Dogs Bark

Caution Flagged - - Trainwreck (2015, USA, Color, 122 min) - - 19 July 2015

Not recommended. Given the hype and Emmy-winning talent of Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer), Trainwreck is a major disappointment. Perhaps the combination of a tyro actress and screenwriter with frat-boy director, Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) should have been a warning because the sad part is how bourgeois the story becomes after a much stronger opening. Hard-drinking slut sees the error of her ways, finding her inner Donna Reed with a cute doctor? This is not your daughter’s Amy Schumer. I found the cheerleader scene at the end almost gag-inducing.  But then again, there are some funny moments and I found myself occasionally chuckling out loud. Several of these guffaws were attributable the wonderful supporting cast. An unrecognizable Tilda Swinton, as Schumer’s carnivorous boss and Colin Quinn, as her father, were great and non-actors John Cena and LeBron James, remarkably amusing. If that’s enough for you, Trainwreck might still be f$$kable.

How Many Syllables, Mario? - - Putney Swope (1969, USA, B/W, 85 min) - - 14 July 2015

Recommended. One of the more iconic art features of the late-60’s was the stoner flick.  Much of the work of certain auteurs, starting with Warhol and Vadim, was meant to be watched high - - and best - - between midnight and six AM in a cavernous, moldy theater on Market Street. Such is the portfolio of Robert Downey Sr. and whatever drug problems his son and grandson have suffered are clearly genetic. Putney Swope was Downey Sr.’s most successful film and it’s not exactly Iron Man 2. It’s not even Tropic Thunder and the humor, while dated, is still subversive.  The acting is pure vérité and supposedly the actor playing the eponymous role (Arnold Johnson, Shaft) was so raw that Downey, Sr. had to dub his lines . . . another delightfully psychotropic touch. The ending is bleak and sardonic, but then again, the ending of The Movement was also bleak. Putney Swope anticipated that . . . perfectly.

Long Way ‘Round The Block - - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014, USA) - - 10 July 2015

Recommended. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut feature, gets compared favorably to another post-Twilight, alt-vamp flick, Jim Jarmisch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, recently reviewed in these pages. The nexus is reasonable, given the languid, amused gaze of the film and frequent spit takes. . . a chador-draped, skateboard chick, for example. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is spoken in Farsi, Ms. Amirpour is Anglo-Persian by birth and the film is shot in Bakersfield, CA. As a first feature, it’s remarkable; and the chemistry between The Girl (Sheila Vand, Argo) and Aresh (newcomer, Arash Marandi) is superb. The Morricone-quoting soundtrack (featuring the band, Federale) has coolness, too, as does Lyle Vincent’s (Devoured) creepy and award-winning cinematography.  But despite all this, the story’s a bit spectral and the atmosphere gets a little thin over the course of the film. Quicker - - less quirky - - the next trip.