Gripping and emotional documentary feature "The Last Lions"
by Sam Juliano
Film noir is the subject of choice these days. While the wildly popular ‘Film Preservation Fundraiser’ continues on with the exceptional leadership of Marilyn Ferdinand, Greg Ferrara and the Self-Styled Siren has focused in on this quintessentially American film style, here at Wonders in the Dark, fecund and impassioned Brooklynite Maurizio Roca has just launched his Top 50 countdown, focusing in exclusively on the classic cycle from 1941 to 1958. The decision has won the approval of none other than noir authority Tony dAmbra, who feels a wider range may be counterproductive for this kind of polling. Needless to say, both ventures are attracting tons of attention by bloggers, many of whom have been showcasing their own film noir reviews in support of the fundraising blogothon. John Greco and Ed Howard have been offering up new essays just about every day in fact. Behind the scenes, Dee Dee continues to provide tireless support for the blogothon and for Wonders in the Dark’s own contribution to the venture as she links up to numerous posts here at the site that have attracted remarkable traffic and all kinds of comments. Simultaneously, the incomparable blogger and artist has also focused on the upcoming Oscar broadcast, offering up various polls and calls for predictions in category breakdowns.
This past week saw several of Mr. Roca’s posts making a big showing, while site regulars Jim Clark, Jamie Uhler, Bob Clark and of course Allan Fish have authored their own exceptional essays.
With the classic film festivals completed, I spent the larger part of the past week at home, though I came to life again over the weekend, and also saw a Wednesday night staging of Tennessee Williams’s Small Craft Warnings on Theatre Row (42nd Street) with Lucille and Broadway Bob, and then five films over the weekend to play catch up on some of the recent releases.
Austin Pendleton did a great job last year, helming a production of Tennessee Williams’s Vieux Carre, but the threadbare production of his Small Craft Warnings was minimalist to a fault, utililyzing a row of black chairs, while having the audience sit on hard kitchen chairs in a seedy small room with poor ventilation, too much heat and sight lines, and a presentation that was barely a step above an amateur stage reading, with missed lines, forgotten lines and pedestrian acting from just about everyone except Pendleston himself. This rarely done play could well be a revelation, with it’s poetic ruminations and big dramatic scenes; and it’s lasck of plot isn’t any kind of a problem, as so much happens to the characters during the roughly 90 minute (no intermission) running time, but the monetary matters than governed the artistic choices here resulted in a truly suffocating experience in more ways than one.
Here are the movies seen in theatres:
Unknown ** (Friday night) Edgewater multiplex
The Last Lions **** 1/2 (Saturday night) Angelika Film Center
We Are What We Are ** 1/2 (Saturday night) Angelika Film Center
Gnomeo and Juliet *** 1/2 (Sunday morning) Edgewater multiplex
Cedar Rapids (Sunday evening) ***** 1/2 Edgewater multiplex
Note: This post will be revised in two hours as soon as I get home from the 9:40 P.M. showing of Cedar Rapids.
Liam Neeson’s amnesia thriller loses steam early in the convoluted and unconsumated UNKNOWN, which is maddeningly obtuse and impersonal, and the entire premise is exceedingly derivative; the Mexican cannibal movie WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is allegorical in a highly unoriginal way, and the narrative gets bogged down in excrutiating tedium, while the “excessive” gore is a false come on; GNOMEO AND JULIET is for the most part a sweet and innocuous animated film that may occasionally offer up silly ideas, but it is also a real charmer, with a timeless tory to pose another angle on. THE LAST LIONS with the irrestible voice of Jeremy Irons as impassioned narrator is a documentary about survival for a bree dthat has dimished by tens of thousands over the past fifty years. A husband and wife team have produced a labor of love that has more resonance and artistry than stories about people. Tragedy and heartbreak are part of the mix. It’s been quite a while since I laughed as hard as I did tonight during the screening of CEDAR RAPIDS with Lucille, the McCartneys, Andrei Scala and Danny and Melanie. I will have more to say tomorrow, but this gets a high rating!
Greatness all over the blogosphere:
Tony d’Ambra’s superlative capsule review of Fritz Lang’s You Only Live Once is further reminder why his incomparable work at FilmsNoir.net for almost four years has been the accomplishment for which all noir lovers must look to as the most comprehensive and accomplished yet achieved: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/summary-noir-reviews-when-pushover-comes-to-whirlpool.html#ixzz1EYMxpoTW
John Greco caps off a week of noir coverage at Twenty Four Frames with a superlative review of Robert Siodmak’s classic The Killers: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/the-killers-1946-robert-siodmak-2/
Wellman film scholar Judy Geater again raises the bar for her incomparable treatment of the prolific American director in her comprehensive review for the beloved A Star is Born (1937) at Movie Classics: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/a-star-is-born-william-a-wellman-1937/
Some of the best and most intricate work being done out there is being orchestrated by our friend in Tokyo, Murderous Ink, whose continuing examination of one of the cinema’s greatest masterpieces, Ozu’s There Was A Father is one of the most brilliant projects ever attempted in the blogosphere. The results this far at Vermillion and One Nights are stunning: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/02/analysis-of-there-was-father-010600.html
Samuel Wilson issues exceeding praise for Sylvian Chomet’s The Illusionist with a first-rate Mondo 70 review: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-big-screen-illusionist-lillusioniste.html
At Exodus: 8:2 Jamie Grijalba is doing his own version of ‘Countdown to the Oscars’ with a consideration of the films up for the Best Picture prize. Heading up right now is a great essay on The Fighter: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/02/3-fighter-2010.html
Unadulterated joy reigns on Mayne Island today as our wonderful friend and artist extraordinaire has announced she’s a grandmother again with the birth of a boy to her daughter Josie. The priceless photos are on display at the Creativepotager’s blog: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/baby-o-has-arrived/
Jason Marshall has named Jean Gabin ‘Best Actor’ of 1938 at Movies Over Matter for the latest entry in his fabulous ongoing series in cinema history: http://moviesovermatter.com/2011/02/12/michel-simon-quai-des-brumes-best-supporting-actor-of-1938/
Longman Oz has just posted a trio of new film reviews at his place, headed up by a very fine one on How I Ended This Summer: http://smiledyawnednodded.com/2011/02/21/howiendedthissummer/
