of Woody Allen's filmography. Before Woody's quality started to dip and I found Pedro Almodovar, he was my favorite living director.

I can't find a suitable link to the original text that won't charge me money (dagnabbit) but apparently The Times of London asked Woody Allen to name his best films last month and his answers have had the internet all atwitter if not a twitter (I have yet to see Woody Allen "trend" even if he's contributed far more to society than, say, Justin Beiber).

Anyway, in case you didn't hear or would still like to discuss (Always up for a Woody!), the legendary writer/director/comic chose these six films as the cream of his crop. I've listed them in chronological order.

Woody's favorites

• Zelig (1983)
  
• The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
  
• Husbands and Wives (1992)
  
• Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
  
• Match Point (2005)
  
• Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)

I find the list completely fascinating. I think how artists view their own work is always of interest even though I think, by and large, artists are not the best judges of their own work. Creation and criticism being two completely different skill sets (which is also what you can blame so many dumb Oscar honors on), especially about one's one work since there's no way to see it from a suitable distance

The obvious talking point is that Allen shunned what history has arguably favored as his holy trinity: Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters. I was aware even as far back as 1987 that Woody didn't think as highly of Hannah and Her Sisters as the public and Oscar voters did -- he was all about David Lynch's Blue Velvet in 1986 if I recall -- and thought he'd done something wrong with Hannah when it became popular. But that he wouldn't list his late 70s giants as his best does surprise me.

Oscar's favorite Woody Allen pictures
Hall (5 noms/4 wins) Bullets (7 noms/ 1 win) Hannah (7 noms/ 3wins)

But then, no one seems to agree on these things. If you look around the web (Cinematical, Vanity Fair, Ken Levine, Awards Daily) everyone claims a different "best". To my mind that's a healthy argument that the man has made a lot of fine films, even if he himself doesn't think so stating

I've squandered an opportunity that people would kill for. I have had complete artistic freedom... There are a few better than others, half a dozen, but it's a surprising paucity of worthwhile celluloid.

It surely wouldn't kill him to slow down a little bit and fine tune his screenplays these days -- the concept is often better than the execution, now -- but I think he underestimates his early work.

The Best of Woody according to Nathaniel? This is how I'd personally rank them.

Nathaniel's favorites

1. Manhattan (1979)
2. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
3. Annie Hall (1977)
   (all three are perfection)
   
4. Husbands and Wives (1992)
   (disgustingly underappreciated due to the scandalous climate in which it premiered)
   
5. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
   (also terrific)
6. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
   (give or take a few others depending on my mood. But this one is just so rewatchable/funny.)
   

A lot of critics swear by Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) but I seem to have totally forgotten it. I cannot recall one single thing about it (???) A revisit is definitely in order.

You know what you have to do in the comments, don't you?

Further Archived Reading
Woody's Muses, Ranked By Number of Films ~ Mia Farrow reigns. Scarlett Johansson is still such a newbie, all told.

" I just met a wonderful new man. He's fictional but you can't have everything."

Movies About Movies. Love Them

Timetables have conspired against me. I really wanted to participate in Goatdog's Movies about Movies Blog-a-Thon which is now in progress. The entries so far cover a geographically wide and artistically varied array of cinema... everything from Federico Fellini through Spike Jonze and even Blake Edwards. My three favorite Movies about Movies are Singin' in the Rain, Sunset Blvd, and Purple Rose of Cairo and so far only Blvd has a write up. Right about now I'm pretending I just wrote "Don't Turn the Projector Off" (two year old post. Wheeee) so that Cairo could have been celebrated at this particular blog party.

Do you love movies about movies or do you think Hollywood ought not to be so self involved?
*

A Ticket to "Heaven"

Although it didn’t end up in the top two of JA’s Make Me Watch A Musical survey, I wanted to give a special ‘shout out’ to the gorgeous Top Hat, one of my favorite Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals. While JA won’t be watching it this weekend, I hope he’ll put it in his queue for future viewing.

