1. Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981) - 5/5
   
2. Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (John Hillcoat, 1988) - 5/5
3. The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)- 4.5/5
   
4. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)- 4.5/5
5. Escape From New York (John Carpenter, 1981) - 4/5
   
6. Commando (Mark L. Lester, 1985) - 4/5
   
7. End of Days (Peter Hyams, 1999) - 3.5/5
   
8. Kindergarten Cop (Ivan Reitman, 1990) - 3.5/5
   
9. Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, 2004) - 3.5/5
   
10. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008) - 3/5
    
11. While the Children Sleep (Russell Mulcahy, 2007) - 1.5/5

quote:

ORIGINAL: Miles Messervy 007

Child labour is necessary in the short term

quote:

ORIGINAL: homersimpson_esq

Kettle, meet pot.

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ORIGINAL: rick_7

There's a lot to read here. Feel free to pick out the odd bit to read or, y'know, just ignore it.
 
I've been on holiday for a couple of weeks. Here's a round-up of everything I've seen since the last update. I know I watch a lot of movies. Post contains owls.



Quai des Orfèvres (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947) is an exceptional police procedural, with inspector Louis Jouvet investigating the murder of a dirty old man, his suspicions alighting upon a stage star, her jealous husband and a female photographer caught between the two. It's witty and well-played - each character imaginatively, convincingly written - while the direction is simply startling. The setting and story reminded me of the Barbara Stanwyck vehicle Lady of Burlesque, though that's a vastly inferior film. (4)

Cry of the City (Robert Siodmark, 1948) is an unexpectedly fine film noir from a director whose ventures into the genre could be sublime (The Killers, Criss Cross) or, well, not (Christmas Holiday). The story follows a cop killer (Richard Conte), struggling to protect his innocent lover (Debra Paget) as a dragnet closes in - led by the hood's flipside, law enforcer Victor Mature. Conte, later a star of Joseph H. Lewis' immaculate crime picture The Big Combo as well as The Godfather's Barzini, gives surely his greatest performance, a devastating characterisation whose quiet malevolence creeps upon the viewer almost unnoticed, replacing a certain twinkly-eyed charm. His screen adversary, Victor Mature, was never the most compelling screen presence, but has an ideal face for the expressionist, shadow-drenched photography of noir and exudes nobility in one of his better turns. The presentation of Conte's family suffers from cliche and the plotting ultimately goes a little off-track with the appearance of muscly stick-up merchant Betty Garde, but this is a fascinating, gripping little film, blessed with a stunning central performance. (3.5)

Love in the Afternoon (Billy Wilder, 1957) is an underrated romantic comedy from the great writer-director, stuffed full of gags inspired by his hero, Ernst Lubitsch. Like the the emphasis on doors opening and closing, the running gags with waiters and gypsy musicians and Audrey Hepburn's scheming, which cleverly inverts the plot of Lubitsch's One Hour With You. The star of that film, Maurice Chevalier, is delightful here, playing a private investigator oblivious to the infatuation of his daughter (Hepburn) with a key source of his livelihood, inveterate philanderer Gary Cooper. The age difference between Coop and Hepburn is too pronounced, but everything else about the film is just right. (3.5)

Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953) is, by contrast, an absolute wonder: escapism of the highest order, with journo Gregory Peck romancing incognito princess Audrey Hepburn during one glorious day in the Italian capital. It's funny, moving and full of fine location work. The leads are an utter joy and Eddie Albert is hilarious as Peck's photographer pal. (4)

I rented the Pixar Shorts, Vol. 1 DVD and watched a heap of those. The Adventures of Andre and Wally B (Alvy Ray Smith, 1984, 2) has a single joke, and it's not very funny, though the establishing shot is great. Luxo, Jr. (John Lasseter, 1986, 2.5) explains how Pixar got its lamp - and provides a bit of pathos. Red's Dream (John Lasseter, 1987, 3) is oddly melancholy, creating an impressive universe but offering no glimmer of hope for its dreaming unicycle. The first film with the recognisable Pixar sense of humour is Tin Toy (John Lasseter, 1988, 3), a clever, funny short dated by its computer technology, including a primitive take on a baby that's frankly terrifying. Geri's Game (Jan Pinkava, 1997) is a smart film about an aged chess fanatic (and "cleaner" - see Toy Story 2) playing a game against himself - and using every trick in the book to win - while For the Birds (Ralph Eggleston, 2000, 3) passes in a blaze of appealing sight gags. DTV: Mike's New Car (Pete Docter and Roger Gould, 2002, 3) is top slapstick, but runs out of gas before the end, while Boundin' (Bud Luckey and Roger Gould, 2003, 3.5) is sentimental Americana of a sort, a narrative poem about a dancing sheep, with spirited presentation. DTV: Jack-Jack Attack (Brad Bird, 2005) - a spin-off from The Incredibles - is good value, providing several belly laughs. Happily, as WALL-E and Up! are among Pixar's very best features, so their shorts continue to improve - recent additions Lifted, Presto and Partly Cloudy are my three favourites.

