Movies I should like... but don't, part 2

While I'm on WWII movies, there's another famous, very popular, award-winning modern WWII movie that I just don't like either. That would be Saving Private Ryan.


I saw this one originally in the theater when it was released, and I didn't like it then. Gave it another chance last year on DVD, and nope, didn't like it any better. I have several issues with this movie, but the main ones boil down to:

No likable characters. It's a bunch of faceless guys I couldn't even put a name to after the movie ended, let alone relating or caring about. The only guy I liked was Vin Diesel's character, and he got killed early on. I also liked Matt Damon's titular Private Ryan, but he doesn't arrive until nearly the end. Considering how sprawling the movie is, not liking the characters is not a good thing.

More than that, I know every film is colored by the era it was made it, but there is such a modern sensibility to this movie that I just can't buy it. It bugs the crud out of me. It's hard to explain, but this movie has a sticky modern sentimentality to it that doesn't feel right to me. I like the story concept, but the way it's written and executed... it just rubs me the wrong way even thinking about it. And that weird feeling of modernness puts this layer of distance between me and the movie that prevents me from connecting.

The movie has some powerful recreations of D-Day and combat in Normandy, and those are well-done, but that's not enough to make me like this film.

And while we're on very popular modern films, I'll throw one other out there that I should like, but don't. Tombstone. This is another one I saw in the theater, and I admit, I haven't had any desire to see it since, so I haven't. This one should be right up my alley. If there's one thing I like more than WWII movies, it's Westerns. I love the actors in other films, I love the story of Wyatt Earp... and I did not like this version. I'd much rather watch Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp, or the good ol' Gunfight at the OK corral. I just failed to connect with Tombstone, honestly not sure why. I didn't even like the score while viewing the film, and I love Bruce Broughton's music. However, without the visual images getting in the way, it ended up as one of my favorite Bruce Broughton scores to listen to. I still listen to it all the time. But the movie? No, thanks. I'll take Silverado instead. Now that's an entertaining, satisfying modern Western.

Movies I should like... but don't

My sister and I were talking about certain movies that seem like they should be not only right up our alley, but favorites to boot... but instead, we can't stand them. I thought this week I'd blog about a few of my own "Movies I should like... but don't." Some are old, some are newer.

I think the biggest one on my list is The Bridge on the River Kwai.


I mean William Holden is my favorite actor! Right there alone, you'd think this would be high on my list, particularly as he spends a large portion of the movie shirtless. Rowr. I also love WWII movies. My favorite genre behind Westerns. And I love Jack Hawkins and James Donald. But I hate this movie. God, how I hate this movie. I can't even watch it for William Holden. The characters, the narrative, the themes, the music... none of them work for me. They just don't push my buttons, and what I'm left with is a gigantic snoozefest of truly gorgeous, panoramic, but endless jungle shots, a bunch of characters I can't stand, doing things I'm supposed to care about, but don't.

There's only one part of this movie I actually enjoy, and that's the bit of dialogue in the middle where they tell William Holden he's going to have to parachute in without any practice jumps. His reaction is great. That's the only part of this film I willingly hold onto. Okay, I also enjoy the bridge explosion and train crash (because I'm shallow that way), but not enough to sit through this movie just to get to that part.

The rest... sorry. I know it's famous, I know it's David Lean, I know it won a jillion oscars. I don't care. This one's just not for me.

Guess the actor's voice -- answers

Answers to the voice quiz I posted during the 30-day-meme.

1 -- Clint Eastwood (For a Few Dollars More)
2 -- Aldo Ray (Battle Cry)
3 -- William Holden (Sunset Blvd)
4 -- Spencer Tracy (Pat & Mike)
5 -- Ralph Meeker (Jeopardy)
6 -- Humphrey Bogart (Desperate Hours)
7 -- John Wayne (El Dorado)
8 -- James Coburn ("Masquerade," Combat! ep)
9 -- Danny Kaye (Up in Arms)
10 -- Dana Andrews (Fallen Angel)
11 -- Robert Mitchum (El Dorado)
12 -- Burt Lancaster (The Professionals)
13 -- Gregory Peck (Cape Fear)
14 -- Charles Bronson (Pat & Mike)
15 -- John Cassavetes ("S.I.W.," Combat! ep)
16 -- Stephen Boyd (Genghis Khan)
17 -- Jimmy Stewart (The Naked Spur)
18 -- Lee Marvin (The Professionals)
19 -- Clark Gable (Somewhere I'll Find You)
20 -- Gene Kelly (Cross of Lorraine)
21 -- Ernest Borgnine (The Stranger Wore a Gun)
22 -- Vincent Price (Laura)

It's a beautiful day!

