I suppose this falls into the category of neo-noir, owing to its nearly all taking place during the day, as well as it being made in 1966. Other signs are ‘everyone is out for themselves,’ ‘no one has any compassion,’ ‘money isn’t as important as power,’ and ‘death happens near water.’
Damned fine picture with an incredible script. The performances and camera-work are also top-notch.
Recommended!
★★★★☆
What could have been a timeless comedy celebrating and lovingly sending-up a genre is covered in tasteless and frequently offensive bigoted and intolerant humour. Not only is there a white British actor playing a Chinese man, there are jokes based entirely around transgender and homophobic comments.
Given its production date, much of this was already past the ‘best before date.’
A promising idea, but best passed by.
★★☆☆☆
Quite possibly the best, and saddest silent drama I have ever seen. The copy I streamed is awful; however there is a 4K transfer made from a copy in Universal Studios Archives that I must locate.
The story-telling involves little dialogue per se, but is clear as a bell to a modern viewer. It is so sad that its ending comes as a great relief. Much of the plot’s resolution comes thanks to a very unfortunately named pet wolf.
Recommended
★★★★☆
A surprisingly great film! There are some sub-par performances (the male lead is a bit too much of the ‘real mean do not emote’ school), but great actors otherwise. A fine script with a solid story.
Anna May Wong has a bit part!
Heck, there’s even a ‘follow that cab!’ chase sequence! What more could you ask for‽
★★★☆☆ (actually 3½)
This #RiversOfLondon novel by Ben Aaronovitch is very very good, and I enjoyed it immensely.
I continue to feel that the author could stand to punch up the action towards the climax, as it needs more description and detail to really hit the mark for my tastes. ‘Drama’ is often a pejorative, but I feel there needs to be more of it here.
The entire series is very highly recommended.
★★★★★
Quite possibly the best bio-pic / documentary / overview of an artist’s work I have ever seen. It’s as much a work of art as the material from which it draws and reflects.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
#review #EndemicPandemic #film #documentary #IOwnThis #music #Bowie
Tonight, the first in the #ShaftTrilogy.
I’ve seen this first entry before, but it was some time ago and many of the best scenes I did not recall at all.
Some great thriller action, showing what New York was really like at the start of the ’70s: run down, filthy, and barely recognizable as a ‘modern city.’
The racial tensions are wound as tight as possible. Under all the jive vocabulary beats a strong energy to win for a change.
★★★★☆
Damned good fun to be had here! Clearly MGM fronted more money for this, based on it saving the studio from bankruptcy (‘Shaft’ did well and was one of only three 1971 MGM films that turned a profit), as we see four vehicles of various transportation modes destroyed in the final chase.
Great action, superior dialogue to last time, and a tighter storyline.
Highly recommended!
★★★★☆
I’m reading this 👇🏻 right now, and clearly @cmpriest is having a ball writing it. There’s a description of a brother and sister — plus two people’s viewing of them — that is worth the price of the book alone.
Anywho; the reason I’m babbling about this right now is that I would like to know, because of it being mentioned on p150, WHERE CAN I GET A HAWAIIAN SHIRT WITH ‘THE CHILD’ EMBLAZONED ON IT AS A PATTERN…‽ For goodness sake, woman; hook a brother up…‽
Good fun, but this third entry in the #ShaftTrilogy is much like the Bond films of the 1970s: lots of action but Bond doesn’t do much more than work his way through a series of inevitable events. Not much of a thriller; more of a predictable dawdle to the ending.
Not really recommended, but necessary for those who want to experience the fullest depth of Shaft.
I’m so very sorry about that one.
Well, no, not really.
★★★☆☆
Come for the joy of Fritz Lang’s direction of a suspense picture, stay for the glory of Edward G Robinson’s performance and an incredible plot!
Honestly, I did not see the ending coming, and I doubt you will either.
No, not that ending.
Nope, not that one either.
Also, as most good #noir pictures seem to, it has DAN DURYEA in it!!
Many thanks to the Vancouver Public Library (#VPL) for having this in their collection!
Very highly recommended!
★★★★★
Last week was “Harper.” Tonight, the sequel, set in New Orleans.
This has far more action than the earlier picture did, and has a more anarchic situation for our hero to wade through before he even understands what’s going on. Still, it’s not so complicated that we can’t keep up with it.
Great setting, characters, acting, cinematography, direction, and writing.
Recommended.
★★★★☆
This #neonoir is possibly the most impressive motion picture I have seen in a very long time.
I’m going to watch it again tomorrow night. This is due to the plot being so carefully structured that if you miss anything, much will not be clear in the next scene.
Also the opening sequence of the film introduces the names of 80% of the characters but you haven’t a clue who any of them are.
