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Marnie, a review by Jon

Marnie (1964)
4 out of 5



The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock creates a spellbinding portrait of a disturbed woman, and the man who tries to save her, in this unrelenting psychological thriller. 'Tippi' Hedren is Marnie, a compulsive thief and liar who goes to work for Mark Rutland (Sean Connery), then attempts to rob him. Mark impulsively marries the troubled beauty and attempts to discover the reasons for her obsessive behavior. When a terrible accident pushes his wife to the edge, Mark forces Marnie to confront her terrors and her past in a shattering, inescapable conclusion.

I had not seen Marnie for many years and perhaps never properly, so this has been a pleasant surprise because it’s not a fondly remembered film from Hitchcock’s career, but I found it to be an engrossing and powerful film that recalls Vertigo and Spellbound in its mentally flawed lead characters.
 
The film seems very old-fashioned and the credit sequence feels like it’s from the 40s. So do the characters, with a story somewhat based on class conflict (Mark would be high society in any other time) and that infuriatingly outdated view of marriage, although it is part of the plot this time at least. He adopted a nostalgic style for Psycho to deliver a very modern narrative and this is similar, but the old-time feel is more sustained so can be a detriment too. Still, he’s making the sex thriller he couldn’t possibly have made before, so probably the creaky techniques amuse him more than anything. Certainly there is nothing as inventive as you would find in Vertigo.

It’s daring in its delivery and fools the viewer somewhat. The start could be a breezy caper, like To Catch a Thief, but as with Vertigo it quickly takes a dark turn and digs in for the duration. While it can be dry and talky, it is a fascinating study of psychology, which Hitchcock has dealt with before. For the first time, the typical Hitchcock romance is the primary plot.

Marnie is a troubled woman and her light-fingered habits are a symptom of something more disturbing. Sean Connery is perfect as Mark, obviously turned on by Marnie’s problems, making him pretty unstable too! He is a great character, supremely confident and charming, exactly what Cary Grant used to do (Hitchcock pretty much invented Bond, now gets to use him ), now with him a manipulative sexual predator, taming the frigid Marnie by unravelling her mysterious past which is acting as a chastity belt!  It makes for a suffocating effective chemistry between the leads, with an early uncomfortable peak as Mark pretty much rapes her. That is nasty, but for the most part there is a lot of fun to be had between Connery and Hedren as they toy effectively with one another. I loved the psychoanalysis scene!

Apparently Mark wasn’t an accomplished psychiatrist in the book or early screenplay draft. Instead he sent Marnie to see one. It takes a small contrivance explain how he can pull this off, but the plot benefits ten-fold. Another character would have interrupted the dynamic between them.

Another change is the character of Mark’s sister-in-law, Lil (Diane Baker). Often Hitchcock romances involve two men for one woman and “Lil” was the other man in the book, so ready-made for the director it seemed. Except having her fighting for Mark’s affections is much more interesting, especially as it is never explored fully and just adds to the enigma that is Mark.

This isn’t outwardly ambitious visually for Hitchcock, which could be surprising given the work that went into Vertigo. Instead it’s a simply effective, with key scenes that linger. The stark rape scene for one; Marnie’s silent robbery in another; a heartbreaking conclusion to the hunt; and a superb flashback, which is very unusual (he did one for I, Confess, but this is could have been a cul-de-sac for the plot, so he brilliantly takes it head on).

Much of the films unfair reputation may be down to the fact it was adapted specifically for Grace Kelly, but she had to refuse. After The Birds, Hitchcock was sure he had found a suitable replacement in the earthy Hedren, but she would always be in the shadow of a Princess. That’s a cruel twist though because Hedren is good enough in a role probably very different from the one offered Kelly considering the changes, and is she really the lead, considering how passive and smothered the character is?

Marnie isn’t for everyone. It can be uneven and may disturb as much as entertain, but go in with the right frame of mind and you’ll reap its rewards. It deserves a re-evaluation.

(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on January 31st, 2010)

WALL•E, a review by Critter

Year: 2008

Director(s): Andrew Stanton

Run Time: 98  minutes

Plot: In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

Cast: DVD Extras:My Thoughts
This is a film that I enjoyed so much when it was first released that I saw it four times in the cinema. Three of which were all in the space of one week. I have since watched it again on DVD but it has been a while so I felt due for another viewing. I am still yet to watch this film on blu-ray but my DVD in a blu-ray player enhances the quality already and certainly does the film justice. I am looking to purchase the blu-ray of it in the future though.

Where do I even begin with such a fantastic story, Pixar has yet again set the bar for animated films monumentally high with WALL-EWALL-E My Rating


 
 


(From Critter's Animated Film/Anime Marathon on May 31st, 2010)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The Odyssey has been heavily damaged by the Lucian Alliance and has been hijacked. SG-1 goes on a search for the ship but also walks into a trap. Now Cameron is the only one remaining and he has to find a way to infiltrate the Alliance in order to save the others.

My Opinion: It was cool how Cameron managed to make them fight against each other. The relationships between the Lucians were well portrayed given the nature of this organization.

Synopsis: Vala and Daniel believe that they've finally found the planet where Merlin's weapon is hidden. But when they arrive they learn that Ba'al has passed through three days ago. Additionally the warriors of the Ori arrive. The only way out is to find the way to the weapon.

My Opinion: While they've been in the village I didn't suspect anything. But as soon as they left I began to mistrust that old man. I also noticed the ring he gave away, yet I couldn't have known what it represented. The riddles were good, although I knew at once that the fire would require a "leap of faith".

Synopsis: The riddles are solved, now they have to face the dragon. But the weapon isn't there - instead they find Merlin. But Adria is closing in on them and time is running out.

My Opinion: I liked the second part, too. But we have seen people who have been in stasis for several millennia or have endured in a sarcophagus. That makes it somewhat illogical that Merlin's stasis chamber couldn't stop the decay, I especially liked the scene where Sam punches Ba'al, that was really cool.

Synopsis: With the help of "Arthur's Mantle" SG-1 tries to hide an entire village from the Ori. But the field collapses and Sam gets heavily wounded. Vala is caught and meets her husband again who has become a brutal commander of the Ori forces.

My Opinion: The interesting part of the episode is the question whether the Prior took matters into his own hands when he intended to destroy the village. His impressive staff couldn't help him to disable the device.
On the other hand that could be a standard rule: if dangerous then destroy it and find an excuse in the "Book of Origin".

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on May 2nd, 2008)