Out of Africa (1985, Sydney Pollack)

In 1986, Universal’s Out of Africa won seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. Over the years, the film has gradually lost some of its prestige. Oscar-haters, in particular, see the sprawling production as a prime example of the “safe” choices they say the Academy often makes. I wholeheartedly disagree. Out of Africa is an old-fashioned romantic epic, very much a throwback to the kinds of films Hollywood produced during its golden era. If you are looking for avant-garde cinema, this is not the film for you. But if you enjoy deeply romantic epics, with high production values and good performances, you will enjoy this movie.

Out of Africa is based on famous author Karen Blixen’s (pen name Isak Dinesen) experiences in Africa, many years before she wrote her popular stories. Meryl Streep is unforgettable as Karen. Klaus Maria Brandauer is gives a strong performances as Karen’s husband, and Robert Redford plays English adventurer Denys Finch Hatton, Karen’s lover. It is hard to accept Redford as an Englishman, but he does look the part. However, Brandauer is magnetic. That being said, only Africa itself offers Streep’s superb performance some real competition. In fact, this film does for Africa what Lawrence of Arabia did for the Middle East; in both movies the main character finds himself swept away by the foreign land’s exotic beauty.

Writer Kurt Luedtke’s extremely difficult task of adapting, and merging, three books was rewarded with an Oscar. Karen Blixen’s growing love and understanding for the Africa continent and its people is exceedingly well illustrated by Luedtke’s screenplay. The music score by John Barry is intimate yet grandiose. Director Sydney Pollack’s generic direction is effective, allowing the material to speak for itself. Overall, Out of Africa is a technically superior, elegant production. Watch it with someone you love.

The Howling (1981, Joe Dante)

Years before John Sayles (Matewan, Passion Fish, Lone Star, etc.) became known as a celebrated independent filmmaker, he wrote (along with Terence H. Winkless) this homage to horror films of yesterday. The screenplay perfectly balances black comedy with mean-spirited terror; chills are expertly blended with the giggles. Having collaborated with Sayles in Piranha (another funny and scary tribute to old thrills), director Joe Dante (Gremlins) clearly understands how to dissect the material. Dante cuts open the hairy beast, revealing a delightfully humorous tissue, which the director invites his audience to eat right out of his technically savvy hands.

John Landis’s American Werewolf in London was released the same year and it got most of the attention and support of critics, but both movies are equally important in the development of the horror genre. The Howling is particularly fun because it deals with aspects of werewolf lore in a wickedly funny and imaginative manner. The in-jokes are plentiful (most characters in the film are named after famous film directors), and the cast is wonderful. It’s a combination of old pros and new favorites. Dee Wallace, Christopher Stone, Patrick Macnee, Kevin McCarthy, Slim Pickens, John Carradine, Kenneth Tobey, and the inimitable Dick Miller are part of the excellent cast. Sayles, producer Roger Corman and director Jonathan Kaplan have uncredited cameos.

Also, the film is innovative in its use of special make up effects. Rick Baker’s (he won an Oscar for his work in Landis’s movie) and Rob Bottin’s make up work is truly amazing (the camera lingers on them like a proud papa taking pictures of his newborn baby), and Pino Donaggio’s (Carrie, Dressed to Kill, etc.) music score is magnificently unsettling. The Howling remains one of the best films the genre has to offer. This is a low-budget film, but its limited resources were used intelligently; it’s a bona fide cult classic that gets better with each viewing.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman)

Film remakes are often considered a mixture of homage, imitation, and blasphemy. They always stir up the most heated debates among critics, movie buffs, and general audiences. In 1978, director Philip Kaufman had the “audacity” of remaking the much beloved 1950s science fiction classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a film directed by Don Siegel that has achieved cult status. Both films were adapted from Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers, but while the original film was an allegory of political demagogue firmly rooted in the 1950s culture (as represented by Senator McCarthy and his witch hunt), the remake is a reflection of the paranoia and contempt felt during the aftermath of the Watergate scandal in the late 1970s.

The new approach is valuable, and while most remakes fall short of their expectations, this latest version surpasses the original in many ways. Deliberately paced but never boring, director Philip Kaufman finds the right balance between science fiction, horror and social commentary. He manages to revitalize the old chestnut with vivid new twists and turns. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of the last horror/science fiction films actually marketed to an adult audience. Here is a film that dares to raise some interesting questions about how modern society threatens to destroy individuality. It succeeds in being both relevant and scary.

In the city of San Fransisco, co-workers Matthew and Elizabeth (Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams) note that other friends and family members are behaving in a strangely unemotional manner. They discover that people are being replaced by alien duplicates. With the help of Matthew’s friends (Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright), they all try to stop the out of space invaders. Leonard Nimoy plays Dr. David Kibner. Director Siegel, Kevin McCarthy (star of the 1950s film) and actor Robert Duvall have uncredited cameos. It’s terrific ensemble cast.

Today, Kaufman is better known for his big and critical acclaimed films like The Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and Quills, but he should be very proud of this film. Although Invasion of the Body Snatchers has a relatively small budget that makes it look like a “B” film, it is still one of Kaufman’s most intelligent films. This chilling cautionary tale consistently displays intelligence and competence. Kaufman’s direction is very neatly compacted, building up almost unbearable suspense by subtle suggestions. It is a quality film all the way from the beginning to the denouement.

War of the Worlds (2005, Steven Spielberg)

It’s about time! I was beginning to get impatient with Steven Spielberg. I thought the child in him had run away. Starting with Schindler’s List, the director has made a conscious effort to acquire a reputation as a serious filmmaker. I prefer when Spielberg is allowed to let his creativity and imagination run loose though. He finally put his mature man sensibilities aside, and transformed H.G. Wells’s sci-fi classic novel into the best disaster movie I’ve seen in many, many years. Finally, a great popcorn film, and a perfect Hollywood summer movie. The kid in Spielberg’s heart came out and took over, with mad fury.

War of the Worlds is a nonstop parade of thrills and chills, and a fabulous display of what a talented filmmaker is capable of doing when he has plenty of money to spend and great imagination. My only complaint is that Spielberg couldn’t resist the temptation to try to give the movie some silly relevance. The subplot about father and his family is utterly unnecessary. Did I really care that papa was not a very good father? Give me ugly aliens and the big explosions, not some nonsense about being a bad parent. Spielberg’s technical dream team (cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, composer John Williams and editor Michael Kahn) work their magic. The movie made me feel like a kid again.

Two for the Seesaw (1962, Robert Wise)

Being a fan of filmmaker Robert Wise, I have always wanted to see this Two for the Seesaw. Based on William Gibson’s hit play by the same, Wise managed to sandwich this modest b/w drama between big musicals like West Side Story and The Sound of Music, a testament to his versatility. I was waiting to get hold of a widescreen copy. I’m glad I waited this long to see the film in its original aspect ratio because it is obvious that the Wise was determined to do something about the fact that this is a two-character chamber piece. Every shot in the film is vivid testimony of the “tug of war” between theater and cinema during  the process of translation. Andre Previn’s lovely music score is remarkably affecting. A few days after watching the film, I still cannot get Previn’s score out of my head. Robert Mitchum and Shirley MacLaine have great chemistry. MacLaine’s New york accent comes and goes but she’s irresistible. The things I hate about Mitchum – cold affect, uber-indifference, etc. – are put to good use by Wise. I was impressive with the high quality of the film, and the frankness of the material.