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Stage grab from Irish Repetory Theatre's '20th Anniversary' production of 'Dancing at Lughnasa'
by Sam Juliano
Peter Lenihan’s John Ford retrospective will begin this coming Friday (Jan. 13) and will then commence on ‘every other Wednesday’ on the dates Jim Clark won’t be posting. Dennis Polifroni is also moving toward a staring date for his Kubrick project, which he is hoping to launch in February. Otherwise the coming week will showcase the year-end lists that have caused their authors so much grief in the form of second-guessing and painstaking preparation. The list from Yours Truly is heading up today, while Maurizio Roca’s will appear on Wednesday.
Here in the NYC area local football fans are rightfully ecstatic after the Giants mauled the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, though the prospect of a meeting next week at Lambeau Field in Wisconsin against the Green Bay Packers is a fearful one. Still, the Giants have traveled further than most would have predicted. Most award groups have checked in with their choices, leaving only the Oscar nominations and Golden Globes to unveil, though any serious cineastes looking for representative accolades should look elsewhere, as always.
Lucille and I attended the celebrated Irish play by Brian Friel, Dancing at Lughnasa at the Irish Repetory Theatre on Saturday night, and watched four films in theatres, three classics and one new opening:
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia **** 1/2 (Thursday night) Film Forum
Greed (1924) ***** (Monday night) Film Forum
Laura (1944) ***** (Thursday night) Film Forum
Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) ***** (Friday night) Film Forum
The production of DANCING AT LUGHNASA by Charlotte Moore is quite nice, with splendid performances by Olagh Cassidy, Annabel Hagg and Aedin Moloney most of all, and direction by Moore than rightly stresses the nostalgia of the piece. In 1936 Ireland, two miles outside the village of Ballybeg, stands the cottage of the five unmarried Mundy sisters. They are Kate (Orlagh Cassidy), the stern, pious schoolteacher; Maggie (Jo Kinsella), the earthy head of the household and unofficial mother to them all; Rose (Aedín Moloney), the plain-speaking one who’s perhaps just a little slow mentally; the pretty and vivacious Agnes (Rachel Pickup); and Chris (Annabel Hägg), the never-wed mother of 7-year-old Michael (Ciarán O’Reilly), on a par with Agnes in terms of beauty. Chris had her child with Gerry (Kevin Collins), a good-looking fellow who never told the complete truth when a lie would do. The family gets by on Kate’s schoolteacher income and the little money Agnes and Rose make from knitting gloves by hand. The tale is a sort of memory play where the now-adult Michael looks back at that summer of 1936 and how the family’s world was threatened by change. This was the year they got their first wireless, which let endless hours of music into the home. It was also the year Father Jack (Michael Countryman), brother to the sisters, returned home after leaving Ireland 25 years earlier to minister to the members of a leper colony in Uganda. The official reason for his return is ill health. However, upon closer examination, one can begin to see he has gone a bit too native with those he has been tending. The drums of World War II also begin to intrude upon the household. The film version with Meryl Streep of course released in 1998. In any case, this is one of the best productions the Irish Repetory Theatre have staged in quite a while.
Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA is a multi-layed police procedural set in a desolate region that builds to a startling climx, This is an existential and allegorical tale that is mainly concerned with teh nature of truth. It’s long but riveting and all in all probably the director’s finest film.
The Film Forum’s Robert Bresson Festival launched with his 1966 masterpiece AU HASARD BALTHAZAR, which is one of the cinema’s greatest masterpieces. The film noir gem LAURA by Otto Prminger and Erich Von Stroheim’s silent masterwork GREED made the past week a real plundering of treasures at the downtown location.
With the prohibitive work in deciding and assembling the Best of the Year list, I have been unable to revise the links. I have stood with last week’s here:
Laurie Buchanan’s ‘2011 in Review’ at Speaking From The Heart includes many fascinating statistics at one of the blogosphere’s essential daily stops: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/2011-in-review/
Just Another Film Buff (Srikanth) has posted a spectacular Top 10 at The Seventh Art that raises the bar in every sense: http://theseventhart.info/2012/01/01/favorite-films-of-2011/
Tony d’Ambra seeks out film noir influences at FilmsNoir.net: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/film-noir-influences-the-replicant-is-d-o-a.html
John Greco has penned a buffo piece on Martin Scorsese’s masterful “Hugo” at Twenty-Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/hugo-2011-martin-scorsese/
Pat Perry recaps the past year at Doodad Kind of Town with an engaging look behind and forward: http://doodadkindoftown.blogspot.com/2012/01/looking-forward-looking-back.html
R.D. at The Movie Projector Finch proudly announces a “month of Vertigo” at an affiliate site: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2012/01/month-of-vertigo.html
Roderick Heath at Ferdy-on-Films offers up his brilliant year-end round-up, titled “Confessions of a Film Freak-2011″: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=12675
Judy Geater at Movie Classics announces the release of William Wellman’s “A Star is Born” on Kino blu-ray in February: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/a-star-is-born-1937-comes-to-blu-ray/
Jaime Grijalba offers up thanks to Wonders in the Dark for posting his fabulous essay on the writer Vargas Llosa at Exodus 8:2: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/12/miercoles-de-cuentos-critica-de-la-casa.html
Ed Howard and Jason Bellamy again raise the bar with another installment of their acclaimed ‘Conversations’ series focusing on celebrated director Alexander Payne at The House Next Door: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/12/conversations-29-alexander-payne.html
Joel Bocko offers up “Highlights For the Holidays” at The Dancing Image, which showcases some of the great posts from the past year: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2011/12/highlights-for-holidays.html
