The Little Things (John Lee Hancock, 2021) 5/10
Angst-ridden crime thriller has all the familiar tropes of the serial killer genre. Aging detective (Denzel Washington) pairs up with cocky young hotshot (Rami Malek) to look for someone kidnapping and knocking off young girls. Both cops are totally burnt out and haunted by intense guilt from unsolved murder cases in their past. So its only a matter of time before both start chasing and hounding a suspect (Jared Leto in full-on creapzoid mode) leading to a moment that harks back to David Fincher's "Seven" and then sharply veers off into uncharted annoying territory. Along with the Fincher film I was briefly also reminded of "In the Heat of the Night" (the Poitier mantle that Washington carries today) and "Zodiac". Slow film is set in 1990 and actually feels as if the studio pulled it out of storage and is passing it off as something fresh and new.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Max Payne (John Moore, 2008) 3/10
Stylish looking tripe is based on a video game and shot like one as well giving scenes a flat sort of look with overtones of noir. Ultra-violent revenge saga has many shootouts but these moments are devoid of any graphic blood or gore to avoid a restricted rating so that young fans of the game could come in droves to the cinema which they did. Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg), an intense cop turned vigilante, is out for revenge for the murder of his wife and child. His journey through New York's dark criminal underworld leads to several deaths - a sexy pickup (Olga Kurylenko who would also play a Bond girl that year) at a swinging party is later found viciously murdered which is followed by the equally violent death of his former partner after he finds evidence linking the woman's death to that of Payne's wife. He joins forces with a Russian assassin (Mila Kunis), the murdered girl's sister, and discovers that the Organization his wife worked for is upto something nefarious involving a drug meant to make people invincible but instead makes them hallucinate and eventually insane. This tedious plot gets a bit of a jump-start during two elaborate shootouts where Payne dodges bullets leading to the ludicrous sequence where he ingests the drug turning into a super soldier. Wahlberg sleep walks through the film with his usual deadpan expression and Kunis is wasted in an underwritten part. Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell and Kate Burton pop up in small roles. Trashy film.
Le deuxième souffle (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1966 film) 6/10
Melville's convoluted crime-thriller takes far too long to reach its conclusion but tautly manages a few fantastic set-pieces scattered through his film. The central theme of the plot is about honour and its importance to a highly principled criminal (Lino Ventura). He breaks out of jail - a bravura wordless opening shot with Melville's customary skill - and reaquaints with old friends (Raymond Pelligrin, Marcell Bozzuffi) in the criminal underworld, his mistress and the Police Commissioner (Paul Meurisse), hot on his tail. He decides to participate in one last job before making a clean break from his past. The job involves the heist of a shipment of platinum which becomes the film's second exciting set-piece - shot in the wide outdoors in complete contrast to the rest of the film which is set in various cramped rooms. The inevitable bleak conclusion involves a deadly shootout with the protagonist maintaining his sense of heroic honour. Ventura, as always, is magnificent throughout.
Alina (Giorgio Pastina, 1950) 6/10
In order to make ends meet a poor peasant woman (Gina Lollobrigida) is forced to take the place of her sick husband in smuggling goods over the Alps from Italy into France. She is looked down upon by the women of the village and lusted after by her husband's sleazy partner (Otello Toso). On one of the border crossings she catches the eye of a suave Italian (Amedio Nazzari) who works as manager to the casino owner who purchases smuggled goods. Doris Dowling is the propreitor's chanteuse wife who is sexually involved with the manager. The inevitable love triangle and a couple of action sequences on the snowy mountain top keeps the plot moving swiftly along. Lollobrigida is memorable throughout with the director capturing her sensual beauty via shots of her exposed legs and décolletage. The star was not only a sex bomb but an actress of great depth as well.
Thomas l'imposteur (Georges Franju, 1965) 7/10
Jean Cocteau's WWI-set novel is adapted for the screen by the author and director Franju into an almost fairy-tale fantasy. A widowed Polish princess (Emmanuelle Riva), who enjoys giving lavish if frivolous parties for the nobility, is at heart a great humanitarian. With Paris about to fall to the Germans she helps wounded french soldiers by evacuating them from the front and bringing them to her lavish estate for medical care. When the authorities refuse to allow the soldiers to be brought into Paris she finds a young ally in an innocent 16-year old soldier (Fabrice Rouleau) who is mistaken for the nephew of a popular General. He uses his false authority to cut through red tape and help the soldiers get treatment. The Princess is charmed by him and her daughter falls in love with the young soldier who yearns to fight on the battlefront. Franju captures the devastation of war through many striking images - Riva walking through devastated buildings as bombs fall around her, a horse galloping wildly with its mane on fire, dead bodies tossed and strewn about - as Jean Marais narrates on the soundtrack. Riva's romanticism is badly shaken after witnessing so much suffering around her while the young soldier, like a moonstruck schoolboy, moves on to the front dreaming of heroics which he will soon find to be a nightmare of epic proportion. Franju maintains a sense of unreality throughout until the final frames when the destructive power of war turns tragic.
Stylish looking tripe is based on a video game and shot like one as well giving scenes a flat sort of look with overtones of noir. Ultra-violent revenge saga has many shootouts but these moments are devoid of any graphic blood or gore to avoid a restricted rating so that young fans of the game could come in droves to the cinema which they did. Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg), an intense cop turned vigilante, is out for revenge for the murder of his wife and child. His journey through New York's dark criminal underworld leads to several deaths - a sexy pickup (Olga Kurylenko who would also play a Bond girl that year) at a swinging party is later found viciously murdered which is followed by the equally violent death of his former partner after he finds evidence linking the woman's death to that of Payne's wife. He joins forces with a Russian assassin (Mila Kunis), the murdered girl's sister, and discovers that the Organization his wife worked for is upto something nefarious involving a drug meant to make people invincible but instead makes them hallucinate and eventually insane. This tedious plot gets a bit of a jump-start during two elaborate shootouts where Payne dodges bullets leading to the ludicrous sequence where he ingests the drug turning into a super soldier. Wahlberg sleep walks through the film with his usual deadpan expression and Kunis is wasted in an underwritten part. Beau Bridges, Chris O'Donnell and Kate Burton pop up in small roles. Trashy film.
Le deuxième souffle (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1966 film) 6/10
Melville's convoluted crime-thriller takes far too long to reach its conclusion but tautly manages a few fantastic set-pieces scattered through his film. The central theme of the plot is about honour and its importance to a highly principled criminal (Lino Ventura). He breaks out of jail - a bravura wordless opening shot with Melville's customary skill - and reaquaints with old friends (Raymond Pelligrin, Marcell Bozzuffi) in the criminal underworld, his mistress and the Police Commissioner (Paul Meurisse), hot on his tail. He decides to participate in one last job before making a clean break from his past. The job involves the heist of a shipment of platinum which becomes the film's second exciting set-piece - shot in the wide outdoors in complete contrast to the rest of the film which is set in various cramped rooms. The inevitable bleak conclusion involves a deadly shootout with the protagonist maintaining his sense of heroic honour. Ventura, as always, is magnificent throughout.
