DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg. CAST: Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Ned Beatty, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Christopher Lee, Tim Matheson, Toshiro Mifune, Warren Oates, Robert Stack, Treat Williams, Nancy Allen, Bobby DiCicco, Dianne Kay, Perry Lang, Slim Pickens, Wendie Jo Sperber, Eddie Deezen, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Frank McRae, Susan Backlinie. 1941 is a glorious disaster of a film; it is not a ‘good movie’ as much as it is an amazing spectacle. Personally, I cannot hate a movie simultaneously recognizing the diverse talents of Toshiro Mifune and Eddie Deezen. You certainly will not find such an ensemble cast anywhere else! 1941 is an attempt at a World War II-era comedy through the anarchic lens of Saturday Night Live or Animal House. American tension is high after the attack on Pearl Harbor just a couple days before. Wild rumors abound and everyone is on alert. Servicemen and zoot suiters are rioting in the streets and a lone Japanese submarine is lost in the Pacific Ocean while trying to find and attack Los Angeles. 1941 introduces several movies’ worth of characters and stories at once; so much is going on that most viewers would likely get lost in the chaos. Fans that can make sense of this mess will enjoy the 146-minute director’s cut that fleshes out some of the more principal characters. Although 1941 is not laugh-out-loud funny most of the time, it captures the period in which it takes place with good unpretentious fun.
DIRECTOR: Sergio Leone. CAST: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, William Forsythe, James Hayden, Danny Aiello, Larry Rapp. Sergio Leone’s tribute to the classic American gangster epic meanders at times, but is ultimately a unique film for those who can endure its near four-hour length. Once Upon a Time in America is one of those movies that require your attention; it is not something you put on in the background while updating your social media status. This story ostensibly covers a group of street urchins rising to the top of the Jewish mafia food chain in the Prohibition era, but is more about one man and the complicated choices that he makes during his long life. His being a gangster is simply the backdrop here. Once Upon a Time in America could have been about any elderly man reflecting on a life of mistakes and potential wasted in his pursuit of the American Dream. Although it is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, I recommend sitting down and getting lost in this tale. Leone’s final cinematic offering may not be perfect, but the photography and art direction makes it a positively gorgeous film for film lovers.
