Towering Inferno y la era del desastre

El canal Retroplex se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos debido a su gran cantidad de películas de los 70 y 80 que pone en su cartelera. Esas películas me transportan a la época de mi niñez y adolescencia cuando visitaba los cines de Santurce.

"Towering Inferno" es el magnus opus de la era de las "películas de desastre" que comenzaron con "Airport" y que continuó con "Poseidon Adventure" y "Earthquake" y que terminó con el desastre taquillero de "When Time Ran Out"(o "When Ideas Ran Out" como se le conoció en la industria).

La fórmula era la misma. Unir un elenco de estrellas, incluyendo actores populares del momento, añadir actores muy mayores para el factor nostalgia y rellenar todo lo demás con actores de televisión.

"Towering Inferno" tiene a Paul Newman, Steve McQueen y Faye Dunaway como las estrellas, Fred Astaire, Jennifer Jones y William Holden como los veteranos y Robert Wagner y Bobby de "The Brady Bunch" como los actores de tv.

La película es entretenida. Una de esas en las que podemos jugar el juego de "quién morirá?". Y al ser un film de los 70 en plena era de Watergate en la cual nadie creía mucho en la autoridad, los malvados son los arquitectos e ingenieros que construyeron la torre, cortando esquinas, sabiendo que el edificio no era seguro. En ese tiempo, todo era una conspiración, el "establishment" era corrupto. Algo que cambiaría al final de la década con los films inocentones de "Star Wars".

"Towering Inferno" es una película "popcorn", no hay que pensar mucho, sólo ver a los actores correr y decir líneas terribles de diálogo. Lo único que empaña algo todo ésto es que ver un edificio en llamas, le hace a uno recordar 9/11. Pero, al final, uno puede volver a olvidarse y entretenerse con ver a todos esos actores, muchos de ellos que ya han fallecido, ganarse el dinero de una manera fácil. Y eso es, para mi, es suficiente.

my day at a nude beach

A couple of Sundays back I met with a friend from NYC at Haulover Beach, a nude beach in North Miami. I have not visited a nude beach in maybe 20 years, so I figured it would be a cool experience.

So Sunday at 1pm, I arrived at Haulover. First thing I noticed was this was not the secluded nude beaches I had visited in St.Martin. There were thousands of people there. Wall to wall nudity. Mostly male, unfortunately. Although there were some women. I guess it was 70-30 men-women ratio.

I said hello to my friend and met her friend who was there with her beautiful baby. They were being slightly annoyed by a tanned, nude middle aged guy talking to her. Luckily, he realized he was not welcome and went away.

I must say, it felt really cool being there. Like they say, it is the least sexual experience you can have. All these people nude. young,old, good looking, bad looking, make it a wonderfully normal experience. Nobody seems to be checking other people. It is so wonderfully civilized.

Yes, I did take everything off and went skinny dipping with my friend. And again, it was such a non-sexual experience The setting and the feeling at the beach make it such an innocent, cool thing. So we're nude! And it is great! I felt like a little kid who is allowed to run naked everywhere.

Summing up. Beaches with people in swimsuits are sexual. They are a tease and completely completely based on voyeurism. Nude beaches are not. They are simply fun.

National Velvet

Hace par de meses TCM exhibió un festival de películas de Mickey Rooney. Y no sé por qué razon las grabé y he estado disfrutando mucho de ellas. Comencé con la serie de Andy Hardy, unos films en los cuales el presidente de MGM quería presentar un cuadro idílico de un típico pueblo pequeño norteamerican. Son películas B, son sentimentales y cursis, sin embargo, y aquí esta el genio de MGM, son sumamente entretenidas.

En este weekend vi "National Velvet", una película de Rooney con una Elizabeth Taylor de 12 años de edad. Está basada en un libro de clásico sobre el amor de una niña por un caballo, al que decide llevar a la comptencia más importante en Inglaterra. Esta no es una producción B, sino una película donde MGM puso todos sus recursos. Es en Technicolor, y en 1944 eso no era tan común. La película es realmente maravillosa. Una de esas en las que MGM demuestra la magia del sistema de estudio de la época de oro de Hollywood.Todas las actuaciones están excelentes, incluyendo a un Mickey Rooney controlado, algo no muy común. Es una de esas pocas películas que realmente son para toda la familia.

TCM la vuelve a poner el día 10 de abril como parte de un festival de 24 horas dedicado al cine de Elizabeth Taylor. Vale la pena dejarla grabando.

