My list includes films that I found worth more than one viewing. Films come in categories and I like most genres. I am not a fan of slasher movies however, and horror films that end up burning the world down, no matter how well made (“Carrie” for example), do not interest me. I enjoy films that tell a complex story and are character-driven. There are action-adventure and fantasy films that are character driven (“300” and “Sin City”, based on the Frank Miller graphic novels are certainly action packed, but essentially based on character development.) Unlike some, I do not think that popcorn movies are not the equal of the costume dramas, think “Iron Man” verses “A Room With A View”. The writing in “Batman Begins” tells a complex, psychologically oriented story of classic proportions. Animated films have also come of age; “Wall-E” and “Coroline” were the equal, if not the better, of many acted films that received critical appreciation. I do have my prejudices, however, when it comes to rating films or discussing them. I dislike film reviews that compare the film to the book. As Elmore Leonard said when asked about films that “butchered” his novels, if you want to know what the author’s story was, read the book. Moreover, the fact that a film doesn’t follow the book doesn’t mean the film failed the novel. John le Carré wrote the novel “The Constant Gardner”: he stated that the film adaptation delivered the essence of his novel despite the fact that no line of it could be found in the script. I am impatient with viewers and reviewers that gripe that films are too long or too slow. One of my favorite reviewers, the late Gene Siskel, was guilty too often of saying that the film would have been wonderful if only the director had cut 10 minutes. How about if he/she cut the last ten minutes and simply ended the film early, Gene? In all fairness, I know that’s not what he meant. Careful editing can improve the pacing of a film by removing unnecessary and repetitive material. Pacing is difficult and the modern audience is used to quick images that do not explore detail. I enjoyed the fact that “Master And Commander” allowed Paul Bettany’s character the time to wander the island in search of new fauna, but then, Peter Weir is a very fine director. So, with all of the above in mind, here’s my first list.
The Jack Lemmon movies listed below demonstrate this actor’s extraordinary range. Like Paul Newman and currently Robert Downey, Jr., he rarely made a mistake and each may have been the best actor of his particular generation.
1. Save The Tiger-Jack Lemmon-The story of a man melting down under the pressures of business and loss of attachment to the present world.
2. The Apartment-Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine-A comedy of morality that is not really about morality nor a comedy.
3. Days Of Wine And Roses-Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick-alcoholism as it is rarely depicted today.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jack Lemmon in a very odd way. I had tickets to “A Sense Of Humor” which starred him. After the play, I went for a drink. Later, I walked to the parking lot across the street from the playhouse. Mr. Lemmon exited the theater with his son, each carrying a bag of golf clubs—they’d played Riveria that morning and come directly to the theater. He stopped my (then) wife and I and began discussing the play. (I have met numerous celebrities, but I do not interrupt someone who is famous if I simply come across that person.) We stood on the sidewalk talking so long that his son eventually left. We discussed writing most of the time, and jazz music, not his films. That was quite an evening.
4. Love Actually-Hugh Grant and Colon Firth-Each vignette is a triumph in and of itself. Hard to believe that anyone would find Martine McCutcheon “fat”, but then, I’m an American addicted to bear claws and bacon.
5. Nobody’s Fool-Paul Newman and a flawless cast-The story of a construction worker that learns that his life matters. Gene Saks, the actor who plays the one-legged lawyer, directed a number of Neil Simon’s plays. My seat on opening nights was next to that reserved for the director at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. I sat next to Gene as he tried to work out the timing of Simon’s remake of “The Odd Couple” featuring women, which if memory serves starred Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno. At the time, the “timing” wasn’t working.
4. Defending Your Life-Albert Brooks-In some details, this film is dated but the essential story remains. Rip Torn is amazing, as he always is.
6. Devil In A Blue Dress-Denzel Washington-A film that never got the promotion it deserved. I would have liked to have seen this become a series of films. Don Cheadle was amazing as he always is.
