This Gun for Hire (1942) - 8/10 - Alan Ladd is excellent as Raven, a hired killer who is looking for revenge when the payment for his last job turns out to be in marked bills. Veronica Lake is a singer whose fiance is a police lieutenant. She is hired by the man that Raven is after and she happens to encounter Raven on a train. Lake isn't as good as Ladd, but was good enough to help make this a nice noir.
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) - 8/10 - A police detective (Dana Andrews) hates criminals due to his upbringing. He often gets violent with them. When he makes a mistake that costs a life, he tries to pin the deed on a known criminal. Gene Tierney co-stars, but this is mostly a vehicle for Andrews and he is pretty convincing in his role.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) - 8/10 - The first part adapts The Wind in the Willows and the second part adapts The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I enjoyed both parts, especially the headless horseman.
Toys in the Attic (2009) - 8/10 - What if Toy Story was fairly dark and done with stop motion? We get a pretty good sense of the answer with this film. It was a bit weird, but I liked it.
Kansas City Confidential (1952) - 8/10 - Joe Rolfe (John Payne) is an ex-con who gets framed for a robbery that netted over a million dollars. He's questioned and roughed up by the police before being let go. He decides to solve the case himself and track down the people who framed him.
Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Bandolero! (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1968) 6/10
A weak variation of Richard Brooks' The Professionals (1966), the story revolves around a bank robber (Dean Martin) and his gang who are saved from hanging in the nick of time by his elder brother (James Stewart) disguised as the hangman. On the run they are pursued by a posse led by a vengefully relentless sheriff (George Kennedy) who is more interested in getting his lustful hands on the rich rancher's widow (Raquel Welch) who was kidnapped by the gang. Welch was purely used by Hollywood as an enticing piece of meat for the male junta on and off the screen although here she is totally covered up from head to foot like a Muslim matron or a Christian nun until the inevitable moment of an attempted rape where her shirt gets torn and back exposed. Also her hilariously 1960s bouffant hairdo is clearly not appropriate for the film's period. Just as the brothers are confessing about being tired and willing to go straight a group of nasty bandidos attack resulting in a bloodbath. Years later Larry McMurtry, the author of the novel Lonesome Dove, paid homage to this film by using similar names for the characters in his book. Martin is very subdued throughout but Stewart and Welch standout amongst the cast.
The Rare Breed (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1966) 5/10
An erratic screenplay that appears to have suffered in the editing or was made up as they went along with certain characters introduced during the first half (Ben Johnson for one) who then completely disappears. And the romance that is hinted at between the two leads (James Stewart as a crusty cowhand and Maureen O'Hara as an English cow breeder) during the first half sort of meanders during the second half where she spends more screen time with Brian Keith as a Texas rancher - rumors of Stewart and O'Hara not getting along could also have been a reason. Western with silly moments of slapstick comedy and brawls is offset by the main plot where the English widow hopes to introduce Hereford cattle into the American West by breeding it with the local Longhorn cow. Meanwhile her daughter (Juliet Mills) finds romance with Don Galloway and villain Jack Elam causes a deadly stampede. The film is scored by John Williams - one of his early scores when he was still being billed as Johnny.
Payroll (Sidney Hayers, 1961) 8/10
A crook (Michael Craig) plans and executes a robbery of a payroll van with three accomplices. An accountant within the firm provides inside knowledge about the route of the van as he is under pressure to provide a higher standard of living for his wife (Françoise Prévost). However, the van driver is killed during the heist and while the gang lies low with the stolen money the dead man's wife (Billie Whitelaw) wants vengeance. The Kitchen sink dramas of the 1960s gave rise to plots in British films which often concerned the criminal lower classes - a change from the posh lives seen in most films during the previous decades. These themes also played out with an emphasis on greater violence and sexuality which naturally became part of the intense plot here. Craig and Prévost create sexual sparks but its Whitelaw who creates an indelible character who calmly but viciously helps to provide the film's bleak but satisfying conclusion.
Trapped (Luis Mandoki, 2002) 6/10
Plots with children in peril are not entertainment as they always make for a queasy subject. A child (Dakota Fanning) is kidnapped by a gang - the deranged husband (Kevin Bacon) holds the kid's mother (Charlize Theron) hostage, his white trash wife (Courtenay Love) holds the kid's father (Stuart Townsend) hostage while their mentally challenged relative (Pruitt Taylor Vince) holds the asthmatic kid at a secluded place waiting for the ransom to be delivered. Things don't go quite according to plan and the parents almost turn the tables on their captors. The film's absurd climax takes place on a busy highway which also involves a small airplane landing in the midst of heavy traffic. Fast paced thriller is well acted but leaves a nasty taste in one's mouth. Bacon and Theron create unpleasant sparks as they play cat and mouse.
Ticket to Paradise (Ol Parker, 2022) 4/10
Disappointing film in which two huge stars merely coast along. They do have great on screen chemistry but the screenplay seems to have been regurgitated from Blandsville and uses a dream location (Bali) to divert the audience from boredom. Sadly sandy beaches, blue waters, dolphins and stunning views of the sunset do not succeed in keeping one awake. A combative, formerly married couple (George Clooney & Julia Roberts) decide to come together in order to break up their only daughter's sudden nuptials. While on a much needed post-graduation holiday in Bali she meets and falls in love with a local boy whose family is in the seaweed business. The predictable plot plods on with seemingly improvised scenes of the two leads having a ball leading up to a finale you could see coming from a mile away. Fluff that's easy on the eyes but instantly forgettable.
The Legend of Maula Jatt (Bilal Lashari, 2022) 10/10
Watched it again today and it really holds up. Iconic dialogue and characters. The central romance which seems one-sided and rather stilted gets a brief but grand moment set high above on a Ferris wheel under a starry, starry night between Fawad and Mahira. Lashari has created an epic masterpiece mired in blood, gore and violence but not without stunning moments of heart as well. He manages to invoke a mixture of horror, lust and tears, all in equal measure.
A weak variation of Richard Brooks' The Professionals (1966), the story revolves around a bank robber (Dean Martin) and his gang who are saved from hanging in the nick of time by his elder brother (James Stewart) disguised as the hangman. On the run they are pursued by a posse led by a vengefully relentless sheriff (George Kennedy) who is more interested in getting his lustful hands on the rich rancher's widow (Raquel Welch) who was kidnapped by the gang. Welch was purely used by Hollywood as an enticing piece of meat for the male junta on and off the screen although here she is totally covered up from head to foot like a Muslim matron or a Christian nun until the inevitable moment of an attempted rape where her shirt gets torn and back exposed. Also her hilariously 1960s bouffant hairdo is clearly not appropriate for the film's period. Just as the brothers are confessing about being tired and willing to go straight a group of nasty bandidos attack resulting in a bloodbath. Years later Larry McMurtry, the author of the novel Lonesome Dove, paid homage to this film by using similar names for the characters in his book. Martin is very subdued throughout but Stewart and Welch standout amongst the cast.
The Rare Breed (Andrew V. McLaglen, 1966) 5/10
An erratic screenplay that appears to have suffered in the editing or was made up as they went along with certain characters introduced during the first half (Ben Johnson for one) who then completely disappears. And the romance that is hinted at between the two leads (James Stewart as a crusty cowhand and Maureen O'Hara as an English cow breeder) during the first half sort of meanders during the second half where she spends more screen time with Brian Keith as a Texas rancher - rumors of Stewart and O'Hara not getting along could also have been a reason. Western with silly moments of slapstick comedy and brawls is offset by the main plot where the English widow hopes to introduce Hereford cattle into the American West by breeding it with the local Longhorn cow. Meanwhile her daughter (Juliet Mills) finds romance with Don Galloway and villain Jack Elam causes a deadly stampede. The film is scored by John Williams - one of his early scores when he was still being billed as Johnny.
Payroll (Sidney Hayers, 1961) 8/10
A crook (Michael Craig) plans and executes a robbery of a payroll van with three accomplices. An accountant within the firm provides inside knowledge about the route of the van as he is under pressure to provide a higher standard of living for his wife (Françoise Prévost). However, the van driver is killed during the heist and while the gang lies low with the stolen money the dead man's wife (Billie Whitelaw) wants vengeance. The Kitchen sink dramas of the 1960s gave rise to plots in British films which often concerned the criminal lower classes - a change from the posh lives seen in most films during the previous decades. These themes also played out with an emphasis on greater violence and sexuality which naturally became part of the intense plot here. Craig and Prévost create sexual sparks but its Whitelaw who creates an indelible character who calmly but viciously helps to provide the film's bleak but satisfying conclusion.
Trapped (Luis Mandoki, 2002) 6/10
Plots with children in peril are not entertainment as they always make for a queasy subject. A child (Dakota Fanning) is kidnapped by a gang - the deranged husband (Kevin Bacon) holds the kid's mother (Charlize Theron) hostage, his white trash wife (Courtenay Love) holds the kid's father (Stuart Townsend) hostage while their mentally challenged relative (Pruitt Taylor Vince) holds the asthmatic kid at a secluded place waiting for the ransom to be delivered. Things don't go quite according to plan and the parents almost turn the tables on their captors. The film's absurd climax takes place on a busy highway which also involves a small airplane landing in the midst of heavy traffic. Fast paced thriller is well acted but leaves a nasty taste in one's mouth. Bacon and Theron create unpleasant sparks as they play cat and mouse.
Ticket to Paradise (Ol Parker, 2022) 4/10
Disappointing film in which two huge stars merely coast along. They do have great on screen chemistry but the screenplay seems to have been regurgitated from Blandsville and uses a dream location (Bali) to divert the audience from boredom. Sadly sandy beaches, blue waters, dolphins and stunning views of the sunset do not succeed in keeping one awake. A combative, formerly married couple (George Clooney & Julia Roberts) decide to come together in order to break up their only daughter's sudden nuptials. While on a much needed post-graduation holiday in Bali she meets and falls in love with a local boy whose family is in the seaweed business. The predictable plot plods on with seemingly improvised scenes of the two leads having a ball leading up to a finale you could see coming from a mile away. Fluff that's easy on the eyes but instantly forgettable.
The Legend of Maula Jatt (Bilal Lashari, 2022) 10/10
Watched it again today and it really holds up. Iconic dialogue and characters. The central romance which seems one-sided and rather stilted gets a brief but grand moment set high above on a Ferris wheel under a starry, starry night between Fawad and Mahira. Lashari has created an epic masterpiece mired in blood, gore and violence but not without stunning moments of heart as well. He manages to invoke a mixture of horror, lust and tears, all in equal measure.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Paprika (2006) - 8/10 - A device that allows people to enter the dreams of others is stolen. The device was intended to aid in therapy, but is now being used as a weapon. One researcher/doctor enters the dream world in order to track down the missing device and the person who stole it. In the dream world, she becomes Paprika. She also has the assistance of a police detective who is also a patient. The visuals and dream world are very cool and the film is pretty entertaining. It's been too long since I watched Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress to make any comparisons. I probably need to rewatch each of them.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - 8.5/10 - Three homeless people find an abandoned baby at Christmastime and head out to try and track down the mother. This leads them on an adventure throughout the city. There is plenty of humor mixed in with the adventure and drama. I enjoyed the film quite a bit.
