Modern Times

After spending another awesome week in the woods (sorry for the silence, again) enjoying my summer job and the sunshine, I was able not to feel guilty for wasting a beautiful day by staying indoors, watching movies. This one I watched on the terrace, though, and it was only slightly too hot and bright for such activity. (Watching movies outside. On your own backyard. There's some modern times for you...)

Modern Times (1936)

Directed by Charles Chaplin. Starring Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard.

Long story short: The Tramp gets fired from his mind-numbing job at factory after suffering a nervous breakdown, and together with a homeless woman he struggles to get along in the industrialized modern society, trying out different jobs and dreaming of a better tomorrow.

As you might remember, I loved City Lights, so I obviously expected a lot from this film, too. At the same time, I was careful not to expect too much, because I didn't want to be disappointed. And yes, as I quite soon noticed, I didn't like Modern Times as much as City Lights, but was able to enjoy it anyway.

The film, in a typical Chaplin way, touches some very dark and serious topics, like unemployment, death, orphanhood, poverty, loneliness, industrialism... And yet it's a very hopeful and encouraging film. In other words, we smile though our hearts are breaking. Speaking of which, the music score is brilliant, again. Chaplin's hard work on that area (too) really shows.

I quote this from Modern Times IMDb board: "Find me a comedic actor today who can act, write, direct, compose, produce, sing, make social commentary, and roller skate like a madman all in one movie." Amen to that. The word 'genious' is sadly overused these days, but it would be a crime not to use the word when descriping Charlie Chaplin.

Modern Times was Chaplin's last film about the Tramp - it's also the only Tramp film with speech. However, it's not a full talkie. The sound is used in a very clever way: the only spoken voices we hear come from machines, techinical devices. We don't hear the Tramp talk, thank god, but we do hear him sing in my favourite scene, where he's forced to perform a song without remembering the words, so he sings complete gibberish but we are able to follow the story, because he dances and acts it out at the same time. It hilarious and very impressive, once again proving that Charlie Chaplin is the master of pantomine. (He's going on 50 here and still moving like a youngster.) These words of nonsense are the first and last words we ever hear the Tramp utter - how cool is that? (The Tramp's very last words can be read from his lips: "Smile! C'mon!" And we do.)

I'm not sure why I didn't like Modern Times as much as City Lights. Maybe it was just my current mood. Maybe City Lights' definite sense of a love story made me fall for it more - Modern Times is about friendship, rather than romance. But even if this film didn't quite reach my expectations, it was still wonderful, profound, sweet and heartwarming. And I will continue my expedition in the Chaplin universe. I think The Great Dictator might be my next stop.

Finally, a fact I can't fit anywhere else: Paulette Goddard was married to Chaplin at the time. She also (quote from IMDb) "was the leading contender for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). Her inability to produce a marriage certificate to prove she and Charles Chaplin were married, and the appearance of Vivien Leigh on the scene, lost her the part". Bugger.

"What's the use of trying?"
"Buck up - never say die. We'll get along."

Happy birthday, America... and Gloria Stuart!

OH SAY CAN YOU SEE...! God bless America and all the wonderful actors and film makers the country has given us. Including Gloria Stuart, who turns 100 today. One hundred years! She's lived for a freaking century!

She was born in 1910 (as you, who are more gifted in the field of mathematics than I am, might already have guessed), two years before the first and last voyage of Titanic, which is cool for obvious reasons. She was an insanely productive actress in the 30s, I counted she starred in 42 films during that one decade only. (If I counted it right.) I've only seen her in that one little film that tells about that little boat. Anyway, she is awesome in it. Being in Titanic and reaching 100 years means I'll write a post about you on your birthday. That's a promise, ya'll!

(My dear brother saw that picture of young Gloria and he said (using our horrible local dialect): "Ei oo pahan näköönen!" This is hilarious, if you know my 16-year-old, girl-fearing, uncommunicative, geeky little brother. I'm not sure if he was serious. I kind of hope he was. Anyway.)

A poster just gave me goosebumbs.

Super cool. That's all.

