Z/Web

Director: Sam Peckinpaw

This is a much better Peckinpaw film: it’s lighter with a comedic element that’s refreshing, and I really liked it until the very end, when it spoiled the fun by ending on a sour note that is out of line with the rest of the movie. The basic premise is about an old man who is left to die in the desert by two “partners” but he finds water and realizes that’s his chance to make it. He stakes a claim and sets up an oasis, charging travelers for water. Jason Robards is the title character and he’s fabulous, just absolutely wonderful. He’s cranky and stubborn, ornery, mean, and quick to smile when you least expect it. There are a few other interestig characters, like the prostitute girlfriend, but Cable stands alone and carries the movie. Very cool and fun and except for the downer of an ending that’s so unexpected and odd, it’s a great film.

Director: Michael Moore

Another cult classic I had never seen; I didn’t realize until the opening credits this was written and directed by Michael Moore. I can’t stand him lately, but this is in his earlier period when he was at least somewhat balanced and much funnier. This is pretty good, too, though too uneven to be a great film. The premise is that the U.S. president is down in the polls and the economy is tanking, so he conjures up Canada as the new red threat (a little bit like Wag the Dog, though that’s a much better film). If this film had concentrated on that premise it would have been better; unfortunately it tries for broader comedy with slapstick and farce with a moron American sheriff trying to attack Canada himself and a bunch of other silly nonsense. The film is definitely biased, but not as much as you’d expect: there are humorous jabs in both directions (something Moore doesn’t do any more and his work suffers because of it). The bottom line: fun