Blog Directory CineVerse: May 2014

"Quiz" biz

Thursday, May 29, 2014

In the 20 years since Robert Redford's "Quiz Show" first hit theaters, the pervasive and insidious nature of television--one of the key themes of this picture--has become even more problematic, as evidenced by the proliferation of lowest-common-denominator entertainment abundant across the airwaves and the increased focus on "infotainment" over hard news and contrived verite style (a ka reality TV) over quality writing. These were among the conclusions reached by our group following its discussion of this movie. Here's a recap:

WHAT IS DIFFERENT AND DISTINGUISHABLE ABOUT QUIZ SHOW THAT SURPRISED YOU?
·       The plot is relatively simple and devoid of much action, although there is plenty of conflict.
·       The film feels exceptionally well cast, especially in even the smallest roles, where even bit parts shine with resonance.
·       Most docudramas based on real-life past events change names and facts; while “Quiz Show” is not completely historically accurate in its retelling of the quiz show scandal, it does name real names of the people involved, including the TV execs, the network (NBC), and even the sponsor (Geritol).
·       The movie doesn’t attempt to answer every question related to this scandal, the most prominent one being: what tempted Van Doren to cheat?

CAN YOU NAME ANY SIGNIFICANT THEMES EXPLORED IN “QUIZ SHOW”?
·       It asks the question: What would you do if someone asked you to lie in exchange for money and fame?
·       The dangers of being misled by seductive temptations, whether it be a game show contestant agreeing to cheat, TV viewers being fooled but still wanting to watch even when told the truth, or the young man who is intrigued by the trappings of the shiny new Chrysler.
·       The moral compromises people make, even those who claim to take the moral high ground: consider how Goodwin, who vows to expose and prosecute the quiz show perpetrators, goes easy on Van Doren. Why? Perhaps it’s a reflection of his desire to protect someone of his own class more than an eagerness to bring down the real culprits (TV execs).
·       The rich get richer and the small man gets the blame: Consider how the only quiz show scandal offender that walks away unpunished is television itself; the fat cat TV executives are acquitted, and even the lower-level suit gets his job back and returns to programming. Meanwhile, Van Doren and Stempel have to wear their badge of shame for the rest of their lives.
·       The contrast between the allure and easiness associated with cheating (as seen in Van Doren’s privileged lifestyle) versus the frustration and hard work of investigation (exemplified by the pavement-pounding Goodwin).

ALTHOUGH IT’S SET IN THE 1950s, AND MUCH HAS CHANGED IN POPULAR CULTURE AND SOCIETY SINCE THEN, HOW IS QUIZ SHOW STILL RELEVANT AND TOPICAL?
·       It conveys the dark message that we’re still a gullible society of consumers who are drawn to the allure of television, a very dishonest, manipulative medium that promotes celebrity, cosmetic beauty, immediate gratification and entertainment over truth and veracity.
·       While it points the finger at the individual perpetrators (Van Doren, Enright, Stempel, etc.), Quiz Show reminds us that the medium of TV is even more reprehensible and blame-worthy.
·       Its themes are echoed in today’s vapid television choices, most of which are dominated by reality TV programs that also appear as authentic, unaltered reflections of real life but which are also rigged with contrived situations and people selected by central casting.
·       It suggests a timeless message and universal question: Is it wrong to cheat? And when is cheating ever acceptable?
·       Redford aimed to depict the cultural moment when America lost its innocence, claiming that the quiz show scandal was that moment, taking place in the Eisenhower era when people had faith in politicians and in what they saw and read in the media; yet, it feels like we’re continually losing our innocence all over again with each new transgression made by popular entertainment (e.g., the transition from hard news programming to “infotainment,” the blurring between documentary style realism and fabricated fake reality TV, the lowering of standards related to violence and sex on TV and in movies, etc.).
·       Roger Ebert summed it up well when he said, in his review of this film: “Take stock of what we have lost in the four decades since "Twenty-One" came crashing down. We have lost a respect for intelligence; we reward people for whatever they happen to have learned, instead of feeling they might learn more. We have forgotten that the end does not justify the means - especially when the end is a high TV rating or any other kind of popular success. And we have lost a certain innocent idealism.”

DOES THIS FILM REMIND YOU OF ANY OTHERS?
·       Pleasantville
·       Good Night, and Good Luck
·       Network
·       The Truman Show
·       Slumdog Millionaire

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY ROBERT REDFORD
·       Ordinary People
·       The Milagro Beanfield War
·       A River Runs Through It
·       The Horse Whisperer

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Pass this "Quiz" with flying colors

Sunday, May 25, 2014

On May 28, you won't want to miss “Quiz Show ” (1994; 133 minutes), directed by Robert Redford, chosen by Farrell McNulty, compliments of CineVerse.

