Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)

Rigby Reardon: [voice-over] There's one thing I liked about Monica... the words "I can't" weren't in her vocabulary.
Rigby Reardon: Monica, I want you to do something for me.
Monica: I can't.
Rigby Reardon: I guess she'd added them since the last time I'd seen her.

One look at the movie poster will tell you that this isn’t a serious movie and being “Filmed in Detecto Vision” we also know that it’s not going to be your average flick!  But seriously, if that doesn’t tell you something, the quote above should give you an idea.  This is a comedy with a real smart difference.  There are only a few main actors in the movie, the others have been gleaned from various 40’s movies.  The script is smartly written to be intertwined with footage from 40’s noir films with some hilarious results.  This really is a crack-up of a movie that’s worth seeing!

The main lead is Rigby Reardon (Steve Martin) who plays a typical 40’s Private Eye in his own hilarious manner.  On one boring day whilst reading the newspaper Juliet Forrest (Rachael Ward) knocks on his office door and asks him to investigate her father’s death as she believes he was murdered.  The tale then starts where we get to know what sort of person Reardon is and the risks he will take to solve the mystery and get the girl in the end.

The amazing part of the movie is just how well the script has been written to combine this modern footage with old 40’s film stars’ footage from a variety of movie classics.  We have the likes of Veronica Lake (The Glass Key), Alan Ladd (This Gun for Hire), Barbara Stanwyck (Sorry, Wrong Number), Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend), Ava Gardner (The Killers, The Bribe), Burt Lancaster (The Killers), Humphry Bogart (The Big Sleep), Cary Grant (Suspicion), Ingrid Bergman (Notorious), Bette Davis (Deception), Lana Turner and Edward Arnold (Johnny Eager), Kirk Douglas (I Walk Alone), Fred McMurray (Double Indemnity), James Cagney (White Heat), Charles Laughton and Vincent Price (The Bribe).  Even the director Carl Reiner stars in the movie as Field Marshal Wilfried von Kluck.  

There is the odd occasion of swearing and a few sexual references but still nothing like what you would see today.  There are plenty of witty and smart comments and doesn’t take itself seriously though that’s exactly what the intention is.  I can only imagine the hours it would have taken to view these 40’s movies and then pick out the characters required, write a script and finally piece it all together but in all honesty, it’s worth it.  The movie is a blast to watch, though sadly it’s probably mostly unknown among the public which is a real shame.  

The DVD reviewed is an Australian release ($7 at JB Hifi) and is basically a rehashed of quite an old release, so much so that it’s not 16:9 enhanced (which basically means that it will appear in letterbox style on your widescreen TV with black bars at the sides, top and bottom – its design was for the old square CRT televisions).  This is quite a sad effort for a 2013 re-release.  Apart from that the image looks and sounds fine, though as indicated above you just see a picture in the middle of your TV as opposed to filling up your TV screen.  The DVD also contains a trailer for the movie as a bonus. There is a Bluray available from Italy however it will cost quite a bit to import.  There is a digital version available on Google Play and no doubt iTunes so you can hire or buy it through them.  At least that would be a full HD 16:9 experience which will walk over the existing DVD.  It’s just a shame that there isn’t a better release available.  There are DVD’s available from UK/USA however their quality is unknown.  As for marking, the image has been marked down due to being non 16:9 enhanced, but it is still good quality and sharp where it needs to be.  The audio is adequate 2 channel stereo and the only extra is a trailer.

(a scene starring Veronica Lake from “The Glass Key” that has been inserted into the movie)

Overall a great movie that will give you a darn good laugh, and its especially good if you also enjoy the old movies as its sheds some light on some of the top actors/actresses from the 40’s.  Don’t go in expecting a deep engrossing story but like most comedies, sit back and enjoy the show.  Highly recommended.

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Rififi (1955)

Mario Ferrati: [to Tony about Cesar] For a job with you he'll come. Cesar! There's not a safe that can resist Cesar and not a woman that Cesar can resist.

