Recommended: Heavyweights, Tier 3
Submitted by jim on Mon, 06/04/2001 - 11:08
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- 8MM (1999) ... A grim, brutal film. Our horror dawns right along with Cage's, who delivers a terrific performance.
- 15 Minutes (2001) ... Smacks you with the media/violence vicious circle too hard, with an overblown ending, but definitely enough good in this movie to recommend. The performances are uniformly good. The plot--twists, holes, and all--is strong. Also, as implausible as the plot seems on first glance, I have no problem envisoning a similar story, with similarly evil/stupid villians and self-serving sensationalist jounalists, unfolding in real life.
- Amateur (1994) ... I don't know how to describe this movie. "Atonal", perhaps? It can work in music, and it works here. The impact stealthily grows and then hits you at the end. I'll have to watch this one again someday.
- American Beauty (1999) ... Probably the best suburban angst/tragedy movie I've seen. (nope, usurped by Lantana). Not a genre I care for, but this one stands out, although I think I'm allowing critical acclaim to boost this movie in my estimation. Someday I may have to revisit this entry.
- American History X (1998) ... A fine movie about hate and it's consequenses. The entire cast is terrific, and there are some terrifically disturbing scenes (as there should be in such a movie). In one scene the death blow is only seen from a distance, but the build-up is so effective as to make it one of the most disturbing cinematic murders I've seen. The movie is very ambitious and falls short, especially in chronicling Norton's philosophical descent and resurrection, but well worth seeing. Also a potentially dangerous movie for the gullible to watch, as Norton's skinhead is by far the most articulate character, while the voices of reason just utter mumbled half-hearted appeals to human decency.
- Badlands (1973) ... Having just come off A Thin Red Line, my expectations were low. What a pleasant surprise! Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek were terrific, and Terrence Malik's scenery-to-action cuts worked much better for me here. Where TTRL was preachy, this movie was anti-preachy. It felt downright objective, even. It seemed like it must be a true story of a killing spree, even though the credits indicated it was fictional.
- The Believer (2001) ... A twist on the neo-nazi movie: this one features Ryan Gosling turning in a wonderfully conflicted performance as a Jewish skinhead. While I do think they deserve to both be included on this list, The Believer doesn't share the flaws of American History X. Like Norton's skinhead, Gosling's is disturbingly articulate. Where they differ is that Gosling's rhetoric has chinks and he is flusterable by them, unlike Norton's character who is basically the unopposed intellectual juggernaut of American History X. Also, American History X gives us a pat, easily digestable, Hollywood forumla for producing a skinhead (step 1: raise by prejudiced father, step 2: father dies), The Believer eschews such easy explanations. Indeed, it doesn't really attempt to explain "why" at all, even if we are given some tantalizing flashbacks.
- Black Orpheus (1959) ... I enjoyed this rendition of the Orpheus/Eurydice myth set against the backdrop of Carnival in Rio. This movie is about the music and dance as much as the story. In fact that would be my only complaint: there's probably a fifty/fifty split between story and music/dance. Not that I didn't enjoy the latter, but I couldn't help feeling the shortness of the tale itself. Still, a beautiful movie to see and hear, and the tragedy hasn't lost much in a couple thousand years.
- Bloody Sunday (2002) ... A dramatization of the 1972 civil rights march in Derry, Ireland turned massacre as English troops opened fire on the marchers. The documentary style serves the film well, immersing you in the events of the day, and infusing the first half with a sense of foreboding doom, as you see the British troops gearing up for a crackdown, the Irish hooligans and militants gearing up to provoke one, and the marchers and organizers trapped in the middle. As for the second half, it's easy to forget you're not watching a documentary as the massacre unfolds. The filmmakers heap blame on the English, but not so uninlaterally that you don't understand the stress and fear in the trenches, as well as the ambivalence at various points along the chain of command. Of course, regardless of why this particular powderkeg was touched off, there's no denying the marchers cause (internments without trial, and then the prevention of the march itself).
- Chopper (2001) ... I don't slow down to look at car accidents, but I guess I'm more typical when it comes to having a bit of criminal fascination in me. While I thought the movie was uneven, I couldn't take my eyes off Eric Bana's brilliant portrayal of Mark "Chopper" Read. The violence is gritty and real without being glamorized. It's remarkable that a thug like Read has found such a large stage, and I hate to contribute to that phenomenon with this review, but Bana really is good.