Night and the City (1950) - 8.5/10 - Richard Widmark stars as Harry Fabian, a small time hustler trying to make it big in London. He tries to set up a wrestling circuit by using an old champion named Gregorius whose son Kristo controls all of the wrestling in the city. The mood is established early and is pretty consistent throughout in a very entertaining film which also features a nice wrestling fight.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - 9/10 - In 1923, Padraic (Colin Farrell) lives with his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) on an island off the mainland of Ireland. He has a daily routine of meeting his friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) at 2pm so that they can head to the pub for a pint. However, Colm informs Padraic that he doesn't like him any more and wants to be left alone. There are very nice performances here from Farrell, Gleeson, and Condon plus Barry Keoghan as the dimwitted Dominic. The cinematography is gorgeous and the film is pretty funny much of the time, but also sad.
Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - 8.5/10 - Three homeless people find an abandoned baby at Christmastime and head out to try and track down the mother. This leads them on an adventure throughout the city. There is plenty of humor mixed in with the adventure and drama. I enjoyed the film quite a bit.
Night and the City (1950) - 8.5/10 - Richard Widmark stars as Harry Fabian, a small time hustler trying to make it big in London. He tries to set up a wrestling circuit by using an old champion named Gregorius whose son Kristo controls all of the wrestling in the city. The mood is established early and is pretty consistent throughout in a very entertaining film which also features a nice wrestling fight.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - 9/10 - In 1923, Padraic (Colin Farrell) lives with his sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) on an island off the mainland of Ireland. He has a daily routine of meeting his friend Colm (Brendan Gleeson) at 2pm so that they can head to the pub for a pint. However, Colm informs Padraic that he doesn't like him any more and wants to be left alone. There are very nice performances here from Farrell, Gleeson, and Condon plus Barry Keoghan as the dimwitted Dominic. The cinematography is gorgeous and the film is pretty funny much of the time, but also sad.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone, 1930) 10/10
A group of German school boys joyfully decide to enlist in the army after being given a pep talk about the glory of war by their jingoistic school teacher. These opening scenes full of hope and excitement soon turn into shock and horror when confronted by the devastation on the battlefield and in the trenches. Erich Maria Remarque's classic anti-war novel is superbly adapted for the big screen in this early Hollywood sound film. The story is mainly centered on one hopeful bright-eyed youth (Lew Ayres) who enlists, goes through boot camp and is shocked to discover the extent of violence and death on the field. As his school mates die one by one it becomes a harrowing journey of survival for the boys still alive. Every harrowing moment here highlights the absolute futility of war and of how so many human lives were snuffed out during WWI. The screenplay maintains its downbeat tone right to the last scene involving a fluttering butterfly. Louis Wolheim is superb as the gruff corporal who takes the boys under his wing and Lew Ayres became a huge star after this film. In fact he was so effected by the film that he turned pacifist which led to many problems in his career in Hollywood when later WWII broke out and he refused to enlist. The film and director Milestone won much deserved Oscars while the screenplay and cinematography received nominations.
Reindeer Games (John Frankenheimer, 2000) 2/10
A convict (Ben Affleck), the girl (Charlize Theron), her psychotic brother (Gary Sinise) and a plan to rob a casino dressed as Santa Claus. Lousy thriller is shockingly bad especially coming from a director like Frankenheimer - it was his last film and a whole lotta studio tampering put a damper on the proceedings. Affleck flounders, Sinise hams it up and Charlize's goes topless but there is just no juice in the plot despite the twist ending.
Week-End Marriage (Thornton Freeland, 1932) 6/10
Interesting pre-code film has the young married couple (Norman Foster & Loretta Young) sharing the marital bed and are shown rolling around smooching. This would change two years later in Hollywood as censorship would only allow screen couples to be seen on single beds separated by a few feet with one or both actors having a foot on the floor. The plot revolves around the wife wanting to work while the husband feels insecure especially when she starts earning more than him. Sexual politics circa 1932 as the screenplay explores the lives of three couples - one scenario has a couple (Roscoe Karns and the brilliant Aline MacMahon) working in successful jobs, the second has a young girl (Vivienne Osborne) who is forced to leave her job and get married to a bootlegger she does not love and the third is the couple where the wife earns more causing a rift in the marriage. Not withstanding the predictable and rather silly ending along with some highly questionable character decisions the film makes some interesting points about marriage and career. George Brent has a small part as a charming cad wanting to break into the broken relationship of the lead couple. Also fascinating to see the camera which is constantly on the move unlike most films from that early sound period where the camera was often static.
The Mountain Road (Daniel Mann, 1960) 3/10
A rare James Stewart film I had somehow missed. It's dull as dishwater and quite a slog to sit through. Set in East China during WWII in 1944. An American army Major (James Stewart) and his group of demolition experts are assigned the task of destroying military installations, bridges, airfields, roads and munitions dumps in order to slow down the advancing Japanese army. In the name of Chinese-American war co-operation he reluctantly agrees to transport the widow (Lisa Lu) of a Chinese colonel. Their never-ending journey is fraught with danger which also includes local Chinese refugees and bandits. Low budget film decides to substitute a lot of dialogue instead of action or visuals so the going gets very tough. The only positive aspect of the film is that it tackles cultural misunderstanding and racial prejudice between the American soldiers and their Chinese allies, subjects mostly missing in most Hollywood war films that came before. It was probably the only reason actor Stewart agreed to star in a war film - his first, as having fought during WWII he felt Hollywood brought zero authenticity to the genre, hence always refused to act in a war film until this boring one. The film was shot in the rugged terrain of Tucson in Arizona which substitutes for China.
The Naked Spur (Anthony Mann, 1953) 8/10
Stewart in full-on ferocious mode as a greedy and embittered bounty hunter hell bent on capturing and turning in a murderer (Robert Ryan) for ransom. Coming in the way are an old prospector (a superb Millard Mitchell), a dishonestly discharged Union soldier (Ralph Meeker), and the waif (Janet Leigh) accompanying the killer. He is forced to form a partnership with the two men but greed takes over and each man wants the full ransom for himself. This is one of Stewart's great performances with Ryan matching him every step of the way as the cruel killer with a perpetual smile on his face. The rugged Colorado and Durango locations are stunningly photographed in color by William C. Mellor. Intense psychological western with noir overtones is a battle between man's greed for money and his need for love. The screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award.
Love and Bullets (Stuart Rosenberg, 1979) 4/10
Jill Ireland plays the hillbilly blonde-bewigged moll of a tough gangster (Rod Steiger). Tammy Wynette seems to be the inspiration as we get to hear her listening to "Stand By Your Man". Luckily her annoying persona gets a dressing down by a cop (Charles Bronson) who orders her to get rid of the wig and the garish makeup off her face. Unfortunately with the disappearance of that annoying look Ireland's amateurish performance and whining accent gets accentuated and one is left to look at the Swiss locations as the only means of trying to distract oneself from her over-the-top performance. Bronson is certainly no help as he underplays to the point of almost disappearing into the woodwork. Every once in a while a car explosion manages to jerk some life into this dismal action-thriller. The FBI, in order to get a notorious gangster, gets a cop to go get the man's moll so she can squeal on him. The crook puts a hit on her so a cat-and-mouse game ensues between the assassin and the cop while the moll gets dragged all around Switzerland where she had been holed up. The film has very little dialogue - though allows Steiger to stammer, bark and ham it up - and is merely a collection of chase set pieces on trains, boats, chalets and in hotels. An eclectic supporting cast - Bradford Dillman, Henry Silva, Strother Martin, Michael V. Gazzo, Albert Salmi, Paul Koslo, Val Avery - turn up in bit parts to liven up the proceedings. If it were not for the Swiss travelog sequences this film would have been a complete right-off. However, Lalo Schifrin's lively score has a touch of Ennio Morricone and is pleasing to the ear while the cameras of Fred J. Koenekamp and Tony Richmond capture the superb crystal clear snowy vistas - the Matterhorn gets a very prominent look-in as well.
A group of German school boys joyfully decide to enlist in the army after being given a pep talk about the glory of war by their jingoistic school teacher. These opening scenes full of hope and excitement soon turn into shock and horror when confronted by the devastation on the battlefield and in the trenches. Erich Maria Remarque's classic anti-war novel is superbly adapted for the big screen in this early Hollywood sound film. The story is mainly centered on one hopeful bright-eyed youth (Lew Ayres) who enlists, goes through boot camp and is shocked to discover the extent of violence and death on the field. As his school mates die one by one it becomes a harrowing journey of survival for the boys still alive. Every harrowing moment here highlights the absolute futility of war and of how so many human lives were snuffed out during WWI. The screenplay maintains its downbeat tone right to the last scene involving a fluttering butterfly. Louis Wolheim is superb as the gruff corporal who takes the boys under his wing and Lew Ayres became a huge star after this film. In fact he was so effected by the film that he turned pacifist which led to many problems in his career in Hollywood when later WWII broke out and he refused to enlist. The film and director Milestone won much deserved Oscars while the screenplay and cinematography received nominations.
Reindeer Games (John Frankenheimer, 2000) 2/10
A convict (Ben Affleck), the girl (Charlize Theron), her psychotic brother (Gary Sinise) and a plan to rob a casino dressed as Santa Claus. Lousy thriller is shockingly bad especially coming from a director like Frankenheimer - it was his last film and a whole lotta studio tampering put a damper on the proceedings. Affleck flounders, Sinise hams it up and Charlize's goes topless but there is just no juice in the plot despite the twist ending.
Week-End Marriage (Thornton Freeland, 1932) 6/10
Interesting pre-code film has the young married couple (Norman Foster & Loretta Young) sharing the marital bed and are shown rolling around smooching. This would change two years later in Hollywood as censorship would only allow screen couples to be seen on single beds separated by a few feet with one or both actors having a foot on the floor. The plot revolves around the wife wanting to work while the husband feels insecure especially when she starts earning more than him. Sexual politics circa 1932 as the screenplay explores the lives of three couples - one scenario has a couple (Roscoe Karns and the brilliant Aline MacMahon) working in successful jobs, the second has a young girl (Vivienne Osborne) who is forced to leave her job and get married to a bootlegger she does not love and the third is the couple where the wife earns more causing a rift in the marriage. Not withstanding the predictable and rather silly ending along with some highly questionable character decisions the film makes some interesting points about marriage and career. George Brent has a small part as a charming cad wanting to break into the broken relationship of the lead couple. Also fascinating to see the camera which is constantly on the move unlike most films from that early sound period where the camera was often static.