Five: primera pelicula post-nuclear

En el 1950 Columbia Pictures distribuyó la primera pelicula que trataba sobre un mundo luego de una guerra nuclear. Su título "Five". Su presupuesto, extramadamente bajo. Sin embargo, con ese poco dinero se hizo un film relativamente interesante, aunque lleno de huecos en su trama.

La película comienza escenas de ciudades importantes siendo afectadas por bombas atómicas. Y luego vemos escenas algo clichosas de periódicos dejándonos saber de una inevitable guerra nuclear. Luego vemos una mujer caminando por una carretera rural.
¿Será la última persona en la tierra? Bueno, resulta que no lo es. Y a través de la película nos damos cuenta que hay 4 personas más vivas. Cuatro hombres.

De ahi, el fim pasa a ser un estudio de estas cinco personas aún vivas. Uno de los hombres es una persona mayor que muere. Otro es un personaje de la raza negra que sirve para presenatr el problema racial y los otros dos compiten por la mujer. Es interesante que el personaje negro, aunque presentado de una manera favorable, nunca se ve como alguien que pudiera competir por la mujer blanca.

La pelicula no es una maravilla. Nunca se cuestiona la idea de que si en esas pocas millas habian 5 personas, las probabilidades serían buenas de mas sobrevivientes. Y el hecho de que todos eventualemente morirían de envenenamiento por radiación tampoco se explora. Pero, claro, estamos en 1950. A penas 5 años después de Hiroshima.

"Five" anticipa mucho a films como "Night of the Living Dead" y "Omega Man" y aún con sus fallas grandes, sigue siendo una película interesante. Está en DVD como parte de una serie de películas llamadas "Martini Movies" por Sony.

Elizabeth Taylor movies

Up to yesterday I had seen two Elizabeth Taylor movies in my whole life. I really can't explain why, maybe because I didn't find her an exciting actress. Maybe because there was something old fashioned about her look and her movies. When I was a kid I saw one of her minor 1970's movies called "Night Watch", a pretty nifty thriller with a twist that seemed surprising at the time.

A year ago, I saw "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on DVD, from a Taylor DVD set I had given my mother a while back. It was a really good movie. And I can imagine how scandalous it must have been for its time, in spite the fact the homosexual aspect of it was truly low key. Still, it was plain it was there. She was excellent in it and she was obviously at her most alluring and beautiful.

Last night, I got another movie from that set called "Butterfield 8, in which she plays a call girl who falls for one of her clients. It is truly over the top movie, every character was completely unbelievable. It seemed like one of those telenovelas one sees on Hispanic TV. But one can enjoy it simply because of Taylor's presence. I saw the movie on a 42" set, but I can imagine how hypnotizing she must have been on a giant movie theater screen. Maybe that was her the reason for her success. Those eyes on Cinemascope on dark movie theater.It must have been something.

Miami thoughts

This weekend I am making my annual Miami weekend getaway. I used to go more often a few years back. I guess, being younger, I found the whole Miami sexy scene really attractive. Now I tend to visit cities that offer a wider array of things to do. But I still love Miami. I love sitting at a cafe in Ocean Drive and watch the women go by. I love the fact that I can enjoy the Latin culture while still enjoying the relative discipline of a US city. I enjoy the fact that you get to meet people from all over the world there.

I do not agree with people who say Miami lacks culture. Go to the Miami Herald and you get more classical concerts, pop concerts than you get here in San Juan. Miami just opened an 600 million dollar Opera House and is the home of the New World Orchestra. You get Broadway plays, Art Basil and so many art happenings.

I think Puerto Ricans who say bad things about Miami may be expressing a slight envy of how things work there. They don't like the fact that "Lo Mejor de Dos Mundos"is not Puerto Rico. It is actually a city in a US state. Sorry to spoil the party.

Michael Gough RIP

It's interesting seeing today's obituaries for actor Michael Gough. They all emphasize he was Alfred the Butler in Batman movies. In a way, those will probably be the movies he'll be remembered for. But to my generation, he was a great villain in some outlandish horror movies. I remember him in many movies I saw as a child on tv, "Berserk!"and "Horrors of the Black Museum". And I'll never forget the night I went to see "Horror Hospital"with my parents at the Cinerama in Santurce. It was a truly over the top movie, full of violence, nudity. But it was Gough who stole the show as the most insane of mad villains. A couple of years ago, it finally came out on DVD and I was able to appreciate the sheer insanity of his portrayal. So, let younger audiences remember him as Alfred, to me, he'll always be the loony guy from "Horror Hospital".

