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if.... , a review by Achim

if.... (The Criterion Collection) (1968/United Kingdom) (United States) Director: Lindsay Anderson Writing: David Sherwin (Screenwriter), David Sherwin (Writer), John Howlett (Writer) Length: 112 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.66:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Mono Subtitles: English

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Stars:
Malcolm McDowell as Mick
David Wood as Johnny
Richard Warwick as Wallace
Christine Noonan as The Girl
Rupert Webster as Bobby Phillips

Plot:
Lindsay Anderson's If.... is a daringly anarchic vision of British society, set in a boarding school in late-sixties England. Before Kubrick made Malcom McDowell's mischief iconic in A Clockwork Orange, the actor made a hell of an impression as insouciant Mick Travis, who, along with his school chums, trumps authority at every turn, finally emerging as violent savior against the draconian games of one-upmanship played by both students and the powers-that-be. Mixing color and black and white as audaciously as it mixes fantasy and reality, If.... remains one of cinema's most unforgettable rebel yells.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Interviews

My personal guess is, that this is actually a fairly accurate portrayal of life at a boarding school in 1968. With a class system firmly in place, things can get pretty rough for those on the lower levels being oppressed by "the upper class".

Travis' transformation from small rebellious behaviour to revolution is very well performed by Malcolm MacDowell and it's easy to see why Kubrick found his Alex for Clockwork Orange in this. The acting in general is good, including the younger cast members playing the "freshmen". It was a bit strange that in the beginning to other characters are set up very prominently, new student Jute and a new teacher, yet nothing really comes from this and the film only shows them on occasion during the second half

The obvious political subtext is mostly lost on me, as it is apparently very British, maybe more relevant for the time it plays in, and I have never been interested in politics much. I am not sure what you'd call it (farce, satire...?) but especially at the end they completely go over the top with the final confrontation of the film (in a good way ). Beyond this the film also shows latent homosexuality as being present (it's an all-boy boarding school...) and at one point a teacher clearly touches one of the boys in a slightly inappropriate way; these topics are touched on but not made topic.

I could never quite figure out what the use of black and white represents. It seems a bit inconsistent to me, as every time I thought I figured it out another scene would come up that "should have been" black and white but wasn't. Unless somebody can tell me, I may have to try the commentary for this.

Here is the link to Wikipedia for further information. It was here that I saw that apparently two sequels were made:
O Lucky Man! (1973)
Britannia Hospital (1982)

Rating:


EDIT:
As commented by Dave and also mentioned in the special features of the DVD, the use of black and white was actually rather random and initially based on an economic decision (the lighting of the church was cheaper for black and white than it would have been for color).

As for the political subtext, I was apparently spot on in that it was a comment on the British class system. The film also happened to coincide with the student revolts in France and other countries, which gave it an eerie actuality at the time.

(From The Movies from Within My Lifetime on July 4th, 2011)

Cow Belles, a review by addicted2dvd

Cow Belles (2006/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Walt Disney Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Francine McDougall Writing: Stu Krieger (Screenwriter), Matt Dearborn (Screenwriter), Matt Dearborn (Story By) Length: 90 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English

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Stars:
Alyson Michalka as Taylor Callum
Amanda Michalka as Courtney Callum
Jack Coleman as Reed Callum
Sheila McCarthy as Fran Walker
Michael Trevino as Jackson Meade

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Music Videos

This one...while entertaining... is not a great one. I didn't find many of the characters likable and the story line was predictable. I felt the cast did a fine job though, the problems I have with this film is with the story itself. Over all I would say it is worth the time put in to watch it. But don't expect too much from it.



(From August Movie Marathon: Disney Channel Original Movies on August 8th, 2016)

Fear Itself Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

7. Something with Bite
When a veterinarian is bitten by a large, strange animal brought into his clinic, he begins to see the world and his stale life differently.
Director: Ernest Dickerson (NBC's "Heroes")

Stars:
Wendell Pierce
Paula Jai Parker-Martin
Kailin See
Gillian Barber
Fulvio Cecere

My Thoughts:
This is one of the unaired episodes in the set. This one I enjoyed quite a bit. A werewolf story with a twist. I got a bit of a kick on how vet got bitten by a werewolf. It also had a bit of a dark comedy aspect to it as well as some cool effects. Maybe if they actually aired more episodes like this one the series wouldn't have gotten canceled as early as it did.

My Rating:

(From Fear Itself Marathon on April 7th, 2010)