What Movie Did You Just Watch? ... And Robin

[Dr Frankenollie]

The Exorcist (1973)

Like with Citizen Kane, 1973’s monumentally famous horror The Exorcist has a reputation that precedes it; many people label Kane as the greatest movie of all time, but personally I think that Kane is duelling it out with Fantasia, Psycho and Amadeus for number one spot. The Exorcist has been called the scariest movie of all time on countless occasions (even on some of the modern cover art for its home video releases), so naturally I expected to be scared witless and I would require a change of underwear every night for a week.

As it so happens, The Exorcist is not the scariest movie of all time; or at least I don’t think so. Because when it comes down to it, it’s all a matter of ‘Play it again, Sam’; people have passed it down wrong. I have no doubts in my mind that this caused people to even vomit back in 1973 (although one can wonder as this was released two years after the ultra-violent A Clockwork Orange), but nowadays it is something much more creepy and repulsive than inherently scary. That is not to say however, that The Exorcist isn’t a good movie. In fact, it’s a brilliant one.

It’s the story of a fairly happy-go-lucky actress and mother, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and she is filled with happiness and also has a close friendship with her creative daughter Regan (Linda Blair); naturally (it is a horror after all), as a result she becomes traumatised, beaten and bruised by a dark incident that starts with seizures and what the mother claims are ‘just nerves.’ Regan possesses unnatural, adult strength and snarls blasphemous curses at her mother that would make a sailor blush. After several operations as well as visits from shrinks prove that there seems to be nothing mentally wrong with her, Regan starts masturbating with a cross before her head notoriously turns round a whole 360 degrees.

The desperate Chris, despite her unreligious nature, calls in a priest for assistance: Father Damien Karras (occasional playwright Jason Miller), who is questioning his faith after a disturbing visit to a mental institute and the death of his beloved, elderly mother. Karras doubts the authenticity of Chris’s claims of possession, but after meeting the disgusting Regan and hears a tape of her speaking English backwards goes to the church to request permission to conduct an exorcism. Aging and world-weary archaeologist Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) is called in to assist Karras. Then, all Hell breaks loose.

First of all, I’ve got to state that director William Friedkin is one of the finest filmmakers ever when it comes to creating tension, atmosphere and most of all, the ability to create extremely repulsive, almost unbearable scenes of horror that for some reason you just can’t look away from. A prime example of this is during the surgery scene; he’s also great at making us feel what the characters are feeling, fear what they fear, etc. Even in the simplest of scenes (like when Chris is chilled by the draft from the open window in her daughter’s bedroom) seem to transport you there into the middle of the action. The secret of Friedkin’s success at this is by (just like Hitchcock did with Vertigo and many of his other movies) creating an expanding balloon of tension that just keeps getting bigger and bigger and only pops at the very end.

We expect something to burst out from around the corner and scare both the protagonists and us witless, and thus our mutual fear of the unknown-shared by the protagonists-helps us feel empathy for them and makes us care about the characters. That’s why thrillers and horrors (the well-made ones that is) have some of the most likable and interesting characters ever; as we feel and fear what they feel and fear through the excellent writing and direction, when we see characters like Chris MacNeil it’s like looking at a reflection of some sort, and the fact that Friedkin was able to achieve this is incredible, and is the key to The Exorcist’s success and popularity amongst horror fans.

As if Friedkin’s sublime direction wasn’t enough, the other major crew members made this something to remember. Cinematographer Owen Roizman’s usage of the camera and manipulation of the audience’s POV is incredible, with the camera bonding with the set design perfectly, creating a fantastic world which may at first seem mundane but due to the cinematography, the design and of course the exquisite lightning makes the movie’s location of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. look like a dreary hell on Earth with murky colours abounding in every corner. Norman Gay’s editing is also just as impressive: the scenes with Regan appearing to have a seizure in bed are convincing, and the occasionally jarring editing makes the movie seem all the more chaotic and unpredictable.

Then, there’s the music. Mike Oldfield’s thought-provoking, creepy theme is a notorious one, and fits the movie’s dark tone perfectly. Music is noticeably lacking in a lot of scenes, and one could attribute that to the fact that most pre-80’s movies didn’t have as much music (nowadays every single scene has music of some sort in the background); but it doesn’t matter why it’s lacking, and it doesn’t seem to effect or change anything. The point is that The Exorcist doesn’t need a lot of music to cause frights and thrills, a feat that I doubt modern horror directors (AKA blithering half-wits) would be able to achieve.

The special effects are superb considering it was the 1970’s, and the make-up for the possessed Regan even more so; in fact, I would go as far to say that the make-up in The Exorcist is the greatest cinematic make-up of all time (closely followed by the prosthetics in the original Planet of the Apes, that is).

