Screen cap from Frantisek Vlacil's masterful "The Devil's Trap" shown over the weekend at Walter Reade Theatre
by Sam Juliano
While the deep freeze has lifted in the Northeast, allowing for temperatures to rise into the 40’s, reports of heavy snow have come in from our friends in the Windy City area, who endured a 21 inch blizzard over the past week. The Super Bowl will give the Pittsburgh Steelers a chance to defend their title, while the surging Green Bay Packers have won the hearts of many football fans.
The past week at Wonders in the Dark has produced two excellent assessments of The King’s Speech by Allan Fish and Jim Clark, a terrific essay on Groundhog Day by Bob Clark, Jamie Uhler’s latest installent in his “Getting Over the Beatles” series, and a few more entries in the Fish Obscuro lineup. In addition, site regular Pierre de Plume has penned a brilliant analysis of the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ race, that posted on Sunday morning. As Dee Dee has referenced, the Film Preservation Fundraiser at Ferdy-on-Films is now officially underway, and Marilyn Ferdinand is no doubt plotting out upcoming posts as applicable to this noble venture.
To say that this past week is the most ‘blistering’ I’ve ever experienced (with outside venues) would be an understatement, but the late realization of the Frantisek Vlacil Film Festival necessitated some late planning, and -typically- some gracious allowances by my incomparable wife Lucille. Two marathon days spent at the Walter Reade Theatre on Saturday and Sunday -where I saw nine films- followed on a regular work week that was busy well beyond the norm. Hence the past seven days produced the following 19 films/plays/operas, mostly films of course:
Nixon in China (Metropolitan Opera House) Wednesday night
Driving Miss Daisy (Broadway play-Golden Theatre) Thursday night
American Guerilla in the Phillipines *** (Lang at Film Forum) Monday night
Moonfleet *** 1/2 (Lang at Film Forum) Monday night
Secret Beyond the Door **** (Lang at Film Forum) Tuesday night
While the City Sleeps *** 1/2 (Lang at Film Forum) Tuesday night
The Return of Frank James *** 1/2 (Lang at Film Forum) Wed. afternoon
Western Union **** (Lang at Film Forum) Wednesday afternoon
The Ministry of Fear **** 1/2 (Lang at Film Forum) Friday evening
Man Hunt *** 1/2 (Lang at Film Forum) Friday evening
Sirius *** 1/2 (Vlacil Festival at Walter Reade) Saturday afternoon
Art Noveau in Prague *** 1/2 (Vlacil Festival at Walter Reade) Saturday
The Valley of the Bees ***** (Vlacil at Walter Reade) Saturday afternoon
Sentiment *** (documentary with Q & A) (Vlacil at Walter Reade) Saturday
Marketa Lazarova ***** (Vlacil at Walter Reade) Saturday evening
Smoke on the Potato Fields *** 1/2 (Vlacil at Walter Reade) Sunday
The Devil’s Trap ***** (Vlacil at Walter Reade) Sunday afternoon
Adelheid **** 1/2 (Vlacil at Walter Reade) Sunday evening
The Little Shepard Boy *** (Vlacil at Walter Reade) Sunday evening)
As I am planning comprehensive reports on the Vlacil and Lang, and as I have already posted a review on Driving Miss Daisy above the Diary this morning, I will refrain from adding anything here. The same goes for the great John Adams opera Nixon in China, which I will consider in a separate review. I’ll let the star ratings for the films stand for now.
As explained in a separate post a few days ago, most of the links this week are the same ones from last week, although I’ve managed to revise a few:
In conjunction with the Film Forum’s Fritz Lang Festival, WitD is thrilled to offer up the superlative capsule review by Tony d’Ambra on Man Hunt in the FilmsNoir.net archives: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/man-hunt-1941-the-thriller-as-propaganda.html
John Greco’s latest review is on a neglected curiosity by Michael Ritchie, which starred Robert Redford: The Candidate. It’s over at Twenty Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/the-candidate-1972-michael-ritchie/
At The Last Lullaby Jeffrey Goodman poses some great choices for the greatest cinematographers in film history: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-favorite-cameramen.html
Longman Oz is back! And this is meaningful news for all bloggers who like wit, occasional caustic humor, and artistic diversity in their tea. The resilient Irishman (a favorite in these parts) is back at a place called SmiledYawnedNodded, where he continues his highbrow coverage of the Dublin stage, film and progressive music. His most recent review is of a play titled, As You Are Now So Once Were We: http://smiledyawnednodded.com/
Dee Dee at Darkness Into Light is also back, though she never really left, with a dazzling post appraising the Castro Film Festival, the Fundraiser blogothons at Ferdy-on-Films and Cinema Styles and the just-launched Fritz Lang Festival at the Film Forum. Her rotating newspaper is a gem!http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/2011/01/extra-extrataking-look-at-twelve-films.html
Drew McIntosh has a dazzling showcase of five incredible stills from Val Lewton’s masterpiece I Walked With a Zombie up at The Blue Vial. A visit wil insure a re-visit of this timeless horror classic: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2011/01/five-from-favorite-i-walked-with-zombie.html
Stephen Russell-Gebbett has again gone the creative route with an exceedingly thoughtful piece on the ‘acting’ in the Coens’ True Grit: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/01/true-grit-good-and-bad-acting.html
One of the most original and witty pieces offered up this year is over at The Schleicher Spin, where the eternally-enterprising David S. presents for your approval, Somewhere Out There I Write A Letter to Sophia Coppola. David also asks readers to rate Ms. Coppola’s career so far: http://theschleicherspin.com/2011/01/28/somewhere-out-there-i-write-a-letter-to-sofia-coppola/
Judy Geater has authored yet another review you can take to the bank, and she claims she was eager to see the film, knowing the influence it had on William Wellman’s A Star is Born. Anyway, the review of George Cukor’s What Price Hollywood? at Movie Classics is a sure Hall of Famer: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/what-price-hollywood-george-cukor-1932/
From all around the world readers are responding to Michael Harford’s marvelous ‘Mail Art Call’ at the revered Coffee Messiah blogsite: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2010/12/mail-art-call.html
Jason Marshall moves on magnificently with his discussion of 1938 cinema, with an exquisite essay on his #4 film of that year: the Russian The Childhood of Maxim Gorky at Movies Over Matter: http://moviesovermatter.com/2011/01/28/the-childhood-of-maxim-gorky-best-pictures-of-1938-4/
Adam Zanzie is reporting with passion and precision at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah! The young man is having the time of his life!: http://iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/
Roderick Heath is heading up at Ferdy-on-Films with an exceedingly brilliant examination (allow yourself to be ensnared by that fascinating historical leadin!) of an Australian feature titled Van Nieman’s Land: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8124