Seven Percent Solution- a 1970's Sherlock Holmes

Last week I saw once again one of the most interesting Sherlock Holmes movies ever. It's "The Seven Percent Solution" from 1976, written by Nicholas Meyer (based on his best-selling novel) and directed by Herbert Ross. It's an incredibly fun movie about Watson (Robert Duvall) devising a plan to have Holmes (Nicol Williamson) kick his cocaine habit by receiving treatment from Freud (Alan Arkin). Throw in Prof. Moriarty (played by Sir Lawrence Olivier!) and Vanessa Redgrave and you have a terrifically acted gem.

The movie has all the traditional touches of classic Holmes movies, but it adds the interesting element of Holmes addiction to cocaine (93% water, 7% cocaine, hence the title of the movie). In this movie Holmes is brilliant, but flawed and Watson is not the bumbling sidekick of previous movies. It all adds up to a truly original movie that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have probably loved.

The movie adds the element of action towards the end of the film. But it does so in a charming way, without turning Holmes into an full action figure like the recent movie did. This movie realizes we are not in Victorian England and that modern audiences demand thrills, but it does so in an adult, thoughtful way.

This is a movie really worth seeing. A forgotten gem. See it if you get the chance.

All Quiet in the Western Front

La novela "All Quiet in the Western Front" es posiblemente la mejor novela anti-guerra de todos los tiempos. Un libro que al leerlo hoy es tan relevante como hace 80 años cuando se publicó.

Hacer una buena película de la novela no es fácil. Los pasajes más conmovedores del libro son los pensamientos del protagonista sobre la estupidez y la futilidad de la guerra. Al hacer una película, estos pensamientos tienen que ser traducidos a acción.

En 1930 se hizo una primera versión cinematográfica de la novela. Es interesante, pero sufre de cierto "clumsiness" típico de esas primeras películas que se hacían con sonido.

En 1979 se hizo una segunda versión para cine. Desafortunadamente, después del fracaso taquillero del film "A Bridge Too Far", ninugún estudio quiso distribuirla. Así que pasó a ser una película hecha para la tv.

Esta versión está muy bien hecha. Richard Thomas, protagonista de "The Waltons" en esa época, es excelente como el muchacho que, como muchos, se creyó la vieja historia de defender la patria, sólo para darse cuenta de la mentira detrás de todo. La Primera Guerra Mundial fue un evento de crueldad extrema, donde paises se fueron a la guerra sin ninguna razón particular. Millones murieron en batallas donde apenas se ganaban varias yardas de terreno.

Este film logra su propósito de llevar de una manera inteligente el libro a la pantalla. La experiencia no es tan devastadora como lo es en libro, pero en cierta manera sigue siendo fuerte en su mensaje de las consecuencias de la guerra.

No te la pierdas en Showtime este mes.

Let Me in

I wish I would go to movies regularly. I don't anymore basically for two reasons. First because of the Caribbean Cinemas policy of showing 40 minutes of commercials before the movie. And second because there are very few movies that inspire me to go to a movie theater and subject myself to teenagers with cellphones.

"Let Me In" was a movie I had to see at a theater. I loved the original Swedish version and was looking forward to seeing this remake. Of course, the fact that the movie marked the return of legendary Hammer Films studios to movies made it a must see. I got goose bumps when, at the start of the film, the "Hammer Films Presents" title appeared. We haven't seen that since 1978.

The movie itself is excellent. The performances by the children are truly outstanding. They may even top those of the original movie. The mood is chilling, desolate and sad just like in the Swedish version. It is interesting that the best horror movie of the past few years is a remake. But it is. "Let Me In" is a movie that shows that when it comes to horror, less is more. It's a movie someone like Val Lewton would have loved.
Check it out when it appears on DVD in January. Better yet, get the Blu-Ray and experience a really special movie.

My Brett Favre syndrome

The other night I was thinking about work and I realized my heart is not in it anymore. I still do my work and occasionally I feel proud of something I've done. But there is a sense of to quote the Eagle's song "singing for the sake of the song."

I feel like an athlete on his last seasons. In this new job I feel like a sort of Brett Favre, playing well but realizing that this may be the last season. This place where I work is my Vikings team, a chance to do something, to play, to feel the team spirit. But in the back of my mind, realizing that maybe I won't want to do this next season.

The other day I decided to look back at what I had written here a few years ago. And I am pretty happy with the blog. And a bit sad I don't write that often.I have been concentrating in other things such as photography and reading.But I want to make the effort to write here more often.Even if it's just to put a quote or a photo. I don;t have to get that deep. Just write a bit.