- Conspiracy (2001) ... Thanks to jgandcag for the recommendation on this one. What can I add to his comments? Just put me down for "me too," although perhaps slightly less so.
- The Cranes are Flying (1957) ... It's funny, I had no idea I was engrossed at all in this movie until Boris' big abstract flashback scene. I found it stunning. That and several other images from this movie will certainly stay with me, and the movie as a whole largely worked for me as well. I try not to politicize movies, but I can't help turning this one over in my mind from that perspective. I'm impressed this movie's expression of such rampant, joyful *individualism* at the outset was even allowed under Soviet rule, but then there's the ending, which left me wondering just which ideals were being subverted? It didn't obviate the joy of the romance by any means . . . Or did it?
- Dead Man Walking (1995) ... Given what I know of Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon's politics, I really expected a more loaded message about the death penalty. Instead, what struck me about this movie was its fairly even-handed treatment of the subject. I can't say I enjoyed the movie, but I'm certainly glad I watched it. Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon were terrific.
- Das Experiment (2001) ... Throughout this movie I kept thinking to myself that there's no way the situation would get so ugly so fast. While such thoughts usually keep me from suspending disbelief and enjoying a movie, here it made the whole experience more interesting because I know the famous 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment got ugly quick, before the plug was pulled. I think of myself as cynical, but I guess I'm not. As for the film itself, the performances were good and the tension and violence gradually comes to a boil after a satisfyingly slow and engaging simmer.
- Gangs of New York (2002) ... Scorsese does Hamlet. Not really, of course, but I couldn't help thinking that both the Bard's play and this movie would have been much shorter with just an ounce of decisiveness in our heros. That wouldn't make for much of story in either case though, now would it? Like several of Scorsese's movies, the real star of this movie is New York itself, but interestingly it's a New York I never could have imagining existing. And yet all the stuff that I thought must surely be fabricated or at least exaggerated I found, upon further research, to be lifted from history. I really should have paid more attention in school. Anyway, as for the non-municipal cast, I saw a comment to the effect of, "thank goodness Daniel Day-Lewis is capable of channelling a young De Niro, since De Niro himself has long since retired from real acting." Amen. Day-Lewis is impressive, making a larger-than-life flamboyant villian surprisingly human. DiCaprio manages to hold his own, even if his voiceovers grate. Heck, while we're at it I liked Cameron Diaz too, even if her part was largely superfluous. Jim Broadbent was perfect, as usual, in a role I wish was larger. An average entry from Mr. Scorsese--perhaps a touch above par for him--which makes it pretty f__king good (sorry, I let Joe Pesci channel in on this review for a moment).
- The Horse Whisperer (1998) ... I rented this reluctantly, as my wife hated the book. Turns out she preferred the movie, and I thought it was pretty good. The cast is strong, particularly the women, particularly Scarlett Johansson. Scores additional points for a shudder-inducing accident, some emotional scenes, and beautifully shot big sky country. Loses a few points for some forced dialog and mediocre chemistry between our romantic leads (although their performances considered separately were good).
- In The Bedroom (2001) ... I know the 2001 Best Actor Oscar basically came down to Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, but for my money Tom Wilkinson beat them both (although if my choice had to lose I'm glad it was to Denzel). He, along with everyone else in this movie, was terrific. I think his performance touched me so because I recognized in him my tendency towards appeasement, the understandable frustration it can cause in my wife, and the anger I feel when by gentler nature works against me.
- In the Mood for Love (2000) ... Take Sleepless in Seattle, purge it of all traces of Hollywood treacle and expectations, add in beautiful cinematography and costumery, don't forget subtle melancholic tones and performances, and then stir rather slowly for around 100 minutes. Delicious!
- Kundun (1997) ... It isn't often that I'd describe a film as "slow and engaging" but I will here. Kundun is a deliberate and beautifully shot rendition of the 14th Dalai Lama's life story. The performances are universally strong, and while much of the film feels somewhat muted, there are several scenes with emotional impact that lands like a sledgehammer.
- Lantana (2001) ... I normally don't go for midlife crisis or suburban angst movies, but this one is so well-written and acted it's irresistable. This one wins the race, beating out American Beauty by a length or two, and The Ice Storm by a country mile.