Alina (Giorgio Pastina, 1950) 6/10
In order to make ends meet a poor peasant woman (Gina Lollobrigida) is forced to take the place of her sick husband in smuggling goods over the Alps from Italy into France. She is looked down upon by the women of the village and lusted after by her husband's sleazy partner (Otello Toso). On one of the border crossings she catches the eye of a suave Italian (Amedio Nazzari) who works as manager to the casino owner who purchases smuggled goods. Doris Dowling is the propreitor's chanteuse wife who is sexually involved with the manager. The inevitable love triangle and a couple of action sequences on the snowy mountain top keeps the plot moving swiftly along. Lollobrigida is memorable throughout with the director capturing her sensual beauty via shots of her exposed legs and décolletage. The star was not only a sex bomb but an actress of great depth as well.
Thomas l'imposteur (Georges Franju, 1965) 7/10
Jean Cocteau's WWI-set novel is adapted for the screen by the author and director Franju into an almost fairy-tale fantasy. A widowed Polish princess (Emmanuelle Riva), who enjoys giving lavish if frivolous parties for the nobility, is at heart a great humanitarian. With Paris about to fall to the Germans she helps wounded french soldiers by evacuating them from the front and bringing them to her lavish estate for medical care. When the authorities refuse to allow the soldiers to be brought into Paris she finds a young ally in an innocent 16-year old soldier (Fabrice Rouleau) who is mistaken for the nephew of a popular General. He uses his false authority to cut through red tape and help the soldiers get treatment. The Princess is charmed by him and her daughter falls in love with the young soldier who yearns to fight on the battlefront. Franju captures the devastation of war through many striking images - Riva walking through devastated buildings as bombs fall around her, a horse galloping wildly with its mane on fire, dead bodies tossed and strewn about - as Jean Marais narrates on the soundtrack. Riva's romanticism is badly shaken after witnessing so much suffering around her while the young soldier, like a moonstruck schoolboy, moves on to the front dreaming of heroics which he will soon find to be a nightmare of epic proportion. Franju maintains a sense of unreality throughout until the final frames when the destructive power of war turns tragic.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
No Sad Songs for Me (1950) - 9/10 - Margaret Sullavan stars as Mary Scott, a suburban housewife who has been feeling tired lately so she visits the doctor. She expects him to tell her that she is pregnant, but instead discovers that she has cancer which has advanced too far for treatment and she has less than a year to live. She decides not to tell her family and to try and prepare things for when she will no longer be around. Her husband (Wendell Corey) is a surveyor who spends a lot of time away on a job that has a close deadline. Her 10 year old daughter Polly (Natalie Wood) takes piano lessons. The family is happy and they are all close to each other and Mary worries about what will happen after she dies. I thought that the acting was very good and the story was as well.
La Vérité (1960) - 9/10 - Brigitte Bardot stars as Dominique Marceau, a young woman on trial for murdering her boyfriend in an attempted murder/suicide. Her story as told in flashback while the prosecutor and defense attorney battle it out in court. Dominique's younger sister, Annie, is a talented violinist who moves to Paris for music school. Dominique lives a much more carefree lifestyle than her sister, but forces her parents to allow her to join Annie in Paris. Annie's friend, Gilbert, becomes infatuated with Dominique, leading to conflict with Annie. Gilbert and Dominique start a relationship, but they enjoy very different things. Bardot is very good in this film as the blond sex symbol who isn't necessarily as bad as she is portrayed by the prosecution. It is a very good film.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944) - 6.5/10 - In 1774 Peru, a monk witnesses the collapse of a bridge that kills five people and shakes his faith. He sets out to find out what he can about the people who died and why they might have been chosen to die by God. What unfolds is a story about a talented singer, Micaela Villegas (Lynn Bari), her beloved Manuel, a sea captain, and the viceroy Don Andre who is attracted to Micaela. There are a number of other characters, including Manuel's twin brother, a lonely and bitter old Marquesa, and Micaela's mentor, Uncle Pio. The first part of the movie is pretty dull, but it gets more interesting as it goes along. It still isn't a very good film, but it is okay and there are a few pretty good scenes.
A Little Night Music (1977) - 8/10 - Frederich Egerman has been married to his his second wife, 18 year old Anne, for 11 months. He loves her, but is frustrated that she has remained a virgin the whole time. He sees an old flame at the theater, actress Desiree Armfeldt, and ends up in bed with her one night. Desiree has another lover, though, the jealous dragoon Carl-Magnus Mittelhelm. There are a number of other subplots involving Frederich's son, Carl-Magnus's wife, and Desiree's mother and daughter. The movie has many bad reviews, but I enjoyed it. There are a lot of good songs and I thought the acting from most of the cast was pretty good - Lesley-Anne Down, Diana RIgg, Len Cariou, etc. The only one that I thought was subpar was Liz Taylor as Desiree.
La Vérité (1960) - 9/10 - Brigitte Bardot stars as Dominique Marceau, a young woman on trial for murdering her boyfriend in an attempted murder/suicide. Her story as told in flashback while the prosecutor and defense attorney battle it out in court. Dominique's younger sister, Annie, is a talented violinist who moves to Paris for music school. Dominique lives a much more carefree lifestyle than her sister, but forces her parents to allow her to join Annie in Paris. Annie's friend, Gilbert, becomes infatuated with Dominique, leading to conflict with Annie. Gilbert and Dominique start a relationship, but they enjoy very different things. Bardot is very good in this film as the blond sex symbol who isn't necessarily as bad as she is portrayed by the prosecution. It is a very good film.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944) - 6.5/10 - In 1774 Peru, a monk witnesses the collapse of a bridge that kills five people and shakes his faith. He sets out to find out what he can about the people who died and why they might have been chosen to die by God. What unfolds is a story about a talented singer, Micaela Villegas (Lynn Bari), her beloved Manuel, a sea captain, and the viceroy Don Andre who is attracted to Micaela. There are a number of other characters, including Manuel's twin brother, a lonely and bitter old Marquesa, and Micaela's mentor, Uncle Pio. The first part of the movie is pretty dull, but it gets more interesting as it goes along. It still isn't a very good film, but it is okay and there are a few pretty good scenes.
