What was the last film you watched?

Mel O'Drama

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Yesterday's matinee was...

High Crimes (2002)

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As I watched, I found myself recognising actors but unable to place how I knew them. Around halfway through the film, I did a quick search on this thread and found I'd actually watched it back in November 2021.

The fact that I couldn't remember it (even after my memory was jogged) is a statement about either the film's forgettable nature or my poor short-to-mid term memory. The fact that I sat through it twice (and kind of enjoyed both) is a statement either about the film's rewatchability or my own low standards.

Anyway, I shan't repeat myself, so I'll just say it was as enjoyable the second time as it appears to have been on the first.
 

Mel O'Drama

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The evening film was...

June Again (2021)

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This has been in my watchlist for many a month, mainly on the basis of the wonderful Noni Hazlehurst's central role, but also a more general appreciation for all things Aussie. I'd also procrastinated on watching it because I feared the vascular dementia theme might be just a little too heavy or depressing. I needn't have worried.

Outside of Noni and Wayne Blair (who, curiously, is not listed on IMDb), I knew none of the cast, which helped me become immersed in the story. All were terrific, and Noni as wonderful as I would expect.

There's a time constraint from the temporary nature of June's lucidity (we're told it will probably be a matter of hours) and the inevitability of her relapse adds a low key suspense and sadness to things, but also serves to make each moment deeply meaningful. June breaking out of the care home is a flight of fancy, but it's sold well and is necessary to give some welcome colour and levity. The times when effects of dementia are shown are done with enough subjectivity to make it unsettling and disorientating. Dementia is a big fear of mine. and to offer hope is outside the remit of this or any film, but this one did at least show us the humanity and offered the chance to laugh and cry along with the characters.

In general terms, this is a beautiful film: lively, funny, touching and full of heart.

 

Willie Oleson

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And so I continued with WAKE UP DEAD MAN

And I don't like it. At all.
It's overlong, overstuffed and extremely far-fetched in terms of plotting.
Instead of a spectacular reveal we get a confession, and I thought she would never stop explaining.
Apart from Josh Brolin as the evil Rasputin-esque preacher I didn't find any of the characters very interesting, and the youtube guy was simply unwatchable.

Benoit Blanc is an atheist and that's fine, but did he have to keep reminding us? His very first scene is a heavy-handed tirade against the Catholic church and it's just so out of place in a genre film like Knives Out. Maybe next time inside a mosque, hm?
This Benoit is a loud, smug, cynical, narcissistic pain in the *ss.
Barf! Trash!
 

Crimson

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This Benoit is a loud, smug, cynical, narcissistic pain in the *ss.

I was wondering if it was my imagination. I watched two and three on consecutive night and found Craig's performance in the third to be very different. He was on screen for at least a minute and I had no idea it was him; I thought it was Christoph Waltz playing a different character. Craig's accent, demeanor and performance all seemed like a different character compared to the first two.
 

Willie Oleson

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I'm usually the last person to clutch my pearls but I found the msterbtion* confession rather crass and desperately attention-grabbing.
It suits the character of the vile monsignor but I think it could have been worded in a more cinematic way.

Besides, pictures or it didn't happen.

*encrypted spelling
 

Willie Oleson

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The Day Of The Locust (1975)

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It's so hidden that, if you type the title in the IMDB search bar, it doesn't even show up.
This story follows a group of characters operating around the fringes of Hollywood stardom, often in a pathetic or ugly way.
While the desire for Hollywood fame is part of the story it never becomes the main theme, in fact it's a bit all over the place and there's very little build-up to the many confrontations.
All the characters are connected one way or another and sometimes it has a mosaic feel to it, like P.T. Anderson's MAGNOLIA.
Speaking of which, LOCUST has an equally sensational climax, and one particular very satisfying death scene. My goodness, what an evil little troll.
But there's also a significant calamity long before that happens and it's yet another reminder of how great old-school filming could be.
A great film that's different enough from the archetypal "Hollywood disillusionment" fare


The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (1976)

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A children's story that is definitely not for children, and it's gorgeous and offbeat in a way that could only happen in the 1970s.
Kris Kristofferson - a name that should only exist in soap operas - looks at his most Kristofferson-esque, and the moment he shows up you know you're going to root for him.
The young actors are very good in their ritualistic story as they're trying to make sense of the adult things that displeases them.
The film's haunting and tragic last scene gives The Wicker Man a run for its money. What a beauty.

