California Split (DVD)
Ah, the languid charm of Elliott Gould. Despite my occasional “I must see every movie from the 70s” periods, as well as a Major Film Directors class in college, I had never managed to see this Robert Altman film. What is it about gambling movies that makes them so great? Is it that gambling has its own set of rules and codes that are easily extrapolated into metaphors for life (Kenny Rogers, I love you)? Is it that gambling makes people desperate, and desperate people make interesting character studies? California Split features a convincing male friendship between a born loser and a born winner who momentarily swap roles. Oh, and the dad from “Just Shoot Me.”
Izo (Walter Reade)
How did I miss the part in the writeup that described this as a “symphony of violence”? Directed by the weirder Tak[a]shi (Miike), who made another of the weirdest movies I’ve ever seen, Gozu. I thought it would never end, as over two hours of unabashed killing can be exhausting, but ended up appreciating it more in retrospect. Because I can’t even begin to explain what this film is about in the time I have before H.J. gets home for dindins, I cribbed this from the Film Threat review:
For the short answer, “Izo” concerns a low born samurai, Okada Izo, who was executed in 1865 while in the service of anti-shogun rebel Hanpeita Takeuchi. Following his ritual disembowelment while up on a cross (get it? do ya get it?), Izo embarks on a journey through time and space, hacking and slashing everyone in his path including future reincarnations of himself and characters who may or may not be symbolic representations of everything from religion to Japanese commercialism. His eventual destination is some sort of super government that hangs out in a giant mansion or something, again populated by symbolic characters, including “Beat” Takeshi as the Prime Minister. The only people immune to Izo’s wrath are the sexually ambiguous god emperor (a typecast Ryuhei Matsuda) and Izo’s mother (kinda, long story) / earth mother / embodiment of Shinto (Kaori Momoi).
Comments heard after the film:
"Well, that sucked."
“Parts of it were really beautiful and interesting to look at, but I can’t say I really enjoyed it.”
”I spent the first half of the movie thinking ‘God, this movie thinks it’s so deep’ and the second half thinking, ‘Oh, man, this IS deep, but I’m just not getting it.”
[Japanese woman] “I don’t know who translated the Japanese during the songs, but it wasn’t even close!”
"I can't believe that movie ever got made."
Masculine Feminine (Film Forum)
While H.J. is the true Godard fan, I enjoy his lighter, frothier fare but don’t care for his more ponderous work (incidentally, I can say the same of my once-favorite director, Godard protégé Hal Hartley). Masculine, Feminine falls into the former category, with plenty of French pop, beautiful but ice-queen girls (naturellement!), and clipped, witty philosophical-political banter. Plus, it’s just gorgeous to look at.
Bonus Monday night Movie: John Cassavetes’s The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
Quick quiz! Some of the following Men's Health (a.k.a., Fussbudgety Male) headlines are real, some are fake. Can you tell which ones are the real deal? (If anyone really wants the answers, email me.)
This weekend promises serious fun. Friends Em & Tobe (you may know their shoes from an old 