A Little Night Music (1977) - 8/10 - Frederich Egerman has been married to his his second wife, 18 year old Anne, for 11 months. He loves her, but is frustrated that she has remained a virgin the whole time. He sees an old flame at the theater, actress Desiree Armfeldt, and ends up in bed with her one night. Desiree has another lover, though, the jealous dragoon Carl-Magnus Mittelhelm. There are a number of other subplots involving Frederich's son, Carl-Magnus's wife, and Desiree's mother and daughter. The movie has many bad reviews, but I enjoyed it. There are a lot of good songs and I thought the acting from most of the cast was pretty good - Lesley-Anne Down, Diana RIgg, Len Cariou, etc. The only one that I thought was subpar was Liz Taylor as Desiree.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
West Side Story (Robert Wise & Jerome Robbins, 1961) 10/10
The landmark 1957 Broadway musical, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, was brought to the screen with all its dazzling energy intact. Robert Wise directed the dramatic scenes while choreographer Jerome Robbins directed all the ballet-influenced dance sequences. The film's spectacular opening sequence has the camera moving high above Manhattan with its skyscrapers jutting upwards at the camera as we glimpse various streets surrounding neighborhoods before zooming down on a group of boys in a playground. Wise would shoot an equally spectacular aerial opening sequence some years later to his film adaptation of the Broadway musical "The Sound of Music". The story, inspired by William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", is set in the Upper West Side of New York City in a multi-racial, blue collar neighborhood and follows the rivalry between two gangs - one White and the other Puerto Rican. Riff (Russ Tamblyn) is the leader of the Jets who clashes with Bernardo (George Chakiris) leader of the Sharks. Tony (Richard Beymer), Riff's best friend, co-founder and former member of the Jets, falls in love with Bernardo's sister Maria (Natalie Wood) at a local dance which the two try to hide from their friends. Anita (Rita Moreno), Maria's best friend and Bernardo's girlfriend, finds out and warns the young lovers. During a planned "rumble" - street fight - between the two gangs, Tony tries to stop the boys from fighting but knives are flicked open and Bernardo stabs Riff to death followed by Tony killing Bernardo. The story reaches its tragic finale leaving Maria distraught and the two gangs realizing the errors of their ways. The story explores social themes of bigotry, cultural misunderstanding and the failure to integrate and empower young people in constructive ways. The film retains the stage production's stylized fight and dance choreography highlighted by the cutting-edge editing, stunning camerwork and the memorable jazz-infused music and songs. A number of the songs - "Maria", "Tonight", "America" - became standards. The film's casting is a problem as many of the actors playing ethnics are white but that does not come in the way of this superb production. Lovely Natalie Wood was cast for boxoffice assurance and her accented english takes time getting used to but she overcomes it with an intensely romantic performance with Beymer also very good as her lover. Tamblyn, Chakiris and Moreno (especially intense and fiery) come off best with the latter two winning Oscars. The film won 10 Academy Awards and has recently been remade by Steven Spielberg.
Broken City (Allen Hughes, 2013) 6/10
The plot moves like a Phillip Marlowe murder-mystery with pulpy noir overtones. A cop (Mark Wahlberg) is exonerated by the court after a controversial shooting with quiet help from the Mayor of New York (Russell Crowe). Some years later he is hired by the Mayor to follow his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who he suspects is having an affair. Her friend turns out to be the campaign manager (Kyle Chandler) to the Mayor's opponent (Barry Pepper) in the re-election. When the man is found shot to death the cop realizes there is more to the case than what the Mayor and his crony, the Police Commissioner (Jeffrey Wright), have divulged. Corruption, illegal land deals, murder, blackmail are just some of the potholes he has to wade through to get to the truth which may end up endangering his own life. The screenplay has enough potholes, coincidences and clichés to populate a score of pulpy films but there is enough atmosphere and a game cast to make this a fairly enjoyable watch. Wahlberg has one expression on his face throughout - one of disgust - while Crowe, with a hideous hairstyle and in slumming mode hams it up to high heaven. Zeta-Jones is sadly wasted in an underwritten part and the film certainly deserved more of her feisty character as her brief scenes opposite Wahlberg crackle with an undirected yet underlying sexual tension.
Contraband (Baltasar Kormákur, 2012) 6/10
Remake of the 2008 Icelandic film "Reykjavík-Rotterdam", which starred the director of this Hollywood action-thriller. An ex-smuggler (Mark Wahlberg), now clean with a sexy wife (Kate Beckinsale) and two sons, finds his old way of life come crashing back when his wife's brother dumps a cache of drugs belonging to a mobster (Giovanni Ribisi) and is forced to revert back to his old life to get his family out of the jam. The convoluted plot involves a boat trip to Panama with his old gang, an attempt to purchase fake bills from the local crime lord (Diego Luna) who involves him in the theft of a Jackson Pollock painting which results in a deadly shootout with the cops. Meanwhile back home his trusted friend and former smuggling partner (Ben Foster) is asked to look after his wife who is being threatened by the mobster. Things turn further dark when the police are tipped off that the returning ship is carrying drugs, the Captain (J.K. Simmons) wants to cut in on the deal and his wife back home finds herself wrapped in plastic and cement. The far-fetched plot keeps getting more and more prepostrous which Wahlberg takes in his stride overiding each obstacle that comes in his way. Needless to say its the unobtrusive Pollock that saves the day since everyone around thinks its a paint-stained old tarpaulin which they discover goes for $20 million in the black market. Like most of Wahlberg's films it is a fun watch but totally disposable.
Four Brothers (John Singleton, 2005) 6/10
When an old lady (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down during a random store robbery her four adopted sons - Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund - return to Detroit for her funeral. Singleton's film is strongly influenced by the blaxploitation films of the 1970s as the four brothers investigate and discover there was more to their mother's death than what the local cops (Terrence Howard & Josh Charles) on the beat disclose. The boys track down the two hitman and kill them and discover that the hit was put on their mother by a local gang lord (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The film scores points during all the quiet reflective moments between the four brothers with the actors showing strong rapport - most of the dialogue between them was improvised. The rest of the film is one shootout after another harking back to the vigilante-like killings in both "Dirty Harry" and "Death Wish" but with more graphic violence. The script completely throws logic out the window but remains a crowd pleaser with its pulsating action sequences - a highlight is a car chase through a snow storm. Ejiofor, as the viciously demented crime boss, has a field day playing the part. Dressed (like Shaft) in cool duds - leather jackets, heavy-set fur coat and an all-white ensemble - the look is clearly taken from the old films of Richard Roundtree and Jim Brown. The film was inspired by the old John Wayne Western "The Sons of Katie Elder".
The landmark 1957 Broadway musical, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, was brought to the screen with all its dazzling energy intact. Robert Wise directed the dramatic scenes while choreographer Jerome Robbins directed all the ballet-influenced dance sequences. The film's spectacular opening sequence has the camera moving high above Manhattan with its skyscrapers jutting upwards at the camera as we glimpse various streets surrounding neighborhoods before zooming down on a group of boys in a playground. Wise would shoot an equally spectacular aerial opening sequence some years later to his film adaptation of the Broadway musical "The Sound of Music". The story, inspired by William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", is set in the Upper West Side of New York City in a multi-racial, blue collar neighborhood and follows the rivalry between two gangs - one White and the other Puerto Rican. Riff (Russ Tamblyn) is the leader of the Jets who clashes with Bernardo (George Chakiris) leader of the Sharks. Tony (Richard Beymer), Riff's best friend, co-founder and former member of the Jets, falls in love with Bernardo's sister Maria (Natalie Wood) at a local dance which the two try to hide from their friends. Anita (Rita Moreno), Maria's best friend and Bernardo's girlfriend, finds out and warns the young lovers. During a planned "rumble" - street fight - between the two gangs, Tony tries to stop the boys from fighting but knives are flicked open and Bernardo stabs Riff to death followed by Tony killing Bernardo. The story reaches its tragic finale leaving Maria distraught and the two gangs realizing the errors of their ways. The story explores social themes of bigotry, cultural misunderstanding and the failure to integrate and empower young people in constructive ways. The film retains the stage production's stylized fight and dance choreography highlighted by the cutting-edge editing, stunning camerwork and the memorable jazz-infused music and songs. A number of the songs - "Maria", "Tonight", "America" - became standards. The film's casting is a problem as many of the actors playing ethnics are white but that does not come in the way of this superb production. Lovely Natalie Wood was cast for boxoffice assurance and her accented english takes time getting used to but she overcomes it with an intensely romantic performance with Beymer also very good as her lover. Tamblyn, Chakiris and Moreno (especially intense and fiery) come off best with the latter two winning Oscars. The film won 10 Academy Awards and has recently been remade by Steven Spielberg.
