Tuesday 30 April 2019
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019)
An intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance.
A music film just as meticulous as the sensationally elaborate spectacle itself, seamlessly adding behind-the-stage and intimate moments, a perfect celebration of Black culture, achievement and - beauty.
A-Haunting We Will Go (1942)
Stan and Ollie get involved with con men, crooks, a genial magician, and two interchangeable coffins with disastrous but funny results.
Weary Laurel and Hardy comedy disappoints with rare humorous moments and a standard crime plot.
Halliwell*: "Nothing whatever to do with haunting: a poor comedy with no typical material for the stars, but interesting as a record of the touring show of Dante the Magician."
Maltin*1/2: "One of Stan and Ollie's poorest films...No magic in this turkey."
Flying Down to Rio (1933)
An aviator and band leader is forever getting his group fired for flirting with the lady guests.
Monday 29 April 2019
22 July (2018)
A three-part story of Norway's worst terrorist attack in which over seventy people were killed. 22 July looks at the disaster itself, the survivors, Norway's political system and the lawyers who worked on this horrific case.
Discreet and heartfelt rendering of the attack and its aftermath lays its main focus on the victims and takes care not to provide too much space for the perpetrator's ideology.
Fright Night (2011)
After a new neighbor moved into the house next door, Charley discovers that he is an ancient vampire and goes in search for the help of Peter Vincent, a famous "vampire killer" to save his neighborhood from the creature.
OK remake of the 1985 horror flick of the same name is aimed more for laughs than scares, Farrell does a nice job playing the vampire.
Maltin***: "Agreeable remake lacks the 1985 original's fond use of a TV horror-movie host, but Tennant is so good in his role and Farrell has so much fun as the clever, arrogant vampire you're not likely to care."
Saturday 27 April 2019
Iron Sky (2012)
The Nazis set up a secret base on the dark side of the moon in 1945 where they hide out and plan to return to power in 2018.
Steampunk satire is deliberately not political correct, but the humor is patchy; good special effects and visuals, though.
Maltin***: "Flamboyant premise and lavish special effects would seem to promise a colorful melodrama, but it's really a wry satire on U.S. ambitions and failings. The female president is clearly meant to represent a certain former Alaskan governor. Goes on too long, but still amusing, entertaining, and definitely novel."
At Eternity's Gate (2018)
A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
Intense. captivating and thorough analysis of the artist's personality and art; Willem Dafoe's extraordinary performance makes it even more convincing.
Friday 26 April 2019
Reazione a catena (1971)
An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes, whereafter an all-out murder spree ensues as relatives and friends attempt to reduce the inheritance playing field, complicated by some teenagers who decide to camp out in a dilapidated building on the estate.
Thursday 25 April 2019
Lifepod (1993)
Nine survivors of an explosion are lost in space, drifting out of rescue range with a saboteur aboard.
A sci-fi reimagination of Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat is OK as standard TV fare, but nowhere comes near the original.
Us (2019)
A family's serene beach vacation turns to chaos when their doppelgängers appear and begin to terrorize them.
Straightforward horror thriller slyly taking the doppelgänger motif to its extreme with subtle, but clear political undertones; however, an explanatory passage about the goings-on somewhat spoils the mystery.
Tuesday 23 April 2019
The Burning (1981)
A former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.
Mes amis, mes amours (2008)
Mathias and Antoine become a modern-day odd couple when they move in together in London. But while establishing house rules is easy, handling relationships with the opposite sex is another matter!
Very slight, but likeable comedy; the colorful and lively ensemble makes it work.
Monday 22 April 2019
D'après une histoire vraie (2017)
A writer goes through a tough period after the release of her latest book, as she gets involved with an obsessive admirer.
Well-staged intense psychological drama with a (predictable) twist can't avoid the impression one has already been here before, but the Seigner's and Green's performances are well worth the watch.
Sunday 21 April 2019
La mortadella (1971)
A couple fall in love in Italy in the 1960s, while working at a meat factory in Emilia stormed by the
workers' protest.
The Man from Texas (1948)
Tobias Simms is torn between his criminal career as the masked bandit named the "El Paso Kid", and the life of a law-abiding citizen with his long-suffering wife.
Oddly schizophrenic premise stretches this Western's credibility a bit too far: otherwise, it's standard genre fare.
Saturday 20 April 2019
Kitten with a Whip (1964)
A rising political star faces scandal and blackmail when the young woman he tries to help turns out to be a juvenile delinquent.
Friday 19 April 2019
Wild Bill (1995)
The early career of legendary lawman Wild Bill Hickock is telescoped and culminates in his relocation in Deadwood and a reunion with Calamity Jane.
Ambitious, but in the end failed attempt to demystify a Wild West legend is well produced, but lacks coherence and a stringent plot; Jeff Bridges is good in the title role, but most of the star cast is condemned to playing sallow bit parts.
Halliwell*: "A complex, fragmentary look at the life of Wild Bill Hickock that strips away the heroics to present a confused and unhappy killer; spasmodically interesting, if rather too glum."
Maltin**: "Odd revisionist take on Wild Bill Hickock, told in episodic form that creates distance from - rather than understanding of - the legendary hell-raiser of the Old West...Barkin is fun as Calamity Jane, but other characters are superficially drawn at best."
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