Cinema Cycle - Alexander The Great

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/27/2015

TITLE: Alexander The Great

FORMAT: DVD

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 2 hours 16 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 30.1 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1611 miles

SYNOPSIS: The family life and brief military career of Alexander of Macedonia are chronicled from his birth to his death near 380BC.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Great leaders have really messed up families.  In a time when absolute power could be amassed with 3,000 well armed troops, megalomania was an understatement.

PROS AND CONS: This is one sword and sandal epic that I have never seen until now.  While it was entertaining and somewhat historically accurate it also had a few flaws.  

As the art of cinema marches forward, looking back at what we thought was historically accurate looks pretty dated now.  Comparing Alexander to Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” makes this film look like a daytime soap opera.  The costumes seem a bit too perfect and fashionable for the period and I was mystified at the battle scenes.  While they were impressive enough in scope thanks to the Spanish Army filling in for the Persians (no CGI effects here), they always took place in streams or rivers, which is nuts from a military standpoint, even in pre-Roman times.

But this is nit-picking in a grand film that lasts over two hours.  Which is two hours of Shakespearean delivery to large audiences of squeaky clean Greeks.  I did admire the simple yet effective set designs and the vast landscapes.  Realistic depictions of crucifixions and stoning were also nice, since these are usually never shown in most other sword and sandal fair.  

It would be almost impossible to squeeze 10 years of conquest and battle into a two hour film, but they do a good job here of hitting the high points.  Life during this time could be a blurry line between humanity and god-hood.  Heady stuff.

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - The Little Mermaid

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/24/2015

TITLE: The Little Mermaid

FORMAT: LaserDisc

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 22 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 18.5 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1580.9 miles

SYNOPSIS: A teenage mermaid longs to be human in order be with the man of her dreams.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Young female frustrations and desires.  Deals made with the devil never end well, unless you have “Its A Wonderful Life” friends to save the day.

PROS AND CONS: First off, I am not a huge fan of Disney, especially their animated work of this genre.  That said, this is an entertaining film.  While I am not certain, I believe that it is one of the last all hand animated films that Disney produced.  There are no computer graphics or digital animation in this film.  The hands-on process brings a warmer and more surreal aspect to the film than the current crop of Disney / Pixar fair.

I am going to bite my tongue on the whole “raised by Disney’ aspect of this film and the unreal expectations that it gives young impressionable woman.  Suffice to say, that if I had a daughter and she watched this film, I would have a long discussion with her about what expectations and reality are.

The primary mover in most Disney films such as this is the music, and this film does not disappoint.  I will be humming “Under The Sea” and “Kiss The Girl” for the rest of the day. The most memorable character in the film is the evil sea witch Ursula.  That is one bad ass villain.

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Ivan's Childhood

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/17/2015

TITLE: Ivan’s Childhood

FORMAT: Streaming (Hulu Plus)

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 35 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 19.2 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1562.4 miles

SYNOPSIS: The life of a soviet orphan on the eastern front during WWII and his interactions with the Soviet troops before a major offensive.   

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: When civilization is stripped away and you live in fear and chaos the ending cannot be good.  This is a depressing film, but gorgeous to watch in it’s cinematography and story line.

PROS AND CONS: The trove of early Soviet film (1960s) that is available on Hulu is a real treasure.  This is a prime example. Be forewarned that this is a depressing film.  There is a lot of Soviet cinema that falls in this genre, but the storyline and visual impact of the film more than makes up for the bleak outlook of the film.

The plot line and arc of this film is a bit vague and hard to follow.  It shows the interactions of the characters (the boy Ivan and his soviet soldier counterparts) and a rather linear story that ends in tragedy.  However, as the viewer, you are never quite sure where the story is leading and what sweeps you along are the stunning black and white visuals.

There are numerous scenes in this film that I wish I could have frozen and hung on a wall as a piece of art.  They were that breathtaking.  Scenes of stark realism and beauty that you would not expect in wartime.  The visual of the soldier kissing a woman while holding her over an open trench was extremely moving spoke to the viewer on several levels.  There was many scenes such as this throughout the entire film.

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/15/2015

TITLE: Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey

FORMAT: LaserDisc

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 39 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 22 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1543.3 miles

SYNOPSIS: Two rock and roll slackers must rescue their girlfriends from two evil robots that are impersonating them.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: I watch these films so you won’t make the same mistake.  There was a time in the early 1990s, when rock and roll hair bands were popular. Thank goodness those time are over.

PROS AND CONS: Pros?  There really aren't any.   A slacker movie for slackers who like slacker movies.  The film has no real plot and no real acting.  There are lots of sight gags and inside jokes.  

It was interesting to learn that the ongoing skit on Saturday Night Live called “Wayne’s World” with Mike Meyers and Dana Carvy was pretty much lifted from this movie series (the first installment being Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure).

The concept of time travel, death, the afterlife, resurrection, battling robots, culminating in a Battle of the Hair bands pretty much sums up where this film goes.  I have a hard time envisioning who the target audience for this film was, since I was never really into Twisted Sister and Kiss.  

