What happened between Mrs. Robinson and me was nothing. It didn't mean anything. We might just as well have been shaking hands.

No 62 - The Graduate

Director - Mike Nichols

I give up trying to apologise for the recent lax behaviour on this blog. My life has got distressingly hectic and LoveFilm are sending me all sorts of fascinating films which are decidedly NON-LIST. But I'm keeping at it.... and will continue here. Have no fear.

There are a lot of nice little bits I wish to talk about in The Graduate. The beautiful soundtrack, for example and that I really love The Sound of Silence, even after hearing a hundred times over the film.

The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle - just beautiful

Then there is the great acting. Namely, the two central roles.

I am a massive fan of Dustin Hoffman. He pretty much makes every thing he is in better. Whether its a serious role, what seems like a cash in, or just a cheeky cameo.... he is brilliant. No exception here. Ben is a great character. A bundle of nerves and angst, filled with worry and self loathing. He stays utterly fascinating and believable throughout. Not only that, but as you watch his mannerisms, and listen to how he speaks, you realise that he may have been influential to a certain long lasting comedy:

Hoffman's Ben works brilliantly against the icy cool Mrs Robinson, played marvellously (and at times terrifyingly) by Anne Bancroft. At its heart is a story of love, lust, emptiness, confusion and self loathing. All of these emotions are made brilliant clear through the work of one man:

Surtees, as cinematographer, managed to shoot the film in a way that makes every frame a screen shot. Shots which convey loneliness far more elegantly than any monologue could. From the beautiful, simple title sequence through to the end, each shot is a delight. Shots which show anger, passion, betrayal, despair and shots which are just incredibly iconic.

A film which is just beautiful to look at.

I'm just afraid that you're going to burn in Hell for all this.

No 168 - Tootsie

Director - Sydney Pollack

I had never seen this film - and my initial thought was that it was going to be something that I'd already seen before.....

Well.... I was wrong and a half!

So, the marvellous and utterly superb Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey - an actor who gets into drag so to help him get a part as a female character in a soap, because no one will hire him as himself.

"Aha!" You all say "I know where this is going!"

And.... Whilst Dorothy Michaels is closer to Josephine and Daphne than she is to Mrs Doubtfire, and whilst there are some parallels (the male character falls in lover with a female coworker who only knows him as his female counterpart) Tootsie tells a very different and very interesting story.

For all the farce. For all the camp. For all the comedy genius (it has Bill Murray in it - it must be comedy genius) the film tackles a pretty serious issue. It is a film essentially about feminism. About equality in the workplace. About men's reactions to women.

Yes... it is hilarious to watch a dragged up Dustin Hoffman fight off an ever growing collecting of aging suitors, but what is more interesting is watching him unable to cope with the degrading way women are treated in the TV Show.

Its important because Michael Dorsey is not a good guy.... He spends most of the film leading his friend Sandy along after they've slept together. But slowly - by witnessing what women go through he becomes a better person.

But it doesn't hammer that message home - it is really quite a sweet film. A sweet film about discovery and worth and being a better person.

It is a film that also shows Dustin Hoffman's INCREDIBLE ACTING SKILLZ as he faultlessly switches gender (and also in several scenes, deconstructs the acting profession.... almost like he is trying to explain to us just how good he is)...

Just a really fun and uplifting film which has a pretty powerful message.

What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes.

No 387 - Rain Man
Director - Barry Levinson

Oh Blog! I have neglected you. I have been a bad man and July has been a rubbish month for me actually having films and watching them.

I promise to rectify this in the upcoming months.

I find autism fascinating. I'm aware that that can make me sound a bit voyeuristic and a bit like a bastard, but what I mean is that it is genuinely a fascinating mental process - especially the Savant syndrome, which is what Raymond's condition is defined as.

My knowledge and interest on this stems initially from Daniel Tammet. If you have never read Born on a Blue Day, do so - you can get it for as little as a quid on Amazon. Bargain. It is an extremely fascinating read about how Tammet's condition allows him to complete massively complex mathematical and linguistic feats. The man is a genius, and yet when discussing his condition, you can see the limitations it imposes on him. Whilst he is a very social person, he has the confusion about emotion which is a big part of autism. The fascinating difference is that Daniel can explain it succinctly, and clearly express his point of view.

It is through the books and TV shows about Tammet that I also found out about Kim Peek, who was the inspiration for Raymond.

It is odd, considering what an iconic film Rain Man is, that I knew all the behind the scenes stuff before I saw the actual film. But what a great film it is.

Let me begin my discussion of it with a thought that began bubbling away in my brain after watching I *heart* Huckabees... Dustin Hoffman is a phenomenal actor. He is great. I can't think of a single role he has played where he hasn't been brilliant.
Even his non-iconic roles are astounding - he made Meet the Fockers almost bearable, and his cameo is without doubt the best bit in The Holiday.