To discover these previously unknown gems kinda humbles me. I really don't know everything.
 

Mel O'Drama

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La Vita È Bella (1997)
a.k.a. Life Is Beautiful

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When this came up as I scrolled through Prime its English name looked a little familiar. Then I realised I was thinking of Mike Leigh's Life Is Sweet (which I've also never got round to watching).

As I watched, it felt familiar in other ways. It's beautifully shot and its aesthetics are reminiscent of many traditional genres, from Old Hollywood buddy comedies and Technicolor musicals to more recent period pieces (as contradictory as that sounds). It looks absolutely stunning. The ladies' colourful wardrobe pops against sumptuous backdrops, and none more so than Nicoletta Braschi. In many ways this film feels like an ode to her beauty from her husband (who is also the film's director, writer and lead actor).

After a day easing back into work yesterday, I wasn't sure I wanted to watch a subtitled film, but something told me it would be mostly silent (in the style of Mr. Bean). Something lied to me. It was actually incredibly verbose and I don't mind telling you I was ready for bed by the end.

I was curious to see how the concentration camp aspect would be worked into the film, and even more so as I watched the first half which felt worlds removed from it. I did find the opening act tedious. I've little patience for characters who seem to spend all their time mucking about and making a three act play out of saying hello, and it's even worse with aggressively optimistic people. And this seemed to be the character's raison d'être. Thinking about it, it's similar to howI found James Stewart and his brother really annoying in It's A Wonderful Life, and only really enjoyed the film once things went down the crapper.

Things did feel more balanced once a little of the darkness came in, but the film relies heavily on finding the main character endearing and I'm afraid this didn't happen for me. His continued pretence to his son that everything was all right and that this was a big game was the whole concept of the film, but to me it felt very self-indulgent: as though the character himself could not face reality. This would be understandable, but there's nothing psychologically interesting in how it's presented. He just continues to do silly crap in the camp as he did outside, putting everyone's life at risk. He completely lost me in the scene where he volunteered to translate for the German guard when they arrived at the camp. Despite speaking no German, he "translated" what was said into an extension of his silly game, which spared his son's feelings but left the dozens of other people in their cabin unaware of what was being asked of them. And this was just the first of several transgressions which made me wonder how he wasn't simply shot on the spot.

I don't know what it was about this film. The Sound Of Music could arguably be viewed as trivialising the backdrop of the Second World War. 'Allo 'Allo certainly did that. And yet I greatly enjoy both of those. In this film, though, the frivolity and rebelliousness frustrated me, and I wanted more harsh reality.

I also felt I was overlooking something that everyone else could see. The film was fine, but Prime had made a big deal of this being a BAFTA winner, and I'd seen that it had accumulated numerous other International awards as well, so perhaps I expected more.
 

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Nuremberg (2025)

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Wow, just wow! What an incredible film this is. I was prompted to watch this because Michelle Lee was waxing lyrically about Russell Crowe's performance in the film on her We're Knot Done Yet podcast so I thought I would check out what she was so impressed by. Russell Crowe is indeed very good in it. He plays Hermann Goring, second in command in Nazi Germany's leadership at the end of World War II in the months leading up to his trial for war crimes. He plays Goring is not as a cartoonish villain, but a master manipulator: charming, erudite and dangerously narcissistic. However, he's not the only one who puts in an outstanding performance as Remi Malik playing the psychiatrist assigned to Goring, is just as compelling.

It’s impossible to watch this movie without seeing the glaring parallels to Trump’s America. Crowe’s Goring uses the exact same playbook we see on the news every day: the "witch hunt" narrative, the constant whataboutism and that cult of personality that treats every legal consequence as a personal badge of honour. As Remi Malek's character said in the film "Goring only cares about Goring", something which is often said about the current POTUS. It’s a chilling reminder that the rhetoric used to tear a country apart in the 1940s hasn't really changed, it’s just been rebranded and sprayed orange for a 24-hour news cycle.
 