Dee Dee has posted a wonderfully informative and engaging piece on the origin of lobby cards at Darkness Into Light: http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/2011/11/holding-auctiontaking-look-at-eleven.html
Jon Warner at Films Worth Watching has penned an excellent essay on the seminal sci-fi classic “Blade Runner”: http://filmsworthwatching.blogspot.com/2011/12/blade-runner-1981-directed-by-ridley.html
Kaleem Hasan’s Satyamshot blog offers a New Year’s greeting to all readers: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/happy-new-year-folks/
At Roderick Heath’s solo movie blog “This Island Rod” the great writer offers up a classic takedown of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”: http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/12/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-2011.html
At Heath’s literature blog, English-One-O-Worst, the great writer takes on the Bard’s “King Lear” and the result is a scholarly masterpiece: http://englishoneoworst.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-he-rightly-is-king-lear-as-king.html
Craig Kennedy’s always engaging Watercooler post is leading the way at Living in Cinema: http://livingincinema.com/2011/12/18/catching-up-is-hard-to-do/
After a brief hiatus Ed Howard has returned with a mighty essay on the all-time Carol Reed classic “The Third Man” at Only the Cinema: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/12/third-man.html
Murderous Ink, in Tokyo examines ‘Nuclear Noir’ in a brilliant new post at Vermillion and One Nights: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/12/nuclear-noir.html
At Patricia’s Wisdom, our friend and proctor of the same name has authored a tremendous review of Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life”: http://patriciaswisdom.com/2011/12/the-tree-of-life/
At Scribbles and Ramblings Sachin Gandhi has penned a brilliant piece on ‘Three Films by Mohammad Al-Daradji”: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/12/three-films-by-mohamed-al-daradji.html
At the always-spectacular Creativepotager’s blog, artist Terrill Welch offers up a new post for the new year that will ravish the senses in an ocean of blue: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/mayne-island-dawn-of-2012/
Writer extraordinaire Samuel Wilson, has penned a superlative review of Jules Dassin’s “Rififi” at Mondo 70: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/12/rififi-du-rififi-chez-les-hommes-1955.html
At The Long Voyage Home, Peter Lenihan offers up an incredible list of “key films” that screams out “essential” in every sense: http://thelongvoyagehome.blogspot.com/
The gifted and always brilliant Jason Bellamy takes a fascinating and perceptive look at “J Edgar” that in some measure differs from the majority stand. It’s at The Cooler: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2011/11/solid-weight-j-edgar.html
Filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman at The Late Lullaby has posted a stupendous round-up of the best cinematic experiences he’s enjoyed in 2011: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-top-10-or-so-films-for-2011.html
Again Stephen Russell-Gebbett offers up a wholly audacious position with some brilliantly perceptive writing in his announcement at Checking on my Sausages that “Sucker Punch” is his #1 film of 2011: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/12/sucker-punch-film-of-year.html
At The Schleicher Spin our very good friend David frames expectations for 2012. take a look: http://theschleicherspin.com/2012/01/01/are-you-ready-for-dun-dun-dun-2012/
At Cinemascope Shubajit Laheri has penned a fantastic capsule on the overlooked noir “Quicksand” (1950) with Mickey Rooney: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2012/01/quicksand-1950.html
Adam Zanzie at Icebox Movies has penned a passionate essay on “War Horse” that’s an essential read for the film’s fans: http://www.iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/2011/12/war-horse-2011.html
Michael Harford, the erstwhile ‘Coffee Messiah’ offers up an engaging video about the beverage’s worldwide popularity: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2011/11/coffee-break.html
Troy Olson announces plans to commence with his Robert Bresson project at Elusive as Robert Denby: http://troyolson.blogspot.com/2011/11/argh.html
Jason Marshall has penned a terrific essay on “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” at Movies Over Matter: http://www.iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/2011/12/war-horse-2011.html
At Radiator Heaven J.D. has penned a superlative piece on 2005′s “Mirrormask”: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2011/12/mirrormask.html
At Petrified Fountain of Thought Stephen Morton offers up three terrific capsules on “50/50″, “Moneyball” and “Ides of March”: http://petrifiedfountainofthought.blogspot.com/2011/11/recent-movies-5050-moneyball-ides-of.html
Fritz Lang, Joseph Losey and Jean-Luc Godard all figure in Drew McIntosh’s latest post “I’ll Be Damned” at The Blue Vial: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2011/11/ill-be-damned.html
Kevin Olson offers up a postscript to his recent Horror Blogothon at Hugo Stigliz Makes Movies: http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/italian-horror-blogathon-postscript.html
Tony Dayoub at Cinema Viewfinder offers up an interview with the Self-Styled Siren: http://www.cinemaviewfinder.com/2011/11/gone-to-earth-conversation-with-self.html
At The Man From Porlock Craig takes down both “War Horse” and “Melancholia” with his usual impressive analytical prose: http://themanfromporlock.blogspot.com/2011/12/tears-for-fears-war-horse-and.html
Hokahey has penned a terrific review of “War Horse” at Little Worlds: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2011/12/spielbergs-war-horse.html
Dave Van Poppel is gearing for some updates at Visions of Non Fiction, but presently is still leading up with his very fine review of “Project Nim”: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2011/08/project-nim.html
At The Reluctant Bloger Jeff Stroud has offered up some stunning beautiful images in a post titled “Autumn Leaves”: http://jeffstroud.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the link, Sam!
What a week! Was this the newly revised cut of GREED (with the still pictures) or the older, mutilated one?
I didn’t watch many films and was catching up with some reading. I did watch HOT FUZZ though, which totally impressed me. Wright comes across as a subversive par excellence.
Will be seeing ANATOLIA this week. Excited.