The Mountain Road (Daniel Mann, 1960) 3/10
A rare James Stewart film I had somehow missed. It's dull as dishwater and quite a slog to sit through. Set in East China during WWII in 1944. An American army Major (James Stewart) and his group of demolition experts are assigned the task of destroying military installations, bridges, airfields, roads and munitions dumps in order to slow down the advancing Japanese army. In the name of Chinese-American war co-operation he reluctantly agrees to transport the widow (Lisa Lu) of a Chinese colonel. Their never-ending journey is fraught with danger which also includes local Chinese refugees and bandits. Low budget film decides to substitute a lot of dialogue instead of action or visuals so the going gets very tough. The only positive aspect of the film is that it tackles cultural misunderstanding and racial prejudice between the American soldiers and their Chinese allies, subjects mostly missing in most Hollywood war films that came before. It was probably the only reason actor Stewart agreed to star in a war film - his first, as having fought during WWII he felt Hollywood brought zero authenticity to the genre, hence always refused to act in a war film until this boring one. The film was shot in the rugged terrain of Tucson in Arizona which substitutes for China.
The Naked Spur (Anthony Mann, 1953) 8/10
Stewart in full-on ferocious mode as a greedy and embittered bounty hunter hell bent on capturing and turning in a murderer (Robert Ryan) for ransom. Coming in the way are an old prospector (a superb Millard Mitchell), a dishonestly discharged Union soldier (Ralph Meeker), and the waif (Janet Leigh) accompanying the killer. He is forced to form a partnership with the two men but greed takes over and each man wants the full ransom for himself. This is one of Stewart's great performances with Ryan matching him every step of the way as the cruel killer with a perpetual smile on his face. The rugged Colorado and Durango locations are stunningly photographed in color by William C. Mellor. Intense psychological western with noir overtones is a battle between man's greed for money and his need for love. The screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award.
Love and Bullets (Stuart Rosenberg, 1979) 4/10
Jill Ireland plays the hillbilly blonde-bewigged moll of a tough gangster (Rod Steiger). Tammy Wynette seems to be the inspiration as we get to hear her listening to "Stand By Your Man". Luckily her annoying persona gets a dressing down by a cop (Charles Bronson) who orders her to get rid of the wig and the garish makeup off her face. Unfortunately with the disappearance of that annoying look Ireland's amateurish performance and whining accent gets accentuated and one is left to look at the Swiss locations as the only means of trying to distract oneself from her over-the-top performance. Bronson is certainly no help as he underplays to the point of almost disappearing into the woodwork. Every once in a while a car explosion manages to jerk some life into this dismal action-thriller. The FBI, in order to get a notorious gangster, gets a cop to go get the man's moll so she can squeal on him. The crook puts a hit on her so a cat-and-mouse game ensues between the assassin and the cop while the moll gets dragged all around Switzerland where she had been holed up. The film has very little dialogue - though allows Steiger to stammer, bark and ham it up - and is merely a collection of chase set pieces on trains, boats, chalets and in hotels. An eclectic supporting cast - Bradford Dillman, Henry Silva, Strother Martin, Michael V. Gazzo, Albert Salmi, Paul Koslo, Val Avery - turn up in bit parts to liven up the proceedings. If it were not for the Swiss travelog sequences this film would have been a complete right-off. However, Lalo Schifrin's lively score has a touch of Ennio Morricone and is pleasing to the ear while the cameras of Fred J. Koenekamp and Tony Richmond capture the superb crystal clear snowy vistas - the Matterhorn gets a very prominent look-in as well.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Battle Royale (2000) - 8/10 - I first heard of this film a long time ago, but never sought it out. It was a lot of fun. I didn't like it quite enough to put it on my Top 20 Japan list, but it isn't too far off.
Killer of Sheep (1978) - 8/10 - Stan works in a slaughterhouse and the movie portrays life in Watts during the early 1970s, primarily through the lives of Stan and his family. It's a nice, leisurely paced film that brings you into their world. It also has a very nice soundtrack.
Oscar (2004) - 8/10 - Oscar is a taxi driver in Argentina who carries around paint, glue, posters, and cutouts with him as he drives. He uses these to create street art or to alter advertisements with his own political statements. Some of the work was pretty creative and I enjoyed the documentary.
Head-On (2004) - 8/10 - Cahit is a German Turk who drives his car into a building to try and commit suicide. While in the hospital, he meets a young Turkish woman who wants to escape from her disapproving family and convinces him to marry her in a marriage of convenience, even though he is much older than her and not interested in getting married. I thought the first half of the film was better than the second half, but overall a very nice film.
Winter Sleep (2014) - 8/10 - A wealthy former actor owns a tourist hotel on a mountain plus other properties. He spends time writing a column for a local paper and is fairly detached from the day to day running of his business, leaving it instead to his head employee. He is seemingly unaware that he is not very popular. His wife feels smothered by him and involves herself with charity work. The film also focuses on a poor family of tenants who are also very prideful. The characters don't seem capable of truly understanding each other. It's a pretty good film.
The Black Phone (2021) - 8/10 - In 1978, a serial killer is abducting young boys. Finn is the latest abductee and he has to try to escape the trap he is in. Fortunately he has some supernatural help. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. They did a good job capturing the feel of the era and the lead performances of the kids playing Finn and his sister Gwen each gave a very nice performance.
Niagara (1953) - 8/10 - A couple on a delayed honeymoon (Jean Peters and Max Showalter) arrive at Niagara Falls to find that their cabin is still occupied by a couple having some marital problems (Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten). The backdrop of Niagara Falls works really well here and Jean Peters is excellent. Cotten is also good as the troubled and jealous husband.
Pompo: The Cinephile (2021) - 8.5/10 - Pompo runs a movie studio and has been directing/producing quite a few popular B-movies. She has written a script with a couple of actors in mind - an experienced pro and a newbie - and assigns her assistant to direct the film in his first directing role. The film shows a respect and love for cinema and also spins a pretty entertaining story.
The Old Man Movie (2019) - 8.5/10 - When the farmer's grandchildren come to visit, it disrupts his milking routine and the cow goes missing. They have 24 hours to track down the cow or it will explode. This movie is crazy (in a good way) and I was laughing throughout much of it. We get all sorts of things in here - chainsaws, hippies, tree sex, rock and roll, a mechanical cow, and lots of shit.
The Crossing (2021) - 9/10 - A brother and sister are separated from their family in a war torn country as the family seeks to cross the border into the relative safety of a neighboring country. They face hardships and continue to make the journey, hoping one day to be reunited with the rest of their family. The girl keeps a sketchbook with her during the journey, adding to it as she goes along. The story is told from the girl's point of view and is very well done. The art is gorgeously painted on glass.
Killer of Sheep (1978) - 8/10 - Stan works in a slaughterhouse and the movie portrays life in Watts during the early 1970s, primarily through the lives of Stan and his family. It's a nice, leisurely paced film that brings you into their world. It also has a very nice soundtrack.
Oscar (2004) - 8/10 - Oscar is a taxi driver in Argentina who carries around paint, glue, posters, and cutouts with him as he drives. He uses these to create street art or to alter advertisements with his own political statements. Some of the work was pretty creative and I enjoyed the documentary.
Head-On (2004) - 8/10 - Cahit is a German Turk who drives his car into a building to try and commit suicide. While in the hospital, he meets a young Turkish woman who wants to escape from her disapproving family and convinces him to marry her in a marriage of convenience, even though he is much older than her and not interested in getting married. I thought the first half of the film was better than the second half, but overall a very nice film.
Winter Sleep (2014) - 8/10 - A wealthy former actor owns a tourist hotel on a mountain plus other properties. He spends time writing a column for a local paper and is fairly detached from the day to day running of his business, leaving it instead to his head employee. He is seemingly unaware that he is not very popular. His wife feels smothered by him and involves herself with charity work. The film also focuses on a poor family of tenants who are also very prideful. The characters don't seem capable of truly understanding each other. It's a pretty good film.
The Black Phone (2021) - 8/10 - In 1978, a serial killer is abducting young boys. Finn is the latest abductee and he has to try to escape the trap he is in. Fortunately he has some supernatural help. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. They did a good job capturing the feel of the era and the lead performances of the kids playing Finn and his sister Gwen each gave a very nice performance.
Niagara (1953) - 8/10 - A couple on a delayed honeymoon (Jean Peters and Max Showalter) arrive at Niagara Falls to find that their cabin is still occupied by a couple having some marital problems (Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten). The backdrop of Niagara Falls works really well here and Jean Peters is excellent. Cotten is also good as the troubled and jealous husband.
Pompo: The Cinephile (2021) - 8.5/10 - Pompo runs a movie studio and has been directing/producing quite a few popular B-movies. She has written a script with a couple of actors in mind - an experienced pro and a newbie - and assigns her assistant to direct the film in his first directing role. The film shows a respect and love for cinema and also spins a pretty entertaining story.
The Old Man Movie (2019) - 8.5/10 - When the farmer's grandchildren come to visit, it disrupts his milking routine and the cow goes missing. They have 24 hours to track down the cow or it will explode. This movie is crazy (in a good way) and I was laughing throughout much of it. We get all sorts of things in here - chainsaws, hippies, tree sex, rock and roll, a mechanical cow, and lots of shit.
The Crossing (2021) - 9/10 - A brother and sister are separated from their family in a war torn country as the family seeks to cross the border into the relative safety of a neighboring country. They face hardships and continue to make the journey, hoping one day to be reunited with the rest of their family. The girl keeps a sketchbook with her during the journey, adding to it as she goes along. The story is told from the girl's point of view and is very well done. The art is gorgeously painted on glass.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Im Westen nichts Neues / All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger, 2022) 10/10
Disturbing anti-war film is based on the classic German novel by Erich Maria Remarque which first came to the screen in an Oscar winning Hollywood adaptation in 1930. This harrowing German remake takes the audience and puts them right into the trenches with the film's young protagonist, Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer). Like many young boys at the time he excitedly joins up to fight by lying about his age. Pumped up by romanticized patriotic notions his rite of passage will prove to be devastating and an eye opener. Hollywood has often broached the subject of WWI, and as recently in Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011) and Sam Mendes' 1917 (2019), where it was the Americans and the Allies as the heroes against Germany, but this version is purely from the perspective of the German soldier. The film's outstanding cinematography highlights the disparity between the wealthy elite who directed the war from comfortably lush surroundings dictating to young boys fighting in squalid trenches and on the bloody battlefield. Offices and plush railway cars from where senior military officials operate are brightly lit highlighting colorful uniforms while the scenes on the front are shot with a blue-grey hue. Paul's coming-of-age journey is a relentless and never-ending crawl through violence and death which Berger depicts in graphic detail. This is one of the year's best films and must be seen to realize just how futile all wars are and a lesson for humanity that peaceful existence is the only way out in life.
The Good Nurse (Tobias Lindholm, 2022) 5/10
A serial killer murders patients in hospitals by spiking IV bags with insulin and another drug. A nurse (Jessica Chastain), with a congenitive heart ailment, finds herself at the center of patients dying as she and a sympathetic new recruit (Eddie Redmayne) at the hospital try to figure out the situation. Well acted film is based on the 2013 non-fiction book "The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder" by Charles Graeber about the serial killer Charles Cullen who murdered patients in hospitals while disguised as a nurse.