Just Another Film Buff has again embarked on a monumental project at The Seventh Art, titled “Capturing the Spangles.”: http://theseventhart.info/2011/02/12/capturing-the-spangles/
Filmmaker and movie and music lover Jeffrey Goodman talks about ‘growing up in a ‘Blue Velvet’ world in his discussion of film noir at The Last Lullaby: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2011/02/noir-my-friend.html
At Speaking from the Heart Laurie Buchanan offers up endless amusement at her latest post “Put On Your Big Girl Panties,” another in a continuing series of creativity at her sacred place: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/02/scarlet-street-1945.html
Garden State author extraordinaire David Schleicher has written up a superlative and effusively favorable review on Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu’s Biutiful at The Schleicher Spin: http://theschleicherspin.com/2011/02/07/its-not-a-grave-its-a-niche/
At Cinemascope, Shubhajit goes noir too, with his excellent capsule on Fritz Lang’s Scarlet Street: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/02/scarlet-street-1945.html
If a blogosphere award were to be given out for Most Consistently Creative posts, the winner would hands down be Stephen Russell-Gebbett, who never fails to intrigued and engage every time out. His most recent post at Checking on my Sausages is “A Cinema is a Cave”: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/02/cinema-is-cave.html
At Scribbles and Ramblings, Sachin has authored a marvelous essay on Bollywood favorite Delhi Story: (since updated to Mumbai Diaries)http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/02/delhi-story.html
At Living in Cinema Craig Kennedy is headlining with the Watercooler, where he discusses the expected dominance of The King’s Speech at last evening’s British BAFTA awards: http://livingincinema.com/2011/02/13/watercooler-the-baftas/
Marilyn Ferdinand has written a fantastic review on Ken Russell’s 1965 television film on French expressionist composer extraordinaire Clude Debussy at Ferdy-on-Films, where the Film Preservation Fundraiser is now officially underway, with a plethora of comments/donations and glowing attention from all over: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=8334
At This Island Rod, Mr. Heath gives the ‘Deluxe” treatment to Piranha (1978): http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/02/piranha-1978.html
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
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
Kaleem Hasan has some Hindi love songs up at Satyamshot to celebrate Valentine’s Day: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/happy-valentines-day-love-songs-hindi/
At Visions of Non-Fiction Dave Van Poppel presents his Top Ten Films of 2010 with some stellar capsule write-ups: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2011/02/top-ten-of-2010.html
At Only the Cinema Ed Howard has posted a week-long series of film noir reviews, all of a typically first-rate quality and headed up by one he loves exceedingly, Ulmer’s Detour: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/02/films-i-love-51-detour-edgar-g-ulmer.html
Drew McIntosh has a magnificent screen cap display up at The Blue Vial, in his ongoing “Five from a Favorite” series on Soderbergh’s The Underneath: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2011/02/five-from-favorite-underneath-steven.html
The ever-magnanimous and energetic Michael Harford has sparked some point interest at the Coffee Messiah blogsite with his look at ‘English al Jazeera’: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2011/01/english-al-jazeera.html
J. D. has the goods on a new blogothon on Michael Mann at Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2011/02/michael-mann-blogathon-keep.html
Matthew Lucas has written a brilliantly perceptive and effusively enthusiastic assessment of the Korean masterpiece Poetry at From the Front Row: http://fromthefrontrow.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-poetry.html
Enter the Void fans should run (and don’t walk) over to the Film Doctor’s place for his exceptionally written essay on the film: http://filmdr.blogspot.com/2011/02/is-afterlife-inane-and-other-questions.html
Daniel Getahun of Getafilm enthusiastically speaks of the upcoming ‘Muriel Awards’ at his place: http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2011/02/coming-soonmuriel-50.html
Greg Ferrara at Cinema Styles has officially announced the launching of For the Love of Film ‘Noir’ Blogothon, commencing today, Valentine’s Day: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-love-of-film-noir-blogathon-starts.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\
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/
At Little Worlds Hokahey glowingly speaks and references Jules Verne, and a school production he’s directing: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2011/02/happy-birthday-jules.html
Tony Dayoub has a stellar blu-ray review of Alice in Wonderland up at Cinema Viewfinder: http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2011/02/blu-ray-review-alice-in-wonderland-1951.html
“Conversations” co-author Jason Bellamy celebrates his three-year anniversary at The Cooler: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2011/02/celebrating-three-years-of-cooler.html
In her new post “Jeopardy Girl, Cake Decorator,” our girl provides a ‘practical’ approach to cupcake making that bears her singular mark: http://jeopardygirl.wordpress.com/2011/02/06/cakedecorator/
At Velvety Blackness, Jean has penned an extraordinary review on Zulawski’s Diabel that’s a must-read for all serious cineastes: http://velvetyblackness.blogspot.com/2011/02/diabel.html
R.D. Finch at The Movie Projector has penned an exceptional review on the French film The Taste of Others: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/02/taste-of-others-2000.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
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/
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/
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Writers/Founders
Thanks for the pointer, Sam. As always. I didn’t watch any films this week, except for two Indian films that opened this weekend. Will be watching some older films this week, trying to get away from the Oscar drivel (for now!) on the net!
Lots of catching up to do.
Thanks and Cheers!
Thanks for stopping in as always my friend. I have an annual shindig at my house for the Oscars, but the reasons of course have little to do with any kind of quality on display. I can’t say I blame you for tuning out. Hope you come upon some excellent older films this week.
Sam, as I’ll be out of town for three days I’ll make my entry in this on wednesday night, thursday morning.
Have a good time on your trip Jaime, we’ll talk soon. Many thanks!
Sam,
Thanks again for the kind words. The Film Noir Blogathon has been a blast with plenty of input from around the blogasphere and Mr. Roca’s postings here on the noir countdown have been absorbing. I guess I liked “Unknown” a bit more than you did though I agree the film is pure popcorn and forgettable as soon as you leave the theater. Looking forward to “The Last Lion” opening here soon.