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A synergy of religion, sex and surrealism

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Arguably the most important and influential director of Spanish-language speaking films, Luis Bunuel can be an inscrutable artist for many viewers to decipher. But a good entry point into his canon is "Viridiana," which raised the ire of the Vatican and the Franco regime in Bunuel's native Spain in the early 1960s. Here's a recap of what our film discussion group learned about this memorable masterwork:

WHAT IS SURPRISING, PROVOCATIVE AND UNEXPECTED ABOUT “VIRIDIANA”?
·       The movie features several memorable and off-putting images, including a crucifix that turns into a switchblade, a dog tortured by a pulling rope, a suicide and the rope that caused it being used in various ways, an image of the beggars meant to resemble da Vinci’s The Last Supper, fetishistic shots of feet, a cat jumping on a rat (juxtaposed to images of Jorge seducing Ramona), a shot of Viridiana crossing her chest with her arms and a cross in one hand followed immediately by a shot of a farmer milking cow udders, the famous scene where Don Jaime dresses his niece up to look like his dead wife, drugs her and then nearly ravishes her (suggesting necrophilia), and other startling shots.
·       The tone of the film changes throughout the movie: it starts out as a gothic melodrama depicting an innocent young beauty who is endangered in her uncle’s creepy castle, and transforms into a sardonic, ironic, satirical comedy/drama of sorts whereby the beggars and their actions usurp the proceedings; the final tone of defeat and surrender (conveyed in the last shot of the threesome playing cards) leaves viewers with a different emotional feel, as well.
·       Through imagery, tone and symbolism, the film is rich with suggestive themes and meanings that seem to question organized religion and religious piety. The fact that this sweet, virginal, well-intentioned girl gives up in her quest to redeem herself and sinners around her feels like a bold slap in the face to late 1950s/early 1960s filmgoers who are used to censored Hollywood material where the virtuous are rewarded and the lecherous are punished.
·       It’s a film split into two halves—the first half concerning the title character and her uncle in his lavish home attempting to woo and bed Viridiana; the second half related to Viridiana’s attempt to perform merciful works and redeem a group of beggars following her uncle’s suicide.

WHAT THEMES ARE SUGGESTED IN “VIRIDIANA”?
·       The attempt to find piety, purity, true selflessness and holiness in our secular, imperfect world is a losing battle—this is a world that cannot be redeemed. As proof, think about a key shot in the film: Jorge, seeing a dog being pulled mercilessly by a rope tied to a cart, buys and frees the dog, but then doesn’t notice that there’s another helpless dog in the same predicament going the opposite way; and the dog he frees desires to go back to its former abusive master. The message? Despite our best intentions, we cannot escape our base instincts and utterly imperfect human natures.
·       Guilt is a major theme: The uncle’s guilt at nearly violating his niece, and the title character’s guilt at being an object of desire and unworthy of becoming a nun. Also, the words “forgiveness” and “offense” are used frequently throughout the picture.
·       Naiveté is another theme, exemplified by the girl’s inexperience, faith in her uncle and faith in the sinful beggars.
·       The fine line between tragic and comic, between spiritual and profane, between pleasure and pain, and the dichotomous nature of human beings to experience all of these extremes.
·       The clash between spiritualism and secularism, as embodied in the characters of Viridiana and Jorge, respectively.
·       Spiritual gain vs. materialistic, worldly gain: ponder the montage scene where Viridiana leads her group of vagrants in kneeling prayer, shots of which are juxtaposed with images of Jorge’s men diligently working to improve the estate (logs being sawed, stone being hammered, masonry being placed). By the end of the film, it’s relatively clear that Jorge’s efforts to salvage his land and upgrade his grounds are successful, yet it’s obvious that Viridiana’s efforts to save the souls of her vagrants have been in vain.

