A movie for a Saturday night. The Keep Directed by Michael Mann • 1983 • United Kingdom Starring Scott Glenn, Alberta Watson, Jürgen Prochnow Michael Mann’s infamous film maudit—met with incomprehension on its release but now an object of growing critical and cult reputation—unfolds in 1943 in German-occupied Romania, where Nazi invaders unwittingly unleash a sinister presence lurking within the walls of an ancient fortress in the Carpathian Alps— a presence that doesn’t take kindly to unwanted guests. Despite a notoriously troubled production and studio interference (the director’s original cut ran 210 minutes), THE KEEP stands as a darkly ravishing triumph of trance-state mood and visuals, enhanced by an otherworldly synth score by Tangerine Dream.
I would add “The Killers” which is my favorite Lancaster film, and it’s his first! I also really like “The Train” and “I Walk Alone.” I need to watch more of his movies. I think he was a great actor. However, I didn’t love “The Swimmer”. I expected it to be better with all the hype that surrounds it, and because it’s based on such a great short story. It’s been awhile since I have seen it, but I remember being disappointed by it.
This was pretty good. Loved the Chicago locations and James Stewart is always fun to watch. Call Northside 777 Directed by Henry Hathaway • 1948 • United States Starring James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb Lent a gritty authenticity through striking Chicago location shooting and quasi-procedural attention to detail, CALL NORTHSIDE 777 is a prime example of the docudrama-stye noirs that proliferated in the 1940s. In 1932, a cop is killed and Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte) is sentenced to life for the crime. Eleven years later, a newspaper ad by Frank’s mother leads Chicago reporter P. J. Mc’Neal (James Stewart) to look into the case. As O’Neal begins to investigate, he meets increased resistance from authorities unwilling to be proved wrong.
Depending on your reasons, I may have had a similar experience when I first watched The Servant. It just seemed so kind-of dumb. But then later I realized that this was banality expressed really well, and therefore just so poetic. I feel the same way about The Swimmer.
I feel like I have seen the first hour a couple times over the years, but for some reason I never watched the entire film. Today, I was completely mesmerized for 143 minutes. I can't believe it took me so long to watch it. I loved it so much I bought the Criterion Blu-Ray on the half off sale. I already want to watch it again. Brazil Directed by Terry Gilliam • 1985 • United Kingdom Starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Kim Greist In the dystopian masterpiece BRAZIL, Jonathan Pryce plays a daydreaming everyman who finds himself caught in the soul-crushing gears of a nightmarish bureaucracy. This cautionary tale by Terry Gilliam, one of the great films of the 1980s, has come to be esteemed alongside antitotalitarian works by the likes of George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. And in terms of set design, cinematography, music, and effects, BRAZIL is a nonstop dazzler.
An intelligent film (IMO) that just gets better and more uncomfortable every time I see it: Junebug Directed by Phil Morrison • 2005 • United States Starring Amy Adams, Embeth Davidtz, Ben McKenzie Amy Adams (in her Academy Award–nominated breakthrough performance) shines in this bittersweet comedy about love, family, ambition, and the choices that come with each. When Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), a British-born dealer in outsider art, travels from Chicago to North Carolina to pursue a painter for her gallery, she and her near-perfect Southern husband George (Alessandro Nivola) extend the trip to include an introduction to his family: prickly mother Peg (Celia Weston), taciturn father Eugene (Scott Wilson), angry younger brother Johnny (Ben McKenzie), and Johnny’s pregnant, childlike wife Ashley (Adams). Although Ashley immediately takes to the sophisticated Madeleine, the other members of George’s family are less than receptive, giving rise to hidden anxieties and festering resentments.
Hadn't seen this in years. I loved it in the theater when it came out. It was a fun time for me where I worked retail, so I'd go see tons of movies during the day - this, Butcher Boy, Dark City, Spanish Prisoner.... This still has a very cool mood and look, can't say I loved the story altogether as much. But glad it was added, a fun late night watch. And I noticed American Movie is added too!!! Definitely watching tonight, hadnt seen that in ages either, maybe someday they'll add Hands on a Hard Body! The City of Lost Children Directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet • 1995 • France, Spain, Germany Starring Ron Perlman, Dominique Pinon, Judith Vittet One of the most unique and visually imaginative films of the 1990s, this stunning steampunk fantasy from visionary directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (DELICATESSEN) features eye-popping sets, ingenious special effects, and costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Aging prematurely because he is unable to dream, a mad scientist named Krank (Daniel Emilfork) sends his cyclops henchmen to kidnap children so he can “steal” their dreams. When Krank kidnaps his baby brother, circus strongman One (Ron Perlman) joins forces with a brave young orphan (Judith Vittet), embarking on a series of wondrous but harrowing adventures as they set out to rescue the boy and challenge Krank within the world of dreams.