Cheers!
Thanks Srikanth!
The version of GREED that was showcased was the one without the still pictures. But to be honest, I prefer this one, much as do the 1937 LOST HORIZON that doesn’t employ this uncinematic addition, though historically it has value of course, showing us in a tantalizing way what might have been.
HOT FUZZ has it’s moments for sure.
If I were to predict here I’d say ANATOLIA will impress you greatly.
Have a great week my friend!
Hi Sam
Looks like you saw some all time classics again! Laura, Greed, Balthazar are all magnificent! Your logo is of course the Donkey so you must hold that one pretty close. We had a good week here catching up around the house and getting organized after the kids got new toys etc. over the holidays, we need to get things in order around here! Haha needless to say we need to have a garage sale ASAP! I was going to see War Horse last week but couldn’t get out in the evening. I’m aiming for Tuesday this week to go see it.
I posted a fun piece this week on my top 10 films released prior to 2011 that I saw for the first time last year. My number one, was 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days which I thought was near perfection. Also on the list were Bigger Than Life, The Naked Kiss, Close-Up and several others that I know you like. In the last week, I saw The Double Life of Veronique for the second time but for the first time in about 10 years! Still an amazing work and it’s just as great as I remember it. Also magnificent was Powell and Pressburger’s 49th Parallel which is a brilliant piece of propoganda and a first rate WWII thriller.
We’ve shown the girls The Sound of Music and they love it. They’ve been yelling cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo! Haha it’s so funny you would love to see them do that. I’ve also been catching up with Laurel and Hardy, The Little Rascals, and The Three Stooges in preparation for the future comedies countdown. Also this week will be Le Plaisir, and La Ronde by Ophuls. Should be a good week. You enjoy your week friend!
Jon—
Yes you did notice that donkey as the avatar! Ha! I rarely miss a chance to see that film on the big screen, even with several of those under my cap. Likewise, yes, a great week with LAURA and GREED. Last night it was THE SCARLET LETTER after the early Bresson, and that was a great night as well. I could imagine all the things you have there with your two young girls. I know that situation well. January is always “recovery” month! You are already watching THE THREE STOOGES, THE LITTLE RASCALS and LAUREL AND HARDY in prep for the comesy poll??? Awesome!!! I love all of them passionately and do feel a few classic episodes from each should place!!! It warms my heart too about the girls loving THE SOUND OF MUSIC!!! I did of course see your great post, which affectionately chronicled your past year in film. You had a terrific year with the watching and the writing.
Looking forward to the response (or reviews) of those Ophuls films!!!
Have a great week my friend! Many thanks!
Hello sammy yes Eli Manningham played a great game the Giants made believers out of Coughlinger today I think he was very proud with the way they played. I know many people think the Packers will be hard to beat because they have the cheese people behind them but people forget that Manningham won a Super Bowl a few years ago when nobody else thought he could do it so who is to say that he can’t do it again. But whatever happens I think people should be happy that they won this game because it was a playoff game and playoff games get people excited. I remember seeing the movie about the donkey a few years back with you and I thought it was sad that people in the theater were laughing when bad things happened to the donkey in the movie but then that just goes to show that maybe there aren’t as many animal lovers out there as people usually think there are. But I happy for you that you got to see it again and enjoyed yourself in the theater. The Felt Forum won an award for having the best popcorn in NY of any movie theater, did you read that on the computer? Did you have popcorn the other night?
Who is Eli Manningham?
I think he’s a midfielder on Manchester United.
You may be right there Peter!
I did have some popcorn, Jack, though the name of the place (Felt Forum) is misleading. The seats there are much harder, and though I am used to them, Lucille is not a fan.
Love your exquisite pronunciation of “Eli Manningham” and “Coughliner.” And I know the cheese people will be hard if not impossible to overcome!
People laughing during the donkey movies? Utter blasphemy!
Have a great week my friend!
Hey Sam. I have added a couple more posts to filmsnoir.net for those who are interested: the implications of a fascinating observation by Jonathon Rosenbaum on Antonioni’s La Notte, and a pan of a 50s trash noir.
Last week I watched A Separation and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
A Separation is brilliant and deserves wide distribution. Give me honest films like this about real people over the work of directors like Von Triar every time. Here the film-maker is concerned with exploring life as it is, not as some fantastic allegory about a bunch of egotists.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was a big disappointment. I have read most of Le Carre’s novels, and while critics find his 70s work superior, I prefer his most recent output as it reveals a weary disillusionment and a greater concern for the tragic ‘collateral damage’ that is inflicted by so-called democratic regimes. TTSS is a flashy anachronism suited more to the cold war years. The world has moved on. This is not to say it could not have been better. Rich period detail and an intelligent script are pluses, but the pace is glacial and there is little if any of the tension you would expect from a spy thriller. There is intrigue but the action is plodding. A big mistake was casting a major star Colin Firth in a minor but pivotal role – anyone with half a brain knows who the mole is at the get go. The denouement is so flat you wonder what the hell you have been doing for the last two hours. The story should have focused more on the mole, Karla (the Soviet spymaster), and Control, very ably played by John Hurt, who we see much too little of. Some unnecessarily graphic gore is really indulgent. Definitely over-rated, and BAFTA is being patently parochial in naming it one of the best films of 2011.
Tony—
Thanks very much for the heads-up on those new links at FILMSNOIR.NET. I was disappointed in myself for not allocating the proper time over teh weekend to get some revisions up there, but next week I’ll have a clean slate there. In any case I’ll be heading over there today without a further hitch.
“TTSS is a flashy anachronism suited more to the cold war years.”