Vikram Vedha (Pushkar & Gayathri, 2022) 7/10
Vikram (Saif Ali Khan) is an honest cop who sees good and evil strictly in terms of black and white. Vedha (Hrithik Roshan) is a dreaded criminal who understands that both good and evil have nuances of grey. Desperate to nab the criminal the whole police department is shocked when he walks into the precinct and hands himself over to the police. During the interrogation Vedha insists on relating three stories to Vikram which gradually shifts the cop's perception about the villain and instead exposes corruption where least expected. This is a rare Hrithik Roshan film that bombed at the boxoffice but its not without interest. A remake of an acclaimed award-winning Tamil film the convoluted plot is like a jigsaw puzzle which the cop unravels but with the bemused help of the villain. Roshan, his familiar looks hidden under mounds of facial hair, still manages his usual star turn using his twinkling light coloured eyes to great effect. He is perfectly matched in the acting stakes by Saif Ali Khan as the relentless cop who gradually wakes up to a scenario that was clearly evident under his nose all along. Sometimes being overly righteous can cause a person to lose perspective of the truth.
This out-and-out masala film has good production values - cinematography, production design and music score. And there is a good supporting turn by Radhika Apte as the cop's wife who becomes the villain's defence attorney. Roshan even gets to show his dance moves which is a de rigueur crowd-pleasing moment of every film with this particular star.
Le Magnifique / The Man from Acapulco (Philippe de Broca, 1973) 6/10
Belmondo teams up again with de Broca in this rather corny spoof of James Bond thrillers - especially B-series espionage films and the men who write them. Accompanying them is the magnificent Jacqueline Bisset who here is in danger of losing one breast to the villain. A writer (Jean-Paul Belmondo) imagines himself to be the suave secret agent Bob Sinclar of his pulpy novels, imagines a sociology student (Jacqueline Bisset) to be his paramour Tatiana and transforms his rich publisher (Vittorio Caprioli) into the dastardly villain of his spy stories. In reality he is a dull and clumsy divorced man barely making a living with a crush on the sociology student who lives in his building. Typical madcap situations ensue as the overactive imagination of the writer allows him to be the dashing super hero. Belmondo has a high time and here delights in playing the two contrasting roles - he excels more in the action-packed sequences where he performs his own stunts. Bisset also has great fun with the part where she plays the imaginary gun-toting female agent with a bikini covering her voluptuous body and contrasts it with the straitlaced student wearing a pair of studious spectacles. She gets to ride out the cliché of a sexy woman running on a beach in slow motion dressed in a bra and long skirt and needless to say she nails it. Raucous farce almost seems like a precursor to the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker films of the 1980s.
Disturbing anti-war film is based on the classic German novel by Erich Maria Remarque which first came to the screen in an Oscar winning Hollywood adaptation in 1930. This harrowing German remake takes the audience and puts them right into the trenches with the film's young protagonist, Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer). Like many young boys at the time he excitedly joins up to fight by lying about his age. Pumped up by romanticized patriotic notions his rite of passage will prove to be devastating and an eye opener. Hollywood has often broached the subject of WWI, and as recently in Steven Spielberg's War Horse (2011) and Sam Mendes' 1917 (2019), where it was the Americans and the Allies as the heroes against Germany, but this version is purely from the perspective of the German soldier. The film's outstanding cinematography highlights the disparity between the wealthy elite who directed the war from comfortably lush surroundings dictating to young boys fighting in squalid trenches and on the bloody battlefield. Offices and plush railway cars from where senior military officials operate are brightly lit highlighting colorful uniforms while the scenes on the front are shot with a blue-grey hue. Paul's coming-of-age journey is a relentless and never-ending crawl through violence and death which Berger depicts in graphic detail. This is one of the year's best films and must be seen to realize just how futile all wars are and a lesson for humanity that peaceful existence is the only way out in life.
The Good Nurse (Tobias Lindholm, 2022) 5/10
A serial killer murders patients in hospitals by spiking IV bags with insulin and another drug. A nurse (Jessica Chastain), with a congenitive heart ailment, finds herself at the center of patients dying as she and a sympathetic new recruit (Eddie Redmayne) at the hospital try to figure out the situation. Well acted film is based on the 2013 non-fiction book "The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder" by Charles Graeber about the serial killer Charles Cullen who murdered patients in hospitals while disguised as a nurse.
Vikram Vedha (Pushkar & Gayathri, 2022) 7/10
Vikram (Saif Ali Khan) is an honest cop who sees good and evil strictly in terms of black and white. Vedha (Hrithik Roshan) is a dreaded criminal who understands that both good and evil have nuances of grey. Desperate to nab the criminal the whole police department is shocked when he walks into the precinct and hands himself over to the police. During the interrogation Vedha insists on relating three stories to Vikram which gradually shifts the cop's perception about the villain and instead exposes corruption where least expected. This is a rare Hrithik Roshan film that bombed at the boxoffice but its not without interest. A remake of an acclaimed award-winning Tamil film the convoluted plot is like a jigsaw puzzle which the cop unravels but with the bemused help of the villain. Roshan, his familiar looks hidden under mounds of facial hair, still manages his usual star turn using his twinkling light coloured eyes to great effect. He is perfectly matched in the acting stakes by Saif Ali Khan as the relentless cop who gradually wakes up to a scenario that was clearly evident under his nose all along. Sometimes being overly righteous can cause a person to lose perspective of the truth.
This out-and-out masala film has good production values - cinematography, production design and music score. And there is a good supporting turn by Radhika Apte as the cop's wife who becomes the villain's defence attorney. Roshan even gets to show his dance moves which is a de rigueur crowd-pleasing moment of every film with this particular star.
Le Magnifique / The Man from Acapulco (Philippe de Broca, 1973) 6/10
Belmondo teams up again with de Broca in this rather corny spoof of James Bond thrillers - especially B-series espionage films and the men who write them. Accompanying them is the magnificent Jacqueline Bisset who here is in danger of losing one breast to the villain. A writer (Jean-Paul Belmondo) imagines himself to be the suave secret agent Bob Sinclar of his pulpy novels, imagines a sociology student (Jacqueline Bisset) to be his paramour Tatiana and transforms his rich publisher (Vittorio Caprioli) into the dastardly villain of his spy stories. In reality he is a dull and clumsy divorced man barely making a living with a crush on the sociology student who lives in his building. Typical madcap situations ensue as the overactive imagination of the writer allows him to be the dashing super hero. Belmondo has a high time and here delights in playing the two contrasting roles - he excels more in the action-packed sequences where he performs his own stunts. Bisset also has great fun with the part where she plays the imaginary gun-toting female agent with a bikini covering her voluptuous body and contrasts it with the straitlaced student wearing a pair of studious spectacles. She gets to ride out the cliché of a sexy woman running on a beach in slow motion dressed in a bra and long skirt and needless to say she nails it. Raucous farce almost seems like a precursor to the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker films of the 1980s.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Night of the Comet (1984) - 8.5/10 - Teenage Mutant Comet Zombies! A rare comet passes the Earth and inspires tons of comet parties. Unfortunately, it ends up turning most of the population to dust with a few survivors and some partial survivors who have become zombies. It's plenty of fun.
Gojira (1954) - 8/10 - I'd only seen the American version of the film before and that was about 30 years ago so it was nice to see this version.
Mr. Thank You (1936) - 8/10 - A bus driver is known as Mr. Thank You since he thanks people as they move aside for his bus as it travels through the countryside. We get to see a number of people as they get on and off the bus plus nice views of the countryside as they travel. Mr. Thank You is fairly well known along his route and the people occasionally ask him for favors. It's a pleasant film.
The Evil Eye / The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) - 8/10 - A woman on vacation arrives in Rome to visit her elderly aunt. It isn't long before the woman is assaulted and knocked unconscious. When she revives, she is still dizzy, but witnesses a woman die nearby, but the police find no evidence of the murder when she reports it. This is a nice film with a good mix of suspense and mystery
Asphalt (1929) - 8/10 - A young policeman's life changes when he falls for a woman caught stealing a diamond. A very nice film with good performances from the leads and supporting cast.
Le roman de Renard / The Story of the Fox (1937) - 8/10 - This early puppet animation film tells the story of Reynard the Fox as a variety of animals bring complaints to the king about him and tell their tales of how he tricked them. The final battle is a thing of beauty. Very entertaining.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011) - 9/10 - Five college friends head to a remote cabin for a weekend only to find more than they expected. This is a pretty funny movie that pays attention to a number of little details along the way.
Gojira (1954) - 8/10 - I'd only seen the American version of the film before and that was about 30 years ago so it was nice to see this version.
Mr. Thank You (1936) - 8/10 - A bus driver is known as Mr. Thank You since he thanks people as they move aside for his bus as it travels through the countryside. We get to see a number of people as they get on and off the bus plus nice views of the countryside as they travel. Mr. Thank You is fairly well known along his route and the people occasionally ask him for favors. It's a pleasant film.
The Evil Eye / The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) - 8/10 - A woman on vacation arrives in Rome to visit her elderly aunt. It isn't long before the woman is assaulted and knocked unconscious. When she revives, she is still dizzy, but witnesses a woman die nearby, but the police find no evidence of the murder when she reports it. This is a nice film with a good mix of suspense and mystery
Asphalt (1929) - 8/10 - A young policeman's life changes when he falls for a woman caught stealing a diamond. A very nice film with good performances from the leads and supporting cast.
Le roman de Renard / The Story of the Fox (1937) - 8/10 - This early puppet animation film tells the story of Reynard the Fox as a variety of animals bring complaints to the king about him and tell their tales of how he tricked them. The final battle is a thing of beauty. Very entertaining.
The Cabin in the Woods (2011) - 9/10 - Five college friends head to a remote cabin for a weekend only to find more than they expected. This is a pretty funny movie that pays attention to a number of little details along the way.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The Good House (Maya Forbes & Wally Wolodarsky, 2022) 6/10
Minor little film is a showcase for Sigourney Weaver as she disappears into the role of a once prosperous real estate agent who is now struggling to keep her business going as she battles an alcohol problem while in denial. She is also harboring an old family secret which she has suppressed since she was a teenager. The story is set in an affluent little New England town where she gets involved in the lives of the townfolk and dodges the attempts of her two adult daughters who want her to go back to rehab. Still bristling about her divorce - he left her for another man and she is paying him alimony - she settles into a comfortable affair with an ex-boyfriend (Kevin Kline) who is now a wealthy garbage collector. Weaver puts the audience immediately on her side as she breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the screen. Her incisive put downs are hilarious and these scenes absolutely sparkle. The comfort level on screen with Kline is evident (it's their third film together) even though his part is underwritten. Good to see Weaver still has a great deal of spunk and still getting lead roles even if they happen to be in minor fare.
