Like Anna Karina's Sweater

And the other .56%?

When it comes to American films of the 1970s, it is often the excesses (stemming from the newfound freedom that directors obtained during the '67-'75 period) that makes them so interesting. Even films that don't begin to approach greatness are, in many cases, infinitely more interesting than 90% of contemporary Hollywood product. This was the period where even established directors took chances — subverting Hollywood genres much in the same way as their French peers in the Nouvelle Vague had, and the influences of Godard, Truffaut Rohmer et al. can be found in the films of Penn, Altman, DePalma, etc. One American director who tried his hand at something different was John Frankenheimer, who in 1974 gave us the wonderful oddity 99 and 44/100% Dead. Lambasted by critics and public alike, it had always been near the top of Filmbrain's "70s-need-to-see" list, and thanks (once again) to the Fox Movie Channel, he's finally been able to scratch it off the list. Though it's a far cry from the brilliance of Frankenheimer's 60s output (The Train, The Manchurian Candidate, or his masterpiece, Seconds), it happens to be a genuinely funny, dark, mélange of genres that was perhaps far too ahead of its time. Its postmodern refusal to root itself in a single genre, tone, or mood no doubt confounded and irritated critics back in '74. From its nonsensical title (a parody of the Ivory Soap slogan) and Roy Lichtenstein-influenced pop-art credits, to its opening sequence of underwater corpses in cement galoshes, it's evident that Frankenheimer set out to create something other than a straightforward gangster film. (That an early shoot-out sequence between rival gangs is set to a playful whistling tune à la The Andy Griffith Show theme only serves to support this claim.) Set in the midst of a gang war between Big Eddie (Bradford Dillman) and Uncle Frank (Edmond O'Brien), the film is centered around our hero, Harry Crown, brilliantly played by Richard Harris. Though not particularly menacing in stature or brawn, Harry is brought in by Uncle Frank to help him win the war. Harry can best be described as a cross between James Bond and Delon's Jef Costello, though one can only wonder how this towhead behind oversized glasses can be the object of every woman's lust, while at the same time generating fear in the hearts of every other gangster. (A scene with a nude Harris preening in front of a mirror is worth the price of admission alone.) He's neither suave nor witty, and he manages to perform his tasks with a minimum of effort — a true PoMo hero. Unlike other gangster comedies, 99 and 44/100% Dead relies not on jokes or comedic situations, but rather an ever-increasing level of absurdity for its laughs. Besides the unlikely casting of Harris as both killer and lady-killer, there's Chuck Conners, who nearly steals the show as Claw Zuckerman, a killer with an artificial limb complete with its own set of attachments, including wine opener, scissors, and feather duster. Harris' women have names like Baby, Dolly, or Buffy (newcomer Ann Turkel), the latter of whom teaches a third-grade class from the inside of a giant inflatable woman. Add to this alligators in the sewers and a magnificent loungecore soundtrack by Henry Mancini, and the result is a fascinating and extremely entertaining ninety-five minutes. What the film lacks in plot (the story couldn't be any simpler), it more than makes up for in style and bravura. Many have claimed that 99 and 44/100% Dead is Frankenheimer at his directorial low point, but that's an unfair assessment. (Reindeer Games, anyone?) Many of his trademark flourishes are present, and though it does have some of that unavoidable cheesy 70s look to it, there's enough signature Frankenheimer to keep it interesting throughout. Not on DVD, it does show up fairly often on the Fox Movie Channel. Pay no attention to its undeserved lousy reputation — this one is sure to appeal to fans of both 70s cinema, and Richard Harris' ass.