The Exorcist’s acting is some of the finest, and it’s all flawless: Ellen Burstyn captures and then throttles her character’s dialogue, and I doubt anyone else could’ve better shown (through both body and voice) the transformation of her character from cheerful celebrity to a trembling, tearful and terrified wreck, a vulnerable, broken woman. Then there’s Max von Sydow and Jason Miller, both of which the camera loves, and it’s little wonder why; they’re both great actors when it comes to facial expressions and physical acting. Miller’s performance in particular is filled with nuances, and the movie is worth watching to see his excellently restrained performance.

But the cast member who blows all the rest out of the water and despite being the youngest is the best is undoubtedly Linda Blair; the fact that she was only about 14 during this movie’s production is quite incredible. Blair was obviously enormously dedicated to her work, as the complex make-up would’ve taken hours to apply. She is a joy to watch in some ways (as it’s heartening to know that child actors aren’t always bad), and also repulsive due to her character’s unholy possession. She is brilliantly expressive and is instantly likable the moment you see her character, and then instantly disturbing the moment you see her character possessed.

An honourable mention should go to Mercedes McCambridge (legendary radio star who Orson Welles once called ‘the greatest living radio actress’) who provides the demon’s voice. When you hear the demon’s voice, you can’t tell if it’s male or female, as it’s so inhuman and seemingly unnatural. Friedkin originally used Blair’s one voice, and whilst it initially worked fine, McCambridge was more experienced and her voice alone was hugely memorable and dramatic. Needless to say, McCambridge’s contribution to this movie is well-known.

The only thing that I may have criticised the movie for would’ve been the fact that early on there are a lot of very slow, almost boring scenes. But then I realised later on in the movie-they are deliberately a bit dull, because as well as building tension, showing off his cast’s, crew’s and his own talents and introducing the characters, he did another thing to make us empathise with them-we began to see (at least in the case of Chris and Karras) their day-to-day activity. We learn about them. We see what makes them tick. A more cynical critic than me (hard to imagine, I know) would dismiss the scenes where Regan’s painted models are shown to both the audience and Lt. Kinderman (a minor character portrayed by 12 Angry Men’s Lee J Cobb) as ‘pointless.’ But in the subtlest of ways, Friedkin and the writers are making the characters much more human by introducing quirks, depth-filled personalities, daily routines and backstories. Sure, it might be irrelevant that both Karras and Kinderman are big movie buffs, but that little touch of detail makes them seem more human, more realistic, and thus more endearing. The Exorcist is a great way to teach young directors and screenwriters how to make their characters likable and endearing.

The Exorcist may not been as scary as it once was, but it’s still as entertaining, captivating and interesting as it was decades ago, having not dated a bit. It’s an unbelievably well-made movie and works on many levels; I’m not going to even talk about the complex religious, scientific, philosophical and spiritual ideas it implies and introduces. It means something different to everyone, but the overall feeling and message you get from it depends on what kind of person you are.

It’s a rich, inventive and perfect horror masterpiece that deserves all the recognition and praise it’s received over the years; even if you aren’t scared by it, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

[PeterPanfan]

I came prepared to criticize your review of The Exorcist, but I instead found myself agreeing with just about every statement.

[Dr Frankenollie]

I came prepared to criticize your review of The Exorcist, but I instead found myself agreeing with just about every statement.

Why?

[PeterPanfan]

I came prepared to criticize your review of The Exorcist, but I instead found myself agreeing with just about every statement.

Why?

Haha no not because of you personally, it's just usually when people watch the movie for the first time now, they hate it for unjust reasons.

[dvdjunkie]

True Grit (2010) Blu-ray

Thanks to my dependable K-Mart I picked this up today (Sunday), it isn't supposed to hit the street before Tuesday, but I didn't say anything, I just picked up my Blu-ray Combo pack and dropped my $20 and change on the counter and ran out and came home and watched the best remake that Hollywood could offer of this classic John Wayne western.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Hailee Steinfeld portray Mattie Ross in this film brought to the screen by the Coen Brothers, who showed a lot of love and respect for the original, but went back to the original book and corrected a lot of things the Wayne version missed.

Jeff Bridges takes the role of "Rooster" Cogburn, the US Marshal that Mattie Ross hires to help her find Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who killed her father. Matt Damon stars as LaBoef and the film features a lot of other familiar faces to western lovers. The photography is brilliant, the script is right on, and the casting is well-done for this very good western.

I will highly recommend anyone who has seen the John Wayne version to see this movie just once and I think you will fall in love with it all over again. On my Junkie Movie Meter "True Grit", the remake, gets a solid 7 out of 10 stars.

