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Midweek Movie Free Talk
Have you watched any movies recently you want to discuss? Any films you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.
Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.
Spaghetti westerns are the niche genre I am most passionate about, so I have been enjoying rewatching some old favorites on Blu-ray. Spaghetti westerns are often a huge mess in both titles and versions, with many films being edited down for western releases. Thankfully those are being restored and released in uncut versions and it makes for interesting comparisons. The genres three biggest names are all named Sergio. Leone is the most well known and everyone should see his westerns, but after that I would highly recommend picking up Sergio Corbucci and Sergio Sollima. As much as I love Leone's overall style, I do think there is more substance from other directors. Especially those that used the genre to explore political themes, especially fascism and revolutions. I have been re-visiting the three westerns Sollima made and the most overlooked by Leone.
The Big Gundown (La resa dei conti) from 1967 is Sollima's first spaghetti western starring Lee van Cleef and Tomas Milian. I had previously seen the version that was missing almost 15 minutes, so it was great seeing it in full. While it was a bit odd to have dialogue switch to the Italian mid scenes, because I prefer to watch the English dub when it exists, it also highlighted what the edited down version ruined. Character motivations and nuanced dialogue removed. The main theme for this is among the absolute best of any spaghetti western. Amazing energy from Maria Cristina Brancucci and fantastic music as always from Morricone. This movie starts a bit wonky with what seems to be a pretty standard fare of a manhunt, but it gradually gets better as more depth is revealed about the plot. All ending in an absolute spectacular finale. It is a joy to see how Thomas Milian continuously outsmarts van Cleef in new kinds of clever ways. There is a lot of humor here, but it never gets silly like the genre did in the 70s. While it is mostly a straight forward manhunt type plot, the political undertones are there with a depiction of political figures willing to frame innocents for personal gain.
It is however in Faccia a faccia from 1967, also starring Tomas Milian, where Sollima really went all in with the political analogies. The basic story with two very different men who influence each other in such a way that by the end of the film, they have both more or less turned their personality into something completely opposite. Gian Maria Volonté as the nervous professor with a terminal illness, who gets taken hostage by an outlaw played by Tomas Milian. They form a weird sort of bond and the professor gets a taste for guns and the bandit lifestyle. Suffice to say, it gets the better of him and he gradually turns into a tyrant. Milian's character doesn't go through such a radical change, but he starts to reflect and think more as a contrast to how he just acts on impulse. There are many ways to look at this as analogy for rise of fascism, but even without much historical contextual knowledge, it is by itself still a very interesting character study that is quite unique in the genre. There are no heroes, no one to really root for and it is all rather bleak. Morricone's score is as always perfectly fitting. This spaghetti western deserves a wider audience outside fans of the genre, as a great example that the genre can have depth beyond just well executed style.
Sollimas third western collaboration with Tomas Milain is Run man run (Corri uomo corri) from 1968 is a direct sequel to The Big Gundown - it was also released as The Big Gundown 2 in some places. It is lighter in tone and somewhat sillier plot with Milian's character being chased by several groups at the same time and he finds himself in one ridiculous situation after the other. All in pursuit of gold off course. Getting himself captured only to flee again. While it still builds on top of political revolutionary themes, it doesn't reach the same depth as Faccia a Faccia. It is entertaining enough and while it definitely has more humor than the two previous films, it thankfully never gets outright silly. There is plenty of well executed spectacle, fight scenes and creative camerawork to keep things interesting.
Finally there is Leone's Duck, You Sucker (Giù la testa) from 1971 which I think is a very overlooked film of his. In some ways it his most ambitious film with how it tackles complex issues of political revolutions. It also has various other English titles like A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time... the Revolution. Duck, You Sucker is closest to the Italian title, and it is a phrase said a couple of times in the movie, but maybe that title has done the movie more damage than it deserves. It sounds like a silly movie, which it definitely is not, though it still has plenty of humor. It may lack the fantastic memorable score and Clint Eastwood from the Dollars Trilogy, but it makes up for with providing something very different yet very recognizable of Leone's unique style. First of all, it is just fun with a more modern setting with motorcycles, machine guns and dynamite! Rod Steiger delivers a hell of a performance, including the best monologue in any western:
Leone's other westerns all have a blend of violence and humor, and this does too, but I think it is way darker and more brutal. We see executions and massacres of civilians and resistance fighters. Leone definitely doesn't have a rose-tinted view on revolutions. I highly recommend picking this up if you are only familiar with Leone's Dollars trilogy.
I watched Gladiator and Gladiator 2 recently. They are very similar movies, so if you liked the first one, you will like the new one too. I'm considering whether or not to go to Wicked and maybe Moana 2; they don't seem like the kind of movie I'd be interested in, but their reviews are generally positive (Esp. Wicked).
I also watched Rebel Without A Cause and enjoyed it. The story is simple enough for an idiot like me to follow along, but still interesting.
Wicked
I was initially a fan of Chu’s In The Heights before a rewatch of it I did last year. The rewatch made me realize that the musical numbers are largely poorly shot and edited.
The same problems exist here, Chu was the wrong choice for this. Any impressive dance numbers are completely neutered by Chu’s inherently uncinematic eye.
The silver lining is Ariana Grande. She’s like Ryan Gosling in Barbie levels of good. Amazing comedic timing. She will deserve her Oscar nomination.
Gladiator II
While I thought this was entertaining, it’s also a confused film. The characters are paper thin, motivations hardly exist, and there’s no captivating human drama like there was in the first. Some of the set pieces are really well done, but it also sports some of the worst VFX I’ve seen in a Ridley Scott film.
Moana 2
Widely publicized that this was originally a Disney+ show stitched together for a theatrical release. It was a genius move on Iger’s part as this will now be a billion dollar hit.
The issue is it really feels like a Disney+ show stitched together (I believe it was originally three episodes which is why there are three credited directors). The animation is noticeably worse than the 2016 film, it feels televisual with its camera movement and editing.
The plotting and structure is also super TV like. Even as a TV show I don’t think this would work as it all feels like a lot of fluff, a lot of filler. It’s all so boring. Weak character motivations, weak plot, unfunny jokes. It is an insult to the original film.
Could you please explain what this means in a bit more detail? I'm relatively new getting into movies and don't know what you mean by comparing it to TV.