A steep learning curve.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
First, forget anything you might think about Aubrey Plaza. This is •not• “Parks & Rec.” Like, not at all.
This is an incredible performance from Ms Plaza; indeed, an incredible performance had it been any actor.
It is very much ‘up to the minute,’ and yet also very much a #neonoir, harkening back to films of the ’60s and ’70s with its gritty realism and ‘hard scrabble’ approach to the economic realities of everyday life.
Recommended.
★★★★☆
Darned good film, made worthwhile by surprises and involvement of Jack Elam.
I’m getting into the really weird stuff at this point. “The Maltese Falcon” this ain’t. Still, a solid little picture, and worth your time if you’re in the mood for a heist / thriller / #noir, and probably the origin of the conceit of “Reservoir Dogs.”
★★★☆☆
Part 1 of this incredible production of Иван Грозный is a wonder to behold. The art direction and design elements themselves are incredible.
This ends with him rallying himself and his people after a great string of losses, and the noble spirit of the Russian People must surely be ready for a great upsurge of success! How can things possibly get worse for them? The People shall all benefit from the beneficence of their Leader!
★★★★☆
Fantastic art direction, a couple of musical numbers, and even an entire scene in colour are not enough to save this for me. I’m certain Part II was supposed to be a touch grander, possibly with a bit more connecting material for the plot, but Stalin cancelled the project after seeing a story calling into question a leader of Russia, a secret police, and swift / questionable ‘justice.’
Merely very good, not great.
★★★☆☆
#review #EndemicPandemic #VPL #CriterionCollection #CineMastodon
Because I’ve now got #Disney+, I am able to check out some films available on my ‘Wish to Watch’ list; including this one.
Metric tonnes of fun here. So many in-jokes that even if 80% of them go over your head, you’ll still love the remaining fifth without any feeling of loss. This picture absolutely knows what it’s doing: it is very much ‘entertainment,’ and is so unashamedly. Apt, as ‘be yourself’ is the message of the story!
Recommended.
★★★★☆
What with seeing Taika Waititi last night, it was time to check out this.
Very enjoyable. Not quite as funny as Ragnarok, but quite funny itself! Mr Waititi’s balance of drama and comedy is very much my speed, so I will watch anything he’s involved with. Pair him with Sam Rockwell, and have Duncan Jones direct; you can take all of my money.
★★★★☆
This is what I was in the mood for. It was busy at work and I simply wanted to have funny things in front of me for about 1½ hours.
This was that.
★★★☆☆
That was a lot of fun. I’m off until Boxing Day now (yes, that is totally A Thing™, America), so my approach of “thinky films” is not going to be followed for a little bit.
Decent characters making tough choices and letting often marginalized people take the centre of the stage for a change.
Recommended.
Even if the last spoken line in the film is structured using one of oldest, hoariest, lamest tropes in existence.
★★★★☆
So…
I am playing catch-up with the various threads which lead to the film last evening. Due to Columbia and #Marvel co-owning the IP involved, I had to rent this.
Anywho: there are some incredibly well written things that bring three version of Spider-Man together while still staying true to the character’s moral fibre. This is no small thing.
There are also really great performances here from everyone.
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
Also, Bonus Detail, it’s a Christmas Movie™ because much of the action takes place in and around mid-December!
Although that aspect does come and go during the course of events, what with scenes under trees in autumnal splendour placed right against scenes with snow on the ground. Also, there’s a bunch of graduation-based stuff, which is more in the June timeframe… but maybe the Snapture shifted things five years and six months…?
Christmas Eve Double-Header!
First, @jamesgunn’s wonderful gift of silliness & heartwarming charm. I wouldn’t have thought The Guardians could be the messengers for Holiday Spirit (unless it would be Yondu as stand-in for Ebenezer Scrooge, perhaps), but this works really well.
I won’t give away the plot’s chief conceit, but it’s just as bananas as you would expect from this crowd; so perfection, really.
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
This 1978 feature, set in Toronto, has been on my list to watch for quite some time. While it isn’t great, it’s got a lot going for it.
Very much worth your time is the deliciously creepy sociopathic performance by Christopher Plummer. I got a real strong feeling akin to the one when watching Kevin Spacey’s performance in “Se7en.” He’s having a blast being the worst human being in history.
Otherwise… blah.
Recommended.
★★★☆☆
#review #EndemicPandemic #Kanopy #VPL #CanadianFilm #CineMastodon
This is, essentially, perfect. Influences include — but are not limited to — “The Last of Sheila,” “Evil Under the Sun,” “See How They Run” (the original), and any number of other stories by Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and who know who else.
Do not walk; RUN to your #Netflix account to watch this. I will be looking to buy a Blu-Ray of this when it is released, it’s that good.
