Blind Spot Series – Stalag 17 Review

Stalag 17 (1953)

Starring William Holden, Don Taylor and Otto Preminger

Co-written & Directed by Billy Wilder

During the calendar year of 2012 a variety of film bloggers and writers across the city of Toronto, including those at The Matinee, Toronto Screenshots and Eternal Sunshine of the Logical Mind, have been taking part in a yearlong series called “The Blind Spot Series”, where we as critics make a list of films that in one circle or another are deemed to be classics that we yet to see, and review them from the perspective of the first time viewer.  Well here at Entertainment Maven we felt like it was time to join in on the fun.  Today we are going to go all the way back to the year 1953 for the World War II tale of spies, sabotage, honor and bravery from director Billy Wilder.  It’s time to get “Stalag 17” out of the Blind Spot.

In Stalag 17 William Holden plays the jaded and scheming Sgt J.J. Sefton, a prisoner at the notorious Stalag 17 German prison camp, who spends his days dreaming up schemes and trading with the German soldiers in order to make his days a little easier and get special privileges in the camp.  However when two prisoners are killed during an escape attempt it becomes clear that there is a spy in their midst who is thwarting them from trying to hold on to whatever hope they can in order to survive.  As the days pass the prisoners begin to point fingers at each other, eventually they start to turn their collective gaze towards Sefton as the traitor.

Adapted from the play by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, Stalag 17 is an interesting blend of comedy and drama and just might be one of the first times that both elements have been blended on the big screen.  As a director, Billy Wilder was arguably in the midst of his most prolific period at the time, as Stalag 17 followed such classics like “Sunset Blvd” and “Ace in the Hole”, but preceded “Sabrina”, with this film he managed a superb balance of laughter and tension.  The story telling was at a near perfect balance and despite some minor hiccups worked incredibly well. Wilder was excellent in his use of light and shadow, making it all look fantastic as the framing and setup of each individual shot was prepared with meticulous care.  Wilder’s skill behind the camera is one thing, but some strong performances, in particular from William Holden, helped to put this film over the top.

In the only Academy Award win of Holden’s illustrious career, he was simply captivating as the Sgt Sefton.  He managed to separate himself from the pack still maintaining his calm and cool demeanor, not only in the face of captivity, but as his bunk mates turned against him his steely cold con man never broke since he knew from minute one what it takes to survive in a hell hole like Stalag 17.  Some interesting faces appeared in the supporting cast including the likes of Don Taylor, Robert Strauss, Peter Graves and Richard Erdman (who plays Leonard on Community!). Even famed director Otto Preminger shows up in a rare acting role as Oberst von Scherbach, the cruel commandant of the camp.  At the end of the day however this really was about William Holden who while even in the background was the focus of almost every single scene of the film.

As a 59 year-old film, Stalag 17 is really a fascinating piece of cinematic history as we watch such a seamless blend of styles tackle a subject with respect and humor that for the population at large was still a fairly recent piece of history.

Stalag 17 should be available at most video stores across the city of Toronto.

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ChickFlicking – The Avengers Assemble Some Serious Eye Candy! (Nadia Sandhu)

Not a lot can be said about The Avengers that hasn’t already been said.  Joss Whedon’s film has been previewed, reviewed, and even sparked a media feud on the way to a record opening weekend.

Call it Spring Fever, but despite this wall of coverage I did manage to find an angle that required immediate exploration- the bicep to tricep ratio of the world’s heroes.  Drool.  Marvel and Disney’s casting department really hit this one out of the park:

Captain America is like Superman. This is a role that can go horribly, horribly wrong for an actor.  Earnest, upright, brightly costumed- that’s a tough gig these days.  But wow.  Chris Evans is a revelation from the golden sheen of his slicked back hair, to that square jawed resolve… hawt.  This man (and his shoulders) really sold that red, white and blue costume. Consider me a pre-sale for Captain America 2 tickets.

In a rare moment towards the end of the film when Robert Downey Jr. isn’t being smarmy or sarcastic as Tony Stark, one is suddenly reminded that this is one damn fine looking man.  It’s those puppy dog eyes.  Gotta be.

Mark Ruffalo is a nice guy, which can be death on the big screen, but his Bruce Banner manages a geeky chic that is awkward and endearing at the same time.  Kudos Mr. Ruffalo.  It takes a real man to rock those hideous faded cords and hide those broad shoulders under a ratty, oversized jacket.

Jeremy Renner is everywhere.  Literally.  I saw the Hurt Locker and he does play soldier very well, but why is this man in every movie franchise?  Mission Impossible, Bourne and The Avengers in 2012 alone!  Well after a close assessment of his work in The Avengers I believe the answer lies in a combination of piercing blue eyes and some really very nicely proportioned arms.  Shoulder to bicep, those arms will not be denied!

