 Notes from awards committee: Did Writer/Director George Lucas and producer, Francis Ford Coppola, really know what they had with American Graffiti? The script seemed funny enough; the cool cars and period rock music was enticing--but did they really know these young, mostly unknown actors would magically bring these characters to life? It seems almost a fluke, shot in 29 days and on a tight budget, but American Graffiti is a classic film that captured lightning in a bottle. It is perhaps pure nostalgia, mixing humor, sadness and craziness, hope and reflection, in bursts of mild excitement. Like a page out of my high school year book, this movie jumps back into the early 60's, before the Vietnam War. The age of innocence in America was coming to an end. This is the last party of the summer before the pleasant dream ends. The World at Large
Fun Surprises - Live and Let Die – is a favorite James Bond film of the Roger Moore era. 007 saves the lovely Solitaire (Jane Seymour) from Afro-Caribbean monsters and brings hell fire to their criminal narco enterprise. Day of the Jackal - switches POV between a profession assassin and the lawmen trying to stop him. No fancy FX – instead we get a good, fast-moving story based on a true story of an attempted military coup against Charles de Gaulle, president of France. Most Americans are probably not familiar with French history, so a few facts will help you understand this film. In early 1962 de Gaulle granted independence to Algeria – ending the eight-year Algerian War. It was a controversial decision that incurred the wrath of the militarists Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS) which then vowed to assassinate him. In August 1962 de Gaulle and his wife narrowly escaped death in a fusillade of gunfire in the roadside ambush, the most serious of six overall attempts the OAS would make in real life. The Jackal character is pure fiction, but the OAS threat was quite real. Although the outcome is a matter of history, this film still keeps the viewer tense and wondering how it will all end right up to the last moment. Day for Night –is a movie about moviemaking, one of my very favorite movie sub-genres. And few surpass this one for its humanity, warmth and genuine feel of affection for the players. The film follows Director Truffaut, in effect playing himself, as he makes a somewhat banal little romance movie called "Meet Pamela" with stars Jacqueline Bisset, Jean Pierre Aumont, and Valentina Cortese. It conveys the chaos of filmmaking process in front of the camera and behind the scenes. The production manager's wife, who insists on being on the shoot, adds plenty of humor as she watches with shocked disapproval as the cast and crew exchange bed partners. And this is peak Jacqueline Bisset – she is stunning in this film. Coffy - is a by-the-numbers revenge-action story, with a not so typical hero: a young, black woman. Pam Grier plays the lead role, Coffy, and makes this movie engaging despite a few flaws in the low budget production. Coffy risks the dark side of Harlem and meets pimps and drug dealers in search for answers about her young sister’s sudden death. This movie is a sweet combination of sex and violence and black culture – 70’s style. Paper Moon - is a con man movie that ages like a fine wine. The father-daughter chemistry is never better, and the Midwest depression era setting adds a nice touch of 1930’s Americana. Child star Tatum O'Neal in her rookie performance, knocked this one out of the park, and Madeline Kahn has a career best role as Trixie Delight. The scene with Trixie trying to cajole the little girl to get in the back seat of the car is priceless. Kahn’s range as an actress is proven in this movie where she added humor to scene after scene, and was also able to draw a certain compassion for her character, in spite of Trixie’s immoral lifestyle. Theater of Blood - is Vincent Price's finest screen moment, and co-star Diana Rigg’s favorite film role, as his supportive daughter. It is also one of the most literate horror films ever made. Few actors possess the theatrical flourish of Vincent Price, and he was perfectly cast as Edward Lionheart, a veteran stage actor often dismissed or underrated by the critics. Lionheart can handle only so much negative press before he flips his lid, and goes on a killing spree. Price is so talented at playing a mad man, it is uncanny. He REALLY silenced his critics once and for all. And where did they find these “theater critics”? I have never seen a more self-important, unlikeable bunch of snobs gathered in one movie. It is an example of true casting genius. Seeing them brutally dispatched one by one in a medley of appropriate Shakespearean circumstances was a joy to watch. Both Price and Rigg were truly great thespians of the English stage, and some of their soliloquies are wonderfully delivered; especially Diana’s heroic death scene. This is not a ha-ha comedy, but I was amused by the Lionheart’s very creative and funny disguises. Westworld – is one of the first films to examine the risks and consequences of a misfire of (normally reliable) advanced technology. In Westworld, life-sized androids, or robots with A.I., are programmed to entertain paying guests to realize their fantasies about living in the American Wild West. All is fun and games until the android town sheriff (Yul Brynner) malfunctions and starts killing the tourists. As one film critic wrote, “Brynner has no more humanity or sense of justice than a multicycle washing machine.” Richard Benjamin does a good job as the unlikely hero fleeing for his life. From that point on the pace never slows down and it becomes an exciting cat-and-mouse chase with Brynner hunting Benjamin. Disappointments - Magnum Force – is a sequel to the original 1971 Dirty Harry smash hit, but lacks the sting of the subversive 1971 classic. Once again, Clint Eastwood is detective Harry Callahan, and once more the storyline examines the controversial topic of vigilante justice. But Eastwood had a case of the vapors from the negative Dirty Harry reviews by a gang of liberal, east coast/ west coast movie critics. Eastwood’s box office success gave him script approval for the sequel and he thought it might be somehow “fascist” of Harry to repeat another vigilante shooting. So in the new script, Harry delivers a manly and noble speech on the dangers of vigilante justice (although why this should suddenly worry him is not clear.) The Sting – is about a criminal fraternity of loyal, intelligent, very likeable crooks capable of concocting an elaborate hoax. WAIT A MINUTE. Where did they find this gang, Harvard Business School? I just cannot buy this ridiculous story, and it is not as much fun as some people describe. The story is too predictable, the pace is very pokey, and the comedy label is all wrong. I can't name a single funny scene or line. Newman and Redford try to recapture the buddy (criminal) chemistry that they had in Butch Cassidy (1969), but the magic is not there. Not even close. The ending is never in doubt, so we are left with a good music score and costumes. BTW – the music score is almost all Scott Joplin tunes, popular about 30 years before the period depicted in the movie The Exorcist – delivers a wicked, non-stop emotional beating to the viewer. I have a thick hide, but not that tough. Beware, you have been warned. The film is often on favorite lists by fans of horror and supernatural/occult theme films.
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