by Sam Juliano
The dog days of August are approaching, and many of us are doing what we can to stay clear of the oppressive heat. Others couldn’t be happier to indulge in outdoor pursuits. The Greatest Television Series Countdown moves ahead triumphantly with all the writers and comment section regulars making for an astoundingly successful venture. Another great week for essays, comments, page views, likes and diversity. The countdown will be taking a brief break from Friday August 4th until Friday August 11th, but will resume on Saturday, August 12th, continuing on till teh final day, September 23 when the Number 1 finisher will appear. Thanks to all who have been placing the comments, with a special shout out to Jeff Stroud, Jon Warner, Dennis Polifroni, Frank Gallo, Bobby J., Adam Ferenz, Celeste Fenster, Robert Hornak, Karen, Peter, John Grant, Tim McCoy, Pierre de Plume, David Schleicher, Patricia Hamilton, and David Noack for your regular engagement.
Lucille and I managed two films in theaters this past week. The total would have been higher, but viewing writing time for countdown entries and other responsibilities, prevented anymore than that. We saw:
Dunkirk ** 1/2 (Friday) Edgewater multiplex
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) **** (Saturday) Film Forum
The Second World War is one of my most obsessive subjects; Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” was my favorite film of its release year, yet his new highly-praised “Dunkirk” is a dramatically lifeless affair, with not a single developed or interesting character, and an unending parade of pilots bombing beach heads. The film is technically redundant and the “story” is the very definition of tedium. What were the critics thinking? Didn’t such a great subject deserve more than this unfocused, overwrought film? Lucille, Sammy, Jeremy, Bart Talamini and I saw the film this afternoon in Edgewater. I am still shaking my head, especially as the first ten to twelve minutes of the film were spectacular. IMHO the 4 minute searing steadicam sequence shot by Seamus McGarvey in Joe Wright’s humanist 2007 “Atonement” (my favorite film of that year from any country) said more about Dunkirk physical and psychological devastation than the new scattered film “Dunkirk” did in its entire running time. Wright’s stunning re-creation of the scene has the cumulative effect of being transported in a time machine without compromising the cinema verite urgency of a harrowing time in history. Soldiers are milling around aimlessly, while some sing patriotic songs in defiance, and still others engage in the terrible act of shooting horses because food for them has run out. The war-ravaged and chaotic landscape is framed by a ferris wheel in the background. Amid the booming artillery, damaged ships, and soldiers frantically seeking food and shelter, Wright repeatedly employs a close-up on Robbie’s face (James McAvoy) to give the war-weariness an intimately human perspective. The expansiveness of the segment is staggering for sure, but the effect is wholly emotional, comparable with the Adagio movement of a four-part symphony. This is one of the most masterful single scenes in the cinema over the past 20 years.
1974’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a film we’ve seen multiple times, but a cousin was dying to see it so we went again (Part of FF’s New York City in the 70’s series).