Stars in My Crown (Jacques Tourneur, 1950) 10/10
Moving memory piece is set right after the Civil War in an idealized Southern community. The story is related by an adult who as an orphan (cute Dean Stockwell) was adopted by his aunt (lovely Ellen Drew) who married the town preacher (Joel McCrea) who famously keeps a bible in one hand and a gun in the other. Episodic film is rare in that it depicts religion without any conflict and stands hand in hand equally with the rational and the supernatural. The screenplay rides out a year in the lives of the townfolk as they are confronted by a typhoid outbreak, superstition, greed, and the Ku Klux Klan. Every character gets a small arc to themselves - the town's old doctor (Lewis Stone), his son (James Mitchell) and his new wife (Amanda Blake), a greedy mine owner (Ed Begley) who tries to browbeat an elderly black farmer (Juano Hernandez) into selling his land and the preacher's Civil War soldier friend, a farmer (a superb Alan Hale in his last film), and his five sons who help rebuild the black farmer's home after the Ku Klux Klan destroy it. One of the early Hollywood films that takes a strong stand against racism is also an excellent showcase for the charming Joel McCrea in what was the actor's personal favorite film.
Le passé / The Past (Asghar Farhadi, 2013) 8/10
Like Farhadi’s previous film (“A Separation”) this one also explores how constant talk and anguished outbursts obscure the capacity for honest communication. Characters assume a lot instead of trying to get to the truth with resulting anguish and heartache. Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) arrives in Paris from his native Iran four years after separating from his French wife Marie (Bérénice Bejo) in order to finalize their divorce. He finds the family at serious odds: While a pregnant Marie plans to marry Samir (Tahar Rahim), her daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet) from an earlier marriage maintains distance from her mother as she is frustrated by the older woman’s string of fleeting romances. Ahmad uncovers its most troublesome aspect through casual discussion: Samir’s wife lies comatose in a hospital after a botched suicide attempt and Lucie harbours a devaststing secret that is eating away into her soul. This story is almost like a mystery about relationships only partially understood by their participants as the screenplay slowly reveals its puzzle pieces exposing troubled people trapped by a network of errors and tragedy in this wrenching, relentlessly intelligent drama. Bejo won an award for her performance at the Cannes Film Festival.
State of Play (Kevin Macdonald, 2009) 7/10
This is a big screen adaptation and rewrite of a 5 part BBC Tv series. When the aide and lover of a politician (Ben Affleck) dies by falling in front of a subway train his attempts to expose and discredit a shadowy corporation (think Blackwater) threatens to unravel. When a scruffy but seasoned journalist (Russell Crowe) and his blogger colleague (Rachel McAdams) link that death to the murder of a vagabond the situation brings the political arena into serious conflict with the corporate world. Fast paced if rather conventional thriller has a great cast although it wastes the talents of Helen Mirren (as the caustic editor-in-chief of the newspaper) and Robin Wright (as the journalist's former lover and at present the long suffering wife of the politician). Crowe is very good as the determined but flawed newsman and if you blink you will miss Viola Davis in a bit part as a coroner.
Along Came a Spider (Lee Tamahori, 2001) 6/10
Morgan Freeman brings a touch of gravitas to this neo-noir as detective Alex Cross - second in a proposed detective series which unfortunately petered out later after a flop reboot with Tyler Perry in the part. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) lives a life of retirement after a sting operation runs foul and his partner dies. However, when the daughter of a senator is kidnapped from school the detective is contacted by the perpetrator bringing him into the thick of the investigation. Partnered by the Secret Service agent (Monica Potter) who was the child's protector the two follow leads and try to find the child. They manage to foil a second kidnapping and follow through with a ransom demand of diamonds before a twist ending brings the story to its conclusion.
Minor little film is a showcase for Sigourney Weaver as she disappears into the role of a once prosperous real estate agent who is now struggling to keep her business going as she battles an alcohol problem while in denial. She is also harboring an old family secret which she has suppressed since she was a teenager. The story is set in an affluent little New England town where she gets involved in the lives of the townfolk and dodges the attempts of her two adult daughters who want her to go back to rehab. Still bristling about her divorce - he left her for another man and she is paying him alimony - she settles into a comfortable affair with an ex-boyfriend (Kevin Kline) who is now a wealthy garbage collector. Weaver puts the audience immediately on her side as she breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the screen. Her incisive put downs are hilarious and these scenes absolutely sparkle. The comfort level on screen with Kline is evident (it's their third film together) even though his part is underwritten. Good to see Weaver still has a great deal of spunk and still getting lead roles even if they happen to be in minor fare.
Stars in My Crown (Jacques Tourneur, 1950) 10/10
Moving memory piece is set right after the Civil War in an idealized Southern community. The story is related by an adult who as an orphan (cute Dean Stockwell) was adopted by his aunt (lovely Ellen Drew) who married the town preacher (Joel McCrea) who famously keeps a bible in one hand and a gun in the other. Episodic film is rare in that it depicts religion without any conflict and stands hand in hand equally with the rational and the supernatural. The screenplay rides out a year in the lives of the townfolk as they are confronted by a typhoid outbreak, superstition, greed, and the Ku Klux Klan. Every character gets a small arc to themselves - the town's old doctor (Lewis Stone), his son (James Mitchell) and his new wife (Amanda Blake), a greedy mine owner (Ed Begley) who tries to browbeat an elderly black farmer (Juano Hernandez) into selling his land and the preacher's Civil War soldier friend, a farmer (a superb Alan Hale in his last film), and his five sons who help rebuild the black farmer's home after the Ku Klux Klan destroy it. One of the early Hollywood films that takes a strong stand against racism is also an excellent showcase for the charming Joel McCrea in what was the actor's personal favorite film.
Le passé / The Past (Asghar Farhadi, 2013) 8/10
Like Farhadi’s previous film (“A Separation”) this one also explores how constant talk and anguished outbursts obscure the capacity for honest communication. Characters assume a lot instead of trying to get to the truth with resulting anguish and heartache. Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) arrives in Paris from his native Iran four years after separating from his French wife Marie (Bérénice Bejo) in order to finalize their divorce. He finds the family at serious odds: While a pregnant Marie plans to marry Samir (Tahar Rahim), her daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet) from an earlier marriage maintains distance from her mother as she is frustrated by the older woman’s string of fleeting romances. Ahmad uncovers its most troublesome aspect through casual discussion: Samir’s wife lies comatose in a hospital after a botched suicide attempt and Lucie harbours a devaststing secret that is eating away into her soul. This story is almost like a mystery about relationships only partially understood by their participants as the screenplay slowly reveals its puzzle pieces exposing troubled people trapped by a network of errors and tragedy in this wrenching, relentlessly intelligent drama. Bejo won an award for her performance at the Cannes Film Festival.
State of Play (Kevin Macdonald, 2009) 7/10
This is a big screen adaptation and rewrite of a 5 part BBC Tv series. When the aide and lover of a politician (Ben Affleck) dies by falling in front of a subway train his attempts to expose and discredit a shadowy corporation (think Blackwater) threatens to unravel. When a scruffy but seasoned journalist (Russell Crowe) and his blogger colleague (Rachel McAdams) link that death to the murder of a vagabond the situation brings the political arena into serious conflict with the corporate world. Fast paced if rather conventional thriller has a great cast although it wastes the talents of Helen Mirren (as the caustic editor-in-chief of the newspaper) and Robin Wright (as the journalist's former lover and at present the long suffering wife of the politician). Crowe is very good as the determined but flawed newsman and if you blink you will miss Viola Davis in a bit part as a coroner.
Along Came a Spider (Lee Tamahori, 2001) 6/10
Morgan Freeman brings a touch of gravitas to this neo-noir as detective Alex Cross - second in a proposed detective series which unfortunately petered out later after a flop reboot with Tyler Perry in the part. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) lives a life of retirement after a sting operation runs foul and his partner dies. However, when the daughter of a senator is kidnapped from school the detective is contacted by the perpetrator bringing him into the thick of the investigation. Partnered by the Secret Service agent (Monica Potter) who was the child's protector the two follow leads and try to find the child. They manage to foil a second kidnapping and follow through with a ransom demand of diamonds before a twist ending brings the story to its conclusion.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Fish Tank (2009) - 8/10 - Mia is an angry 15 year old British teen in a poor neighborhood who dreams of being a dancer. She lives with her single mother and younger sister when her mother gets a new boyfriend. Newcomer Katie Jarvis does a nice job as Mia with Michael Fassbender as the boyfriend. The film comes off as being pretty realistic while also being engaging and entertaining.
I Saw the Devil (2010) - 8.5/10 - A government agent seeks revenge for the murder and dismemberment of his fiance. He sets out to track down the suspects and inflict pain on the one who took his love away. There is plenty of violence, but the acting and story are good.
An Indian Day (1968) - 8/10 - This documentary was filmed across India in 1967. There is no narration and it doesn't spend too long in any one place, but the music and visuals are very good and I found the film to be pretty interesting. I did laugh at the one bit where a kid was on a tree swing and his swings carried him a little bit over a street with traffic going by.
The Raid 2 (2014) - 8/10 - This picks up right after the first Raid movie ended. Rama goes undercover with a crime organization in order to get information on corrupt cops. There is a ton of action and fighting, just like the first film, though this one isn't confined to a single large apartment building. It's very entertaining and on par with the first film.
Wind River (2017) - 8.5/10 - When the body of an 18 year old Native American girl is found in the snow on a reservation with signs that she had been beaten and raped, an FBI Special Agent (Elizabeth Olsen) is sent to investigate. She enlists the help of the tribal police chief (Graham Greene) and a Fish and Wildlife Agent (Jeremy Renner) in order to investigate the death. The film is very nicely acted and is a good neo-western.
Three Identical Strangers (2018) - 8/10 - In 1980, identical triplets reunite after each being previously unaware of the existence of the other two. They were each adopted from the same adoption agency and the agency did not disclose this information. This documentary is pretty interesting and uses archival footage, recreations, and contemporary interviews.
A Quiet Place Part II (2020) - 8/10 - I think the second part was almost as good as the first film.
Last Night in Soho (2021) - 8/10 - Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) moves to London to study fashion, but finds that she doesn't fit in with most of the students in her circle there. She starts having dreams and visions of a girl named Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) in 1960s Soho. Things seem good with Sandie at first, but soon turn dark. The film has excellent music and nice performances from McKenzie and Taylor-Joy good supporting roles from Michael Ajao and Diana Rigg.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943) - 8/10 - A Canadian nurse travels to the island of Saint Sebastian to care for the wife of a plantation owner. The wife is in a zombie like state due to an illness that left her that way. The nurse starts falling for the plantation owner and looks for a way to cure the wife, even resorting to enlisting the help of native voodoo practitioners. The film looks nice and has great atmosphere along with good acting performances.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - 8/10 - An American writer living in Rome witnesses a struggle between a woman and a dark clad figure in an art gallery. He is unable to intervene, but starts investigating himself after telling his story to the police. The figure that he witnessed may be a serial killer since there have been a few recent murders. I thought this was pretty well done.