If you combine a near impossible theft that is well planned and executed, superbly shot in a dim grey Paris ( with rain and the reflections that go with it), a good dose of suspense along with that classic crime drama that is wonderfully acted, you would come up with darn good movie.  And this is what you get with Jules Dassin’s Rififi.

When WW2 finished a new fear arose among many nations, communism and fascism.  This fear also infiltrated the movie industry which forced people to rat out on others for various reasons including having current or previous involvement with communist parties or being communist sympathisers (as Russia became an ally in WW2 this encouraged many to have some kind of involvement, be that in participation or way of thought).  You can read about this elsewhere but in very short basic terms, if you didn’t co-operate and dob in names, you got blacklisted, so the from the late 40’s to the late 50’s there were Screenwriters, Producers, Directors, Actors and Actresses etc suddenly put out of work because of the fear that communist thoughts or ides might penetrate into movies and therefore into the public thinking (for a basic background movie to this you can watch Trumbo which is about Dalton Trumbo, one of the original Hollywood 10 who got blacklisted - check my review here).

 

This is where Jules Dassin, the Director of this wonderful film, steps in.  He got blacklisted and was therefore refused work in Hollywood which is also about the time where he shot the very well regarded film noir City and the Night with American actors in London (yes film noir in London!).  Hollywood also flexed their muscle in Italy they too refused Dassin work, so he fled to Paris because he had no intention of ratting out on friends etc.  After some years in Paris he was offered the job to direct a French film.  

Now on to the movie and what a wonderful film it is!  Basically the film is about an ex-con and a few other crooks who get together to steal some jewellery from a famous store.  From the moment the movie started it had me in, not because of some big action scene but simply from the very authentic acting, especially from Jean Servais who comes across as a cold ex-con who joins up with a few others to conduct the heist.  As for realism, the place where they discuss the heist is across the road from the store they intend to rob.  The store they rob is a real store whom the owners have permission to use their real name and store front and the jewels they show in the film are real jewels provided by the store for the film.  The theft sequence lasts about 30 min at which time it is conducted like a real theft with no music score, no dialogue and very little sound.  Its little facts like this that add to the film’s realism and brilliance. So realistic was its approach that it got pulled out of cinemas in Mexico after the robbery was copied in real life by some thugs.  

This is a heist movie that is intelligent, engaging and believable and it was all done, apparently, on a very small budget which is probably unheard of these days.

The Bluray reviewed here is the Region A Criterion edition which cannot be viewed in Australia unless you had a region A or region free Bluray player, however it’s also available in the UK as an equally great Bluray only or Dual Format Bluray/DVD which both contain similar features to the American Criterion edition, though the UK Arrow Academy edition has a more comprehensive booklet and is also considerably cheaper from places like www.zavii.com.   The image quality is brilliant with great greyscale grading and a consistent, sharp image in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Both the UK and USA edition contain the film with the original uncompressed (for the Bluray) mono French soundtrack which sounds great. There are also the following extras:

• Interview with Jules Dassin from 2000
• Set design drawings by art director Alexandre Trauner
• Production Stills
• Trailer
• A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman

There is also an English dubbed soundtrack should you not want to read subtitles (no doubt you lose the feel and emotion of the actors).

Overall Rififi is an outstanding movie that comes with full ferrets and therefore very highly recommended.

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King Kong 1933 vs 1976 vs 2005 – Conclusion

Three movies, three Kong’s but only one that can rule them all.  Which version of King Kong is the best?  

As we all know, the best special effects will not always guarantee a better movie.  In deciding this we take into account how the story is told, if the actors and director pull it off convincingly and how effective it is overall.  We have three movies where as at June 2016 the original is 82 years old, the 1976 remake is 39 years old and the latest version is only just becoming a teenager at 11 years.  So whilst I will not ignore special effects, I will take into consideration the time period and available technology at the time to bring the movie to life.