Really very highly recommended.
★★★★★
“It's a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth. Don't you think?”
— Benoit Blanc
It certainly is, Mr Blanc… [:: meaningful pause ::] …it certainly is.
I take no delight in the depiction of abuse of the protagonist, even if it somehow can be argued as justification for her actions. Certainly, ‘she is who she is because of what was done,’ but that is too easily used for the amusement of others’; both within the story and in the creation of the motion picture.
This is a masterful work, however. Plot twist after surprising plot twist.
Highly recommended.
★★★★★
This second novel in @cmpriest’s ‘Booking Agent’ series is a solid, entertaining read. She’s a great author, and is one of my favourites, making this series especially great as its balance of humour and pathos being right up my alley.
The characters and set-up are realistic and enjoyable.
If I wasn’t feeling so tired right now I would bounce up and down and rant about how great this book is & how you must read it.
Please imagine me doing that.
★★★★☆
Extremely entertaining! As always, I am struck by the elegance of fight choreography in the style of the martial arts. It more closely resembles dance than brawling, and is beautiful to watch.
Some incredible performances here, with Awkwafina a stand out. This is probably the first major thing I’ve seen her do, and I look forward to seeing more from her.
Highly recommended.
★★★★☆
This is a surprisingly dark tale, even considering it’s Fritz Lang directing noir!
It’s a great story involving people double-crossing each other and — as is the noir norm — with no one ending up getting ahead by the end.
The more I see of Edward G Robinson’s work, the more I respect him. He always bring some reality and soul to the characters he plays.
★★★★☆
Apparently the 1939 RKO Radio Picture production starring Charles Laughton is the undisputed best version, but I haven’t seen that yet, so…
This is very good, with a great deal of narrative purely delivered through action. The amount of work put into creation of the sets is inconceivable, and really adds to the feeling of the story.
There’s a strong ‘the people shall conquer the ruling class’ vibe going on, but it works.
Recommended.
★★★★☆
Highly entertaining third feature in the ‘Kingsman’ fictional world, here showing the origins of the organization.
Splendid performances all around. The story lays bare the futility of war and the pointlessness of politicians.
That said, extrajudicial violence isn’t the answer either, no matter how cool an all-out broadsword fight may appear to the observer.
Recommended.
★★★★☆
Just as the book was a stinging indictment of Capitol Punishment, so too is the original film adaptation of Truman Capote’s true crime work. While the film is visually stunning with its use of chiaroscuro lighting where all is black or white, the matter of reality and the determination of guilt in a system of jurisprudence is entirely a world of varying shades of grey.
The two accused are losers, but can ‘revenge’ ever truly be justified?
★★★★★
120 years later and it’s still great!
Like most, I’ve always known of this but never really seen it properly before.
Here’s the version I watched: https://youtu.be/KHxYPW5vvic
It’s got the original hand-painted colour and frame rate adjusted so the action is at a normal pace the way it would have been seen at the time.
It’s wonderful, charming, and simply enchanting. If you haven’t seen it before now, do so.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★☆
I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to see this film, and I’m also not sure how I hadn’t heard about this happening in the first place! Never before have so many been able to blame so much to so few!
To be fair to Congressman Wilson, he had no idea what would happen as a result, and he certainly didn’t expect to have the support he courted disappear so quickly and completely.
Great performances, great script.
Highly recommended.
★★★★★
The only quibble I have with the film is that it’s too short. I would have loved an Oliver Stone-style approach to this where everything is poured onto the table and shoved into our faces.
But that’s me.
This is a fairly complicated plot. You have those who originated the ancient gods working to protect the world from destruction, but who also help to destroy life to create life which then creates more life, even though much life must end to do that. There are also questions of choice vs faith, as well as the cost of vs sanctity of life. Also, what is the purpose of love?
There’s a lot packed in there.
Recommended.
★★★★☆
This is as much about the effect that writing “In Cold Blood” had on Truman Capote as it is about the author himself. He was brought face-to-face with himself, as he both became friends with a murderer and simultaneously yearned for him to describe the killings and then to be executed so that the book could be finished. Mr Capote knew he had an incredible book to write, as well as a self-loathing he could never be rid of.
Highly recommended.
★★★★★
Saying that one ‘enjoyed’ this film is akin to saying you ‘enjoyed’ a poem or a symphony. One experiences this more than anything as simple as that.
Much of this film’s techniques have been made fun of, but we always satirize or mock what scares us most; this film cuts to the bone of reality because we all feel guilt, self-doubt, lust, petulance, and disconnectedness.
As with any great art, it’s about feeling, not action.
★★★★☆
#review #EndemicPandemic #VPL #CriterionCollection #CineMastodon
I’m on holiday until the 15th! Hoorah!! Let’s watch some stuff that I probably shouldn’t spend time viewing! This runs 1:14 & looks cheesy as anything!
