Fail-Safe (1964)

Fail-Safe

Call No: TEMP 2223

Last week, Sidney Lumet died. I don’t expect you to know who that is, so I’ll catch you up by telling you that he was a director, and who directed my favourite film 12 Angry Men. Since there are few things in the world that make us more reflective than death, and because I knew no other films of his outside of my favourite, I decided to write my final film review about one of Sidney Lumet’s other great and critically acclaimed films, Fail-Safe.

Fail-Safe takes place in the sixties, when the Cold War is anything but cool and tensions are running high between the Americans and the Soviets. When a computer malfunction sends a squadron of fighter planes on an unauthorized and irretrievable bombing mission towards Moscow, the President and his team of officers must find a way to convince the Soviet leader that it is an accident and not to return fire. But for the Americans, this means helping their enemies to shoot down their own planes. Can the Soviets successfully stop the planes from reaching Moscow? Can the President convince the leader that it was a mistake? And what is he prepared to do if the planes reach their target? The answer isn’t what you might think.

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Tokyo Godfathers

Call No: TEMP 1333

I thought that I might as well review one more anime film before the end. And since my previous two anime reviews (Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away) were Miyazaki films, I decided to review one that wasn’t. The premise of the film is similar to that of an old Western called Three Godfathers, in which three gunslingers come across an abandoned baby and decide to try and raise it between the three of them. I was expecting something similar from Tokyo Godfathers. I was expecting more of a quiet and thought-provoking drama. While there is a great deal of drama, it’s not all subtle. There’s a shooting, a car chase, and more than one pursuit on foot. The film is a unique concoction of drama, action, suspense and silly fun, all told in a beautifully animated film.

When three homeless people find an abandoned baby while rummaging through the trash, they each have a different opinion of what to do. Miss Hana, the transvestite, has always wanted to raise a baby and wants to keep it. The cantankerous Gin wants to hand it over to the police. And the young runaway Miyuki doesn’t care what they do, so long as they can make the baby stop crying. Hana finally comes up with a compromise – let her find the baby’s mother to ask and understand why she abandoned her baby, and then she’ll turn it over to the police. The trio set out to find the mother, and find a lot more than they bargained for in the process.

Shadows and Fog (1991)

Shadows and Fog

Call No: TEMP 1706

Many consider Woody Allen to be one of the great filmmakers of our time. This makes me wonder why I haven’t seen very much of his work, considering how much I enjoy watching the styles and direction of any number of filmmakers. The first and only movie that I’d seen of his (until now) was The Purple Rose of Cairo, and the only reason for that was because (a) it was about the love of movies and (b) I needed a fifth movie for a blowout sale at the CNE. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, so when one of my housemates told me that she would be watching Shadows and Fog, I tagged along for the visual ride.

Somewhere in the mist and fog of the night hides a killer, and timid bookkeeper Kleinman has been dragged out by a team of vigilantes to help in the hunt. On the other side of town, Irmy leaves her cheating boyfriend Paul and the circus she calls home to find something better. Soon these two strangers will meet in the shadows and hopefully find a way to help each other with their problems. But they had better hurry, because when you spend any time in the fog, the killer can’t be far behind.

The Seventh Seal (1957)

The Seventh Seal

Call No: TEMP 880

Note: Swedish Film, English subtitles

The last time I saw Max von Sydow, one of the main characters of The Seventh Seal, was when he was playing the legendary demon expeller Father Merrin in a little film called The Exorcist. At the time I thought he was a talented actor, simply based on that role. Now that I’ve seen him in his younger days, my original impression of him was right. His quiet, unassuming but passionate presence makes him an interesting character study in terms of the roles he plays. His role as knight Antonius Block is another exceptional performance.

After spending the last ten years fighting a crusade in the Holy Land, Antonius Block and his squire Jons have returned to find their home ravaged by the plague. Block has felt Death following him for a long time, and finally meets him. In an effort to buy himself some time, he challenges Death to a game of chess. As Block and Jons travel along the road, Block begins to question the existence of God, the meaning of life and the existence of the Devil. As they encounter friends and allies along the way, Death’s game of chess becomes shorter and shorter, and it’s only a matter of time until the game is finished, one way or another.

Double Indemnity (1944)

Double Indemnity

Call No: PS3505.A3113 D6 1997

I enjoy Billy Wilder’s films. There’s something about their openness and ability to capture human emotion at its finest that I love watching. I was talking about Billy Wilder to my uncle over the break. When he asked what I thought of Double Indemnity, he was shocked to find out that a self-proclaimed fan like me hadn’t seen it. It was one of Wilder’s masterpieces. Having watched the film, I see what he means.

When insurance salesman Walter Neff becomes entangled with the married Phyllis Dietrichson, the two plan to kill off her husband and walk away with $100,000, the payoff on Mr. Dietrichson’s insurance policy courtesy of the double indemnity clause, a special kind of clause that rewards double what the policy is worth. But when Walter’s mentor and brilliant boss Barton Keyes suspects the death was foul play, Walter must play both sides against the middle in an effort to try and stay ahead.

12 Angry Men (1957)

12 Angry Men

Call No: PN1997 .T82 2001

I need to start this review by saying that 12 Angry Men is my favourite film of all time, so I have a bit of a bias. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen it. I promise that this isn’t going to become a “Drop everything and see it now!” kind of review. Nor do I guarantee that this movie will change your life. It won’t. You’ll be the same person when you finish it. It won’t rattle your worldview or shake your ideologies or make you want to run out and save the planet. But if some of you see it, and I hope you will, you will be, at the very least, enjoying a good film.