Gloria Stuart

These days I have been watching movies from the 1930's. Especially Mr. Moto movies and Astaire-Rogers musicals. While I enjoying them, A thought sometimes crosses my mind. Everyone in this movie is dead. Nobody I'm seeing onscreen could possibly be alive. Well, maybe the small kid here and there may be alive. All except Gloria Stuart. Here is a starlet from 1930's movies that was still alive in the 2000's. She, of course, became even more famous because of her role in the mega-hit 'Titanic".

But today, she too is gone. The last of the 1930's stars is has passed away.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I saw the movie based on the first book of the Stieg Larsson trilogy. Here's what I think. It's ok. Just like the books are ok. A slick piece of pop culture that sets out to entertain and not much else. The movie is pretty cool and the performance by Noomi Rapace as Lisbth Salander is outstanding. But this is the kind of movie that I imagine will not stand the test of time. A 2010 version of John Grisham's bestsellers. Books that nobody reads anymore. A product of marketing and a moment in time.

routines

I guess when one reaches a certain age, routines become important. I guess because life becomes more uncertain, mortality seems more real. So to make up for these facts, one creates little routines that make life look normal.

My routines tend to center around Saturdays. I wake up around 8am, I prepare myself some coffee and some oatmeal. This is the day in which I don't have to hurry. So I go to the balcony, watch the ocean. I love how I can, in a way, make the morning go slow.

Then, I take a leisurely walk and take photos. Mostly of the ocean. Then I go into Starbucks and have a second coffee. I read the news on my Iphone, sometimes I call my friend Erika. We usually talk Saturday mornings because we used to meet at Starbucks every other Saturday to talk about life. She no longer lives here. But I love to still have these long distance talks.

Then in the afternoon I love to watch movies in bed. I tend to go for old movies. Sometimes movies that take me back to my childhood or my teenage years. To the era when things were less complicated, mortality millions of years away.

Hannie Caulder starring Raquel Welch & Stephen Boyd - Trailer

Raquel Welch in Hannie Caulder

One of the frustrating things about being a movie fan at a young age was that there were certain movies one wanted to see but couldn't because of an R rating. And I remember seeing the ads and photos of the movie "Hannie Caulder" and wanting to see it. And well, I can see why. It's very simple, the photos Raquel Welch wearing a poncho and with presumably nothing underneath. For a horny eleven year old, that was heaven.

Well, I finally got to see this movie. And yes, Raquel Welch is sexy. Incredibly sexy. So very sexy. As for the movie, it's a pretty good revenge film with good acting all around. Robert Culp is excellent and so is Christopher Lee in one of his few non-horror roles. The idea of Welch being a sexy gunslinger is pretty weird. This couldn't possibly
have occurred in the Old West. But then again, 99% of Westerns are pure fiction, pure fantasy and have nothing to do with the real West.

So I enjoyed this movie. It ran only 85 minutes, which to me is the perfect running time for a movie. And well, there's Raquel Welch at her most alluring. Can't ask for much more.

Inception letdown

I went into the movie theater expecting a Twilight Zone-Memento like experience and I ended up watching an action movie for the ADD set. This movie was not all What I expected. The first hour was fine with its mind blowing visuals and mind fuck ideas. This had the makings of a truly cool movie. But suddenly this movie shifts gears and becomes the worst kind of CGI action movie. And it goes on and on until you want to scream at the screen.

Before watching the movie I was happy that Inception had made so much money. An intelligent, weird movie making all that cash? But I was wrong. The movie made money because in the end, it was just an action movie. A typical dumb summer movie. It was Angelina Jolie's "Salt" with metaphysical pretentions.

Goodbye to The Mandarin

Last week a friend of mine told me he was going to San Francisco with his wife. He asked me about restaurants and I was about to tell him that he had to go to the famous The Mandarin on Ghirardelli Square. It was a place I had gone to many times with my father back in the 1970's and 1980's. And a place I visited three years ago when I went back after so many years. But I decided to look for it in the Internet and learned that it had closed down in November.

The Mandarin was founded in 1968. It was the first restaurant to introduce real Mandarin cooking in the United States. Before that, Chinese places tended to cater to an Americanized version of Chinese cuisine. The Mandarin changed all that. The place was beautiful too with a truly breathtaking view of San Francisco bay.

When I used to go with my parents, we were lucky to get a table. The last time I was there, it was nearly empty. I talked to one of the waiters and told him about the many times that I had gone there with my parents and asked him if he could take a photo of me at the restaurant. He smiled and took the photo. It remains a fond memory of my trip.

If I ever go back to San Francisco, it will be strange not to visit The Mandarin. It was such a part of visiting the city. It was a part of my happiest memories of traveling with my mother and father. And like so many things when one reaches a certain age, it is gone.

Julie Christie Interview (1967)