- No Man's Land (2001) ... Great execution of a great concept: A Serb and two Bosnians are pinned down in a trench in no man's land. One of the Bosnians is lying on a land mine that will kill them all if he gets up. Variously tense, touching, frustrating and disturbing. Nobody comes off particularly well, but the UN beaurocracy in particular is raked over the coals (although the UN grunts are the most admirable characters). I was tempted to bump this up a tier, but I just didn't have quite the emotional response at the end I should have. I don't know why.
- Paths of Glory (1957) ... One of Kubrick's better movies, and perhaps Kirk Douglas's best. Okay, I just realized what an absurd statement that is, given I've only seen a handful of his 87 movies, but I liked both him (and Kubrick) quite a bit better here than in Spartacus. Here Kubrick gives us a war movie and a courtroom drama bundled together, so fans of either genre should be fine, and fans of both should be in heaven. Maybe I've just overlooked them, but it seems to me that WWI and the horror and futility of trench warfare gets short shrift in the movies. Vietnam, WWII, Civil War, heck, even Gulf War movies more readily leap to mind, so it's nice to add this to my martial movie mental landscape, and be reminded just what "life in the trenches" really means.
- The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996) ... Excellent performances all around. A over the top in lionizing Flynt, but it does succeed in de-stereotyping his life. Whether or not that's a good thing, I don't know. Nonetheless, interesting and well-done.
- Phone Booth (2002) ... When a movie spends almost its entire running time focussed on one character, trapped in a phone booth talking to a sniper that has him in his sights, the actor playing that character damn well better deliver, and Colin Farrell couldn't have done a better job. Of course, he's not the only element of this film's success. The supporting cast is uniformly strong (special notice must be given to the relative unknowns playing the "G-string Union;" they did a great job), and the cinematography keeps what could have been a very static movie visually interesting (if it entices you Aronofsky fans, Matthew Libatique of Pi and Requiem for a Dream fame is the cinematographer here). A good thriller, reminiscent of a top-drawer Twilight Zone, minus the supernatural element.
- Raging Bull (1980) ... If you've only seen De Niro's more recent efforts and you wonder where all the "greatest actor ever" talk comes from, this is the movie to see. His portrayal of Jake La Motta, who was his own worst enemy but managed to channel enough of his self-destructive rage to be middleweight champ for two years, is truly remarkable. Oh, and then there's the little detail about this being Martin Scorsese's best film (although I think Goodfellas is my favorite by him).
- Rififi (1955) ... An early heist movie, and one of the best. This is not saying much, given that it's a genre I want to love but am often disappointed by, and it's not on par with Reservoir Dogs in my book, but it's really quite impressive, and of course it gladdens my heart that it resuscitated Jules Dassin's career, devastated as it was by his being blacklisted. The opening is slow, but you just need to hang in there until the famous 30-minute dialog-free heist set piece, the template for countless other cinematic heists, and one of the best. That and the resulting cascade of events is a treat, and the climactic car scene is simply riveting.
- Road to Perdition (2002) ... This is the movie The Man Who Wasn't There wanted to be. Distant, beautiful to look at, but with real emotion under the surface. I think. Tom Hanks was largely inscrutable, but I think that was by design, and by the end he lets us in. It just takes an ungodly amount of patience to reach that point, and I can see where on another night I might have written him, and the movie, off by then. Jude Law was excellently creepy, and age is not throwing Paul Newman off his game at all. I preferred this to American Beauty.
- The Road Home (1999) ... Sometimes "simple" means shallow, but here it's very rich. A simple, simple love story, told in flashback. The courtship-in-flashback is bookended by a grieving widow's wish to have her husband's body carried home on foot from the city where he died, even though her village doesn't have enough able-bodied men to manage the task. Beautifully shot and told.
- Secretary (2002) ... An interesting movie to watch as we here in Massachusetts are in the midst of a gay marriage imbroglio. I imagine folks who go scarlet with rage over the thought of what gay couples do in the bedroom would also blow a gasket over this sympathetic portrayal of an S&M romance, so of course the film scores points with me for that. I have no idea how accurately this movie portrays the S&M lifestyle, but it does a wonderful job demonstrating that love wears a thousand faces, and even those that are completely alien to us can still be beautiful. Maggie Gyllenhaal simply couldn't have been better, and it was nice to see James Spader making the most of a good role - he really should be offered more of them. The ending is perhaps too pat, and the cinematography a bit too lush and dolled up, but hey, baby steps...