Meanwhile, down at This Island Rod, the double-duty Mr. Heath sustains the same kind of writing expertise with a striking essay on the rarely seen Malpertuis: http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/01/belgian-director-harry-kumel-having.html
Marilyn Ferdinand just updated with her fantastic review of Dennis Potter’s television work Cream in my Coffee: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8164
Kevin Olson has posted his ‘Year in Review’ for 2010. It’s a grand post indeed at Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/year-in-review-images-from-my-favorite.html
Troy Olson has authored a brilliant entry in his Robert Bresson series at Elusive as Robert Denby: The Life and Times of Troy with a scholarly treatment of Les Anges du Peche: http://troyolson.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-bresson-les-anges-du-peche.html
Jaime Grijalba has named Groupies at the ‘worst film of 2010′ in a splendidly-penned assessment at Exodus 8:2: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/01/la-peor-pelicula-del-2010-groupie-2010.html
Again, the ever-reliable Samuel Wilson has penned an intricate appraisal of a film that few have taken on: Phil Karlson’s The Brothers Rico at Mondo 70: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/01/brothers-rico-1957.html
Laurie Buchanan is up to “Life Path 5″ on her journey to size up the traits and notable characteristics of those who fall by way of bithdate under some telling sub-headings. The fascinating ramifications are up there at Speaking From the Heart: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/life-path-5/
Greg Ferrara at Cinema Styles honors the passing today of one of the titans of film music, the incomparable genius John Barry: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2011/01/john-barry-1933-2011.html
‘Michael Wood on True Grit’ is featured over at Satyamshot: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/michael-wood-on-true-grit/
Jon Lanthier offers up a penetrating capsule from his Slant Magazine review of Johnny Mad Dog, a French-Liberian look at excessive violence and children toting guns and terrorizing natives in this thinly-veiled but still ambiguous polemic. It’s over at Aspiring Sellout: http://aspiringsellout.com/2011/01/johnny-mad-dog-2008/
Craig Kennedy at Living in Cinema reports on the incredible choice of Tom Hooper as Best Director for The King’s Speech from the DGA, a result that has sent shock waves through Hollywood: http://livingincinema.com/2011/01/30/dga-picks-kings-speech-do-i-stutter/
Dan Getahun at Getafilm has posted a great essay titled “Playing With the Truth: Film in 2010 at his place: http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2011/01/playing-with-truth-film-in-2010.html
Terrill Welch, the distinguished ‘Creativepotager’ and artist extraordinaire has a dazzling new oil painting up at her place, showcasing the ‘orange sea.’ It’s another feast for the eyes from Mayne Island in the Pacific Northwest: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/new-oil-painting-orange-sea/
Just Another Film Buff takes a look at 2010 through some defining images at The Seventh Art: http://theseventhart.info/2011/01/29/2010-at-a-glance/
Shubhajit at Cinemascope has composed one of his very best pieces ever on the once-neglected noir The Big Combo: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/01/big-combo-1955.html
Over at Vermillion and One Nights, our friend in Tokyo, “Murderous Ink” continues his incomparable analytical dissection of one of the greatest of all films: Ozu’s There Was A Father. There really has never been anything like this anywhere, not even from the published film scholars!: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/01/analysis-of-there-was-father-003000.html
Ed Howard’s latest essay is a very fine one on Ben Affleck’s The Town at Only the Cinema: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/01/town.html
At The Continuing Saga of Jeopardy Girl, JG broaches a number of subjects, including her happiness at hearing of Christian Bale’s Oscar nomination: http://jeopardygirl.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/newsofda/
As part of a Hitchcock blogothon, R.D. Finch has penned a very fine review of The Wrong Man at The Movie Projector: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/01/cmba-hitchcock-blogathon-wrong-man-1956.html
Our very good friend Pat has a brand new piece up at Doodad Kind of Town, a loving tribute to fallen director Blake Edwards: http://doodadkindoftown.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/farewell-blake-edwards/
J.D.’s latest excellent essay is on the James Spader-starring Jack’s Back. It’s up at that hallowed hall of cinematic reverence, Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2011/01/jacks-back.html
Sachin at Scribbles and Ramblings lists and discusses the 2010 Foreign Film Candidates for the Oscar, and specifies which of these he has seen to this point. There is some great stuff there: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-foreign-language-film-oscar.html
Anu, at The Confidential Report has posted a spectacular Top 10 list that again shows why and how he’s an ultimate cineaste: –2010/http://theconfidentialreport.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/top-ten-of\
Dave Van Poppel has written a superlative review of Derek Cianfrance’s extraordinary Blue Valentine at his place that’s essential reading: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2011/01/realist-cinema-blue-valentine.html
Hokahey has what appears to be an excellent piece up at Little Worlds on the new Anthony Hopkins horror film, The Rite: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2011/01/hannibal-lecter-meets-exorcist-rite.html
Ryan Kelly has posted a uniquely fascinating ‘Best Movies of 2010′ list at Medfly Quarantine: http://medflyquarantine.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-2010-movies.html
Jason Bellamy has a superlative review of How to Train Your Dragon up at The Cooler: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2011/01/lesssons-in-looking-up-how-to-train.html
Jack Cole’s newest mega-essay is on Tony Scott’s Man on Fire. It’s over at Not Just Movies: http://armchairc.blogspot.com/2011/01/man-on-fire.html
Film Doctor leads up with a post on ‘augmented links’ at his place: http://filmdr.blogspot.com/2011/01/augmented-links.html
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Wonders in the Dark 
Thanks again for the mention Sam. Wow that is quite the week you had, especially seeing all those films in such a short amount of time. Hope you have manage to get some rest this week. I have found that I can only do such intense film viewing weekends a few times a year and afterwards I need a few days to recover. It is still freezing cold here in Canada and we are due for another blizzard snow storm this week. The more icy the roads get, the less I feel like going to a theater to watch a film. But Another Year has finally opened this week so I may have to brave the cold to see that 🙂
Ah rest, Sachin. That’s an exclusive commodity, especially this coming week. I have two more Langs up for tonight (Rancho Notorious and Clash by Night) and two more for tomorrow (House by the River and The Blue Gardenia) and then two Vlacils for Wednesday evening and one more for Thursday with a Lang that same day in late afternoon.
