Attica!!

Dog Day Afternoon

As I've gotten more serious about film, I've tried to educate myself on the classics. I've complied lists of important/memorable films from Empire Magazine and AFI into a giant Word document where I cross out a movie out when I see it. One film that shows up on many Best lists is Dog Day Afternoon, Sidney Lumet's film about a seemingly painless bank robbery that goes horribly wrong on a hot, Brooklyn afternoon. The film is a tense heist drama with dark humor and even a little slapstick sprinkled throughout it.

This film is where the two sides of Al Pacino meet. We have the scenery chewing, physically engrossing, heart wrenching, loud and out of control Pacino on one side, that we would come to remember in Scarface to name one. As Sonny, Pacino parades himself in front of the police, rallies his spectators, begs for justice not achieved at Attica, the notorious prison riots that left 39 people dead. On the other side, we have the subtler, more internal Pacino, who relies on faint physicality to speak volumes. This Pacino we came to know in The Godfather. The two Pacino's meet in the middle in Dog Day Afternoon. We see Pacino scream and taunt the police, savoring every flavor of the scenery he's chewing. Then we have Pacino silent at the end of the film, going over in his head every mistake he made, realizing his fate and that he royally screwed himself and everyone involved with him. Emotions sweep over his face, and we get each one of them without words. Any mistake Pacino has made in his film choices can easily be forgiven when one watches this film. Any younger film viewer who doesn't quite understand his appeal will get an awakening with Dog Day Afternoon.

The film elegantly balances the drama with the wit. Especially in the beginning, the film has slightly uncomfortable joke after slightly uncomfortable joke. The female tellers, though nervous, are fairly sassy. And who doesn't find sass funny? There isn't as much money in the bank as previously thought. This makes the robbery a bit of a bust for Sonny, but as a viewer, I couldn't help but giggle. Sal, Sonny's partner in crime (the actor also plays the tragic Fredo in The Godfather, how poignant), legitimately believes Wyoming to be a country. The drama definitely outweighs the humor, but the wit makes the film more accessible, the characters more human.

The film is an interesting social commentary about the American viewer. As soon as the police arrive on the scene and barriers are put up, spectators swarm the scene, by the hundreds it appears. We love drama, and we love it even more when it's happening right in front of us. Why do you think there is so much traffic due to rubbernecking? The people surround the bank and cheer for Sonny when he emerges. He shouts for "Attica" and for the police to put their guns down. He is anti-establishment, the people see him as more than a bank robber. He's taking a stand against authority. When a man tackles him, giving the police a chance to capture him, the "hero" is booed. He's an instant celebrity, he's our voice personified. We love him.

This changes quickly when it is announced he is a homosexual. This is the 1970's, and being a homosexual was still incredibly taboo. As soon as it is discovered by the crowd, they turn on him. He is no longer our hero, he no longer represents our voice. He is taunted when he pats down a doctor and FBI agent entering the bank. Being a homosexual quickly becomes the most defining thing about him; it's like the anti-establishment bank robber was a myth. All that's in front of them is a homosexual.

I cannot speak more highly of this film. It truly belongs on every Best list it lands on.

Jon Hamm on Mad Men

As important as movies are, TV is pretty high up there to me. Mad Men, undoubtedly, in one of the best shows on right now (if ever) and so much of that is due to the brilliance of it's lead, Jon Hamm as Don Draper. He is a sheep trapped in wolves clothing. The man has more issues than all the characters on a teen drama have combined. He is a pitbull; he's a stray. The man clenches his jaw and widens his eyes, and people are undone. He commands the role with such power, but when Draper suffers, we feel it. When he finally revealed his skeletons to his wife and broke down, the air left his body and mine. He simultaneously (and quite clearly, for routine viewers) plays two characters at once. Hamm is not afraid to be ugly. He's not afraid to be a bastard. He's not afraid to be broken. If Mad Men were a movie, I'd say give him an Oscar. But he'll have to settle for an Emmy instead, assuming he gets his well deserved one next year.

Netflix

Watchmen-I haven't read the graphic novel, and I've heard this film isn't made for people like me. But I'm curious.
The Class-This French film won a ton of awards.
sex, lies, and videotape-Netflix Instant. This film pretty much launched indie films in America.