Three More Pictures

I saw The Stunt Man over the weekend, but I haven't felt like writing about it. It's a very well-crafted, funny movie about reality and truth in the movies. At two hours, twenty minutes it's way too long, but I liked it well enough. Peter O'Toole plays the director of the film, who basically thinks he's god. Barbara Hershey is the film's star. And Steve Railsback plays a criminal who hides on the set, pretending to be a stunt man who recently died. It's a confusing film at times, but mostly enjoyable. I think it gets a little lost at times, but, as I said, it's very well crafted. Richard Rush got his only Oscar nomination for directing the picture, and it was well deserved.

Woman Is the Future of Man is a South Korean film by Hong Sang-soo. It's also a very well-made picture, but this one has a lot of problems. It follows two very old friends (Yu Ji-tae and Kim Tae-woo) who meet up after many years and begin to discuss a woman with whom they were both sexually involved. The men go off to see the woman, but then the film drifts off into strange territory. After an incredibly abrupt falling out between the guy we like (Kim) and the girl, the film begins to follow the guy we think is an asshole (Yu) as he pursues another woman. Then the film ends abruptly. It's a nuanced, intriguing film, but it doesn't seem quite whole, unfortunately, and I wished there were more of this film. Plus Yu Ji-tae, who is so good looking in Oldboy looks flabby and gross in this movie, and he's such an incredible jerk. I was a little disappointed in this picture.

1970's disaster movies are a great guilty pleasure of mine and I jumped at the chance of seeing my friend Ryan's copy of Airport '77. It's campy and ridiculous and fun and I had a great time watching it. This giant fucking plane goes down in the Bermuda Triangle after a series of ridiculous plot devices. Jack Lemmon is the pilot. Brenda Vaccaro is the chief cabin attendant and his lover. The passengers include Christopher Lee (!), Olivia DeHavilland, Joseph Cotten (whose eyes bug out through the whole film), M. Emmett Walsh, Lee Grant (who gives a fabulously campy performance), and a whole host of other peeps. There is even (totally randomly) a blind piano player who sings sweet nothings to Kathleen Quinlan. It's great fun.