Under the Volcano is a late career release from iconic director John Huston, and stars Albert Finney and Jacqueline Bisset. Taking place in Mexico in 1938, as the world is on the cusp of war, it follows a former British consul on the last day of his life. As the country around him is celebrating Dia de los Muertos, Geoffrey is a longtime alcoholic who, he admits, used to drink until he shook, but now has to drink to stop the shakes. He’s been depressed for over a year, since his wife Yvonne left him to go to New York to pursue acting. On this day though, she has returned to him, practically begging to be taken back. Geoffrey obviously still loves her, but doesn’t know how to respond; he thinks she (and openly accuses her of) has feelings for his half-brother Hugh, who has moved in with Geoffrey in her absence over the last year. The thing with Geoffrey though is you never know if it is him or the drink talking, because he is always drinking. There’s some great acting here (Finney received plenty of awards nominations) but the movie was just so-so for my tastes. There’s a good feeling of impending doom as you can see Geoffrey is dancing with the devil and is well past being able to give up the bottle. ★★★
Costa-Gavras is known for his politically-minded films, and I really loved his film Z. Today I’ve got his movie Missing, from 1982, which is based on a true story. If this one doesn’t get you angry at our government’s constant involvement with other countries’ affairs in the 1970s (and still to this day!), then nothing will. It begins in Chile in 1973, where the country has just had its president overthrown in a military coup. American Charlie and his wife Beth have lived there for a bit but are now trying to get out of the country amidst all of its uncertainty, but unfortunately the airports are closed and the American embassy is sort of giving them the run-around. Things are bleak, with the constant sound of gunfire and the military shooting civilians in the street. Shortly after, the film picks up a few months later, where Charlie’s father Ed is newly arrived to Chile. Charlie and Beth never made it out, and Charlie has been missing for months now. Ed meets his daughter-in-law Beth (no love lost there) and starts asking hard questions to the American consul, but no one has any answers. The consul keeps trying to say Charlie is probably in the north in hiding, but Beth feels something more sinister is going on. As the film goes along, we see in flashbacks that Charlie became aware of US higher-up soldiers (in civilian clothes) were hanging around Chile before the coup went down, including some people with obvious CIA ties. As Beth learns of this, she suspects that Charlie learned that the coup was at least promoted by the USA, if not openly started by them, in order to oust Chile’s (democratically elected) socialist president. The story of Charlie Horman’s murder by the new regime is common knowledge today, but the film really pulls you into the mystery, wanting to know how his final days went down. The aftermath doesn’t give you much hope that things ever change amongst the politically powerful elite. Absolutely fantastic movie, starring Jack Lemmon as Ed and Sissy Spacek as Beth, both of whom were nominated for Oscars (the movie was also nominated for Best Picture and won for Best Adapted Screenplay). I grew up only thinking about Lemon in his comedic roles and Spacek as Carrie; seeing them now in several other roles over the last decade has been a lot of fun. ★★★★★
Something Wild comes from the late great director Jonathan Demme, most well known for The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia. It stars Jeff Daniels as Charlie, an uptight businessman taken for a wild weekend by a chance meeting with the free spirited Lulu (Melanie Griffith). Before he knows it, he’s in a motel room with her, but that’s just the start. He dines-and-dashes, gets introduced to her mom as her new husband, and then goes with her to her 10 year high school reunion. There, they run into Ray (a young Ray Liotta), a bad boy who obviously has a past with Lulu (whose real name we learn is Audrey). Until this point, I thought the film was a lighthearted adult version of Ferris Bueller, but it gets serious from here. Ray is actually Audrey’s husband, with the divorce never finalized, and is just out of prison. He is bad news, and wants Audrey back. She doesn’t want to see Charlie hurt, so she goes with Ray, but Charlie being the good guy that he is, is willing to risk life and limb to save Audrey. There’s good laughs in the beginning, strong thrills in the end, and plenty of excitement throughout. A fun film, and a totally 80s vibe from start to finish. ★★★½
The Big Chill is one of those “smart” movies that would probably never get made today (at least, not by a big studio). It is about a group of adult friends, who once were the best of friends in college, and have stayed in touch (for the most part) in the years since. They come together for a weekend after one of their own commits suicide. Over the course of the weekend, they lament how they used to be so idealistic in college in the late 60s, they were going to “change the world,” but by 1983 (when the movie takes place) they had grown up to be what they used to rail against in school, i.e. each are successful in their individual fields, and it seemed to happen by accident (“well, we needed insurance,” or “an office job wasn’t *that* bad,” etc). All except Alex, the friend who died, who was maybe the smartest of all of them, but who bounced from job to job and who was living with one of the friends when he ended his life. There isn’t a big plot or story, rather it’s a series of moments, glimpses into each of these complex individuals, over those 3 days. This film is made for a smarter audience than films produced today. There are a lot of quick, almost throw-away lines that, if you miss them, you’ll miss much of the drama that is quietly building. Definitely makes you pay attention! Still, I couldn’t help but feel like an outsider, a tag-a-long who isn’t party to the inside jokes and comfortability of a group of friends who’ve known each other for decades. The movie is just over 90 minutes; I feel like there’s an unedited 3 hour version out there that would explain a lot and let me into the group. Still, very well acted by a who’s who list including Glenn Close, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, Mary Kay Place, and JoBeth Williams. ★★★
Working Girls is a work of fiction but almost comes off as a documentary, and as such, it is a fascinating look at “the oldest profession.” Molly is a very intelligent woman, with two degrees from Yale, but to support herself and her girlfriend, she is working at a brothel in New York. The film takes place over one long day, from when Molly wakes up one morning until she returns home late that night, after working “a double.” Throughout the course of the day, we see the highs and lows of being a prostitute in the mid-80s. Molly and her fellow workers are safer than most, as they work out of an apartment with a dedicated doorman screening customers, who only come in by appointment anyway. Still, safety is in the eye of the beholder, as the many of the men that come, almost all of whom are regulars, have some pretty freaky fetishes. Molly and the girls take it all in stride, speaking frankly with each other as anyone would with their coworkers during a shift, and trying to comfort the new girl when she gets scared. Through it all, they bitch and moan about Lucy, the brothel’s owner, who was once a working girl herself but these days just runs the place and pines away for a married man who used to be one of her regulars. They don’t think the money they pay Lucy is worth what she offers in exchange, but obviously Lucy thinks differently. So often these women are marginalized (even in film, for the most part) so it was eye-opening to get a peak behind the curtain and see their hopes, dreams, and what makes them tick, each as varied as any human being out there in the world just trying to get by. ★★★½
- TV series recently watched: Paradise (season 1)
- Book currently reading: Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Jons Movie Takes 