Truly one of the great works of cinema, I was lucky enough to see this in the theatre upon its initial release.
Based on “The Tragedy of King Lear,” Kurosawa shows the failure of family to come together in times of challenge. Wanting to enjoy retirement while still having the honour of his office, Lord Hidetora cannot have his cake and eat it too.
A visual and dramatic masterpiece.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
This Neo-#Noir starts out slowly, but once it is up to speed in the third act it never slows down.
Everything about it is classic noir: everyone’s out for themselves, no one really has morals, and there’s even a ‘hard G’ in Los Angeles.
Sex, money, gutter-living; it’s all here, and presented with a wonderful script and performances.
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
Despite the nearly immaculate picture and sound quality thanks to an excellent restoration, the real reason to see this is the rock-solid story.
Greatly told in narration, the twists and turns of the tale fit so perfectly together, it could be compared to a Swiss watch. Likewise, the characters are perfect noir performances: hard-living, life is nearly gone from them, their enthusiasm long ago spent.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
When Jules Dassin was blacklisted, he said to himself “████ them, I’m going to France and make movies there.” So he did. This is the result.
A classic noir — no one wins, everyone dies, people double cross each other, there’s oodles of money involved — and everyone is dressed beautifully.
There’s tension galore: despite me seeing it several times before, I was on the edge of my seat to the end.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★☆
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I’ve been slowly working my way through this as a light way to finish an evening off.
Star Trek can get a bit too full of itself sometimes and this is definitely a fine cure for that. Some bran for the brand, if you will.
However, I do have one continuing question: why are they so obsessed with koalas…‽
★★★★☆
My goodness, this is equal parts fascinating, frustrating, and beautiful. The randomness of the rooms you can select from to add to the house layout is incredibly challenging, but not entirely insurmountable.
The art is gorgeous, its look balancing pen & ink with watercolour wash, giving it a mixture of book illustration and blueprint / technical drawing (an obviously conscious choice there).
The puzzles and story are fascinating. Mr Ros has clearly poured his heart into this, and his experience with and love of both puzzles and cine- and still photography have been perfectly combined here.
I haven't been this impressed (and frustratedly determined) with a game since Myst. This is easily the best game purchase I have made in a very long time.
★★★★★
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I watched this because I have no internet connection this evening. Technicians are investigating, apparently. So, it was time to dip into the Blu-Rays on my shelf.
Louis Malle’s first film, shot in late-‘50s Paris, starring Jean Moreau in an incredible performance, with a score by #MilesDavis, a Mercedes 300SL W198 “Gullwing,” and an interrogation scene which is nothing but three people with jet black surroundings and heavy top light… CAN IT GET ANY COOLER THAN THAT?
It’s slow and quiet, but do not let that dissuade you. Pay attention, let things unfold, and it’s only 91 minutes, for goodness sake!
It’s so good.
But those croissants M Tavernier insists on having lots more of are clearly… well, you can tell those are bad. There’s no flakiness at all! Bah. What an awful item. Go somewhere else, Julien!
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
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Wow. Just… wow.
Saucy, silly, sexy, and… erm…did I mention silly?
Clearly not her best work, I know Ms Fonda has no fond memories of her relationship with / manipulation by Mr Vadim, so this is merely an oddity in her career.
Still, there is an hypnotic sensuality to this picture, and it’s certainly better than other films which try to do this; “Zardoz,” “Nude on the Moon,” or “Moon Zero Two,” for example.
David Hemmings’ Rebel Leader ‘Dildano’ is an hilarious addition with their ineffectual rebellion. I wish we had more of him in the plot, frankly.
Taking this picture seriously is not a smart viewing tactic. Merely sit back and let the ridiculous scenes and costumes take you somewhere far away.
Recommended.
★★★☆☆
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[ edited to use poster for the 1968 release ]
I started this evening with the 102-year-old classic I have a copy of, then realized I wasn’t in the mood for it despite its brilliance.
So, I turned to the Clement/Waititi masterpiece to slake my need for silliness.
I regret neither decision.
Watch them. Watch them now!
★★★★★ for both
Because I now own copies of both “The Wizard of Oz” and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” it seemed inevitable that I would create the so-called “Dark Side of the Rainbow” for myself.
The number of amazing coincidences are vastly out-weighed by the number of non-events.
Maybe you need to be stoned.
Everyone probably does this once. That much is enough for me.
★★☆☆☆
That Old Guy with the Beard
@IanAMartin HAS MOVED!