In thinking about this lovely cinematic confection, my mind leaps to a moment in another great film, Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo. Nathaniel has written about it very eloquently in the past and I must say I share his passion.

The specific scene I’m thinking of beautifully captures the transformative power of movies. Mia Farrow’s character Cecilia, dejected and disappointed, seeks comfort in those images on the screen. She finds that solace in Top Hat.

While Fred and Ginger can’t change the world around her, they can--at least temporarily--take her outside of herself and to another place.

Here’s the wonderful “Cheek to Cheek” scene from the film. I must warn you that if you haven’t seen it before, you may want to save this for another time since it’s the highpoint. But those of you who choose to indulge will probably have a wistful look on your face by the time this clip is finished. Enjoy:



And that’s why I love movies. What transports you?

Top Ten: Oscar Nominationless

With the Toronto Festival rapidly approaching, early Oscar buzz will soon be in the air. Time for a list!

One of the most common delusions of fans is "one day [my favorite actor] will be nominated for an Oscar!" The reality is that statistics are against it. Even actors with massive careers (Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, Richard Gere, Cameron Diaz, Jim Carrey) might go without...even when they manage to get close by either

_____a) snagging Oscar bait roles or
_____b) finding regular precursor attention @ the Golden Globes.

This year we might see long time shutouts like Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tilda Swinton in the mix, but you never know. For today's top ten I'm focusing on names that are even bigger headscratchers. These ten stars --well, I can never quite wrap my head around their absence from Oscar's history book. I've excluded foreign language actors since it's always believable that they'll be snubbed -- sorry Isabelle Huppert. Everyone knows you rule but Oscar is a slow reader and you have cooties (i.e. subtitles)

Movie Stars That Oscar Refuses To Love

10 Christian Bale. He's done everything: wowing as a child star, headlining hits, Oscarbait gimmicks like weight loss and accents. Part of the golden resistance is the kind of movies he's made: too challenging (American Psycho) or small (The Machinist). Given the way his critical and audience cred grows each year, Oscar is starting to look dense.

09 Jeff Daniels. It might be a stretch to call him a "star" but he is nearly as reliable as that other Jeff (Bridges) who also makes superb acting look easy. The other Jeff has four nominations to his name despite the perceived effortlessness. Daniels is always good but he was plain ol' magnificent in The Squid and the Whale (FB Award) and The Purple Rose of Cairo (review) two very difficult and different roles. Yet, Oscar won't acknowledge him. Do they have something against Michiganders.

08 Myrna Loy She's best remembered for her classic stylish "Nora Charles" role in the Thin Man series but in the early days of Oscar they weren't so afraid of comediennes (Carole Lombard, Irene Dunne and others were nominated) so what gives? Even when she worked the ensemble dramas late in her career (Lonelyhearts, Airport 75, From the Terrace) it was always a co-star who was noticed instead. She was denied one of those 'you're really old and we forgot all about you!' sympathy nods that Oscar watchers are so familiar with. They apologized with an honorary Oscar two years before her death.

07 Kim Novak This star shone brightly in the 50s but AMPAS wore blinders. Her biggest Oscar success was undoubtedly Picnic (1955) but she was not among its many nominees. She is one of a long line of actresses who suffered from the 'too beautiful to be taken seriously' fate. Novak didn't do any de-glamming to win kudos, she tested studio patience with an affair with Sammy Davis Jr and --most importantly for the discussion here -- she had the misfortune of giving her greatest performance in Vertigo (58) a movie which was way ahead of its time. It's maddening that her double your pleasure star turn, an entirely bewitching act, was passed over. The snub is even more painful knowing that Deborah Kerr's worst performance (Separate Tables) was in the mix.

06 Dennis Quaid. That disarming grin never fails to charm. The only known defense against it is a membership within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. That'll make you impervious. Quaid has tried against-type critical hoopla (Far From Heaven -FB award), biopic mugging (Great Balls of Fire), comebacks (The Rookie) and working the ensemble in a Best Picture nominee (Traffic, The Right Stuff, Breaking Away) --all tactics which have put the red carpet under the feet of many lessser actors.

