Modern Times (1936)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Modern Times (1936) – C. Chaplin

Similar to The Gold Rush (1925), Chaplin’s Modern Times is really a hodgepodge of bits that only vaguely connect to a larger plot. Some of these bits are plenty funny (Amon and I both laughed out loud). I wrote a review earlier (15/8/11), saying: “A series of sketches loosely focused on the trials and tribulations of the tramp in the industrial age (in the role of a factory worker), including the iconic scene where he is sucked into the gears of the machinery. Some hilarious stuff and fresher than you would think from 1936. The depiction of desperation (stealing for bread, shantytowns) and the role of unions and communist thought in the lives of workers make this more than just slapstick.” I might add that Paulette Godard is smashing as a vagabond gamin/love interest. Also, given that the silent era was over, Modern Times is a bit of a holdover, using inter-titles and music with only occasional sound effects and small amounts of dialogue and singing and for that reason it was not a success at the time.

Lovecraft Country (2020)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Lovecraft Country (2020) – M. Green

When this series captures the uncanny or the full-blown weird, evocative of the pulp tales of Lovecraft or others toiling in the genre in the 1920s & 30s, it really hits the spot.  But integrating this weirdness into immediately pre-Civil Rights era America is the masterstroke that allows creator Misha Green not only to address Lovecraft’s racism but to forcefully depict and denounce the true horrors facing African-Americans (expect a lot of anachronistic intertextuality, including speeches, music, etc.). Each episode adopts a different genre or multiple genres (haunted house, science fiction, adventure, etc.) that we know and love from pulp but invest them with extra layers for the sociologically minded. The most interesting from that angle is probably the one where Ruby takes the potion that allows her to appear white for a short time, seeing the world through the eyes of the privileged – and then molting this new skin in the gory and grotesque way of the modern horror film. This combination of genre and politics is reminiscent of Jordan Peele’s work (esp. Get Out) and he served as producer on the series (as did J. J. Abrams).  There’s enough violence and sex and gruesomeness here to attract viewers who desire those things but at its heart, this is a family drama with Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, Michael K. Williams, and Aunjanue Ellis (among others) uniting to fight off the evil sorcerers of the secret society who seek immortality at the expense of our heroes. In truth, across the 10 episodes, not everything works, but it’s a noble effort, particularly if you are inclined to these genres.

Jurassic Park (1993)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Jurassic Park (1993) – S. Spielberg

Although I doubt I would have given this 4 stars even thirty years ago when it was new, there’s something about seeing it on the big screen and through the eyes of 9 year-old Amon that added extra value. Sure, the characters are still only schematic nods in a certain direction rather than fleshed out living and breathing humans but they serve the purpose of advancing the plot and creating concern/anxiety where it needs to be created (kids in peril!). Spielberg was always a master manipulator of the audience and his goal here seems purely to thrill -- with any message from Michael Crichton’s source novel about the dangers/risks of using science to interfere with natural processes only noted in passing. The fact that we aren’t fully attached to the characters probably makes it easy for us to stomach their untimely passing when, of course, the genetically re-engineered dinosaurs get loose and wreak havoc (so long Samuel L. Jackson). I had forgotten that Wayne Knight (“Newman!”) is the central bad guy here although his money-grubbing motives seem to pale in comparison to the grand moral failing of David Attenborough, the impresario who set the entire theme park in motion, inviting the cascading negatives events (predicted by Jeff Goldblum’s chaos theoretician) that bring about the premature end of his dream. Sam Neill and Laura Dern play paleontologists/audience surrogates who learn about the park, see the creatures with wonder and then terror. But of course, the whole movie itself is really a theme park ride, filled with animatronic and CGI monsters that provide the jump scares and evil glares that send kids screaming. Now Amon is asking about the sequels but I don’t think so…

Throne of Blood (1957)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Throne of Blood (1957) – A. Kurosawa

Kurosawa filmed his version of MacBeth as a horror movie, shrouded in fog, with Toshiro Mifune haunted by his own demons – as well as a Japanese-styled evil spirit who offers the prophecy that leads both Washizu/MacBeth and Miki/Banquo (Minoru Chiaki) to their doom. Transferring the Scottish play to Shogun-era Japan works well, even if (or especially because) Kurosawa’s rendering is more visual than verbal. The quickly-cut shots of the leads galloping through the woods around the castle are splendid and reminiscent of similar shots in Seven Samurai, whereas the scenes with armies riding and marching in procession foreshadow Ran’s grander tapestry. As in Ran, the horror here is personal, drawn from Shakespeare’s insight into human weakness and, although the famous lines are absent, the twisted effects of the lust for power are just as palpable in the fates of Washizu and Lady Washizu (Isuzu Yamada). Dark and noirish but oh so Japanese in its flavour.