Broken City (Allen Hughes, 2013) 6/10
The plot moves like a Phillip Marlowe murder-mystery with pulpy noir overtones. A cop (Mark Wahlberg) is exonerated by the court after a controversial shooting with quiet help from the Mayor of New York (Russell Crowe). Some years later he is hired by the Mayor to follow his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who he suspects is having an affair. Her friend turns out to be the campaign manager (Kyle Chandler) to the Mayor's opponent (Barry Pepper) in the re-election. When the man is found shot to death the cop realizes there is more to the case than what the Mayor and his crony, the Police Commissioner (Jeffrey Wright), have divulged. Corruption, illegal land deals, murder, blackmail are just some of the potholes he has to wade through to get to the truth which may end up endangering his own life. The screenplay has enough potholes, coincidences and clichés to populate a score of pulpy films but there is enough atmosphere and a game cast to make this a fairly enjoyable watch. Wahlberg has one expression on his face throughout - one of disgust - while Crowe, with a hideous hairstyle and in slumming mode hams it up to high heaven. Zeta-Jones is sadly wasted in an underwritten part and the film certainly deserved more of her feisty character as her brief scenes opposite Wahlberg crackle with an undirected yet underlying sexual tension.
Contraband (Baltasar Kormákur, 2012) 6/10
Remake of the 2008 Icelandic film "Reykjavík-Rotterdam", which starred the director of this Hollywood action-thriller. An ex-smuggler (Mark Wahlberg), now clean with a sexy wife (Kate Beckinsale) and two sons, finds his old way of life come crashing back when his wife's brother dumps a cache of drugs belonging to a mobster (Giovanni Ribisi) and is forced to revert back to his old life to get his family out of the jam. The convoluted plot involves a boat trip to Panama with his old gang, an attempt to purchase fake bills from the local crime lord (Diego Luna) who involves him in the theft of a Jackson Pollock painting which results in a deadly shootout with the cops. Meanwhile back home his trusted friend and former smuggling partner (Ben Foster) is asked to look after his wife who is being threatened by the mobster. Things turn further dark when the police are tipped off that the returning ship is carrying drugs, the Captain (J.K. Simmons) wants to cut in on the deal and his wife back home finds herself wrapped in plastic and cement. The far-fetched plot keeps getting more and more prepostrous which Wahlberg takes in his stride overiding each obstacle that comes in his way. Needless to say its the unobtrusive Pollock that saves the day since everyone around thinks its a paint-stained old tarpaulin which they discover goes for $20 million in the black market. Like most of Wahlberg's films it is a fun watch but totally disposable.
Four Brothers (John Singleton, 2005) 6/10
When an old lady (Fionnula Flanagan) is gunned down during a random store robbery her four adopted sons - Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund - return to Detroit for her funeral. Singleton's film is strongly influenced by the blaxploitation films of the 1970s as the four brothers investigate and discover there was more to their mother's death than what the local cops (Terrence Howard & Josh Charles) on the beat disclose. The boys track down the two hitman and kill them and discover that the hit was put on their mother by a local gang lord (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The film scores points during all the quiet reflective moments between the four brothers with the actors showing strong rapport - most of the dialogue between them was improvised. The rest of the film is one shootout after another harking back to the vigilante-like killings in both "Dirty Harry" and "Death Wish" but with more graphic violence. The script completely throws logic out the window but remains a crowd pleaser with its pulsating action sequences - a highlight is a car chase through a snow storm. Ejiofor, as the viciously demented crime boss, has a field day playing the part. Dressed (like Shaft) in cool duds - leather jackets, heavy-set fur coat and an all-white ensemble - the look is clearly taken from the old films of Richard Roundtree and Jim Brown. The film was inspired by the old John Wayne Western "The Sons of Katie Elder".
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
I watched this last night and it is extremely watchable. Adarsh Gourav is excellent in the central role. I see how he got a Spirit nomination, and I wonder if he could pop up at other places.Sabin wrote:The more I hear about this one, the more I want to see it.Reza wrote
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10
The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.
I also wonder if we are underestimating this awards wise. Netflix has a lot on its plate, and doesn't seem to be marketing this heavily, but I could see awards voters eating this up.
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
- Minor Myers, Jr.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
It's on NetflixSabin wrote:The more I hear about this one, the more I want to see it.Reza wrote
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10
The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The more I hear about this one, the more I want to see it.Reza wrote
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10
The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.
"How's the despair?"
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Johnny Doughboy (1942) - 7/10 - Jane Withers stars as child star Ann Winters who just turned 16 and refuses to do another kid picture. She drives off for a vacation, leaving her studio obligations behind. Meanwhile, the president of the Ann Winters fan club from a town in Nebraska arrives for a two week visit and she just 'happens' to look exactly like Ann. The studio puts her to use as Ann's replacement. She gets involved with a musical show that a group of former child stars are planning to entertain the troops. Included in this group are Bobby Breen, Spanky, Alfalfa, Cora Sue Collins, and others. The movie is pretty short, but I thought it was fun and the musical and dance numbers were pretty good. It's an entertaining hour.
Laughter (1930) - 5/10 - Peggy was a chorus girl who decided to marry a wealthy man so that she could live a life of luxury. However, she finds herself bored with the dull lifestyle. I can relate since the film was very dull and boring. Two former flames show up - Paul, a piano player and composer - Ralph, a sculptor who is really just after her money. Ralph latches on to her stepdaughter and Paul tries to convince her to leave her husband and go to Paris with him for a carefree lifestyle. The print that survives is not in great shape, but is watchable. It doesn't seem to merit restoration, though, since it isn't a very good film. It alternates between a joking atmosphere and melodrama.
That Lady in Ermine (1948) - 7/10 - Betty Grable stars as an Italian countess named Angelina in 1861 whose domain is threatened during a time of war. 300 years earlier, the countess at that time (Francesca, also Betty Grable) faced a similar situation. Angelina has just gotten married when enemy soldiers are spotted. Her husband is an officer in the opposing army and flees. The occupying forces are led by a gallant and well mannered colonel who falls for Angelina. Portraits of former counts and countesses line the walls in the big hall and the people in them come to life at midnight. Francesca meddles in the situation to try and bring the colonel and Angelina together. The movie has plenty of music and humor. I enjoyed it more than I expected and while the story was somewhat simple, it was entertaining.
Laughter (1930) - 5/10 - Peggy was a chorus girl who decided to marry a wealthy man so that she could live a life of luxury. However, she finds herself bored with the dull lifestyle. I can relate since the film was very dull and boring. Two former flames show up - Paul, a piano player and composer - Ralph, a sculptor who is really just after her money. Ralph latches on to her stepdaughter and Paul tries to convince her to leave her husband and go to Paris with him for a carefree lifestyle. The print that survives is not in great shape, but is watchable. It doesn't seem to merit restoration, though, since it isn't a very good film. It alternates between a joking atmosphere and melodrama.