- Sexy Beast (2000) ... Who would have thought Ghandi was hiding such a large can of whup-ass under his robe? Everybody agrees, and I can't dissent: Ben Kingsley was fantastic as Ben Logan, a knotted coil of rage, frustration, and insecurity. But as wonderful as he was, it was Gel (Ray Winstone), the retired criminal who Logan wants to recruit that captured my interest. He touchingly dotes on his wife, obviously loves retired life, and is so scared that it's all going to be torn from him. It's a shame Kingsley's showier role got all the attention. While the characters and their tensions interested me, I don't think the plot pacing worked particularly well. But who knows, this one may edge up the list if it stays with me!
- Shallow Grave (1994) ... On adding this movie to this list, I'm amused that it appears directly above A Simple Plan. The appropriateness of that coincidence pleases me. They are both enjoyable, but the better-written Shallow Grave deserves top billing, and certainly a good clue that Danny Boyle had a great movie in him (his next movie, Trainspotting). Too bad it's been downhill since, although I also enjoyed A Life Less Ordinary (which I now notice finishes off the Danny Boyle/Ewan Macgregor hat trick).
- A Simple Plan (1998) ... While Paxton's rather abrupt decent still bothers me, I thought this was a well-done story about a bad idea that goes awry exactly as it should.
- Sorcerer (1977) ... How is it that William Friedkin does these three movies in a row: The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer, and everybody has heard of the first two but nobody (including myself, until recently) has heard of the third? You've got a great director at the top of his game, Roy Scheider following up The French Connection (Oscar-nominated), Jaws, and Marathon Man, and a screenplay by Walon Green (The Wild Bunch). Filmed on location all over the place. A unbelievable trucks-over-a-rope-bridge stunt. And it's *good*. While perhaps not as groundbreaking (?) or overtly philosophical as Wages of Fear, it's just as suspenseful (if not more so), well-acted, and dark. I'm baffled as to it's disappearance from cinematic consciousness. Is it because it's a remake? Because it has an incongruous title? I dunno. I'm open to the possibility that I was alone in my ignorance of this movie, but that seems unlikely.
- Straw Dogs (1971) ... I'm reluctant to admit liking this, since the critical consensus seems to be that it's an unredeemably depraved bit of misogynistic wetwork. But I thought it was very good and engrossing, if highly disturbing and violent. The first half captures perfectly so many tensions and insecurities: that embarrassed inadequate feeling you have when you visit a lumberyard for the first time and you don't know there are different kinds of two-by-fours. The paranoia of hearing people laughing in the distance and fearing they are laughing at you. The discomfort of having a room go silent upon your entrance. Blue-collar/white-collar awkwardness/tension. It's all jammed in there, making for quite a powderkeg (and quite an explosion). I don't know much about Peckinpah - perhaps he was a misogynist - but I can't agree with that yet, based solely on the two movies of his I've seen (this and The Wild Bunch).Spoiler: Highlight to viewAs for the controversial rape scene, which I gather was controversial because of the victim's ambiguous feelings and moments of apparent enjoyment, I found the scene very disturbing, but not as misogynistic as it has been labelled. It seems to me such a labelling ignores the SECOND rape, in which there is no ambiguity at all: it's clearly an unwelcome abhorrent act of violence. And then there's the church social afterwards, where we are shown Sumner's emotional devastation as everything reminds her of the attack. No ambiguities there either.
- The Sweet Hereafter (1997) ... A stark but ultimately touching movie about loss and redemption (or at least attempted redemption). Ian Holm is terrific as the apparent ambulance chaser who comes to a small town trying to drum up a class action suit after a bus accident claims all but one child in the town. His past, as well as the past and relationships of the locals make each character in this movie rich and interesting.
