Reviews you didn’t even know you were waiting for!
May 4, 2008Alas, my promised movie reviews were waylaid by a number of applications that were due this past Friday. And even though I should be grading some midterms now, I couldn’t bear to leave my poor little blog negected anymore. So here’s the down and dirty version.
Pandora’s Box (1929)
Since it was a couple weeks ago when I actually watched this, I have to stretch my memory a bit to give you a decent review (my brain’s powers of retention are sad, I know). Being a fan of silent films, I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this one before, but after seeing it I think it definitely belongs in the ranks on one of the top silent films ever made. Quick plot summary: Louise Brooks plays Lulu, who’s essentially a kept woman, but has the misfortune of attracting attention from pretty much everyone she meets. I’ve seen some films critics describe her character as innocent and inadvertently destructive, although I think the movie gives evidence enough to argue that she’s quite selfish and manipulative. Regardless, the story revolves around the tragic effects of Lulu’s somewhat inadertent charm, which ultimately spares no one, not even Lulu herself.
Of course, what makes this film work is Louise Brooks, who I’m tempted to think was actually so much like her Lulu character in the movie that she hardly needed to act at all. Regardless, she’s a unique and captivating presence on the screen, and even though some parts of the story seem to push the believability factor a bit, Brooks always manages to pull you back in. Indeed, you do start to believe that the people around her really would do whatever it takes to keep her nearby. Ultimately, it a dark tale with a complex and challenging moral compass–is anyone culpable for their infatuation with Lulu? Is Lulu herself to blame for the misery of others that follows in her wake? Despte her potential manipulativeness, she never compells people to take the actions that lead to their ultimate downfall. Maybe there is no morality to find her. Maybe it’s just a story of ill-fate. Whatever its about, it’s a movie well worth watching!
Robot Monster (1953)
Robot Monster is a fantastic movie, although in quite a different way than say, Pandora’s Box. Robot Monster is a fantastically *bad* movie. Highlights of the film include ridiculous costumes, constantly reused loops of film, terrible dialog, and a barely coherent plot. Yet, all of these things combine to make for an incredibly fun movie. You can’t help but laugh when you see this movie, and I guarantee you’ll be quoting things like “Yes! To be like the hu-man! To laugh! Feel! Want! Why are these things not in the plan?”