Here’s my viewing for the week…
Unknown (***) A case of amnesia leads to a series of exciting slam bam car chases through the streets of Berlin as Liam Neeson tries to find his real self and why his “wife,” a bland January Jones, does not recognize him. Lots of it does not make sense, like how come so many characters can drive like Richard Petty at Daytona? And there never seem to be any police around despite all the out of control car crashes throughout the city streets. There are some nice scenes with Bruno Ganz as a former East Germany agent longing for the old days and Frank Langella as a ‘friend’ of Neeson’s. Both add a touch of class to a rather average film. The director (Jaume Collet Serra) keeps things exciting enough and Neeson makes a fine boomer generation action figure.
The Man Who Knew Too Much – 1956 version (****) – The highlight of the film is the Albert Hall sequence, a beautifully edited piece that keeps the tension growing more and more intense. Additionally you get to see the great Bernard Herrmann conduct on screen. The script is a bit too long especially if you compare it to the original. Stewart is his usual faultless self. Doris Day her typical white bread self, dull and unconvincing.
Stromboli (****) Interesting how Ingrid Bergman’s character, Karin, and Bergman herself were both ostracized in their communities. Karin is forever the outsider in the black rock volcanic island village and Bergman for her real life affair, and pregnancy with Rossellini. The film itself reflects the strong conservative ideology of peasant Italians and Italian men in general toward women at the time. Bergman is terrific as a post war refugee who marries so she can get out of an internment camp only to find herself an unwelcome prisoner in her husband’s isolated fishing village. Rossellini uses the island of Stromboli almost as another character in the film.
I Knew it Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (****) HBO documentary on the late actor who only made five films but left an everlasting impression on those he worked with. He had one of the most expressive faces, an actor who could transform himself so convincingly you forget it was a character he was playing. Definitely worth seeing.
My Favorite Wife (****) Another Grant/Dunne classic! While not quite on par with “The Awful Truth,” this Enoch Arden based tale is hysterically funny with charming comic performances from both Grant and Dunne. Dunne is a real foxy minx in this film filled with typical Leo Carey (co-writer) combination of witty writing and slapstick.
John, as lovers of cats, both you and Dorothy will absolutely ADORE “The Last Lions,” which is both beautiful to look at and emotionally wrenching to watch. Your equal affinity for outdoor photography and nature will also, no doubt raise it’s spectre for you guys. I hear ya on UNKNOWN; perhaps I was a bit too harsh, but somehow this one seemed superficial from the start. As far as Maurizio’s noir countdown and all the activity in this form throughout the blogosphere (including at TWENTY FOUR FRAMES, where you’ve penned some excellent stuff yourself) it’s been very exciting.
Again, excellent capsules. You point to the incomprehensible aspects of UNKNOWN which I agree with, and yes it’s always great seeing Bruno Ganz!
John, did you know (I’m sure you do) that John Cazale’s career was comprised of five films that got nominated for the Best Picture Oscar? (The Godfather, The Godfather II, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter and Dog Day Afternoon) Of course three of the five actually won the prize. But that’s quite a statistic, whether you respect the Oscars or not. I didn’t see that documentary, but greatly respect your wonderful capsule, and regard for an actor who left us way too soon. Yes, he was wonderfully expressive.
Yep, the witty Grant-Dunne film is a classic of it’s kind, and I concur with the glowing assessment and summary rating. That’s one I’d like to watch again at some point.
LOL what you say there about Doris Day! Well, John, in addition to all the valid points you make, we also have “Que Sera Sera!” All in all a solid film, but not as good as the 1934 original with Peter Lorre.
And you really nail STROMBOLI here:
‘Rossellini uses the island of Stromboli almost as another character in the film.”
I concur yet again.
Thanks again for the spectacular wrap! I applaud your fantastic work for the noir fundraising blogothon my very good friend!
On “My Favorite Wife” that should read “typical Leo McCarey…”
Aye, got ya John.
Thank you again Sam for mentioning my writing.
If your term “amnesia thriller” doesn’t already exist then it should. In the past decade there have been quite a lot of these. This week I saw:
PEOPLE ON SUNDAY ***1/2 (out of 5)
NOROIT *** 1/2
Noroit is better than Duelle but not, for me, up to LE PONT DU NORD or JEANNE LA PUCELLE. Though beautiful to look at it’s still a little too cold, abstract and theatrical. I must say, though, that the final death scenes are marvellously stylised.
Thanks for stopping in as always Stephen.
I am assuming you are talking about the 1930 avante garde silent film, right Stephen? The one directed by Robert Siodmak from a story by Billy Wilder? That was another than Allan influenced me to buy (I have the BFI region 2) and I’ll go a little higher than you (4 of 5) though your rating is certainly fair enough.
JEAN LA PUCELLE is my favorite Rivette of all the ones in discussion here (like you I prefer NOIRET to DUELLE, though the latter is still quite significant) but CELINE ET JULIE and LA BELLE NOISEUSE are my absolute favorites, supreme masterpieces, both.
What you say there about the ending I do completely agree with you on.
Many thanks as always my very good friend!
Considering your past two weeks, this one has been light. It must have been nice to see your home for more than a few minutes before getting in or after getting out of your bed.
I also had a light week, only making it out to one new release so far, “Even the Rain” (****), a thoughtful movie about exploitation, past and present, in Latin America. A remarkably timely movie given what is going on in Wisconsin and the Middle East. (Who ever thought those places would have common current events?)
I’m going out to a few movies tomorrow so my reviews that I will post tomorrow will be beefed up a little. “The Last Lions,” which I’m pleased to hear you like, is playing across town from me so hopefully I can get out to see it in the next few days.
Jason, on Monday night Lucille came down to the computer room and said to me: “Do I know you stranger?” Doing what I did over the past weeks has had me guilty for more ways than one, and I am happy to return to some semblence of normality, though I am now watching some of the stuff Allan has recommended including the 1958 masterpiece, UN VIE, and another by Autant-Lara and a few others.
I plan on seeing EVEN THE RAIN tomorrow night or Thursday night asa double feature with CAMACHO with Lucille, so I’ll be looking forward to comparing notes. I suspect you’ll rightly be celebrating after THE LAST LIONS! It’s great stuff.
Many thanks my very good friend!
Thanks a lot Sam for the mention.
Yeah, film noir is indeed the flavour of the season. I’m loving the countdown of Maurizio Roca’s 50 favourite film noirs, as also I’m hooked to Ed Howard & John Greco’s reviews of film noirs at their respective sites.