- Swimming Pool (2003) ... Here's a movie that works almost entirely because of the performances. Charlotte Rampling's perfectly uptight, bitchy, and spinsterish with almost enough flickering under the surface to evoke sympathy, but not quite. Whether or not this is a flaw I'll leave as an exercise to the viewer, but it worked pretty well for me. Ludivine Sagnier was riveting, and not just because she spends large chunks of the movie naked. As an actress she seemed remarkably relaxed, especially given her wardrobe (or lack thereof), and as a character her self-confidence in her hedonism was well-done and a nice contrast to Ramplings repression. The scene where she plunks down, topless, next to a disconcerted and clothed-from-head-to-toe Rampling is wonderfully played by both of them. As for the ending, well... it kinda left me flat, although here I am a day later and still turning it over in my mind, so that can't be such a bad thing. Certainly there's lots you could justifiably read into it, without resorting to forced BS.
- Tender Mercies (1983) ... So far I've watched three movies on JohnnyWaco's recommendation: The Verdict, Atlantic City, and this. They are all gently sentimental, but with a complete (and refreshing) lack of artifice. This is probably my favorite of the three, and Robert Duvall's performance was fantastic. Possibly my favorite by him.
- The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000) ... I generally avoid plot summary in my reviews, but I'll make an exception here because I think it serves the movie well. A man commits a brutal murder, but has to wait for a guillotine and executioner to arrive on the island before his sentance can be carried out. In the interim he becomes a respected member of society, as he is is allowed to work for the wife of the military captain whose charge he is. I would have thought the relationship between the condemned and the wife would be central, but I thought the relationship between the captain and his wife was wonderful. There's no way to watch the movie as anything but anti-death penalty, which in a way is a shame since I imagine that message will drown out the beauty of the story for some.
- The Wild Bunch (1969) ... If I organized these lists by importance, this would certainly be a Tier 1 entry. There are so many interesting things about this film: hearadling the death of the Western, both cinematically and in the time period it portrays, and the feel of classic acting combined with modern realistic violence being just two things that make it noteworthy. That said, many great movies I have to watch twice to appreciate, and this is almost certainly an example. In my first viewing all I saw was the brutality. Perhaps in a second viewing I'll have a better picture of what constitutes the outlaw code of honor.
- With a Friend Like Harry (2000) ... I'd probably be able to list this higher, but it was billed as a thriller and I didn't find it suspenseful at all. In fact, it was downright slow. But as a character piece, it was excellent. The family tension and palpable sense of fatigue the parents exude is perfect. Harry is terrific; he's superficially charming but always carries a hint of menace as he violates pretty much every concept of personal space there is. The two leads convey this beautifully through their subtle body language. While never laugh-out-loud funny, the script is very strong and loaded with irony.
- Yi Yi (2000) ... It's not often that I enjoy "slice-of-life" stories, but this one is so accurate and heartfelt I couldn't resist. It's long, but full and rewarding. Mr. Ota, a secondary character, is a wonderful creation, and every scene Jonathan Chang (the young boy, Yang-Yang) appears in is a joy. I found a great comment on IMDB by "Dan-292" that I think sums it up nicely: Similar in theme and length to P. T. Anderson's "Magnolia", "Yi Yi" really shows up the defects in Anderson's film. The construction is tighter, the characters more real and the sentiment less overblown. The result is a truly enthralling portrait of a middle class family trying to get on with their lives.
Author Comments:
If you're going to use these lists for recommendations, you really should read how they're organized.
Jim, the IMDb comments page for Le Salaire de la Peur is worth reading.
This is a movie that continues to provoke a lot of comment. It is often interpreted as issuing from an existentialist philosophy. And it is usually understood that one of the teachings of atheistic versions of existentialism is that we are, in the absence of God, each obliged to create our own moral center.
Existentialsts hold that the essence of human nature is a radically free will. We cannot but choose, and we create our own character by our choices. ("There is no fate but what we make" is a very existentialist-sounding slogan. Do you remember the movie it occurs in?)
Btw, the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes was not an existentialist, but a famous phrase of his was that the life of Man in the state of nature (that is, in the absence of effective government) would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short".
Thanks for the link! Good comments. But I think I got more of a nihilistic message from the movie ("there was nothing there!") than an existentialist one. I didn't really see how any of our four drivers strove for--much less obtained--any kind of moral center. It seemed more like an unphilosophic struggle for survival in an uncaring world. How is that existentialist? I'm not arguing that it's not - I just don't get it yet.
"There is no fate but what we make" . . . I don't suppose it was Star Wars?