05 Marilyn Monroe Kim Novak's problem again: if you're viewed as a trophy you're too pretty to earn one. It took a long time for Monroe's reputation to rise from movie star to fine actor. But decades later her work in Bus Stop, The Misfits and a number of musical comedies more than holds up. Her face has been over merchandized but there's still fresh discovery to be had in watching her actual work. Monroe as an icon is overvalued but Monroe the actor? Still underappreciated if you ask me.

04 Christopher Plummer Plummer has been a revered workaholic actor since the 1950s. He was invited to join AMPAS recently and one imagines that's an apology of sorts. He's been featured in Best Picture winners (Sound of Music, A Beautiful Mind) but even in a year when he won multiple precursor awards within a Best Picture nominee (The Insider) they politely looked away.

03 Steve Martin. This enduring star is currently testing critical patience with insipid family comedies, but that doesn't negate his overall career genius. It's easy to write this one off as "Oscar doesn't like comedy" but that doesn't entirely quell the dissatisfaction. His work in the romantic comedy Roxanne or his dramatic but funny spin in Grand Canyon is on par with your typical Robin Williams acting. And speaking of... that less original funny man has multiple Oscar nods and an actual trophy to show for his work. Injustice! Has he ever been as inspired as Steve Martin was in All of Me?

02 Donald Sutherland. Some stars become legendary through the force of their own charisma (think Julia Roberts) even if the bulk of their actual filmography is not much to envy. Other actors achieve immortality by being in so many great films that their work will be seen forever. Pairing Sutherland's Oscar loved films with the knowledge that he's always passed over is a jaw dropping exercize: MASH, Klute, Don't Look Now, Fellini's Casanova, Ordinary People, JFK, Six Degrees of Separation, Pride & Prejudice ...(whew)

01 Mia Farrow On rare occassions I feel guilty for writing about the movies as in... 'stop reading right now and watch THIS!' I know there are people reading who haven't seen Farrow's haunting work in Rosemary's Baby, her unrecognizable and funny scenery-chewing in Broadway Danny Rose (1984), her perfectly judged star-gazing in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) or her quicksilver moodshifts in Alice (1990) ...and that's just four (four!) great performances off the top of my head. Mia Farrow has led an oft controversial, confrontational and tabloid-friendly personal life ever since her early days of stardom on Frank Sinatra's arm. But here's the thing: Oscar voters should be setting aside prickly personal lives when judging the merits of performance.


Mia's glory days are gone but she was brilliant more than once and has the classic films to show for it. But no honors from the Academy. Making this sting even more: Woody Allen films, which make up about a third of Farrow's filmography, have won many acting nominations and trophies, but Mia was never along for that ride. AMPAS has absurdly mistreated her. She's more than earned an honorary Oscar, don't you think?

Who would you add or subtract from this list? Which omission makes you the most bonkers? [for related posts, chase the labels @ the bottom of zee post]

Madcap Musicals

There's a moment in The Purple Rose of Cairo where the characters in the movie-within-the movie realize they are no longer bound by the "rules" of the story. Anything can happen. With this in mind, the Maitre D' at a swank Manhattan night spot declares "hit it" to the band and starts to tap dance.

Hips, Hips, Hooray! and Crazy House, two of the 45 plus films featured in Film Forum's B Movie Musicals series, offer that kind of unpredictable zaniness at a breakneck pace.

The former follows the exploits of a posh, but struggling makeup company and a couple of street peddlers, (the Vaudeville duo Wheeler & Woolsey) who hawk flavored lipstick. Really. Made before the Hays Code could crack down on the randiness, it features a silly mishmash of scantily clad babes, suggestive kissing (gotta test those flavors), auto racing, one sublimely ridiculous office-based musical number, and an extremely clever car-as-coffee machine gag.

