I’m of the belief that some –- a relative few –- movies are way over-discussed and analyzed, while the vast majority of good films go unwatched. As the cliché sort of goes, if I had a dime for every time Hitchcock and Welles were trotted out for an essay, I might be able to afford a Blu-Ray player –I could probably even buy the El-Rey Theater. Don’t get me wrong: I love Welles and Hitchcock. Vertigo is head-spinningly brilliant. And though I find Citizen Kane a vintage bore, I’d willingly draw deeper from the Welles and watch The Trial or The Lady from Shanghai. Because even within the repertoires of over-discussed directors, there are neglected masterpieces.
And which are the over-discussed films of the present? It’s hard to take an official reading; but I hear The Big Lebowski bandied about quite a bit. Also Scarface, Rushmore and Pulp Fiction. At the same time I think it’s accurate to observe that Forest Gump has failed to appear in the ever-developing photograph of public opinion. Hype has no legs.
I’d like to level the now-playing field and unearth some movies that have been under-discussed, if not downright buried. In the tradition of obnoxious film critics who think they know exactly what movies you should see, I’m going to recommend a few obscurities.
Cutter’s Way: With all the kudos hurled at Jeff Bridges recently, it’s amazing to realize just how long he’s been in the movies. This 1981 oddity is far from his earliest work, but it’s a perfect showcase for his rare, paradoxical brand of insouciant intensity. With a grin almost painted on his face, Bridges does most of his acting through his eyes. Cutter’s Way is a weird sort of modern noir whose plot depicts a dance between opportunistic vagabonds (Bridges and John Heard) and a loathsome powerful business man. It’s hard to describe this movie, other than to say that it works on your emotions more than your love of a mystery. It’s based on the novel Cutter and Bone, which was almost the name of the movie.
Freebie and the Bean: I once read that this was director Stanley Kubrick’s favorite film of 1974. One of the first cop-buddy movies –- a genre that’s still going strong -- Freebie and the Bean was directed by Richard Rush, a rather unprolific genius who had the rare gift of understanding stunts and action as much as how to bring out the most in an actor. Throughout the film, the two leads, played hilariously by James Caan and Alan Arkin, bicker and gripe. They get personal with their insults. The grouchiness, however, is tempered by a lighthearted rhythm, as if they really don’t take their jobs very seriously. Somehow, Caan and Arkin are in the same middling mood whether their world is safe and subdued or they’re driving their car through the wall of an apartment building. Freebie and the Bean is what I would call an action-comedy, but it has some shocking and perverse twists that put it in a unique category. It’s only available at the Warners Archive store.
Forever Mine: Paul Schrader wrote Taxi Driver, a film that I put in the same category as A Clockwork Orange for a couple of reasons. It’s about the way society can reprogram and ruin a human being. It’s also no fun to watch. I can’t think of a less-enjoyable “masterpiece. On the other end of the spectrum is Forever Mine, Schrader’s best movie. For one, unlike Taxi Driver (which has his fingerprints all over it), this time he not only wrote but directed. Joseph Fiennes and Gretchen Mol have a great, ready-made chemistry, as if they came straight from a chemistry set. Ray Liotta makes an effectively boisterous villain; he’s the epitome of a horrible person. If you missed this 1999 movie, don’t blame yourself. Nobody saw it. One commercial detriment was that Forever Mine is both a love story -– a tear-jerking love story –- and a gritty crime drama. Structurally it feels a lot like something from the ‘50s, but it wields the ‘70s-style violence for which Schrader has become known.
Watch these movies. If you like them, get the word out. And be sure to talk above the tireless voices that won’t shut-up about Citizen Kane.
Jordan Oakes is a local journalist who has written for publications such as St. Louis Magazine and the Christian Science Monitor. He has strong opinions that begin to atrophy if he doesn't exercise his right to express them. Tune in every Wednesday for another installment of Mediatribe - and if you missed last week's post, click here.
