Calls in the maid who takes it from him, throws it in the dustbin....

I don't know if there is a difference in the English and German versions - I show the German one in my class - but here the maid throws the dead bird into the fire. Which always elicits a nice gasp from my students.

I show the beginning of "Blue Angel" when discussing the transition to sound, along with the end of "All Quiet on the Western Front" and various bits of "M". Now there's another classic. After I show them the scenes around the first "on-screen" murder, you could hear a pin drop.

Except that, in Inception, the only character who's a mystery to himself is Dom - everyone else just chooses not to reveal much of anything.

Yeah, but isn't that because, like The Game, a main point of Inception is that it functioned as an intervention for the main character. He had to be pushed to change.

the level of technological brilliance is offset by the fact that you don't really connect with the characters on a deep level

Interesting. I don't disagree, but I think that's actually what I like about Nolan (and the Coens & Kubrick, for that matter). I mean, I agree that he's not concerned with getting the audience to really identify with the characters, but historically I don't do that anyway, so. I guess... to me there's usually a deliberate exploration of "What sort of person would do this, and why?" Whether or not we should support those choices is left open. (And I do understand that this is why many people don't like those directors. But: I'm right and everyone else is wrong! Ptbtbtb.)

I don't know if there is a difference in the English and German versions - I show the German one in my class - but here the maid throws the dead bird into the fire.

Just thought it was a funny shaped dustbin. But you are right, it was a fire, which would have had even more impact if I realized it. Yes it was the German version with English subtitles. Did not know there was an English version.

I show the beginning of "Blue Angel" when discussing the transition to sound, along with the end of "All Quiet on the Western Front" and various bits of "M". Now there's another classic. After I show them the scenes around the first "on-screen" murder, you could hear a pin drop.

I love "M"! That's one of my all-time favorite films. It's a great movie to demonstrate how silent directors adapted to sound, since so much of it could have been done as a silent film (I'm thinking of all those long scans of the streets, with only silence on the soundtrack), but so much more works only because of the sound and voices (the killer's impassioned defense of his actions ["Ich musse, ich MUSSE!"]). Such an amazing movie.

Movie reviews! Featuring Fright Night (original), Choke, Wicker Park, The Sweet Hereafter, Bullets over Broadway, When Harry Met Sally..., The Adjustment Bureau, [REC] 2, Insidious, Hamlet 2, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Limitless, Sleepy Hollow, and Chinatown.

M, Blue Angel, All Quiet on the Western Front are all brilliant. Western Front gets a little talky at times, but some great scenes there (and not just the last one).

Saw an interesting oldie over the holiday weekend -- The Murder Man. One of the two principals in a possibly crooked investment firm is murdered. A newspaper reporter known as "The Murder Man" for his brilliant coverage of crimes (played by a young Spencer Tracy) unravels the mystery. Then the plot twists start, and it'd be really unfair to say anything more.

The story carries this one, and it zips along in not much more than an hour. And, yes, that is James Stewart playing the ironically named Shorty.

Also an interesting if flawed Hitchcock -- I Confess. A man confesses a murder to a priest (played by Montgomery Clift). The police officer investigating the murder (Karl Malden) begins to suspect the priest for reasons relating to a pre-ordination love (Anne Baxter), who's now married to a prominent politician. And the priest, of course, can't tell what he learned in confession.

It could be a very good movie because of the priest's dilemma. But the movie emphasizes the woman's position and barely does anything with the priest's situation. Clift may be the greatest combination of physical appeal and acting skill ever -- but he isn't allowed to do anything with what could have been a great movie dilemma.

And anyone who isn't familiar with the Catholic confession (and to be fair, my upbringing was thoroughly Protestant, and I was familiar enough) is going to scream, "Just tell the police already!" without knowing the full story.

I still think you should be able to talk.

Contagion
Sept 9

So we saw Contagion tonight. It wasn't what I expected at all. I think I liked it but I'm unsure. I guess my main take-away is that my ex-boss is going to be so sad that all the scenes they shot in the Atlanta office got cut, the company was nowhere to be seen in the movie (oh and I probably shouldn't be happy about that, but I sorta am.) Man, they gave Jude Law some bad teeth too. It was sort of distracting.

Dawn,

I kind of share your reaction. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't really expecting that kind of film. I found the movie entertaining, but it isn't GREAT. Upon reflection, it probably isn't that far from a good tv movie.

I was disappointed that they didn't convey more science. For example, if this was a flu-like virus, the weather warming up would likely reduce its communicability, so the main crisis period would be winter. Around April, its spread would reduced. Or, what percent of the population is immune? Couldn't they test for that more quickly than trying to develop a vaccine? Beau thought it was ridiculous that the scientist tried the vaccine on herself. I'm not sure I would go that far, but vaccines not properly tested can harm people. Was there no discussion of that?

How did you read Jude Law's character?

did he have the virus and was lied to by the government, or he didn't have the virus and he wasn't sick at all when he was filming his videos.