That Lady in Ermine (1948) - 7/10 - Betty Grable stars as an Italian countess named Angelina in 1861 whose domain is threatened during a time of war. 300 years earlier, the countess at that time (Francesca, also Betty Grable) faced a similar situation. Angelina has just gotten married when enemy soldiers are spotted. Her husband is an officer in the opposing army and flees. The occupying forces are led by a gallant and well mannered colonel who falls for Angelina. Portraits of former counts and countesses line the walls in the big hall and the people in them come to life at midnight. Francesca meddles in the situation to try and bring the colonel and Angelina together. The movie has plenty of music and humor. I enjoyed it more than I expected and while the story was somewhat simple, it was entertaining.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
One From the Heart (1982) - 5/10 - Hank and Frannie have been together for five years and their anniversary as a couple is the next day (which happens to be the Fourth of July). She wants adventure and to go to Bora-Bora. He is much more of a homebody. They have a fight and break up and spend their anniversary with somebody new - he with an attractive young circus performer and her with an attractive piano player. Long and slow ballads play throughout the film and I didn't really enjoy the music. The film is very stylized and that is interesting to a point, but the story itself is very thin and the dialogue isn't that great. Overall, it isn't a very good film, though if you like the music of Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle, you might enjoy the film more than I did.
Street Angel (1928) - 7.5/10 - Janet Gaynor stars as Angela, a young woman in Naples who is arrested for robbery and sentenced to the workhouse after trying to get money to buy medicine for her mother. She escapes and ends up falling in love with a painter (Charles Farrell), but her past eventually catches up with her. It wasn't as good as Seventh Heaven, but is still a pretty decent film.
Street Angel (1928) - 7.5/10 - Janet Gaynor stars as Angela, a young woman in Naples who is arrested for robbery and sentenced to the workhouse after trying to get money to buy medicine for her mother. She escapes and ends up falling in love with a painter (Charles Farrell), but her past eventually catches up with her. It wasn't as good as Seventh Heaven, but is still a pretty decent film.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The Marksman (Robert Lorenz, 2021) 4/10
The screenplay sticks to a set formula seen in countless U.S. Border-Mexican Cartel actioners - the last one like this had Sylvester Stallone in "Rambo: Last Blood". A rancher and former marine (Liam Neeson), a widower down-on-his-luck, takes on the Mexican Cartel when he comes across a woman and her son illegally crossing the border. In a skirmish the woman is shot dead and he gets saddled with a bag full of money and the young boy. With the Cartel goons on their tail he tries to get the boy to Chicago where he has relatives. Liam Neeson is in his usual listless mode as he goes through the motions in yet another B-film which has nothing new to offer. Why are prominent Hollywood directors hell bent on ignoring this once A-list actor? Its time they make use of his talent and give him a prominent part in their films.
Special 26 (Neeraj Pandey, 2013) 7/10
Four crooks pose as CBI officers and raid the homes of corrupt Government officials and take off with their ill-gotten cash and jewelery. None of the officials wish to lodge a complaint or admit to the theft for fear of jeopardizing their political careers. The crooks plan their biggest raid for their 50th effort - robbing a high-end jewelery store - but are unaware that a wily CBI officer is hot on their trail. A witty script, taut direction and a twist ending make this a fun-filled heist flick. The actors are all superb led by a suave Akshay Kumar, thankfully underplayimg, as the leader of the bunch, the hilarious Anupam Kher as the aging nervous partner, Jimmy Sheirgil and Divya Dutta as two incompetent cops and Manoj Bajpaye as the intense CBI officer determined to catch his prey.
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10
The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.
Alaska Seas (Jerry Hopper, 1954) 6/10
B-movie remake of the 1938 "Spawn of the North" has good action sequences and a love triangle plot. In 1924 salmon fishing is on the decline as fisherman have all but made the soecie extinct through years of trapping them and not allowing them to swim up to their breeding spots. Forced rationing results in crooked men stealing fish from government regulated fisheries. Joining a crook (Gene Barry) is an ambitious anything for a buck fisherman (Robert Ryan). He returns to Alaska to make a quick buck and reclaim his former girlfriend (Jan Sterling) who in his absence has now taken up with his best friend (Brian Keith). Despite the studio-bound sets this is an effective little actioner with good photography by William Mellor and an excellent trio of stars - a brooding Ryan, brawny good-guy Keith and Jan Sterling who underplays her usual sex bomb image. Old fashioned entertainer.
Huis-clos / No Exit (Jacqueline Audry, 1954) 9/10
Hell is an elevator ride to the depths of a building which opens up into a posh hotel lobby to which a group of people descend. So begins this existentialist story adapted from the one-act play by Jean-Paul Sartre depicting the afterlife. Three deceased characters find themselves confined as punishment to a room in hell for eternity. There is no fire or torture. It is the source of Sartre's famous phrase "L'enfer, c'est les autres" or "Hell is other people", whereby all three characters are trapped together and spend time tormenting each other. This is their fate in hell. Inés (Arletty) is a lesbian who makes a sexual play for Estelle (Gaby Sylvia), a murderer, and who in turn throws herself at Joseph (Franc Villard) who refuses to reciprocate her advances much to her anguish. Inés hates Joseph because he has come in between her longing for Estelle. The three bicker and torment each other as flashbacks transport the story away from its theatrical setting - in contrast to the confined setting of one room in which the three characters are trapped on stage - and reveal how all three ended up in hell. Joseph cheated on his wife, deserted from the army during WWII and was executed. Inéz is a manipulative sadist and seduced her cousin's wife (Danièle Delorme) which drove the man to suicide. Guilty over her affair, his wife asphyxiated herself and Inèz by flooding the room with gas while they slept. The married Estelle had an affair with a younger man and killed their child by throwing it over a hotel balcony into the sea below which prompted the man to kill himself. She is guilty of deceit, murder and the cause of a suicide. Despite these revelations the three continue to torment each other realizing their fate which is being condemned to the vicious taunts of each other until eternity. All three actors are at the top of their game, especially the memorable Arletty, cast against type in a rare lead role on screen. A huge movie star before and during the Occupation she ended up in prison right after the War on charges of treason for collaboration - she openly had an affair in Paris with a German officer during WWII. Her alleged comment about the infamous liaison was "My heart is French but my ass is international". Powerful, claustrophobic story was a great influence on many dramatists and in particular Harold Pinter whose sparse sets and characters hark back to this play.
The screenplay sticks to a set formula seen in countless U.S. Border-Mexican Cartel actioners - the last one like this had Sylvester Stallone in "Rambo: Last Blood". A rancher and former marine (Liam Neeson), a widower down-on-his-luck, takes on the Mexican Cartel when he comes across a woman and her son illegally crossing the border. In a skirmish the woman is shot dead and he gets saddled with a bag full of money and the young boy. With the Cartel goons on their tail he tries to get the boy to Chicago where he has relatives. Liam Neeson is in his usual listless mode as he goes through the motions in yet another B-film which has nothing new to offer. Why are prominent Hollywood directors hell bent on ignoring this once A-list actor? Its time they make use of his talent and give him a prominent part in their films.
