Did The Big Chill once ring true as an honest, plaintive attempt for Baby Boomer introspection and redemption? It's an interesting thought exercise, since I find it impossible to view it without regard for generational politics. It reeks of a desperate attempt at justification for callowness, callousness, and any other derogatory shorthand that has become synonymous with the harshest stereotypes of the Me Generation. Our protagonists are whiney, obnoxious, and wholly unfulfilled by their ludicrously successful lives. Ennui and the…
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The Red Shoes 1948
Who would've thought one of the best show business movies ever would be about ballet? Jealousy, love, career...and many other universal conditions are surprisingly built into this beautiful film. The 17 minute, scene jumping ballet sequence is one of the masterpieces in all of film.
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The Warriors 1979
A heaping helping of proudly preposterous material presented through a grimy and frenetic lens. Hill channels comic books in both appearance and characters, but smears dirt and gravel over those glossy panels in a way that might not be seen again until Chris Nolan's Batman films. The result is a sense of evil and danger, even with the titular heroes. However, the uneasy balance of realism and fantasy often topples over; eye-rolling cheese is as present as unnecessary viciousness.
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Badlands 1973
A stark entry into the typically romantic "Young Criminals on the Run" genre. Badlands presents a sparse view of the miseries that lead to being swept into a life of crime, as well as the miseries that result. None of the anarchic joy that typifies Bonnie and Clyde, True Romance, and others is present here. The naturalism that typifies Malick's work dances from background to foreground as the film progresses, before eventually swallowing the two leads whole.
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