Husbands - 1970 - Dir. Cassavetes

So Husbands begins with photographs of four men, flexing. TONS of flexing. Then they are at a funeral, one of the men has died, and there are three left. Then three men begin to drink and they do not appear to stop. The film is completely raucous. The beginning portion contains screaming and singing and running around in the most ridiculous manner. It's three men being reduced to children, or perhaps even reducing themselves to children. There's an intense craving in the men to be someone who they aren't, and the film might in some ways document their failure to be anything but: HUSBANDS. The film is exactly what I've come to expect from Cassavetes. Long, wandering scenes. Lots of jokes and laughing, although I can't say the laughing really comes from me. But I am entertained. There's so much childishness and liveliness... I love to think about where the honesty is in a Cassavetes film. Although the existence of it is probably futile, there is still something terribly engaging about trying to find it. I would want to watch the film again, despite it's length and its sluggish pace (but we must've come to expect that), there's something appealing and hypnotic about it.

MEN!

A Woman Under the Influence - 1974 - Dir. Cassavetes

Oh shit! It's another Cassavetes flick! EASILY, the most difficult one to watch. This is mostly due to Gena Rowlands. Who does a really incredible job of being a big 'ole nutcase. I mean, she really puts on quite a performance. I don't think I see a lot of performances like the one she puts on. Rowlands peppers her role with "ba-ba"s and sputtering sounds. Crazy looks. OH MAN! And there is so much word mouthing. You know, Cassavetes has tons of mouthing words but this one really seems to take the cake. Rowlands really puts on her manic pants for the role, I was surprised it was the same woman who played the Whore from Faces. I mean, Peter Falk is pretty incredible too. But what I found really incredible about his character, Nick, was sort of how unlikable and sympathetic he can be at the same time. You know, he's a stressed out guy. I think the complexities of Rowlands and Falk are really what make this movie. It's a really uncomfortable film to watch. Sort of the Cassavetes I had been expecting to see from the start. A kind of unflinching portrayal. And it sure it. I got a little squirmy as the film went on. So much of the film is Rowlands being made socially awkward and trying to figure out if Nick knows what he's doing. So we're seeing a lot of socially awkward situations, but that's not new for a Cassavetes' film, but what feels new about this is the awkwardness is sort of hushed. Everyone is SUPER forgiving and patient of Rowlands (for the most part). There are occasional bursts of anger and screaming, of course. I remember hearing that Cassavetes was very interested in people's inability to communicate love for one another. And that seems the most clear in Woman. There is definitely a love between the characters but all of the standards they hold themselves to. So, I dunno, I don't think I like Woman as much as I liked saaaay Faces. In fact, honestly, I've been pretty caught up in that film since I've seen it. It really blew me out of the water. But Woman is definitely a memorable Cassavetes and I'm sure it will be sticking with me for a good while.

GENA ROWLANDS IS GON' LAY A SMACK DOWN ON YOUR ASS!!!

Faces - 1968 - Dir. Cassavetes

First of all, google image searching "Faces (movie)" gets a picture of Patrick Swayze, one of Nicolas Cage from Next, and a bunch of cumshot/facial abuse pictures. THE INTERNET! You know, when I get ready to watch a Cassavetes movie, I'm immediately ready to dislike it. This was especially the case with Faces. I have no desire to watch a movie about the collapse of a marriage. WHY WOULD I WANT TO WATCH THAT?! But then the movie starts... and I realize that Netflix's summary doesn't really do it justice. The movie certainly has a PLOT... but it doesn't attack you like movies these days do. And I... I dunno... I keep forgetting that. I keep waiting for Cassavetes to hit me with some kind of super drama. But he's better than that, I guess. But he's better than that, 'SPOSE THAT'S WHY HE'S SUCH A BIG DEAL, HUH!? The film is so manic that it gave me whiplash. Violently changing tones, mid scene. A scene will begin with hysterical laughing, people falling all over each other, and then suddenly people are spitting venom at each other. And they really are HYSTERICAL. There's such a focus on jokes and half-sung songs. In each scene there's usually a great deal of drunken shouting (ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!). A kind of forced livelyness is maintained but eventually something else breaks through every now and then. Not like a scene that culminates into an explosion or a monologue but just a kind of useless thrashing. A kind of self-hate pervades through the film. No one is happy with themselves and they've all come to terms with that. Naturally, a film like this needs actors who can pull this off. This kind of breakneck exchange of emotions. I especially liked Lynn Carlin in the first sequence of the film. I thought she was just brilliant at that point. That's not to take anything away from the rest of the actors. Everyone is just GREAT! I've been slowly working my way through Cassavetes OUERVEFERE, I figured Faces and Opening Night would be the low points for me. But I think Faces might have been my favorite so far.

Lynn and John compete to see whose nose will give out first. Sure, its fun now...

Shadows - 1959 - Dir. Cassavetes

I suppose this is sort of my first traditional Cassavetes picture, handily enough it was also HIS first picture. Although there was a previous version, apparently this is what people think of when they think Shadows. I did really enjoy this, not as much as Chinese Bookie but I still found this incredibly engrossing. Especially since this isn't a movie that I feel like I would normally be all about, you know, what with all the drama and feelings and all ;). When Lelia lies in bed with Tony I just found that pretty fucking heart breaking. I feel the way Cassavetes depictes emotion on screen is sort of a bullet train into my heart. Like I really believe his characters, I suppose because we spend so much time seeing them bumble and mumble and do things that in some ways are fairly pointless. I feel like we get a very complete picture of who these people are through that. Also, I have to admit that being that the movie was about the beat culture, I was a sucker for it from the start. Oh man! And Ben Carruthers is awfully good at sulking

You can't tell but that guy back there is like the Ethan Embry of the 1950's

Killing of a Chinese Bookie: Director's Cut - 1978 - Dir. Cassavetes

Originally released in uhhh... 1976, Killing of a Chinese Bookie did terribly. Eventually, after filming Opening Night, Cassavetes re-edited the film, cutting out about half an hour and changing up quite a few things. I'll sound like THIS guy and say, I liked the longer version more. And generally I'm one for brevity, I like my movies short. But still, a lot of things felt a little lost in this version. I'm not saying this is bad by any means, of course, it manages to keep most of the golden moments of the original intact. It does streamline the story, making some pretty reasonable cuts. In the 1976 version, we spend a good chunk of the film hanging out in his strip club, which is surprisingly enough, incredibly dull, but I think those dull bits really paid off in the end, shaping the movie and Ben Gazarra's character. Speaking of which, Ben Gazarra was incredible. This was the first Cassavete's film I've seen and it took a little while to get used to the way his films flowed and the way his people spoke but after a while, it really worked for me. As I watched Killing, it was the first time in a while that I felt I was watching someone very daring at work. The same way I felt when I began watching Godard, minus the slight shame of enjoying something a little pretentious. I felt like I was watching someone who knew exactly what they were doing and I couldn't presuppose where they were going. Which, for me, is very thilling. ALSO! Hadji from Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! was in it! What a crazy looking lady!

I don't understand Ben Gazarra's face right now. I JUST DON'T GET IT.