THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? (1969)

Not to be confused with They Shoot Human Centipedes, Don't They? THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY? is about a dance marathon back in the 1930's where contestants team up to see who can dance the longest. And we're talking about weeks, not hours. Things go smoothly for our penniless heroes, Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin, for the first 600 hours or so, but then the lack of sleep, mental/physical exhaustion and the roar of the blood-thirsty crowds start to take its toll and things get cray. (One psycho even said that they like Will Smith movies!)  Still these desperate people fight on.  How long can it possible go?

A dark subject matter like this would have been perfect for directors like Polanski or Kubrick (can you imagine the intensity of the end game in a dance marathon film by Kubrick?!), but that didn't happen, so instead of a masterpiece about dehumanization and a social commentary with some black humor mixed in, we get an alright but overall forgettable film that honestly was kinda boring.  The speed-walking scenes were engaging, but other than that I really wasn't into it.  None of the characters were successfully fleshed out, the flash forwards were distracting and unneeded, the pacing was a drag, the sets and costumes looked just like that, the continuity of the contest didn't come off very well and that ending.  Lame.

It might sound like I disliked the film, but that's not true.  It just didn't click with me.  I'm sure there's tons of people out there that love this film (hell, it had 9 Oscar nominations and even won 1).  I'm just not one of them.

THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979)

A three person news crew (reporter Jane Fonda, cameraman Michael Douglas and a sound dude) are doing a puff piece on energy and taking a tour of a nuclear power plant outside of Los Angles.  While in the control room area, they observe (and secretly film) a near meltdown.  When the people who own the plant find out about the recording, they'll do anything they can to suppress it.  Even murder.  Goddamn!  Added to this already intense situation, during the near meltdown, supervisor Jack Lemmon felt a slight vibration that nobody else felt and he thinks that the main pump is in danger of a catastrophic failure.  His bosses think differently and want the plant put back online as soon as possible.

I have no idea how realistic THE CHINA SYNDROME is, but I thought the story was great and I was especially moved by Jack Lemmon's performance.  He was so intense that at times you almost forget you're watching a movie.  The near meltdown scene was awesome.  I do wish the ending had been different and maybe a little more substantial, but aside from that I was on the edge of my seat a few times.

Strong supporting cast, quick pace, pure 70's opening credits, nice photography, no musical score and no need for it, Michael Douglas with a beard, pre-JURASSIC PARK cup vibration, lots of vintage automobiles, cool duck lamp, naturalistic direction and another home run performance by Jack Lemmon.  Recommened for sure. Maybe even double-feature it with HBO's "Chernobyl". I'd watch this first though.