Film of the Week: Manhattan (1979)

Perhaps Woody Allen's greatest work, Manhattan could well be considered less a film, and more a celebration of the oddities and the beauty that make New York what it is. The film centers around a 42 year old man who dates a 17 year old girl after his lesbian ex wife decides to write a tell all account of their marriage. The man begins to fall in love with his friend's mistress, played wonderfully by Diane Keaton, and their romance only confuses our protagonist further. The film develops a wonderful love story as it examines life in the center of civilization. This film is a fantastic choice for anyone who loves New York and the energy that those who love New York thrive on.

Vietnam in film

While in should be noted that Rolling Thunder is more of a vengeance film, it does deal with Vietnam. The Vietnam War has always been a controversial subject in America, and that is often, though not always, reflected in films about the war. Following the war, John Wayne released such movies as The Green Berets about Vietnam, however, these films were childish and did not offer an accurate depiction of what Vietnam was like. This prompted a new wave of films about Vietnam, dedicated to unflinching realism. Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is applauded often as being the most realistic. Following it was Oliver Stone's Platoon, which even won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1986. Hamburger Hill is another film in the more realistic movement. Perhaps the most applauded film about Vietnam is Apocalypse Now. Based on the book Heart of Darkness, this film, although less realistic, captures what the director Francis Ford Coppola believed to be the heart and soul of Vietnam. As Coppola said, "It's not about Vietnam, it is Vietnam." Some movies such as Rolling Thunder, First Blood, and Born on the Fourth of July, dealt with the difficulties facing soldiers as they returned home. Vietnam may be a less popular subject for films than WWII, but it is still important to watch these movies, and understand this war.

Film of the Week: Rolling Thunder (1977)

Rolling Thunder is a low budget film about a Vietnam veteran who returns home. Upon his return he is robbed, and his wife is kidnapped. The veteran responds to this with a long bloody vengeance which plays out through the rest of the film. Rolling Thunder is one of the best examples of the underground vengeance cinema which grew to popularity in the 70s. Now these films didn't grow to popularity with mainstream audiences, mind you, but they thrived in the cheap movie theaters of the bad neighborhoods in big cities. These vengeance films were excessively violent, and usually had plots concerned with vengeance after the rape or murder of a close family member or friend. Rolling Thunder, though violent, is an entertaining film that lacks the "politically correct" atmosphere of most films today. For anyone who isn't too squeamish, and wants a great action film, I recommend Rolling Thunder.

The Best in Martial Arts Films

While there are many mediocre, and even terrible martial arts films, there are a few that are quite good. If you want to watch come, these would be my recommendations:

1. Enter the Dragon

2. Five Deadly Venoms

3. Ashes of Time

4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

5. Fist of Fury AKA The Big Boss

6. Return of the Dragon

7. Police Story

8. House of Flying Daggers

9. Shaolin Vs Wu Tang

10.Blood of the Dragon

Film of the Week: Enter the Dragon (1973)

It is a great pleasure for me to discuss this film, as it is one of my favorites. Enter the Dragon was the fourth film of Bruce Lee's, and the final film he completed. He worked on his next film, Game of Death, but it was not completed before his untimely death on July 20, 1973. Enter the Dragon is considered by the majority of martial arts film lovers to be the greatest martial arts film of all time. Despite this, some members of the mainstream film community have openly stated their contempt for the film, some condemning it as a low rate James Bond film. Despite their criticisms, many still feel as though Enter the Dragon is a great film, and it is worth a look for anyone looking for an exciting film full of action.

The Roots of Modern Thrillers

When one looks at modern thriller movies, especially those dealing with an insane antagonist, they all flow from the format originally conceived in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). The trademark of a crazy villain, usually wielding a knife, or a similar weapon was all started with Psycho. These films tended to operate on a semi-horror level, with brief action scenes, usually at the end, in which the psychotic killer is defeated. Play Misty for Me was among the first films to operate using this format, however it was followed by such films as Halloween, Death Proof, and The Silence of the Lambs. In these films, the psychotic villain always uses a knife, or an axe, or some other unconventional weapon. This displays a lack of rational thinking, for a gun is clearly a better weapon, and tells us that the villain enjoys his or her killings. Many thrillers and horror films continue to use these same techniques, even today.

Recommended Viewing

If you enjoyed Play Misty for Me you might also like:

Dirty Harry (1971)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Psycho (1960)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Film of the Week: Play Misty for Me (1971)

Most people have seen Clint Eastwood's 1971 thriller Dirty Harry, but few have seen his other film of the same year, Play Misty for Me. The story concerns a radio host who is stalked by a crazy woman. This film helped create the format for modern thrillers, with scenes of terror and action. It was also Eastwood's first time as a director.

A Note on Spaghetti Westerns

In the mid sixties, it became popular to shoot westerns in Italy. Filming was much cheaper, and the deserts of Spain resembled the American Southwest. Being shot by Italians, these films were called spaghetti westerns. Spaghetti westerns have some characteristics that are often emulated even outside of their genre. Most spaghetti westerns have a quiet anti-hero, one who is quick on the draw, and a little bit rugged. They typically lack a well done dialogue, opting for silence from the characters to be filled with what is usually a provacative score, exemplified best by the music of Ennio Morricone. There are usually sun drenched shots and gritty characters. Most spaghetti westerns end in a Mexican standoff, a situation in which three characters simultaneously draw guns on each other, note ending standoff in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. With a lot of action, and paper thin plots, these films became popular as grindhouse films. Quentin Tarantino's most recent film, Inglourious Basterds, was shot to be a spaghetti western set in World War Two. Other directors such as Robert Rodriguez, and Takashi Miike have also been influenced by spaghetti westerns. The wonderful cinematography, and famous standoffs are enough to make anyone a fan of these fantastic films.

Film of the Week: Django (1966)

Django is a cult film from 1966 that could be a textbook example of a good spaghetti western. It has all the characteristics that make a spaghetti western great, and Django has not gone unnoticed. Director Takashi Miike made a film entitled Sukiyaki Western Django, which brings an asian flair to the spaghetti western, and is supposed to be a prequel to Django. George Lucas also picked the name of the character Jango Fett in reference to Django.