The Magnificent Ambersons

When someone speaks about the legendary director Orson Welles, he is usually identified with his most famous film Citizen Kane.  Citizen Kane was a film that began as well as defined Welles film career.  Citizen Kane is even considered to be the best film of all time or at least one of the best by many film lovers.  I can not say that I can disagree with that statement either.  Kane is a sprawling masterpiece of innovation and inspired artistry.  Yet I feel there it is another Welles film that is fantastic but seems to be slowly disappearing from the face of the earth.  The film is Orson Welles’ follow up to Citizen Kane and it is entitled The Magnificent Ambersons.  It is a film that has much of the same brilliance as Kane does but no one seems to ever talk about it.  The Magnificent Ambersons is a film of great power that appears to be vanishing from the minds of film fans, a fate that a film this strong does not deserve.

 

 

            The film is a period piece that is set in a turn of the century small town, which name is never given.  In this small town lives a wealthy and larger then life family named the Ambersons.  The film begins as the young and passionate Eugene Morgan is trying to woo the youngest of the Ambersons daughters Isabel.  Morgan tries to win her love but she marries the more financially stable Wilbur Minafer.  When Isabel gets married Morgan leaves town heart broken.  While Morgan is gone Isabel has one child, a boy, with Wilbur and the child is named George.  George from a young age is horribly spoiled by his family and becomes an ungodly brat of a child.  The entire town has a great dislike of him and most wish he would “get his comeuppance.”  After twenty years or so go by Morgan returns to the small town again.  Morgan now brings with him the fortune he made in his automobile business and also a beautiful, young daughter named Lucy.  Morgan is now a more matured man as both a father and a widower.  When the Morgans arrive Lucy and the bratty George soon fall in love with one another at a dinner party.  Though George loves Lucy he does not trust her father and has a resentment of him being around the Ambersons family.  Soon after the Morgan's arrival, Isabel’s husband, Wilbur, dies suddenly of an illness.  After Wilbur’s death both Morgan and Isabel discover that they love each other and always have loved each other.  Morgan soon asks Isabel to marry him and this is an action that makes the ill tempered George very unhappy.  At all cost George tries to split up his mother and Morgan, even if it hurt his relationship with Lucy or anyone else.  In his fight to split them up he finds an ally in his aunt Fanny who has always also loved Morgan.  Both of the bitter Ambersons try and sabotage the romance.  Along the way a series of disasters also occur to George and the rest of the Ambersons family, partly to do with his careless behavior.  The films plot is at essence a story about a spoiled son finally learning lessons about life and a family that is crumbling from the foundation.

 

 

            One thing that I believe is necessary for a good period piece film is a strong ensemble cast.  This film is for sure one that has that trait.  The actors all give something in there performances that strengthen the film on a whole.  The Magnificent Ambersons cast consists mostly of Welles personal cast of actors called the Mercury Theatre Group.  They were an acting troop that Orson Welles had assembled for his productions of plays he did on Broadway.  When he moved from the stage into film making Welles decided to use his trusted actors in his films.  In the lead role of George Ambersons, Tim Holt gives a very strong performance as a destructive brat who never grows up, until it is too late.  Holt is an actor who is mostly known for being in low grade films for most of his career but in this film he shines.  Holt makes George a plausible and complete character.  Along the way the viewer also gets another sturdy performance from the impressive Agnes Moorehead as the jealous Aunt Fanny.  It is wonderful how by with just little movements Moorehead can convey her character’s thoughts.  Moorehead does not need words to show what her character is thinking.  The most subtle of facial gestures and body language she uses to convey her character.   Joseph Cotton also gives a complementary performance as the romantic and caring Eugene Morgan.  Cotton plays the character as someone with youthful passion and the maturity of an older man.  I have always thought Cotton to be one of film’s most under appreciated actors.  Joseph Cotton was alsot great in films like Carol Reed’s The Third Man or Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt.  Along with Cotton the rest of the cast is at minimum satisfactory and as a group they work together to help excel the film’s quality.

 

 

            Now the story is fascinating and the cast are sound in their performances but the true genius of the film comes from the legendary Orson Welles.  This is a film that in all actuality would be nothing with out Orson Welles.  The man did everything in the film.  Welles directed, produced, narrated the film and adapted the film’s screenplay from Booth Tarkington’s novel.  On top of all that he did all these tasks brilliantly.  As a director Welles was at least twenty years ahead of his time and most of his techniques were revolutionary.  The variety of creative camera angles and experimental lighting alone were out of this world.  Welles establishes a lush black and white look to the film and sets a distinct style.  The look of the film ranges from haunting to beautiful and is very impressive to just look at and admire.  One technique of Welles that I admire is that he is able to sneak messages and meaning into the film.  The film is an almost harsh look at the class system and the cruelty of the wealthy.  Welles uses the Ambersons as a model for all rich people who do not think of the consequences of their actions and how they will come back to haunt them.  Just like his first film Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons is a film that at its core is about having happiness and loosing it through poor decisions. 