Yes indeed. And I agree that the pace is glacial and the arc of tension is muted. Gary Oldman’s performance for me is the film’s saving grace, but I agree it’s overrated and unworthy of some of the hometown awards it has been winning.
Your strong regard for A SEPARATION is endorced ten times over, and I agree the distribution should reach all corners of teh globe. The stellar reviews have virually been unanimous and it is rightfully landing on just about every ten best list published.
Thanks as always for the fubulous insights. Have a great week my friend!
Another good week of film viewing for you, Sam – it must have been great to see ‘Greed’ on the big screen. I’ve been to the cinema twice this week and saw ‘The Artist’ and ‘My Week with Marilyn’, both of which I liked a lot – films about films seem to be my theme of the moment.
At home I saw two Westerns, Henry King’s ‘Jesse James’ and a Wellman I hadn’t yet seen, ‘Yellow Sky’, which I got for Christmas on DVD and was keen to see right away after reading RD Finch’s great review of it. I admired both of these although I felt it was a pity that Henry Fonda was in the secondary role in ‘Jesse James’, since for me he outshines Tyrone Power as Jesse every time the two are on screen together. Still, Fonda took centre stage in Fritz Lang’s follow-up. ‘Yellow Sky’ is wonderfully tense and moody and, with the combination of desert heat and gold fever, it’s back to ‘Greed’ again!
Judy—
It was indeed quite a treat to see GREED on the big screen. And last night I saw the Lillian Gish THE SCARLET LETTER which sold-out and got a thunderous response. The print for that was really incredible. I was thrilled to hear of your delight with THE ARTIST and even to a point with MARILYN. Interesting connection there between YELLOW SKY and GREED! I must search out R.D.’s review of the former. I guess we can safely conclude that it is always unfortunate when Henry Fonda is in a secondary role. Ha!
Thanks as always my very good friend. Have a great week!
Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention.
Wow, a Bresson festival. Now, I am particularly jealous of all things NY-cinephile. I know that you will there for the entire series, and I can’t wait to hear the reports. I’m also looking forward to spending more time with your top 10 list which I will be back to visit in the next day or so.
Congratulations to the Giants! We have our own major game this evening, with LSU taking on Alabama.
This week was pretty slow for me in terms of movie-watching. I only saw LILITH and RED DESERT. Both of them I was very happy to see.
Here’s to another awesome week, Sam! Thanks so much for all that you do.
Jeffrey—
I knew the Bresson Festival would surely tickle your fancy! I have actually seen several of his films on the big screen in previous festivals, but seeing all his work together is a special joy.
Good Luck to LSU, and yes it was thrilling to see the Giants advance past the first round!
Both of your movie choices are more than distinguished. RED DESERT on blu-ray is ravishing.
Thanks too for the mention of the ten best list!
Onwards to 2012. Thanks as always my great friend for your continued support and insights!
Happy to see you gave the Giants a boost there Sam! They seem to be putting it all together when it matters most, and I give them a fair chance to surprise the Pack. They would have beaten them earlier in the year had it not been some bad calls by the referees.
So now it’s the Bresson Festival. What happens tonight when it ‘clashes’ with the ongoing silents?
Frank–
I will be seeing today’s Bresson offering prior to the silent. The Bresson (DAMES DE BOLOGNE) goes off at 6:30 P.M, while the silent (THE SCARLET LETTER) begins at 8:20. So, as it turns out I’ll be managing both.
I also think that if the Giants play their best game, they’ll win next week, and go to the NFC championship game.
Thanks as always and have a great week my friend!
That must have been some play you saw at the Irish Repetory Theatre. I know of the film, but never managed to see it. You seem to attend just about every staging at that establishment, so they must do very fine work.
The Turkish film too is intriguing.
Peter–
You have a very good memory! I have been to the IRT a number of times over the past years, and this past weekend’s staging was the seond time I raved. (the first was EMPEROR JONES) DANCING was utterly delightful.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA is indeed an exceptional film.
many thanks my friend!
Sam –
Sounds like another great week for you. I’ve seen DANCING AT LUGHNASA a couple of times on stage, it’s a good one. Sounds like the production you saw was good as well. The Robert Bresson retrospective will be opening soon in several locations around the country, including the Siskel Center here. As I’ve never seen Bresson’s films, I’m determined to get into the city for at least a handful, preferably AU HAZARD BALTHAZAAR, THE TRIAL OF JOAN OF ARC, and DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST.
Meanwhile, my frenzied attempt to see the best of 2011 remains in full swing. Over the past week, I’ve seen POETRY, THE DESCENDANTS, TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and HUGO. My favorite of those is HUGO, which I found absolutely enchanting. I saw it in 2D, but I can’t imagine that the 3D effects could have made it any lovelier. HIgh marks to POETRY as well, a film that put me in the mind of the best of Mike Leigh’s work in the way that it takes the time to show us the details of the characters’ daily lives, yet completely commands our attention.
I’m comitted to getting my own Ten Best List up one week from today, and the pressure is on! After work today, I”ll be seeing A DANGEROUS METHOD, then during the week, I’ll get to my Netfilx discs of UNCLE BOONMEE.. and OF GODS AND MEN. Hopefully will also squeeze in MONEYBALL (which debuts OnDemand this week), but am running out of time to catch MYSTERIES OF LISBON (the entire 6 hour and 25 minute version is showing OnDemand) and INCENDIES (which is next up in the Netflix queue.) Whew! This year I’m going to have to stay on top of the great films as they’re released.
Anyway, thanks as always for the mention, Sam. Have a good week!