[SmartAleck25]

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)- 10/10
I can honestly say this is the best Dreamworks movie I have ever seen. The action was AMAZING, the story was emotional and powerful, the animation was stunning, and the characters were as the posters said: awesome. Pap64, I completely agree with your take on the movie, it is THAT much better than the first. I strongly recommend you go out and see this; I think it ranks up there with Pixar's quality level, and that's really saying something. Now if only Cars 2 can have the same impact on me....

[PixarFan2006]

Modern Times

I have never seen a Charlie Chaplin film all the way through, but I thought this film was pretty decent. I do remember watching part of it in World Cinema clas in High School. I liked how it was like a silent film and a talkie combined.

7/10

[dvdjunkie]

American Graffiti (1973) Blu-ray

I am so happy that George Lucas finally released this nostalgic gem on Blu-ray. It totally deserves to be seen in all its Hi-Def glory. Featuring a stunning cast of Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Paul Le Mat, Charlie Martin Smith, and Harrison Ford, this film captured what it was like to be a teen in the 60's. With a very stirring soundtrack of great oldies, featuring sound-bites from Wolfman Jack, who has a small cameo late in the film, this movie brings back all the memories of what it was like during the summer after graduation. I highly recommend this film to all who have never seen this movie, there is comedy, romance, drama, and will actually make you really laugh out loud at times. A must film for every movie buff's collection.

[Disney's Divinity]

A Home at the End of the World

I enjoyed the first two parts of the film (first, when the protagonist is a child, then when he is a teenager), but when the film shifts to the character's young adulthood--with Colin Farrell as the actor--I kind of hate the movie. Not because of Farrell. I just don't like where the film goes after it transitions there.

Spy Kids

This was on Disney XD yesterday, and I thought I'd watch it again since I haven't seen it in forever. It's as bad as I remember, but I had totally forgot Teri Hatcher was in this thing.

[dvdjunkie]

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) Blu-ray

One of the best westerns ever made!!! That's what everyone says about this Sergio Leone film that has become a favorite of many movie buffs over the years that have passed. Great cast featuring Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Keenan Wynn, Jack Elam, Woody Strode and many, many more.

Reminiscent of the Italian 'Man with No Name" westerns that launched Clint Eastwood's career, this movie is full of great panoramic vistas, and fabulous close-ups. Henry Fonda plays evil to the hilt, and is introduced to the audience after the camera follows a gun barrel pointed at a running child and then scanning the shooter from the boots up and revealing that it is Henry Fonda.

Restored meticulously for Blu-ray Hi-Def, this film is beautifully photographed and the Ennio Morricone film score is beautiful. There are lots of 'new' extras for this special release on Blu-ray, so enjoy. Highly recommended.

[Avaitor]

While over at my sister's apartment in Gainesville yesterday, I was a tad sick and slept on her couch with the TV on to a Cary Grant marathon on TCM. I woke up on and off to catch a few minutes of various films all day when we weren't out, but the only movie I caught enough of to recognize it was North by Northwest, which I love greatly and caught a big chunk of.

Love the man, and if I was able to stay awake for more of it, I would have tried to catch more of the movies.

[SmartAleck25]

A Bug's Life (1998)- 10/10
Amazing, wonderful film. I think the reason it's so underrated nowadays is because the prospect of bugs compared to superheroes and flying houses is not very exciting... Then again, people love Finding Nemo and Ratatouille, so beats me. I think the animation is a TON better than Toy Story; I love the texture of the various forms of plant and animal life. I admit that the rain was a little fake, but that's ok. I wish more people recognized this movie, it really is great.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Over the past week or so I've watched:

Almost Famous
TRON
Lady and the Tramp

[Goliath]

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) Blu-ray

One of the best westerns ever made!!!

I agree! One of the all-time best movies!

Over the past week or so I've watched:

Almost Famous

That's such a great film! I love that one!

[Goliath]

A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)

Third viewing. One of my all-time favorite movies. It's such a simple story, but it's told with so much heart and sould and a beautiful atmosphere that you can almost feel when watching. It's about a 18 year old girl (Scarlett Johansson), who, after her estranged mother dies, moves into her old home with her mother's two friends, the washed up alcoholics Bobby Long (John Travolta), a has-been literature professor and Lawson, a would-be writer. Slowly, they change each others' lives and bring out the best in each other. I just love the relationships between these three characters. They're at the heart of this little story. I could watch this movie over and over again and never get tired of it. It's not important that it's a small story. It's the character development and the wonderful performances that make it worthwhile.

And it doesn't hurt that Scarlett Johansson is probably the most beautiful woman in the world.

