Quick Takes, June 2023

The Return

The Return is the debut feature film from Andrey Zvyagintsev, most famous for his 2014 feature Leviathan. This 2003 film tells the story of two brothers on the cusp of puberty who are reunited with their father after a mysterious twelve year absence. Dad takes them on a fishing trip to an isolated lake. The boys find their father to be a cruel taskmaster and the trip turns into an ordeal. The Return is monotonously grim, but I would recommend it to those seeking challenging fare.

Tay Garnett's The Night Fighters, from 1960, is a Robert Mitchum vehicle set in Ireland during World War 2. Mitchum is a member of an IRA cell which is being prodded by the Nazis to create unrest in the emerald isle while the Battle of Britain rages. Predictably, Mitchum's character has a crisis of conscience and abandons his comrades. Worth seeing for the entertaining banter between Mitchum and Richard Harris alone. The pubs of Ireland must have had to stock up when alerted to the presence of such eminent tankard men as Messrs. Garnett, Harris, and Mitchum. The film also features good performances by Cyril Cusack, Dan O'Herlihy, and Marianne Benet. A worthy late film from the underrated Garnett,

Ben Affleck's Air is an amiable workplace comedy which chronicles Nike's campaign to sign Michael Jordan to an endorsement deal. Affleck's breezy directorial style is a good fit for this pleasant and inconsequential flick. Matt Damon is well cast as a schlub and so is Affleck as the cocky Phil Knight, but it is the winning supporting cast that gives the film most of its charm: Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, Jay Mohr, and Barbara Sukowa all contribute memorable bits. The face of the actor portraying Michael Jordan is never shown, like Jesus in Ben Hur.

Billy Wilder's Fedora, from 1978, is a rehash of Sunset Boulevard, though this time William Holden doesn't have to play the corpse. Fedora herself is a reclusive star, modeled on Garbo, who Holden's character wants to entice back to the screen. Tom Tryon's novella, the basis of Fedora, is thin showbiz gruel. Hildegard Knef gives the film some camp value as "The Countess" and I enjoyed the recreation of The Emperor Waltz. However, the film is static and predictable, especially the multi-flashback structure. Atherosclerotic cinema, but still, a more interesting and expressive failure than either The Front Page or Buddy, Buddy. With Marthe Keller, Jose Ferrer, Frances Sternhagen and both Henry Fonda and Michael York playing themselves. 

George Marshall's Houdini, from 1953, is a forgettable biopic about the legendary magician and escape artist. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, then a married couple, play Mr. and Mrs. Houdini. The domestic scenes are tiresome: Leigh constantly chiding her hubby to consider a safer profession. The sequences showing Houdini's performances fare better, showing off Curtis' physicality and Marshall's vaudeville charm. 

Damien Chazelle's Babylon is a polished elephant turd of a movie. Chazelle's films have diminished in quality as they have grown in ambition. There are some good supporting performances on the periphery of this three hour epic: I enjoyed the contributions of Olivia Wilde, Olivia Hamilton, and Flea. However, there are an abundance of deplorable performances: I'll omit the names of the many players due to youth or prior contributions. The whip pans ping ponging back and forth between actors drove me crazy. Baz Luhrmann, all is forgiven.