Watching Movies 6/15

A comedy from the creators of Bottoms about an awkward situation that's filmed like a horror movie (expanded from a short film). It works for a while but the claustrophobic setting doesn't offer anywhere for the story to go except to leave the party, and even that effort is forced into cringy awkwardness, so the joke is over long before the movie, and it's not an outrageously funny joke to start with. However, you get to see the creation of a comedy team that I hope does a lot more great work in the future.

Tommy Lee Jones directs a No Country for Old Men styled neo-western centered on immigration that oddly mimics his character's journey in Lonesome Dove. Jones gets to speak Spanish and is a capable director, but the story is scattered. There's no empathy for Barry Pepper's character, and a subplot with his wife leads nowhere. However, Jones' performance and his conviction carries the movie through, along with the rugged Texas landscapes.

Cary Grant's legally dead wife Irene Dunne returns on the day of his marriage to another woman, and the script bends over backwards to keep the truth from coming out for the sake of comedy. Thankfully it's funny, although I do feel bad for how quick Grant is to push aside his new love interest. I guess it would be too much for the Hollywood censors if he actually loved both women. Garson Kanin directs a Leo McCarey story, occasionally getting a little cartoonish but milking every situation for all it's worth. Granville Bates is particularly amusing as the judge, and tossing in some queer coding and Grant's real life "roommate" Randolph Scott adds another dimension for modern audiences.

While Errol Flynn may have stolen Fairbanks' look for Robin Hood, there's not much else that's similar. This could even be considered a prequel, since Robin Hood doesn't appear until over an hour into the story, and it's mostly about his motivation to become an outlaw. It's also more of a costume epic than a swashbuckler, with hundreds of extras filling giant sets making a grand spectacle. Fairbanks doesn't really put on his famous acrobatic show until he's transformed into Robin Hood, although there's some great action near the end. Wallace Beery plays King Richard, and Alan Hale gets to play Little John in both this film and the 1938 version. 

Rob Reiner was childhood friends with Albert Brooks and directs this overview of his life and career as they sit down to chat over breakfast. There is of course the effusive praise from his comedy colleagues, a survey of his films and stand-up career, and amusing anecdotes that any fan will enjoy. It also goes into his family life and his semi-famous father. I'm a big fan of Albert Brooks so I was excited to see this.

I wondered why Albert Brooks' famous brother was practically ignored in Defending My Life, and it's because Super Dave Osbourne has his own HBO documentary. He's not as endearing a person or as significant an artist, so the doc feels less substantial, but I learned there was a lot more to Bob Einstein than a bunch of silly Super Dave stunts gone wrong.