Smile, what's the use of crying?

If Charlie tells me to smile, I smile.

This wonderful, wonderful melody was composed by Chaplin for his film Modern Times (1936) - which is next on my watching list. The lyrics were written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons in 1954. It's simply beautiful. And the lyrics are beautifully simple. I think I want this to be played at my funeral.

I love that video, too. It's impossible not to smile at that funny, charming, jovial fellow. Everything he does with his hat just cracks me up.

And I do smile! It's freaking beautiful outside, we have ice cream, I get to go to work again on Monday (I know, that's not normal. But my summer job isn't normal. It's awesome!) and Paris is only one month away! Not even this little hangover can stop me from smiling. (...Smile, though your head is aching, smile even though it's... half way down the toilet. Mine is not, just for your information. Just an example.)

Link

And the radioactive spider bite goes to...

... Andrew Garfield! It's official. Andrew will play the new Spider-Man/Peter Parker.

A few days ago I made a cons & pros list of each Spidey candidate. Andrew's only cons were that he should use his talent to maybe do something a bit more, er, you know, dramatic, or whatever, and that because I associate him with Boy A, I might start crying during a Spidey film. BUT he was in my Top 3 so I'm very pleased.

I'm sure he'll make a wonderfully sweet and sympathetic Peter Parker and a surprisingly authentic Spider-Man. And it's about time the world gets to know him better. He sure has some serious talent. So the film better be good. You don't get to ruin his career.

So... Who will be the next Kirsten Dunst aka Mary Jane? I'm not really the one to speculate. But these are exciting time were living! I hope they get the film done quickly, these news kind of fed my interest towards this project...

(LEFT: Born to be a superhero? He sure knows how to handle a damsel in distress.)

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - a triumph of modern cinema!

After this morning's nostalgia trip to the golden 30s, I went to cinema to marvel how amazingly much the industry has gone forward since those days.

(Above you can see me quietly mocking the superficialized, struggling-with-inflation present day Hollywood movies (which I - in spite of all - unconditionally and irrevocably love). This might become a very sarcastic and mean post. Sorry. I don't mean it. Much.)

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

Directed by David Slade. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattionson, Taylor Lautner.

Long story short: Bella has to choose between her super cool vampire BF* Edward and her super hot werewolf BFF** Jacob. OMG you'll never guess which one she chooses!!! (Okay, really, something else happens, too. But that's what they always come back to.)

So. I will probably sound quite insincere and hypocritical here, mocking the film and the series, and yet I went to see this a day after the premiere and will go see the last ones, too and I'm writing a post about it and it will probably be very long. But Twilight is easy and fun to mock, because the mayhem around is just ridiculous. I promise I'll say something nice in the end. First I'll jeer and make some stupid sarcastic comments. Then I'll be nice and reasonable.

I read the books a year or two back. I didn't love them, but of course I wanted to know how it would end. (It ended badly. Like in a worst way a book has ended, ever. I'll get back to that.) The films are alright entertainment, for the right mood, and yes, I have the first one on my shelf, but hey I only bought it at the airport because I had to use the rest of my pounds, and...! Well. Anyway. The books are quite badly written, which is why it makes me embarrasingly angry when people say Twilight is the new Harry Potter or something. Er? No they aren't. You're wrong. Shut up.

Okay, so there's still that certain appeal to these books and films. Appeal for the girls, mostly. Though there are these so called Twilight mums that creep me out a bit. This hysterical fan culture makes the girls go crazy and thus the guys go all pissed off, because they don't want their girlfriends to be fantasizing about sexy sparkling vampires. And hell, I get it. This is exactly the reason I dislike Megan Fox. Anyway. IMDb's user rating for Eclipse tells a lot: at the moment it's 3.6 - 31.9 % gave it a ten, 48.7 % gave it a one. Most of the raters surely haven't even seen the film. Along with the huge popularity always comes the counterreaction.

