I've Just Seen: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

 Director: John Cassavetes

I don't really know what to say about this film because it didn't really make me feel anything. I may not have been in the right mood or mindset to watch it, but it just didn't grab me. I am not a fan of gangster films in general, but I do like interesting takes on genre, and Chinese Bookie is certainly different to other gangster films. But, for whatever reason, I just didn't go with it.

The plot is reasonably recognisable: Cosmo Vitelli, who runs a strip-joint, finds himself in debt to a powerful group of gangster who run a gambling club. To pay off his debt he must kill the titular bookie (actually the boss of the Chinese mafia), leading to Vitelli losing much of what he loves. What makes this different to other gangster films are small details. Vitelli's club is rather artsy, with a focus on themes and creativity, not just nudity. Vitelli's girlfriend is also black, and Vitelli has a close, tender relationship with her mother as well.

The cinematography and acting are low-key, making this a film that asks you to lean into it. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I can see it was well-made, and the acting is good, but it is not my thing. I have appreciated other Cassavetes films but he is not a director I have enthusiastically embraced.

Much like the acts in Vitelli's club, the title promises something perhaps violent and action packed, but instead we get something a bit different. Our expectations are defied, and if you can't change them, you are left wondering what to think.

I've Just Seen: Les Vampires (1915)

Director: Louis Feuillade

Each month I try to watch at least one silent film, something easily done thanks to YouTube and the public domain. The last few silent films I saw were not on the 1001+ list, and I noticed one of those unseen ones, Les Vampires, is one of the longest on the list. Finding a nice sharp version on YouTube, I settled down to make my way through the story's ten episodes (of varying lengths).

The film's title somewhat misled me; I thought I was in for a horror film of some kind. It wasn't until the second episode that I realised that 'the Vampires' is just a name for a gang who like to murder and steal from the wealthy. So that disappointment didn't help my patience with the film.

The story is very simple; a journalist called Philippe Guerande, assisted by a colleague called Mazamette, is trying to uncover the secret organisation/ gang known as "Les Vampires". It is headed by various Grand Vampires, each one supported by Irma Vep (gee, what could that be an anagram of?), a woman with a perchant for danger and murder. Over six-and-a-half hours we watch people get poisoned by pens, severed heads turn up in boxes, people getting captured from windows through the most hilarious means possible, and secret cannons used to launch surprise attacks.

This all sounds fun, and would be if it were packed into two hours. But everthing takes far too long. Cinema was still very much in its infancy, barely twenty years old, and the idea of compressing time had yet to catch on. Instead of a short few-second shot of someone escaping on a roof, we get the whole minute of them making their way across the roof, then down the drainpipe.

If you are trying to convince someone of the virtues of silent cinema, do not show them this film. Only watch if you want to see how far we've come in terms of editing speeds, or have a spare 6+ hours of time you need to fill. At best, it will certainly make you appreciate the craft of Fritz Lang and Buster Keaton all the more. 

I've Just Seen: Rififi (1955)

Director: Jules Dassin

Dassin made this French heist film after being blacklisted in Hollywood by HUAC; and on the strength of this film, all I can say is America's loss was Europe's (and our) gain. While it is hard to call something the 'best' of its type, few heist films are as wonderful as Rififi.

The film takes it time to explain the situation and the characters, allowing us to see their strengths, their flaws, and most importantly, start to care about their fates. The character we spend the most time with is Tony le Stephanois, a recently released criminal who gets drawn into doing another job by his friend Jo. All the planning leads up to one of the most tense and brilliant sequences in cinema it is possible to have. There is no dialogue during the heist itself, amplifying all other sounds, like the hammering on the safe, and the footsteps of police outside the jewellery shop. The film is worth seeing for this part alone, but what happens afterwards, as a group of gangsters realise Tony and his friends are behind the heist, is also fantastic. It all leads up to a poignant ending, achieved through our investment in the characters.

This film is not included in the 1001+ films list, and it really should be. While not significant historically, it uses silence in such a clever way, and feels incredibly cinematic. The cinematography captures this unglamourous yet engaging side of Parisian life, and the story's pacing, which subtlely draws you into this worlf, is testament to Dassin's skill as a director.

Sydney Film Festival: Goodfellas (1990)

Sydney Film Festival: (My) Day Three

Goodfellas (1990)



Director: Martin Scorsese

My attempts to watch this classic film are almost farcical. When it was at the library, I didn't borrow it, choosing something else instead. Then, it wasn't there. So I tried the DVD service I subscribe to; both the ordinary DVD and the Bluray copy were marked in the dreaded 'Reserve' section, meaning the company is waiting to purchase a new copy (which usually takes months). Was I ever going to see Scorsese's movie?

When I saw this year's festival was having a Scorsese retrospective, and that Goodfellas was at a great time at the Art Gallery, I knew I'd be there. I am so glad I went. For one thing, the film was an actual film projection, with all the scratches and dots that add lovely texture to the experience, and reminded me of going to the movies in the 90s (I miss the dots in the corner, telling the projectionist to change the reel!). This is also a great film, though you probably didn't need me to tell you that.

