October recaps

Complete list:

1. War of the Century (TV) (1999)
2. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
3. Cake (2005)
4. Blazing Saddles (1974)
5. Fever Pitch (2004)
6. Syriana (2005)
7. The Departed (2006)
8. Take the Lead (2006)
9. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (2003)
10. Dunkirk (TV)(2004)
11. The Time Machine (2002)
12. The Guardian (2006)
13. The Break-Up (2006)
14. My Fair Lady (1964)

My Fair Lady

Seen a good movie lately?

Nope, I saw a great one. Another one deserving the highest rating there is to give. I didn’t decide upon it as soon as I finished it, it didn’t even cross my mind while watching it, but now it’s so clear that My Fair Lady is not only one of the greatest musicals ever, but also of the greatest movies.

It is especially great because there are things I do not really like about it, things that usually influence me heavily when considering any particular movie. First of all, the leading actress, Audrey Hepburn. She might be very famous around her time and is still adored years later, but I don’t know, I just dislike her. Not ‘dislike’ dislike, I’d just rather see someone else on screen even though the role fits her perfectly. Like her character in Charade, for example. I love that movie. And she was doing a nice job along with Cary Grant. I complained she was too young. Then in Roman Holiday, when she was doing what no other actress could have done, I dissed the story just because her performance was too “princessy”. Maybe I just don’t like her for no reason, or maybe it began with Breakfast at Tiffany, which I didn’t get and didn’t like.

Second, from 1 to 10, without knowing or having heard of the story, how many people could guess that the old professor and the flower girl–decidedly so beneath him at first look–would end up together? It’s not the not-so-unlikely love story that bothers me, it’s the actor. The guy must be, what, 50? 60? Even Colonel Pickering looked younger on screen that he. Henry Higgins might be highly educated and handsome to some in the movie, (I will need to take a second look at Rex Harrison) but the soon-to-be relationship didn’t dawn on me until 3/4 of the movie. (Usually I’m pretty good at detecting working chemistry.) It’s looking at the main actor that dismissed the idea at the first thought. I’m not saying that Rex Harrison is not handsome or whatever, it’s the story basically, and the actor who took on the role just didn’t click. Whether or not in the original play Professor Higgins was in his 50s, I can’t say for sure. The character Eliza Doolittle was perhaps in her 20s (Hepburn was in her early 30s when doing it). So if the flower girl is around 20, and the professor is indeed in his 50s, how out-of-the-world is the idea of pairing such characters together in the era of.. early 1900s? Rex Harrison himself was in his mid 50s when doing the role, and seeing that the role had also been offered before to Cary Grant (who was 4 years older than Harrison), I would presume that Professor Higgins is in fact an old guy.

Not that the whole romance idea between the upper class and lower class is a bad idea. The characters make a good couple at the end. Initially I thought the flower girl would go on herself and be successful with a flower shop or marry Freddy Eynsford-Hill or something. It just comes out as a little.. unnoticed to me, that’s all. By the way, some ending the movie was. Classic!

Third, because it is a musical, I had problems with the songs, as I always do. Some are classically good and funny and original, and some are disturbingly repetitive. But my biggest annoyance are the spoken lyrics. Unheard music, hardly distinguished tones (when Higgins sings), and it happens too long until the song is really sung. For me it was like waiting, waiting, and waiting for something great to emerge. I know it’s normal in plays and musicals to be “speaking” lyrics, nonetheless it just didn’t work for me very well.

Apparently, my problem with the actress, the underlying idea, and the music still has to give way to an unbiased opinion that recognizes the quality of this movie. Man, to round it up simply, My Fair Lady is charming! The characters are funny and endearing at most times, even the “fake” setting and costume are marvelous. It’s what happened when you let a great play be taken into account seriously.

Superbly 5/5.

The Departed

“Vintage Scorcese”, everybody says about this movie. Whatever “vintage Scorcese” means, to me a Martin Scorcese movie is identical to a guy movie. A guy movie is everything opposite of, say, The Devil Wears Prada. I watched two of Scorcese’s famous movies, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas* not a long time ago, and if anyone insists that I re-watch them, I would ask for a treat first. I just don’t get them. So, no, I don’t know what vintage Scorcese means.

It’s obvious to me that from beginning to end, The Departed is created for male audience. There’s hardly any female in this movie alone (yes, this factors in demographic), save for the department’s shrink so banally inserted between the two guys, who, despite her essential (but unnecessary) role as their love interest, would eventually play an important role in the end (does anyone for a second think this is so Hong Kong-style?). Also, it’s so infused with manliness, from the dialogues, the violence, the realm of police itself — why isn’t there any woman in the academy, by the way? Granted, a mobster kind of story does not exactly correlate with femaleness, but that’s not the point. This movie is for male audience, just because it’s made by Martin Scorcese.

Despite my feminist cry, the good thing is it’s really good. Great story (if not too Hong Kong-ish), great direction, great characters, great acting and great actors, great twists and turns, and great ending. The ending, which in my definition lasts for about 30 minutes, makes the best part of it. After the superb performance of Jack Nicholson, naturally. No one beats the old guy in the acting category. Not Matt Damon, who, though claimed as the better actor of the Matt/Ben duo, still confuses me with the question of whether he’s acting or just being Matt in every movie he stars in.

The Departed is simply a great movie. Period. Now go out and watch it.

By the way, somebody should index the use of the word “fuck” in this movie. I’m pretty sure it can go up in the list .

*Did not exactly complete it, but I will, maybe someday.

4.5/5.