As far as my movie watching goes, May has been a month largely without a driving theme behind it. I didn't attend any film festivals and attended local series only erratically. I also didn't have any viewing challenges or personal projects I felt like I needed to work on (save for a single film essay that should see publication soon). I'm really okay with this as May is also sandwiched between the local international film festival and the 30 day genre indulgence of Junesploitation. Left to my own devices, I wound up traveling down familiar backstreets of crime flicks and 70s movies and 70s crime movies. I had some notable re-watches along those lines - The Yakuza, Straight Time, Miami Blues, Scarface, and Point Blank - and just watched a whole lot of stuff in my seemingly preferred era of 1968-1981.
Hustling (1975) - A Woefully underseen made-for-tv movie inspired by Gail Sheehy's reporting and subsequent book covering prostitution in New York. Helmed by Joseph Sargent (The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three), starring Lee Remick and Jill Clayburgh, and rounded out with some of my favorite East Coast actors of the period like Melanie Mayron, Alex Rocco, and Burt Young. I used to avoid television movies because I thought they suffered from conforming to network standards, and you could argue that Hustling is overly chaste for a film about sex work, but I can't help but be won over by some of these productions because the quality is so high. This is a "real" movie featuring a lot of talent in front of and behind the camera. I don't want to oversell Hustling as some prophetic piece of progressive, sex-positive activism but it does seem to come from an attempt at understanding rather than overgeneralization or condemnation - not bad for network tv.
Broadway Danny Rose (1984) - I was looking over some stills from Danny Rose in Jason Bailey's book "Fun City Cinema" and it occurred to me that I had never seen it. It's bursting with beautifully shot location work by Gordon Willis and I love the framing device of a bunch of old comedians recounting the story of a old-school talent agent in a deli. Allen manages to nail the balance of melancholy and absurdity so well in this. Maybe not a film as expertly crafted as his best, but maybe a new favorite for me.
Gregory's Girl (1980) - Bill Forsyth's coming of age comedy has a reputation for being sweet and touching, and it is sweet and touching, but it also possesses a genuinely weird, bone-dry sense of humor. I found myself repeatedly laughing out loud and I watched this by myself. I thought all of the performances were incredibly charming and how do you not love a young Clare Grogan?
Valley of Love (2015) - Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu are my second and third most-watched actors this year so I suppose it was inevitable that I would seek out their second onscreen collaboration after being knocked out by Loulou. I love both as performers and I assumed watching them play somewhat fictionalized versions of themselves would be effortlessly entertaining for me in a pleasant if not especially profound way. Valley of Love turned out to be much weirder and formally precise than I expected. I was genuinely taken with it.
The Organizer (1963) - I'm not particularly well versed in Mario Monicelli's work. I enjoyed Big Deal on Madonna Street well enough and I liked An Average Little Man so well I wrote a longer form review of it on this site. I wanted to see more Monicelli's films and The Organizer seemed like the next logical step. It succeeds on a variety of levels - it's a glorious recreation of early 20th century Italy, it's a satirical if empathetic take on the labor movement, and it also bears some of the same jabs at neorealism that are in Madonna Street. I was totally caught up in it and found myself messaging people who I thought might appreciate it. Definitely a good one to fire up during the ongoing W.G.A. strike.
All Night Long (1981) - This is a film that you could probably file under fascinating disasters - it's a collision of European sensibility, nods to classic screwball comedies, and some questionable casting choices. Somehow it all worked for me. Gene Hackman's character gets so angry after being passed over for promotion that he hurls a chair out of an office window and gets busted down to night manager at one of the company's pharmacy locations. Strange people and strange situations ensue but most of the action is centered around his burgeoning affair with his somewhat ditzy next door neighbor. Barbara Streisand is totally miscast as a suburban sexpot but she's still a star and she does have chemistry with Hackman. Maybe more of an oddity, but one I'm glad to have caught up to.
Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970) - Frank and Elanor Perry's scathing indictment of NYC socialites and patriarchal structures in general has been a long time watchlist denizen of mine. The men in this movie are beyond awful and (being perfectly honest) Carrie Snodgress' Tina isn't altogether admirable herself. If you can withstand the deplorable characters, you'll be rewarded with a chaotic, surreal, and biting portrait of the Upper East Side. This is another film that I was nudged to watch by Jason Bailey's book.
