Tuesday 31 March 2020
Depeche Mode: 101 (1989)
Depeche Mode prepares for the 101st and final concert of its massive world tour at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California, while a group of fans who won a contest travel to the concert through the United States on a bus.
Fans of the band will likely be thrilled, but otherwise this documentary is standard stuff.
On rewatching: Still basically fan fare.
Monday 30 March 2020
What Did Jack Do? (2017)
A detective is seated at a table interrogating a talking monkey and suspected murderer named Jack.
Fine David Lynch faux-noir short displays the director's surreal, dark sense of humor that most likely will appeal those in the know.
Saturday 28 March 2020
The Extra Man (2010)
A man who escorts wealthy widows in New York's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright under his wing.
Likable , slightly humorous tale centered on some genuinely eccentric NY characters; the excellent make it all believable.
Maltin***: "A valentine to the oddballs who make N.Y.C. unique, focusing on two men who live out of their time. Kline and Dano are simply perfect as a retrograde roue'..."
Friday 27 March 2020
The Report (2019)
Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.
Well-told and sober account of the investigation into one the darkest chapters of American history is gripping and suspenseful; the excellent cast helps.
Thursday 26 March 2020
The Black Doll (1938)
A dishonest mine owner finds a Black Doll on his desk and knows that vengeance is about to overtake him for murdering his former partner.
Lukewarm low-budget crime mystery with a some horror elements doesn't quite convince due to a sloppy script with an uneven mix of creepiness and humor.
Tuesday 24 March 2020
Dark Journey (1937)
During World War I, a German spy and a French spy meet and fall in love.
Above-average WWI espionage romance is mildly entertaining with good chemistry between the two lovers, but the plot is way too convoluted to hold one's attention.
Halliwell*: "Unconvincing but entertaining romantic adventure with good star performances."
Maltin***: "Engrossing love story...Young Vivien is radiant."
The Mountain Between Us (2017)
Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness.
Formulaic and predictable survival tale including a likewise corny romance has mainly some good beautiful landscape photography to go for it; no challenge for the two stars either.
Monday 23 March 2020
Seven Sinners (1936)
A wise cracking American P.I. traveling abroad with his love interest and sidekick, stumbles on to a dead body. After it disappears again, he starts to unravel a devious crime ring.
Sub-Hitchcock is lively, witty and some suspense, likable and entertaining.
Halliwell*: "Fascinatingly dated comedy suspenser with excellent sub-Hitchcock sequences, the whole thing having a strong flavour of The 39 Steps."
Maltin**: "Ersatz 39 STEPS...Lowe, Cummings, and de Courville can't compare to Donat, Carroll, and Hitchcock, but at least there's one good full-size locomotive crash..."
Sunday 22 March 2020
The Salton Sea (2002)
After a tragic incident, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies.
A thriller that celebrates its own downward spiral is mostly watchable for its cast of amazingly grotesque characters.
Halliwell (no star): "Sleazy movie that enjoys its descent into the gutter, which here is full of grotesque characters and incidents, including a noseless dealer who recreates the Kennedy assassination with the aid of pigeons in model cars."
Maltin*1/2: "Dreadful film noir-ish thriller...Cluttered story about chance and revenge has more scummy characters than any audience should have to encounter in one movie."
The Duchess (2008)
A chronicle of the life of 18th-century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.
Beautifully photographed and staged period drama with a well selected cast may a bit short in conveying its protagonists' motives, but does succeed in emphasizing their tragedy.
Maltin**1/2: "Knightley is well cast as Georgiana Spencer...Vivid, well-appointed yet somewhat heavy-handed adaptation...Knightley and especially Fiennes are excellent but the film lacks a certain spark."
Friday 20 March 2020
Ca$h (2010)
A man meets up with two "good guys" to recover what is unlawfully his, taking them on his whirlwind ride, doing things they never would have imagined, just to survive.
OK thriller with an original plot idea and a touch for satire works only partially and is somewhat undecided where it wants to go.
Thursday 19 March 2020
The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home.
Smalltown serial killer drama is intense, suspenseful with some unusual twists and well-played, and has some satirical wit; the Evangelical fundamentalism of almost all of the townspeople, however, is actually more frightening than the killer.
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