Some Like It Hot -- 1959

I'd heard a lot about this film before I ever saw it which is what enticed me to finally get ahold of it. I'd heard it was funny, and I'd even heard some of the jokes, but this is no way spoiled any of my enjoyment for this absolute classic of cinema.

The story in a nutshell involves two musicians who narrowly escape a raid on a speakeasy in 1929, and while trying to find work, they witness a mob hit and the mobsters witness them witnessing the hit. With a contract on their heads, these two get themselves into an all girl band on an all expenses paid trip to Florida to escape the people who want them dead.

Dressed up like women, one of them gets more attention than he wants from a wealthy guy who's been married "6 or 7 times," while the other is falling for another member of the band. These situations as well as their attempting to keep their identities secret capitalizes on the comedic potential and makes for a very funny movie.

The plot moves pretty well throughout without any noticable slow downs and only a very slight contrivance near the end. The characters are as well rounded as could be expected for a movie of this genre, but the main thing is that it was fun to watch.

This is a very well put together film and puts a lot of the modern hack jobs and comedies to shame.

Ben-Hur -- 1959 -- G

Taking a trip back in time, we comes across the first big-time Academy Award winning film that took 11 awards back in 1960. This goes to show that long dramas are where it's at since this one runs about 3 hours and 40 minutes long. We also have Charleton Heston in another biblical setting following the Ten Commandments from 1956. Now he's been Moses and met Jesus.

The story follows a guy name Judah Ben-Hur, who is a Jewish prince of the house of Hur. He was once friends with a guy named Massala, who is a Roman made in charge of Jerusalem under a new incoming governor, but their friendship had a falling out when Massala wanted Judah to turn in his friends for being against the Roman government. After an accident involving the new governor, Judah is made an example of and sent away in stocks and chains until he finds a new life elsewhere. He is obsessed, however, with returning and finding out what happened to his mother and sister, who were also arrested when he was, and upon returning, he is led to believe they are dead, which sparks him into participating in the big chariot race against Massala (and quite a few others). Sure, I left out some details, but I can't tell you everything; it's against my code of ethics. Weaved into this fabric is the existence of Jesus Christ, and though he is not a major character in the story, he does play a role in Ben-Hur's life, and to Ben-Hur, the scant run-ins with Jesus are memorable and pivotal.

The film is billed as "A Tale of Christ," but it's more appropriately titled, "Someone Christ Ran Into On An Occasion." It's rather misnomed in my opinion, but that's how the book is titled, and maybe the book has more to it than the adaptation, but I can't imagine what was left out of the almost 4 hour epic, which is complete on the DVD with Overture, Intermission, and Entr'acte.

Character-wise, Judah receives the lion's share of development, and he is an odd one. He moves from a pacifist to vengeful in the course of his experiences, and still knows when to hold his tongue. I think some of his decisions were strange, especially the final one when he was with Pilate, but it fits all right and makes him real since not everyone fully thinks out their choices and acts very impulsively.

Those around him got some development, but only enough to make you relate to them from Judah's perspective. Massala was probably number two in the developmental arena followed closely by Esther and then Judah's mother and sister. A big plus here that a lot of movies lack in is that I remember the names of all the prinicpals and most of the supporting cast. That, in itself, shows some good development in the characters.

In the action department, we have a bit here and there. Judah gets into quite a few scraps with the guards. Things get blown up and burned. The centerpiece of the work is the chariot race, which is not just a thing they threw in for the fun of it. This is the climax of the film in regards to the relationship between Judah and Massala. It's an impressive piece of work that was very well done.

So, if you have a lot of time, this one is definitely worth catching. It's the first winner of 11 Academy Awards (which means I've seen all three of these winners, the other two being Titanic and Return of the King still proving that 3 hour plus epics are where it's at), so that in itself should be enough to plug it in. It's also a very good film though with a good story and a good ending.

Plan 9 From Outer Space -- 1959

Okay, I know what you're thinking... what the hell? I leave you alone for a few weeks and then come around with a commentary for the film that won the Golden Turkey Award for worst film and worst director in history? There's something seriously wrong with that, you say? Yeah, maybe, but it' my blog, so deal.

I recently watched Ed Wood (the Tim Burton biopic from 1994), and thought I'd check out the main film by Edward D. Wood, Jr. from that movie, Gravediggers From Outer Space, renamed by its Baptist Church backers to Plan 9 From Outer Space. Can't make this stuff up. According to Burton's film, it was financed to make money for the church to make 12 Apostles films, and Ed's landlord was part of the church. Anyway...

The movie was as I expected it to be, so I can't really complain. To be honest, despite its many flaws, it had some strengths too. It makes me wonder how Mr. Wood might have done had he had a real budget to work with. The film is quite simply a nightmare of low budget mania. Everything looks cheap.

But on the plus side, despite a weak story, ridiculous situations, and really bad dialogue, it isn't boring. In fact, it's paced very, very well to the point that it moves constantly from point to point, and despite the ridiculousness of the plot, it works its best to explain each and every non-sensical element...in such pain staking detail that you simply don't feel like denying the possibility in the fear that the film just might try to argue the point.

I'll admit to a level of bias having seen Ed Wood prior to this film, and actually appreciating what likely went on in the background (allowing for a bit of creative license on the part of Time Burton), the film turned out remarkably well. Yes, the cardboard tombstones fell over. Yes, they wobbled when the actors walked past them. Yes, the tomb was cardboard as well as the airplane's steering mechanisms. No, they couldn't quite decide whether it was day or night at any time during the movie.

But unlike our modern Ed Wood, Uwe Boll, Ed had almost no budget, no time, no real actors, or really much of anything else that the rest of Hollywood could keep their hands on. He shot his scenes in one take because he couldn't afford to develop more than one print of a scene; however, his actors knew their lines and actually nailed them in that single take. You know the movie outtakes where actors flub lines a hundred times and think it's funny? Ed Wood's movies wouldn't have outtakes. He took take one and moved on. I honestly don't think a take two would have helped.

So the worst movie of all time? I don't know about that. I've seen some real clunkers, and despite its flaws, this one is a heck of a lot better in my book than Scary Movie 2. Sure Scary Movie 2 had stars and a spooky house, but it was slow and dumb. Plan 9 had pacing. Maybe that's all it had, but for me a well paced movie, no matter how implausible, is a good thing to find. It means the worst movie of all time is...get this...watchable. Imagine that. That's one point that a lot of big budget movies miss. After all, they have the money to burn on pointless scenes. Plan 9 didn't have that luxury, and it worked in its favor.

Hey, something had to.