You might be right about the nihilism. I didn't say the characters were presented as practicing existentialism, I said the film is often seen as coming from that philosophic direction. So it might be seen as an existentialist critique of such characters. How so? Well, according to existentialist ethics, the cardinal sin we humans commit is a failure to be 'authentic'. This is a failure to admit our own radical freedom of will and to take moral responsibility for our own actions.
I want to correct some unfortunate phrasing I used in my previous comment. I said that for existentialists the "essence of human nature" is a radically free will. That was sloppy phrasing because the central slogan of existentialism is that "existence precedes essence". Indeed, this slogan is where existentialism gets its name. What the slogan means is that our human existence as beings of radically free will precedes our natures, which we are free to create by our choices.
I'll give you a hint on the movie quote. It was scratched, by a woman using a bowie knife, into the surface of a wooden table in the open air in the desert, or rather the words "no fate" were. Her son supplied the rest of it.
Ah, I think I'm with you now. Thanks! And that hint gives away WAY too much. If you don't mind, I must take my leave of you so I can kick myself for not guessing T2 prior to receiving the mother of all hints.
The topic of this thread, Wages of Fear, moved here.
Ah, The Wild Bunch. A story of outlaws slowly sliding downhill, tracked by a bad good guy, who finally make a moral stance of sorts and claim their humanity on their own terms. "Let's go."
I'm very glad you saw this film. No secret here, but I love it!
And, to tell the truth, I had to see this one twice before I really took to it.
Shalom, y'all!
L. "If they move, kill 'em" Bangs
Thanks for recommending it! I watched it because both you and jcandcag think so highly of it. The further I get from it the more I like it, so I'm pretty sure when I rewatch it will move up the ranks.
Hey Jim,
It looks like the site is kicking some proverbial tail this summer. I go away for a while and I miss much. Lots of new intelligent posters and plennty of discussion. Certainly different then the last couple of summers.
Good for you.
Thanks! Yeah, I'm pretty psyched, as this is easily Listology's best summer. As you know, usually it's a ghost town around here between June and September. I'm really looking forward to working on this site some more this winter. Most of the work over the past two years has been infrastructure, and now it's time for a face lift.
So how are things going with you? Have you made your second trip? If not, is it scheduled?
Solaris is in my rental queue. Here's hoping I also like it! Great review!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Thanks! I hope you like to too. As always, I'm looking forward to reading your take on it.
Glad you liked "Swimming Pool", and great comments! That ending is certain to polarize people about the movie, but I loved it (I think) :-)
:-) Thanks! I re-read your comments after I finished my review, and I think we felt much the same way about the film. Certainly the ending is interesting. I really enjoyed the rest of the movie, and I *think* I liked the ending as well. Certainly I'm enjoying mulling it over.
I'm glad to see you liked Bloody Sunday. I no longer feel quite so alone.
Wasn't the docu-style of filming perfect for the film?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Sure was, and thanks for the recommendation! I hadn't heard of this one before seeing it on your Top Ten 2002 Films list.
Ooh, I'm glad you liked "Paths of Glory"! Weren't those scenes in the trenches great? On first viewing, I didn't notice that the three guys the general talks to are the same guys as the ones he executes. A nice touch.
Yes indeedy, great trench scenes. Speaking of which, have you seen Gallipoli? And thanks for pointing that out; I hadn't noticed!
I have not seen "Gallipoli", but it sounds interesting. I'll add it to my list of 1981 movies to see, if it's not there already.
Jim Paths of Glory is good Kirk Douglas but if you want to see him at his best may I ask you to consider a Letter to Three Wives. He has a supporting part but he is very, very good.
Also other Douglas movies that should be considered Lust for Life, In Harm's Way, Ace in the Hole and of course Out of the Past.
I second the recommendation for A Letter to Three Wives. Douglas is fantastic playing rather against type, and the film is frankly one of my very favorite movies!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Damn fellas, but wouldn't you know it Netflix doesn't carry A Letter to Three Wives. Nor Out of the Past. The former, at least, doesn't appear to be available on DVD. Not sure about the latter.
Oh, and Netflix still hasn't added The Ox-Bow Incident to their catalog, which is irritating me. Still, with 15,000 other movies to choose from I can't find it in me to complain too hard (yet).