Special 26 (Neeraj Pandey, 2013) 7/10
Four crooks pose as CBI officers and raid the homes of corrupt Government officials and take off with their ill-gotten cash and jewelery. None of the officials wish to lodge a complaint or admit to the theft for fear of jeopardizing their political careers. The crooks plan their biggest raid for their 50th effort - robbing a high-end jewelery store - but are unaware that a wily CBI officer is hot on their trail. A witty script, taut direction and a twist ending make this a fun-filled heist flick. The actors are all superb led by a suave Akshay Kumar, thankfully underplayimg, as the leader of the bunch, the hilarious Anupam Kher as the aging nervous partner, Jimmy Sheirgil and Divya Dutta as two incompetent cops and Manoj Bajpaye as the intense CBI officer determined to catch his prey.
The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021) 9/10
The epic journey of a poor village boy who leaves the shack he lives in with his extended family, gets employed as a chauffeur to a rich couple in the city and discovers he wants much more in life. A life of poverty followed by servitude till the day you die is what millions have to face in India. Indian author Aravind Adiga's Man Booker Prize winning novel adapted for the screen is a bitter examination of the Hindu religion, the damning caste system, corruption, loyalty and abject poverty in India. The story, in many ways, touches on aspects of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar winning film "Parasite", but goes much further as the protagonist, Balram (Adarsh Gourav), representing the voice of the frustrated and angry underclass, often speaks directly at the screen or we get to hear his thoughts out loud - "For the poor there are only two ways to get to the top, crime and politics". His employer is the younger son (Rajkumar Rao) of a rich and corrupt family who has recently returned from America with his wife (Priyanka Chopra). They are both good to him and appalled at the conditions in the country and the way the rich treat the poor. But during a drunken spree, which results in a hit-and-run, the family forces him to take the blame for the accident when it was his master's wife who caused the death of a child. Silently accepting his situation he starts closely observing the family's attempts at bribing important Government officials in order to avoid paying taxes. Unable to contain his growing frustration he decides to take a drastic step on his way to an independent and better life. The story also simultaneously explores the globalization of India via increased technology and the protagonist's ultimate desire to become a business entrepreneur to escape his poverty. The film ends with him emphatically announcing, "white people are on the way out...they'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of brown men and the yellow men, and God help everyone else". A thought to ponder over especially with the events of the past couple of years in America and what it means to be coloured amongst a white population. The winds of change and a shift is something that needs to happen. Grim, compelling drama full of bitter anger is extremely well acted, directed, edited and scored. Chopra, who is also a producer on the film, took on the brief but important role of the young wife in order to give the film clout for a Western audience. But the film belongs to Gourav who is absolutely spot-on in the part. On screen throughout he neatly balances the role playing his character with a combination of sympathy, black humour and wicked evil.
Alaska Seas (Jerry Hopper, 1954) 6/10
B-movie remake of the 1938 "Spawn of the North" has good action sequences and a love triangle plot. In 1924 salmon fishing is on the decline as fisherman have all but made the soecie extinct through years of trapping them and not allowing them to swim up to their breeding spots. Forced rationing results in crooked men stealing fish from government regulated fisheries. Joining a crook (Gene Barry) is an ambitious anything for a buck fisherman (Robert Ryan). He returns to Alaska to make a quick buck and reclaim his former girlfriend (Jan Sterling) who in his absence has now taken up with his best friend (Brian Keith). Despite the studio-bound sets this is an effective little actioner with good photography by William Mellor and an excellent trio of stars - a brooding Ryan, brawny good-guy Keith and Jan Sterling who underplays her usual sex bomb image. Old fashioned entertainer.
Huis-clos / No Exit (Jacqueline Audry, 1954) 9/10
Hell is an elevator ride to the depths of a building which opens up into a posh hotel lobby to which a group of people descend. So begins this existentialist story adapted from the one-act play by Jean-Paul Sartre depicting the afterlife. Three deceased characters find themselves confined as punishment to a room in hell for eternity. There is no fire or torture. It is the source of Sartre's famous phrase "L'enfer, c'est les autres" or "Hell is other people", whereby all three characters are trapped together and spend time tormenting each other. This is their fate in hell. Inés (Arletty) is a lesbian who makes a sexual play for Estelle (Gaby Sylvia), a murderer, and who in turn throws herself at Joseph (Franc Villard) who refuses to reciprocate her advances much to her anguish. Inés hates Joseph because he has come in between her longing for Estelle. The three bicker and torment each other as flashbacks transport the story away from its theatrical setting - in contrast to the confined setting of one room in which the three characters are trapped on stage - and reveal how all three ended up in hell. Joseph cheated on his wife, deserted from the army during WWII and was executed. Inéz is a manipulative sadist and seduced her cousin's wife (Danièle Delorme) which drove the man to suicide. Guilty over her affair, his wife asphyxiated herself and Inèz by flooding the room with gas while they slept. The married Estelle had an affair with a younger man and killed their child by throwing it over a hotel balcony into the sea below which prompted the man to kill himself. She is guilty of deceit, murder and the cause of a suicide. Despite these revelations the three continue to torment each other realizing their fate which is being condemned to the vicious taunts of each other until eternity. All three actors are at the top of their game, especially the memorable Arletty, cast against type in a rare lead role on screen. A huge movie star before and during the Occupation she ended up in prison right after the War on charges of treason for collaboration - she openly had an affair in Paris with a German officer during WWII. Her alleged comment about the infamous liaison was "My heart is French but my ass is international". Powerful, claustrophobic story was a great influence on many dramatists and in particular Harold Pinter whose sparse sets and characters hark back to this play.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943) - 8/10 - Deanna Durbin stars as a young woman who taught in a missionary school in China alongside her parents and uncle until the Japanese invasion caused them to flee. She manages to get to San Francisco with eight orphan children and does what is necessary to get them into the country. The parts before the arrival in the United States are told in flashback. I thought that this was a very entertaining film and Durbin is very good in a more dramatic role than in many of her previous films. The studio insisted on adding in a number of songs, but many of them involve her singing to the children so the songs fit in fairly well.
Midnight Lace (1960) - 7/10 - Kit Preston (Doris Day) is an heiress who has been married to a British businessman (Rex Harrison) for three months. Her Aunt Bea (Myrna Loy) is coming to visit them in London. Kit hears a mysterious voice in the fog on her way home one night that tells her she is going to die. She starts receiving threatening phone calls from the same person, but the police and others seem to suspect that she is losing her sanity. It was an okay thriller.
The Damned (1969) - 8/10 - The movie starts on the night of the Reichstag Fire in February 1933 and continues through The Night of the Long Knives and beyond. A wealthy German family that owns steel factories becomes more allied with the Nazi Party as time goes on. The patriarch of the family is opposed, but he is murdered early on and the vice president of the firm is framed and must flee. Other family members take control and each of them has issues - Konstantin with his homosexual proclivities, Martin with his child molesting and domineering mother, Sophie with her lover and hunger for power and control. It is an interesting film, though not always a comfortable one.