If you don’t want to read all this stuff below, I would rate the movies in the following order.  1933 takes the prize and just a little behind that would be the 2005 Jackson remake and then somewhat further behind is the 1976 mash-up.

4.5 ferrets for 1933
4 ferrets for 2005; and lagging somewhat behind
3 ferrets for 1976

First up we have the story.  The 1933 and 2005 are very similar, in fact Peter Jackson had his personal copy of the 1933 script and throughout his movie he gives homage to the original.  The 1933 is taut and flows well while the 2005 offers the most complete Kong experience spending a good part of the movie preparing the audience for the island, then plenty of story and action on the island and finally a good deal of time in New York whist the 1933 gets on the boat quickly but progresses through the story at an even pace. 2005 can get a bit long in the tooth at times but is still engrossing but not as engaging as the tight script of the 1933.  The 1976 film however tells the story from a different slant.  Oil is the main focus and it just so happens to be on an island.  The damsel in distress is conveniently picked up on the way to the island in a dingy but in the older and newer version she is an actress, planned from the start.  On the island we have plenty of action from all three movies each compelling in their own way.  One thing I didn’t like about the 1976 version was the connection between Kong and Dwan.  There is a bit of nudity in the movie whilst on the boat going toward the island, then there is a short glimpse of it from Dwan whilst Kong was giving her a wash under the waterfall and also touching her.  What the heck is that all about?  It just seems like the people in charge of the movie had it in the contract to have sexual themes so they just added it between Kong and Dwan.  Yes, the original did have the thought by the way Kong looked at Ann but nothing like the 1976.  And in the 2005 it’s not really present at all which is a nice change from modern movies.  Sure, there is a connection and Kong wants to protect her but neither the 1933 or 1976 is like the 1976.

In all versions Kong has natural enemies in the island, though the 1976 cuts this short and the 2005 expounds on it greatly.  The 1933 feels more balanced but the 2005 is certainly a blast to watch not just from Kong’s point of view but also from the human’s view.  I really like how Kong plays with his dead enemies in the 1933 film where he opens and closes the other beast’s mouth just to make sure it’s dead and that is also shown in one scene in the 2005 film.

The 1933 film was a challenge to bring to the big screen with is combined stop animation and live action effects and the 1976 had a 40 sized mechanical Kong made for the movie but was only used in one scene.  The 2005 had an almost perfect looking Kong with battle scars and everything which gave him a bit of history. There is no doubt that the 2005 rules the roost when it comes to visual effects.

Overall, the 1933 makes you connect with the characters and care more about Ann, whilst the other two come up a little short in this area. But the 1976 makes you care more about the beast (maybe animal rights activists were involved in making the movie!) which the 1933 lacked but 1933 excelled in many areas over the 1976.  The 1933 is a tighter script than the 2005 with the 33 showing what needs to be shown and the 05 giving you everything even if it’s a bit too much.

So there we have it.  In my viewing, the 1933 was surprisingly the best but very close behind was the 2005 then somewhat further down the ladder is the 1976 version.

Would love to hear your comments on what you think.

King Kong (2005)

Carl Denham: Fay's a size four.
Preston: Yes, she is, but she's doing a picture with RKO.
Carl Denham: Cooper, huh? I might've known.

I also have to include this quote…

Lumpy the Cook: [seeing a footprint that Kong has left] There's only one creature capable of leaving a footprint that size. The Abominable Snowman.