THIS FILM HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY CRITICS AS A CRITICISM OF ORGANIZED RELIGION, PARTICULARLY CATHOLICISM. WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?
·       One writer, Jamie S. Rich, theorized that “Buñuel is warping the idea of a nun being married to her savior. There is an understated allegorical element to Viridiana where Don Jaime is God, though in this scenario, the Supreme Being is disillusioned with his creation. The noble ideals that inspired his earliest efforts have been replaced by an understandable disappointment in life, and the son he sent out into the world has done his own thing rather than continue the mission.”
·       Consider the hypocrisy of religion that Bunuel suggests: although Viridiana yearns to do the righteous, moral thing, it is only after feeling guilty for being besmirched by her uncle and after feeling that she is a physical temptation who can no longer pursue nunhood that she attempts these Good Samaritan acts.
·       Consider the provocative, symbolic imagery: a white dove, representing religious purity, is killed; a black bull seen by the little girl insinuates the coming of Satan; and lambs are slaughtered for the feast of the beggars.
·       Consider, too, Viridiana’s pet project: the saving of the beggars, who resemble the 12 disciples in The Last Supper; if these are Christ’s most treasured followers, are they really worth saving and redeeming?
·       The filmmakers choose to use Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus in an almost mocking, ironic way.
·       The last shot hints at an unholy trinity to replace the holy trinity: three young sinners who are likely about to engage in a ménage a trios.

DOES THIS MOVIE BRING ANY OTHERS TO MIND?
·       One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (consider the scene involving the patients having a party that gets out of control)
·       The Sound of Music (another film depicting a young woman from a convent who reluctantly agrees to go to the home of a wealthy aristocrat nearby)
·       M.A.S.H., which also has a shot that mimics da Vinci’s “Last Supper”

OTHER IMPORTANT WORKS BY LUIS BUNUEL
·       The Golden Age
·       Los Olvidados
·       The Exterminating Angel
·       Belle de Jour
·       Tristana
·       The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeois
·       That Obscure Object of Desire 

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The boundary-pushing Buñuel

Sunday, May 18, 2014

On May 21, CineVerse invites you to experience World Cinema Wednesday (Spain/Mexico) and our next installment of Pushing Boundaries: Films that Challenged the Censors and Created Controversial but Important Works of Art. Part 3, "Religion, sex and surrealism," will explore “Viridiana” (1961; 90 minutes) and “Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog)” (1929; 16 minutes), both directed by Luis Buñuel.

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...and the getting was good

Thursday, May 15, 2014

There's a lot to admire within "As Good as it Gets," a film that holds up 17 years after its theatrical release with quirky but plausible characters, sharp and smart dialogue, and performances that live up to the movie's title. Here's what we collectively learned about this picture after hashing out the fine points last evening at CineVerse:

WHAT IS SURPRISING ABOUT “AS GOOD AS IT GETS” AND DEFIES EXPECTATIONS?
·       The unexpected chemistry between Nicholson and Hunt, who is 26 years younger than the former and who make an unlikely romantic pair, despite their personality differences and age disparity. Hunt, although primarily known as a TV actress in 1997, is impressive and holds her own with a heavyweight like Nicholson, as evidenced by her spirited reactions to his behaviors.
·       The things that Udall says and does are decidedly politically incorrect and insensitive, which risk upsetting minority viewers; just 17 years later, gay bashing and lampooning has become much less tolerated.
·       The film feels ideally cast with the exact right actor for each part; this, despite the fact that the careers of Hunt, Kinnear and Gooding Jr. quickly went south in the years after this film was released.
·       It cleverly brings together several uniquely different characters—who each have nothing in common and live extremely different lifestyles—for a road movie that somehow gels. That all three learn to harmonize together and become friends says a lot about the message of this picture.
·       It’s also one of the rare feature films to tackle the topic of obsessive compulsive disorder and how problematic and disabling it can be to sufferers—although it’s approached in a more comic vein.

THEMES TO BE MINED FROM THIS MOVIE
·       Salvation: Udall is such an abrasive, despicable character that, unless he can be redeemed somehow and shown in a sympathetic light, this film fails to connect with audiences.
·       The redemptive power of love: Udall can’t be redeemed, however, without the love of a good woman, in the form of Carol, who seems to be the unlikeliest of candidates to give him affection.
·       Opposites attract: As aforementioned, each of the three main characters shares virtually no commonality with each other; Udall is an obsessive-compulsive bigoted writer; Carol is a single mother starving for romance and attention; and Simon is an artistic gay man who has suffered a physical attack and gone broke.
·       Our interconnectedness as human beings, regardless of differences. Each of the 3 main characters has distinctive flaws and problems, yet each can and does help each other.
·       Surrogate parenting: this is less of a love triangle (considering that Simon is gay) than a surrogate parental relationship, in which Melvin is the gruff and insensitive yet generous patriarch and Carol is the sensitive, caring matriarch to Simon, who seeks out this surrogate guidance from others because his real parents have rejected him.

