Reviews
Mother Night (1996)
The sadness and humor of Vonnegut translates to film? Amazing.
I haven't read this book, but all through the movie I was awestruck with only one thought in my head: This is so Vonnegut. I have never seen an author, all of the intelligence and life behind the workings of a novel, translated so well to film. This movie had the same complexities found in Vonnegut's novels: the jokes were often meaningful and symbolic, and the dramatic events and symbols were often also jokes.
Campbell was also a very Vonnegut character, portrayed perfectly by Nick Nolte. He had all of the earmarks of a Vonnegut "hero": lack of concern for political boundaries, ironic dark humor giving way to dumb inactivity in response to stress, and an unwillingness to push his version of reality on those around him.
Overall, I was constantly surprised and impressed as I watched this movie. It was the same feeling I had reading "Cat's Cradle," my first Vonnegut novel, as if the most perfectly oddball thing that could happen, he thought of THAT, and he made it real and important. Yes, he has nothing but army surplus "White Christmas" albums. So it goes!
Day of the Woman (1978)
Badly made? I don't know...
Yes, the production values are low and it's graphic, graphic, GRAPHIC, but in many ways "I Spit on Your Grave" is incredibly effective. As a whole, it's an awful idea: woman raped in every possible way takes mildly ironic vengeance. The concept is emotionally immature and demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of the experience of rape. But on a smaller scale, the movie definitely has its moments.
A lot of people have mentioned the impromptu lop-it-offa-me in the tub, which contrasts a sleepy, sexy atmosphere quite disturbingly with the violent events taking place. This scene is good (it had me squirming), but the most effective anti-dramatic scene has to be the rape itself. I haven't seen a lot of rape in movies, but this is the only remotely realistic depiction I have seen. Again, on the story level it doesn't hold together: after rape #1 they anticipate her route and set up a little ho-down, go to her house to wait for her, etc. But the actual depiction was, if anything, TOO real. There was absolutely no chance of a viewer mistaking rape for sex in this movie: it was violence, it was power, it was kids torturing cats because they can, but no way was it sex. I can't imagine anyone identifying with the rapists in these scenes. It was grueling and painful to watch it go on for forty minutes (I don't think anyone was snacking for the first half of this movie), but that's probably the only way rape should be depicted. The three main rapists were also well done throughout the movie, representing the kind of dumb, chuckling evil we see all the time in real life.
So yes, overall it's no classic, but "I Spit on Your Grave" has some downright artful scenes, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this movie survive for a long time.
Wilder Napalm (1993)
Jerry Springer meets the Fantastic Four in a photomat.
This movie took the Jerry Springer approach to super-human power. "Wilder Napalm" is the kind of theme-based movie that I love, addressing the idea that prodigies in America are defined either by their gifts or by attempts to hide them. At the same time, the movie points out that every prodigy is only human, and no more to be feared or worshipped than any other human being. This was a great comedy, fun and human with that slight satiric edge.
Troll 2 (1990)
My IQ dropped 32 points because I watched this movie.
If any movie can make you stupider for having seen it, this would be it. I don't understand how the acting was so bad. If you randomly chose a family reunion in Jersey to use as a movie cast, the average performance would still be better than this. It's as if the actors were given electric shock every time they delivered a line well or naturally, until eventually they could only express themselves only in pseudo-angry shouting and/or wooden monotone. Just remembering this movie makes me feel dirty, but it's a dirt I can't wash off.
Metropolis (1927)
More than an 'old movie'; this is art.
Metropolis shows how artful film could be before everyone viewed it as "mere entertainment." The power of the images in this movie is amazing, not just for 1926, but for any time. This film will never become outdated, anymore than "David" or the "Mona Lisa" will lose their charm. It is not simply an "early film," it is a piece of art fashioned with the media of moving images, fixed text, and Desartre pose acting. These media are no more limited than paint, stone, or prose, and no less effective in the hands of an artist. It makes me want to quit ignoring old b&w flicks and give them another chance.