Willie Oleson

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Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)

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There was no reason for me to rewatch this film but my mouse accidentally hovered over the thumbnail which caused it to autoplay a preview.
I didn't instantly recognise the scene or character therefore I wondered if this was a new version or a version no one ever talked about.
As soon as the big fat WB logo appeared I realised I had been a little bit too gullible, or maybe I just wanted to believe that there was a third Wonka (excluding the prequel which I'm definitely not going to watch).
I guess this was my cue to move on to the next film but then I thought, it's a Christmassy wintery movie and I've only seen it once 20 years ago so let's see how I feel about it today.

Starting with the best part: the title, because it's the one we got for the Dutch translated title of the seventies classic.
Then there's little Charlie himself who looks criminally adorable. Every time he said something I started to sob uncontrollably. Sometimes it really feels good to be manipulated.
Then that moment of the golden ticket, almost as iconic as the sword of Camelot. I know it's going to be there but that never stops me from feeling nervous.
The other kids are great, too, but perhaps a bit too unlikeable, especially Mike Teavee. It's probably done to emphasise Charlie's saintly character but that really wasn't necessary.

The biggest difference is, of course, the two Wonkas. Gene Wilder's character is unpredictable and very passionate, and Johnny Depp plays it childlike and timidly.
I guess "the best"will be a matter of taste. I wasn't particularly moved by Depp's interpretation but there also wasn't anything about it that bothered me.
The fabulously psychedelic and garish look of the original has been replaced with Tim Burton's trademark gothic style, but it's supposed to be a remake after all.
Everything about this remake is more and bigger and sweeter, but I think the first film is more impressive, suspenseful and emotional.

Well I guess I have to mention the Oompa Loompas.
To be honest, that also wasn't my favourite part in the original but it looked kinda harmless. Unfortunately, there's no escape from the remake Oompa Loompas which is just one actor multiplied by CGI.
The music is forgettable at best and I could hardly hear the lyrics.
Another issue I have with CGI is that all these films basically look the same. It simply prevents a film from standing out from the rest. I haven't seen the new Frankenstein yet but I already know exactly what it's going to look like. It just takes the fun out of it.
So I'll say that super-loveable Charlie and his super-loveable family are the main attraction in this remake.
 

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Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
There were two funny lines in this remake which I liked - one intentional, and the other I think not.
One, when Wonka says that everything is edible he adds "even me but that's cannibalism and frowned on in most cultures" whereas in the original Wilder just fumbles with the pronunciation of "edible."
Two, when one of the kids asks why everything there is pointless. I think that's funny, but probably not intended to be.
 

Mel O'Drama

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Don't Say A Word (2001)

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Another blind watch. The name sounded familiar, but I don't recall having any awareness of this film until I added it to my watch list this week based on the description:

A New York psychologist is forced to treat a mentally unstable patient with a violent past to secure the freedom of his kidnapped daughter.

Reading this, I'd assumed the patient was the one who kidnapped the daughter, but no... it's much more twisty than this. I thoroughly enjoyed the way we began watching several different plots play out, particularly the police officer investigating a series of murders, which seemed like its own separate little story. It was only when the various strands dovetailed that I noticed how separate they had been, so I thought it was nicely done as skeins go.

The above blurb doesn't seem to be entirely accurate, by the way, since I'm pretty sure Douglas's character introduced himself as a psychiatrist.

With faces like Oliver Platt and Famke Janssen who seemed to be popping up all over the place in the late Nineties and early Noughties, before falling off the radar again (well, my radar, certainly), it feels rather of its time, but not necessarily in a bad way. Incidentally, I was convinced that Tim Roth played the treacherous gang member we were trying to find out more about, but also fascinated that he was prettier here than he was in The Incredible Hulk (which I put down to this being some years earlier). Turns out he was another actor entirely, Shawn Doyle. Meanwhile, his namesake, Sheffield's own Sean Bean is the baddie here, and as reliable as ever.