S.S. Ionian (Humphrey Jennings, 1939) is an odd propaganda film from the future master of the medium, which follows a merchant boat around the globe, repeatedly observing in an off-hand manner that the British sure do have a lot of warships positioned absolutely everywhere. There are a couple of glimpses of the filmmaker's genius, including a shot of a crew member simply re-arranging his hat that gives real insight into his character, but it's often little more than a politically-charged travelogue, and it's hampered by a stolid voiceover. (2.5)

Spring Offensive (Humphrey Jennings, 1940) is a portrait of rural Britain readying for war, similar in some respects to Powell and Pressburger's A Canterbury Tale. It ebbs and flows, and the non-professional actors are wooden as anything, but just as the country was finding its feet in our time of need, so was the country's greatest state filmmaker: the passages here fusing music and image are nothing short of wonderful. (3)

1. Radio Days (Woody Allen, 1987)
   
2. Breathless [À bout de souffle] (Jean Luc Godard, 1960)
   
3. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008)
   
4. The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
   
5. The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2010)
   
6. Away We Go (Sam Mendes, 2009)
   
7. 35 rhums [35 Shots of Rum](Claire Denis, 2008)
   
8. Before Sunrise (Richard Linklater, 1995)
   
9. (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)
   
10. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Nicholas Meyer, 1982)
    
11. Escape From The Planet of the Apes (Don Taylor, 1971)
    
12. Conquest of The Planet Of The Apes (J. Lee Thompson, 1972)
    
13. Sleeper (Woody Allen, 1973)
    
14. Reds (Warren Beatty, 1981)
    
15. Agora (Alejandro Amenábar, 2010)
    
16. The Official Film of the 2006 FIFA World Cup (Michael Apted, 2006)
    

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ORIGINAL: FritzlFan

Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981) - 5/5

quote:

ORIGINAL: homersimpson_esq

Kettle, meet pot.

Cheers jbg, I'm wanting to check out other Varda stuff now, Anywhere you recommend starting?

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ORIGINAL: Deviation

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Yes! Finally, a connection between Sokurov and Mel Gibson for when I play Director Bingo next.

EDIT: no but seriously I addressed that in the review.

Had some problems with how how much from actual known history was changed in the film, but to compare it to the levels of wrongness that is Braveheart is obscene. This at least attempts to offer insight on the character and the Japanese nation at the hour of defeat. Gibson didn't even bother to get Wallace right.

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ORIGINAL: rick_7
the overrated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (from the same director),

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ORIGINAL: Rinc
She's supposed to be 13! I'd want her to be very attractive though

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ORIGINAL: MonsterCat

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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army
Stop being mean to Deviation

No.

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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army

Also, why no mention of One Man Band in the Pixar shorts review? That's quite obviously the best of the Pixar shorts.

We only watched the ones that neither of us had seen before. Except Boundin', we'd both seen that, but forgotten about it. I reviewed One Man Band the other month (it follows a review of Mater and the Ghostlight, which is what it's being compared to, rather favourably). I'd certainly take the three I mentioned at the end over it. This is the short write-up:



Being a made-for-theatres outing, SHORT: One Man Band (Mark Andrews and Andrew Jimenez, 2005) is understandably better. Set in a lushly-realised Italian piazza, it sees rival musicians face off in a fight for a peasant girl's penny. The battle is as imaginative as you'd hope, and the whole thing has a great sense of place, but it takes an ill-conceived, unexplained turn near the close that's, like, well random, and trips the whole thing up. Shame. (3)

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ORIGINAL: Ultimo Lee

June (29)

FOUR
Adams Æbler/ Adam's Apples Denmark (Anders Thomas Jensen, 2005) {Jun}
Blinkende lygter/ Flickering Lights Denmark (Anders Thomas Jensen, 2000) {Jun}

quote:

ORIGINAL: rick_7
We only watched the ones that neither of us had seen before. Except Boundin', we'd both seen that, but forgotten about it. I reviewed One Man Band the other month (it follows a review of Mater and the Ghostlight, which is what it's being compared to, rather favourably). I'd certainly take the three I mentioned at the end over it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rinc
She's supposed to be 13! I'd want her to be very attractive though

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ORIGINAL: MonsterCat

quote:

ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army
Stop being mean to Deviation

No.

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ORIGINAL: Pigeon Army

Also, elab, I hired out Green Butchers. I was quite surprised to see it sitting in the comedy section of my local mainstream rental place - everything foreign there naturally goes into the world cinema section. It's like they were lying to customers. There weren't even any 'Subtitled' stickers on it.

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ORIGINAL: FritzlFan

You organisational skills sicken me, Rhubarb.

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ORIGINAL: Rhubarb

99 Prince of Persisa: The Sands of Time
111 Carrotblanca
118 The Brothers Bloom
126 Invictus

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ORIGINAL: Piles

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rhubarb

99 Prince of Persisa: The Sands of Time
111 Carrotblanca
118 The Brothers Bloom
126 Invictus

Wait what?! I didn't love any of the three bottom films, but WHAT?!

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ORIGINAL: FritzlFan

You organisational skills sicken me, Rhubarb.

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ORIGINAL: Dpp1978
There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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ORIGINAL: elab49
I really wish I could go down to see Privates

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ORIGINAL: elab49
Earlier this year there was even a radio play Vincent Price and the Horror of the English Blood Beast, which was clearly exaggerated but also seems to acknowledge Price's realisation after the fact of what an excellent performance Reeves nagging had gotten out of him. I'd highly recommend the play if you do get a chance to hear it – it really plays it for laughs.

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ORIGINAL: matty_b

I would plough my way through MonsterCat

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ORIGINAL: matty_b

I desire MonsterCat to go down on me.

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ORIGINAL: Dpp1978
There are certainly times where calling a person a cunt is not only reasonable, it is a gross understatement.

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ORIGINAL: elab49
I really wish I could go down to see Privates