This is another one of those 70s movies that I’ve always heard mention, and have probably read a Mad Magazine version of, but never actually seen. I think it’s part of the Hazel Flagg collection, but I’m not sure? Perhaps I just bought it because it came up on Criteron’s new releases page?
Because it’s in 4K now.
Probably the former.
The director hasn’t done a lot of movies… I’ve seen that Postman version back in the 80s, and I saw Stay Hungry recently. And I saw that Monkees movie a long long time ago.
I wonder what the story behind this movie is. It seems like it’s so tailored to Nicholson’s strengths…
Eh… the dialogues here are getting to be pretty risible.
I dunno… I did like this movie, but it seems pretty undercooked — Nicholson escaping from his upper class but phony family, and the girlfriend being that embarassing — it just seems very… easy. Or lazy, rather.
But it looks good, and the performances are solid.
I guess this was a big 70s trend setter? It was nominated for All The Oscars, and after having seen this, I can better understand how so many 70s movies got that aesthetic. But I didn’t really find it compelling.
Oh! I thought this was another one of those John M. Stahl movies that had later been remade by Douglas Sirk, but I got it confused with… probably… All That Heaven Allows? So I haven’t seen this one before.
Huh… This looks very… restored.
OH MY GOD! His face is made out of rubber! This has been totally over-restored — it’s just 2K, but it seems like they’ve totally degrained it and… smoothed it? Criterion, c’mon. You gotta know when to stop.
But other than that, it looks great.
Heh.
I love the idea of setting these scenes outdoors. There’s gotta be like five people just out of screen with reflectors to get the light everywhere… Looks really good, even if over-restored.
EEEEK
Is it possible that they were just really really heavy handed with the make up?
Nah, it has to be the restoration. I don’t think it’s meant to look like this.
I mean, this is very pretty, too, but I betcha it would have been stunning in a new 4K scan without all the smoothification. It’s just disturbing how plastick-ey this looks. Not a grain in sight.
I mean, look at these shots…
Stahl and his cinematographer were just insane. It’s just one gorgeous shot after another.
I mean, look at this! This could be the prettiest movie ever (except Zuckerbaby, of course).
Every shot is on point.
Vincent Price!?
Heh, twin beds because of the Hays Code, but then she gets into bed with him! *gasp*
Oh, I think I may have misunderstood this movie… I thought it was a romance or a weepie… but is it a noir!? Is she a psycho who’s planning to kill the brother!?
Wow, what a matte painting.
OK, this movie isn’t perfect. The third quarter of this movie drags — once it’s been revealed what this movie is about, we have to follow the characters around for a bit too long. But then there’s the ending, which is the most over-the-top melodramatic thing ever! Fantastic.
But more than anything, I just loved the cinematography on this. Every single shot had something interesting going on — something beyond the call of duty. Something that could have been a perfectly fine static shot is a dolly shot, and a talk that really didn’t need to happen in front of the most magnificent mountains… does. The melodrama is over the top, and so is the cinematography.
Heh — it won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, and was nominated for All The Technical Awards, like Set Decoration. Understandable. And! It was also Fox’s highest grossing movie of the decade, according to the documentary on this disc.
I’m not quite sure why I got this movie — it might just have been on the New Releases page on Criterion and I went “oh right”.
I’ve probably seen this before? But not since the 80s.
It’s nice that almost all the blurays from Criterion are in 4K now. I mean, it’s not a huge bump in quality, but they do 100Mbps bitrates and everything looks… better.
See? Better.
Oh, I have seen this before more recently… I saw it in 2019, apparently, but I have no recollection of doing so.
Hey! Ted Danson! I didn’t appreciate Danson until I saw Bored To Death in 2010, and then I got it…
That’s what I want my bathroom to look like!
Oh, now I’m starting to remember… Yeah, I think I remember the plot of this now. The movie is a noir pastiche, and I think the plot is super duper noirish, too…
70s movies used to be really sweaty, and then 80s movies were very powdery. The sweat here is part of the plot, though.
I’m shocked at how few movies Kasdan has directed, because his name seems like such a staple. But I guess it’s his writing credits on a bunch of George Lucas properties that’s made him famous…
Anyway, this movie is pretty spiffy. Really good performances from everybody, and it got That Mood.
Sure, it’s a retro genre exercise, but it’s really entertaining.