Though my movie viewing isn’t as prolific any more, I still am trying to watching one from time to time. In fact, I watched another film noir lately – Robert Montgomery’s Ride the Pink Horse, along with Satyajit Ray’s Ghare Baire (Home & the World). More on them later at my blog 🙂
Shubhajit I’ll definitely be looking forward to that Ray review and the Montgomery as well!!
You may not be seeing as many movies, but you are certainly posting with regularity at CINEMASCOPE, and doing your usual excellent work. And I’ve seen your typically insightful comments at John and Ed’s places (and elsewhere.) As always your appearance here is deeply-appreciated my friend!
Good to see some big-star ratings there, Sam! Just looking at the IMDB entry for “Cedar Rapids”, I found it interesting that the director has a long list of comedy credits to his name, but that the writer is pretty much a newcomer. Anyway, just an observation. Will await your considered views in due course!
Been a busy enough weekend for me with the start of the Dublin International Film Festival here. Perhaps not as strong an offering to date, as it has been with previous years. However, them’s the breaks. In brief…
Attenborg (2010) – Greek drama with a similar(ish) but far less shocking premise than Dogtooth. It is also the lesser of the two for me.
Dark Love (2010) – Italian drama charting the next few years in the lives of a young rape victim and her even younger attacker. Felt like a large opportunity missed really.
Outrage (2010) – A well-made but pretty formulaic Japanese gangster flick from Takeshi Kitano. Most blokes in the audience liked the relentless body count, but it lacked an “unexpected” plot development or two for my money.
Agnosia (2010) – The sort of film that could win an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, insofar as it is a well-made but ultimately vapid romantic melodrama with a score that is blatantly intended to pluck at the heart-strings. Came with some pedigree associations and the initial premise was good. However, it was just a silly film by the end.
Crab Trap (2010) – Interesting low-budget film about a small village on a remote part of the Colombian coastline. Story deliberately told in a deliberately obscure and patchy manner that tends to garner the dreaded “pretentious” tag from many. However, there were the stylistic elements of writer Gabriel García Márquez to how this tale was told, so I liked it well enough.
Essential Killing (2010) – An unidentified man is taken prisoner by the US Army in Central Asia and sent by way of “extraordinary rendition” to an unidentified part of northern Europe. Here, he is able to escape and flees for his life across snowy and forested terrain. As a near-wordless drama with only brief moments of violence, it is definitely twists the manhunt/will-to-survive genres in a variety of ways and the ending is as touching as it is strange.
Mist (Revenge) (1989) – Martin Scorsese-led restoration of this fascinating Kazakh drama that charts the forced internal displacement of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Koreans from the Russian Far East to Central Asia during the Stalin era. However, the story is told on an allegorical level, with psychological and spiritual dimensions to it.
How I Ended This Summer (2010) – As mentioned above (thank you!), a beautifully-shot and engaging (despite some ponderous moments) psychological drama about the breakdown in the relationship between an alpha male and a beta male at a lonely weather station inside the Arctic Circle.
Hey Longman!!!
Thanks very much for this comprehensive look at what you’ve seen at the festival thus far! That is a special treat for all who visit Wonders in the Dark. I have already read three of your reviews (How I Ended This Summer, Attenborg and Dark Love) and have learned that only the former worked in large measure. If we are lucky we’ll get a crack at it on this side of the pond, but I know other things must happen before it becomes a reality. I am definitely interested in “Mist” and “Essential Killing” and perhaps even “Crab Trap.” It appears that the others have some substantial issues, and your well-reasoned capsules have made them far less desirable.
Yes, this week we did indeed have two big ones with “The Last Lions” and “Cedar Rapids.” (both 4 1/2) but usually the first months of the new year are dire. With those two and with the 5 star “Poetry” we have had a sensational start.
Anyway, I’ll be following your reports on the Dublin Festival.
Many thanks my very good friend!
“Cedar Rapids (Sunday evening) ***** 1/2 Edgewater multiplex”
Bugger me, Cedar Rapids *****½!!!! It is thus the greatest film ever made.
Sorry, Allan, that’s a typo.
I meant to say **** 1/2.
I’ll revise it now.
Thanks very much for the plug and kind words, Sam. I’m interested to hear you liked Gnomeo and Juliet – must admit I’d assumed this would be dreadful, as I tend to hate animated versions of classics!
I made it to the cinema twice this week and saw The Fighter and
The Kids Are All Right. Must admit I was somewhat underwhelmed by The Fighter – it seemed to me as if Mark Wahlberg didn’t have enough personality in it and Christian Bale had too much, giving a very showy performance. Admittedly, my viewing experience was soured by someone sitting near me who sent texts all the way through the film, grrr.
I liked The Kids Are All Right a lot more – loved Bening, Moore and Ruffalo, and, as a middle-aged mum with a daughter at university, found myself identifying wildly when they had to leave their older child at college. It’s just a pity that I’d heard so many of the best lines already in the trailer.
The noir postings have been great and I watched the first film Maurizio highlighted, Detour (1945), which I thought was great. I’ve had a busy movie-watching week for me, and others I watched at home were:
Sabrina (1954) – I enjoyed this, especially Audrey Hepburn’s performance, lthough I must admit I don’t think it is quite as great as most people seem to. Fun to see Bogart cast against type, though in keeping with his wealthy background.
The Great Man Votes (1939) – A fairly terrible late John Barrymore comedy-drama, very sentimental, but with occasional flashes of brilliance – and lines from Shakespeare – which make it just about worthwhile for a fan.
The Spoilers (1942) – I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Western with Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne and Randolph Scott, but must say I loved it – full of quirky humour and a fantastic bar-room fight scene. A bonus for me is that this is one of Richard Barthelmess’ last roles, as Dietrich’s embittered sidekick who is in love with her but has to watch her romance with Wayne. He is only about sixth-billed but has a couple of great scenes, and manages to steal some others by fiddling about with a knife or peeping round corners.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) What can I possibly say about this? Absolutely wonderful, and I can see why Allan put it top in the silent countdown. Janet Gaynor is brilliant, her face so expressive, and the cinematography is out of this world.
Thanks again, Sam.
Thanks so much Judy, for this sensational wrap.
Yes, GNOMEO was reasonably entertaining and rather creative in concept. I know the critics were divided, but my own kids seemed to like it well enough. Your great love for the source material may well earn it some points from you.
