Copshop I was expecting this to be awful but in fact it's quite a decent little thriller/action film. The star was the young black female cop who stole the show really. And they didn't have her trying to punch a big guy like they usually do. So praise to them for actually not making her overpowered. I can see the actress going on to good things (seems she had a tiny role in the first Black Panther - she would have made a far better Riri Williams than the girl they did cast). Run Sweetheart Run what I think could have been a pretty solid horror with a decent concept, perhaps it started out like that, is pretty much ruined by agenda driven political nonsense. Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads 'Run Sweetheart Run's heavy-handedness blunts the effectiveness of it's message...' which I would agree with. Lead actress was good with what she had to work with, I hope she gets better films than this.
Excalibur - Joihn Boorman Watched it last night with a good friend of mine. Opera-esk drama, mythology, British quirkiness with a Wagner soundtrack.
The Unfaithful (1947) Predictable, lame melodrama that Eddie Muller tried to pass off as 'film noir' on his TCM show. Other than about 12 minutes of prime Eve Arden, it was a total waste of time. Another one like this and Eddie's off my Christmas list!
The Night the World Exploded, 1957. Pee ewe... 1/10. I give it a "1" only because Kathryn Grant was cute and there were numerous explosions.
Lady Snowblood My God, that has got to be one of the bloodiest non-horror films I've ever seen. Every time she even nicks some guy, blood just comes spraying out like a fountain. I wish my shower had the kind of pressure the bad guys in this have in their veins and arteries. Also it was just an awesome revenge film. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.
GIANT Was on TCM Never seen it before, and was finding it slow going but eventually got caught up in it. Though I did love a scene near the opening where Eizabeth Taylor tells Rock Hudson Texas was stolen. The acting and the aging of the actors was beautiful. Did not know James Dean had played such a nasty man. Was struck by racism only seen as affecting what are now called Latinos (as opposed to black people). Did the movie play in Texas in the 1950s?
Yeah. I'd already seen most of the movies Quentin has blatantly stolen from, this one was a blind spot, but no more! Someone brought it up in another thread, maybe about his new TV show. I knew about the film, but I'd never taken the time. The more movies I see, the less I like and respect Tarantino. I'm coming around to thinking he's mostly a hack.
I think that's a bit unfair. He is such a film fan, a hardcore geek really, he's probably seen more films than anyone. I think in art many people are influenced by other people. Nolan by Kubrick, De Palma by Hitchcock, etc. Tarantino is more film by film influenced. Very few really original people in the arts. It's ok for me as long as the film is great and the director brings enough good stuff of their own. Kill Bill is a great film, great story, lots of good visuals, great set pieces. It works, even though it may be derivative of things like the Shaw Brothers films and the like. I don't see it as ripping off other people, more a love letter to a genre he adores.
The Shining. Yes, that one. Watched it for the first time last night. I admired it more than genuinely loved it. Jack seemed a bit crazy from the word go, which I thought rather undermined his descent into insanity. 3/5
Another Round. 4/5. Acting and story top notch. Could have worked better as series. When I wanted it to linger it had to rush on to the next point.
After the recommendation by @davebush , I watched Cafe Society, Woody Allen effort from 2016. I liked everything about it, the cinematography had a stunning amber palette that evoked the era, the story was evocative of Woody's earlier salad days.
Glad you watched and enjoyed it. My wife and I are huge Woody Allen fans and this film has become a new favorite.
Hounded - 2022 - 5/10 AKA - Hunted Four thieves target country manor estates. Security alarms, guard dogs, no problem. Sure. One manor has better security. The thieves are caught, lectured … “…I'm sure you are aware our criminal justice system is at best ineffective, and at worst a total embarrassment …” The crooks are freed in open country, given a head start, and then “release the hounds!” Well worn plot, from The Most Dangerous Game to Naked Prey to Hard Target. Filmmakers misstep fatally by castigating the gentry as villains and the criminals as innocents. Both sides are unsavory predators and ought to have been shown as such. Reference 2020's The Hunt. A coward’s effort.
Out of all of those, i feel The Naked Prey, with Cornell Wilde, was the best. I'm sure Mel Gibson was thinking of that one while making Apocalypto.
Agatha - 2022 - 6/10 While this bears the look and feel of a short, the hour run time indicates a nominal feature. An unnamed man (we find out in the credits, he is The Professor) wanders a junkyard. A bum warns him to get out now. Now! Before it –– it’s too late. The junkyard is a borderland between a city, or memory of a city, and a ruined landscape. Our character attempts to bargain for his health. That’s about as far as I’m willing to guess. This mixes live action with animation with image jiggering, leaving the narrative vague. For a three-person creative team, this is impressive and worth a watch if you have an hour. English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/agatha-2022/english/2920259
Kill Bill blatantly stole from Lady Snowblood. Insult to injury, screenwriters for Kill Bill are Tarentino and Thurman. Contrast with Scorsese's The Departed. Listed screenwriters include those on Johnnie To's original Infernal Affairs. One director displays class and respect.
Larry McMurtry apparently said so: "Giant won praise from both critics and the public, and according to the Texan author, Larry McMurtry, was especially popular with Texans, even though it was sharply critical of Texan society. Bosley Crowther of the New York Times wrote that " takes three hours and seventeen minutes to put his story across. That's a heap of time to go on about Texas, but Mr. Stevens has made a heap of film." and 'Giant', for all its complexity, is a strong contender for the year's top-film award." My favourite scene is the one where Liz Taylor's character gets physically ill when she she sees the ranch hands cooking barbacoa de cabeza (lol).