Then………then………..I can take a good rest. With the exception of a two week run of Bresson’s Diary of a Country Priest (a film I adore and will attend during that span) the Film Forum will be quiet for a while, and just as well, because I really am spent and want to pull back.
Another blizzard by you? Oh boy, I know this routine well as a result of what we’ve suffered through here. But in western Canada, I can only imagine what you regularly have to deal with. Ugh. I can’t wait to hear your reaction to ANOTHER YEAR, a film that I consider to be Leigh’s greatest in a spectacular career. In that instance I would say it’s worth beaving the elements! Ha!
Thanks so much my very good friend!
Sam, I loved Another Year. I was impressed how the film depicts relationships in varying stages. The core of the film is a stable marriage and hovering around the core are aspects of a broken marriage/relationship, a widower and the blossoming of a new relationship. The stable marriage provides a great counter point to compare other relationships and also provides a calming therapeutic effect on other characters. A very touching & thoughtful film.
Oh I could not brave the elements to see the film but instead waited until the roads got better and the temperature was a bit more bearable around 3 deg C 🙂
Frantisek Vlacil might be one of cinema’s best kept secretes and its truly wonderful to revisit the director’s work. Not to long ago, I experienced Valley of the Bees on the abomination that is the Facet DVD release (Facet multimedia has a strong catalog of films but the transfers are just so weak in comparison to the releases by Criterion or Artificial Eye or Kino or Second Run). I’m not sure why a masterpiece this good has gotten the treatment worthy of it’s greatness in the states. The Same could probably be said of his other works.
Ah Anu, I know Facets’ work well, and I own no less than about 16 of their releases on DVD. They DID to be fair, do excellent work with the Syberbergs, especially HITLER: A FILM FROM GERMANY, but they have been eclipsed by Region 2 releases of their work. The ‘First Run’ DVD of VALLEY OF THE BEES in ravishing widescreen, in spectacular in every sense, as MARKETA LAZAROVA and ADELHEID look quite good as well on Second Run. Vlacil was for too long a time a long-held secret, but this Lincoln Center retropective and other venues in London have begun to thaw the ice. I prefer him to Menzel and Forman, and find his poetic imagery to my taste and appreciation. When the Czech critics named MARKETA the greatest film ever made in their country (in a 1998 poll) they nailed it. Apparently the film is not under the Janus logo, so Criterion may never get their hands on it, sadly. As I say the Second Run DVD is solid, if unspectacular, and I am hoping for something more definitive down the road.
While we know that MARKETA and VALLEY are masterpieces, what this festival confirmed without question is that the first of the medieval trilogy, THE DEVIL’S TRAP is also a masterpiece. All three films were so stunning on that Walter Reade screen, that I felt like I was being transported. I am hoping this venue moves to your vicinity and to other places. You fully deserve this my friend!
Many thanks as always!
Thanks very much for the plug. An amazingly busy week for you, Sam, even by your own standards – I’ve recorded ‘The Return of Frank James’ from TV but haven’t had a chance to watch it as yet, so interested to see that you give it a fairly high rating.
I was lucky enough to see a pre-Code on the big screen this week, Capra’s ‘It Happened One Night’ starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, which was shown in a beautifully restored print at the Ipswich Film Theatre. Loved every minute.
I also saw James Brooks’ rom-com ‘How Do You Know?’ at the cinema – I know this has had terrible reviews but must say I quite enjoyed it all the same, especially Owen Wilson’s role, though it is nothing he hasn’t done before.
At home I saw ‘Up in the Air’ with my husband – we both really liked it, especially George Clooney’s performance, and I can rarely resist a voiceover to camera. And my teenage son has just been discovering ‘Wayne’s World’ and ‘Groundhog Day’, so I saw bits of both of those though I didn’t have time to watch them all the way through!
Aye Judy, I feel I’ve accomplished something, then on the other hand like I’ve crossed the line of mental sanity. It’s time to take a break though, after the work of teh next several days. THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES is a fine enough western, and the Technicolor is gorgeous, though WESTERN UNION (also in striking Technicolor) is on balance the better western, methinks.
I was never a big fan of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, as I stated under Jason Marshall’s disparaing review weeks back, but Allan LOVED the film, and I am in a tiny minority. I love Capra of course, so one day I will have to really investigate my misgivings. The film is beloved and critically-prasied and you saw it there in that fantastic place (Ipswich Theatre), so all is well my friend!
I haven’t seen that particular Brooks film Judy, but I am a fan of “As Good As It Gets” and “Terms of Endearment” (thought not “Broadcast News”) am am intrigued at your favorable report, regardless of the reviews. Brooks almost polarizes the critics anyway.
Alas I am no fan of UP IN THE AIR, but I’ve already been on that soapbox and have taken my lumps, even from Lucille who is a fan. It’s high praise is most quarters is telling.
I hope your son, (particularly) finds some wonderful things in GROUNDHOD DAY, a film that just this week received a fantastic review from our own Bob Clark here at WitD. It has a superlative screenplay above all.
Many thanks as always my very good friend!
Sam, they will need to name a screening room in the Film Forum after you at this rate. That is some amount of cinema to get through. Makes my own viewing ambitions for the upcoming Dublin International Film Festival seem very modest in comparison! Programme link here for anyone looking for a foretaste of some of what is coming your way shortly from this side of the Atlantic in terms of art-house cinema – http://www.jdiff.com/index.php/events/.
By chance, I also saw the mildly erotic Asylum (2005) on the television. It was interesting enough, even if it might make for a better play than a film. Either way, had it of been made 40-50 years ago, I think that it would have been a quite a provocative work regarding feminism, male chauvinism and care in mental health institutions (e.g. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)). However, it seems more quirky-quaint than anything else when made with a twenty-first century set of values and attitudes in mind. Still, the late Natasha Richardson does make for a quite an arresting protagonist here.
I am always saddened when I hear Ms. Richardson’s name mentioned, and even thought of her the other night when watching Redgrave. As you attest to, ASYLUM is worth seeing just for her work alone. But I note you stress there’s even more. I also note what you say about the almost-anachronistic essence of it’s themes, and it’s more resonate compatability on the stage.
Thanks so much for that program link, which I will investigate more thoroughly this afternoon. It does seem too that you are getting a number of films well before their debut stateside, as was the case with your most recent film review on Peter Mullan’s NEDS:
http://smiledyawnednodded.com/2011/02/06/neds/
This past week Longman, my time was split between the Film Forum, and Lincoln Center, the latter of which was the scene of the crime for the Vlacils and the NIXON IN CHINA opera (at the Walter Reade Theatre and the Met) but yeah, I’ve gone hog wild and need to pull back and relax real soon! The Dublin Festival will no doubt have you penning some of your best writing! Good Luck my friend, and thanks much!