I Saw the Devil (2010) - 8.5/10 - A government agent seeks revenge for the murder and dismemberment of his fiance. He sets out to track down the suspects and inflict pain on the one who took his love away. There is plenty of violence, but the acting and story are good.
An Indian Day (1968) - 8/10 - This documentary was filmed across India in 1967. There is no narration and it doesn't spend too long in any one place, but the music and visuals are very good and I found the film to be pretty interesting. I did laugh at the one bit where a kid was on a tree swing and his swings carried him a little bit over a street with traffic going by.
The Raid 2 (2014) - 8/10 - This picks up right after the first Raid movie ended. Rama goes undercover with a crime organization in order to get information on corrupt cops. There is a ton of action and fighting, just like the first film, though this one isn't confined to a single large apartment building. It's very entertaining and on par with the first film.
Wind River (2017) - 8.5/10 - When the body of an 18 year old Native American girl is found in the snow on a reservation with signs that she had been beaten and raped, an FBI Special Agent (Elizabeth Olsen) is sent to investigate. She enlists the help of the tribal police chief (Graham Greene) and a Fish and Wildlife Agent (Jeremy Renner) in order to investigate the death. The film is very nicely acted and is a good neo-western.
Three Identical Strangers (2018) - 8/10 - In 1980, identical triplets reunite after each being previously unaware of the existence of the other two. They were each adopted from the same adoption agency and the agency did not disclose this information. This documentary is pretty interesting and uses archival footage, recreations, and contemporary interviews.
A Quiet Place Part II (2020) - 8/10 - I think the second part was almost as good as the first film.
Last Night in Soho (2021) - 8/10 - Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) moves to London to study fashion, but finds that she doesn't fit in with most of the students in her circle there. She starts having dreams and visions of a girl named Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) in 1960s Soho. Things seem good with Sandie at first, but soon turn dark. The film has excellent music and nice performances from McKenzie and Taylor-Joy good supporting roles from Michael Ajao and Diana Rigg.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943) - 8/10 - A Canadian nurse travels to the island of Saint Sebastian to care for the wife of a plantation owner. The wife is in a zombie like state due to an illness that left her that way. The nurse starts falling for the plantation owner and looks for a way to cure the wife, even resorting to enlisting the help of native voodoo practitioners. The film looks nice and has great atmosphere along with good acting performances.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - 8/10 - An American writer living in Rome witnesses a struggle between a woman and a dark clad figure in an art gallery. He is unable to intervene, but starts investigating himself after telling his story to the police. The figure that he witnessed may be a serial killer since there have been a few recent murders. I thought this was pretty well done.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
The Legend of Maula Jatt (Bilal Lashari, 2022) 10/10
"Tun Tun Tun
Teri Pehn Nu _ _ _"
So goes the lone profane ditty in Bilal Lashari's stupendous reboot of the 1979 cult classic "Maula Jatt" which finally arrives on the big screen after a delay of almost two years. One would imagine that the film would be riddled with choice Punjabi profanities considering its about two warring clans set amidst a Punjab village milieu but the producer was sensible and avoided the deadly local censors. Instead the story takes on the grand mantle of both "Gladiator" and "Game of Thrones" which is hardly a call for originality but so appropriate for the plot which deliciously goes way over the top but refuses to slip into camp. The marvelous cast play their parts at the expected decible levels where dialogue is ferociously enunciated as the actors play to the gallery. The plot has old fashioned overtones bordering on cliché - an orphan is raised in secret by a widow after a rival clan slaughters his parents (Babar Ali & Resham in silent cameos during the epilogue). Maula Jatt (Fawad Khan) grows up with his foster brother in a small village where he earns money by fighting in a gladitorial arena where he beats up poor souls from neighboring villages. His hulking frame and silent demeanor mask the childhood trauma which he recalls in fits and starts but has no clue about his past. He is loved by the tough-talking village belle Mukkho Jatti (Mahira Khan). All of the film's memorable moments pit Maula Jatt against the three villains of the story - all siblings from the clan that massacred his parents. The eldest, and most barbaric, is Noori Natt (Hamza Ali Abbasi) who prefers to live inside a prison in order to be around wild, crazy and evil prisoners - he faces Maula inside the arena during the film's intense conclusion. His younger spoilt brother, Maakha Natt (Gohar Rasheed), is equally depraved and a drug addict - sniffing the fumes off burnt scorpions - who enjoys chasing, raping and capturing village belles for sport. Their sister, Daaro Nattni (Humaima Malick), is a self-professed bitch who gets turned on by Maula and proceeds to seduce him during a rather provocative moment set in a prison cell. She is in search of a strong mate who can satisfy her carnal desires even if he is the enemy. The graphic violence in the film has to be seen to be believed as bodies are sliced, stabbed, diced and decapitated with blood splattering everywhere. What remains amazing to see is the level of the film's production values - outstanding cinematography, production design, costumes, sound and editing. The entire cast is at the top of their form. Fawad Khan gets to make an entrance that befits a star of his stature as we see him walking from the back as he makes his way through a tunnel into the arena where he suddenly turns and the camera dramatically zooms in for a closeup of his face half hidden by locks of his hair - the actor seriously buffed up his body for the part. The three actors playing the villains each get their big moments and there are equally powerful and emotional performances by the two actors who play the foster mother and brother (Faris Shafi). This film production does Pakistan proud and it is a must-see.
Dobaara / 2:12 (Anurag Kashyap, 2022) 6/10
Science fiction thriller is a remake of the 2018 Spanish film "Mirage" but also has similarities to Hollywood's "Frequency". During an electrical storm a boy hears a couple fighting next door, goes to investigate and comes across a woman's dead body. A man comes after the child with a knife who runs out onto the road and gets hit by a vehicle and dies. 25-years later a nurse (Taapsee Pannu) moves with her husband and child into the same house as the dead child. Through an old tv and camera recorder she sees the same child - who can also see her from his end - just before he witnessed the crime next door and she warns him not to go there or he will die. She saves the child but in turn this mysteriously changes her own life as she wakes up to find that she is now a highly decorated surgeon with no husband or child. The man she was married to is now with someone else and does not recognise her and she has a hard time explaining the situation to a sympathetic cop (Pavail Gulati) and to other people around her. Convoluted plot zigzags between the past - where the murderer remains undiscovered and the boy tries to make sense of what is going on, and the present where the confused doctor begins to question her sanity and finds the resolution to the mystery with a most unexpected character. Briskly paced film has equal moments of tension, suspense and utter confusion. Taapsee Pannu effortlessly carries the film on her shoulders.
Drôle de drame / Bizzare, Bizzare (Marcel Carné, 1937) 10/10
A rare french screwball farce with bizzare characters acting in a bizzare fashion with the story set in Victorian England. A botonist (Michel Simon) is secretly also the writer of crime thrillers under a pseudonym. His cousin - a Bishop (Louis Jouvet) - vociferously condemns the mysterious writer and his fiction. The writer gets his stories from his secretary (Nadine Vogel) who in turn gets them from the annoying milkman (Jean-Pierre Aumont) who visits the house daily with bottles of milk only to profess his undying love for her. When the Bishop invites himself to his cousin's house for dinner it causes an uproar as the servants have fled and the bishop's wife (Françoise Rosay) refuses to appear and instead cooks the meal and has the secretary act like a servant. The following day the Botonist and his wife flee the house to avoid the pestering cousin and their absence results in the Bishop thinking that his cousin has murdered his wife so Scotland Yard is called to investigate. The Botonist returns in disguise as the writer and attempts to solve the mystery while his wife encounters a vegetarian serial killer (Jean-Louis Barrault) who has been killing butchers. Superbly acted farce by the crème de la crème of french actors from the Golden age is hysterical in tone while calmly taking a vicious and sly dig at British manners. Outstanding set design (by Alexandre Trauner) and cinematography (by Eugen Schüfftan) add to make this one of the seminal films of French Cinema.
Chup: The Revenge of an Artist (R. Balki, 2022) 6/10
While a strapping florist (Dulquer Salmaan) woos an entertainment journalist (Shreyer Dhanwanthary), a serial killer carves up film critics in Mumbai. Trying to solve the murders is a relentless cop (Sunny Deol) who gets help from a crackerjack criminal psychologist (Pooja Bhatt). Weaving in and out of the plot is the spirit of famed Indian actor-director Guru Dutt whose last directorial venture - "Kaagaz Ke Phool" - was a resounding flop after being savaged by critics in 1960. Today the film is universally regarded as a masterpiece and we get to see glimpses of the iconic film as the two young lovers enact a number of romantic moments from it. The savage murders are in the vein of David Fincher's "Seven" - very grusome and bloody - as we get to see the naked and obese helpless critics gagged and bound as the killer slashes their necks and carves a star (rating) on their foreheads before slicing up their bodies. The screenplay appears to be making points about caustic critics and about failure which can end up destroying a person and the metaphor used here is of the alcoholic Dutt who committed suicide in 1964 after being depressed by a combination of getting ridiculed in print, a failed marriage (to singer Geeta Dutt) and a broken love affair (with frequent co-star Waheeda Rehman). After a fairly gripping first half the film's last act suddenly takes on a prepostrous turn and comes up with certain bits of action that are totally unbelievable almost as if the filmmakers didn't quite know how to end the story. It was good to see Deol and Bhatt reunite on screen after 27 years but both have surprisingly underwritten parts. Acting honours go to Dulquer Salmaan star of South Indian cinema and the son of South superstar Mammootty.
The Sketch Artist (Phedon Papamichael, 1992) 6/10
A rich womanizing garment manufacturer is murdered and a courier (Drew Barrymore) runs into a woman coming out of the dead man's apartment. A sketch artist (Jeff Fahey) working for the LAPD draws a picture of the woman as described by the courier and is shocked to see that it resembles his own fashion designer wife (Sean Young). So he switches the sketch in order to protect his wife. When the cops arrest a woman resembling the fake sketch, and the courier is found dead, the man finds himself in over his head with the situation at hand. How can he save the falsely accused woman without betraying his wife? How will he explain being at the dead courier's house just before she was found murdered? Is his wife the killer? Fahey investigates and navigates through this fairly gripping B neo-noir as the screenplay pulls out all manner of red herrings.
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (Anthony Fabian, 2022) 7/10
This is pure fluff and an adaptation of Paul Gallico's oft-filmed novel last brought to the small screen starring Angela Lansbury. In the title role lovely character actor Lesley Manville gets to play a rare lead role in a major motion picture - although the film seems not unlike one of those Hallmark or Lifetime television productions. A widowed cleaning lady (Lesley Manville) realises her dream of owning a Christian Dior dress after winning enough money to make a trip to 1950s Paris. The plot is more than just about a woman wanting to buy a dress. Its about a difficult life lived with disappointments and the sudden turn of events that allow a bit of joy into her drab life. Almost like a coming-of-age moment for the lady who not only charms the Parisians but finds true happiness in the bargain. Everyone is niceness personified which could have felt trite but the characters are all so charming - even the nasty ones - that one overlooks it and goes along with the fantasy. Charming feel good film rests on the shoulder of its leading lady and she doesn't disappoint and is helped in great part by the delightful supporting cast - Lambert Wilson as a dashing Duke who comes to her rescue when the snooty manager (Isabelle Huppert) at the couture house tries to hustle her out before the fashion show, and Jason Isaacs as a bookie who helps her win funds for the trip. The film has outstanding production design and marvelous costumes on and off the designer's floor.