Pat—
I did indeed know that you are a big fan of DANCING, though I wasn’t aware you had seen it multiple times on stage! Wow. Yes, this was a better production than I had thought it would be. Spare, but so well acted. I’m tempted now to watch the film version with Meryl Streep. I do hope that you work in some of those Bressons, especially COUNTRY PRIEST, BALTHAZAR, A MAN ESCAPED, MOUCHETTE and PICKPOCKET. I love teh quote that’s hanging on a wall at the Film Forum from Jean-Luc Godard, who idolizes Bresson. Godard said:
“Bresson is to French film what Mozart is to German music and Dostoyevsky to Russian literature.”
Can’t wait to hear the verdiscts on OF GODS AND MEN, DANGEROUS METHOD and UNCLE BOONME. As to MYSTERIES OF LISBON I will e mail you tomorrow. I have the solution.
Thrilled to hear those banner responses on HUGO and POETRY. Mike Leigh envisoned with the latter is an excellent observation, as id you wonderful framing of Scorsese’s film.
Have a great week my friend! Many thanks!
Hello Sam and everyone!
A new year starts filled with strenght and lists! What a great time to be a film buff. January and february, along with october, are my favorite times of the year to see movies. Not because of the releases, but because january and february are summer here and october I have my Halloween month, so yeah.
What a good week you had, and you must be enjoying the new airs of 2012. I don’t know why, but I feel this year will mean hard work, but also a lot of good times as well.
Au Hasard Balthazar was truly a great movie, one of your favorites of course, but a ****1/2 for me, but still quite good. I want to see Greed and Laura, of course, they are classics and need to be seen on the big screen. But I can conform.
As for me, well, I’m on vacation and having some good time. I’ve been spending some time with my girlfriend and family, so it’s all nice and good. I also had some neat experiences that expand the mind and the body… not really but there were some weird events in the past few days. First, the White Night, which was a concert of electroacustic music, done in a museum and that lasted over 8 hours, from around midnight to 8.30 am, while people were sleeping around, and I was one of the people sleeping with others, listening to weird music.
The on saturday I spent most of my day at a bar, where a Film Marathon took place, but not any kind of film marathon, a gore/horror/blood/cult film marathon, a great one with an amazing atmosphere and a bunch of gifts given out. Even if I don’t drink, I won a pint for my friends just by answering that the demon in The Exorcist was called Pazuzu! What a great day! The films I saw, shall be revealed.
My week, movie wise:
– A Girl for Satan (1982, Mario Bianchi) ** One of the movies of the marathon. A wanna be giallo from the 80’s that has irritating music and little blood, but a lot of explicit penetrations and lesbian sex. Not much else can be said, other that we had a laugh as we saw it. Specially when the sex scenes started, because it was obviously either filmed with another film stock and in another place of the world, or the film was cut and the sex scenes had a lesser quality.
– The Darkest Hour (2011, Chris Gorak) *** This one I saw at a critic screening for review (at my friend’s newspaper, where he is an editor) and it was on 3D. It was interesting at first, but then it devolved into an incoherent amount of plot twists and utter nonsense all over the place. It resorts to every cliché in the book of post apocalyptic movies, and that is tiring.
– Der explodierende Turnschuh (1980, Jörg Buttgereit) *** On the horror marathon they gave out a fanzine (I wanna make one too) that was a special on this director, who directed the cult classic Nekromantik. Now that piqued my interested so I’m watching everything by him now, and this was his first short. A exploding shoe. Not much else, but the attention and interest for destruction is interesting enough.
– Grease (1978, Randal Kleiser) *** A musical. Famous and loved by everyone, it’s just a bunch of cool dudes and cool chicks going around singing and dancing. It is brave for the year, maybe, but that doesn’t help a weak script and the fact that people just fall in and out of love in a whim, and the ending is just ridiculous and just about everything makes no sense. Still, many good songs, but that’s it.
– The Innkeepers (2011, Ti West) ***1/2 An atmospheric horror film with great performances. Still, it lacks explanations and a better script, and some of the characters are just directionless, as if the director couldn’t control what goes in and out of the film itself. Still, the cinematography and the ambient is great, and it has a good scare or two. Worth visiting, even if it’s a slow burner.
– Destroy All Monsters (1968, Ishiro Honda) **** All the monsters (well, most of them) get controlled by aliens so they can destroy earth. Godzilla and all the familiar Toho monsters make spectacular cameos in a movie that is more about the humans, but in this occasion, the human drama and action is a good companion to the monster bashing action. And the final fight against Ghidorah is just classic and great, a monster mash for the ages.
– The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974, Roy Ward Baker, Cheh Chang) ***1/2 A rewatch of this crazy Hammer classic was given at the Horror Marathon. What a treat to see Cushing fighting and yelling instructions, and the kung fu is top notch. It is a wonder as well that this last installment of the Dracula series for the Hammer, even without Lee, is one of the strongest of the series, better than most of the sequels.
– New Year’s Eve (2011, Garry Marshall) *1/2 I have no excuse for this. Sorry.
– Night Fishing (2011, Chan-kyong Park, Chan Wook Park) ****1/2 I don’t usually list short films when they are rewatched, but this time I saw it with subtitles. It had many of the elements I supposed, but one of them was surprising. When it comes with subs, make sure to watch it, it is a visual treat.
– Fear(s) of the Dark (2007, Various Directors) ***1/2 Good collection of french horror shorts, in different animation styles and different directors. The final installment is one to hail as a great film in itself. It’s in black and white, so it plays with the darkness and the light in a great form, and they are some that are truly scary. This one was the last movie shown at the marathon, and it was applauded.