Nicky Fury covers all sins.  I am almost  ready to forgive Samuel L. Jackson for the debacle that was his portrayal of Mace Windu in the regrettable Star Wars Prequels.  Eye patch. Leather jacket.  Swagger.  Case closed.

After suspecting it during Thor, I am inching ever closer to the thesis that Chris Hemsworth equals the New Brad Pitt.  And what Hollywood needs right now is another Brad Pitt. Rawr.  Someone get on that Legends of the Fall remake, STAT!

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Headhunters (Hodejegerne) Review (Paolo Kagaoan)


Headhunters/Hodejegerne (2011)

Starring Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Directed by Morten Tyldum

MINOR PLOT SPOILERS

The protagonist of the movie adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s novel Headhunters doesn’t have a name, for now. He’s simply a man wearing a ninja outfit, instructing us on how to steal a painting. It shows the audience his physicality, a man trying to infiltrate and escape until those abilities of his are extinguished.  The scene is surprisingly a deal maker, a contrast against the lack of sympathy we would otherwise inflict upon Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) – what kind of Norwegian name is Roger Brown? Is this movie already pitching itself for an American remake? Anyway, Roger is the façade half of his double life as a member of the credit card bourgeoisie, equipped with a tall art dealer wife Diana (Synnøve Macody Lund) and a stylish house to compensate for his height. Roger is a titular head hunter, using his high level human resources job to slip expensive paintings out of men who are applying to be CEOs, who apparently look like male models, in Pathfinder, the company he works in. These establishing scenes are crucial and effective because from this point on it’s all about negotiation from one part of the premise to a calculated audience reaction.

He might just meet his match when Diana introduces him to a Danish ex-paramilitary man, ex-CEO Clas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, looking like a younger but scruffier Olivier Martinez). There are mixes of emotions within Roger here, he’s jealous of Clas but he also offers him the job that he doesn’t seem to want. What further attracts Roger to Clas is that the latter’s dead grandmother used to go out with art thieves called the Nazis – the Scandinavians still have a morbid fascination with those guys – and has given her a Rubens painting that’s been missing for decades. Diana appraises it, he steals it. Part of his modus operandi is reprinting the artwork he wants to steal and switching it because apparently canvases that have been MIA since WWII would have high-definition colour jpegs floating around somewhere. Or that Roger or the story isn’t grateful enough to include the forger a cut of the money he’s earning. I’m an Art History major, I know what I’m talking about. Whatever. Anyway, the painter becomes the doll in this sleek rendition of the Night of the Hunter story, because when Clas figures out that he’s been robbed, he’s going to come after Roger with full force.

The movie’s second half is a chase thriller that can’t be portrayed as scary or sincere so they’re played up for laughs, like a Slumdog Millionaire reference (you know, the really gross part). Other elements passed off as comedy are ludicrous sexuality and animal cruelty. These scenes are over the top and give us two things we might want. First is the Schadenfreude of watching a member of the 1% – a self-made man but a 1%-er nonetheless – suffer and be degraded by half of the things on the liquid abject list. Second is that it’s fun, as we join him and his small body escape or hide through the most grueling and graphic scenarios that other characters won’t be lucky enough to survive. The two men come face to face multiple times, and Roger deals with Clas in different and hilarious ways. And besides his psychological issues he’s still a smart guy – for most of the time he knows how to hide his tracks. Surprisingly, the death-defying scenarios aren’t the most ludicrous parts of this plot – the subplot concerning Diana made me eyes roll. This is a movie drenched in grossness that I feel guilty for liking it, but I do.

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The Avengers Review (Matt Hodgson)

Three months in France and 10 days in Italy; I can’t even remember the last time I had an opportunity to see a new release in a movie theatre that wasn’t the victim of a coldly indifferent dub job. Luckily, Rome seems to be a little more conscious of preserving film experience, and this past Thursday I had the opportunity to check out one of the most hyped and successful films of recent memory – The Avengers.

Now being in Europe the theatre experience was a whole different beast than I was accustomed to – in fact I could probably write a review just on Italian theatres! For example, seats were assigned for each ticket holder, and at roughly the middle-point of the film the projector was shut off and the overhead lights unceremoniously turned on to make way for an intermission accompanied by a popcorn vendor trolling down the aisle. But I’m not here to review the Italian cinema experience, rather one of the most enjoyable action blockbusters to come out of Hollywood in a long, long time.

In case you’ve been living in a pre-Y2K underground shelter, The Avengers is the cinematic version of the comic book of the same name. The Avengers is comprised of some of the most popular superheroes in the Marvel universe, and the film version casts similarly popular Hollywood actors in the roles of these heroes: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), and Samuel L. Jackson as Samuel L. Jackson Nick Fury.