"Tun Tun Tun
Teri Pehn Nu _ _ _"
So goes the lone profane ditty in Bilal Lashari's stupendous reboot of the 1979 cult classic "Maula Jatt" which finally arrives on the big screen after a delay of almost two years. One would imagine that the film would be riddled with choice Punjabi profanities considering its about two warring clans set amidst a Punjab village milieu but the producer was sensible and avoided the deadly local censors. Instead the story takes on the grand mantle of both "Gladiator" and "Game of Thrones" which is hardly a call for originality but so appropriate for the plot which deliciously goes way over the top but refuses to slip into camp. The marvelous cast play their parts at the expected decible levels where dialogue is ferociously enunciated as the actors play to the gallery. The plot has old fashioned overtones bordering on cliché - an orphan is raised in secret by a widow after a rival clan slaughters his parents (Babar Ali & Resham in silent cameos during the epilogue). Maula Jatt (Fawad Khan) grows up with his foster brother in a small village where he earns money by fighting in a gladitorial arena where he beats up poor souls from neighboring villages. His hulking frame and silent demeanor mask the childhood trauma which he recalls in fits and starts but has no clue about his past. He is loved by the tough-talking village belle Mukkho Jatti (Mahira Khan). All of the film's memorable moments pit Maula Jatt against the three villains of the story - all siblings from the clan that massacred his parents. The eldest, and most barbaric, is Noori Natt (Hamza Ali Abbasi) who prefers to live inside a prison in order to be around wild, crazy and evil prisoners - he faces Maula inside the arena during the film's intense conclusion. His younger spoilt brother, Maakha Natt (Gohar Rasheed), is equally depraved and a drug addict - sniffing the fumes off burnt scorpions - who enjoys chasing, raping and capturing village belles for sport. Their sister, Daaro Nattni (Humaima Malick), is a self-professed bitch who gets turned on by Maula and proceeds to seduce him during a rather provocative moment set in a prison cell. She is in search of a strong mate who can satisfy her carnal desires even if he is the enemy. The graphic violence in the film has to be seen to be believed as bodies are sliced, stabbed, diced and decapitated with blood splattering everywhere. What remains amazing to see is the level of the film's production values - outstanding cinematography, production design, costumes, sound and editing. The entire cast is at the top of their form. Fawad Khan gets to make an entrance that befits a star of his stature as we see him walking from the back as he makes his way through a tunnel into the arena where he suddenly turns and the camera dramatically zooms in for a closeup of his face half hidden by locks of his hair - the actor seriously buffed up his body for the part. The three actors playing the villains each get their big moments and there are equally powerful and emotional performances by the two actors who play the foster mother and brother (Faris Shafi). This film production does Pakistan proud and it is a must-see.
Dobaara / 2:12 (Anurag Kashyap, 2022) 6/10
Science fiction thriller is a remake of the 2018 Spanish film "Mirage" but also has similarities to Hollywood's "Frequency". During an electrical storm a boy hears a couple fighting next door, goes to investigate and comes across a woman's dead body. A man comes after the child with a knife who runs out onto the road and gets hit by a vehicle and dies. 25-years later a nurse (Taapsee Pannu) moves with her husband and child into the same house as the dead child. Through an old tv and camera recorder she sees the same child - who can also see her from his end - just before he witnessed the crime next door and she warns him not to go there or he will die. She saves the child but in turn this mysteriously changes her own life as she wakes up to find that she is now a highly decorated surgeon with no husband or child. The man she was married to is now with someone else and does not recognise her and she has a hard time explaining the situation to a sympathetic cop (Pavail Gulati) and to other people around her. Convoluted plot zigzags between the past - where the murderer remains undiscovered and the boy tries to make sense of what is going on, and the present where the confused doctor begins to question her sanity and finds the resolution to the mystery with a most unexpected character. Briskly paced film has equal moments of tension, suspense and utter confusion. Taapsee Pannu effortlessly carries the film on her shoulders.
Drôle de drame / Bizzare, Bizzare (Marcel Carné, 1937) 10/10
A rare french screwball farce with bizzare characters acting in a bizzare fashion with the story set in Victorian England. A botonist (Michel Simon) is secretly also the writer of crime thrillers under a pseudonym. His cousin - a Bishop (Louis Jouvet) - vociferously condemns the mysterious writer and his fiction. The writer gets his stories from his secretary (Nadine Vogel) who in turn gets them from the annoying milkman (Jean-Pierre Aumont) who visits the house daily with bottles of milk only to profess his undying love for her. When the Bishop invites himself to his cousin's house for dinner it causes an uproar as the servants have fled and the bishop's wife (Françoise Rosay) refuses to appear and instead cooks the meal and has the secretary act like a servant. The following day the Botonist and his wife flee the house to avoid the pestering cousin and their absence results in the Bishop thinking that his cousin has murdered his wife so Scotland Yard is called to investigate. The Botonist returns in disguise as the writer and attempts to solve the mystery while his wife encounters a vegetarian serial killer (Jean-Louis Barrault) who has been killing butchers. Superbly acted farce by the crème de la crème of french actors from the Golden age is hysterical in tone while calmly taking a vicious and sly dig at British manners. Outstanding set design (by Alexandre Trauner) and cinematography (by Eugen Schüfftan) add to make this one of the seminal films of French Cinema.
Chup: The Revenge of an Artist (R. Balki, 2022) 6/10
While a strapping florist (Dulquer Salmaan) woos an entertainment journalist (Shreyer Dhanwanthary), a serial killer carves up film critics in Mumbai. Trying to solve the murders is a relentless cop (Sunny Deol) who gets help from a crackerjack criminal psychologist (Pooja Bhatt). Weaving in and out of the plot is the spirit of famed Indian actor-director Guru Dutt whose last directorial venture - "Kaagaz Ke Phool" - was a resounding flop after being savaged by critics in 1960. Today the film is universally regarded as a masterpiece and we get to see glimpses of the iconic film as the two young lovers enact a number of romantic moments from it. The savage murders are in the vein of David Fincher's "Seven" - very grusome and bloody - as we get to see the naked and obese helpless critics gagged and bound as the killer slashes their necks and carves a star (rating) on their foreheads before slicing up their bodies. The screenplay appears to be making points about caustic critics and about failure which can end up destroying a person and the metaphor used here is of the alcoholic Dutt who committed suicide in 1964 after being depressed by a combination of getting ridiculed in print, a failed marriage (to singer Geeta Dutt) and a broken love affair (with frequent co-star Waheeda Rehman). After a fairly gripping first half the film's last act suddenly takes on a prepostrous turn and comes up with certain bits of action that are totally unbelievable almost as if the filmmakers didn't quite know how to end the story. It was good to see Deol and Bhatt reunite on screen after 27 years but both have surprisingly underwritten parts. Acting honours go to Dulquer Salmaan star of South Indian cinema and the son of South superstar Mammootty.
The Sketch Artist (Phedon Papamichael, 1992) 6/10
A rich womanizing garment manufacturer is murdered and a courier (Drew Barrymore) runs into a woman coming out of the dead man's apartment. A sketch artist (Jeff Fahey) working for the LAPD draws a picture of the woman as described by the courier and is shocked to see that it resembles his own fashion designer wife (Sean Young). So he switches the sketch in order to protect his wife. When the cops arrest a woman resembling the fake sketch, and the courier is found dead, the man finds himself in over his head with the situation at hand. How can he save the falsely accused woman without betraying his wife? How will he explain being at the dead courier's house just before she was found murdered? Is his wife the killer? Fahey investigates and navigates through this fairly gripping B neo-noir as the screenplay pulls out all manner of red herrings.
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris (Anthony Fabian, 2022) 7/10
This is pure fluff and an adaptation of Paul Gallico's oft-filmed novel last brought to the small screen starring Angela Lansbury. In the title role lovely character actor Lesley Manville gets to play a rare lead role in a major motion picture - although the film seems not unlike one of those Hallmark or Lifetime television productions. A widowed cleaning lady (Lesley Manville) realises her dream of owning a Christian Dior dress after winning enough money to make a trip to 1950s Paris. The plot is more than just about a woman wanting to buy a dress. Its about a difficult life lived with disappointments and the sudden turn of events that allow a bit of joy into her drab life. Almost like a coming-of-age moment for the lady who not only charms the Parisians but finds true happiness in the bargain. Everyone is niceness personified which could have felt trite but the characters are all so charming - even the nasty ones - that one overlooks it and goes along with the fantasy. Charming feel good film rests on the shoulder of its leading lady and she doesn't disappoint and is helped in great part by the delightful supporting cast - Lambert Wilson as a dashing Duke who comes to her rescue when the snooty manager (Isabelle Huppert) at the couture house tries to hustle her out before the fashion show, and Jason Isaacs as a bookie who helps her win funds for the trip. The film has outstanding production design and marvelous costumes on and off the designer's floor.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Delicatessen (1991) - 8/10 - Meat is scarce so a butcher who also owns an apartment building hires people in order to kill them and sell the meat to his tenants. The sets and production design are great plus the story is pretty funny in a dark way.
Cronos (1993) - 8/10 - An alchemist in the 1500s invents a device to extend his life. An elderly antiques dealer in the 1990s finds the device in the base of a statue and finds that the device works, though there is a cost. There is also somebody who is looking for the device and will use any means to acquire it. I've enjoyed many del Toro films and this one is certainly no exception. It's not up there with Pan's Labyrinth, but it is entertaining.
Tesis (1996) - 8/10 - Angela (Ana Torrent) is a university student working on a thesis involving violence in cinema. Her investigation into the subject leads to uncovering of a snuff film involving a woman who went missing from the school two years earlier. It's hard for her to know who to trust as there seem to be a number of possible suspects. This is the first film I've seen Torrent in as an adult and I thought that she did a very nice job, which isn't surprising based on her work as a child actress. I also thought Fele Martínez was good as Chema.
Ringu (1998) - 8/10 - I saw the American remake of this 20 years ago when it came out and enjoyed it, but never got around to watching the original. This was pretty entertaining and I liked it about the same as the remake, perhaps even a little more.
The Others (2001) - 8/10 - Nicole Kidman and her two children live in a big country house on the island of Jersey just after WWII. Her husband has been gone for some time, presumed killed in the war, and her children have a sensitivity to light. Meanwhile, three new servants are hired just before spooky things start happening in the house. Kidman and the supporting cast do a very nice job in this gothic horror film.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003) - 8/10 - A very nice meditation on the circle of life. An elderly monk is raising a young boy on a floating temple in the middle of a remote lake. Each segment of the film takes us to a new phase of the boy's life.