The premise of 12 Angry Men, based on the play of the same name by Reginald Rose, is fairly simple. A boy is being tried for murder for stabbing his father. In order to pass a verdict of guilty, everyone must vote the same. Except that one man votes not guilty. As the eleven try to change his mind, evidence is reviewed, prejudices come to light, and it soon becomes evident that the verdict isn’t as simple as everyone thought.

Mrs. Brown (1997)

Mrs. Brown

Call No: PN1995.9.H5 M77 1990z

I realize that this is the second Judi Dench film that I’ve reviewed this week, but in my defense I’ve wanted to watch Mrs. Brown for some time now, and had no idea that she would be in Chocolat. Of course, watching too much Judi Dench is never a problem – the woman is a powerhouse of talent that often leaves you nothing short of impressed. It’s no wonder that she’s been knighted. If anything, I’m surprised it took them so long to do it.

Mrs. Brown tells the story of Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) and her years of friendship with John Brown (Billy Connolly). After years of mourning the death of her husband Prince Albert, Queen Victoria is surprised by the request and arrival of John Brown, a Scottish stable attendant and gardener whom her husband was fond of. Determined to do something about the Queen’s misery, the headstrong Brown slowly begins to make a difference, pulling the Queen back to joys of life. Unfortunately her servants and politicians become concerned with Brown’s unquestionable influence over the Queen, calling her “Mrs. Brown”, and determine to do something about it. As a result, the friendship between Queen Victoria and John Brown is put to the test. But when two worlds are pulling apart, is it really strong enough to survive?

The Towering Inferno (1974)

The Towering Inferno

Call No: TEMP 1615

Disaster movies have been around as long as there have been people to watch them. In the early seventies, there was a market for big death-defying blockbusters like Airport and The Poseidon Adventure. One of these was The Towering Inferno, one of the first films ever to be produced as a joint effort by two major studios. The story is based on two separate novels: “The Tower”, which was bought by Warner Brothers, and “The Glass Inferno”, which was bought by Twentieth Century Fox. The two studios decided to work together and combine the two novels. This film was the result.

Nominated for eight academy awards, The Towering Inferno is about a ravaging fire that rips through the tallest building in the world, trapping over three hundred guests on its top floor. Architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) discovers during the unveiling of his masterpiece, the tallest tower in the world made of glass, that all of the wiring in the building is potentially faulty. When a fire breaks out on one of the upper floors and begins to spread, it is going to take Doug, fire chief Michael O’Halleran (Steve McQueen) and all of the help they can get to stop what will soon become the most dangerous fire ever seen.

Ikiru (1952)

Ikiru

Call No: TEMP 859
Note: Japanese film, English subtitles

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I put Ikiru into my DVD player. I’m not overly familiar with Akira Kurosawa’s work, but I did enjoy his film noir Stray Dog when I saw it a few years ago. I’m also no stranger to subtitles. I sat back and prepared myself to enjoy the movie. Believe me when I say that I was not at all disappointed.

The film is about Kanji Watanabe, an older man who has spent the last thirty years working for the city office. When he finds out that he has stomach cancer, he reflects on his life and feels that he hasn’t done anything worthwhile in his life. Though he has a few false starts, he soon finds something to drive him through the last months of his life. The film is poignant, moving, and thought-provoking.

The film is divided into two parts. The first part of the film shows us the everyday life of Watanabe and what happens when he receives the news. A little over halfway through the movie, the story shifts. The second part of the film takes place after he has passed away, while his family and co-workers talk about the wondrous change that has come over their friend and father. I felt as though the story picked up after the shift, as the co-workers try to untangle their own ideas behind Watanabe’s transformation by sharing their own experiences through flashbacks.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Hotel Rwanda
Call No: PN1997.2 .H66 2005

My viewing of Hotel Rwanda was a complete accident. After an afternoon of channel surfing, one of my housemates pulled up a list of free movies that our cable box provides. Hotel Rwanda was on that list. She’d always wanted to see it. Not knowing anything about it except for the fact that it was available at the library. I said sure. I could watch the movie and take notes or do some homework on my laptop at the same time. Within the first half hour, my laptop was completely forgotten.

The year is 1994, and a civil war is brewing between the Tutsi and Hutu people of Rwanda. Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle) is a hotel manager who has a climbed his way to the top, always willing to do anything for anybody. But when civil war breaks out the hotel becomes a place of refuge, Paul finds himself alone. He tries his best to manage the chaos, all the while wondering why help isn’t coming. He soon begins to realize that they are alone in this fight and that someone will have to make a stand. That someone will have to be him.

Cocoon (1985)

Cocoon
Call No: PN1997 .C662 2004

Cocoon is like no movie I’ve ever seen before. For the longest time I had it in my mind that it was a sci-fi horror film, along the same lines as Alien or its sequel, which came out the following year. Watching the trailer answered my question about its thrill level, but raised more questions than it answered. What was the real premise? Where could the story go from there?

The premise of the film, without giving too much away, is this: A group of people have arrived to St. Petersburg, FL and have rented a boat and a house to help recover some items from underwater. These items, which look like giant rocks, are being stored in the pool of the house they’ve rented. More of them are being brought up and added every day. 

Unbeknownst to them, a trio of senior citizens have been sneaking over from the community living area next door to use the pool every day. When they arrive to the pool to find it full of these supposed rocks, they swim around them, determined not to break their routine. Suddenly these three old men feel young again, cured of whatever ailed them, and ready to enjoy life. The problem? It’s not permanent, and sooner or later, they’ll want to get back in the water.