As a boy and an avid comic book fan I was certainly aware of who The Avengers were, but in the 90’s they hardly seemed like a hot Ticket. The X-men dominated the marvel universe, while the skin-deep coolness of the Image universe was temporarily stealing fans from ‘classic’ superheroes like The Avengers. Since then we have had a plethora of superheroes movies, and despite being a previous comicbook fan, I have to admit that Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ version of Batman was the only one that seemed to resonate with me. This has definitely changed with the release of The Avengers.

Joss Whedon the writer/director of the film has chosen and depicted the perfect subject matter for a superhero film; the fate of the world is threatened by an alien god (Hiddleston), threatening an alien invasion – nothing more, nothing less. The heroes, earth’s only hope for surviving this ordeal, are introduced throughout the beginning of the film, and the issue quickly becomes whether or not these extraordinary individuals can overcome their differences and work together as a team. A simple concept, one that could even work on TV’s ‘The Office’, but when you have a egomaniac-playboy-billionaire with a nearly indestructible suit of armour, a super-soldier from the 40’s, a Norse God, and anger management’s least successful participant, getting along and working as a team seems barely short of infinitely impossible.

The Avengers can be charged with some sloppy dialogue at times, not the fault of the Whedon, but of Jackson and Johansson early on in the film and some of the secondary actors. However, after about 30-40 minutes the script and the actors begin to work wonderfully together and there are some truly hilarious lines and moments, not to mention REAL superhero dialogue. Also, the action sequences will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, your support firmly behind one of the combatants, but still worried about their fate despite their superhero status. A particular action sequence in the first half of the film with Thor, Ironman, and Captain America is as close as Whedon could have hoped to approach perfection.

Robert Downey Jr. is an absolute scene stealer with his deadpan delivery of comedic dialogue that we’ve become so accustomed to. Also, it may sound strange, but the filmmakers really nailed the appropriateness of the special effects. The effects rarely seem to be too much for the subject matter (an issue that I think many Hollywood movies are struggling with nowadays, studios often blowing viewers away resulting in stimulus overload), that said, the film is still packed with some crazy visuals!

Finally, the reveal at the end of the credits left me wanting to walk out of The Avengers and directly into Avengers 2. Rarely have I been this satisfied with a Hollywood movie. The Avengers is a must see for anyone with a sense of adventure or a desire to meet some of earth’s greatest heroes.

ChickFlicking – Think Like a Man Review (Nadia Sandhu)

Think Like a Man (2012)

Starring Gabrielle Union, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Taraji P. Henson

Featuring Steve Harvey, Chris Brown, Kelly Rowland

Directed by Tim Story

Think Like a Man is the latest offering in the newly minted “advice book adaptations” trend springing up in Hollywood (He’s Just Not That Into You, What to Expect When You’re Expecting).  Not only did this film fly past Zac Efron and The Lucky One at the box office, it is a surprisingly refreshing take on an age old game of the Battle of the Sexes. Finally a clever rom com to sink my ChickFlicking teeth into.

Based on Steve Harvey’s best-selling book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,  the story is set up as a series of interwoven cage matches between Harvey’s male and female archetypes:  The Mama’s Boy vs. The Single Mom, The Dreamer vs. The Woman Who is Her Own Man, The Player vs. The 90-Day-Rule Girl, The Non-Commiter vs. The Girl Who Wants the Ring.  Plus, we’ve got our narrator, the militantly happy Divorced Guy (comedian Kevin Hart), and his foil the Happily Married Family Man (comedian Gary Owen) adding their own color commentary to the proceedings.

Our ladies have got their hands on Harvey’s book and have successfully re-framed the male-female dynamic until the men figure things out and hunt down their own copy of the book in a bid to wrest back control.  Shenanigans ensue, and with sharp witty dialogue and social observations too!

Referring back to my four point rating system, Think Like a Man delivers the goods for the most part.  All four couplings were well realized, and the audience can see the appeal for each man and woman in love – a rare feat.  For the most part, the romantic foibles and entanglements ring true, all except the over the top Momma interfering in our Momma’s Boy vs. Single Mom relationship.  And it was this last scenario that also posed the most contrived drama, coming close to rendering at least one half of the couple completely unlikeable.  One suspects the slightly too long run time of this film, which clocks in at just over two hours, could have benefited from tightening up the manufactured angst for these two as well as some judicious trimming of our verbose narration.

There have been some unfair labels attached to this film. Yes, the cast is largely African American, but unlike most Hollywood films these characters don’t exist in a monochromatic world, and the relationship scenarios that unfold are universal in their appeal.  As proposals are made and accepted, and declarations of love are made and received, the film doesn’t disappoint on the emotion meter and most surprising of all, one does not feel that either sex has won the upper hand. A meeting of the minds?  Possible!

Emotional Investment 4/5   Authenticity 3.5/5   Chemistry 4/5  Contrivance 2/5

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