On the Yard (1978) - I have long been an enthusiastic evangelist of Joan Micklin Silver's work, but it wasn't until picking up the two film set from Cohen Media that I've had a chance to see anything directed by her husband, Raphael D. Silver. Normally a producer on Joan's films, the couple switched roles for On the Yard, a prison drama featuring John Heard after he was featured in Between the Lines but before starring in Chilly Scenes of Winter. Yard is neither as explicit or exploitative as some of my favorite prison films, but it's very well acted and provides a compelling mix of personalities to invest in. I'm not sure how believable a film like this is for an audience that have been exposed to some truly gnarly prison narratives but it's well worth seeking out for fans of low key dramas from the era.
The Champagne Murders (1967) - My lone Chabrol for the month (I want to grab those box sets at some point) and while the results are somewhat mixed I still found it totally worthwhile. t's clearly an attempt at a commercial thriller but it bears many trappings of an arthouse social satire. Chabrol is fascinated with the lives of these wealthy socialites but there's also a totally naked level of contempt for pretty much everyone in the film. It probably could have done with more murders and less champagne but it helps that the film is gorgeous and filled with performers that I love.
Hustle (1975) - It wasn't intentional that I watched Hustling and Hustle this month, both released in 1975 which was also the year "Do the Hustle" hit number one on the Billboard charts. Hustle definitely wants to be a downer, social satire neo-noir but there are moments that feel more like an especially gnarly episode of Dragnet. Still, this is the kind of sad, shaggy crime story that I favor even if the execution feels awkward. The cast is unreal - Reynolds and Deneuve don't light the screen on fire but they're movie stars all the same. Paul Winfield is great, Ben Johnson and Eileen Brennan just off The Last Picture Show, old pros like Ernest Borgnine and Eddie Albert, and then a slew of appearances from folks who were not yet famous: Fred Ward, Catherine Bach, and Robert Englund. I'd be remiss not to mention cult/adult film legend Colleen Brennan who doesn't get much to say, but her presence haunts the film throughout.
Buffet Froid (1979) - Shot largely in the La Defense region of Paris, Buffet Froid's stark, modern locations and austere lighting feel like the first rumblings of the coming cinema du look. However, where Carax and Besson found surreal romanticism, Blier conveys extreme absurdity and alienation. The entire cast manages the complex tone of the film rather admirably - maintaining deadpan reactions to ridiculous circumstances and horrible violence until their particular neuroses are pushed past their ability to contain themselves any further. Beautifully composed, darkly funny, and some fun performances from actors I already love.
The Innocent (2022) - A new movie! Louis Garrel's latest dropped on the Criterion Channel in May so I decided to check it out. I think it's only fair to warn potential viewers that The Innocent is essentially a romantic comedy so if you can't stand the thought of that, it may not land. However, it manages to balance that with some heartfelt dramatic moments and a totally engaging crime/heist story. At this point, I think I'd watch Noémie Merlant doing anything for 90 minutes and that certainly doesn't hurt. There is some fantastic use of music - both 80s Europop hits and several classic Stelvio Cipriani tunes including his killer theme from What Have They Done to Your Daughters.
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) - I've wanted to watch Goodbar for years but wasn't sure where I could find it. I believe it's one of many excellent films being kept off of physical media due to music rights. Turns out a person can find it on YouTube of all places if they are willing to poke around a bit. I can understand the impression that this is a film about scolding women who enjoy sex - but I understood it more as an indictment of patriarchal society crashing headlong into the sexual liberation movement. Theresa doesn't have the tools to establish boundaries or self-worth in part because her father was a domineering shithead and the men she encounters all take their various identity crises out on her. It's as though consent or respect haven't yet entered the dialogue. The music is terrific and I love the location work - the finale is nothing short of horrifying.
Sharky's Machine (1981) - More Burt! Sharky definitely feels like it could use a 20 to 30 minute trim of its two hour runtime, but there's a deeply satisfying hardboiled crime movie lurking in there. It's stylish, mean, and pretty wild. I don't know if this is my favorite Henry Silva performance but it's a gloriously unchained one. I think Burt was trying to emulate Eastwood but some of this lands in Umberto Lenzi territory.
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