 

 

            From the films conception it seems like it was destined to be doomed.  For starters after Welles made his first film, Citizen Kane, he had a horrible reputation in Hollywood.  Welles started off as the golden boy of Hollywood but Citizen Kane destroyed all that.  It was a film that he had complete control over and the studio hated it.  Citizen Kane also caused a huge amount of negative publicity for the studio but even more damaging, the film was a bomb at the box office.  From the fall out of Kane Welles marched on and made The Magnificent Ambersons as his follow up film.  It was completed with out any big incident and Welles left the country once it was completed.  While Welles was out of the country the film was screened for test audiences.  The results of the test audience were all around very negative.  The screening of the film was held shortly after Pearl Harbor and the audience said the film was too depressing.  The studio heads became spooked because they thought they would have another Orson Welles flop on their hands.  So the studio rushed to re-shoot and reedit the film while Welles was out of the country.  By the time Welles returned to America he had found his film shorten by about fifty minutes and it had a cheerful ending tact on to it.  To add insult to injury all the footage that was taken out of the film was destroyed.  Now no one will ever know the brilliance of Welles true vision.  The cuts of the film are noticeable too.  Some of the scenes appear to be cut short and the happy ending the studio tacked onto the film is nearly unbearable.  With those minor quarks aside Welles vision still is strong enough in this film to shine through.  His brilliance was hard to fully compromise.            

 

            When the film was finally released, in 1942, it was given a limited release and was promoted as a second rate film.  It was dumped on any theatre that would take it and the studio was just trying to get rid of it.  With at least some luck the film was able to gain some critical buzz.  It also was able to gather four Academy Awards but lost all of them that year.  Soon after that the film kind of drifted away.  Years later when Welles work was finally being appreciated by film goers, The Magnificent Ambersons finally received some recognition. In 1982 it even was ranked number seven on The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll of the greatest films of all time.  Fast forwarding to today it seems to be forgotten by most film fans.  Only true film fanatics or Welles fans ever talk about these dyas.  Even when it is talked about it is usually considerd just a side note to Citizen Kane. 

 

 

I also fear that it may be facing a slow death at its current rate.  At one time it had a good amount of respect but in resent years it has become less and less known.  It has disapeared from most film lists and has mostly been forgotten by the general public.  As of now it has never been avaible in America on DVD and has been out of print for the last decade or so in VHS.  It is fairly hard to find a copy for viewing and might take some searching.  A person searching for it may be lucky to find a VHS copy in an older video store and sometimes it is on cable.  The film is also in some need for film restoration because every print of the film I have viewed has been very rough and has a scratched look to it.  If action is not taken soon the film could be lost for perhaps ever.  This would be a crime against all film fans as well as the artistic world in general.

 

            When it comes down to it the film never had a fair chance.  From creation it was tinkered with and it never was given a chance to catch on with film goers.  It also had the unfortunate luck of having to live in the shadow of one of the greatest films of all time.  The Magnificent Ambersons has always had the stigma of having to be the film Orson Welles made after Citizen Kane.  It was never given a fair break to prove its own worth.  The bottom line, with everything else aside, this is a great film.  The film has Orson Welles’ inspired genius all over it and a strong cast to support it.  Yes the film may not be the complete of Welles but it is still a monumental work to behold.  Through the enourmous set backs and censorship the film still prevails.  It is a film still worth the publics consideration and I hope it will find an audience again.  The Magnificent Ambersons at least deserves that.  

Iron Man

            As far as super hero films of recent years go, they are either hit or miss.  You either get a complete wreck of a film like the terrible Fantastic Four films, or you might get something that is a complete pleasure like the great Spiderman 2 or the magnificent Batman Begins.  The quality of these films really does vary but one thing is for sure, Iron Man is one film not to worry about.  It is a smart, smooth, and surprisingly funny comic book movies that I think everyone could enjoy.

            Iron Man revolves around the billionaire weapons manufacturer playboy Tony Stark, played with lots of charisma and comic grace by Robert Downey Jr.  He is a carefree, playboy who wants little more in life then to chase woman, drink, and tinker with his toys.  Life is a game for the charming Stark or at least until some terrorists capture him, while demonstrating new weapons his company made.  In the process of being captured his heart is severally harmed and he must make a devise that attaches to his in order to stay alive. 

