Ferguson On Films
 

About Ferguson On Films

All my life I've been passionate about movies. I find them to be such an all-involving art form, showing not only sights otherwise foreign to me but worlds, and encompassing so many different skills working together in cohesion - writing, music, lyricism, art form, acting, and performance. The best movies are capable of teaching and enlightening; of making us better people. It is a sublime human creation, which for me is so much more than mere entertainment or hobby.


Saturday, November 26, 2005

Screening Log - November 2005

09. (Nov. 26) The Aristocrats (2005, Paul Provenza) 6.5 / 10

Documentary, Comedy / USA / 88 minutes / Rated 18A

Synopsis: So this film director steps into a film studio's offices to pitch a new movie and ends up talking to the person in charge. "Have I got a great family movie for you!"

"Listen buddy," the producer says, "the market's already flooded with family flicks. How's yours gonna make us money?"

"Like this," says the director. "This family is a family of showbiz comedians - big - about 100 in all. You got Robin Williams, Jon Stewart, South Park, Drew Carey, Andy Dick, Penn & Teller, Steven Wright, Paul Reiser, Whoopi Goldberg, George Carlin, Phyllis Diller, Sarah Silverman, and more. They're interviewed a few at a time about this old Vaudville joke and it gets told over and over again for about an hour-and-a-half. The trick is that each comedian tells The Joke differently with the object being to inventively out-do one another and push the envelope as far as possible in terms of vulgarity. Some are funny but most are boring, self-satisfied flatliners who just swear repeatedly and think it's hilarious when it's actually lame. In between these comedians telling The Joke - and let me tell ya, the editing cuts are so maddeningly fast and furious that they make grade school kids look like stone statues - we get everyone offering their insight on The Joke and why it's lasted as long as it has. Many agree that it's not particularly funny and that the juice is in what each comedian brings to The Joke. That's what enchants the audience, like a great jazz musician riffing on a melody. It's the wild, raucous journey that the comedian leads the audience on that counts, not the punchline - designed to be an anticlimax of sorts. But keep in mind, most of these comedians aren't that funny, so both the journey and the punchline are tedious at best, excruciating at worst. Anyway, the film itself at the same time is kinda like The Joke and it goes on this wild, raucous journey that is overlong and is definitely deflated by the end. It should make some money off of folks who are fans of some of the comedians in the film, and will entertain people who enjoy lots of swearing."

"It sounds like a somewhat irritating, sometimes funny movie, but it's definitely not a 'family film'," says the producer. "Just out of curiosity, though, what's it called?"

The director hoists both arms up and snaps his fingers: "The Aristocrats."

The Aristocrats will be available on DVD on Tuesday, January 24, 2006.



08. (Nov. 26) Scandal (1950, Akira Kurosawa) 7.5 / 10

Drama / Japan / 104 minutes / Unrated

Synopsis: Two celebrities, one a moderately successful painter and the other a famous pop singer, meet accidentally and innocently one day and just so happen to be photographed by major newspaper tabloid Amour. They are wrongfully linked romantically by the rag, exploiting their notoriety for profit and bringing unwanted attention to their respective lives. A clash of principles ensues when the painter, Ichiro Aoye (Toshiro Mifune, in one of the first of his many smouldering performances to come) hires Attorney Hiruta (Takashi Shimura, playing the precusor to his sad and desparate office worker in 1952's Ikiru) as his legal counsel as he prepares to sue the publication. This is the scandal in Scandal, an early effort from acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, who stepped into the spotlight mere months later with his first classic Rashomon, which won Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. Scandal's story is one which still resonates in today's media-saturated society; yet, where more contemporary films would have sensationalized the faux-romance and contrived a false relationship, adding credence to the unscrupulous nature of tabloid mongers and a celebrity-fixated public, Kurosawa's approach is more morally-grounded. Borrowing obviously from the feel-good Frank Capra films of the past decade, Kurosawa's story boils down to a battle between two forces who believe they are justified (the celebrities and the tabloid) and the attorney, symbolizing the easily suggestable and weak public mindset, who is caught in between. It's a decent film mostly which really only suffers on account of its tendencies toward heavy-handed manipulation throughout (best exemplified by Hiruta's ailing daughter). Its intent is stll pure, though, and is worth checking out for anyone tired of today's superficial easy-fixes.

Scandal is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.



07. (Nov. 20) Aliens Of The Deep (2005, James Cameron, Steven Quale) 8.5 / 10

Documentary / USA / 99 minutes (Extended Version), 47 minutes (Theatrical Version) / Rated G

Synopsis: Thousands of metres below the surface of ocean waters, under immense pressure from above without any sunlight and sometimes at fluctuating extremeties in temperature, rest dark and strange territories with stranger creatures and life forms in a thriving ecosystem very much alien to us. For scientists and researchers interested in space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life, this relatively accessible environment is the perfect training ground for future missions beyond our planet. Such is the convincing basis for Aliens Of The Deep, a documentary which gleefully probes underwater terrain in the mid-Atlantic and Pacific oceans with a team comprised of professionals from both the marine and planetary fields. Helmed by James Cameron (whose passion for underwater exploration by now appears to have consumed his filmmaking, after a string of films including The Abyss, Titanic, Expedition Bismark, and Ghosts Of The Abyss), this film is a fascinating opportunity to peer into the depths below and gaze at wonderful sights. Originally released as a 47-minute 3-D IMAX short, Aliens Of The Deep is now available on DVD in an expanded cut which features a wealth of scientific insight to compliment the incredible array of images. By the end my imagination got the better of me and my love for sci-fi was re-awakened.

Aliens Of The Deep is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.



