My Week of Movie Watching

Brewster McCloud – This was Robert Altman’s follow-up to M*A*S*H*, and it has generally been considered a peculiar little trifle. In truth, it IS peculiar, but in this most recent viewing, I can honestly say that I liked it. The plot involves a young man (Bud Cort), who dreams of flying away. It is actually more than a dream - He is building mechanical wings for the purpose. Sally Kellerman plays a mysterious bird-woman who seems to watch over Brewster. There is a plot of a serial killer who is strangling people and leaving them smeared with birdshit. Despite the bizarre plot, there is something going on here. The film is about spiritual purity, and whether Brewster can achieve his dream before contact with other humans corrupts and destroys him. The conclusion in the Houston Astrodome is heartbreaking and unforgettable. Recommended.

Cul-de-Sac – Roman Polanski film from 1966 concerns two injured criminals who crash at an isolated English castle while waiting for rescue from their boss. The castle is inhabited by a twitchy artist (Donald Pleasance), and his alluring young wife (Francoise Dorleac). I wanted to like this one, based on my experience with Polanski`s Knife in the Water from a couple of years earlier. That is a film I love unabashedly. Cul-de-Sac, for me, doesn`t know what it wants to be. It has the framework of a taut thriller, but it also seems to think it`s a sly black comedy. The result is that I don`t think it`s terribly effective either way. A disappointing non-recommendation.