Some quick notes on SABRINA and THE FRENCH CONNECTION II

You know, at this very moment, I have almost nothing to say. Oh I'm sure that surprises many of you, but for whatever reason, on a hot, sunny, beautiful day in SF, I feel a little muted. This chatterbox has run out of batteries for a bit it seems, but lucky for you, and lucky for me I actually powered through some films last week (none of them Criterion, now that would just be silly) and have some thoughts/opinions on 'em.

Thus, though my cynical laser beam is set to stun, I actually have something to write.

I'm going to be doing these more often, so I'm going to start referring to them as QUICK NOTES, as I'm just sort of laying down some thoughts quickly about these films. Thus Quick Notes, see, it's actually quite simple. I'll explain it to you later.

SABRINA (dir. Billy Wilder)

I love Billy Wilder. In his time on this Earth he directed some of the great films of all time - The Apartment, Lost Weekend, Some Like It Hot - and the list goes on and on. Thus when Alex was interested in finishing Sabrina, a Wilder film I only knew because of the Harrison Ford/Greg Kinnear remake of a few years back, I was extremely excited. The film stars Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden. It's star-studded and has the reputation of being an absolute classic.

And maybe it is, but I just couldn't get behind it. The film follows a chaperone's daughter (seemingly a really lowly position in Long Island) and a strange love triangle that springs up between a man she's always loved, and his money-driven brother who attempts to put an end to the burgeoning romance. It's sort of the original blueprint for the romantic comedy. A loves B, but B doth not love A. A goes to Paris and gets all gussied up, returns to Long Island, and B falls in love with A. C doth not want A and B to be together, so C starts putting the fake moves on A behind B's back. But B and A start to fall in love ... and on and on and on.

It was enjoyable but there was something about about the back-stabbing, treacherous relationship between the Larabee Brothers that really put me off. Sure, it's sort of funny to snake your relation's love out from under their nose, but it's also mean-spirited, and to do so in the pursuit of extraneous money just didn't seem all that enjoyable to me. It's a goofy, well put together film, but for whatever reason I just wasn't in the mood for it.

I will say the image of William Holden and five women balancing on an industrial grade piece of polymer did float my boat. Indeed.

THE FRENCH CONNECTION II (dir. John Frankenheimer)

A forty-five minute heroin addiction scene matched with another forty-five minute rehabilitation scene set in French prison with Gene Hackman screaming for H does not float my boat.

This movie needed about one hour, and an addiction to heroin sliced out of it.

Not my cup of delicious tea.

Not a bit.

Tomorrow: All That Heaven Allows (95)