Crazy like a Zorro

Someone needs to take the blog away from Lori, or she's going to break it! Wow, lots of great stuff to chew on there. Yes, Capote is high on my list, at least as high as a movie can rank about a guy like Capote.

I've been meaning to blog more, but life has gotten away from me. Since my last (and first?) review, I've seen several films that I've been mulling over. Mostly from Netflix -- and I must say it's nice to be reminded every blue moon how great Netflix can be. Especially since it costs 20 bones a month. Last night I journeyed into Hollywood Video to look for a specific movie, and was greeted by a single employee waiting on a gazillion customers. I walked out with nothing after 25 minutes and noticed there were a couple customers who were in line when I arrived, still waiting. God bless the world wide web.

Each month I head over to AintItCool.com and read Harry Knowles' list of newly released DVD's in order to bolster my Netflix queue. This month Harry pointed out there's a brand spanking new DVD for The Mask of Zorro, the 1940's classic which I've never seen. It was also mentioned that Zorro means 'fox' in Spanish, which is a little disappointing to me -- I always thought it was just a cool made-up word. With that said, it's widely accepted this 1940's version is the coolest version of Zorro ever put on the silver screen. Apparently the sound has been remixed in 5 channels, and they've colorized the thing. If you're a purist who thinks the age of Black and White shouldn't be messed with, I would be inclined to agree for the most part.

In fact, my favorite theatre is now Central Cinema, one of those
restaurant/theatres that project DVD movies, including those from the Black and White era that I'm cluelessly unfamiliar with. Lori and I first saw All About Eve there last month (hey, wasn't I supposed to review that?), and more recently we saw His Girl Friday. I haven't seen many Cary Grant films -- To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest are 2 that come to mind, but those were shot in color and cannot be seen in black and white, unless you're watching it on 20th century technology.

I had not thought I'd seen any Bette Davis movies in any format until I checked with IMDB, and remembered seeing her in The Watcher in the Woods (which would be a great Halloween rental this weekend) and Death on the Nile, one of my favorite movies, if only because I saw it as a kid. I wonder if Bette Davis would have made it in the Hollywood of today where style wins out over substance?

I've been rambling here, and for no apparent reason. Oh, wait -- yes, The Mask of Zorro... in color! Some may not think that's a good idea, but it's been colorized in a completely different fashion than the "Turner Classic Movies" of the 1980's, which would be more accurately described as "pinkterized" with the odd skin tones. No, from what I've heard, the job is much more palatable. I'm excited to see it, but Netflix isn't carrying it at the moment. Maybe Central Cinema will come to the rescue?

OK, I haven't really reviewed much, but I'm finally commenting on All About Eve which I thought was terrific. It's fascinating that it still holds the record (14, with Titanic) for the most Academy Award Nominations. I loved the characters, especially Eve's, because I've met a couple people like her in the office place. The acting was surprisingly captivating, more so than I thought it would be. I was expecting more "over the top" acting, the kind spoofed in Airplane. Melodrama is fairly entertaining, but probably the most irritating aspect of older films like All About Eve is the instrumental music that gets cranked up to deafening levels as the movie begins and draws to a close. But as unnerving as the soundtrack can be, some of the "old school" shots in which crude blue-screen technology is used to add background activity are quite funny, in an unintentional way. It really is worth a look if you're into film history.

In closing, I will add a bit of a rebuttal to Lori's posting on Assault on Precinct 13. Lori likes Ethan Hawke, but I'm really not much of a fan. There's something off-putting about his acting style -- for some reason I just don't "buy" him. I think it's his mouth and lips, as crazy as that sounds. And he sure doesn't have Viggo Mortensen's eyes. However, I'm in agreement that Before Sunset was one of the top 5 movies of last year. I'm happy Lori wanted to see A History of Violence, but I knew that AoP13 is no Film, but more of a 'Die Hard' movie that flaunts killing for purely entertainment purposes. But considering the type of genre, I gave it a passing grade because it worked for me within those parameters. Yeah, I saw some of the "mole" plot twists coming, but the ensemble cast kept me on my toes enough not to get annoyed with the stereotypes. There's really nothing you haven't seen here before.

This is Eric, logging off. I'm eager to see my newest Netflix arrivals: The Thin Blue Line, Inside Deep Throat, and Me and You and Everyone We Know.