– Re-Penetrator (2004, Doug Sakmann) ** Just looking at the title one can guess that I saw it at the marathon of gore, and this one was a gory short film, that was also porn. Yeah, it was porn, I can’t deny it, it had the structure and the shots and all the things that are now boring. The thing is that the doctor is screwing a living corpse, and that is the novelty of it: lots of blood.
– Repo Man (1984, Alex Cox) ****1/2 I fell. I fell into the cult of this film. This film is a world in itself, and it makes enormous sense after you see it. This one was seen at the marathon, and I yelled and applauded when it ended. It’s the perfect blend of action, adventure and sci fi, no one can ask more, it’s one of those cult gems that you have to see to believe. Maybe in a second viewing I can promote this to a five star film.
– Overheard 2 (2011, Felix Chong, Alan Mak) ***1/2 I saw Overheard the week before (don’t know if commented on it), and it was a good film of espionage and a strong character piece. While this one has a more interesting plot,.it throws away the most interesting aspects of the first one: the hearing and the espionage, in favour of chases and action pieces that don’t advance the plot much. Shame.
Well, that’s it. Have a good week Sam!
“I also had some neat experiences that expand the mind and the body… not really but there were some weird events in the past few days. First, the White Night, which was a concert of electroacustic music, done in a museum and that lasted over 8 hours, from around midnight to 8.30 am, while people were sleeping around, and I was one of the people sleeping with others, listening to weird music.
The on Saturday I spent most of my day at a bar, where a Film Marathon took place, but not any kind of film marathon, a gore/horror/blood/cult film marathon, a great one with an amazing atmosphere and a bunch of gifts given out. Even if I don’t drink, I won a pint for my friends just by answering that the demon in The Exorcist was called Pazuzu! What a great day! The films I saw, shall be revealed..”
Well Jaime, that pretty much says it all. You have some time off and you make the best of it, which in your case was great music, quality ‘girlfriend time’, a gore marathon and winning that pint for a friend! Nice. And yes this is the time of the year for lists as if you didn’t notice. Maurizio’s will be here posting in the morning as well.
Of that absolutely incredible movie marathon you enjoyed this past week (and I recognize with the summer you have some free time) I can say it matches the most prolific runs by anyone. But you’ve done this before! Of the films you provide excellent capsules for here I have seen:
Grease ****
Destroy All Monsters ***
Repo Man **
Legend of the 7 Golden Vapires ****
Obviously I like the Roy Ward Baker Hammer horror film best, but the others here to varying degrees are fine enough. Must see NIGHT FISHING and FEAR OF THE DARK sounds most interesting!
Yes, I have avoided NEW YEAR’S EVE to this point!
Have another great week my friend, and see some excellent films. Many thanks as always!
Thanks for the shout-out, Sam! I really dig LAURA as well. I’m on the same page with J. Hoberman, what an odd noir it is! But there is something about it that really gets under your skin. Love Vincent Price in it as well.
Hello J.D. I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year! Yes, LAURA is one that never fails to rivet and as you say ‘get under your skin’. I was discussing Vincent Price with my son Sammy, who likes him from some of his later horror films, and he was amazed at how young he looked. The early price of this film and 1943’s THE SONG OF BERNADETTE is definitely delightful. But an odd noir indeed.
Thanks again my friend!
Hi Sam!
Thanks for the mention! I’m looking forward to reading your Top Ten, and I am definitely excited for Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, which was sold out at TIFF this past year.
All the best!
David
Thanks for stopping in Dave!
I’m not at all surprised that ANATOLIA sold out that festival, and with it’s realistic elements I’m certain it will resonate with you. I love teh film, and rate it 4.5, but Maurizio Roca hails it as a masterpiece, and will be having more to say about it over the upcoming days. Thanks very much and have a great week my friend!
Sam, I just saw the trailer for Anatolia last week and it looks like strong stuff. I’ve only seen Three Monkeys from the director but that was enough to make his future stuff worth a look. I got caught up in football this weekend and was stunned in different ways by the Giants’ dominance and the Steelers’ very sudden death. So my movie watching was relatively minimal but did include Norman Foster’s Rachel and the Stranger a most amiable tale of male rivalry (Holden and Mitchum) for a woman (Loretta Young) but not as passionate as I’d expected; Edmund Goulding’s Blondie of the Follies, the one Marion Davies talkie that’s clicked with me so far and in some respects the Showgirls of its day; Not So Dumb, an earlier Davies vehicle and possibly King Vidor’s worst film; Stingaree, a Dix&Dunne bandit melodrama that’s possibly William Wellman’s worst film; and Jose Ferrer’s I Accuse, a stately but tepid account of the Dreyfus Affair. In a separate category from all these, and relevant to last week’s digression on historical films, is Irving Cummings’s Belle Starr which reimagines the legendary bandit queen as a cross between Scarlett O’Hara and Jesse James. It’s a queasy mix of blazing Technicolor, the beauty of Gene Tierney in the title role, a tearjerking score from Alfred Newman and the most obscenely racist account of Reconstruction since Birth of A Nation. I may have more to say about this on my blog, but I’ll have to reload first. I did put up that Loy-Powell triple-feature review I promised a few days ago, which should show me in a nicer mood.
Samuel–
I’m certain you will indeed find ANATOLIA a very powerful film! I think it’s better than THREE MONKEYS, DISTANT and CLIMATES, but for you the proof will be in the pudding.
Yep the Steelers exit was a real shocker, but obviously was delighted with the Giants advancing with such a convincing win.
You call that lineup “limited” movie watching? LOL! I know the Goulding and the Foster, but not the Davies, I am wondering if Judy knows STINGAREE, especially as you note it’s that rare bad Wellman film. I’d agree that Ferrer’s I ACCUSE is pretty much tepid, though there were some great moments. I must confess to loving Newman’s (tear-jerking) score to BELLE STARR. Football and all you still had a remarkable week there my friend. Many thanks as always!