06. (Nov. 19) Edison (2005, David J. Burke) 4 / 10

Drama, Thriller / USA / 97 minutes / Rated R

Synopsis: Edison is a lazily conceived corrupt cop yarn that is typical fodder for the direct-to-video market and cable television, except that it enigmatically features an all-star cast, among whom are Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and high-profile pop star Justin Timberlake in his feature film debut. It is difficult to say who is more miscast - Academy Award alumni Freeman and Spacey or sissyboy Timberlake. Freeman and Spacey, who are gifted actors and imbue whatever characters they portray in their films with as much depth and dimension as possible on-screen, are too good for this hackneyed material. Timberlake, on the other hand, is an embarassment with his shallow portrayal of an idealistic and aspiring journalist. Catch this one when it hits the $2.99 bin at your local supermarket.

Edison is expected to be released late 2005/early 2006.



05. (Nov. 18) Summertime (1955, David Lean) 6.5 / 10

Romance, Drama / UK, USA / 100 minutes / Unrated

Synopsis: Little more than a video postcard of Venice, David Lean's Summertime is a tedious trifle for most of its running time, yet manages buoyant moments of delight along the way. It is the story of former secretary Jane Hudson (Katherine Hepburn, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress), a midwestern American woman who ventures across the Atlantic for a long-awaited holiday in Venice and enjoys an affair with a local businessman, who happens to be married. That the outcome of their encounter is predictable is perhaps obvious, and while their relationship meanders for the better part of the film it stands for a broader idea which is left underdeveloped but remains fascinating nonetheless. Essentially, Summertime wants to say something about confronting romantic ideals with reality, all the while acknowledging the value of these ideals in the face of such harshness. Lean (also nominated for an Academy Award, for direction) gets at this notion by setting the film in Venice (where it was also filmed on-location) and using Jane's affair to represent the way European culture is romanticized by outsiders who do not see its harshness and reality. Instead of that movie, though, we are given an ordinary love story featuring two uninteresting lovers who fail to live up to the film's potential.

Summertime is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.



04. (Nov. 7) Chicken Little (2005, Mark Dindal) 2.5 / 10

Action, Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family / USA / 77 minutes / Rated G

Synopsis: The cavalcade of children's cinematic garbage continues with Disney's Chicken Little, a disquieting and falsely innocuous rotten egg of a film that oppresses us with irresponsible gender stereotypes and cruel, offensive behaviour at times when compassion ought to be modelled. Further hampered by a totally derivative plot and an ungainly dependence upon clunky pop music montages (thanks a lot, Shrek...), director Mark Dindal's follow-up to 2000's delightful The Emperor's New Groove is a major disappointment. This is not the way Disney should have launched its foray into non-Pixar computer animation. I regret having seen it.

Chicken Little is currently playing at the Empire 8, Trinity Drive cinema, located at 125 Trinity Drive in Moncton.



03. (Nov. 6) The Night Porter (1974, Liliana Cavani) 8 / 10

Crime, Drama, Romance / Italy, USA / 117 minutes / Rated R

Synopsis: Controversial for its day but considerably tamer by today's standards, The Night Porter tells the tale of Max, a former Nazi officer turned mousey night porter in an Austrian hotel years after the end of World War II and the little girl, now a married woman, who he tortured but also loved. When she and her husband check into the hotel where he works, they reconnect in a startling way. Meanwhile, a kabal of Nazi expatriates (to whom Max belongs) operates a plan to dispose of potential witnesses who would interfere with their will to lead normal, regular lives undetected. Trouble ensues when the woman, who could testify against them, enters the kabal's crosshairs, dividing the night porter's loyalty. The result is a provocative yet compassionate look at love's sacrifice and captivity.

The Night Porter is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.



02. (Nov. 6) The Reluctant Dragon (1941, Alfred L. Werker et al.) 8.5 / 10

Animation, Comedy, Family / USA / 72 minutes / No MPAA rating

Synopsis: Walt Disney Studio's first live-action feature, and fourth overall, The Reluctant Dragon follows real-life comedian Robert Benchley (playing himself) as he arranges a meeting with Walt at the studio to pitch a new cartoon based on his book, The Reluctant Dragon. Along the way his attention is diverted by the many goings-on of the animation studio, and with much 'shilly-shallying' we are treated to a staged behind-the-scenes look at the process undertaken by the Disney team in bringing animated works to life (including basic drawing, sound effects, paint and colouring, etc.). The bulk of this film is live-action, though the animated portions are stand-outs: the remarkable Baby Weems short, Goofy's very first "How To..." toon, and finally the title sequence. This is a witty, humourous, and expertly executed film.

The Reluctant Dragon, included as part of the "Walt Disney Treasures: Behind The Scenes At The Walt Disney Studio" limited edition boxed set, is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.



01. (Nov. 1) 42 Up (1998, Michael Apted) 10 / 10

Documentary / UK / 133 minutes / No MPAA rating

Synopsis: The sixth film in director Michael Apted's documentary series which began in 1964 by following a group of fourteen British school children from various classes at the age of 7 (Seven Up!, 1964) and has since returned every seven years to assess the changes in their lives. Based on the old Jesuit tenant "Give me the child until he is 7 and I will show you the man," 42 Up, like each of the entries before it, has charted the progress made by each of its participants and slowly revealed the ways in which their behaviour, beliefs, dreams, opportunities, and upbringing from such a young age have largely determined the course of their life, as well as the surprising developments which have arisen.

42 Up, as well as the rest of the Up Series, is available on DVD and may be rented from Spit It Video located at 15 Lewis St., Moncton.


For a complete listing of currently playing first run movies in Moncton Cinema Theaters, check the Moncton Movie Listings.

posted by Ferguson On Films at 11:44 PM  

1 Comments:

  • I spend my life tracking down rare films. Do you have a full list? Maybe we could trade? Chris - Rare films

    By Chris, at 3:19 PM  

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