Sam,
Thanks sir again for the shout out. I have to agree with Longman Oz, the Film Forum needs to name a Sam Juliano wing! An amazing endurance record and with all that snow and bad weather, my snow shoes are off to you!
We were suppose to see “Blue Valentine” yesterday but due to a threat of rainy weather my wife did not want to travel the 30 miles or so to the only theater “near” where it is playing. So we went more locally and saw “Another Year.” No complaints, a great film. Here is a wrap up of my viewing…
Another Year (****1/2) A stunning work about a married couples trek to growing old and remaining happy by focusing on family, friends and the small things is life. In contrast their friends and relatives are surrounded by gloom, unhappiness and a sense that the best of life has moved on and left them behind. Fabulous performances from just about the entire cast but special kudos to Leslie Manville.
No Strings Attached (***1/2) – I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this film, better than most of the slush that passes today as romantic comedy. Natalie Portman is engaging though her character is a bit of an odd duck. Ashton Kutcher, who I have always found annoying, comes off well for a change.
Green for Danger (***1/2) a 1946 delightfully classic British mixture of murder and humor. Set against the background of the late stages of World War II at a rural hospital where a group of doctors and nurses soon discover there is a murderer among them. After a second death, a Scotland Yard Inspector wonderfully portrayed by Alistair Sims arrives on the scene to investigate.
A Foreign Affair (***) Seen this before and found it just as disappointing as I did the first time, surely not one of Wilder’s better films. John Lund as the conniving Captain lacks charisma and is just plain boring. Jean Arthur, who I adore, is surprisingly rather dull in her role as a straight laced Congresswoman; her only bright spot being when she loosens up singing “The Iowa Song.” This leaves us Marlene Dietrich to carry the day as a cabaret entertainer and former lover to some high ranking Nazi’s still sympathetic to the Nazi cause.
Detour (****1/2) Edgar G. Ulmer’s minor masterpiece overcomes all its low budget limitations through the sheer talent of the filmmaker. Dark, moody, visually stunning story of a loser who blames fate for his poor decisions that force his life into a downward spiral. Review coming up at 24frames.
Dark Passage (**1/2) Disappointing murder/ crime drama that is being pushed as film noir on its DVD cover. The film is fairly average no matter what you want to call it. The most mundane of the four films Bogart and Bacall made together, though there are some nice locations shots of one of my favorite cities, San Francisco.
Twentieth Century (****1/2) – I always loved stories with a backstage setting and I have always loved train movies. This film combines both making it a real treasure. John Barrymore and Carole Lombard are superb and what a supporting cast consisting of Walter Karns, Charles Lane and Walter Connelly among others. The opening scene where Barrymore directs an inexperienced Lombard is priceless! Contains the kind of witty writing we just do not see anymore.
A President to Remember: In the Company of John F. Kennedy (****1/2) 2011 documentary from HBO by legendary cinema verite filmmaker Robert Drew compiling work from four of his films (“Primary”, “Adventures in the New Frontier’, “Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment” and “Faces of November”) plus footage from other sources. This ‘new’ film presents a detailed close up view of Kennedy’s Presidential campaign and his Presidency ending with the shocked faces of Americans after his assassination. Engrossing and memorable especially if you lived through it. Drew was given amazing access to the President like no other, before or since. “Primary” is generally considered to be the first cinema verite documentary. Drew’s associates at this time included D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock and Albert Maysles among others.
Yes, the snow shoes have been very much a part of the picture in the past weeks John, and at least in one instance I paid a heavy toll for my indescretions as you well know! While the Film Forum remains the place most frequented by a distance, now the magnificent Walter Reade Theatre has vied for some of the time. I enjoyed RANCHO NOTORIOUS and CLASH BY NIGHT last night at the former, and again found them as exceptional Hollywood Langs.
Again you have positioned yourself as an incomparably tenacious film watcher in your own right, one who takes a back seat to nobody in sheer volume and wise selection (which as always combines theatre and at-home viewing), I am thrilled to hear of the superlative regard for Leigh’s ANOTHER YEAR, and applaud that deft capsule assessment of it. I’m sure you’ll get to BLUE VALENTINE soon enough, and I hanker for your assessment!
I haven’t seen NO STRINGS ATTACHED, nor the JFK documentary, those it’s obvious with the latter I must at some point see this! So many names here are telling: Drew, Pennebaker, Leacock and Maysles. And a subject that has always been endlessly fascinating for me
I concur with your position on DARK PASSAGE (maybe I’d give it a half-star more) and likewise with A FOREIGN AFFAIR. As far as DETOUR, TWENTIETH CENTURY and GREEN FOR DANGER, well you were rightfully in cinematic nirvana with those, which are alwats revered.
Thanks again for brightening the landscape with these brilliant capsules my excellent friend!
Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention.
Now that is a week for the ages that you had. Wow! Your stamina and commitment continue to raise the bar for everyone, and I am in awe of what you’re able to do week after week. It’s truly inspiring, and awesome.
This week, I took in MICHAEL CLAYTON, BLUE VALENTINE, ANOTHER YEAR, THE LAST MISTRESS, CATFISH, 2046, THERE WAS A FATHER, and WAR OF THE WORLDS. I was glad to see them all, but I have to single out the Ozu film. I credit you for really making me seek out some of the Japanese master’s work, and as a result, he’s been without a doubt my directorial discovery of the last year or so. What an extraordinary filmmaker.
All right, Sam, here’s to another great week. I’d say, “Rest a little,” but I know better 🙂
Thanks Jeffrey for always stressing the rewarding aspects of marathon film viewing. I’ll admit, it’s grueling and in ways completely contrary to normal behavior. I’ve been taking my lumps from some at other sites who rightly point to the insanity of seeing so much in such a short period, and of the difficulty in bringing a singular perspective when so much must be considered. Yet, I have a vivid recollection of what I’ve seen and will do my best in recalling every film when penning the recaps. This week is also a busy one (I saw Lang’s CLASH BY NIGHT and RANCHO NOTORIOUS last night and have THE BLUE GARDINIA and THE HOUSE BY THE RIVER for tonight) but nothing will ever match last week in sheer volume and tenacity. I suspect that given the opportunity you would do the same, and in fact are doing so with your own weekly reports, of which this past week yielded some fabulous viewings. I could not agree with you more on THERE WAS A FATHER, and I point to the extraordinary scene-by-scene analysis of the film by our good friend in Tokyo, “Murderous Ink,” who at his site has been examining this great masterpiece ibn multi-installments:
http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/02/analysis-of-there-was-father-010000.html
I did see the film at the IFC Film Center a few months back and it remains a treasured spectre in my sub consciousness.