Watched this last weekend, and I'm glad I saw it, but it didn't really blow me away. Also half slept through This Gun for Hire, may try watching that again and a bunch of the other November Noir over Thanksgiving. Need to check out one of those John Garfield films too, I own and love The Breaking Point
The Flaming Lips Space Bubble Film Directed by Wayne Coyne and Blake Studdard • 2022 • United States Starring Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, Jacob Ingalls This blissful concert documentary tells the story behind an ingenious spectacle devised by psych-roch legends the Flaming Lips in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: the Space Bubble Concerts, in which band and audience members alike were encased in individual, transparent orbs. Starting simply as an image that Wayne Coyne, the leader and visual artist of the band, drew as a funny reflection on life in 2020, the idea captured the imagination of fans and media alike and the band soon proceeded to make the COVID-safe space-bubble concerts a reality. THE FLAMING LIPS SPACE BUBBLE FILM chronicles the myriad logistical challenges of putting on the show at the height of the pandemic and the glory of music created by a band connecting to an audience in a joyous, safe, and socially distanced way never tried before.
i don't have the criterion channel, but when i pulled up chaplin's the kid on hbo+ yesterday, i was surprised to see that it was the janus/criterion release. what a great movie. smitquest
So great, hadnt seen this in ages. Hilarious at times, but the subtle touches to round these guys out g a long way to making this such a great doc. American Movie Directed by Chris Smith • 1999 • United States It takes a village to make a movie, but when that village is Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the results are bizarre, comical, and quintessentially American. With the help of his mother, his eighty-two-year-old uncle, and a local cast of oddballs, DIY filmmaker Mark Borchardt fights his way through internal and external roadblocks to achieve his goal of making his movie—an independent horror short called COVEN—his way. His inspiration comes from films as disparate as THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE SEVENTH SEAL, as well as his experiences growing up amid the grey skies, rusty cars, and ranch houses of Milwaukee’s Northwest Side. Spanning over two years of struggle, financial decline, and spiritual crisis, this cult favorite—winner of Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize for documentary—is a hilarious, poignant, and heartfelt tale of ambition, obsession, excess, and one man’s pursuit of the American dream.
The Most Beautiful Boy in the World Directed by Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri • 2021 • Sweden Starring Björn Andrésen, Riyoko Ikeda, Margareta Krantz THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD follows Björn Andrésen, who was propelled to international stardom at the age of fifteen based on his looks. In 1969, filmmaker Luchino Visconti scoured Europe looking for the perfect boy to personify absolute beauty in his adaptation of Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice.” One year later, he discovered Björn, a shy Swedish teenager whose performance as Tadzio brought him overnight fame and led to a brief, intense, and turbulent odyssey that took him from the Lido in Venice to London, the Cannes Film Festival, and faraway Japan. At the London premiere of DEATH IN VENICE Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio “the world’s most beautiful boy.” Fifty years later, Björn takes us on a remarkable journey made of personal memories, cinema history, stardust, and tragedy in what could be his last attempt to finally get his life back on track.
I double-dare you to watch this, and comment. Putney Swope Directed by Robert Downey Sr. • 1969 • United States Starring Arnold Johnson, Laura Greene, Buddy Butler The most popular film by Robert Downey Sr. is this offbeat classic about the antics that ensue after Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson, his voice dubbed by a gravelly Downey), the token black man on the board of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, is inadvertently elected chairman. Putney summarily fires the whiteys, replaces them with Black Power apostles, renames the company Truth and Soul, Inc., and proceeds to wreak politically incorrect havoc.