Sam, I’m practically panting to see the Ruiz film if it ever gets to the hinterlands (‘Beautiful Ohio’, my ass).
By the way, you’re a very bad boy for not putting ‘Poetry’ in your Top 10.
‘The Iron Lady’? Oh Christ, another Streep celebrity impersonation right after her gigs as Anna Wintour and Julia Child, and with a Limey accent to boot. Looks like a 10 Downing Place version of ‘The Queen’ from a few years back, teddibly, teddibly well-mannered, what a charming little pony and isn’t that Lord Buckteeth coming out of the loo? And the Reagan nexus is totally skipped? Balls! I can hear Hitchens grinding his teeth beyond the stratosphere.
Saw only one film, and if you love Bergman as I do, it’s probably best to forgive and forget ‘Hour of the Wolf’, his excursion into demonology, Grand Guignol and clinical erotica. Even Ullmann is robbed of her luminosity; and in one ludicrous extended scene von Sydow is painted up with lipstick and eyeliner, like a circus clown or a drag queen in dishabille. This is considered Gothic ‘playfulness’ by Bergman standards (whatever his other wondrous talents, Bergman is NOT a tickler of ribs), but I think I’d rather watch W.C. Fields spike Baby LeRoy’s pacifier with laudanum.
Ah well, not one of Bergman’s successes, that’s all; and he did follow this up with ‘Shame’ and ‘The Passion of Anna’, two of his finest.
P.S. I am working on some longer writings.
Mark—
MYSTERIES OF LISBON might well be appearing at your doorstep very soon. I just have a feeling, that’s all.
The omission of POETRY is indeed unforgivable. Before I decided to pare down to 10, POETRY was tied with JANE EYRE. There really isn’t a way to defend the exclusion, and it’s just another reason why a list is such a transient thing, so to speak.
Streep was excellent in THE IRON LADY, but you are right to dismiss the film in large measure. As a lifelong Bergman fanatic, I could not completely dismiss HOUR OF THE WOLF, which still had great things about it but yes it can be considered lesser Bergman and again you do a great job with the analysis here.
Looking forward to your longer writings!
Thanks as always my very good friend!
Just kidding about ‘Poetry,’ though I did expect you to name Yun Jung-hee Best Actress of 2011. I’m totally on board with you when it comes to Hunter McCracken (where did this kid come from??) and the profusion of good films last year.
Later, my great friend
Sam – Dancing at Lughnasa is among my all-time favorite movies. I can only imagine that seeing an up-close-and-personal stage version would be phenomenal!
I’m heading over now to read your year-end list — whoohoo!
Laurie–I do well remember you mentioned how much you loved the movie of DANCING! Yes, I do believe (know) you would love the play as well. I’d say the IRT did the bets job they’ve done is quite a while with this work.
Many thanks as always my friend. And thanks particularly today for making the two stops!!!
Thanks Sam for the mention. I’ve now back at college for my last leg of college life, at least for now. In the meantime I managed to see a few movies as well – Melancholia, Tintin & I (documentary on Herge), Hana-bi (Takeshi Kitano), Warrior, Mouchette, Down by Law, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (which I watched only a couple of hours back). And by the way, wish you and the entire WitD family a slightly belated Happy New Year!
Well, Shubhajit, nice to hear you are entering the final stretch. You’ve certainly paid your dues, even while showing remarkable resilience on the movie scene! Saw your excellent capsule on MELANCHOLIA and will look for the others, particularly MOUCHETTE which (get this!) I am watching at the Film Forum tomorrow night as part of the Bresson Festival!!! Ha!!
Have a great week my friend. Many thanks as always!
Wow, you’re getting to watching Mouchette on big screen at a Bresson festival!!! Now I’m supremely jealous, Sam :)
Sam, Your classic film viewing this past week was a pot of gold. It’s been a long time since I have seem GREED but needless to say, it’s extraordinary. I saw eight films this week. Below is a short wrap up.
Adventures of Tin Tin (***) Entertaining enough but overall disappointing work from Spielberg. Still debating whether to give this **1/2 or ***, either way it is no more than an average work.
On the Double (***1/2) Neglected military service comedy starring a neglected Danny Kaye. Kaye is a private in the Army stationed in England who happens to have a strong resemblance to a British Colonel who Nazi agents plan to kidnapped in order to find out information about the D-Day invasion. Kaye’s antics,. like Jerry Lewis, can sometimes be a bit overbearing but the film is worth a look.
Melinda and Melinda (***1/2) – Woody Allen interweaves two stories, one tragic and the other comedic connected only by the same woman named Melinda. Interesting concept on how the same tale can be viewed as either sad and tragic or light and fanciful.
Horse Feathers (****1/2) The Marx Brothers at the top of their game in this riotous piece of insanity. The anarchistic arm of comedy rules as the Brothers go to college, and higher education has still not recovered. Right from the opening scene when Groucho, as Quincy Adams Wagstaff, the new President of Huxley University, sings out to his students his philosophy on life, “Whatever It Is, I’m Against It.” That pretty much says it all.
A Dog’s Life (****) Chaplin’s First film for First National did not break any new ground, still there are some nice touches. The opening sequence with the police and latter scenes in the dancehall are highlights. The ending though is way too sugary cutesy.
The Picture of Dorian Gray (***1/2) Wilde’s gothic novel of a young man’s wish for eternal youth and the price he pays for its reality. A young Angela Lansbury give a nice performance as does George Sanders as Dorian’s cynical friend Lord Wotton. Overall, the film is a bit slow and I found Hurt Hatfield rather dull as Dorian.
