With all of the holidays, snow days, and “I’m not leaving this house in single digit temperatures” days, I have been able to catch up on some of my recent blu ray purchases (and gifts) that I’ve been meaning to get to, but haven’t had the chance. Most of this stuff is probably available to stream somewhere or other, but you know me, I like physical media, and I have the “collector gene”, so these have been in the “to be watched” pile for a little while now.
Most of these movies fall into two categories, “music movies” and “comedies”. Atnd one of them is kinda both. So I thought I’d share my finds with you all in case you’re looking for something a little bit different to view while we wait out the long winter months. Here we go, in alphabetical order.
Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)
-This is an all time classic that still plays just as well today as it ever has. For those who may not be aware, this is a dark comedy directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant, with a small though vital role played by Peter Lorre. The story sees Grant’s character newly married coming home to visit his dear, sweet, aunts to tell them the good news before heading off to his honeymoon. It turns out these two sweet little old ladies have a habit of offing little old men. Add in one brother who is convinced he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and another who returns home a violent criminal and things get a little weird.
Grisly subject matter, sure, but it’s all handled with class, and the laughs are piled on thick throughout the first act of the film, with some real tension and danger mixed in until the manic conclusion. The reason this film works so well, apart from the cast who are all spot on, is that we are really seeing multiple stories unfold, involving well defined characters in a movie that goes off the rails about ten minutes in and doesn’t let up.
I know there are many people my age and younger won’t watch films made in black and white. This is a shame. The arguments are along the lines of the films being out of touch with modern thinking, the actors speaking in ways that sound peculiar to our ears, the inclusion of cultural references that modern audiences just won’t get, and that it’s just flat out hard to relate to the black and white imagery. While each of these arguments may have some truth to them, seldom will they all come into play in the same picture, and many viewers who drop their guard long enough to get into older movies are often pleasantly surprised. Give the old black and whites a shot. Trust me, you’re missing out. Especially so with a movie as great as Arsenic And Old Lace.
Elvis (2022)
-This movie biopic came out to mixed reviews, mostly stating that the film is a case of style over substance. While that isn’t entirely untrue, I don’t think it hurts the film any. Besides, it did win several non-Oscar awards so I think quite a few people would agree.
I enjoyed this film quite a lot. It’s interesting that our window into the Elvis story is through that of his infamous manager, Col. Tom Parker. Not only does the movie pull back the curtain a little bit on both men, but also examines their level of dependency on one another. It doesn’t really judge either man, but lets the viewer make up their own mind about the events within. Neither one is completely innocent or completely guilty when it comes to their own role in how Elvis’s story unfolded. Music biopics are quite popular these days, and I believe this one goes after the facts just a tiny, little bit more than most, which is nice. More on that later.
My only real complaint, and I hate to make it, is with the casting of Tom Hanks as Col. Parker. I love Hanks, but as with any actor, there are certain roles where the actor melts into the part to the point that you almost forget you are watching them act, and some where that doesn’t happen. Hanks did it brilliantly in movies such as Forrest Gump and The Green Mile among others. Not so here. I never forgot that I was watching Hanks in a fat suit, using a dialect that he never quite mastered. Don’t get me wrong, he gave a valiant effort, but came up short this time out.
All in all though, I thought it was a really good film, and an interesting view for Elvis fans and non fans alike.
It Happened One Night (1934)
Remember a few moments ago when I said that the supposed negatives of black and white films seldom come together in the same picture? Well, a lot of them do come into play here, but I still think it is an important cultural film.
Briefly, the story is as follows: a spoiled runaway socialite is joined on a cross country trip by a newspaper man who is determined to get the story of her disappearance. Hijinks ensue.
To the modern sensibilities, this plot is about as far fetched as you can get. The jokes are hackneyed and predictable, and there are a few unfortunate, cringe inducing lines about women that don’t play well at all these days. It would be easy to dismiss this film because of these qualities.
But also, it was 1939. Things were different. That doesn’t make bad ideas or actions any less wrong, or more acceptable, but that’s how things were, and a certain amount of understanding must be used. Even if it is done while shaking your head.
Remember, many of these gags were not old hat yet. There are more than a few scenes where the set ups and delivery of the jokes are very well done. Also, even though the attitudes displayed in the film are quite patriarchal, and wrong, our socialite heroine is still a fairly well written character for the time. The movie stars Claudette Colbert and Clark gable, both of whom are excellently cast. Gable clearly had a lot of fun making this movie, and it shows, which makes his performance a treat to watch.
It Happened One Night swept all five top categories at the Oscars (beat picture, actor, actress, director, and screenplay), and was a massive hit, breaking box office records across the country. It is an important movie in the history of comedy (often being called the first screwball comedy-though the jury is out on that one), and a fine example of early editing and cinematography. So, if you’re a film buff, it’s worth a view if you’ve not already seen it. For the rest, it may be worth a watch just to get a glimpse into the tastes of American movie goers in the 1930’s. Also, who doesn’t want to watch a five time Oscar winner?
Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
-Not a biopic, but a full fledged documentary about “The Architect” of Rock And Roll. I am a fan of Little Richard’s music. His stuff roared out of the speakers back in the day-and it still does. The entire runtime of the film could be spent just on his contributions to popular music. Not only did he redefine popular music for an entire generation, but the after effects of what Little Richard did are still being felt today. Yet there’s so much more to this film than that.
This documentary is just as much about the man as it is the music. It explores his conservative upbringing, his sexuality, and his spirituality. Little Richard was a complex man who was never able to get all of the pieces of his personality to fit together. He was a walking contradiction, often condemning the very music he helped create, and his own lifestyle with one breath, only to proclaim it and celebrate it the next. Some of the interviews can be hard to watch, and some stories hard to hear, but any worthwhile documentary should be this way.
Little Richard’s story is inspiring, frustrating, sad, joyful, engrossing, and extremely relevant to our times. Just like the man himself was, and continues to be.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
-And we’re back into the biopics. Sort of. It’s also a comedy, but what else would you expect from the National treasure that is Weird Al Yankovic?
Okay, so I can’t really talk about this movie without discussing the Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, or BoRap for short. BoRap was overseen by the surviving members of Queen during production. They had input on the script, the look, the music, everything. It’s a good movie, but it’s filled with erroneous details and historical inaccuracies-that the band okayed because they thought it made for a better movie that way. Many fans were not happy about these changes, but it still went on to be a highly successful film.
Now, back to National treasure Weird Al. He had been toying with the idea of an exaggerated biopic for some time (even doing a smaller scale version of this idea in the 1980’s home video release “The Compleat Al“). Well, when he saw the Bohemian Rhapsody movie and recognized the errors within, it gave him complete (compleat?) confidence to go forward with the idea and make it as big and crazy as possible.
That he did. As with any biopic there just enough glimpses of the truth to ground the movie a bit, but the comedy takes over quick and goes into directions that no one could possibly see coming. It’s almost like the Airplane! of biopics. There are a lot of snickers and a few flat out belly laughs to be had here, and the poolside party scene with its plethora of cameos is worth the watch on its own.
Seen as a straight up comedy, this movie is very good. Viewed as a parody of the entire biopic movie genre, it’s genius.
Alright, well, that’s been my viewing experience over the past few weeks. Check these movies out if you haven’t seen them, there may be a new favorite waiting for you. Until next time, happy viewing.
MonDAVEs with Dave Brink 