Of the other films you’ve seen I have exceedingly high regard for BLUE VALENTINE, ANOTHER YEAR and THE LAST MISTRESS, but this is quite a distinguished lot to say the least.
Again in the mutual spirit of cinematic comeraderie and the art of the ‘sacrifice’ I tip my cap to you Sir. Many thanks as always!
Sam, thank you for the link, again.
I must confess I have never seen any of Vlacil’s works, your enthusiasms here definitely ignited my interest.
Though I have never seen “American Guerrilla” among those Lang films, yes, I agree “The Ministry of the Fear” is the best of the rest.
Film Center of Tokyo announced the schedule for this March, and it is packed with extremely rare Japanese films by Naruse (Natsukashi no Kao, 1941), Itami (Kokyo, 1939), Shimzu (Kiri no Oto, 1956) etc. Umm… I have to “recalibrate” my schedule….
For now, I will be waiting your review of Langs and “Nixon in China”. John Adams is one of my favorite, but I have never seen this work live.
MI
And thanks to you my good friend for stopping in to impart your-always interesting perspective and latest developments. Yes, Vlacil is the most unheralded of the Czech masters, though the exceeding reputation of MARKETA LAZAROVA has launched a glowing re-appraisal of his body of work. I actually prefer him to Forman and Menzel, and look forward to the three films left on this venue later this week.
THE MINISTRY OF FEAR is absolutely one of Lang’s best American films, and as far as this festival goes, so far I have it with THE BIG HEAT and maybe SCARLET STREET and CLASH BY NIGHT of the ones screened to this point (which are most of em) But I well know that FURY and YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE (later this week) are in the top etchelon, as I’ve seen both (though still look forward to the big-screen viewings).
I am flattered at your interest in my writing up NIXON IN CHINA (which I will do) and I am excited to hear that some rare Naruses are within your grasp. I attended 18 Naruses back in 2006 during their festival on him, but none of the ones who note here! I hope you’ll get them in and look forward to your report!
Many thanks as always my very good friend!
Sam, you are incorrigible. Ironic that you staged your great feat on Super Bowl weekend. But I know the Steelers-Packers match up had no interest. Seeing all those Vlacils which aren’t on DVD was taking advantage of a rare opportunity that only NYC can afford. I am looking forward for your full report. I can fathom how you are effectively juggling the Langs with the Vlacils, and how you also managed a four-hour opera. Whew.
Well Frank, as you know, the Super Bowl really didn’t interest me much with the Jets and Giants out of the competition. I was never a Steeler fan, so I had a modest hankering for the Packers (who apparently took advantage of turnovers in a game that they were mopstly outplayed in). Yes, I told myself I was going to watch these films by hook or crook, and only the difficulty on Saturday in finding street parking (I went into a garage, and paid $21 for 12 hours, a good rate actually) was a bit of a drag. Yes, NIXON IN CHINA ran almost four hours, and I saw it on Wednesday night after two afternoon Langs were made possible by our day off from school because of Tuesday night’s ice storm. I am going with Lang tonight, Lang tomorrow night (no Vlacils are being offered these two nights anyway) and then Vlacil the other two nights with one Lang YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE also in.
Many thanks my very good friend!
I didn’t think it was an especially exciting game as there were too many mistakes. Taking advantage of those don’t make up for being severely outplayed and still winning.
Hi Sam!
Thanks for the mention. Check out my top ten of 2010 that I’ve posted when you get the chance! Also my Another Year review if you haven’t already. But I guess you already have tons of reading on your plate haha. Hope you had a great weekend!
Dave, I will DEFINITELY be heading over to your place today!!! That’s is terrific news with those two posts now highlighting!!! If I do have a bit of reading yours will be near the top!!
Many thanks my good friend, and have a great week!
You’re out of control Sam. I guess this is what happens when you have a clash between two festivals. But it’s clear enough to see that the Vlacil is more urgent since most of his films are not available on dvd or anywhere. Seeing 9 films at the Walter Reade over two days is incredible, but if anyone can pull that off, it’s you my man.
The Super Bowl was anti-climactic to all those thrilling playoff contests. Ask me if I care.
Yes, Fred, I am out of control. Of this there can be no question. The Vlacil Festival was a shot in the dark, and it complicated all my plans. But yeah, those films would have to favored, as most are not available on DVD, and are rarely if ever shown in public. One thing I will say though, is that the Walter Reade Theatre is far more comfortable than the Film Forum. The soft seats and specious leg room in a stadium auditorium with spectacular acoustics and a gigantic screen are a dream for cineastes.
I got home for the final six minutes of the Super Bowl. I preferred Green Bay, but had no real rooting interest.
Many thanks my friend!
Sam – NINE films in two days?! And that, in addition to your other responsibilities. That takes S-T-A-M-I-N-A. My hat is off to you!
Thank you for pointing to Speaking from the Heart.
Have yourself one heckofa week (although I don’t see how you can possibly top your weekend)…
Yes, Laurie it does take stamina, and I felt it yesterday on the second day of the marathon. I took along a few bottles of Figi water, a large container of ‘trail mix’ (raisins, dried fruit and nuts) and bought coffee twice to help me keep my eyes open. I would love to have had Lucille and a few of my kids there, but I can’t say that Czechoslovakian cinema was anyone’s special cup of tea! (an understatement) I will admit though, that the final film about the shepherd boy in the hills would probably have interested my two oldest boys and ages 13 and 11.
I have a busy four evenings in a row coming up, and then I can finally rest, though we always go out with our friend Broadway Bob on Saturday night. But all day home Saturday and Sunday (day and night) is just what the doctor ordered my friend!
Many thanks!
Sam, I’m eager to read your thoughts on Nixon in China. I saw the PBS broadcast of the original production back in the late Eighties and was blown away. I’m not an opera buff, exactly, but the Adams sounded to me like what a modern American opera should sound like.
Valley of the Bees is second from the top of my Netflix queue right now and based on all the raving about Vlacil I may move it up a notch. Style and subject matter look right up my alley.