[:: views film ::]
Wow.
This is certainly a movie. Yup! No denying it; that there is a motion picture made using CinemaScope!
Yup. People talk, they move around, there’s a script… yup; definitely a film, fairly clear it is.
Maybe this is best viewed under the influence of something…?
★★☆☆☆
The difference between last night’s film and the one this evening couldn’t be more defined than it is.
Oh! They’re both black & white!
They both have actors who speak!
Uh… yeah, that’s it.
DEFINITE PLUS: you get to see a Ford GPA Amphibious Military Vehicle, a simpler version of the ‘DUKW.’
I’ve see this before — hell, #IOwnThis, but I streamed it in the hopes Ms Johannson gets some more money that way — but I kept getting references to it in other films and I couldn’t remember it well enough.
There’s a solid sense of learning about the person inside the character, despite her inclination to shut out the rest of the world and keep her own counsel.
Really excellent story-telling here about ‘family.’
Recommended.
★★★★☆
This little confectionary of mystery / procedural / comedy / backstage satire is perfection. The plot layers back o itself so ably that even if you work things out, there are so many little jokes and references to keep you going you start doubting your ability to work it out.
Fantastic performances from everyone, there’s not a dud to be found.
If you love theatre and know oodles of plays, you must see this.
Very highly recommended.
★★★★★
I have seen this picture many times. There’s always something that I’ve forgotten, or maybe I hadn’t appreciated quite as fully, or maybe I put the parts together in my mind a little more tightly.
There is VERY LITTLE CGI in it; anything you see is done the old way in the camera, or it’s forced perspective, or it’s a model. But, as if that’s not enough, the story is old SF solid.
It’s such an incredible film.
Very highly recommended.
I have been in an odd, insubstantial mood for much of the day, finding purpose in nothing, with the hope that it will come upon the morrow.
This charming portmanteau tells three whimsical tales of art, politics, & food; all with the élan that only Wes Anderson can bring to a film. I love his work, and all 87,000 of the actors in the picture.
For me, today, this was perfect. Thank you, Wes.
Recommended for those who love Wes Anderson.
★★★★☆
A fair question would be “why in blazes did you torture yourself with this?”
The problem with this film — and I grant there are a fair number of them with this — is that once the central conceit is revealed, it seems so blindingly obvious, that you hate yourself for not working it out earlier. You could have worked it out whilst standing outside the cinema, you still resent the time it took.
★☆☆☆☆
John Boorman is principally at fault, as he was the writer, producer, & director.
The costumes can only be considered the product of the imagination of a straight male in their early teens; not due to the diaphanous nature of the ladies’ costumes (although that certainly is a strong indicator), but that no matter how ridiculous the appearance of a male — lack of personal grooming or awkward choice of attire they may possess — chicks will still dig them.
As far as plot, it really needs to have something more than mixture of bad genetic superiority and a dumbed-down version of “Flowers for Algernon.” There’s a sort of message, but it’s so muddied by marauding masked assassins and titties that it could be ‘buy milk, bread, and a pound of butter’ and we wouldn’t be the wiser by the time the credits roll.
Best to avoid.
I have seen this all the way through at least twice. Don’t be like me.
Funny, action-packed, and full of music of my youth! Perfect!
Except, well, the plot is stretched a bit thin with too many loose threads and an overly-pat dénouement. Good in general, however.
★★★☆☆
Originally, I was going to watch the first 1½ hours of this and then go to bed and read.
Well… I’ve just finished watching all 4½ hours and it was SO VERY MUCH WORTH STAYING UP FOR! Zero regrets! I fully understood everything going on, which is saying something given I’ve never read the book.
Find a copy of the Sci Fi Channel’s mini series from 2000 and watch it. You’ll thank me later.
Profuse thanks to @anthonyfloyd for lending me his copy.
★★★★★
To add to the above, there are some problems with this, but mostly caused by the time of production, budgetary restraints, and its purposed display being turn of the millennium television.
The SFX are very clearly pre-Marvel Studios level of complexity. The fact that they didn’t have limitless money for the entire series and it being intended for Big Tube TVs and not Flat Screens just adds to the problem. Looking at the desert mouse is like looking at a ‘place holder rendering’ today.
All of that said, the sets, costuming, acting, editing, direction, and script are top-notch. I have seen the David Lynch film at least twice, and the Denis Villeneuve first half of the story once, and this is the one version I followed everything in the story — politics, economics, philosophy, moral quandary of whether Jessica and Paul really are the fabled characters or merely using the stories for their own ends — and that alone is a huge achievement.
I also have a copy of the follow-up.
Ian Alexander Martin