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 8, Week 3

First off, many apologies for the lack of posts in recent days. Though well-rested from vacation, the days since returning home have been spent catching up on this and that, while at the same time still trying to work out a manageable schedule for the Tribeca Film Festival. (Nearly there!) Though the response to last week's quiz wasn't as great as week one, the number of correct guesses was impressive, especially considering that the screen shot used appears in the film for only a fraction of a second. Adaptation is Spike Jonze's love letter to screenwriters, and it's a film that's very dear to my heart. The (obvious) connection between this and Donnie Darko is that both films feature the cuter of the Gyllenhaal siblings. Some better planning on my part might have been prudent, for though there's an amusing connection between this week's film and Adaptation, the path out of here seems tricky. Name this high-contrasty film. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 8, Week 2

How better to begin Round 8 than with the little Indie film that could? The rise of Donnie Darko from virtual obscurity to international cult sensation is impressive, and more than justified. Teen angst, time travel, hypocritical self-help gurus, and small-town weirdness -- it's equal parts John Hughes and David Lynch. The question is, will director Richard Kelly's sophomore outing, Southland Tales, live up to its predecessor? (With a cast that includes The Rock, Mandy Moore, & Kevin Smith? Then again, he did manage to coax a great performance out of Swayzee.) For those who asked, the text on the school bus window is not Morrissey or Monarchy Rules, but rather Mongrels, the school's mascot. For this week's quiz -- a corner of a well-known magazine dating from 1995? Is that all? You should be able to get this one without having to consult The Complete New Yo. Don't forget to include the link between this film and Donnie Darko -- a simple one at that, though they will get harder going forward. As always, submit your answers to this address. Good luck!

Reel Change

In just a few hours from now, Filmbrain will set off on a much-needed (and long overdue) vacation. After a few days in Vancouver, which will (hopefully) include a visit to the Pacific Cinematheque and/or the Vancity Theatre, it's off to a semi-isolated cottage in the forests of Vancouver Island, for rest, relaxation, and the occasional dip into a natural hot spring. Should there be any Filmbrain readers in the Vancouver area, please feel free to share any tips or recommended local haunts. Part of the vacation will be spent combing through the schedule for the behemoth that is the Tribeca Film Festival, which begins on 25 April. Filmbrain doesn't know how many of the 300 films he'll actually make it to, but he's already spotted a few not-to-be-missed gems, including a restoration of Joseph H. Lewis' 1955 ultra-noir noir, The Big Combo, and Michael Winterbottom's The Road to Guantanamo. If TypePad behaves, week 2 of the screen quiz should appear next Wednesday morning. Filmbrain might catch up on some unfinished posts during his time away, but then again a break from the blog might be a healthier option. Be sure to keep up with the fellow travelers listed on the right -- the blogroll has recently been overhauled. And whether it's Jesus Christ Superstar, The Ten Commandments or even The Wicker Man you celebrate, a happy Spring Equinox fest to you all.

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 8, Week 1

Though this is merely speculation, it's seems at least somewhat likely that the Coen brothers had J.J. Hunsecker (from Alexander Mackendrick's Sweet Smell of Success) in mind when they created The Hudsucker Proxy. The actress pictured is Susan Harrison, who (as I learned from many of you) is the mother of famous-for-15-minutes Darva Conger, from the Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire reality show. Mom must be so proud. . . Well, Round 7 has come to a close, and the results on a whole were very impressive. The average high score was 8 points (including bonus points), which is up a bit from the last round. The winners of this round are as follows: 1st Place: Jonah V., with a total of 13 points. Jonah was the 2nd place winner of Round 5, and if it wasn't for missing Short Cuts this round, he would have had a perfect score. Well done! 2nd Place: Matt Y., who came in 1st place in Round 6. 3rd Place: Anthony S., a long time contestant who flirted with 3rd place in almost every round. Congrats on finally making it! Each of you may claim any DVD used in the round as your prize. Congratulations once again! Instead of the customary gap of one week, I thought I'd go ahead and get Round 8 started. Rules are the same as always, with one slight addition. There will be 12 weeks of quizzes, as usual, but this time each film will contain a link to the previous week's film — it could be as obvious as director or cast member, or maybe something a bit less obvious. This will up the maximum points to 23 for the round (week 1 is linkless), unless of course there are additional opportunities for bonus points. All DVDs are from my personal collection, and are limited to Region-1 releases only (though, seeing how the international contingent is rising, that may change in future rounds.) Quizzes go up every Wednesday morning, and answers can be submitted up until the next quiz appears. We'll begin with an easy one. Name the film. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!

But If You Go Carrying Pictures of Chairman Mao...

