The Graduate and Sunset Blvd.

A friend requested that I write about a few movies.
I'll get to work on the others once I've seen them.

The Graduate:

Strangely enough, I couldn't stand the main character. A pushover. A numbnut grad. Someone who thought nothing of any of the work that he'd obviously never questioned the necessity of doing, and had absolutely NO IDEA what to do with the earnings. He is the caricature of the zombie members of the babyboomer generation. Jukeboxes, Cadillacs, Bond movies and Star Wars... he is the man in the suit, with a broomstick up his ass, that nobody cares about.
With all of that out of the way, I love this movie. Its sadistic foreplay with kinky MILF fantasies kept people in the theatres, but it wasn't Mrs. Robinson that we'd all fallen in love with, it was her daughter. That wretched little creep, whose guts I hate more than the flavor of peas, somehow attracted a young, intelligent, caring, understanding miracle. The first thing he does: take her to a strip joint. That fucking asshole. You know what I'd do to a piece of shit like that if he'd ever do that to a girl as equally wonderful around here?
Anyway, a lot of great awkward humor, the drama surrounding the seductive Mrs. Robinson, the urgency of Hoffman's character (that fuckin' putz) and his race to the wedding, the multiple climactic scenarios... it's one of my favorite movies.

SCRIPT: amazing
ACTING: good
DIRECTION: amazing
CONTENT: amazing

Sunset Boulevard:

An appropriate title, considering what Gloria Swanson AND her character were going through during this movie.
Let me start my criticism with the noir narration. It's good when it's practical. It's not good when it's a monotone soundtrack to a man putting on a coat or unpacking his luggage. Swanson's performances are SO INCREDIBLE in every scene; does Joe Schmoe really need to explain how deranged she is? Sure, exposition is fine, but when I forget that the entire story's occurances are caused by the importance of Gillis' car by the time that its removal is supposed to be a pivotal moment for his character, you may want to reconsider how to handle the situation with CHARACTERS who can exchange DIALOGUE in any SCENE that you can possibly WRITE!
Despite that little detail, I felt all of the things I was supposed to feel; pity for Norma Desmond, heartbreak for Joe and Betty, an incredible depression for Max, and the pain of watching the fickle Hollywood lifestyle gnaw away at such wonderful peoples' minds.
While my rating will merit this movie superior to The Graduate, it is important to acknowledge that I do not think that it is a better movie to watch. I know that today's audience, which partially consists of me, does not have the patience or the maturity to understand such characters and situations that are in Sunset (the film really demanded my attention, like what Citizen Caine failed to do), while Graduate has a universal application: not too slow and not too sharp. Much like All About Eve or Touch of Evil, I didn't have to work for my entertainment in Graduate.

SCRIPT: amazing
ACTING: amazing
DIRECTION: amazing
CONTENT: amazing