SUNRISE is indeed one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of the cinema, and many have proclaimed it the best silent film. All you say there is right on. I love the film dearly as well, and Gaynor is luminous.
Like you I liked THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT quite a lot, though at this site I am the lone favorable voice. The performances are all excellent, and I could see the situation there resonating. My wife Lucille and my eldest daughter Melanie think it’s hands-down the best film of 2010. And I join with you too in general disdain for THE FIGHTER. Wahlberg was listless and the film did nothing we haven’t seen. Bale was good, but we know that shtick already.
I agree with you yet again on SABRINA!!! Good, not great and Bogart amusing against type. I like THE GREAT MAN VOTES a bit more, but mainly because of Barrtmore, who was exceptional. liked THE SPOLIERS a bit less, but it’s been years since I saw it, and I am in general agreement with the reasons you loved it so much.
And yes, I know you watched DETOUR as a result of Maurizio’s countdown, and wa sthrilled to get your reactions.
Many thanks my very good friend!
Sam – You’ve dangled an extremely tempting carrot here with your description of “The Last Lions.”
And your statement, “It’s been quite a while since I laughed as hard as I did tonight…” has me looking forward to reading more about “Cedar Rapids.” Unbridled laughter has always been a pretty darned good advertisement!
Thank you for pointing to the 1-year-old birthday girl, “Speaking from the Heart.”
Laurie: Lucille loves anything about lions (as you would guess she adored “The Lion King”, a film that we saw on our first date in the summer of 1994. We married a year later). I didn’t have to sell this one with her, and we were stirred and exhilarated by the exceptional documentary with some top-rank narration from Jeremy Irons. I am absolutely certain you and Len will love this one.
And you nailed it with “Cedar Rapids” too. Laughter is a rare commodity these days on screen (at least quality guffawing anyway) and I can’t even remember when I laughed out loud to this extent.
Congrats again to the 1 year-old birthday girl!
Many thanks as always my very good friend!
I haven’t written here in a few weeks. I mostly watched film noirs but I also saw…
Waiting For Superman ****
The Tillman Story ****
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia *****
California Split ****
Gasland ****
A few others I viewed escape me at the moment. The Peckinpah and Altman films I’ve seen before. Cedar Rapids at *****1/2 stars is quite unexpected lol. Breaking the 5 star barrier is truly special… 😮
LOL Maurizio! 5 and a half is indeed an unusual rating!! All joking aside though, it was a quite the laugh fest, and a film that boasted a terrific screenplay.
Wow, you really LOVE that Peckinpah–I haven’t watched it in years myself. Also a coincidence that you watched WAITING FOR SUPERMAN (as did Jeffrey below) but I have had some issues with that one.
I also liked THE TILLMAN STORY too, as well as the Altman. A diverse lot.
Many thanks my very good friend and colleague!!!
Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention.
It’s definitely been an unusually exciting time in the blogosphere for me between Maurizio’s countdown, the noir blogathon, and all the Oscar talk. Just want to commend Greg, Marilyn, and Farran for all their tremendous work. It’s really incredible what they do.
This week I saw SON OF PALEFACE, WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, ROGER & ME, SILVER LODE, SANSHO THE BAILIFF, NIGHT AND FOG, and MON ONCLE. Of course, I was very happy to see them all. But I would have to say the Resnais affected me the most, and I was most impressed by it and SANSHO, which I know is one of your all-time favorites.
Thanks, Sam, for all that you do. You’re such an inspiration.
Jeffrey, there’s no doubt that the work done by Marilyn, Greg and Faran is deserving of spectacular praise. There’s quite a lot of self-sacrifice there, and I agree with what you say. It has been an exciting few weeks for the reasons you cite, and I’m sure Maurizio’s countdown will only get better and better.
Resnais’s NIGHT AND FOG is a flat out masterpiece and I’m not surprised it affected you deeply. It’s one of the greatest of all short films – I always considered it with Lamorisee’s THE RED BALLOON as the best in that realm – but it’s not an easy film to sit through. The piercing, lyrical voice of Cayrol stits your emotions like few narrators have, and there probably isn’t a Holocaust film that boild your blood like this one. I first encountered it in an undergraduate film class, and it left an impression on me that stayed through my life. I won’t get into SANSHO again, but of course you’re right–it’s a candidate for my favorite film of all-time. It will be screening in several weeks at the Film Forum as part of a Japanese “Diva” festival, and I’ll surely be on hand. Of the others you saw I also love MON ONCLE. As always, another great week viewing for you.
My deepest thanks for your sustained kindness my very good friend!
Sam, you have me excited about ‘Cedar Rapids.’ I agree there are few comedies out there worth investing time in, and even less in the multiplexes. I’ll have to make some use of my time off this week. As far as ‘The Last Lions’ I have a weakness for that sort of thing, National Geographic and endangered species. They can keep ‘Unknown.’
Frank, they can keep UNKNOWN indeed. I was pleasantly surprised by the satirically edged CEDAR RAPIDS, which sustained itself throughout with some great one-liners and inspired performances. Trust me, you will adore THE LAST LIONS.
Many thanks as always my very good friend!
I read this morning that Unknown was the top money maker with 22M. Some things may change, but so much remains the same.
You said a mounthful there Fred. Usually any film that leads the pack is a dod, with only a few exceptions.
Many thanks for stopping in.
Thanks as always, Sam. I feel strange not having reviewed a noir over the last week, but the countdown will probably get me looking at more soon enough. My interests were all over the place, though I suppose there was a focus on World War II in my viewing of Masumura’s Red Angel and Zurlini’s Violent Summer. I have a review up on the Japanese film but I’m still unsure what to make of the Italian, apart from its obvious romantic intensity. Meanwhile, I caught up with Resnais’ Wild Grass on DVD, but didn’t find it quite wild enough. The old man can still frame an image, though. Other viewing included Cimino’s Thunderbolt and Lightfoot a prettily empty road/caper film with a cliched and weightless Seventies downbeat ending; Henry King’s King of the Khyber Rifles, a disappointingly dull Tyrone Power adventure; and Harmon Jones’s Princess of the Nile, a piece of complete camp redeemed only slightly by the sight of Debra Paget swordfighting in a heroically skimpy costume.
