herbiehancock

No 62 - The Graduate Director - Mike Nichols I give up trying to apologise for the recent lax behaviour on this blog. My life has got distressingly hectic and LoveFilm are sending me all sorts of fascinating films which are decidedly NON-LIST. But I'm keeping at it.... and will continue here. Have no fear. There are a lot of nice little bits I wish to talk about in The Graduate. The beautiful soundtrack, for example and that I really love The Sound of Silence, even after hearing a hundred times over the film. The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle - just beautiful Then there is the great acting. Namely, the two central roles. I am a massive fan of Dustin Hoffman. He pretty much makes every thing he is in better. Whether its a serious role , what seems like a cash in , or just a cheeky cameo .... he is brilliant. No exception here. Ben is a great character. A bundle of nerves and angst, filled with worry and self loathing. He stays utterly fascinating and believable througho...

No 168 - Tootsie Director - Sydney Pollack I had never seen this film - and my initial thought was that it was going to be something that I'd already seen before..... Well.... I was wrong and a half! So, the marvellous and utterly superb Dustin Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey - an actor who gets into drag so to help him get a part as a female character in a soap, because no one will hire him as himself. "Aha!" You all say "I know where this is going!" And.... Whilst Dorothy Michaels is closer to Josephine and Daphne than she is to Mrs Doubtfire , and whilst there are some parallels (the male character falls in lover with a female coworker who only knows him as his female counterpart) Tootsie tells a very different and very interesting story. For all the farce. For all the camp. For all the comedy genius (it has Bill Murray in it - it must be comedy genius) the film tackles a pretty serious issue. It is a film essentially about feminism. About equality in the wor...

No 387 - Rain Man Director - Barry Levinson Oh Blog! I have neglected you. I have been a bad man and July has been a rubbish month for me actually having films and watching them. I promise to rectify this in the upcoming months. I find autism fascinating. I'm aware that that can make me sound a bit voyeuristic and a bit like a bastard, but what I mean is that it is genuinely a fascinating mental process - especially the Savant syndrome, which is what Raymond's condition is defined as. My knowledge and interest on this stems initially from Daniel Tammet . If you have never read Born on a Blue Day , do so - you can get it for as little as a quid on Amazon. Bargain. It is an extremely fascinating read about how Tammet's condition allows him to complete massively complex mathematical and linguistic feats. The man is a genius, and yet when discussing his condition, you can see the limitations it imposes on him. Whilst he is a very social person, he has the confusion about em...

No 307 - Midnight Cowboy Director - John Schlesinger This is a very odd little film. I'm not sure I can easily explain what it is about, but it features Joe Buck, a very naive and equally full of himself Texan who moves to New York in order to become a man ho, a male gigolo . However, it is not an easy job and he finds himself poorer and poorer with less and less to own. As he becomes more cynical and more impoverished , he is taken in and looked after by Rizzo , a sickly thief and reprobate. Together they squat in condemned building and try desperately to get by. As you may be able to tell, this isn't the jolliest of films. I do really like the initial Joe Buck. When we meet him in Texas, he is full of life and pep and vigour. He is proud of the way he looks, he wears beautifully flamboyant shirts and dresses like an old school cowboy. He is chivalrous , kind and just so bloody happy about everything. He really is an adorable character. The kindness and the optimism balance...