Seven Thieves (1960) - 8/10 - This heist film has a really nice cast and came out the same year as Ocean's 11. Edward G. Robinson is a disgraced American professor who brings his protege (Rod Steiger) over from America (after completing a 3 year prison sentence) to join a team that he has assembled to rob the vault of a Monte Carlo casino. An elaborate plot is hatched that involves timing and skill along with some misdirection. Joan Collins is the only female on the team and does a pretty good job here as well. I enjoyed the film quite a bit. It can be a bit slow at times as the team does their preparations, but overall I think that the film is well acted and plotted.
Tchaikovsky (1970) - 6/10 - This Russian biopic has a lot of good music as expected. However, I thought that the story lacked cohesion and jumped from scene to scene. We get a few minutes of his childhood and then jump to a middle aged (or close to it) Tchaikovsky. There were decent bits here and there, but overall it didn't quite mesh.
Divorce American Style (1967) - 7/10 - Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds are married with two boys, but they have grown apart after 17 years of marriage and seem headed for divorce. After meeting other people, though, they still have feelings for each other. I didn't like the first 20 minutes or so of the film with all of the arguing and the visit to the marriage counselor, but I thought it got better after that. Jason Robards and Jean Simmons were pretty good in this one in supporting roles.
Midnight Lace (1960) - 7/10 - Kit Preston (Doris Day) is an heiress who has been married to a British businessman (Rex Harrison) for three months. Her Aunt Bea (Myrna Loy) is coming to visit them in London. Kit hears a mysterious voice in the fog on her way home one night that tells her she is going to die. She starts receiving threatening phone calls from the same person, but the police and others seem to suspect that she is losing her sanity. It was an okay thriller.
The Damned (1969) - 8/10 - The movie starts on the night of the Reichstag Fire in February 1933 and continues through The Night of the Long Knives and beyond. A wealthy German family that owns steel factories becomes more allied with the Nazi Party as time goes on. The patriarch of the family is opposed, but he is murdered early on and the vice president of the firm is framed and must flee. Other family members take control and each of them has issues - Konstantin with his homosexual proclivities, Martin with his child molesting and domineering mother, Sophie with her lover and hunger for power and control. It is an interesting film, though not always a comfortable one.
Seven Thieves (1960) - 8/10 - This heist film has a really nice cast and came out the same year as Ocean's 11. Edward G. Robinson is a disgraced American professor who brings his protege (Rod Steiger) over from America (after completing a 3 year prison sentence) to join a team that he has assembled to rob the vault of a Monte Carlo casino. An elaborate plot is hatched that involves timing and skill along with some misdirection. Joan Collins is the only female on the team and does a pretty good job here as well. I enjoyed the film quite a bit. It can be a bit slow at times as the team does their preparations, but overall I think that the film is well acted and plotted.
Tchaikovsky (1970) - 6/10 - This Russian biopic has a lot of good music as expected. However, I thought that the story lacked cohesion and jumped from scene to scene. We get a few minutes of his childhood and then jump to a middle aged (or close to it) Tchaikovsky. There were decent bits here and there, but overall it didn't quite mesh.
Divorce American Style (1967) - 7/10 - Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds are married with two boys, but they have grown apart after 17 years of marriage and seem headed for divorce. After meeting other people, though, they still have feelings for each other. I didn't like the first 20 minutes or so of the film with all of the arguing and the visit to the marriage counselor, but I thought it got better after that. Jason Robards and Jean Simmons were pretty good in this one in supporting roles.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The Uninvited (1944) - 8/10 - In 1937, Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) are on vacation and come across an abandoned mansion that they fall in love with. They look into purchasing the place and discover that it has a tragic past and may in fact be haunted. They go ahead and purchase the place and become involved with Stella Meredith (Gail Russell), the granddaughter of the former owner. Stella is attracted to the home she lived in until she was three, but her grandfather forbids her to visit it. I thought the movie was very good. They had pretty good effects and a good story as well.
Ugetsu (1953) - 9/10 - Genjuro is a farmer who also makes pottery. He lives in a small village in Japan with his wife Miyagi and young son Genichi. A civil war is raging and soldiers are near the village, causing the residents to flee. Tobei and Ohama are another couple in the village. Tobei desperately wishes to become a samurai, pursuing this to the detriment of his family. A trip to a city to sell pottery leads to misfortune for all involved. This movie features excellent acting and cinematography along with an entertaining story. The supernatural elements are also handled very well.
Dream Wife (1953) - 4/10 - Cary Grant plays a misogynistic businessman who is engaged to woman (Deborah Kerr) whose job at the State Department constantly takes precedence over their relationship. They break off their relationship and he decides to marry a princess from a small country that he met on a recent trip, but his former fiance ends up having to serve as a translator/chaperone. The movie is very dated, especially in some of the ideas of gender roles that the characters hold. There are a few funny bits, but a lot of the humor seems forced.
À nous la liberté (1931) - 7/10 - Two convicts attempt to escape, but only one succeeds. He manages to become the wealthy owner of a company that manufactures phonographs. Some time later, his former cellmate gets a job at his plant and recognizes his old friend, thus endangering the whole enterprise. This comedy is entertaining, though it definitely could have been better. The use of music and sound was pretty good.
Colonel Redl (1985) - 8/10 - Alfred Redl was a peasant boy who was born in what is now part of Ukraine, but was then part of Austria-Hungary. He was able to get into a military school and did well leading to his becoming an officer in the Austria-Hungarian army. He rose through the ranks and eventually became one of their chief intelligence officers. In the movie, he becomes ensnared in a plots by Archduke Franz Ferdinand that eventually lead to World War I, though in real life there doesn't appear to be any evidence that this was the case. Redl's homosexuality was something that others could hold against or hold over him when/if it was discovered. I thought this was a pretty good film with good performances, scenery, costumes, etc.
Ugetsu (1953) - 9/10 - Genjuro is a farmer who also makes pottery. He lives in a small village in Japan with his wife Miyagi and young son Genichi. A civil war is raging and soldiers are near the village, causing the residents to flee. Tobei and Ohama are another couple in the village. Tobei desperately wishes to become a samurai, pursuing this to the detriment of his family. A trip to a city to sell pottery leads to misfortune for all involved. This movie features excellent acting and cinematography along with an entertaining story. The supernatural elements are also handled very well.
Dream Wife (1953) - 4/10 - Cary Grant plays a misogynistic businessman who is engaged to woman (Deborah Kerr) whose job at the State Department constantly takes precedence over their relationship. They break off their relationship and he decides to marry a princess from a small country that he met on a recent trip, but his former fiance ends up having to serve as a translator/chaperone. The movie is very dated, especially in some of the ideas of gender roles that the characters hold. There are a few funny bits, but a lot of the humor seems forced.
À nous la liberté (1931) - 7/10 - Two convicts attempt to escape, but only one succeeds. He manages to become the wealthy owner of a company that manufactures phonographs. Some time later, his former cellmate gets a job at his plant and recognizes his old friend, thus endangering the whole enterprise. This comedy is entertaining, though it definitely could have been better. The use of music and sound was pretty good.