While gangster films are one of my least favourite genres, it was easy to get swept up in this world and with its characters. Joe Pesci's DeVito steals every scene his is in, being both hilarious and terrifying at the same time. De Niro plays Jimmy the Gent at a quiet level which disguises his real menace, and Ray Liotta is suitably baby faced as Henry Hill, the guy brings us into this world. Lorraine Bracco is also great as Henry's wife, who finds herself entranced by the money, power and familial ties of Henry's friends.

The film has many of Scorsese's traits, with pop music being used to place us in time and provide energy to the scenes; the freeze frames and voice overs giving the audience a god-like view of the story; and, of course, the film references.

Goodfellas has not knocked Taxi Driver or Raging Bull off the top spot of my favourite Scorsese's films, but it is darn close to these two. Though clocking at around two-and-a-half hours, it doesn't ever drag, and manages to inject a lot of humour into the story, even if the laugh is a nervous one. See it anyway you can, but if possible, do so on a big screen from a film print.

I've Just Seen: Heat (1995)

Heat (1995)



Director: Michael Mann

The gangster film is far from my favourite genre, as its emphasis on greed and crime just does not appeal to me. However, Mann's film kept me interested from the beginning, as we are introduced to the disparate characters that we will get to know of the course of this long story. Perhaps it is the emphasis on the personal lives of these characters that drew me in, from de Niro's perennial loneliness, or Pacino's Hanna's troubled marriage.

The film has a wonderful colour scheme, lots of moody blues and greys, which challenge the passion implied in the title. 'Heat' here refers to the pressure of a situation, and how one's reaction to it is the true display of character. This is brilliantly discussed in the famous scene of de Niro and Pacino over coffee. It is not hard to see why this scene is so celebrated; the two clearly have a great deal of mutual respect for each other, and it peels back the roles of cop and criminal to reveal the humanity they share. The heist scene is unrelenting, and the audience feels caught in the line of fire along with the characters; the hissing of the bullets are terrifying!

This is a great film which managed to win over this reluctant viewer with its well-developed characters acted by two of the best actors to grace the screen, and its subdued cinematography that takes you into these people's conflicted lives.

I've Just Seen: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Dokhtari dar šab tanhâ be xâne miravad) (2014)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Dokhtari dar šab tanhâ be xâne miravad) (2014)



Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

Few films mix genres so readily as Amirpour's film. Part Western, part vampire horror, part romance, part gangster, set in a Iranian 'Bad Town,' all filmed in black-and-white. A Girl Walks Home moves through its story, giving its audience little sense of what is to come next; whether the next person The Girl looks at will be attacked, helped or seduced.

While I did not fall in love with the film the way many others have, it is was difficult not to be impressed by it. The film wears its feminism on is sleeve (or chador), but it fits naturally into the plot, and cleverly re-works the traditional male vampire/ female victim relationship we usually get. The cinematography is moody, most scenes taking place at night, lit by feeble street lights. The figure of The Girl walking around in the long, black chador already feels iconic, and she appears to float over the footpaths (at one point doing so on a skateboard).

I shall definitely revisit A Girl Walks Home, as it is a film that requires you to invest in it, with many scenes playing out without any dialogue at all. Gestures and expressions are the main forms of communication throughout the story, and can be missed if the film is watched casually. Dark and unique.

I've Just Seen: Casino (1995)

Casino (1995)



Director: Martin Scorsese

There are a bunch of Scorsese films included on the 1001 Films list: nine in my edition. This puts him in the same class as Bergman, Hitchcock and Kubrick, which I would never argue with: Scorsese is a modern filmmaking master. Taxi Driver is a wonderful portrait of seething masculinity, and Raging Bull renders an ugly subject utterly beautiful. Regarding Casino however, I find myself unable to enthuse about the film as I could with the other two.

I am not a fan of the gangster genre; while many of cinemas' greatest movies are about these complex worlds of family and death, I don't find the lifestyles portrayed in them appealing in the slightest. The result is that I am unable to enter into the hedonism often presented, even if it comes with the downfall, and have even felt bored by what was going on on scren.

Apart from my lukewarm feelings to the subject matter, I can see the craft and skill Scorsese put into this film (as he puts into all his films). There is a tactility to story, presented through the shiny bright lights of Las Vegas, and the excessive wardrobe of pretty much everyone on screen. This facade is fragile, something the characters don't discover until it is too late.

The film is funnier than the other Scorsese's films I have seen, with the mulitple voiceovers from Ace (DeNiro) and Nicky (Pesci) explaining how things got to where they are working well with the images we see. The film is close to three hours, always a huge commitment to make to a film, and I was slightly exhausted at the end: the excess never stops!

A good film, but not my cup of tea.