            While captured Stark is forced to make a powerful weapon for the terrorist that have captured him, but he knows he will never survive unless he escapes.  So Stark goes to work on making an advanced suit of iron that will help him escape from his captures.  He blasts his way out of the prison he is in and uses his new suit of iron to escape to his freedom.  This experience sobers Stark up a bit and makes him reconsider his way of life, and now Stark decides he needs to do something good for the world.  Stark decides then to refine the suit he made while captured and use it in order to protect the people that his weapons put in harms way. 

            Once the action starts in this film, it is already pretty far into the film, but that is not a complaint for me.  All this back-story is interesting and I think it helps the film by going the more intelligent route.  It develops the characters and takes its time to tell the films story.  Iron Man is a film that puts action almost second to developing a good story and some actually solid characters to watch on the screen.  Now I don’t want to make it seem like the film is boring at parts, because it surely is not.  It may not be filled with wall-to-wall action but it is paced well. 

            What really caught me off guard is just how clever and funny this film actually was.  As far as super hero films go, I have never seen one as funny as this one.   The script is rather witty and has some razor sharp one-liners that Robert Downey delivers wonderfully.  In particular I think that the scenes between Stark and his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) are really well done.  Paltrow and Downey have some real chemistry with one another and there exchange of dialogue is something that seems more suited to a comedy from the thirties then a modern comic book film.  This kind of sharp dialogue was a nice touch to the film as it provides surprisingly good laughs. 

            The film itself does not take itself as serious as others might.  It really has some very light moment that mesh well with more serious ones.  The sense of humor of this film is a good one and I laughed a good amount of times.  It is really sharp in it laughs too and this took me off guard.  It is a funnier movies then most of the bland comedies that come out now of days.  I laughed at this film a hell of a lot more then trash like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry or Fools Gold.

            As far as the action goes it is still fairly effective.  The action scenes don’t pop up at you with great visual flair but they do there job well enough.  Jon Favreau directed this film and I think he just does not have a complete mastery yet on scenes of action.  That not to say he did a bad job, but he did a much better job at scenes of dialogue or comedy.  He is no Sam Raimi but like I said he is effective enough to make the film work.  Favreau has never made a big action movie like this one before so this is new turf, and I think he will do a better job the next time, as this film is a likely candidate to have a sequel. 

            What really is the high light of this film is the great (yes I said it) performance by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.  He really elevates this film and makes it better then it could have been.  He delivers countless laughs and does it with great skill.  Downey’s charm is working over time here as he delivers one-liners like a pro and uses a wonderful kind of sarcasms to great effect.  While he is on screen there is never a dull moment and essentially he steels the show.  Downey’s charms make the special effects and about everything else seem secondary.  I think he hits just the right note for this film.

            Over all there is lots to enjoy in this cool super hero flick.  It is an effective enough action film, but it also has a smart side to it with plenty of good laughs.  Adding to that Robert Downey gives a very solid performance as the lead and for that matter the entire cast is rather good.  Lots of talented people are in this films cast.  I think this is up there with the best of the super hero films and it has something for everyone.  It has some nifty special effects and some good action if you want that.  It also is smart and has not one dumb moment in it.  Then on top of it all it is surprisingly funny and witty. So if you want a good popcorn film, plus a little something more, then Iron Man is for you.

31/2 / 4 Stars   

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Perhaps the best way to start this review is just to come out and say this film is a pure joy to watch.  It is the kind of comedy that I love too see and I have a hunch already this will be a film I will revisit in the future.  Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the kind of comedy that will have you smiling, if not laughing out loud for most of its run time.  It also works well as a romance and has an actual sweet side to it that I found hard to resist.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a much better comedy then Finding Sarah Marshall this year.

            Forgetting Sarah Marshall tells the story of modest musician Peter Bretter, played here in a star making performance by Jason Segal.  He is a kind of lovable slob who is happy with doing little more then writing music and sitting around in his apartment.  Peter in the film is dating a famous television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) and peter is some what obsessed with her.  One day Sarah comes by his apartment, in a very funny scene, and dumps Peter.  Naturally Peter is crushed by this and cant get over his ex, so he decides to get his mind off of her by going to Hawaii. 

            Unfortunately for Peter his ex is staying at the same resort as he is and to top that she is there with her new boyfriend, a cool British rock star.  Getting over Sarah has just gotten a lot harder for Peter but soon Peter meets lots of off beat natives at the resort who help him get over Sarah.  Among these new friends he meets a cute girl at the Hotels front desk, played with real charm by Mila Kunis.  Soon they begin to grow romantically attached with one another and Peter finally loosens up.