When you get a chance you’ll see that I’ve fired a few broadsides at The King’s Speech while writing a generally positive review. It is one of the best films I’ve seen from 2010, but it certainly isn’t the best in the Oscar field. I’d rank it third of the ten nominees after Social Network and Toy Story 3, but easily ahead of True Grit. For those keeping score, four of the ten — 127 Hours, The Fighter, The Kids Are Alright and Winter’s Bone remain unseen by me.
At home, my viewing wasn’t that ambitious. I took in Andre de Toth’s The Bounty Hunter, an effective western with a strong performance by Randolph Scott that goes a little soft toward the end; Giulio Questi’s gothic spaghetti western Django Kill!, which falls somewhere between Forty Guns and El Topo, and Frank Perry’s low-key coming-of-age oddity Last Summer, which somehow manages to seem tragic and insubstantial at the same time.
Good luck with the rest of a busy week!
Thanks as always Samuel. I do indeed plan on writing up my thoughts on NIXON IN CHINA at the first available window, and am happy to hear you are a John Adams fan. (But wasn’t Samuel Wilson, as a fellow patriot, always a close adherent of John’s? Ha! I couldn’t resist that!)
That Facets VALLEY OF THE BEES is rather a bad print, and not 2:35 to 1 widescreen sad to say. The region 2 on Second Run is stunning in every sense and properly matted. Still, I suspect with your taste that Vlacil will become a venerated figure with you. As you rightly contend, that style and subject are right up your alley.
Of the four nominated films that you haven’t yet negotiated, I’d only dismiss THE FIGHTER, though WINTER’S BONE and THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT are particularly masterful in the glasses I wear. I know you have been a huge fan of THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and well remember the excellent review you penned for it.
Of the three films you watched on DVD, I have only seen LAST SUMMER, which though dated, leaves fair enough impression. I recall Cathy Burns’ performance most fondly.
As to your THE KING’S SPEECH review, I was thrilled to refer to it here yesterday!!! Great stuff.
Thanks as always for the terrific wrap my friend!
Sam, I honestly don’t know how you keep up the torrid, film-play going pace. Devotion, dedication and love. Hats off to you, my good pal. (And Redgrave disappoints? In my experience I’ve never seen her give a bad performance, but…)
Winter doldrums and What I Saw
‘Out of Breath’
Archimedes said “Give me a lever and I can move the world.” Jean-Luc Godard might have said “Give me a camera and I can move the world.” Or at least the world of filmmaking.
TCM’s ’31 Days of Oscar’ has commenced and – bang! – straight out of the barrel of a gun Godard’s famous “Breathless” (1959) explodes. Apparently, M. Godard is being feted with a 2011 ‘Governors’ Award’ ??? for his innovative contributions to film, this from an organization notoriously resistant to artistic innovation. A belated Oscar mea culpa for ignoring the groundburning demigod all these decades, probably.
“Breathless” is now over 50 yrs. old (half a century!), but on the TV small screen last week the film looked as fresh and as full of revolutionary filmmaking fire as ever. The jump-cutting, the hand-held camera, the time distentions, the sheer bravura of it all still startle after decades of countless imitators. The celebrated bedroom scene (prefiguring another famous long scene in “Contempt”) astonishes even more than I remember. The musk of sex, the brushings of bare skin, the teasings, the boredom all within Seberg’s claustral bedroom, with the outside traffic noises as subliminal agitation.
At mid-century any film that incorporated into its texture Faulkner, Maurice Chevalier, hard-boiled Bogart, the iris lens and the Theater of the Absurd raised the bar on meta-art techniques, fusing the highbrow and the esoteric into a playful/serious new experimentation.
Incidentally, Tarantino’s fingerprints are all over Godard’s films, though “Pulp Fiction”s cultural cross-pollinations are decidedly lowbrow kitsch (Jayne Mansfield, fast food, kids’ TV, Willis’s French girlfriend, a parodic sex kitten). This is not a criticism of Tarantino, just a national fact. America is a plebeian society so Tarantino’s cultural touchstones are, de facto, cheesier and more low comic than Godard’s literary-intellectual-Hollywood arcanum (one of the characters in “Breathless” is named Laszlo Kovacs, now famed as a great cinematographer – “Easy Rider,” “Five Easy Pieces”, etc.)
So here is “Breathless” (*****) the crestline of the French New Wave and in 1959 the future-present of film. It’s surely one of the most influential films ever made, a radical departure in style and I never tire of it, which may be a brief definition of a masterpiece. And “Breathless” also carries the literature-cinema linkage, the whole Gide-Camus-Serraute ontological paradigm and puts it up for fresh consideration. With Belmondo (an ex-pug) supplanting the aging Gabin as the new French tough guy. A seminal work.
Farewell Maria Schneider of “Last Tango in Paris” and “The Passenger,” actress-gamine and possessor of one of the most famous pelts in 70s cinema.
‘Black’ and ‘Blue’
First “Black Swan,” now “Blue Valentine,” a film well-regarded in these pages, but one I can’t wholeheartedly endorse.
A case of naturalism in extremis with pores looming large on faces. And there’s the contradiction between the facts of the drama and its hard-scrabble milieu. Michelle Williams has a job as a nurse, a well-paid profession the last time I checked, and Ryan Gosling works a grunt job, so why do the pair live in quasi-squalor? And dress like lumpen rubes? Neither is shown to be stupid, though Gosling is a high-school drop-out.
The triumph of the film is the acting. Williams, in danger of becoming the patron saint of bad on-screen marriages (first a same-sex swinger and now this) captures the girl whose helpless longings turn to hard, reality-driven resolve. Gosling fares slightly worse because at times he seems to be genuflecting to the Brando icon with some door and face punching, and groping to articulate the golden feelings he can’t quite express. Also, I thought of the heavy hand of Kazan during Gosling’s fisticuffs with a doctor.
All in all, “Blue Valentine” isn’t bad, it’s just not the unvarnished truth-teller it wants to be (***).
Yep Mark, dedication, tenacity……….and………..some serious mental unbalance. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel by the coming weekend, when both the Lang and Vlacil festivals will be over.
Your superlative discussion on Godard’s BREATHLESS is well noted here! Lucille and I saw the restoration at the Film Forum months back, and I have long held this as one of the filmmaker’s most incomparable works. To say anything further to your own brilliant comments would be to detract, but I’ll just say that few films in movie history have exerted as much influence, nor have defined a movement like this one has. As I have stated on these boards before, I do not worship the ground Godard walks on, like I do with Bresson, Renoir, Gance, Rivette, Melville and Ophuls, but I find a number of his films essential and a few absolutely brilliant, of which this iconic masterpiece sits at the top with WEEKEND and a few others. But I agree you can discuss it for all eternnity, and you’ll always find something to add.