He is a massively versatile actor, with a genuine skill at comedy. But he also has the ability to show amazing empathy, and express emotion (or in this case, lack of emotion) with unerring conviction.

His portrayal of Raymond is captivating and effortless. The blank vacant look on his face, the way he talks, his mannerisms, his posture - there is nothing about the performance that fails to convince the viewer of his character's condition. It is also, frankly, a bit funny. I'm sure it shows that I'm an evil hell-bound tasteless tactless swine, but I did have a little laugh whenever he said "Uh Oh!" - and the predicaments he gets in (often through his insistence that he should definitely be doing something) are amusing.

I think it is the mix of his monotone dead-pan delivery and Tom Cruise's exasperation which provides the humour.

That seems a bit more of an acceptable explanation, anyway.

So, let's talk about Tom Cruise - because this is a 2 man film really, and whilst Hoffman is the star, Cruise is surprisingly good (and as mentioned, provides the perfect platform for Hoffman to work from and against).

If this top 500 challenge has taught me one thing, it is that Tom Cruise is a better actor than I had previously given him credit for. I blame things like this for tarnishing my opinion.

It seems that Cruise shines best when playing a bastard. Here he is great - and whilst he begins as a cruel piece of work (antagonising an autistic.... really) - you believe in his character's development, and the bond between them is very moving. If he would just move away from the rubbish film stuff then I'd be happy.

So besides the terrible 80's fashions (don't button your shirt up if you're not going to wear a tie) and one really awkward 'seduce the autistic guy in a lift' scene, this is a film that really stands the test of time - mainly due to the excellent relationship between Charles and Raymond. And seeing as that is what the film is actually all about, then that's as good a recommendation as any.

Hell, the only one thing I ever been good for is lovin'. Women go crazy for me, that's a really true fact!

No 307 - Midnight Cowboy
Director - John Schlesinger

This is a very odd little film. I'm not sure I can easily explain what it is about, but it features Joe Buck, a very naive and equally full of himself Texan who moves to New York in order to become a man ho, a male gigolo. However, it is not an easy job and he finds himself poorer and poorer with less and less to own.
As he becomes more cynical and more impoverished, he is taken in and looked after by Rizzo, a sickly thief and reprobate. Together they squat in condemned building and try desperately to get by. As you may be able to tell, this isn't the jolliest of films.

I do really like the initial Joe Buck. When we meet him in Texas, he is full of life and pep and vigour. He is proud of the way he looks, he wears beautifully flamboyant shirts and dresses like an old school cowboy. He is chivalrous, kind and just so bloody happy about everything. He really is an adorable character. The kindness and the optimism balances out the arrogance which also runs through him. However, as the world weary cynicism of New York starts to wear him down, all we are left with is his arrogance. Which isn't quite as nice when he isn't a ridiculously happy Texan.
He spends his time bad mouthing and belittling Rizzo, slagging him off as well as threatening violence. There is an interesting undercurrent of violence running through Joe. On several occasions he manages to stop himself just before doing something dangerous. But at one point he attacks a man and potentially kills him (the scene is left unclear). He just becomes a far less likable character, whereas Rizzo begins the film as a sleazy slimy horrible thief and con artist and gradually gets more likable.

It helps that Rizzo is played by Dustin Hoffman, who I think is an amazing actor and just a fabulously funny person (from what I've seen). He manages to give Rizzo the right mix of emotions. He is a streetwise manipulator of people but he is also very sick and his squalid living conditions mean he is just getting sicker.
You realise that despite the tempestuous relationship between the two men, they need each other to survive. It is this weird relationship, best friends who hate each other, which spurs the film on.

Despite the fairly simple buddy element , the film does some really bizarre things in its presentation. There are a lot of flashback scenes which are grainy and obscure and cut in a way that means nothing really makes sense. You just get flashing images of Joe's past but you can see that it involves a lot of violence and a strange relationship with his first girlfriend. Whilst the flashbacks show quite a scary tale of passion and obsession, the script only addresses it once.
Women go crazy for me, that's a really true fact! Ratso, hell! Crazy Annie they had to send her away!

You realise that really Joe is escaping something. The way he dresses, and the ideals of the old west help him to escape from his modern life and his moving to New York helps him escape Texas. He has no luck in New York and instead he meets somebody who is also trying to escape. From New York.
So together they go to Miami.

It is only when they reach Florida that Joe becomes comfortable, he ditches his Cowboy outfit and relaxes.. Happy. Yet that happiness doesn't last long and the film's final moment is so tragic (yet obvious and unavoidable from about halfway through the film) that it leaves you on a massive low.
As shocked and upset as the characters in the film.