Thief

Michael Mann is another one of those directors I’ve never seen.

But the name is so familiar… and it’s because he’s the guy behind the Miami Vice TV series — so he’s basically responsible for the 80s.

This is more of a 70s movie, though.

Heh. People have noticed that modern movies usually keep the protagonist dead centre of the frame — to make it easier to post clips on tick tock or just because that’s what’s everybody’s used to now? — so it’s refreshing to see a movie where most of the shots are imbalanced like this. It’s nice.

Hey! It’s that guy!

Heh, James Caan is totally doing an impression of Jack Nicholson here.

Jack Nicholson playing a tough guy.

Hey, it’s that guy!

This is basically a heist movie… but it takes so many detours. Now they adopted a child!? That’s not very Ocean’s Fifteen.

I think. I haven’t seen any of those movies.

So it’s half heist, and half very odd relationship un-drama.

Heh heh. Cops, man.

I feel like of the classic big American male stars of the 70s, James Caan is the one that’s been forgotten the most? He was just always… there… but I guess he didn’t really have that special thing? I mean, compared to… Paul Newman/Robert Redford/Jack Nicholson/etc/etc/etc.

Hm… He had a weird 80s — did just one movie every other year or so, but after that, he did a lot of stuff… and I’ve heard about ten percent of those movies, so…

I enjoyed watching this movie… on the other hand, “so this is the final scene?” and then there was 45 minutes left.

The movie tries to do a lot, and… a lot of it’s successful? Eh, whatevs, let’s go with:

Thief. Michael Mann. 1981. ⚄

Play It Again, Sam

I’ve seen this before — like, in the early 80s? On VHS? But I always thought this was a Woody Allen movie, but he’s just an actor in this one?

“>Oh! He wrote it, too? That makes more sense. So then I wonder what the story behind this is — the studio just didn’t trust him to direct anything, so they got a different director in to oversee everything?

I mean, there’s even Diana Keaton…

Right, Herbert Ross has directed a whole bunch of funny and crowd-pleasing movies.

The movie is really funny, but it is difficult getting into this movie because you know too much about Allen these days. And this movie makes it even harder, because his character’s name is “Allan”, so the identification between character and actor is, like, 100%. And him being this nebbish guy just doesn’t quite work because of what you now know.

Could the twist be that Woody’s character ends up with Keaton’s character!?

I’ve been there!

I think.

This is a really funny movie. The main problem is perhaps the guy playing Bogart? He just does an awful Bogart.

I guess this movie has kinda been slightly forgotten… while most Allen movies are available on bluray, for instance, this is DVD only.

But it’s fun. If you’re able to ignore, er, like, everything and just watch the movie. Which is difficult, but.

Play It Again, Sam. Herbert Ross. 1972. ⚄

Night Moves

Well, that’s a way to introduce a character.

Heh heh.

These shots from American movies are absurdly romantic.

This movie is fantastic! I have no idea where anything is going, but the look of the movie… the way it moves… the humour…

Hey! It’s whatsisface!

Like so many of these 70s movies I’m watching because Hazel Flagg said so, the names involved are so familiar, but then I look them up and realise that I’ve seen almost nothing they’ve made.

Arthur Penn? Is he the father of Sean? Kinda looks similar… But I’ve seem probably just one of his movies — Bonnie and Clyde.

He apparently didn’t manage to get a lot of movies made — like one every three years between 1958 and 1987.