Colonel Redl (1985) - 8/10 - Alfred Redl was a peasant boy who was born in what is now part of Ukraine, but was then part of Austria-Hungary. He was able to get into a military school and did well leading to his becoming an officer in the Austria-Hungarian army. He rose through the ranks and eventually became one of their chief intelligence officers. In the movie, he becomes ensnared in a plots by Archduke Franz Ferdinand that eventually lead to World War I, though in real life there doesn't appear to be any evidence that this was the case. Redl's homosexuality was something that others could hold against or hold over him when/if it was discovered. I thought this was a pretty good film with good performances, scenery, costumes, etc.
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HarryGoldfarb
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The Greek Chorus is amazing, I just loved it and even though it’s been ages since I last watched it, I remember most of its scenes. F. Murray Abraham is such an underused good actor.gunnar wrote: I found the Greek chorus to be amusing.
By the way, the “you’re such a Cassandra” exchange is absolutely hilarious.
Far from my favorite Allen film, but I love bits from it.
Last edited by HarryGoldfarb on Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
"If you place an object in a museum, does that make this object a piece of art?" - The Square (2017)
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Coming Home (Zhang Yimou, 2014) 8/10
Haunting drama about a family torn apart by the violent Cultural Revolution in the 1970s when Party officials and local police publicly humiliated and harassed people, seized property, tortured some and arbitrarily imprisoned others. A teenage daughter's (Zhang Huiwen) selfish ambition sets the tragedy in motion which results in a wife and mother (Gong Li) losing her professor husband (Chen Daoming) - first to the Red Guards and then to her own failing memory, as Alzheimer's sets in after decades of devotion and self-sacrifice. The tragedy that results is heartbreaking, dividing relatives and friends while the mother dedicates her life to waiting for her husband's return. The story is ultimately one of triumph of the human spirit and the endless love it is capable of as well as the phenomenal power of such love to emancipate and create beauty from the bleakest of circumstances.
What this film may lack in terms of visual flamboyance, it more than makes up for in telling its simple and direct story with a raw, emotional power that doesn't need lavish spectacle in order to get its point across. The film was a celebrated reunion between Zhang Yimou and his favourite actress and one-time partner Gong Li. The pair collaborated on six films between 1987 and 1995, before ending their relationship. They reunited only twice on films of which this one was their last together as a team.
Crime and Passion (Ivan Passer, 1976) 2/10
Utterly bizarre film is based on the potboiler "Ace Up My Sleeve" by James Hadley Chase. A Viennese financier (Omar Sharif), who has a habit of getting horny when he gets bad news, persuades his mistress and business partner (Karen Black) to marry their richest client (Bernhard Wicki) in return for a huge sum of investment by him in the Company. When his Board accuses him of embezzlement and an attempt is made on his life he seeks help from his married girlfriend who is involved in an affair with a young ski instructor (Joseph Bottoms). She suspects her voyeuristic husband of killing his four ex-wives and thinks he may be behind the murder attempts on her partner of which there are more but which he manages to avoid. Peculiar film gets more and more absurd with every major character turning out to be not who they seem. And then there is a huge suit of armor which also plays a ridiculous part in the plot. Sharif spends the entire film dodging murder attempts with a goofy gap-toothed grin on his face while Black's natural squint gets more and more of a workout. This film is absolute rubbish and gets one star for the Austrian Tyrol locations and another for Karen Black who is sexy because of that squint.
Haunting drama about a family torn apart by the violent Cultural Revolution in the 1970s when Party officials and local police publicly humiliated and harassed people, seized property, tortured some and arbitrarily imprisoned others. A teenage daughter's (Zhang Huiwen) selfish ambition sets the tragedy in motion which results in a wife and mother (Gong Li) losing her professor husband (Chen Daoming) - first to the Red Guards and then to her own failing memory, as Alzheimer's sets in after decades of devotion and self-sacrifice. The tragedy that results is heartbreaking, dividing relatives and friends while the mother dedicates her life to waiting for her husband's return. The story is ultimately one of triumph of the human spirit and the endless love it is capable of as well as the phenomenal power of such love to emancipate and create beauty from the bleakest of circumstances.
What this film may lack in terms of visual flamboyance, it more than makes up for in telling its simple and direct story with a raw, emotional power that doesn't need lavish spectacle in order to get its point across. The film was a celebrated reunion between Zhang Yimou and his favourite actress and one-time partner Gong Li. The pair collaborated on six films between 1987 and 1995, before ending their relationship. They reunited only twice on films of which this one was their last together as a team.
Crime and Passion (Ivan Passer, 1976) 2/10
Utterly bizarre film is based on the potboiler "Ace Up My Sleeve" by James Hadley Chase. A Viennese financier (Omar Sharif), who has a habit of getting horny when he gets bad news, persuades his mistress and business partner (Karen Black) to marry their richest client (Bernhard Wicki) in return for a huge sum of investment by him in the Company. When his Board accuses him of embezzlement and an attempt is made on his life he seeks help from his married girlfriend who is involved in an affair with a young ski instructor (Joseph Bottoms). She suspects her voyeuristic husband of killing his four ex-wives and thinks he may be behind the murder attempts on her partner of which there are more but which he manages to avoid. Peculiar film gets more and more absurd with every major character turning out to be not who they seem. And then there is a huge suit of armor which also plays a ridiculous part in the plot. Sharif spends the entire film dodging murder attempts with a goofy gap-toothed grin on his face while Black's natural squint gets more and more of a workout. This film is absolute rubbish and gets one star for the Austrian Tyrol locations and another for Karen Black who is sexy because of that squint.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Sensations of 1945 (1944) - 7/10 - This is one of those movies where there is a framing storyline that is mainly there to allow various performers to perform. I enjoyed Cab Calloway, Dorothy Donegan, the circus performers, and some of the other acts. W.C. Fields appears in his last movie before he passed away, but unfortunately it wasn't very good. I also wasn't that impressed with Eleanor Powell's pinball machine dance. The framing story was decent enough.
Mighty Aphrodite (1995) - 7/10 - Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen) is an insecure New York sportswriter whose wife Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) basically walks all over him. Amanda is working toward getting her own art gallery and talks Lenny into adopting a newborn boy. Their son Max is pretty bright and when he is about to enter school, Lenny decides to track down Max's biological mother, but discovers that Linda (Mira Sorvino) is actually a prostitute and porn star. I didn't really care for the first half hour or so of the film and found both Lenny and Amanda to be insufferable. However, after Linda came into the picture, I thought the movie got better and I was enjoying the film a lot more by the end. Mira Sorvino is pretty good and I found the Greek chorus to be amusing. I still wouldn't rate this as one of Allen's better films, but it isn't his worst either.
Mighty Aphrodite (1995) - 7/10 - Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen) is an insecure New York sportswriter whose wife Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) basically walks all over him. Amanda is working toward getting her own art gallery and talks Lenny into adopting a newborn boy. Their son Max is pretty bright and when he is about to enter school, Lenny decides to track down Max's biological mother, but discovers that Linda (Mira Sorvino) is actually a prostitute and porn star. I didn't really care for the first half hour or so of the film and found both Lenny and Amanda to be insufferable. However, after Linda came into the picture, I thought the movie got better and I was enjoying the film a lot more by the end. Mira Sorvino is pretty good and I found the Greek chorus to be amusing. I still wouldn't rate this as one of Allen's better films, but it isn't his worst either.