FilmJerk Favorites

A group of unique directors and the essential works that you've got to see.

||| Alfred Hitchcock |||
Alfred Hitchcock

This is perhaps an obvious choice, however, most people tend to overlook the Master of Suspense’s early work as well as the relevancy of his last film as a key element in the continuing transition and development of the genre he defined.

One of Hitchcock's early triumphs, this predecessor to the mistaken identity man on the run scenario Hitchcock turned to time and again, stars Robert Donat as the innocent wrongly accused of murder and pursued by both the police and enemy spies. This is the first example of Hitchcock’s mastery over the suspense tale, giving us a glimpse of the greatness to come.

Considered to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest works, this story of two men who meet by chance on a train and frivolously discuss swapping murders is a prime example of a common Hitchcock theme of the man who suddenly finds himself within a nightmare world over which he has no control. You can easily see how this film lays the ground work for the more popular “North by Northwest”.

Alfred Hitchcock's final film is a light-hearted thriller involving phony psychics, kidnappers and organized religion, all of which cross paths in the search for a missing heir and a fortune in jewels. Here, Hitchcock has brilliantly developed his signature form to include the now common, and often overused, device of plot twist, after plot twist, after plot twist. Widescreen!

Recommended by CarrieSpecht

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Evan Almighty

By BrianOrndorf

June 21st, 2007

So, yeah, it's a big, bloated, crotch-walloping, slapsticked-into-a-coma, yelly, juvenile piece of family entertainment. But at least it's better than "Bruce Almighty."

Evan Almighty

Now a congressman, Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) has moved his family (including Lauren Graham) to suburban Virginia to start a new life. Ready to take on the world of politics, Evan is visited by God (Morgan Freeman, having a ball), who informs the phobic congressman that’s he should build an ark instead. At first, Evan resists. Yet, when the animals start showing up at his door, the lumber dropped off on his lawn, and cursed with a beard and hair that won’t stop growing; Evan realizes he must take the role of Noah and build his mighty boat before a promised flood arrives.

“Bruce Almighty” was one of those unexpected disappointments that makes your stomach hurt. It was Jim Carrey playing God, and the film could only eek out 50% blissfully goofy material. The rest was lost to the winds of shoehorned decency; the film growing a needless heart when it needed to flex its funny bone just a little bit longer.

Yet, it made money. Loads of it. But not enough to entice Carrey to come back. Producers being producers, they inched the franchise over a few feet, and here we have Steve Carell in the biggest role of his rather short-lived screen career. Fortunately, Carell is a natural, lending “Evan” the perfect blast of comedic fury to get the job done.

The gift of Carell’s performance is that you believe he believes; even surrounded by a plethora of trained animals and subjected to a torrent of Evan-go-boom physical gags, Carell stays crisply focused and determined. He sells the idea that his character is capable of limitless building capability and is genuinely fearful of God’s wrath. He’s terrific here. I shudder at the thought of the film without his horn-blare touch.

Returning director Tom Shadyac has improved his serve for this sequel, evening out the balance between slapstick and social conscience for “Evan.” The film still features plenty of strained obviousness and poorly implemented morals (perhaps fearing the messages of the movie would be lost in the massive scope), yet “Evan” is a slicker piece of direction, with refreshing concern for pace and timing. It’s not crafty, pioneering cinema, but compared to “Bruce,” “Evan” is a faster, more confident picture. It knows what pleases the crowds and steamrolls through the fluff briskly.

Now I could’ve done without the countless animal feces gags, the genital-assault humor, and Shadyac’s atrocious ear for “inspirational” music (does the world really need a country cover of “Revolution?”), but I did enjoy this big, dumb family film in a big, dumb way. I was even more impressed how “Evan” turns temporarily into an Irwin Allen disaster film in the final act, using impressive special effects and good old fashioned actorly panic to get some use out of that pesky ark.

As a crowd-pleasing, undemanding matinee diversion, “Evan Almighty” is a far more satisfying production than “Bruce,” and that, to me, is a great thing. Even if the nonsense gets under your skin from the first frame, it’s hard to ignore that Carell is a natural at this leading man business.

My rating: B