(ph: Richard Avedon)
Saturday 30 October 2021
Kronos (1957)
Aliens from another world send a huge robotic accumulator to invade the Earth and absorb all energy it comes in contact with.
Imaginative, but basically mediocre sci-fi invasion drama is marred by wooden performances, outdated special effects, silly science and even sillier conclusion.
Maltin**1/2: "Diverting science-fiction with unique monster...Occasionally shaky special effects are compensated for by nice touch of mysterioso and convincing performances, especially by Emery as the alien's catspaw."
Friday 29 October 2021
Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015)
High school senior Johnny is about to leave the Pine Ridge Reservation when his rodeo-cowboy father suddenly dies.
Intense, naturalistic drama of young people living on a reservation has a complex narrative with lots of diverse characters; skillfully staged and brilliantly photographed.
Thursday 28 October 2021
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)
A miner trapped in a cave-in resurfaces, and upon discovering mankind has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust, sets out to find other survivors.
Unusual and imaginative doomsday film slowly turns its story into a mediocre melodrama, but the scenes of deserted New York City are absolutely spectacular.
Halliwell*: "Enterprising but rather disappointing fantasy which tends to become merely glum and rather self-consciously carries a panic button message."
Maltin**1/2: "Intriguing film starts well, bogs down halfway through, and presents ridiculous conclusion. Best scenes are at beginning, when Belafonte is alone in an impressively deserted Manhattan."
Sunday 24 October 2021
4D Man (1959)
A scientist discovers a formula enabling him to pass through solid surfaces, but he also rapidly ages, which forces him to kill humans in order to reverse the aging process by absorbing his victims' energies.
Imaginative low-budget sci-fi thriller compensates its rather poor special effects with the uniqueness of its premise and well-handled, suspenseful narrative.
Maltin**1/2: "Well-handled sci-fi..."
Thursday 21 October 2021
Stranger Things, Season 1 (2016)
In 1983 Indiana, a young boy vanishes into thin air, as friends,
family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an
extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments,
terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl.
Lovingly recreated homage to 80s Spielberg productions convinces with
excellent period details, a great cast of characters and introducing a
very unique and mesmerizing persona with the girl Eleven; the mystery
itself, however, is not really that exciting.
Fear No More (1961)
Traveling by train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, a woman--recently released from psychiatric care--is accused of the murder of a woman found dead in her compartment.
Entertaining Noir thriller is flawed by a highly improbable and construed narrative, but it does have its moments.
Tuesday 19 October 2021
Four American Composers (1983)
4-part documentary follows four different contemporary composers performing/creating/building their shows: Robert Ashley, John Cage, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk.
Excellent and thorough portraits of four major 20th century composers gives the artists room to present their work and their concepts, but even more gives us long and insightful excerpts from the often fascinating compositions and performances.
Sunday 17 October 2021
Saturday 16 October 2021
The Godfather: Part III (1990)
In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New
York and Italy, aging mafia don Michael Corleone seeks to vow for his
sins while taking a young protégé under his wing.
It's a good movie with all the ingredients of the previous parts, but
adds nothing in scope and depth, and the plot is not as stringently
scripted.
On re-watching: This remains an ambivalent experience, since it falls so way down below the previous two films and has so many flaws and only rare moments of brilliance.
Halliwell**: "Overlong, often confusing to those who cannot remember the
earlier films, and hampered by at least one wretched performance, it
fails to reach the standard of the first two movies in the series. But
for all that it retains one's interest most of the time."
Maltin***: "Only a filmmaker like Coppola (teamed with writer Mario
Puzo) could extend his history-making Mafioso saga and make it work so
well. Absorbing story...Longish, but masterfully told, with one
almost-fatal flaw: the casting of Coppola's daughter Sofia (an amateur)
in the pivotal role of Pacino's daughter."
[N.B.: Although many have criticized Sofia Coppola, I disagree: she plays
adequate to the role. The problem is that the love story with her cousin
is in itself misconceived from the start.]
Friday 15 October 2021
Radioactive (2019)
The story of Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her Nobel Prize-winning work that changed the world.
Mediocre and cursory bio-pic suffers from a loveless direction and a dubious and in some details simply offensive indifference to the historical facts; Pike's performance is blameless, though.
Thursday 14 October 2021
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is
portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his
crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution
1958 Cuba.
The rare case of a sequel to a masterpiece improving, expanding and
deepening the scope of the original; one of the greatest movies ever
made.
On renewed viewing: Evey new viewing leaves me in complete amazement over its mastery.
Halliwell****: "Complex gangster movie, explaining the present in terms
of the past and providing a comprehensive view of American society, full
of good scenes and performances."
Maltin****: "They say it couldn't be done, but cowriter-director Coppola made a sequel that's just as compelling."
Monday 11 October 2021
The Godfather (1972)
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
A flawless epic with mastery to be found in all parts, a true cinema classic.
On re-watching: every new reviewing reveals more fascinating details and more context in the narrative.
Halliwell****: "A brilliantly-made film with all the fascination of a
snake pit: a warm-hearted family saga except that the members are
thieves and murderers. Cutting would help, but the duller conversational
sections do heighten the cunningly judged moments of suspense and
violence."
Maltin****: "The 1970s' answer to GONE WITH THE WIND, from Mario Puzo's
novel...Pulp fiction raised to the highest level; a film of epic
proportions, masterfully done, and set to Nino Rota's memorable music.
Absolutely irresistible."
Sunday 10 October 2021
The Serpent (2021)
The twisting, real-life story of Charles Sobhraj, a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise, who was a hidden darkness in the mid-70's on Asia's hippie trail.
Solid, extensive mini-series is captivating due to its terrifying subject, offers good locations details and adequate performances, but its narrative is a bit too complex and serendipitous and it ultimately fails to shed light on its protagonist's motivation.
Saturday 9 October 2021
Majo no takkyûbin (1989)
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
Wonderfully animated, good-natured tale of a young girl making her way in life on her own; full of memorable and exciting moments.
Maltin***1/2: "Enchanting coming-of-age fable...Another beautifully animated, kindhearted gem from filmmaker Miyazaki."
Friday 8 October 2021
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