It could not be more gorgeous outside. Southern California smog is nowhere to be seen, the air is clean and there's a light breeze blowing. The mountains are clearly visible all around my home. Snow still clings to the tops, a nice reminder it's still spring and summer is a ways off yet. I took my dog for a long walk this morning and didn't want to come back. It's one of those days that just begs me to be out in it.

One of the questions in Millie and Kate's brilliantly evil asthmatic survey was about your favorite setting. I'd answered basically anything outdoors. I've been thinking about it since, because of how important this is to me in movies. I crave outdoor beauty, and movies are a place I look for that. Westerns are my favorite film genre, and a big part of that is the scenery. The Alabama Hills, Red Rock Canyon, Arizona, Montana, Utah... As long as there's wide-open spaces and not a city in sight, I couldn't be happier.

It's not just Westerns that boast the grand vistas, but a lot of adventure movies, most fantasy films, etc. One of my childhood favorites was The Island at the Top of the World (1974). I know this movie's effects may be dated by today's standards, but I still love this movie. A search for a lost son leads to a hidden island in the Arctic where a settlement of lost Vikings still live. This film captured my imagination when I was a wee thing, and it still sucks me in, because I still crave places like those shown in the film. From the exquisite matte shots shown in the opening credits:


I'm hooked. I want to go there so badly it hurts. I could just pause the dvd there and get lost in that shot. Outdoor beauty, the wonder and joy it brings, is a necessary ingredient to my happiness. I often will recall beautiful movie scenery (whether a real place, a matte shot, or a computer generated image) years after I've seen a movie more than the movie itself, mostly because it evokes such a strong emotional response in me, and those are the feelings that stick with me.



And besides beautiful scenery, a fun plot, Vikings, whales, and volcanoes, The Island at the Top of the World has the Hyperion... the coolest dirigible ever put on film!

Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy

T-shirts! Yeah, I'm boring. I wear a lot of jeans and t-shirts. Mine happen to be wearing out, so I've been looking for new ones. Naturally I tend towards movie-oriented shirts , but I tend to like the subtler ones. The ones that require you know the movie to get it. Right now, I'm particularly fond of this one, as it references one of my all-time favorite movies, The Dirty Dozen, but rather slyly. I do believe I need to get me one!

And I have this version of "The Witch Doctor" stuck in my head right now. I love the disgruntled neighbors walking in a line at the end.



And that wraps up the 30-day meme!

Day 29 → Hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days

No shortage of hopes, dreams, or plans. They're the stuff life is made of! But they can be distilled down to staying happy and being with family and friends (including online friends) as much as possible. I plan to finish the revisions to one my novels and get it out the door to find an agent. I'm itching to get to work on a brand new YA fantasy novel that's not even a week old. I was brainstorming about this other novel idea, and this brand new idea dropped into my head. Isn't that the way it always goes? It's really grabbed me too, so it'll probably be my nano project this November. If I can wait that long.

I'd planned to train for a half-marathon, but the whole front yard landscaping thing really threw me off track, and I have this 24/7 neck pain that make me wonder how smart it is to be jarring around running. Still, I'd like to take a shot at it because I have a friend doing the same thing. I'd like to at least start getting out walking/jogging an hour a day on weekdays.

Day 28 → This year, in great detail

2010, so far, has consisted primarily of home improvement projects and very little else. After being cited by the City for being in violation of the municipal landscaping code for having bare dirt in my front yard (I'd dug it up to re-do it... they just cited me before I could start work), I was forced to start work ASAP or be fined. Deadlines are good things though, and it really kept me focused and on track. I did most of the work myself (other than the large lawn section) and am quite pleased with how it came out. Just need some patio furniture now so I can hang out and enjoy it.