            For me the thing that keeps the film together and makes it work as well as it does is the wonderful performance by Jason Segal.  Segal plays his character in a way that you can not help but root for him and like him.  He provides a kind of sympathy that makes you want him succeed and gives you a rooting interest in the film.  Also the jokes are much funny, as many of the jokes are at his expense.  Segal I can see being a great romantic comedy actor in the same league as John Cusack.  Along with a strongly sympathetic and comic performance, Segal also wrote the very funny script for the film.  The script has some really fun gags in it but there is also a lot of smart observations.  There is a really funny send up on shows like CSI for instance.  The screenplay also has a real nice touch of real emotion and sweetness that adds to the film.

            The supporting cast is also a great advantage to this film.  There is a whole bunch of funny supporting characters that add a lot of laughs to this film.  Jonah Hill is funny as an obsessed waiter, Paul Rudd good as a stoner surfer, and Russell Brand is hilarious as the goofy rocker Sarah is with.  There are more I could go on with but these are just some of the highlights. 

            Looking back I really can find few things I find wrong with the film.  I really enjoyed the film when I watched it and walked out with a smirk on my face that lasted for awhile.  Even now as I look back on the film I seem to like it more.  I already see it growing on me as I write this right now.  I think maybe I could be over hyping this film but I really cant lie about how much I liked it.  Its rare enough to find a film as funny as this one, it’s even harder to find one that is as sweet and smart as this one.  In the future I can see this being a film I could watch again and enjoy it just as much the second time.  Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a comedy is not to be missed, and it has a little of something for everyone. This is already a good contender for the best comedy of the year, as it will be pretty hard to beat.      

4/ 4 Stars

Leatherheads

At times while watching the film Leatherheads I got the impression that maybe it was stretching itself too thinly and in to many directions all at once.  The film is part sports film, part romance and part screwball comedy.  The film does a modest job at balancing the three but it also lags in gaps.  Leatherheads defiantly is ambitious, which I can’t flaw, but it doesn’t really succeed at achieving its goals either. 

            The film tells the tale of a washed up pro football player and coach in the early days of football, Dodge Connelly (George Clooney).  Dodge’s team is in danger of going under for good, as no one has much interest in professional football in the 1920’s.  While Dodge is struggling a young war hero, John Krasinski, is having huge success as an all star college player. Seeing his success Dodge thinks if he can get this hot shot college kid on his team then he might have a chance of keeping the team together.  An obstacle in his way is a quick witted report played by Renee Zellweger who is sent to uncover dirt on the young football stud.  Soon Clooney’s character is put in direct competition with Zellweger as they both want different things from the collage star.

            Naturally as romantic comedies go the two rivals, Clooney and Zelwiger, fall for each other and love blossoms.  As far of this film goes, that is maybe the best part of it.  When these two stars are together they have some real chemistry with one another.  The two exchange lines with one another with reel charm and ease.  The one liners they exchange with one another really do go back to the days of 1930’s screwball comedies.  Now they are no Carey Grant or Katharine Hepburn, but for today’s standards they might as well be.  Clooney is really working his charm to the extreme hear and Zellweger is really lively.  Watching the two stars verbally spare with each other was really very enjoyable.  The scenes where they just exchange comic dialogue with one another is the best part of the film. 

            As for as the football aspects go I felt the game scenes were only ok but provided little laughs.  If anything the football aspect seemed to hurt lots of the films strength.  In too many scenes the film gets bogged down in the details of how pro football came to be.  It seemed that it was almost from another movie and that the comedy was harm because of it.  Long stretches of the films subplot about the formation of the NFL slow down the comic magic that was shown early in the film.  There were too many dull scenes about pro footballs formation and far too little of Clooney and Zellweger.     

            As far as the film goes it is a fairly competent one, and Clooney proved to me again how talented he is as a director.  His direction is solid and he really does know what he is doing.  Its not on the same level of his last film, the masterful Good Night and Good Luck, but still this film shows off Clooney’s skills.  The film also had a nice kodachrome look to it and flet like the twenties.  Any fault I have with the film can not be blamed on Clooney, as he is solid as both director and actor.  The source of the films problems is that the script looses focus in many parts and becomes uneven.  The script began to be consumed with the background of football and instead it should have focused on comedy.  This caused the film to really lag in about two parts of the for me.

