Papillon (1973)

Last December I finally bought and read Henri Charrière's autobiography Papillon. I wasn't crazy about it at first and I only kept reading because it was damn expensive and I didn't want to waste money like that. Eventually, it grew on me and I ended up loving it. So when I learnt there was a movie based on it, starring no less than Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, I knew I had to watch it. I've been putting it off ever since because of its length. I wouldn't have missed much if I kept putting it off as Franklin J. Schaffner's Papillon isn't that memorable. 

The film follows Henri Charrière (Steve McQueen), also known as Papillon, who, wrongly convicted of murdering a pimp, is sentenced to life and imprisoned in the penal colony in French Guyana. On his voyage there, he meets Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman), a forger who sold fake government bonds. Degas has enemies, Papillon vows to protect him and, over the years, with Degas's help, he attempts to escape many times, despite solitary confinement being the punishment.

Whether you believe it to be true or not —I tend for the latter as they are a lot of inconsistencies and fabrications in his "autobiography"—, Papillon's book arguably is a fascinating and compelling one filled with many interesting adventures. It's obvious that it's not possible to fit 500 pages in a two and a half hour movie, and I was not expecting the film to even attempt at that. Unfortunately, the adventures it tells aren't as interesting as they were in the book as the film tends to drag a little and is tremendously slow paced at times. In addition, the many things left out from the book —Papillon being befriended by strange people all the time, from leppers to cannibals, for istance— make the film quite confusing for those who haven't read the book. 

But while the story isn't nearly as entertaining as it was in the book, it still manages to capture the meaning of it. It is an ode to the human spirit, its strength and its desire for freedom; it portrays the weakness of human nature but also how much a man can endure; most of all it is a harrowing portrayal of the horrors of solitary confinement —arguably one of the worst things a human can do to another— and what it does to a man. 

If Papillon is as effective as it is, the credits go entirely to the cast, specifically to the leading actor, Steven McQueen. Other than being exactly as I pictured Papillon while reading the book, he gives one of the best if not the best performance of his career, as he delivers the Papillon's struggles, both physical and psychological, to perfection, in a way that we, the audience, feel them, and whether it's happiness, hope, depression or insanity, you can read it on his face. Also noteworthy is the performance from Dustin Hoffman as Louis Dega. The character, who only plays a minor role in the book —he isn't even sent to Devil's Island—, is very compelling because of Hoffman's excellent performance. The chemistry between McQueen and Hoffman, on the other hand, isn't that great —apparently they did not ge along on set— and because of it they fail to convey a sense of loyalty and friendship. 

Allied Artists, Columbia Pictures

Ultimately, while it captures the meaning of the book, McQueen and Hoffman give excellent performances and it's gorgeous to look at —the cinematography is both breathtakingly beautiful and brutal at the same time—, Papillon is quite a mess. It feels slow and rushed at the same time, it isn't very entertaining as most of the funny moments don't work, and it's extremely boring. 

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)

When I first saw The Meyerowitz Stories on Netflix, I decided I would pass it because of Adam Sandler. He's always so annoying and his movies are always so stupid, I didn't want to waste time watching it. Then Kevin over Speaks in Movie Lines spoke highly of it (and Sandler's performance) so I absolutely had to check it out. And I'm glad I did because it was a real joy to watch.

It tells the stories of three estranged siblings, Danny (Adam Sandler), Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) and Matt (Ben Stiller), that reunite when their bitter ageing father (Dustin Hoffmann) gets hospitalized and try to figure out how to step out from their father's shadow and live their own lives.

The film portrays and analyses with wit and realism this dysfunctional family, mainly focusing on the rivalry between Danny and Matt, unemployed and divorced the first, successful business-wise but trapped in an unhappy marriage the latter.

Which brings me to the only problem I had with this, it completely left out Jean's story. Watching the multiple storylines unravelling and witnessing the slow amending of the relationship between the characters and their growth (especially Matt's) was interesting and enjoyable but the movie ends and we barely know a thing about Jean. And it's a shame because her character could have been so interesting.