To me this film has some of the same energy as some of the post-Silence Of The Lambs thrillers that followed that film's template to become almost their own sub-genre around this time. Think The Bone Collector, Copycat and the like. All have the professional interacting with the law enforcement in strange circumstances in a time-critical race to save abductees from The Big Bad before something terrible happens, all while facing up to some terrible unspoken trauma from years past. That familiarity is a double-edged sword. It might not be the best of the bunch, but at least it's somewhat familiar, and it's a treat to discover one of these sub-Silence films quarter of a century on.

One of the joys of reading up on films after watching, rather than before, is I can watch the film free of bias and pre-judgement. It appears this one was very poorly received by critics and reviewers, but I don't have to jump on that bandwagon. This viewer felt it was 100 minutes well-spent, and I'm perfectly happy to be in the minority on that.




Yes, that BAFTA reference looks more impressive than the OSCAR.

It could well be. Having seen some of the names on the New Year Honours list, I find myself thinking (not for the first time) that awards are all meaningless anyway. Every other person seems to get one just for showing up these days.



Johnny Depp plays it childlike and timidly.

It's a while since I've watched, but my overall impression was of Depp channelling Michael Jackson (who also sought the role himself).

(But a quick peek on Wikipedia suggests he based it on various children's TV hosts and Anna Wintour, with a dash of George W. Bush).




It’s impossible to watch this movie without seeing the glaring parallels to Trump’s America.

I recently watched the BBC's Rise Of The Nazis documentary series and found myself unsettled by the parallels with the way politics have gone in recent years. And not just in America.
 

Willie Oleson

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There were two funny lines in this remake which I liked - one intentional, and the other I think not.
One, when Wonka says that everything is edible he adds "even me but that's cannibalism and frowned on in most cultures" whereas in the original Wilder just fumbles with the pronunciation of "edible."
Two, when one of the kids asks why everything there is pointless. I think that's funny, but probably not intended to be.
My favourite quote, although not a joke, is Veruca's line Daddy, I wants another peuny . ("wants" and "peuny" deliberately misspellt to make it sound better).
I've been quoting it out loud ever since I watched this film for the first time. So, actually, this remake has had a huge cultural impact on my life.
 

Mel O'Drama

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Unlawful Entry (1992)

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Not a film with which I was familiar beforehand. I might have seen the name at the time, but it completely passed me by.

I suppose it fits into the same category as Fatal Attraction and the "cuckoo in the nest" psycho-stalker films that followed it. Notably, this was released in 1992 between the same year's Single White Female and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, both of which are better known examples of the genre for me. Differentiating Unlawful Entry from the other three mentioned, the stalker in this case is a male. And a cop.

There's no sexual liaison that sets off the obsession here. Liotta's character simply covets Madeleine Stowe from the moment he sees here. And she is so radiant it's easy to see why. Indeed, Stowe and Kurt Russell pull of something incredible here. They're rich, successful, beautiful, perfectly coiffed, confident and very much in love. On several of those bases we should dislike them, but there's something very sweet and charming about them, as a couple but even more so as individuals. Even though I wouldn't have thought it possible, I completely believe she is a teacher who is kind and thoughtful to kids and colleagues alike. And Kurt Russell looks so good in his Nineties getup it should be sickening, but I believe he's a decent man with a good moral compass, even if his character has more of an edge and a shorter fuse than his wife. On the subject of the Nineties, with its fashions and occasional nightclub scenes, this felt like a fascinating little glimpse into that time, while remaining timeless in its writing.

This ticked a lot of boxes for me. The performances were good, and they helped sell the story even when it went to extremes (but still nothing that couldn't happen. And has). The direction is interesting enough without being showy. I believe this is the first Jonathan Kaplan film I've watched and I'd be interested in watching more. The Accused has been on my radar since it was released, but I am put off by the idea of the much talked about graphic and prolonged rape scene. This film takes a similarly unsentimental approach to violence, with a fight between the two lead men feeling particularly real. The fact that it conveys the idea of being cornered so well means that I found myself thinking about how I would fare in the kind of situation where I had to come out swinging (sadly, probably not too well, I decided). There's one staircase moment where I inwardly cheered in relief as it ended the immediate threat.

I'd say this is a top notch example of its kind, definitely worth a couple of hours of my time.
 

Mel O'Drama

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Kiss The Girls (1997)

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Firstly, I've opted to use an edited version of the poster here because the teaser text on the proper poster is spoiler-ish. Had I read it before watching it would have affected the tension and suspense in the first act or so, and those were some of the best moments for me.