7. Elizabethtown-Kirsten Dunst-from my perspective, her best film. I also liked her in “Wimbledon” with Paul Bettany.
8. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang-Robert Downey, Jr.-a would-be detective solves two mysteries with Val Kimer playing Gay Perry up to his neck “in pussy”. Val, check out the You-tube “herding cats” commercial. That’s “up to your neck” in pussy.
9. Wonder Boys-Michael Douglas, Robert Downey, Jr., Toby Maguire and Frances McDormand-a novelist unable to make any meaningful decision loses his job, his wife, his 2400 page novel, and his pot addiction as his manages to avoid allowing his life to slip into oblivion. While over-the-top in every sense of the word, it slyly manages to tell the truth about writing, writers, and college life. Yes, I know; this story comes way to close to my life-all of it except the pot.
10. Pride and Prejudice-Keira Knightley-I know, I know!! I really did not like the novel, the writing that seems so witty and fresh to so many seems plodding and coy to me. Nonetheless, this is the seminal love story and Keira hits every mark perfectly as does the rest of the cast. If I had an 11th, I’d choose “Inventing The Abbots” a film Wilson showed me the other day. Liv Tyler is simply stunning.
Well that’s my list in this rather long blog. I must end by saying that meeting celebrities is a sore point with my wife, Jen. I’ve told her of the numerous times it’s happened (Jack Benny at Dodger Stadium, Groucho Marx in Hawaii and Michael Keaton, again in Hawaii) but never with her. Then, one evening, she decided to go home when I went over to Ltd. A large crowd was in there that night and Dominic Monaghan walked in. Since no one waited on him, I helped him pick out a cigar from the walk-in humidor. Jen’s frustration just runeth over! It’s always fun to meet someone from the movie industry and, truth be told, it is just as much fun for those who work daily in the industry as it is for anyone else.
Wilson Dutcher enjoys tweeting on Twitter. In the course of watching his fleeting and often interesting splats of communication, I’ve realized a number of things about the entertainment industry and people in general just from observing Wilson go plickety-plop on his I-phone. Most of Wilson’s followers are in the film and television industry (as one might guess since he’s a screenwriter.) Despite the fact that quite a few of them have celebrity status (unlike us lowly writers who rarely become household names), they are as interested in sharing their thoughts with others as anyone else. But here’s the rub: An actor’s stock-in-trade is not limited to his/her ability to deliver a line any more than a writer’s task is limited to writing one. An actor’s persona is what the director is utilizing in helping to create a scene; it is what the producer is marketing whether the performance is presented on a viewable medium or live. There is a reason we have casting directors: the persona needs to fit the role. (Whether we like it or not, not every persona is right for every part. I can’t imagine Wally Cox being cast as the captain of the starship Enterprise any more than I can imagine Humphrey Bogart playing Mitzi in The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. Both may have been up to the challenges presented by such casting, but I doubt either would have been interested in trying.) When a person gets on Twitter, or Facebook or any other medium of mass communication and states that he/she is well known person without disclosing the fraud, that person is stealing—and perhaps damaging—the actor’s stock-in-trade. I know, I know… some will say that it goes with the territory. It doesn’t. The purpose of Twitter is, in part, to be able to form a community. The formation of a community contemplates facilitating communication between people with shared interests. It includes the means of adding new people who’d like to be introduced to the existing crowd. It is built on the sharing of one’s personality when the spotlight isn’t turned on even if that sharing goes out to thousands of others. I was trained as an attorney and actively practice law (the dreaded “day-job”). My wife, Jen, will tell you that I’m a different person in the court room than I am when I’m with friends or working on a film concept. I like the fact that I don’t have to be “the lawyer” except when it’s called for. I suspect that everyone feels that way about their professional personalities and the ability to shed them when they are sharing their thoughts during downtime. I know it may be fun for some to play dress-up and pretend to be Brad Pitt, but that’s what Halloween parties are for. If I’m listening to someone, or talking to an individual—even on an open market like Twitter—I want the assurance that I’m not talking to a fraud or listening to one. Each of us has spent years developing a unique and valuable personality. Identity theft in any form is a crime.