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - The Lady Vanishes

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/13/2015

TITLE: The Lady Vanishes

FORMAT: VHS

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 35 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 21.7 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1521.3 miles

SYNOPSIS: A young socialite befriends an older woman on a train who suddenly disappears and none of the passengers recall having ever seen her.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Life is a stage and we are only players.  Suspenseful but somewhat dated in its social and moral concepts.

PROS AND CONS: This seems to be Alfred Hitchcock month, since this is the second of his early works that I have screened in the last two weeks, the other being ‘Jamaica Inn’.

Like Jamaica Inn, the first 30 minutes of this film is all character development, then the action starts.  Once it does start it goes all over the place, all while introducing a romantic comedy relationship between the male and female leads.  

Two things stood out while watching this.  First, you could see the young Hitchcock working his craft.  There are some scenes that are subtly funny, and others that are very intense.  IF you have seen “To Catch A Thief” or “North by Northwest”, you would appreciate Hitchcock’s earlier work.

The second thing that stood out was the dated notions or nationality and race in this film.  The mixed nationalities on the train are all stereo-typical from the British point of view.  While the english speaking actors are all articulate and funny, the non-english speakers are seen as buffoons and elitists that have evil intentions.  

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - For A Few Dollars More

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/10/2015

TITLE: For A Few Dollars More

FORMAT: LaserDisc

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 2 hours 12 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 31.5 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1499.6 miles

SYNOPSIS: Two bounty hunters pursue an outlaw and his gang with hopes of a substantial reward.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: The Italian West was a bit different than the west of John Wayne and Gary Cooper.  Italian westerns are all about the style.  Best looking cowboys on celluloid.  Lee Van Cleef was the first James Bond.

PROS AND CONS: I don’t believe that I had ever seen this before.  After “The Good The Bad & The Ugly” all spaghetti westerns start to look the same to me.  That being said, this was a good film from an historical perspective.  

It dawned on me while watching this, that ‘For A Few Dollars More’ is what you would get if Puccini or Rossini had made westerns for the opera.  Lots of plot building and character development, over emotional scenes that play for a long time, and staging reminiscent of the theater.

While most will recall this as a Clint Eastwood picture, in reality, Lee Van Cleef is the star of this film and holds his own with Eastwood in the acting department.  His arsenal of guns makes him the first ‘gadget’ super hero on film, although he plays the role deathly strait and somber.  

Finally, there is a lot of gun play in this film.  I mean a lot!  Everything is done with guns.  Oddly enough every shot taken hits its mark, everyone dies with one shot, and there is never any view of blood.  Basically, in this wild west, everyone was a marksman and no one ever missed.

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Jamaica Inn

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/08/2015

TITLE: Jamaica Inn

FORMAT: DVD

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 30 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 22.6

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1468.1 miles

SYNOPSIS: A young woman on the Cornish Coast in the 1800s comes to live with her Aunt whose husband runs a gang of scavengers

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Charles Laughton can fill up any room with his presence.  The first appearance of Maureen O’Hara on film (and John Wayne is no where in sight)

PROS AND CONS: An obscure film that came up on the Cinema Cycle random viewing generator.  This film is part of a 50 film DVD collection that is supposed to have a horror theme.  Well, this one doesn't.  This film is more of a mystery / adventure theme.  This work is part of the canon of films that Alfred Hitchcock directed when he was still working in England, before his move to Hollywood.

The first 30 minutes of the work is all over the place with character development and scene setting, so much so that I could not really figure out its arc.  Then the pace picks up pretty quickly and you have to follow along to keep up.

The overpowering presence in this film is Charles Laughton, who plays the villain.  To say that he was larger than life (on several fronts) would be an understatement.  There is no way that anyone was going to upstage this thespian.   

While tame now, in retrospect, Maureen O’Hara wearing a nightgown, in a driving rain storm on the English coast must have been pretty risque for 1930s England.

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Brief Encounter

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE VIEWED: 04/06/2015

TITLE: Brief Encounter

FORMAT: Laserdisc

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 29 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 21.5 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 1445.5 miles

SYNOPSIS: Two married people meet at a London train station and begin a brief affair

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: The subtlety of relationships and affection set against the social norms of the time.

PROS AND CONS: I have seen this film before because it was one of David Lean’s (Bridge on the River Kwai / Laurence of Arabia) early works.  By today’s standards, not an outstanding film, but fairly groundbreaking for its time.  The concept of married individuals having an affair was pretty taboo in 1940s England.  

What made this viewing a bit more interesting was the fact that this LaserDisc has an audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder.  This commentary is more insightful regarding the relationships and careers of David Lean and Noel Coward (the writer/producer) than anything else.  I learned a lot of information about David Lean and the motivations for this and subsequent Lean films.

The film is a wonderful period piece, showing London social life and the dark street / station scenes are almost dream-like.  As a gauge of just how much times have changed, the ‘affair’ that the lead characters have in this film ends with a kiss, actually two of them.  That is what passed for scandalous back in 1940s London.  

To read an overview of this project, check out the initial post for this series.

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.