Stumbling upon this film on iPlayer I was momentarily confused because of the two actors on the poster. Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd were both in (the later) High Crimes which I had watched the other day not realising until too late that I'd already seen it. I wondered if it had a different name in different regions and had to read a little about the film to be absolutely certain I wasn't about to be fooled into watching High Crimes for a third time. How curious that the High Crimes Wikipedia page never mentioned the two having previously been paired here.

To me this film has some of the same energy as some of the post-Silence Of The Lambs thrillers that followed that film's template to become almost their own sub-genre around this time. Think The Bone Collector, Copycat and the like. All have the professional interacting with the law enforcement in strange circumstances in a time-critical race to save abductees from The Big Bad before something terrible happens, all while facing up to some terrible unspoken trauma from years past.

The story was another example of the above, though it had more in common with The Bone Collector, Copycat or indeed High Crimes. In fact, upon reading that there's a sequel called Along Came A Spider, I mentioned this to my partner who was convinced we'd seen it, but went on to describe Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector ("he's paralysed in it"). Slightly spookily, Along Came A Spider does star The Bone Collector's Angelina Jolie, so it seems everything is somehow connected. Considering I found this a compelling watch, Along Came A Spider is certainly on my radar (and I do already have Jerry Goldsmith's film score, which sounds really good).

There was one face I couldn't place all the way through and it was beginning to frustrate me. Upon looking afterwards, I found that Alex McArthur was the one who knocked Madonna up in the Papa Don't Preach video, and the reporter who gained Cathy's confidence after Joshua's death in Knots Landing.
 

Mel O'Drama

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Shadow Of Doubt (1998)

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Not to be mistaken for the similarly-named Hitchcock film, but I suppose this does have Hitchcockian themes running through it.

I hadn't heard of this film, and chose it on the basis that the imagery looked rather akin to the kind of psychological thrillers I've been enjoying of late. I enjoyed it, and I'm even more impressed having seen that this was a straight-to-video Showtime kind of affair. To my mind, it's a pretty decent film by big screen standards, if not a great one. It's kind of like an extended episode of L.A. Law, with a bit of Columbo thrown in, albeit we still have to attempt to solve the murder mystery (I failed, despite having a couple of potential suspects).

There are lots of familiar faces. The future Papi from Ugly Betty is a violent cop. The future Keith Scott from One Tree Hill is a crazed stalker and confessed rapist. Kenickie from Grease is on the stand, while John Ritter watches. Nina Foch was probably the best thing in it as a controlling matriarch (it's the kind of role where I can easily imagine Bette Davis or Angela Lansbury chewing up the scenery in the role). Wade Dominguez is unapologetically nasty as an Andrew Tate type misogynist whose hit rap single about slapping bitches round soars to the top of the charts after he is framed (or is he?) for murdering a woman with whom he's had some rough sex. This would be the last film his released before his untimely death later that same year. This is my second Tom Berenger film in the last six weeks, and once again there's a Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous aspect to the homes on display. I came away with some serious estate envy.


I find Melanie Griffith hit-or-miss in this film. She's good in some parts and in other parts she comes across as "my husband produced this film" (figuratively).

During this film I found it really difficult to work out her performance. There were times when I couldn't quite decide whether she was a terrible actress or she was being deliberately wooden as part of her screen persona to hide how canny and intelligent she actually was (à la Marilyn Monroe). I'm still none the wiser, but overall I'm leaning towards the former.


And in this film she's playing a clever lawyer. It's weird, because she sometimes feels quite half-hearted in her performance, as though her mind is somewhere else. She speaks softly and quickly and in a kind of monotone that lacks any conviction in what she's saying. And yet somehow she pulls it off . She has some snappy lines ("if you're asking me do drop the case", she tells the controlling powerful matriarch "the answer is 'no'. If you're telling me, the answer is 'hell, no'") that inexplicably work.

I suppose I'd describe her as "competent". She appears to have the skill of knowing her lines and not tripping over the furniture. And she has a photogenic thing going on that helps her work the screen. And it's just enough to not be too troubled by the lack of enthusiasm. And even enough to make me wonder if she might actually be better than I'm giving her credit for.



