The Sheltering Sky (1990)

 

 

An American couple travel abroad to revitalize their relationship. But as the trip drags on, their attempt at recovering what they once had seems futile.

Beautifully photographed and well-cast adaptation of Paul Bowles' novel is less about the couple's deteriorating marriage, but more about their inability to realize or understand their surroundings and the culture they are traveling through.
 

Halliwell**: "Austere, stunningly photographed movie that yields rewards if approached on its own terms."

Maltin**: "Infuriatingly long, dense story...Paul Bowles' novels are often referred to as unfilmable, and this is certainly proof of that. Vividly atmospheric, well acted, and sexually explicit, but this is a jouney you may not want to take. Bowles narrates and appears on-screen as mysterious man in bar." 

 

 

Heart of Darkness (1993)

A trading company manager travels up an African river to find a missing outpost head and discovers the depth of evil in humanity's soul.

Good, but somewhat too literate adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel  is nevertheless visually imaginative and features competent performances by Roth and Malkovich.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)

A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy from the perspective of Liz, his longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.

Zac Efron gives a convincing portrayal of the serial killer Ted Bundy - as the charismatic, intelligent guy he appeared as to the public and as seen by his girlfriend; beyond this performance, however, the movie misses to give any depth or insight into the killer's character and the crimes, but rather ticks off the events as they happened.

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

A satire set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.

This quite cynic satire has good direction and a well-cast ensemble obviously at ease in their roles, but loses perspective and its seriousness somewhere along its way into a horror tale.

The Great Buck Howard (2008)

A young man, much to the chagrin of his father, becomes the new assistant to an illusionist in decline.

Slightly entertaining tale is mainly watchable for Malkovich's smooth performance.

Maltin***: "Small but entertaining...is worth seeing for Malkovich's endearing and persuasive performance as a "mentalist"..."

Bird Box (2018)

Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.

Enthralling doomsday drama works - despite utilizing an irritating premise - due mainly on a good sense for atmosphere and charcter development and an excellent performance by Sandra Bullock.

Cut Bank (2014)

A young man's life is unraveled after witnessing a murder that he filmed in his rural town of Cut Bank.

Nicely made thriller on Coen Bros. territory has a great cast and a lot going on, but seems a bit lazy and tired.

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

A dramatization of the disaster back in April 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon created a giant explosion, which created the worst oil spill in American history.

Excellently staged catastrophe drama that manages to combine action and thrills with a political invective to those repsonisble for an ecological disaster.

Empire of the Sun (1987)

A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation during World War II.

Grandiose epic of a child's coming-of-age amidst the horrors as war, both adventure and affecting drama, full of detail and made with cinematic expertise; and Christian Bale's performance is sensational.

Halliwell***: "Intelligent and thought-provoking movie about the loss of childhood innocence through the horrors of war. Bale, as the boy, gives an extraordinarily believable performance."

Maltin**: "Strawling, ambitious, but emotionally distant and loaded with cinematic crescendos (replete with crane camera shots and overbearing music by John Williams) that simply don't have the emotional content  to warrant all that fuss."

Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

On the set: John Malkovich, Uma Thurman and Swoosie Kurtz
(ph: Brigitte Lacombe)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

On the set: Spike Jonze and John Malkovich

Afterwards (2008)

A newly divorced lawyer is shaken up after he meets a doctor who claims that he can sense when select people are about to die.

Made with style and atmosphere, and the cast do their best, but the story is just too silly.