1113. The Descendants

The Descendants
2011
Directed by Alexander Payne

A couple of weeks ago I watched Gravity, and since then, I have had a George Clooney shaped hole in my heart. I was hoping The Descendants would fill that void. 

Matt King is the sole trustee of a family trust of 25,000 acres of land on Kauai. Matt is being pressured by his cousins to sell the land, thereby making the rest of the family rich, but Matt has other concerns on his mind. His wife was recently in a boating accident, leaving her comatose. Matt is utterly clueless about how to raise his two daughters alone, both of whom have a serious case of sassmouth. It soon becomes clear that Matt didn't know his wife as well as he thought.

I am a big fan of Alexander Payne. His films have such compelling characters that it is a pleasure just to watch them interact together, even when the plot isn't moving forward. Naturally, given the setting of Hawaii, this was a beautiful movie. Matt King speaks about other Americans' perceptions of Hawaii as a sort of mythical paradise where everybody just surfs, and it's true. It's hard to imagine being truly miserable there.

Hollywood once again squanders the opportunity to cast people of color, even when the story would really allow for it. But that's the extent of the griping I'll do over casting Clooney, because he is dreamy. I also found the voiceover somewhat unnecessary; it seems like a case of telling, not showing. 

It was still a satisfying movie and Payne always manages to warm my icy heart.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Kristen Stewart and Amanda Seyfried both auditioned for the role of Alexandra.

Robin Williams was considered for the role of Matt King. Bullet successfully dodged.

1112. Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
2010
Directed by Werner Herzog

Cave of Forgotten Dreams has to be one of the most eye roll worthy titles on the List. Even Plato had less fussy nomenclature. Of course, I tease out of love and because I gather Werner Herzog really has a sense of humor about his work. Well, the former was true anyway.

This is a documentary about the Chauvet Cave, which contains some of the oldest human paintings that have ever been discovered. It really is fascinating hearing the experts weigh in, and it's absolutely incredible to see what has been preserved over thousands and thousands of years. I loved learning about the little artistic flourishes early human beings were capable of, like giving the bison eight legs to give the appearance of movement. Because it was Herzog, the scope naturally had to be huge, and I enjoyed pondering some of the deeper questions he asked us to consider, like when the human soul began and what albino crocodiles would think of the paintings (they'd like them, I guess?). 

This really felt like something that could be a part of a museum exhibit, like one of those films that plays on repeat in a dark, air-conditioned room off to the side. Remember when we could go to museums? Ugh, me either.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Herzog was only allowed to have three other people with him in the cave, and they could only stay in for a few hours at time due to the high carbon dioxide levels.

At the time of filming, Herzog had only seen one other 3D movie (Avatar). He said he has no plans to ever film in 3D again.

1111. Gravity

Gravity
2013
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

I thought we could take a break from reviewing the older entries on the List with something that is pure Hollywood. I am guessing this is one of those additions the Listmakers threw in to give the impression this Book is a scooch more fun than it is, and they will probably remove it on the next round. I will cherish my Clooney moments while I can.

Dr. Ryan Stone is on her very first space mission to service the Hubble telescope. The NASA space shuttle is commanded by veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski. A cloud of space debris strikes their shuttle and the telescope, which tears Dr. Stone from the shuttle and sends her tumbling into space, which begs the question: why the hell would anybody want to be an astronaut? Even the possibility of seeing Clooney in his space diaper couldn't entice me into a shuttle.

These kind of stories are always fun, where a disaster strikes and it is up to a resourceful protagonist to wriggle their way out of the situation. Of course, these plots are always a little more interesting if there's a realistic premise and execution. Not many space movies are scientifically accurate and this one is no exception. Still, it was nice to watch a movie with a space setting that wasn't a total mindfuck, like Solaris or 2001. And 90 minutes? I admire the restraint, especially coming from Cuaron.

The effects were outstanding and the actors were pretty, so it's a fairly engaging movie. Maybe not the most original entry on our List, but an impressive one nonetheless.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The opening scene is a single shot that lasts 12 minutes.

Sandra Bullock stayed in the rig for up to 10 hours a day.

The movie was 80% CGI. 

1110. F is For Fake

F is For Fake
1977
Directed by Orson Welles

When I saw that there was another Welles film on the List, I rolled my eyes. I don't hate Welles, but I believe he has six movies on the List already. There is a serious problem of representation on this List, and adding yet another movie from a straight white man who is already prominently featured isn't exactly the course correction I was craving.

F is for Fake is a kind of video essay, narrated by Orson Welles in a way that reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, although Welles is somehow even more smug. The story is a kind of a meandering exploration of art forgery, and zeroes in on art forger Elmyr de Hory. Welles also incorporates his mistress into the film, and features scenes where men stare at her as she passes in the street, unaware they are being recorded. I can only speculate that Welles did this for private reasons. Also, I guess this was before his wife found out he was cheating on her? The size of this man's ego is roughly the combined mass of three suns.

So this was an interesting concept. Create a video essay and mercilessly toy with your audience and their expectations, much as a magician would. Of course, it was also very self indulgent and at times incoherent. But damn it, does that man have charisma.

More of an oddity than an essential movie experience, but it held my attention for its entire runtime and at least tried to do something different.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The original trailer featured a topless Oja Kodar, which was promptly rejected by US distributors. 

1109. The Man with the Golden Arm

The Man with the Golden Arm
1955
Directed by Otto Preminger

I had recently had a friend tell me he didn't understand all the hype surrounding Frank Sinatra. Naturally I forced him to watch High Society with me. That will teach him to tell me things. I was actually excited to see another Sinatra movie on the List, but this wasn't really his best work.

Frankie is released from a federal Narcotic Farm and returns to his wife, who has been in a wheelchair since Frankie's drunk driving accident. Frankie does his best to stay clean and become a drummer but the unsavory characters in his life have other plans.

So I knew going into this that we weren't going to get the gritty realism of drug addiction that is portrayed in Trainspotting or Requiem for a Dream. But man, they couldn't even name the drug that Frankie was hooked on (I thought it was heroine, but I guess in the original novel it was morphine). Sinatra just wasn't believable as a drug addict to me and I wonder what kind of research went into that role.

I actually didn't find any of the characters particularly believable or compelling. Frankie's wife Zosh, for example, was the typical unsupportive shrew, while Kim Novak's character didn't really have a personality of her own. And that ending was just silly.

I guess this film deserves praise for tackling such a controversial subject at the time of its release, but it is so sanded down that it is hard to enjoy now.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Marlon Brando was originally offered the role, but Frank Sinatra jumped on the opportunity before he could accept.

Ray Bradbury turned down the offer to collaborate on the screenplay.