I loved this from you most of all:
“At mid-century any film that incorporated into its texture Faulkner, Maurice Chevalier, hard-boiled Bogart, the iris lens and the Theater of the Absurd raised the bar on meta-art techniques, fusing the highbrow and the esoteric into a playful/serious new experimentation.”
And indeed, with that revelation of Laslo Kovacs, a great cinematographer for sure.
Too bad Ms. Scheider passed on at such a relatively young age, and I do remember her well from LAST TANGO. R.I.P.
Well, you qualify your response for BLUE VALENTINE superbly, so, while I have a much different response-elaborated at here at WitD- I can look at yours with respect and appreciation. Ironically enough my colleague Allan Fish e mailed me today to say he gives it 4 of 5, which he still is disappointed with. I don’t think these kind of indes are his cup of tea, and he similarly was lukewarm with WINTER’S BONE and WENDY AND LUCY.
I continue to appreciate the way you crsam so much into your comments, and I must stop to take it all in with intense application. You always have so much to say of worth.
Many thanks my very good friend!
Check in to Bergen Pines and see if they can prescribe some meds to fit the malady. hehehe.
You are one of a kind and deserve a special medal. Problem is you wouldn’t have the time to claim it. You got a good price at that parking garage for a weekend.
You may have come in with a worthwhile option there Peter! The parking price was indeed good–maybe half of what it would have been if I used a garage closer to Lincoln Center.
Thanks as always!
A small theater here in Los Angeles put on a Czech New Wave series. I only made it to a couple and I really regret missing “Marketa Lazarova.” The others (“Daisies,” “Cassandra Cat,” and “Valerie and Her Week of Wonders”) were a mixed bag. So, needless to say, I am a little jealous of your Lang and Vlacil series. There are a lot of great movies on both their rosters that I haven’t seen.
I made it out to several movies this week:
The Rite (**)
The Company Men (***1/2)
Animal Kingdom (**)
Biutiful (****)
The Mechanic (***)
The winner was “Biutiful,” a movie that has been getting some bad reviews mostly, it seems, based on its director’s past bad decisions. There are certainly some bad moves in this picture (like why are the Chinese guys lovers?), but the whole of the picture is very good.
Jason, as it turns out I have seen those three Czech films at your festival and like VALERIE quite a bit, those the others are solid too. I agree that MARKETA LAZAROVA is the most important film in the entire patheon of Czech cinema, and I hope this festival makes it way out to you. Still, the Region 2 DVD of it from Second Run is most fine. I only wish the Lang and Vlacil Festivals were held at different times, though with some juggling I am holding up well-enough.
Yeah, some aspects of BIUTIFUL are uneven, but by and large I completely agree with your winning assessment. It’s as downbeat a film as I’ve ever seen, but it’s powerful stuff that resonates well after you leave the theatre. And Bardem is truly electrifying.
I aslo like THE COMPANY MEN (much more than I thought I would) and ANIMAL KINGDOM was passable. Right on there with THE MECHANIC, while I have resisted seeing THE RITE. Your two star rating won’t alter my resolve! Ha!
Many thanks as always for the great report my friend!
Hello Sam, thanks for the (old) plug, it’s still an enormous pleasure to be included and even more, since that entry is still comment-less, so that will draw some people, I think.
You’ve had a Heaven of a Week, I guess, that’s A LOT of film, is your wallet alright? After all this you might as well let it fly away (it will be light, so it will float away easily) so it can rest for a while. But, hey, what the hell, do as you like, if you can do it, do it.
Personally, I’ve seen ZERO of these films you mention, and there are many of them I’d like to check out, so yeah, that’s that.
You know, here I am, at home, but the hot weather prevents me from wanting to go out, girlfriend just came back yesterday from her vacations so I’ve been pretty much doing nothing, just reading or something, this is the time where I wish I had a job, but hell, I don’t want ANY job, and that’s my problem.
So, movie wise, I saw:
– JSA: Joint Security Area (2000, Chan-wook Park) ***** This is the masterpiece of this korean director, I love the characters, love the situations, everything is masterful and love how the style reminds me of Rashomon and many other films, I find this to be a truly haunting and at the same time heart-warming story about a nation divided by another nation.
– The Kids Are All Right (2010, Lisa Cholodenko) ***1/2 Why? Oh, why do movies constantly depict homosexual figures as simple beings that could be turned into heterosexuals in matter of a second? I Hate when that happens.
– The King’s Speech (2010, Tom Hooper) **** This was good, but not Surprising in any stretch, the best thing about this was Geoffre Rush, which was really likeable.
– The Mechanic (1972, Michael Winner) ***1/2 Charles Bronson is a badass. After that, it’s just formulaic, including the not so surprising ending. Still worth a look.
– The Social Network (2010, David Fincher) ****1/2 I rewatched this with my cousins, and it’s as good as the first time I saw it. I still wish this won over King’s Speech, but hey, you can only have it once (Slumdog Millionaire has been the only one I’ve agreed on in the last 10 years).
– Tokyo Story (1953, Yasujiro Ozu) ****1/2 Yeah, I reviewed it, you name it one of the best ever.
– Winter’s Bone (2010, Debra Granik) **** Surprisingly good. Didn’t expect to like this. Now, I saw all 10 movies nominated for best picture and can write my reviews.
So, yeah, that’s about it, this week I’ll celebrate my birthday.
Bye everyone!
Well Jaimie, the use of the old links was only a one-week deal.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What are you actually planning, and what is the exact day?
Next week we will return to the proper up-dates. I am not anticipating any new festivals to interfere with the normal pacing, and felt bad to keep things status-quo for the most part.
As far as this:
“You’ve had a Heaven of a Week, I guess, that’s A LOT of film, is your wallet alright? After all this you might as well let it fly away (it will be light, so it will float away easily) so it can rest for a while.”