Netflix

But now let's talk about the real deal here, Adam Sandler. Yes, you read that right. Adam Sandler gives his best performance ever as Danny, the older brother dealing with a divorce and with the loss of his daughter Eliza, brilliantly played by Grace Van Patten, who is leaving for college. I know it's not that hard to top his past performances, but this one could (and hopefully will) lead to an Oscar nomination. Also, the chemistry he has with Grace Van Patten is great and they share a father-and-daughter moment that is the most emotional, touching and beautiful moment of the film.

Ben Stiller is also very good as Matt, the successful brother and favourite son. His character is the one that changes the most throughout the film, and he's able to deliver that. And he's really great at portraying that struggle between staying calm and polite and just losing it at the beginning of his story when he's having lunch with his father (I could really relate to that). Dustin Hoffman also gives a great performance as Harold, the family patriarch who can face his failure as a father and can accept the fact of being a nothing more than a mediocre artist. Great support also comes from Elizabeth Marvel who unfortunately doesn't have a lot of screen time but never misses the change to shine, and Emma Thompson who plays Harold's new wife, a quite unlikable and almost-unexistent character.

Rain Man (1988)

Genre

Drama

Director

Barry Levinson

Country

USA

Cast

Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen, Jack Murdock, Michael D. Roberts, Ralph Seymour, Lucinda Jenney, Bonnie Hunt, Beth Grant, Ray Baker, Barry Levinson

Plot

As his father dies, self-centered Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) learns that a $3 million estate is going to his savant brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) that Charlie didn't know he had.

Opinion

Rain Man is a fascinating, moving, and powerful road movie, that focuses more on the relationship, constantly growing, between two brother who were completely strangers until a week before, than on the trip itself. 

Barry Levinson's direction is impressive, and his choice to shelve dialogue to leave more room to the expressiveness of the two actors turned out to be spot on. In fact, often, body language, silences and glances exchanged between Cruise and Hoffman steal the scene and those are the most moving and emotional moments of the film.

I am not sure about the Best Picture Award but the cinematography by John Seale and the musical score by Hans Zimmer are fantastic. 

Dustin Hoffman give a fantastic portrayal of an autistic man, living in his own world, and unable to comprehend the real one. Tom Cruise is fantastic, his character transformation is very believable, and his attitude changes so gradually you barely notice. Hoffman and Cruise are excellent together and the chemistry between the two of them is touching.

Quotes

Charlie: Listen... Ray, I don't know if I'm gonna have a chance to talk to you again. Because you see, these... Dr. Bruner really likes you a lot, and he's probably gonna take you back. You know?

Raymond: Yeah.

Charlie: What I said about being on the road with you I meant. Connecting. I like having you for my brother.

Raymond: I'm an excellent driver.

Charlie: Yes, you are. I like having you for my big brother.

Raymond: C-H-A-R-L-I-E. C-H-A-R-L-I-E. Main man.

New in June: Go Big or Go Home (2014)

Netflix continues to bolster its back catalog of important directors. There are new additions this month from Woody Allen (Annie Hall), Jim Jarmusch (Coffee and Cigarettes), Howard Hawks (El Dorado), Steven Spielberg (1941), and three more from Robert Altman, not to mention the return of those itinerant Francis Ford Coppola films that never seem to stick around for more than a month or two. And in the No News Is Good News department, the handful of James Bond movies that showed up last month remain available�a first in the year-plus since this blog began. Bond titles, as many of you know, usually vanish after 30 days. But one of the bigger stories in June is the streaming debut of a movie as infamous as it was unavailable (at least in the U.S.), and as underrated as it was underseen�the one, the only:

Ishtar (1987)

"Honest and popular don't go hand in hand"