           In all laughed a good amount in this film and smiled for a good portion more.  Sure there are sections of this film that are absolutely dull and ruin the momentum but there are just enough good scenes to enjoy the film.  The only real fault I can find in with the film is that the script should have been tighter and less bloated about how pro football came to be.  If the film would have focused more on the screwball comedy aspects and put the two stars of the film together more often then may have been a better film.  Over all it is not an entirely bad film and I would mildly recommend it for the charms of the two stars, along with a few funny scenes.  

¾ Stars

It's Been Awhile

Well I have been out of commission now for some time now and I have not posted a review in some time.  Well if anyone even reads this thing anymore that is about to change.  Now that my school and work are smoothing out again I will begin to write regularly again.  So brace yourselves.

Oscar Outcome

Well for the most part I was right with what would win this year at the Oscars.  To be fair though this year was rather clean cut in guessing the winners.  The big story is that No Country for Old Men won best supporting actor, best screenplay, best direction, and the coveted best picture of the year.  This is a big win for the Coen Brothers who won three Oscars apiece this year, and what a big win it is.  Personally I am thrilled to see No Country win as I think it is nearly perfect and truly perfectly executed.  Like I said it was easy to see who would win this year but I was really surprised to see Tilda Swinton win for best supporting actress.  She was my pick but I thought she had no chance to win.  Over all though I was pleased with the wins and this was a good way to cap off a great year in film.

The Oscar Race

            What a wonderful year it has been to be a film fan.  Lots of fine films came out this year and naturally many of them are up for Oscar gold this year.  The question is who should win and more importantly who will win.  Well look know further as I will fill you in on all that is Oscar.

 

Best Supporting Actress Nominees:

Ruby Dee- American Gangster

Saoirse Ronan- Atonement

Gone Baby Gone- Amy Ryan

I’m Not There- Cate Blanchett

Michael Clayton- Tilda Swinton

Should Win: I’m not sure but I’ll go with Tilda Swinton for her slimy and yet human performance as a corporate thug.

Will Win: I looks like its down to Amy Ryan who has won most of the awards this season for her performance but I will not count out Cate Blanchett winning.

 

Best Supporting Actor Nominees:

Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford- Casey Affleck

Charlie Wilson’s War- Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Into the Wild- Hal Holbrook

Michael Clayton- Tom Wilkinson

No Country For Old Men- Javier Bardem

Should Win: Javier Bardem all the way for me.  He has created one of the most memorable villains in film in this role and I don’t see how he can not win.  He is do chilling in this film and I will never forget his performance.

Who Will Win:  Javier Bardem in a landslide.

 

Best Actress Nominees:

Away from Her: Julie Christie

Elizabeth: The Golden Age- Cate Blanchett

Juno- Ellen Page

La Mome- Marion Cotillard

The Savages- Laura Linney

Should Win: As much as I love Juno I am going to have to go with Julie Christie, as she give a wonderfully subtle and real performance.  Christie convinced me her character was real the entire film.

Will Win: It is going to be close but I think Marion Cotillard has some real momentum going into the Oscars.  Page and Christie both have a valid chance of winning though.

 

Best Actor Nominees:

Eastern Promises- Vigo Mortensen

In the Valley of Elah- Tommy Lee Jones

Michael Clayton- George Clooney

Sweeney Todd- Johnny Depp

There Will Be Blood- Daniel Day-Lewis

Should Win:  Daniel Day-Lewis should win for his larger than life performance that is one of a kind.  Who else can play such a juicy role like this one.  A performance to be remembered.

Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis almost 100% sure.

 

Best Achievement in Directing Nominees:

Juno- Jason Reitman

Michael Clayton- Tony Gilroy

No Country For Old Men- Ethan and Joel Coen

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly- Julian Schnabel

There Will Be Blood- Paul Thomas Anderson

Should Win: Coen Brothers deserve to win this because they have made such a polished and well paced film.  They make moments so tense in their film that they can be compaired to Hitchcock.  Masterful work from the both of them.

Will Win: The Coen Brothers but Schnable has a chance for the steal.

 

Best Picture Nominees:

Juno

Michael Clayton

There Will Be Blood

No Country for Old Men

Atonement

Should Win: No Country for Old Men is a great film and of the five it is the best.  It is a masterpiece of suspense and it exacuted with perfection.  This film and There Will Be Blood will be remembered for some time.

Will Win: No Country for Old Men is almost a lock it seems as it has won nearly every award it was up for.  If it were to loose I would be shocked but Juno is a dark horse that could pull out a win.

 

            The biggest disappointment for me is that Zodiac received no nominations at all this year.  David Fincher deserved to get a nomination for best director for his lush direction and several technical awards could have been given to the film.  Over all I agree with many of the nominations and will have to see what happens this Sunday.