Faces (1968)

Faces, the Cassavetes' classic, is an unflinching glimpse into a marriage on the precipice of disaster. Drunken brawls, hysterical laughter, and sloppy slow dancing.

• Directed & written by John Cassavetes

• Starring Gena Rowlands, John Marley, Lynn Carlin, Seymour Cassel

I'm gradually making my way through Cassavetes' filmography and enjoying every minute of it. (I know, what took me so long?) So far I've watched A Woman Under the Influence, Shadows, and now Faces; all three fit into his typical cinéma vérité filmmaking, emphasizing "authenticity" and exposing the truth of the film's subjects. I'm pretty familiar with Godard's Frenchy French cinéma vérité movies, but Cassavetes has a particular flair stemming from his background as an actor and acting teacher in NYC. His films (so far) have been deeply, uncomfortably intimate, focusing solely on the actors' performances for narrative. It's been refreshing and challenging to watch such stripped down films, and totally different from the spectacle-forward movies I tend to gravitate toward from this era. (My apologies to any film friends reading this, I'm aware I sound like someone who hasn't studied film history. Hopefully my newbie Cassavetes status is endearing?)

Anywho, Faces feels like being on a 24 hour bender with the messiest straight people you've ever met. Most of the film is shot in tight closeups, lingering on Gena Rowland's smudged makeup or a drunken embrace between Seymour Cassel (playing a horny dude) and Lynn Carlin (in a big ole beehive). You can almost smell the booze wafting from their lips and there's no moment of relief for the viewer. Faces is a portrait of the unbearable tension within an unraveling marriage. One moment there's hysterical laughter, the next is life shattering. I would be remiss not to mention a truly gritty scene toward the end when one character overdoses. It's not for the faint of heart.

I don't have much to say about the costumes in Faces as all of the focus is on performance. A costume designer wasn't credited, so I'm assuming Cassavetes or the actors' themselves chose the looks? Gena wears this chic houndstooth cocktail dress, otherwise there's a lot of late 60s suits. Her makeup is Glamour though. Gena is queen.

Trivia!

• Lynn Carlin was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards. This was her debut role, which is pretty shocking. Cassavetes was nominated for Best Screenplay.

• Faces was filmed in Cassavetes' house and Lady Rowland's house (Gena's mother). Lady is credited as for set decoration.

• At the time of filming, Cassavetes and Gena were married. (Hm.....)

• The original director's cut was SIX HOURS LONG. Supposedly there are several alternative versions of the film and the first draft was 250 pages.

Recommend?

Yes, but Faces is definitely not casual viewing. It's actually pretty tough to watch, but if you're a little film dork like me, you won't regret it. Don't say I didn't warn you about the overdose scene.

The Batman (2022)

The Batman is BACK and this time he’s a hot emo guy with major emotional turmoil. The Riddler is hellbent on exposing and destroying corrupt politicians in Gotham City and also Catwoman is there.

• Directed by Matt Reeves (creator of Felicity?)

• Written by Matt Reeves & Peter Craig

• Starring Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffery Wright

• Costumes by David Crossman & Glyn Dillon (Batsuit), Jacqueline Durran

I should preface that I swear I paid attention the entire time. I didn’t fall asleep which I’m sure some of you are expecting due to my tumultuous history with the superhero genre. In fact, I like the Gotham City girls the most out of any superhero realm; I could talk forever about how much I loved Birds of Prey and continue to listen to that soundtrack all the damn time. However, superhero movies should be banned from exceeding 2 hours. This movie is THREE. HOURS. LONG. I could feel my body creeping incrementally toward the crypt watching R Patts whisper gruffly in the rain. I’m just very tired of this tone of superhero movie. Either lean harder into noir (where is the glamour) or make something goofy for the girlies. Is it illegal to make a campy Batman movie post 2010?? Also, Paul Dano really fit the role as a greasy-haired QAnon guy who definitely doesn’t wear deodorant.