Okay, enough about the phenomenon, for now. Eclipse was unintendedly comical. That's a major reason for the entertainment value. The action part is alright, mostly. The romance and drama side of the film, then, is where the comicalness begins. And it can be very frustrating and annoying, too, if you take it too seriously. Bella is the worst heroine ever. Don't follow her lead, sweethearts! Edward is a crazy, possesive stalker. Jacob is kind of normal. That's why I'm Team Jacob all the way! Nah. I'm Team Jasper. Or Team Charlie. Or Team Anna Kendrick. I'm glad they gave her more lines this time. That Oscar nomination truly paid off, eh?

Um, I was talking about unintended comedy? The CGI, man, there was better CGI on the first Star Wars, and this is the 21st century for heaven's sake, and you'd think they have money to make wolves that don't look like soft toys, but apparently not. They had cool wolves in Narnia. They had one pretty authentic werewolf in The Prisoner of the Azkaban. Ask those guys to make you a wolf, so maybe next time a dramatic scene won't be spoiled because the audience is laughing at a toy wolf. And Victoria's dead double dead body... Ha ha. By the way this new Victoria was just lame. The previous Victoria was a real badass. And her hair didn't look so much like a wig

Um um. K-Stew is still a bit annoying. R-Patz is stiff and awkward but I'll get to him (too) later. I don't think they have a stupid nickname for Taylor Lautner so I'll just call him Taylor Lautner. Taylor Lautner is alright, he doesn't annoy me because I like Jacob. Jasper aka Jackson Rathbone is hot (even better as a non-vampire!). I like his backstory and Rosalie's, too. I liked that he spoke with a slight Southern accent. Though I don't think he spoke like that before. Not that he spoke very much before. Emmett is funny. The only things I laughed at (that I was SUPPOSED to be laughing at) were some comment of Emmett's and Charlie and Bella's sex conversation. The characters felt real for a moment and were interacting in a genuine way! Wow! No, but it was funny.

By the way, I'm afraid I have to plea guilty for being a bad cinema goer this time. I hope our entourage's gigling didn't spoil any other teenage girl's movie experience. Couldn't help it, though! We were getting restless, because the movie just went on and on, and my friend asked me how long till it ends and I said ten minutes, and almost at the same time on screen someone asked how long till the Volturi gets here and someone else answered that a few minutes, maybe ten. Sorry, but the situation was funny and we cracked up quite badly. Speaking of Volturi, Dakota Fanning was chillingly good! That girl will get an Oscar one day. Not for a Twilight film, though.

I think this is a good place to say those nice and reasonable things I made a promise about. (Insert a pause here.) ... (A long pause.) ... I guess it's an official truth that Twilight films aren't GOOD, in the most profound sense of the word. (You know, when you saw the title of this post, you knew I was kidding, and so on.) BUT I don't think you can say they are bad. I mean, they are, aren't they, but after all Eclipse grossed 70 million dollars on it's opening day. That means there are a lot of people around who like the series and want to pay for seeing them. Remembering the concept of target group is important here. Of course Eclipse is a terrible movie for a 34-year-old mechanic, who likes Rambo and beer. Or for a cultured film critic, who enjoys Polish art house films and the work of Lars von Trier. Twilight isn't meant for those people. It's for the girls, who have a need to drool over handsome young men and dream about that romance that makes you bite your pillow. (I just made a Breaking Dawn reference. Outch.) So let them have their fun. I had Elijah Wood, let them have R-Patz. I'm kind of talking straight at myself here. I'm not the one to judge, I've been as bad as they are. Almost as bad.

Okay, not as bad. Twilight fans are crazy. Seriously. Which brings me to the other matter I was meant to get back to. I really feel bad for Robert Pattinson. I just read an interview where he said that he can't wait for the whole Twilight thing to be over. Can't blame him. I can only imagine how crazy his life is. Poor guy! Half of the world scream and faint in front of him, the other half would punch him in the nose if they had a chance. Roughly saying. I have done my part in this - I had my counterreaction phase and I was very enthusiastically mocking Pattinson for having a bad personal hygiene, because I read somewhere that he doesn't shower often, or something. I'd like to take that back now, Rob. I'm sure you smell very good. And I hope you someday get rid of the Twilight stigma. I don't know about his acting, playing Edward Cullen clearly isn't the best chance to show one's talents. But... We'll see. And I have to admit, he is kind of good-looking. In other words, very handsome. Just no my type, exactly.