That project was wrapping up just as I finally had the opportunity to re-do my bathroom, which took several weeks; in fact, the last bits were just completed yesterday.

I've done little new writing this year, but have been working on revising one novel following the lessons in Holly Lisle's How To Revise a Novel course. So far, I'm really enjoying this course, even more than the How To Think Sideways one. It is direct, to the point, and it meshes very well with my own goals in the revision.

I've inherited another abandoned young cat this year, Flinx. Well, two technically, but the other (Binx) stays outdoors and just wants a little food in the morning and evening. Flinx, on the other hand, wants a lot more than food. He wants love -- lots of it, and playtime, and to sleep inside at night, and more playtime, and more love. I tried to find him a good home, but that didn't work out and now I'm kind of glad because it turns out he's the best cat I've ever owned. He has the most amiable and loving personality, plays with my dog and other cats, catches gophers, curls up in my lap whenever he can, and is gorgeous on top of it all.

Day 27 → This month, in great detail

April: the month of spring flowers, spring showers, and birthdays! It seems most of my family, friends, and favorite actors are all born in April. There's even a wedding anniversary in there. It's a very crowded month! There's been a fair amount of rain this month, which has been nice for my new lawn. Not so nice because of the sheer quantity of weeds springing up in the backyard, but that's okay. I'd rather do outside chores than inside ones. It's kept things nice and cool too, which I like. The heat's coming soon enough. I visited with one out of town friend and got to show her around Los Angeles for the day. That was fun and a nice break.

Other than that, it's been pretty much my nice ordinary and routine week in detail times four.

Day 26 → Your week, in great detail

Well, the typical week includes 40 hours of the day job, household chores, walking the dog, playing with the cats, a grocery store trip or two, eating dinner and visiting with family, writing, reading, and watching movies. Intersperse that with internet browsing and lots of listening to music and that's the average week. To go into any greater detail would be rather boring, so we'll leave it at that!

Day 25 → Your day, in great detail

Today happened to be a Sunday, and it happened to be book club meeting day. We had just finished reading The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. One person hated everything about the book, the other three of us enjoyed it -- except the ending. Can you say crappiest cop-out ending of all time? The book is about Katherine of Aragon, and right in the middle of her early life (her daughter Mary has not even been born yet)... the book jumps twelve or fifteen years for a very strange sort of 3-page interlude regarding Anne Boleyn which is really meant to be some sort of hasty wrap-up, and that's it. The end. WHAT? Are you kidding me? I mean seriously, crappiest book ending ever. It's like she just ran out of time, said "I'll end the book here, in the middle, and since most people know about Anne Boleyn, I'll throw this little moment in which has nothing to do with anything that came before..." I wanted to throw the book against the wall, which is not a good thing, because, as they say, it's the ending that sticks with you. Give your readers a bad ending and it doesn't matter how good the rest of the book was, they're going to be angry and not apt to pick up another of your books.

The rest of the book was easy enjoyable reading, nothing stand out wonderful, nothing bad, just entertaining. I very much enjoyed the comparisons of life in Spain vs. life in England, the day-to-day details about how exactly, people ran their homes, etc.

But the end... grrrr.

Anyway, we enjoyed lunch, and then, since it was such a lovely day, my nephew spent an hour throwing rubber duckys into the pool while we watched. Then drove home, and there's the day, nearly gone. I've walked the dog, and all that's left is dinner, some writing or reading, and then bed.

Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy

I just found this quiz I'd done for my sister. I'd forgotten all about it. We were talking about classic actors voices we really liked and decided to make a quick page for each other with clips of some of our actors speaking, to see how many each of us could guess. So, feel free to guess the speaker! Some are very easy, some are probably difficult.

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Answers

Day 23 → A YouTube video

Yeah, yeah, it's another What's My Line, but this one's my favorite, and I watch it quite frequently.