You had a fabulous week there Samuel without needing the noirs to see or review. I am with you on WILD GRASS, though there are a few bloggers who saw it as a staggering masterpiece. I much prefer the Resnais of old, but his progressive ideas and expert framing (the latter of which you note here) still make his late career works worth a look. I have read your RED ANGEL review, and am still pondering a response, as you went in a most interesting direction, skirting around it’s humanist underpinnings. But that’s what made your essay fascinating. I have seen and think highly of the Masumura film. I haven’t seen Zurlini’s VIOLENT SUMMER, and agree that the Cimino there is an empty one. Finally, I have not seen either that King/Power adventure film, nor PRINCESS OF THE NILE, both of which I hope you review down the road.
Thanks as always my very good friend for the terrific wrap!
Dear Sambolini,
This week I saw the epic horror film “The Devil Bat” a.k.a. “The Shaving Lotion Murders” (1940) starring the great Bela Lugosi and the magnificent Dave O’Brien who wowed audiences in the 1936 masterpiece of demented bullshit “Reefer Madness” (‘faster! Play it faster!!”) He was the guy who near the end gets a life sentence in the booby hatch for the criminally insane for smoking so much weed that it made him nuttier than Lindsay Lohan (that would have to be a lot of grass…if only I could get my hands on some of it I’d come over to your house whilst you were doing your Monday Morning Diary and stand over you, puffing away and insisting: “Faster! Type it faster!”
I also went to the Edgewater Multiplex last night with you and five of your relatives and saw “Cedar Rapids” which was one of the funniest films I’ve seen since Groundhog’s Day in 1992 or some time (1993?).
John C. Reilly who I never cared too much for is my new comedic hero just ahead of Seth Macfarlane at this writing. That Reilly dude should win a fucking Oscar for his performance…who knew? Not me…I thought he was just one of the bad guys from Casualties Of War or perhaps Mr. Cellophane.
I am now a big fan of his (even if I lost a hundred pounds I’d still be a huge fan).
Thank you thank you thank you for turning me on to this laugh riot of a movie. Excellent cast, great script, and I might add that if any of your other friends are in need of some serious chuckles whilst the world teeters on the brink of a socio-economic disaster that will make the Great Depression look like a free lunch, suggest they get to their local movie house before the “machine” sputters and stops.
Oh yeah, tell them to stock up on toilet paper, bottled water, and Campbell’s Beans as well.
Toodles!
Hahahahahahaha Andrei!!!!
Your description of “The Devil Bat” is a true classic, and I join in with you of course in issuing exceeding praise for the comedy “Cedar Rapids.” I am leary however of getting inundated with marajuana smoke, especially since as you know I have never as much as tried it in my entire life, and I’m 56 now. Wow, that’s quite a run since “Groundhog Day.” Yep, John C. Reilly can be most effective with the right role. And I did like him as Mr. Cellephane! Ha!
Many thanks my very good friend!
Nothing really to report.
I have been going throuh the TCM line up like gangbusters as the only really great thing the Oscars has done in recent years is to spur the Ted Turner owned network to show a rash of terrific older films over the course of a 321 day span. The other day they showed every BEST PICTURE nominee from the greatest year in movies 1939 (yes, it seems, from MY perspective, that THE WIZARD OF OZ was the best of the crop, and most historian now believe that the voting would have been decidedly different if we were to go back in time knowing what we know now).
Other than that, I spent a very enjoyable 3 hours the other night in the company of SAM and JASON GIAMPIETRO, where we gathered at a local eatery to film the first segment of what we hope will become a lasting tradition, the annual OSCAR YOUTUBE video for WITD. Full of laughs and wonderful banter, it was a terrific night of old stories and detailed prognostication that, along with video of Sam’s annual OSCAR PARTY, we hope will bring some good cheer to even those that absolutely hate the annual Hollywood proceedings.
Stay tuned guys!!!!!
Dennis, it seems you are not the only one this week who has been singing the praises of TCM. Bobby McCartney has been updating me on all the Oscar action. Well, I guess whether or not one owns the DVDs of these films, it’s the discipline of watching them at an annointed time and in a sequence that makes them so desirable anyway.
Yes that was a great discussion we had the other night, and I look forward to see what Jason has settled on.
And many thanks for picking up the check too!!! Ha!
I have also been reading through MAURIZIO’s brilliant threads for his NOIR countdown here on the site and wanted to make it plain to him that I think he is doing a fantastic job.
I know little to nothing about NOIR and am laying low on the comments pages and sitting back to make it an education rather than a pissing contest of what “should be” in there and what “shouldn’t be” in there. His choices have been bold, well written and, in many cases, brought to my attention films I didn’t even know about.
That alone should be applauded.
Thanks Dennis… as of yet no one has scolded me for my selections and their placements. I hope Jason hurries up as I am extremely curious to see you and Sam discuss Oscar selections in that video. It sounds like a neat little post…
…I have also been reading through MAURIZIO’s brilliant threads for his NOIR countdown here on the site and wanted to make it plain to him that I think he is doing a fantastic job….
sniff, sniff…..sniff…..
I do hope Dennis, that you will eventually get seriously into noir!
I caught the Oscar nominated Live Action Shorts – a mixed bag indeed…though the last two (The Crush and God of Love) had me laughing after the heavy-handed nature of the three before them. Does anyone really care which one wins? It’s funny how the family betting pool is always made or broke on these shorts categories, though.
On DVD I watched:
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger – **1/2 – Half cooked and lower-end later-day Woody Allen. Naomi Watts was nice to look at, as were the British to environs at least. Seems to me, though, that Allen didn’t even try to flesh out the script (or even complete it).
Nowhere Boy – ***1/2 – Engaging and psychologically pointed (oh, geeze, he had mommy issues) tale of John Lennon’s early days.
David, that is precisely what happens every year at my Oscar party. These silly categories that few have seen (or even care an iota about) are the ones that decide the pool. Saddened to hear that the choice though are so lackluster, though I’ll take note on those two you mention. If I can get to those this week I certain will, otherwise I’ll wait till well after the awards.
Yep, completely agree on “Tall Dark Stranger.” Nothing was fleshed out there, and there wasn’t any laughter to speak of. His later films reveal something inescapable: he is losing it. But what a great filmmaker he was, and will always be rightly considered. Perhaps he still has a few good ones left in him. Let’s hope so.