[SillySymphony]

This past week's views:
(Rating scale 1-5 ✰s)

Kung Fu Panda 2 ✰✰✰✰1/2
The Patriot (Extended Cut) ✰✰✰1/2
Curious George ✰✰✰1/2
Indiana Jones...Crystal Skull ✰✰✰1/2
X-Men: First Class ✰✰✰✰
X-Men ✰✰✰1/2
Soul Surfer ✰✰✰✰
X2: X-Men United ✰✰✰✰

[jpanimation]

My library had a couple of new Blu-rays a waiting for me...

Alien (1979) 8/10 - This is still one of my favorites. My main beef is the laughable alien effects, with only the head shots being convincing. Everything else screams sock puppet or man in suit. It only stands out so much because the film score, tense atmosphere, gritty set designs and believable model ship effects are soo well executed that the B-movie alien effects just seems to cheapen the experience. This is one film where I wouldn't mind some tinkering on the director's part to composite a more believable puppet alien over the current one (the ones in AVP looked great, regardless of how shitty that movie was). Well, the cat being used for cheap scares also dampens the experience and the second ending (after the ship self-destructs) feels unnecessary, lame and anticlimactic. BTW, the Blu-ray looks fantastic. Much more detail on screen then I ever thought I'd see.

True Grit (2010) 7/10 - Please don't buy into the hype. It's an entirely decent western, indeed it's better then the crappy original, but not by much (at least not as much as critics would have you think). It's slow and even boring at times. I didn't find too many of the characters very interesting outside of Bridges. It's a disappointing movie to say the least and I don't know why I allowed my expectations to rise as high as they were (considering I'm not a fan of the Coen Brothers and I don't really like the original True Grit at all).

[Avaitor]

Got a couple more movies to comment on.

Black Narcissus

Saw this one on TCM. A critically acclaimed classic, this 1947 British drama follows a calling of nuns as they attempt to teach children and women interested in education in the Himalayas. Sexual tension and emotional stress take their toll on the clergy, however.

The lightning and camera work is incredible, and the story and dialogue are too, but the acting kills the film for me a little. Either it's a tad dated, like with Mr. Dean, or incredibly over-the-top, like some of the nuns. Otherwise, it's a fine film worthy of recommendation.

Sweet Smell of Success

Also caught this from TCM, except I recorded it about a week ago. A drama with noir aspects, this features Tony Curtis playing press agent trying to get clients for Burt Lancester's newspaper, and trying anything along the way to help him.

I couldn't help but be reminded of another movie staring the other crossdressing half of Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot while watching this, The Apartment, again done by Wilder. A nobody in his industry rising higher thanks to somewhat sneaky tactics approved by his deceitful boss, and having both characters harm an innocent woman along the way. I don't think this film is as clever as The Apartment, but it's very good. The dialogue is sensational, and the acting holds up well.

Lemmy

A recent rockumentary about Motorhead founder Lemmy Kilmister. This one gets pieces from tons of rock stars praising Lemmy, his music, and his lifestyle, including Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Grohl, and all the members of Metallica. It also contains footage of Lemmy jamming with the Foo Fighters and Metallica, as well as some of him with his own band.

As a fan of Motorhead, Lemmy, and rock/metal in general, I thought this was highly engaging. Lemmy is one of a kind, and this gets a better hold on him than anything else I've seen with the man. I caught the edited version on VH1 Classic, but will probably pick up the uncensored DVD sometime soon.

Moulin Rouge!

Finally sat down and watched this one in full on Netflix. In terms of visuals, this one is a masterpiece. A big treat to watch the designs throughout. I also liked the idea of taking pop and rock songs from the past few decades and fitting them into turn-of-the-century musical performances. I don't think that all of them worked, but it's the thought that counts. The Russian guy's rendition of "Roxanne" especially got me laughing.

I thought it was alright all in all, but not one of my favorites. Musicals aren't really my thing, and it was a bit too much for me overall. In terms of scope and essence though, it's hugely admirable and might earn a repeat viewing from me soon.

Pretty varied haul. I'll try to make the next one keep up with that.

[PixarFan2006]

True Grit (2010)

I bought the Blu-Ray and watched it with my family last night. It's still as enjoyable as it was in the theater. I never saw the original with John Wayne, but I thought Hailee Steinfeld was good as Matty Ross and Jeff Bridges was pretty good as Rooster Cogburn.

Not the Coen's best film, but still really enjoyable.

[Mooky]

X-Men: First Class - eXceptional! From the story dynamics and strong characters to the fantastic cast performances and the general production values, the movie just bursts with energy, creativity, style, emotions and, well, class. Though certainly limited by being a prequel and obliged to play by the preceding trilogy's rules, the film still manages to stand on its own, all the while putting some of the plot points / character traits introduced in previous films into perspective and giving them a deeper meaning. To be fair, there are a few minor continuity inconsistencies with regards to its four predecessors, though nothing that could not be plausibly explained within the movie universe realm. All in all, a brilliant film. Bring on the Second Class.