Wendy and Lucy
OSCILLOSCOPE
MOVIE B
SPECIAL FEATURES C
DVD GEEK FACTOR 6
(OUT OF 10)
BusinessWeek recently ranked Portland, Ore., as the
unhappiest city in America. The protagonist of this film probably
wouldn’t disagree.
Wendy (Michelle Williams), a young woman en route to a new home in
Alaska, stops in Portland for some rest and recreation with her dog,
Lucy. After a snooze in a drugstore parking lot, her car doesn’t start.
That’s just the beginning of her problems.
Because she’s on a tight budget (sponge baths in gas-station
restrooms are her greatest luxury), Wendy tries to shoplift a few
things for her and her dog. This movie stands as one giant shout-out to
the evils and downsides of stealing shit: Wendy gets busted and is
hauled off to jail while her dog remains tied up outside of the
store.
Upon her release, Lucy is gone. Trips to the pound and to a sleazy
mechanic (Will Patton in an amusing cameo) return nothing positive, and
Wendy gets a real lesson in how life can suddenly become a true
disaster, especially in hard economic times.
Writer-director Kelly Reichardt has made a small, interesting movie
that benefits from fine work by Williams, who really makes you care
about Wendy’s plight. A quick phone call to relatives reveals that her
family doesn’t hold her in the highest regard, and Williams does a
great job of conveying the resulting sadness.
The film feels real, as if the director gave Williams a few bucks,
took away her makeup and told her to go live in a car for a few days.
Some of the film’s more powerful moments don’t have dialogue; they
simply have Williams physically reacting to something.
There is genuine sadness in the film’s conclusion, but there’s also
hope expressed that Wendy has learned from the experience: Don’t bet
everything on the life of a 10-year-old car; don’t shoplift when your
dog awaits you outside; and, for God’s sake, don’t get caught sleeping
in the parking lot of a Walgreens in Portland.
SPECIAL FEATURES: There is nothing here that directly
pertains to Wendy and Lucy, but there are a few short films
produced by the same company, and they are of marginal interest.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Centennial Collection
PARAMOUNT
MOVIE B
SPECIAL FEATURES B-
DVD GEEK FACTOR 6.5
(OUT OF 10)
Acclaimed Western director John Ford was nearing the end of his
career when he released this one, widely regarded as his last great
film. It’s also the last one Ford shot in black and white, and it marks
the first time John Wayne uttered “pilgrim.”
James Stewart plays Ransom Stoddard, an elder state senator
returning to the small Western town where he is legendary for killing
the murderous Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) in a gunfight. He’s there
for a funeral, and he tells his story with the help of flashback.
The film depicts Stewart’s character just out of law school and
heading for the Wild West to make a name for himself. Stewart was in
his 50s at the time, so he’s not all that convincing as a man in his
20s. It’s a good thing Ford opted to shoot in black and white, because
color would’ve really brought out the obviousness of Stewart’s hair
dye. (Or is that a wig?)
On his way to his new home in Shinbone, the stagecoach is ambushed
by Liberty Valance, and Stoddard gets himself a good ass-whopping. He’s
picked up and brought into town by Tom Doniphon (John Wayne, also in
his 50s but playing someone around 25 years old). The two have eyes for
Hallie (Vera Miles), which contributes to an antagonistic
relationship.
This is one of Ford’s darker films, and it offers one of Wayne’s
more complex performances. Doniphon is a mixed-up man, virtuous one
moment and violently drunk the next. His character’s destiny, in the
end, is very depressing.
This is the first time Stewart and Wayne shared the screen
together.
SPECIAL FEATURES: There are some brief audio clips from Ford,
Stewart and Marvin passed off as a commentary. The better feature is a
seven-part documentary on the history of the movie, on a second
disc.
Johnny Got His Gun
SHOUT FACTORY
MOVIE B
SPECIAL FEATURES B+
DVD GEEK FACTOR 7
(OUT OF 10)
Dalton Trumbo’s experimental 1971 film, based on his own 1938 novel,
has finally made it to DVD. Timothy Bottoms plays a World War I soldier
who, after losing his face, arms and legs on the final day of the war,
lies helpless on a hospital gurney, unable to communicate.
While the hospital footage is shot in black and white, the soldier’s
dreams and hallucinations are in color. The dreams are the best part of
the film, and include Donald Sutherland as a card-playing, train-riding
Jesus. Some of this film is a bit dated, but it’s still a remarkable
achievement, and an interesting career-capper for the controversial
author.
SPECIAL FEATURES: An excellent documentary on Trumbo, a new
interview with Bottoms, and Metallica’s “One” video (which featured
footage from the film).
This article appears in May 14-20, 2009.