All the same, this has reminded me that I've never seen Working Girl (which I remember being huge at the time). And any film with Sigourney Weaver has to be worth a peek.

And two + years on, this has re-reminded me. One of these days...
 

Willie Oleson

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Coherence (2013)

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The first (and only) time I heard about this film was in a kermode&mayo review on youtube. It seemed like a story I would enjoy but somehow I forgot all about it.
Today, completely out of the blue, I thought about that review but couldn't remember the title. I gave our A.I. friend at Google the premise of the story (or what I believed it was) and he came up with a few suggestions. Coherence was the only title I didn't recognise and so I figured it had to be it.
Neither prime nor dutchflix had it but luckily I found it on you-know-where (has algorithm already figured out what "you-know-where" means? maybe it's time to create a different code name).
Anyway! For heaven's sake.

Coherence is mindf**k movie in the style of Triangle (2009) and it has something to do with a comet which makes it more science fiction. Incidentally, I had forgotten about the comet part.
It's like watching Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity for the first time, and especially the first half of the film when they are still trying to figure "what's going on" almost made me hyperventilate with anxiety.
No monsters, blood, gore or jump-scares - just a bunch of people in a dining room and it's absolutely terrifying. Just like that other low-budget indie horror film In Fear released that same year (I want to see it again!).
The actors are very convincing and it helps that nobody stops acting even if their performances aren't centre stage. It needs to be relentlessly lively.
I'm so worked up that I expect a loud and scary bang on the door or something like that.
This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it films therefore I'm not* sure if I should recommend it.

*not
 
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Mel O'Drama

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The Big Easy (1986)

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How interesting that this came out around the same time (and just a little before) Dave Lee Burke's first Robicheaux novel, since - from what I know - they have a similar approach: showing the dark underbelly of New Orleans with its beautiful backdrop and charming, colourful, ostensibly laid back characters.

First, let's get this over with: I had initial reservations about Dennis Quaid's Cajun accent. I don't claim to be overly familiar with it, but it just sounded fake and over-stereotypical. This wasn't helped by the fact that I've heard him speak without the accent in other films, which made it harder to buy. For ten minutes or so, I really thought I might have to stop watching as it was distracting. At some point, I adjusted to it and was too drawn in to overthink it (even if I did find myself wondering if this character was the model for X-Men's Gambit, who would appear a few years down the line).

A lot happens in this film, and yet it doesn't feel as though it does. Because the main focus is on the simplicity of the will they/won't they/they just did element which increases the emotional stakes (for the characters, at least), the series of executions that leaves a trail of bloody, mutilated bodies lying around seems almost incidental. The chemistry between Quaid and Ellen Barkin is good, but after their sexiest scene (interrupted by a pager or a prehistoric mobile phone) practical me found myself noticing that Remy hopped out of bed and left without so much as rinsing that hand. The directorial objectification is happily gender-balanced in this film (I don't know if Levi's had any sponsorship, but it would explain the focus on the McSwain brothers' jeans).

Familiar faces abound. There's Ned Beatty and, because it's 1986 John Goodman had to be in it. Meanwhile, in between shooting Karen Fairgate MacKenzie and grieving Laura Palmer, Grace Zabriskie is Quaid's Mama. She has one of my favourite moments, where Anne has been practically abducted while running and brought to her home so Quaid can sing to her. Mama asks Anne why she's wet, and Anne explains she was running. Mama, brow furrowed, looks at Anne as though she's speaking in tongues, and repeats "runnin'", before walking away, perplexed at the very thought of something so un-Southern. Ebbe Roe Smith has perhaps the biggest laugh where his character cross examines someone on the stand. After listening their perfectly reasonable explanation he thanks them, turns away from them towards the courtroom and shrugs with a look that says "I have no idea what they were blathering about". A simple-but-effective way to gain a few cheap points.

The film looks nice enough. It's kind of noir-in-colour (contradictory as that may sound). There are lots of saturated warm ochres and other earth colours, with blues sometimes making their way in for contrast.

As mentioned, the whodunnit was almost incidental to me, but the denouement should satisfy anyone invested on that basis.
 
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