This is crazy. I shoudn't have this much to say about Twilight. I'm not sure if I've even said anything reasonable. But. One more thing, and then I'll stop. Breaking Dawn, the last book of the series, will come in two parts, in 3D. Which I don't get. Sure, I get that people like money, but what the hell are they going to do with the movies? Breaking Dawn is a terrible book. Personally I think they should just pretend it was never written. The book's quite disgusting, and it has scenes I definitely don't want to see on screen, not even on 2D. And I'm not even getting started about The Anticlimax of All Time. BUT, it's kind of interesting, too. By now they've managed to take three mediocre books and make them into three mediocre films. Now, with an Oscar winning director, can they make a terrible book into an okay film? (Maybe. If they totally change the ending. And many other things, too.)

There. I think I got it all out of my system now. I don't know if I had a point, and if I did, I don't know if I managed to put it in words. Sorry. Here's a brief summary: Eclipse certainly isn't 'a triumph of modern cinema', but okay entertainment for the target audience, when not taken too seriously. And let's be honest, don't we all go to the cinema and pay for the ticket jus to see Taylor Lautner take his shirt off?

"I'm hotter than you are."

* BF = boyfriend. ** BFF = best friends forever. Just in case you aren't familiar with the wonderful internet slang of today's youth.

Chaplin's City Lights to light up a rainy day!

(Okay, it's not raining right now, but it was a moment ago. For a moment. Eh. I refuse to change the title. So let's hope for some rain! ... Not looking very good out there, rain-wise. Oh well. Let's all imagine it's the ugliest rainy October Monday afternoon ever.)

City Lights (1931)

Directed by Charles Chaplin. Starring Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherill, Harry Myers. (+ Produced by Charles Chaplin. Written by Charles Chaplin. Original Music by Charles Chaplin... You get the point.)

Long story short: The Tramp wakes up for a new day, attracting trouble and causing general confusion from the very beginning. By chance he meets the blind girl, who mistakes him for a millionaire. He buys one of the flowers the girl is selling and holds on to it like a great treasure. When the evening comes the Tramp meets a drunken millionaire, about to commit suicide. Charlie stops him, and they become friends, until the morning after the millionare sobers up. Later he meets the girl again, still pretending to be a millionare and when he learns she's in big financial trouble, he's determined to help her.

What can I say? City Lights is a classic, and for a reason. I try to avoid the excess of words of praise, but the film is simply wonderful. It's really a shame how the younger generation, including me until recently, is so very ignorant about this wonderful black-and-white world, where words are needless, because you have faces, expressions and body movements. Chaplin was under a lot of pressure to make this a talkie - I'm so glad he held his ground! (By the way, this is the fantastic Robert Downey Jr. in the fantastic film Chaplin, explaining in a fantastic way, why they shouldn't make the Tramp talk. Oh dear god that clip is fantastic.)

I love the nostalgic opening credits. And again, I love the shaky film quality, though it's significantly better now than in the early short films. And well, it's the 30s, after all. And Chaplin is a grown man in his fourties, an experienced film maker. It shows, really, the camera movement and editing is so much better! And of course this is a full-length feature, done with considerably more money and effort.

Needless to say, the film was very very funny. An example, the boxing scene, here. The plot is simple, and yet very clever, charming and touching. The ending was brilliance. Guess now I know where the origins of those open endings I like so much lie... Anyway. This was the first full-length Chaplin film I saw. Not the last one, though. (A trivial fact: City Lights was apparently the favourite movie of Orson Welles.)

You'd think that for a 21st century brat like me, silent films would be boring and difficult to follow, but no fear. I wasn't bored once. Me! A girl who yawns at most films made before the 90s. I'm almost hoping they'd go back to making silent films. Though it wouldn't be so much fun without Chaplin.

The man is simply a joy to watch.

"Be careful how you're driving."

"Am I driving?"