LOL what you say there on “mommy issues!” I went with ****, but we are definitely on the same page with “Nowhere Boy.”
Many thanks my very good friend!
Sam, thank you again for the link.
I see you successfully avoided the heavy dose of Bogart-Bacalls and Pacinos. I might be able to avoid Pacinos, but Bogart-Bacalls are tough to pass by.
This week, I saw two Christopher Nolans, Truffaut’s “L’argent de poche” and Yasuki Chiba’s “Downtown” (下町, 1957). Chiba’s 58-minute programmer is a real gem, starred by Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada. Despite of its length, it provides dense, relentless and humane look at troubled souls. Somehow it reminded me of Antonioni’s “Il Grido”, but with much better acting (Mifune is unusually quiet yet moving, Yamada is superb) and fully developed characters. It is not available on disks, but I think it should be. I am planning to write a review for this in near future.
Yeah, the series in my blog is nearing its conclusion but there will be a twist.
MI
My friend, I didn’t avoid the Bogart-Bacalls. What happened was both embarrassing and unfortunate. Lucille, my cousins and I got down to the Jersey City Loews at about 7:45 P.M., 15 minutes before the film was supposed to start. (on Friday for “To Have or To Have Not”) The theatre was dark, and lights were out and everything was locked up. Two other people were there waiting to see the films too. To make a long story short, we had the weekend WRONG. The three films are playing THIS COMING WEEKEND!!!! Anyway, I will be there this coming Friday and Saturday, so I’ll still be seeing the three Bogie-Bacalls after all. I did let the Godfather films go, as attending both would have eaten up almost the entire Sunday (something I could ill afford to do) and I’ve seen the films so many times in my life, even on the big screen.
I would love to see that Chiba; you make it sound so fascinating, and I’m definitely a fan of “Il Grido.” I also have a longtime fondness for Truffaut’s “Small Change,” espedcially that segment where the girl makes the neighbors believe that her parents are starving here! But I like several others quite a bit too.
I will definitely be returning tomorrow to examine the last installments in your very great treatment of THERE WAS A FATHER, a high watermark in more ways than one in the blogosphere.
Thanks so much again my very good friend!
Hi Sam! We had a holiday here in Canada yesterday called Family Day, so I’ve been away from the computer. But thanks as always for the shout-out.
It was also my birthday weekend, so I’ve been rather busy, but I managed to see a couple films:
Wrong Turn – * – really basic, silly, poorly-acted horror film that managed to scare me, but really was pretty awful.
Cropsey – *** – a documentary on the mysterious disappearances of disabled children on Staten Island in the 1970s and 80s. Although there were some very interesting and disturbing aspects, it all didn’t add up that well.
Hope all is well!
David
Happy Birthday Dave!!!!!
So we’ll discard WRONG TURN, but recommend CROPSEY with strong reservation. I have seen neither, but nothing you say here will help to alleviate that situation! Ha!
All is well my friend, and I hope Family Day went well up there. Many thanks as always!
Happy belated President’s Day to WiTD.
Slim pickings these days, but better late than never.
“The Beaches of Agnes” (**** 2009). A fascinating autobiography from Agnes Varda, the feminine sensibility of the male-dominated French New Wave of the 50s-60s. The male-dominated film world immemorial! Best known in the US for “Cleo From 5 to 7” (1962, purportedly played out in real time but only 90 minutes!), Varda also directed “Lion’s Love,” (a 1969 hippie film shot in LA and starring the two male authors of “Hair” and Viva, Warhol’s monotonously mewling ‘superstar’, in a Hollywood menage best left unseen), “One Sings, the Other Doesn’t” (1977) and, above all, “Vagabond,” her unsettling 1986 masterpiece about a psychologically disturbed free spirit.
Anyway, I like Varda imperfections and all. She is now past 80, but with her elfin joie de vivre and duotone pageboy, she looks and acts much younger. And the list of her friends, lovers and colleagues reads like a Who’s Who of French and American cultural/political history of the mid-20th century. Names like Godard, Resnais, Alexander Calder, Chris Marker, Deneuve, Warhol and the Black Panthers are casually dropped. Varda even visited Cuba, photographing Castro posed in front of a crumbling statue, “a utopist with wings.” That Varda in 2009 can make that statement with a straight face is a whopper of unintended irony. Then again, maybe the decades long US-led boycott of Cuba killled the dictator’s paradise.
The Belgian beaches are Varda’s madeleine, taking her memories all the way back across an ocean and a continent to the beaches of California and the American New Wave (lots of surfers get the point across). An ardent feminist, Varda at one point allows her home to be used to perform illegal abortions. And hovering large over the film is the spirit of Jacques Demy, whom Varda exalts above the rest. Demy, her husband, rode the New Wave with “Lola” (1961), “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964), “The Young Girls of Rochefort” (1967) and “The Model Shop” (1969, another LA film, which was to have starred Harrison Ford until the studio told Ford to forget it, he had no future in film. Gary Lockwood of “2001” ended up with the part. In “Beaches” Ford recalls the incident with wry amusement.) A spinner of French cotton candy enchantments, Demy died of AIDS in 1990 and Varda chronicles his disintegration briefly and lovingly.
Varda has outlived so many of her old coterie that an infinite sadness begins to seep in and overwhelm the film and the viewer by the time it’s over. It is a touching documentary from a minor New Wave director made major because she’s a woman.
Embarrassing admission. I just watched this for the first time — Chayefsky’s flamboyant news-as-entertainment satire “Network.” Hypermasculine and verbose, it’s fun listening to an ensemble of fine actors belt out Chayefsky’s arias, Mr. C. gumming the hand that once fed him. I especially liked the way Beale’s assassination at the end is treated on the monitors no differently than a cereal commercial. All credit to Lumet for evoking these hair-on-fire performances, hyperbolic, but then so are TV people. Duvall’s rant about his big, fat “big-titted” hit series had me punching the replay button. It looks like Lumet/Chayefsky must have influenced PT Anderson’s hysteria-driven “Magnolia.”
Hope all is well.