….I will admit that my wallet took a hit. Whenever I cross over into Manhattan it costs me $8.00 to use either one of the two tunnels (usually the Lincoln, but sometimes the Holland) or the George Washington Bridge. I have a membership to the Film Forum ($75.00 a year) so tickets are only $7.00 for the double features that mark most of the Lang Festival, so it’s always at least $15 plus the gas I use to travel the five or so miles through traffic and back. But food, and then kidnapping my kids sometimes adds to the bill, as was the case last night when I took 13 year-old Sammy and 11 year-old Danny to see Rancho Notorious and Clash by Night, by “bribing” them to stop at a game/toy store of high quality called “Forbidden Planet.” They bought some nice things, and then Sammy slept through the second film of the double feature, though Danny managed both. We left the theatre a little before midnight, and they of course had school the next morning. There’s nothing like a teacher breaking cardinal rules, eh? Anyway, the Walter Reade Theatre is $9.00, so I had an expensive weekend, as there was no way to sneak in. You had to buy the tickets for each screening. At some point I’ll help you out with seeing a number of these Langs and Vlacils, I promise you that!
As long as things aren’t pressing you, I would say enjoy the time to see movies now! They’ll be plenty of time for work, and once you start they’ll be no turning back I’m sure. And enjoy your girlfriend most of all, of course!!!
You have floored me with that ***** assessment of that Chan Wook Park!!!! Wow!!! Well, I will admit I am not a fan of THIRST nor OLDBOY, but haven’t yet seen this film. I am not sure why his style is so distancing to me, but Iit won’t stop me from checking this one out.
I like THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT more, but can’t argue with that question you pose there! Ha! As you know we are all (except Jamie) big KING’S SPEECH supporters here, but the **** rating is fair enough. Yes, Rush was truly wonderful!
I like THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and well understand the strong impression it’s made on you during repeat viewings! The vast majority are in complete agreement!
TOKYO STORY is one of my favorite films of all-time, so, yes, I agree with that lavish praise you afford it! I am also happy to read your reaction to WINTER’S BONE, a strong film in every sense. Ms. Lawrence was amazing, as was Mr. Hawkes. And that’s just about how I’d rate THE MECHANIC too.
As always, your submission here is treasured my friend, for a number of reasons!!!!
Well, my birthday was January the 23rd and I’m planning on a Taco fest with some dance thrown in (even if I don’t dance at all).
Well ,you are one of the most dedicated fathers I’ve known, having your kids until midnight to see classics… I wanna be like you when I have my own children!
Thank you kindly for the mention Sam.
Nine films in two days is…..quite a lot. I wouldn’t be able to watch more than 2 films a day and even then my memory of the first and the impact it made on me would be somewhat erased by the second. I need to give a film time to settle in, to enjoy it in retrospect and to think about it a bit.
I’ve just posted a piece on Olivier Assayas’ DEMONLOVER.
You and 99% of the others Stephen. There is no excuse for this kind of unrestrained madness I know, but I was thinking if I didn’t act I wouldn’t see these films in this way ever again if at all. I drink a lot of coffee and stay focuses, and can pretty much recall vividly each show, but again the whole idea of it is utterly insane. I am guilty as charged.
Oh, I’ll definitely be over for that Assayas review!!!
Many thanks my very good friend!
“…but I was thinking if I didn’t act I wouldn’t see these films in this way ever again if at all. ”
Well, I can certainly understand that!
Not much going on here, Sam. My wife and I did watch THE KING’S SPEECH (thanks to you, by the way) and I thought it was quite good (****), though perhaps not as great as the essays by Jim and Allan from earlier in the week made it out to be (I’ve yet to read Samuel Wilson’s review of it).
My last few weeks have been filled with FINALLY finishing my homemade arcade machine that has been almost 10 years(!) in the making. It’s been in our basement since we moved to our new house last year and I finally got around to getting it up and running. I’ve been playing a good bit of Mr. Do and Ms. Pac-Man over the last week and spending much of my free time working out the quirks. Even during the Super Bowl, Kevin came over and spent more time on the arcade than he did watching the game! I’ll take some pictures and post them when I get the artwork put on it and clean up the exterior a bit more.
Here’s hoping it doesn’t take me as long to finish my Bresson retrospective as it did to finish the arcade 🙂
Ha Troy!! As the owner of pinball machines (we presently have The Addams Family and Elvis) I can well understand the obsession with finishing this. Plus, everyone needs a break from the movie scene, something I have found out myself as of late.
GHreat to hear that you and Tricia liked THE KING’S SPEECH. Very few have parted company with that one! I’m sure you’ll get to the Bresson soon enough, and I do look forward to your treatment of some of those masterpieces to come.
Many thanks my very good friend!
Sam I have no idea how you managed the past week even with your relaxed commitment to your regular blog prowling. Having been so long since she had seen you, Lucille probably wondered who that person was a breakfast on Monday morning;)
Well I am coming to the Monday Dairy party late this week but not empty handed. We have seen three movies worth mentioning to readers. They are:
AFTER DARK, MY SWEET (1990) directed by James Foley. This neo-noir film was touted as a romance on the jacket description but it only took about 5 minutes into it to know that it was a noir film. Perhaps the person writing the description only watched the one steaming hot sex scene but even that was more about power than love. I wanted to stop watching it several times but was compelled to find out what happened in the end. I shall share nothing else other than be prepared to finished it if you start.
CONVICTION (2010) directed by Tony Goldwyn I was emotionally connected to this heartbreaking true story about the love between these siblings and the 20 year effort of a sister to see her brother set free. I found it refreshing and inspiring that neither were portrayed as “perfect.” In the telling of the story they were allowed their human shortcomings.
BLACK SWAN (2010) directed by Darren Aronofsky. I was left feeling deflated and angry at the end of this film. The cost of a societal drive for perfection spilled out of the film into my own musings. What a price we pay. A powerful film that “shows” in undeniable ways what a “telling” would never have accomplish.
I hope you are having a much quieter week this week Sam. May you see some sign that tells you spring is on its way. For us, we have beautiful black baby lambs in the farmers field in the valley below.
Aye, quite right Terrill. And yes, the past two weeks have seen a fall-off with the blogging because of the Lang Festival, but I intend to return to form soon enough. That guy at breakfast was indeed the phantom!
I haven’t seen CONVICTION but very much appreciate that splendid summary estimation!!! Ha, I well remember AFTER DARK MY SWEET and fully understand that warning! Definitely something you want to finish, even if this won’t be remembered as anything artful. Your specific issue but final praise for BLACK SWAN is well-noted.
A trio of magnificent capsules, and I am most appreciative to have them here my friend.
Ah, spring……..it can’t be soon enough!
Sam I think when a movie connects to me like the BLACK SWAN it is a great movie. It presented its message with impact – or at least I received an powerful message about a drive for perfection which permeates our larger society with one its most visible stages being that of the ballerina. Either way, sometimes a feeling of anger is the appropriate response.