Searching for Mr. Rugoff Directed by Ira Deutchman • 2019 • United States Starring Donald S. Rugoff, Elyce Bonnell, Peter Broderick This illuminating, unexpected slice of forgotten film history tells the story of Donald Rugoff, who was the crazy genius behind Cinema 5, the groundbreaking midcentury theater chain and film-distribution company. Rugoff was a difficult (some would say impossible) person but was also the man who brought international art films to mainstream attention with outrageous marketing schemes and pure bluster. Rugoff’s impact on cinema culture in the United States is inestimable, and his influence on the art-film business is undeniable. Yet, mysteriously, Rugoff is now virtually forgotten. SEARCHING FOR MR. RUGOFF tells the story of this fascinating, elusive personality through the eyes of his former employee Ira Deutchman, who sets out to find the truth about the man who had such a major impact on his life, and to understand how such an important figure could have disappeared so completely. SEARCHING FOR MR. RUGOFF is accompanied by The Cinema 5 Story, a series of films distributed by the legendary Cinema 5.
I also just watched this again a couple nights ago. It was still as great as I remembered it. Love it!
I enjoyed this, when I was little I grew up in north NJ, my dad would get the NY Times so I'd look through the arts section and the movie listings, esp on Sundays when the ads were big. Plus it reminded me of all that late 70s early 80s NYC style.
Still an amazing film! 8½ Directed by Federico Fellini • 1963 • Italy Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Bruno Agostini, Sandra Milo Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi, a director whose new project is collapsing around him, along with his life. One of the greatest films about film ever made, Federico Fellini’s 8½ (Otto e mezzo) turns one man’s artistic crisis into a grand epic of the cinema. An early working title for 8½ was THE BEAUTIFUL CONFUSION, and Fellini’s masterpiece is exactly that: a shimmering dream, a circus, and a magic act.
Last time I watched this was in the mid-70's. I didn't realize how good it is. Little Big Man Directed by Arthur Penn • 1970 • United States Starring Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George Arthur Penn explodes the myth of the American West in this epic, stingingly satiric tale. At the ripe old age of 121, Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) looks back on his extraordinary life, from being adopted and raised by the Cheyenne, to being the only white survivor of Custer’s Last Stand, to his adventures with his drinking buddy, Wild Bill Hickok. One of the first major Hollywood films to frankly address America’s brutal treatment of Native Americans, this landmark revisionist western offers a by turns wry, tragic, and subversive critique of an often less-than-glorious past.
A little long but I enjoyed this. My Architect Directed by Nathaniel Kahn • 2003 • United States Louis I. Kahn, who died in 1974, was one of the greatest architects of the twentieth century, but he left behind an illegitimate son, Nathaniel, and a personal life of secrets and broken promises. MY ARCHITECT takes us on a heartbreaking yet humorous journey as Nathaniel attempts to reconnect with his deceased father. The riveting narrative takes us from the men’s room in Penn Station, where Kahn died bankrupt and alone, to the bustling streets of Bangladesh, the inner sanctums of Jerusalem politics, and unforgettable encounters with the world’s most celebrated architects. In a documentary with all the emotional impact of a dramatic feature film, Nathaniel’s journey becomes a universal investigation of identity—and a celebration of art and, ultimately, life itself.
And this was a good "light" noir The Blue Dahlia Directed by George Marshall • 1946 • United States Starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix This fast-paced and perfectly cast film noir reflects the grim wit of its Academy Award–nominated screenplay’s author, Raymond Chandler. Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) returns from World War II to find his wife, Helen (Doris Dowling), in the arms of another man. Johnny and Helen have a terrible fight, and later Helen is found dead. Pursued by the cops, Johnny enlists the aid of Joyce Harwood (Veronica Lake), the ex-wife of Helen’s lover, to prove his innocence. Ladd is at his hard-boiled, no-nonsense best as Johnny, and Veronica Lake is, as always, the consummate femme fatale, mysterious and alluring.
This was very entertaining. The director Michael Curtiz has an impressive filmography. The Breaking Point Directed by Michael Curtiz • 1950 • United States Starring John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter Michael Curtiz brings a master skipper’s hand to the helm of this thriller, Hollywood’s second crack at Ernest Hemingway’s “To Have and Have Not.” John Garfield stars as Harry Morgan, an honest charter-boat captain who, facing hard times, takes on dangerous cargo to save his boat, support his family, and preserve his dignity. Left in the lurch by a freeloading passenger, Harry starts to entertain the criminal propositions of a sleazy lawyer (Wallace Ford), as well as the playful come-ons of a cheeky blonde (Patricia Neal), making a series of compromises that stretch his morality—and his marriage—further than he’ll admit. Hewing closer to Hemingway’s novel than Howard Hawks’s Bogart-Bacall vehicle does, THE BREAKING POINT charts a course through daylight noir and working-class tragedy, guided by Curtiz’s effortless visual fluency and a stoic, career-capping performance from Garfield.