Mark: I very much appreciate this sprawling, oft-fascinating tribute to Agnes Varda and especially “The Beaches of Agnes.” As I have stated at this site and at other blogs, I have never been a big fan of her work, though I could never come up with anything more profound than that her work failed to emotionally engage me (with the notable exception of “Vagabond,” which I think you rightly annoint as her masterpiece) and that I grew terribly bored with her critically exhalted “The Gleaners and I.” Allan likes her more (as do a number of other WitD writers and regular visitors) but I’ve never been able to decipher the magic. Her husband Jacques Demy, however, is another matter, and two of his films, “Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and “The Girls of Rochefort” will be well placed in my Top 50 Movie Musicals countdown, which will commence in early June at the site here. Of course I appreciate that you mentioned them here with affectionate regard, as you did some other magnificent Demys like “Lola.” You really did a great job there in conveying the elegiac underpinning in her work, and I assure you one day I’ll again see what I am missing.
Likewise, you do a great job there with Lumet’s “Network,” a personal favorite, and with Ashby’s “Being There,” one of my favorite American comedies of the past few decades. Yes, Duvall’s “big titted” rant should well have you pressing the replay button, as should a number of Finch’s on air rants and the celebrated ‘I’m as mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore” tag line and Finch’s progressing psychosis, as tragic as the underpinning is. A towering American satire.
Again my friend you’ve graced this weekly thread with your fecund, passionate insights. They are deeply appreciated!
“It looks like Lumet/Chayefsky must have influenced PT Anderson’s hysteria-driven “Magnolia.”
PT Anderson has been quoted numerous times saying that NETWORK is his ‘favorite film’ ever made… so I think you’re on the right track!
Hey Sam. Just one movie for me this week and it happens to be a film that Allan just wrote about, I SAW THE DEVIL. I loved it as well (it would easily be my top movie of those released worldwide in 2010) and it’s actually gotten me to write something, which I’ll have up by the end of the week. Ji-woon is the real deal and for as much as I like how directors like Tarantino and Cronenberg have delved into similar themes, I think Ji-woon may have managed to create the greatest revenge/vengeance film I’ve ever seen here.
I should throw Chan Park-wook into that mix too, as he’s renowned for dealing with such themes — Ji-woon bests him here as well (I’m admittedly not that huge a fan of OLDBOY).
Thanks so much as always for stopping in Troy! I will hopefully be seeing I SAW THE DEVIL this coming weekend, though there are a bunch I want to see (OF GODS AND MEN, HEARTBEATS, some Bogie-Bacalls at a local movie palace and Bresson’s COUNTRY PRIEST at the Film Forum) so I have to juggle a bit. Your vaunted opinion in support of Allan and Jamie, is quite a motivator, not to mention what you say about the film’s central theme in comparison with Cronenberg and Tarantino. I’m happy to see you will be posting again, and I expect to be at your place fully prepared by then!
Many thanks as always my very good friend!
Aaaaand I’m back. Hello Sam and everyone, it’s a good day and I’m listening to “Thick as a Brick” from Jethro Tull as a write this comment on your wonderful diary. Thanks once again Sam for your plug, it’s essentialy priceless.
Every now and then I think of this venue as a kind of Diary for myself, I don’t have one, so I like to write here what happens to me in cultural means, even if I have other ventures into how to remember the stuff I read/write/see/hear (listology).
You seemed to have a fun weekend, full of cinema and theater, even if it finally doesn’t really add up that much in terms of quality… but, you’re still going out! I’m curious about “Gnomeo and Juliet” above all. Ha! Well, I went to Curacaví myself, but that pertains to next week’s entry.
A week away from classes and I feel I haven’t rested enough and I want more time with my girlfriend before she starts school as well (next week too). So, anyway, last week I went out with my family and my girl, but nothing really special. Movie wise, I saw:
– Alien vs. Ninja (2010, Seiji Chiba) ***1/2 Campy fun and splatter gore, bad quality abounds here, but it’s done in such an “aware” state, that it’s funny. This one is the second Sushi Typhoon movie I see. They are extreme camp.
– The Black Mamba (2011, Robert Rodriguez) ***1/2 Fun short film/commercial for Nike directed by Señor Rodriguez. The apparition of some actors is surprising, but nothing really awesome. You can see this online.
– Black Swan (2010, Darren Aronofsky) ***** Went with my parents and brother to see this magnificent picture on the big screen for a second time (for me), I needed it before writing my review on my blog. It’s still as good as a trip as it was the first time.
– The Eagle (2011, Kevin Macdonald) ***1/2 Adventure-less adventure that still manages to keep your attention for the whole span of the movie. Some good cinematography, but generic period piece.
– The Man From Nowhere (Ajeossi) (2010, Jeong-beom Lee) **** Action packed thriller from Korea. Even if a bit formulaic, the korean film industry manages to give it a spin into a new direction with some great fights and splendid acting job and a story that keeps you entertained.
– The Sunset Limited (2011, Tommy Lee Jones) **** HBO TV movie, a two man display of great acting on the hands of Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. Even if finally it shys away from a conclusion, it’s still a worthwhile piece for discussion and debate.
And that’s all Sam. I hope you can answer this after all this time. Thanks again Sam!
Jaime, I am a lifelong HUGE fan of “Thick as a Brick” so it warms my heart that you are listening to it at the time of this writing. I am fond of TULL in general, and both “Aqualung” and “Benefit” are terrific albums. I also love “Minstrel,” “Skating Away” and “Living in the Past.” This diary is never fullfilled without your effervescence and fascinating anecdotes, and the post as you know is by its design supposed to span over a week. The site of course is ultra-busy, so I know it’s descends as new posts go up.
Actually by way of quality I did see two VERY good films, “The Last Lions” and “Cedar Rapids.” I am also expecting some great things from “Of Gods and Men,” which I may see tomorrow evening. It’s true that the stage play I saw was rather mediocre, or at least teh production of it was lackluster.
That another formidable round-up, and I can especially read the excitement taking your parents and brother to see BLACK SWAN again. I know well how such an experience can ocerwhelm everything else. I’ve been there. And great to see you have upheld your earlier (stellar) opinion. Of the others, the Korean film and the Tommy Lee Jones seem most interesting, though your startling fair defense of THE EAGLE makes me think a multiplex viewing wouln’t be such a bad idea.
Thanks as always for your resilience my very special friend!!!!