WHY IS NICHOLSON THE IDEAL CASTING CHOICE FOR MELVIN UDALL?
·       As written, the character has a very offensive, repellant, seemingly incurable personality that makes it very hard to root for him.
·       Yet, Nicholson has proved to be a crowd-pleasing, lovable sinner in many memorable roles prior to this, and his devilish grin, arched eyebrows, body language and unique voice and manner of delivery are irresistible.
·       Thus, his talent and magnetism causes us to trust that the character will have some redemptive arc, Good Samaritan turn or epiphany that will reward our faith in him.
·       Also, Nicholson is too good an actor to allow Udall’s conversion from jerk to lovable and compassionate misanthrope to be too silly, overly sentimental or sappy.

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY JAMES L. BROOKS
·       Terms of Endearment
·       Broadcast News
·       Spanglish

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Look out old Jack is back...

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Make plans to meet up at CineVerse on May 14 for “As Good as It Gets” (1997; 139 minutes), directed by James L. Brooks, chosen by Larry Leipart

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An old school classic

Thursday, May 8, 2014

"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" proved to be a complex character study of a woman who instills confidence and nonconformist qualities in her students, yet who abuses her position of power by espousing radical ideologies and reprehensible manipulations. Here's what our group concluded about this film:

WHAT OTHER FILMS ABOUT TEACHERS, SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS DOES THIS MOVIE BRING TO MIND?
·       Dead Poet’s Society
·       Mr. Holland’s Opus
·       Goodbye, Mr. Chips
·       Dangerous Minds
·       Stand and Deliver
·       The Corn is Green
·       The Browning Version
·       Oleanna
·       The Emperor’s Club
·       To Sir With Love

HOW IS THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE DIFFERENT FROM MANY OF THESE OTHER MOVIES ABOUT TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS?
·       Brodie is presented as a more motivationally ambiguous figure:
o   She’s liberal, but Fascist in her views in that she believes there are born natural leaders who should enjoy privileges greater than the average person, for whom rules don’t apply.
o   She appears to use her pupils like pawns in some manipulative game, yet she seems devoted to them and their development.
o   Her encouraging of students to have affairs with teachers and such is morally reprehensible, yet espouses a strong feminist viewpoint that would have been radical and socially progressive for the 1930s, in which this story is set.
o   In short, Brodie’s personality, and Maggie Smith’s portrayal of her, makes this more of a credible, human character than some stereotypical hero/saint-like instructor we’ve seen many times before. She’s got serious flaws that make her interesting.
·       This is arguably a cautionary tale about the corrupting nature of power and the dangers that certain people in positions of power and authority have over society, including teachers whose corrupting influence can negatively affects students’ lives.
·       This film doesn’t try to romanticize or oversentimentalize about the bond between teachers and students, as other films like Mr. Chips and Mr. Holland’s Opus might.
·       It’s also not predictably bright, cheery and boring—instead, it delves into dark territories by virtue of Brodie’s teachings and manipulations. Yes, there is a dash of melodrama and soap opera-ish romance, but it’s also a dark drama.
·       The film makes Brodie a sympathetic character, despite her bold teachings and Fascist inclinations, in that she’s such a charismatic, multilayered, free-thinking, rule-breaking, revolutionary, autonomous, complex personality who men and students equally admire. It also gives us a strong antagonist to root against in the form of the school’s headmistress, whose personal vendetta against Ms. Brodie endears the teacher to us.
·       This is also arguably a more a fascinating character study than it is a satisfying yarn with an absorbing plot.
·       We know that Brodie is imperfect and misguided in her beliefs because:
o   She idolizes fascist leaders who will later (this is set in 1932) be exposed as tyrants.
o   She encourages her student Mary to go off and join her brother in fighting for Franco, but the brother was fighting for the other side; Mary threw her life away needlessly, and Brodie doesn’t want to accept responsibility for it.

WHAT ARE SOME PRIMARY THEMES EXAMINED IN THIS FILM?
·       The responsibility teachers have in guiding their pupils and the limits to which they can become personally involved with them.
·       Comeuppance and karma: Brodie had her downfall coming to her.
·       Knowledge is power, but power has a tendency to corrupt.
·       The concept of “being in one’s prime.” Brodie seems to boast of a prescience as to knowing when someone’s prime is or will be, but what gives her the right or the talent to decree this? For that matter, why can’t one’s prime be anytime? She dangerously tells her students when their prime will be or what their future will hold, but she’s no fortune teller mystic, and she’s certainly wrong about Mary.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT JEAN BRODIE IS A SYMPATHETIC OR A DESPICABLE CHARACTER, AND WHY?
·       It’s possible to feel that she’s both by the end of the film, as she’s dug her own vocational grave by going against standard curriculum and putting dangerous ideas in the heads of her students, yet we also admire her moxie, fighting spirit and nonconformist ways in her battle with the headmistress. Still, getting her comeuppance at the hands of a shrewd pupil she underestimated—one who exposes Brodie for morally reprehensible adult she is—feels like a satisfying vindication.

