Criterion Year Week 32: A Woman Under The Influence

The Criterion Collection, the last vestige of truly collectible DVD and Blu-Ray movies in existence. These are well produced, fancy pants editions of important and interesting films for the discerning film lover. We continue our journey through Jim's collection of movies with... A Woman Under the Influence Spine Number: 253 Director: John Cassavetes Genre: Drama We have been using the metaphor of a party to describe the films of Cassavetes, and so... let's continue that. "Shadows," is life at and around the party, what happens in social settings and how those dynamics function as a part of daily life. "Faces" is the after party. What happens when the party is over, but there is still that need to be out there and how do we deal with strange situations and people that only seem to exist in the wee small hours of the morning. In "A Woman Under The Influence,"  the party is over and all you are left with is the crushing banality of daily life. There are good times, but there are also a lot of bad times. Very bad times. Times where the air is just sucked out of the room and you struggle to make sense of any of it. So... what is life after the party ends? First and foremost... Gina Rowlands is so good in this movie that it almost hurts. It is literally impossible to put into words. The world she lives in is messy. She is unhinged and lacks any real moorings to steady her. Peter Falk is harrowing to say the least. This movie is hard to watch. It's a parade of characters who don't know what to do, don't really want to be doing what they're doing, and have no idea where what their goal should be. This is a standout film, incredibly shot and acted, solidly paced and written, and you almost feel like you need a shower when it ends. But don't let that dissuade you from taking the next step on our journey through the world of John Cassavetes. Next Week: We inch closer to the end with... Spine number 254: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Also, check this out. The Life Masters is now it's own show with its own site and own dedicated feed. That's right, we have two completely different shows! Right now check it out at www.thelifemasters.podbean.com. You can also drink in our brilliance on Youtube for both The Film Thugs and The Life Masters. http://fantasymovieleague.com/ Looks like Summer Movie League has officially become Fantasy Movie League. It looks quite fun. Here's how it works. You have an 8 screen theater. Every week you pick movies and have a budget/salary cap you have to stay under. Then you compete against other theaters in your league. It's fantasy football for movie people. Our league is Film Thugs 2015 and the password is Porterhouse. And remember, you can be a part of the show any time you wild like. How's that? All you have to do is call or e-mail us. If you live in the US, or any place that makes calling the US easy, just dial 512-666-RANT and leave us a voicemail. We will read the Google Voice transcript and play your message. It's both funny AND informative. If you live outside the US you can call us on Skype at The_Film_Thugs. You can leave a message, or someone might actually answer. E-mail us at [email protected] and we will read/play whatever you send us, or you can e-mail [email protected] to be part of  an upcoming "Ask the Film Thugs" show, where we answer questions on any subject without having heard them first. Also, we are on twitter @thefilmthugs and on Facebook and Vine. You can also click on one of our sponsor links below and THEY will pay us. That's right. You won't have to pay a PENNY extra, and Amazon/Onnit/Teefury will give us a little taste. Also, be sure to check back often for our new endeavor The Life Masters, where we answer questions to other advice columnists. Thanks for listening, and until next week...