The costumes were fine. I have no thoughts on the Batsuit. Catwoman’s outfit could’ve been more detailed, but also the movie was so grey and dark that it was impossible to see anything. The Riddler’s outfit was creepy I guess. Nothing really stood out to me that much and that’s a problem. The Gotham City misfits have some of the most fun costumes, but god forbid they give us anything fun to look at for THREE. HOURS. Batman is emo? Okay, then give that man a checkered Hot Topic belt!! Something!!! Shoutout to that shake’n’go Party City wig they plopped on Zoë Kravitz head when she had to go “undercover.” I don't want to blame the costume designers at all, so I'm blaming Warner Brothers. Or maybe Matt Reeves.

Trivia!

• When he tried on the cucu crazy Penguin makeup for the first time, Colin Farrell went into Starbucks in full prosthetics and nobody recognized him. He also wore a fatsuit. (Can we ban fatsuits now?? It's giving Jared Leto in Gucci.)

• Robert Pattinson improvised the line “I’m vengeance.” (sure)

• Paul Dano dropped out of The Power of the Dog to be in this movie and was recast with Jesse Plemons.

• Ana de Armas, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Zazie Beetz were considered to play Catwoman. I would…. like to see it.

Recommend?

Sigh.... If you like superhero movies then sure. I'm very glad I waited to see The Batman from the comfort of my apartment where I could get up and stretch my legs.

Cleopatra Jones (1973)

Cleopatra Jones is an undercover secret agent, international glamazon supermodel, and martial arts master who vows to protect her community from the ravages of drug addiction. Her arch nemesis is Mommy, the nefarious butch drug queenpin who takes revenge on Cleopatra for stopping her lucrative heroin trade. Car chases, bell bottoms, and the funky fight against white supremacy!

• Directed by Jack Starrett

• Screenplay by Max Julien & Sheldon Keller

• Starring Tamara Dobson, Shelley Winters, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas

• Costume design by Italian fashion designer, Giorgio di Sant'Angelo

There’s never a dull moment in this Blaxploitation classic. As a fan of the genre and other women led “exploitation“ films from the 60s-70s, I was pleasantly shocked at the levels of complexity in this sorta feminist storyline. Sure, Cleopatra Jones is technically a fed, but she always positions the Black community above all else, much to the chagrin of the sloppy, racist LAPD. The treatment of hypersexual lesbian villain Mommy, however, is definitely homophobic and indicative of the heteronormative Black power rhetoric from that time. In opposition to Mommy‘s white butch evil is Cleopatra’s feminine, strong Black heroine. But my god… the iconic Shelley Winters is ooey gooey camp greatness in this performance. Overall, the treatment of Black women in this movie is quite fascinating in comparison to other Blaxploitation films and Cleopatra is a superfly, high kicking, fabulous Black heroine. Also, I felt homesick for SoCal watching her zoom through Downtown and Central LA in her fancy car. Shoutout to Antonio Fargas as smart talkin, super skinny crime boss Doodlebug.

Trivia!

• All of Tamara Dobson's costumes were designed exclusively by her fashion collaborator, Giorgio di Sant'Angelo. Furs, silks, truly the epitome of GLAMOUR.

• Cleopatra's 1973 Corvette Stringray was customized to not squish her iconic fro.

• One of the most expensive Blaxploitation films at the time.

• Cameo from Esther Rolle!

• Co written by the late Max Julien, star of The Mack (1973).

• Some quotes that made me scream:

  • "My jurisdiction extends from Ankara, Turkey to Watts Tower, baby."

  • "See you around, Super Honky!"

  • A little kid on rollerskates raises his fist to Cleopatra and says, "Bad ain't got nothin to do with that, right on sweet sista!"

  • Another kid comments on her car, "Right on! First phone booth I ever seen with mag wheels."

  • "The next time you pull a razor on me, you better shave."

• Iconic tagline: "Six feet two inches and all of it Dynamite!"

Recommend?

Absolutely!!! Cleopatra Jones is a great introduction to those unfamiliar with Blaxploitation films. I shrieked with laughter at this campy, funky wild ride, and then I wanted to kick some ASS!