The Love We Make (***1/2) Directed by Albert Mayseles and Bradley Kaplan, the filmmakers tag along with Paul McCartney in NYC following the events of 9/11 and his involvement in organizing the Concert for New York City. Most interesting are behind the scene footage with other famous singers, stars and politicians.
Some Like It Hot (****) This film ranks as one of my all time favorite comedies! Top ranking farce with some of the wittiest lines ever put down on paper, and surely the best closing line of any film. A review will be coming up on this latter this month as part of the CMBA Blogathon.
John–
I do recall your affinity for GREED, which is one film you can never seen enough on the big screen! You had a tremendous wek there of some classic movie watching. Well, I guess I will disagree with you on A DOG’S LIFE, which gets the highest rating from me, but I understand and respect your issues with it. You are dead-on as far as I am concerned with TIN TIN, which I similarly found overrrated. Seems like this year you and I are in full agreement with Spielberg’s work as we both issued raves for WAR HORSE.
I guess I will never be able to explain how and why I am not a fan of SOME LIKE IT HOT, but I won’t here and recognize that as in the case of CHINATOWN I am simply missing the boat. Right on with the Maesles, DORIAN GRAY and MELINDA AND MELINDA, and of course I am a huge fan of that immortal Marx Brothers film. I don’t think I’ve seen that Danny Kaye film. Ah well.
Great week for you John! Have another right now my friend! Many thanks!
Sam your “list” is my gold nugget for the week! What a pleasure to find it posted today. Appreciate the mention as always. No exceptional films to report on this week. But next week should see our mail back to normal and some interesting movie adventures. All the best this week Sam and Wonders in the Dark friends! I posted a bit of SUN on Creative Potager today – For the Love of Brown-eyed Susan if anyone is feeling the impact of the heavy gray of January.
Terrill, thanks so much for that! I did already see your response there and am thrilled that you saw several of the choices. Over the coming months I’m sure I’ll learned of further viewings. Ah, I definitely will be checking out the new post on the ‘brown-eyed Susan.’ Have a great week my friend! Many thanks!
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia is last film I saw in 2011 and it’s one of the best. I included it on my year end list and I plan to write a longer piece later this month.
With Bresson getting a much deserved retrospective, I plan on re-watching one of my favorites from him this week, L’Argent. I’m not sure there’s a great filmmaker who’s late career get ignored as often as Bresson’s.
Anu:
My very good friend and site colleague Maurizio roca will no doubt be placing this film high up on his own Ten Best list (he opted to consider it 2011) to be published tomorrow. So true what you say there about Bresson. Coincidentally enough I am presently engaged in a comprehensive Bresson retrospective at the Film Forum in Manhattan. I will be seeing L’ARGENT next week, though like most I’ve seen it before a few times. I greatly look forward to that review on ANATOLIA at THE CONFIDENTIAL REPORT.
Thanks again my friend!
Looks like you saw some great movies in the theater this week. I’m especially jealous about Greed and Laura, both are great films.
I’ve had a busy week in the theaters as well. I saw A Dangerous Method, A Separation, Carnage, and Shame. The best of the bunch was A Separation (*****). I was half asleep when I went into the theater at 10pm, but I was jolted awake and was riveted through the whole thing. Shame was also quite good (****1/2), anchored by a great performance by Michael Fassbender. Carnage was good, but not great (***1/2). You are acutely aware you’re watching a filmed play and that these people wouldn’t stay in the same room with each other for more than 15 minutes, but I was able to get over this. It was entertaining enough. A Dangerous Method, though, was a real disappointment (**1/2). It wandered around, refused to take a stand, and just felt pointless. I don’t even want to talk about the embarrassingly bad performance by Kiera Knightley. She’s better later in the movie, but early on she’s a mess.
Oh, and I will be posting some brief thoughts on War Horse soon that I know you won’t agree with. Apologies in advance.
Hope all is well with you and your family!
Ah Jason, I’ll admit I was thinking you’d probably not care much for WAR HORSE. Ah well, we disagreed on MELANCHOLIA as I recall, and maybe a few others. But we’ve agreed far more times over the past year. Great to hear you took the gloves off this past week. I actually like A DANGEROUS METHOD more than you as well, but I won’t go to the mat for it like I will with Spielberg. Ha! But great to hear those stellar reactions on A SEPARATION and SHAME. I completely agree right down to the ratings on each! I saw the Broadway play “The Gods of Carnage,” upon which the film was based, and though I liked the play well enough, I didn’t yet manage the film.
Yes, I know you would have loved seeing GREED and LAURA, but these are films you’ve no doubt seen numerous times in your life.
Thanks very much my friend! Great to see you out and about, and anticipate another glorious year talking about movies. Here’s to the best year yet in 2012.
i love the movie ‘Dancing at Lughnasa.’ any ideas on how to get the songs and sound tracks used in the film version. i need to hear the particular song “Young And Foolish”
That’s a very good question Chinenye. I will make inquiries for you.
Sam, I made a special effort — after seeing your 4-1/2 star comments — to see the final screening here of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. I share your high esteem for this film. Although it does run a bit long, the experience is well worth it. It’s a lovely, almost surrealistic atmospheric experience. I was amused by its offbeat humor and ultimately moved deeply by the unfolding events that occurred just under the surface of what little action there is. Stunning and captivating.
Pierre—
Great to hear this! Yes ANATOLIA is one of the best films of this new year for sure, and that surrealism you speak of is most compelling. I completely agree with you that it is ‘stunning and captivating’ and perhaps Ceylan’s best film to date. Thanks as always my friend!