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY RONALD NEAME
·       Scrooge
·       The Poseidon Adventure
·       Hopscotch

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The Brodie Bunch

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Join CineVerse on May 7 for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (1969; 116 minutes), directed by Ronald Neame, chosen by Peggy Quinn.

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Taking the scenic route to understanding "Miss Daisy"

Thursday, May 1, 2014

"Driving Miss Daisy" is that rare film that requires patience and trust, but the payoff is a rich emotional reward that can resonate with viewers who appreciate character-driven films. Here's the CineVerse group consensus on this 25-year-old gem from 1989:

HOW IS THIS FILM INTERESTING, DIFFERENT, DISTINCTIVE AND SURPRISING, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING ITS GENRE (DRAMA) AND SUBJECT MATTER (RACE RELATIONS)?

·       It’s very slow moving in plot, tone, direction and character action; it relies on subtlety, in the form of the actors’ nuanced performances and carefully crafted but sparse dialogue, to tell its story.
·       Consider the supposed lack of box-office appeal elements involved: this is a quiet, slow-moving film about two complete opposites—a middle-aged African American servant and a senior citizen Jewish woman; there is no sex or romantic subplot; very little action occurs. Considering these factors, it’s somewhat of a miracle that the film was a box-office success and winner of the Best Picture Academy Award.
·       It traces this special relationship over 25 years, showing an arc of development between two characters that is affected by cultural and sociological changes and the effects of aging.
·       It’s not heavy-handed, over-sentimental or ham-fisted in its messages or ideas. This could have, for example, been much more of a polemic on inherent racism in the South, or unfair class divisions, and painted everyone around Hoke and Daisy as either bigoted and villainous or victimized and exploited. Instead of being racially and politically overcharged, this picture is much more restrained and introspective of its characters.

HOW DOES THIS MOVIE AVOID BEING TOO RACIALLY INSENSITIVE, CONSIDERING THE SETUP—A BLACK MAN SERVING A WEALTHY OLD WHITE WOMAN?
·       Each character represents a minority—Hoke an African American and Daisy a Jew.
·       Each character is dependent on and subservient to the other—Hoke depends on Daisy for employment and must do her bidding as a chauffeur, but Daisy is equally dependent on Hoke, as she cannot drive, and later, we even see Hoke feed her as she cannot do so herself.
·       Each character also harbors his/her own racial prejudices, although these attitudes improve by the story’s end.
·       Daisy is also not the stereotypical white female “master” character you’d expect for this time and setting; ironically, she is a Jewish liberal living in the South, a region of systemic racism, conservative politics and Christian beliefs.
·       We see that both characters are victims of prejudice, as Daisy’s temple is bombed and she is referred to as an “old Jew woman” by the traffic cops, who also call Hoke the “N” word.
·       As reviewer Peter Rainer put in his write-up for the L.A. Times, “their mellowing relationship is meant to mirror the growth of civil rights in the South. Daisy is Jewish, so the movie is structured as a tale of two outcasts bonded by their stubborn pride.”
·       Also, despite the fact that Hoke is her chauffeur employee throughout most of the film, “Driving Miss Daisy is the story of the servant who is so faithful and selfless that he ceases to be a servant and becomes a friend…it suggests that the real rewards of servitude aren’t financial but emotional, and thus that the served need feel no guilt,” wrote critic Dave Kehr.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PRIMARY THEMES AND MESSAGES ESPOUSED IN “DRIVING MISS DAISY”?
·       The attraction of opposites—in this context, not a romantic attraction, but a Platonic camaraderie attraction.
·       The capacity for deep friendship to outlast the passing of time, the decline of the mind and body, racial insensitivity or social status.
·       The ability of peoples, cultures, and societies to change, evolve and progress over time, as these characters and the people and places around them changed after the civil rights movement.
·       We must overcome our intrinsic and instinctive bigotries and narrow-mindedness in order to foster invaluable friendships and relationships with other people and grow as a society.
·       The aged and disabled are deserving of our love, care and respect.

HAS THIS FILM AGED WELL AND GRACEFULLY, LOOKING AT IT 25 YEARS LATER, OR ARE WE SO CONDITIONED BY FASTER-PACED MOVIES TODAY THAT IT’S A HARDER SIT-THROUGH TODAY WITH ITS LEISURELY PACING AND THREADBARE PLOT?

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY BRUCE BERESFORD
·       Breaker Morant
·       Tender Mercies
·       Crimes of the Heart

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