My first exposure to Jean-Luc Godard's La Chinoise was a badly damaged and virtually colorless 16mm print that I saw when I was seventeen. I knew little of Marx, Lenin, or Mao at the time (let alone the cultural revolution), but the film, with its cute collegiate Maoists plotting revolution from the safety of a fancy Parisian apartment, had a profound effect on me, and it wasn't long before I had a dog-eared Little Red Book of my own. Seeing it again after all these years, it's almost impossible not to find it more than a bit dated politically, yet at the same time realizing how important a film it is in JLG's oeuvre. As the screen shots on the left reveal, the recently released Optimum DVD (Region 2) comes from a new print, which restores the film to its proper state, bringing out the rich, almost saturated primary colors that Godard favored at that time. (The DVD can be ordered from Benson's World for a mere £8.99.) Through a series of interconnected vignettes, La Chinoise follows the activities of a group of students who spend the summer of 1967 quoting Mao, denouncing American imperialism, and thinking how they can start their own revolution in France. (The film eerily foreshadows the tumultuous events of May '68.) They set up headquarters in a bourgeois apartment owned by one of the revolutionary's parents — think The Dreamers, but replace sex and cinema with Marx and Mao. The core quartet of revolutionaries, which includes Truffaut staple Jean-Pierre Léaud, Juliet Berto, and the soon-to-be Mrs. Godard, Anne Wiazemsky (who resembles wife #1), spend their days listening to Radio Peking, while decorating the walls with Mao quotes, and holding lectures on everything from Lyndon Johnson to Viet Nam to Louis Lumière. The harmony of the group is shattered when several members choose violence (via political assassination) as their method. As supportive as Godard was towards Marxist-Leninist and Maoist sympathies, French Maoist students (among others) denounced the film for its pro-terrorist stance, which conflicted with their own beliefs. (It's interesting to note that France never had an equivalent of The Weathermen or Baader-Meinhof Group.) Though La Chinoise is as overtly political as any of the films Godard made with Jean-Pierre Gorin, it's still infused with the kind of playfulness found in Bande à Part or Masculin, Féminin. The film draws attention to its artifice through its exaggerated use of color, deliberate camera movements (some nice tracking shots), and its many moments of self-reflexivity. In between the lengthy monologues are the kind of scenes that are quintessentially Godard, including one that finds Veronique (Wiazemsky) telling a pouty Guillaume (Léaud) she no longer loves him ("I hate your sweaters. I hate your face".) It's something right out of Une Femme est Une Femme, and shows that for all his intellectual and political posturing, Guillaume is deep down just another moody, heartbroken youngster. Then of course there is the music and dance scene, and though it's not quite Anna K and the boys doing the Madison, it does have Léaud twisting to the deliciously infectious Mao Mao, by Claudes Channes, which includes lyrics such as "Johnson giggles and me I wiggle Mao Mao / Napalm runs and me I gun Mao Mao". (The song is too good not to share — download and dance along with your favorite comrade: Claudes Channes - Mao Mao.mp3) Unlike the purely academic Marxism that informs Godard's films made with the Dziga Vertov Group, La Chinoise is equally as interested in the then-burgeoning youth culture movement that was on the brink of exploding worldwide. Some have claimed that this interest stemmed out of his relationship with Wiazemsky, who was almost twenty years his junior. Regardless, the film can be seen as a bridge between the old Godard and the new, with equal parts dialectic and dramatic. In other words, it's a leftist film that even your right-wing friends can enjoy. Well....maybe.

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 7, Week 12

With all that talk about a Lenny Bruce reference in The Hudsucker Proxy, what better film to use for the follow-up quiz than Bob Fosse's better-than-brilliant, Lenny. Ok, not terribly subtle, but it happened to be standing on the shelf right next to Hudsucker. Well...here we are, the final quiz of Round 7! It's been an active twelve weeks, and there have been many new participants this round (thanks Mr. Wolcott!) Check back next week to find out which three people will walk away with the much-coveted honor of being a Filmbrain screen capture champion. For the final quiz of the round, Filmbrain decided to pay tribute to 1950s undergarments. The actress pictured made her screen debut in this noir masterpiece, yet she only ever appeared in one additional (though highly forgettable) film. Come to think of it, there is a (very slight) connection to The Hudsucker Proxy. Go figure. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!