An early example of a movie reviewed for its budget rather than its quality, Ishtar sits only a notch below Heaven's Gate in terms of the critical scorn and audience indifference hurled its way. It may not have ruined a studio, but it certainly helped ruin the directorial career of Elaine May (who also wrote it), and long served as one of a handful of poster children symbolizing Hollywood excess prior to today's Tentpole Era. Me, I've always thought the movie got a bum rap. Having seen it during its initial�extremely brief�theatrical run, I remember being puzzled by the critical pummeling. Certainly it wasn't The Greatest Comedy Ever, but it was clever, entertaining, and silly in equal portions. Essentially a big-budget homage to the Bob Hope-Bing Crosby road pictures (anyone remember those?), it revels in the absurdity of Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, as two of the world's worst songwriters, getting dragged into an international crisis involving the CIA, gunrunners, and Middle Eastern revolutionaries. Hoffman and Beatty have a blast playing against type (Beatty is hopeless with the ladies), bringing real zest to their off-key interpretations of the deliberately awful Paul Williams songs they're meant to have written. Some of it may be dragged out and, at times (yes), excessive, but like the characters in a Will Ferrell or Farrelly Brothers movie, these are very smart people playing stupid, and most of the time they get it right�especially Charles Grodin, whose sly underplaying steals every scene he's in.

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New in February: More '70s Tales (2014)

Some classic 1970s flicks found their way to Netflix Instant this month, partially making up for recent losses in that department. And who better to represent the last golden age of cinema than directors Robert Altman, Hal Ashby, and John Schlesinger; and actors Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, Bud Cort, Peter Fonda, and Nick Nolte? But even if that era leaves you cold (and if it does, you may need to check your pulse), you can also now stream Billy Wilder's transcendent Sunset Boulevard (1950) and Bryan Singer's deliciously beguiling The Usual Suspects (1995)�two films worthy of permanent residence in your queue (or as permanent as Netflix allows). [Note: Both have since expired.]

M*A*S*H (1970) - EXPIRED 1/31/15

It seems that each time a Robert Altman film leaves Netflix, another one appears, H.Y.D.R.A.-like, to take its place. In this case one could argue it was a fair swap. Out with Cookie's Fortune, in with M*A*S*H, the director's first big hit? Yes, please�especially if you've never seen this anarchic, groundbreaking comedy that marked the beginning of a long career filled with nearly as many highlights as lowlights�which is saying a lot, considering Altman's numerous duds. (They can't all be winners, right? Just ask Woody Allen, who's having a career resurgence similar to Altman's in the '90s.) Not only did M*A*S*H spark the careers of Altman, Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, and Sally Kellerman (among others) while providing the template for one of television's most successful TV shows, it also introduced a new mode of screen comedy (raunchy and adult), a loose, semi-improvisatory acting style, and a level of overlapping dialogue not heard since 1940's His Girl Friday. The advances in sound recording and mixing alone make M*A*S*H noteworthy, but of course that's ignoring the realistically casual performances and still-shocking black humor. Sure, some of the political incorrectness and a seemingly endless football finale may draw frowns, but the film retains a freshness and daring that ensure its place in the pop-culture canon. Not to mention it makes the characters on the ensuing TV series seem practically neutered.

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October Expiration Watch (2013)

As with every month, it's time to say goodbye to some exceptional titles that will no longer be streaming on Netflix. This time around, those among the fallen include Wes Anderson, the Coen Brothers, Woody Allen (again), Sam Raimi, a Best Picture winner, a sci-fi sleeper, and two of Francis Ford Coppola's most interesting, least-seen films (along with one of his best). Oh, and Jack Nicholson playing faux Jimi Hendrix in a ponytail.

The Evil Dead (1981)

If this wasn't the first of the "cabin-in-the-woods"-type horror films (it wasn't), then it certainly helped codify the rules for such movies, igniting a mini-franchise for first-time director Sam Raimi, a cult following for star Bruce Campbell, and a subgenre that's been exploited to the point of post-modern excess (see: Joss Whedon's giddily entertaining The Cabin in the Woods). Sure, Raimi's budgets and technique would improve exponentially in the years to come, but there's no mistaking his ghoulish glee at mixing horror, humor and gore with founts of foul, unidentifiable fluids. We'll consider it a sick joke on Netflix's part that this movie expires at midnight on Halloween. Meanwhile, Evil Dead 2 remains available if you're still looking for something gooey and dangerous to lock in your cellar. Trivia note: We all know the heights to which Raimi's career eventually reached (can you say Spider-Man?)�but did you know The Evil Dead's young assistant editor was none other than Joel Coen? Speaking of whom...
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