Crazy House, (apparently a Quentin Tarantino favorite) with comedians Olsen & Johnson, comes off as calm and predictable in comparison-though it's anything but. The Hollywood-terrorizing comic duo have come to town to make a movie, and they're willing to steal their cast--right off the lot--to get it done. Musical performances from marquee players like Count Basie and the Glenn Miller Singers are interspersed among the mayhem.

Both films have a blatant disregard for logic, and the plots are little more than a way to show off the talent.

This clip offers a peak at the gag-a-second philosophy in Crazy House. Bonus points for spotting Shemp.



One can argue the modern versions of this kind of rapid-fire comedy are films like Blades of Glory--star comedian vehicles where they pile on the jokes. Like these old musicals, the degree of interest and enjoyment is directly related to how one feels about the stars. Since I wasn't familiar with either comic pair, I just enjoyed the breezy, come-hither innocence.

For those of you who are in or near NYC, the B Musical series continues through April 19. For a rundown on how the films ranked by users on IMDB, my friend David offers some calculations at the NYC-centric Blog About Town.

"Don't Turn the Projector Off!"

Classic Movie of the Week
Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo

Yesterday, I was contemplating what a middling movie year it's been up to this point. Thinking about how many outright awful films I've sat through recently (see sidebar) in my attempt to get my celluloid communion on, I decided on a surefire cure for my movie blues. I went and saw The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) again. It was playing at the Museum of Modern Art and their timing couldn't have been better. They cured my summer movie blues.

For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a delightful comedy about a fictional character who steps right off the screen to woo a lonely woman in the audience. He can't resist meeting her after he notices her sitting, day after day, watching the movie in which he appears. Naturally comedic chaos ensues once he makes this spontaneous transition. The other characters in the movie don't know what to do (he's a plot engine) audiences don't know what to make of (they talk back) and Hollywood starts sweating. What if more characters start leaving their movies?

The lonely moviegoer, Cecilia, is played by the perpetually underappreciated Mia Farrow. Her screen suitor is "Tom Baxter" from the film within this film (also called "The Purple Rose of Cairo"). He's played by an actor named Gil Shepherd who also appears later in the film. Both of them are played by Jeff Daniels --are you still with me?

Cairo is a silly and brilliantly concise Allen confection. It runs less than an hour and a half yet it holds more ideas and laughs than this whole summer's worth of comedies put together, including Woody's latest, Scoop. Cairo arrived during that genius stretch from Annie Hall (1977) to Crimes and Misdemeanors(1989) when Woody mastered his unique collision of dramatic concerns and inspired funny business. Oscar voters didn't notice it aside from the witty screenplay but the film was a hit with the Golden Globes, scoring Mia Farrow and Jeff Daniels richly deserved nominations for their touching duet.

There are several classic films about the movies but what makes The Purple Rose of Cairo so endearing is that it's really about moviegoing. It addresses what it means to sit in the dark and fall in love and what the movies do for their audiences. And in a bittersweet way, especially for cinephiles, it's also about what the movies can't do for us; the great chasm between fiction and reality. I love this movie. It was the first movie I ever saw which made me realize I was more connected to the cinema than anyone I knew (at that point in my life at least). Cecilia, that avid moviegoer, felt like a soulmate. I recognized myself in her so clearly, daydreaming about the movies to the point where I'd completely forget whatever it was I was doing, slowing down when walking past movie theaters eyes wide to take in new movie posters (what would this one be like?), and finding myself jabbering away about film stars whenever anyone asked me a movie question.

I also love the semi-divisive ending so much more as an adult than I did as a teen. I love that it means different things to different people (so do the movies). I love the song choice from the Fred & Ginger film "Heaven... I'm in Heaven" I love watching Cecilia settling into her seat and seeing her go into that new movie trance, again leaving her reality behind. You know that she will always be returning to the movie theater. It's her church.

If you ever have a run of movies so bad that you are considering swearing them off forever, all you need to do to is catch a great one. The brilliant Purple Rose of Cairo is just such a movie for me. It's a healing elixir. Whenever I watch it I fall madly in love with the movies all over again.