This is the latest version of King Kong, directed by Peter Jackson, is by far the most detailed both in story and graphically but unlike the 1976 version of the film directed by John Guillermin, this one has many similarities to the original 1933 film directed by Merian C. Cooper.  Peter Jackson seemed intent on doing more of a remake of the original film as opposed to a re-imagining of the story like the 1976 version.  Scattered throughout the film are references to the original like the quote above where Carl Denham (Jack Black) was trying to find an actress for his film and he rattles off a few names and one of those names is “Fay” who is doing a picture with Cooper and RKO.  Well Fay Wray was the actress in the 1933 King Kong which was directed by Merian C. Cooper and the movie studio was RKO. Its also not a fluke that this movie is based in 1933 so its technically happening at the same time the original film was being made!  That’s just one reference to the original, the list goes on even to the point where in the credits the movie is dedicated to "The original explorers of Skull Island...” and then goes on to list the major actors in the 1933 film.  We could go on with these references but all in all, it just points to the fact that Peter Jackson was not just a fan of the original movie but he intended to be faithful to it.  I should also mention that Jackson tried to get “Fay Wray” to have a cameo in this film but sadly she didn’t and ended up dying before the film was released.

Carl Denham (Jack Black) is a movie director with a dream to go to an island shown on a map he acquired to make the ultimate discovery movie in a place that no person has yet seen.  The movie studio thinks he is bonkers but he escapes from their grasp and finds stage actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and reluctant friend and screenwriter Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) then sails off in the sunset to make his picture.  Ann and Jack start forming a close friendship and before too long a strong bond is formed between them.  The ship eventually gets to the island and they set foot on it only to find a primitive town full of natives that really like the look of Ann Darrow and think she would make a perfect gift to Kong who resides on the other side of the gigantic wall.  The natives take off with her and a team from the ship tries to get her back whilst discovering the most amazing place they have seen and finally the most amazing creature any of them have seen.  Carl, like a good little director, takes his camera to capture some footage of the rescue attempt but then comes up with a grand idea that will make them famous.

The special effects in the movie are superb.  Peter Jackson and the WETA team (a special effects company) in New Zealand gained a lot of experience from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and all that experience and more was put in to making King Kong the most realistic and complete adventure ever seen on the screen, and they succeeded.  There are a few interesting things about Kong here.  The main Kong movies are 1933, 1976 and 2005 and with each new version of the film Kong gets older.  In the 1933 version Kong looks young, 1976 he appears more middle aged, but here he looks older and as if he has seen a lot of action and rightly so when you consider what happens during the movie.  Kong looks fantastic and blends into his surroundings perfectly and has the full range of facial expressions curtesy of Andy Serkis (yep the same guy who played Gollem from Lord of the Rings) who also played a deck hand on the ship.  Andy had well over 100 markers placed on his face which would later be used to pick up facial expressions which would be used to assist giving Kong some more living expressions as he interacts with surrounding threats and with Ann herself.

All the actors in the movie do a good job with the main actors doing a great job without over doing it and one could imagine Peter directing with a passion as if he personally wanted to do the best out of respect for the original movie.  If there was one criticism I had, it would be that it can sometimes feel like its dragging on a bit but I did watch the extended edition which comes in at 201 minutes as opposed to the theatrical release of 187 minutes.  That being said it didn’t take long for the film to get me back into it and I think the extended version brings a better, more complete viewing.

The disc reviewed is the Australian Bluray which contains both the theatrical (187 min) and extended (201 min) cuts of the movie in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a very punchy DTS HS Master Audio 5.1 surround soundtrack.  The image quality is perfect as is the sound.  In terms of extras they are a bit more limited as opposed to the DVD 2-disc special edition that was available when the movie was initially released to the public, but we have the following:

• Feature Commentary with the Director/Writer Peter Jackson and Co-Writer/Producer Phiilpa Boyens
• Both versions of the movie
• A picture in picture feature which allows you to watch cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage whilst viewing the movie
• Art Galleries can be viewed also whilst watching the film

Overall I loved the movie though as mentioned above it did feel like it dragged a bit whilst they were on the island but that was with the extended version.  It’s certainly the most realistic and complete version of Kong you will see but also the longest.  The effects are near perfect and very believable; the acting is also good which along with the story (mostly borrowed from the original) provides a very solid movie that is worthy of the original.  With all that in mind it comes in slightly under the original and very highly recommended.

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