The Host (2006) - 8/10 - When toxic chemicals are released into a river in Korea, a strange creature is the result. It kills a number of people while on a rampage and also takes a young girl back to its lair. Her family fights to try and get her back. Meanwhile, the government has been taking measures to fight a virus that they say is tied to the monster. This is a very nice monster movie.
Cronos (1993) - 8/10 - An alchemist in the 1500s invents a device to extend his life. An elderly antiques dealer in the 1990s finds the device in the base of a statue and finds that the device works, though there is a cost. There is also somebody who is looking for the device and will use any means to acquire it. I've enjoyed many del Toro films and this one is certainly no exception. It's not up there with Pan's Labyrinth, but it is entertaining.
Tesis (1996) - 8/10 - Angela (Ana Torrent) is a university student working on a thesis involving violence in cinema. Her investigation into the subject leads to uncovering of a snuff film involving a woman who went missing from the school two years earlier. It's hard for her to know who to trust as there seem to be a number of possible suspects. This is the first film I've seen Torrent in as an adult and I thought that she did a very nice job, which isn't surprising based on her work as a child actress. I also thought Fele Martínez was good as Chema.
Ringu (1998) - 8/10 - I saw the American remake of this 20 years ago when it came out and enjoyed it, but never got around to watching the original. This was pretty entertaining and I liked it about the same as the remake, perhaps even a little more.
The Others (2001) - 8/10 - Nicole Kidman and her two children live in a big country house on the island of Jersey just after WWII. Her husband has been gone for some time, presumed killed in the war, and her children have a sensitivity to light. Meanwhile, three new servants are hired just before spooky things start happening in the house. Kidman and the supporting cast do a very nice job in this gothic horror film.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003) - 8/10 - A very nice meditation on the circle of life. An elderly monk is raising a young boy on a floating temple in the middle of a remote lake. Each segment of the film takes us to a new phase of the boy's life.
The Host (2006) - 8/10 - When toxic chemicals are released into a river in Korea, a strange creature is the result. It kills a number of people while on a rampage and also takes a young girl back to its lair. Her family fights to try and get her back. Meanwhile, the government has been taking measures to fight a virus that they say is tied to the monster. This is a very nice monster movie.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
I've mostly been watching horror films this month, though some are of the psychological horror variety or only contain elements of horror. Here are the ones I liked the most so far.
The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - 7.5/10 - A well known hunter is shipwrecked on an island surrounded by deadly reefs. He finds himself the guest of the mysterious Count Zaroff along with survivors of earlier wrecks. It turns out that Count Zaroff is a big hunter himself, though he prefers to hunt a different sort of game. This is a nice film that accomplishes what it sets out to do in a very quick manner.
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) - 7.5/10 - A reporter (Glenda Farrell) looking into missing corpses connects them to a new wax museum that is opening. The picture looks great with its two strip Technicolor. Farrell does a very nice job in her reporter role and the film is pretty entertaining. I liked it a lot more than the later Vincent Price version.
Son of Frankenstein (1939) - 7.5/10 - Victor Frankenstein's sons shows up to claim his inheritance. He finds that Ygor is alive after a failed hanging and the monster is in a coma in a secret room. Basil Rathbone did a very nice job as Frankenstein's son and Bela Lugosi was also good as Ygor. I liked this a bit more than the original. I should go back and rewatch Bride of Frankenstein since it has been around 30 years since I last saw it.
The Curse of the Cat People (1944) - 8/10 - The husband from Cat People has remarried and has a six year old daughter named Amy. Amy has an active imagination and sometimes gets caught up in her own world which annoys the other children. She is befriended by an aging actress who stays shut up in her large home and also by the ghost of her father's first wife, Irena. This film features a number of nice performances and is a good psychological drama.
Bedlam (1946) - 8/10 - In 1761, Nell Bowen (Anna Lee) finds the way inmates at St. Mary's of Bethlehem are treated. She tries to get reforms instituted, but finds herself blocked by the head of the institute (Boris Karloff). Lee and Karloff each give very good performances in a very nice drama.
I vampiri (1957) - 7.5/10 - A nice little film about a series of murders of young women who are found with their blood drained. A reporter is on top of the story and is trying to crack the case. There is plenty of atmosphere and a nice aging effect.
House on Haunted Hill (1959) - 7.5/10 - Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) and his wife (Carol Ohmart) invite five people to spend a night in a haunted house for $10,000. One of the guests explain how there have been a number of murders in the house. There is also a nice vat of acid in the basement plus secret rooms, spooky happenings, etc. Price is good and there is a nice level of suspense in an enjoyable film.
The Innocents (1961) - 8/10 - Deborah Kerr stars as a woman who is hired as a governess to care for two children on a country estate. The uncle hired her because he has no interest in caring for children, but wants to see that they are provided for. The children seem very nice and well behaved, but the governess soon becomes convinced that the estate is haunted by the ghosts of the previous governess and another former employee named Peter Quint. Is it haunted or is she going out of her mind, though. There is plenty of atmosphere and nice performances from Kerr and the two kids.
Onibaba (1964) - 8/10 - During feudal times in Japan, a woman lives with her daughter-in-law while her son is off fighting in a useless war. The two make their living by killing stray soldiers who wander by, dropping their bodies in a pit, and then selling the belongings they scavenged for food. Their lives change a bit when a friend of the son returns from the war and says that the son is dead. This is a nice period drama with a bit of horror thrown in.
Repulsion (1965) - 8/10 - Carol (Catherine Deneuve) is a manicurist who is often withdrawn and seems to have an aversion to men. She lives with her sister and when the sister goes off on holiday with her boyfriend, Carol's condition worsens, including nightmares and hallucinations, as her mental state deteriorates. It's a pretty good film about one woman's mental illness.
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) - 8/10 - Valerie is a young teen close to becoming a woman. A pair of magic earrings change how she views the world. This movie is surreal and strange, but also very colorful and mesmerizing at times. Vampires, carnival folk, music, sexual awakening, etc. are all just parts of the film.
The Wicker Man (1973) - 8.5/10 - A police officer travels by seaplane to a remote Scottish Island after a report of a missing girl. When he arrives, the people on the island deny the existence of the girl and have reverted to pagan ways. This is an excellent folk horror film with an excellent soundtrack.
The Most Dangerous Game (1932) - 7.5/10 - A well known hunter is shipwrecked on an island surrounded by deadly reefs. He finds himself the guest of the mysterious Count Zaroff along with survivors of earlier wrecks. It turns out that Count Zaroff is a big hunter himself, though he prefers to hunt a different sort of game. This is a nice film that accomplishes what it sets out to do in a very quick manner.
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) - 7.5/10 - A reporter (Glenda Farrell) looking into missing corpses connects them to a new wax museum that is opening. The picture looks great with its two strip Technicolor. Farrell does a very nice job in her reporter role and the film is pretty entertaining. I liked it a lot more than the later Vincent Price version.
Son of Frankenstein (1939) - 7.5/10 - Victor Frankenstein's sons shows up to claim his inheritance. He finds that Ygor is alive after a failed hanging and the monster is in a coma in a secret room. Basil Rathbone did a very nice job as Frankenstein's son and Bela Lugosi was also good as Ygor. I liked this a bit more than the original. I should go back and rewatch Bride of Frankenstein since it has been around 30 years since I last saw it.
The Curse of the Cat People (1944) - 8/10 - The husband from Cat People has remarried and has a six year old daughter named Amy. Amy has an active imagination and sometimes gets caught up in her own world which annoys the other children. She is befriended by an aging actress who stays shut up in her large home and also by the ghost of her father's first wife, Irena. This film features a number of nice performances and is a good psychological drama.
Bedlam (1946) - 8/10 - In 1761, Nell Bowen (Anna Lee) finds the way inmates at St. Mary's of Bethlehem are treated. She tries to get reforms instituted, but finds herself blocked by the head of the institute (Boris Karloff). Lee and Karloff each give very good performances in a very nice drama.
I vampiri (1957) - 7.5/10 - A nice little film about a series of murders of young women who are found with their blood drained. A reporter is on top of the story and is trying to crack the case. There is plenty of atmosphere and a nice aging effect.
House on Haunted Hill (1959) - 7.5/10 - Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) and his wife (Carol Ohmart) invite five people to spend a night in a haunted house for $10,000. One of the guests explain how there have been a number of murders in the house. There is also a nice vat of acid in the basement plus secret rooms, spooky happenings, etc. Price is good and there is a nice level of suspense in an enjoyable film.
The Innocents (1961) - 8/10 - Deborah Kerr stars as a woman who is hired as a governess to care for two children on a country estate. The uncle hired her because he has no interest in caring for children, but wants to see that they are provided for. The children seem very nice and well behaved, but the governess soon becomes convinced that the estate is haunted by the ghosts of the previous governess and another former employee named Peter Quint. Is it haunted or is she going out of her mind, though. There is plenty of atmosphere and nice performances from Kerr and the two kids.
Onibaba (1964) - 8/10 - During feudal times in Japan, a woman lives with her daughter-in-law while her son is off fighting in a useless war. The two make their living by killing stray soldiers who wander by, dropping their bodies in a pit, and then selling the belongings they scavenged for food. Their lives change a bit when a friend of the son returns from the war and says that the son is dead. This is a nice period drama with a bit of horror thrown in.
Repulsion (1965) - 8/10 - Carol (Catherine Deneuve) is a manicurist who is often withdrawn and seems to have an aversion to men. She lives with her sister and when the sister goes off on holiday with her boyfriend, Carol's condition worsens, including nightmares and hallucinations, as her mental state deteriorates. It's a pretty good film about one woman's mental illness.
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) - 8/10 - Valerie is a young teen close to becoming a woman. A pair of magic earrings change how she views the world. This movie is surreal and strange, but also very colorful and mesmerizing at times. Vampires, carnival folk, music, sexual awakening, etc. are all just parts of the film.
The Wicker Man (1973) - 8.5/10 - A police officer travels by seaplane to a remote Scottish Island after a report of a missing girl. When he arrives, the people on the island deny the existence of the girl and have reverted to pagan ways. This is an excellent folk horror film with an excellent soundtrack.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Shaque (Aruna Raje & Vikas Desai, 1976) 7/10
A housewife (Shabana Azmi) receives a letter in which a man accuses her husband of robbery and murder. Ten years before her husband (Vinod Khanna) had arrived home covered in blood saying a colleague had been murdered at the office and his testimony later sent another colleague to prison for the crime. The wife recalls that soon afterwards their lower middle-class life had suddenly changed for the better and their money problems came to an end. Doubt leads to suspicion and she decides to investigate behind her husband's back and visits the imprisoned man's impoverished and hysterically distraught wife (Farida Jalal), the man (Utpal Dutt) who wrote the letter and his sympathetic cabaret-dancer mistress (Bindu). When the cops later appear her husband urges her to flee with him. Is he guilty or is someone else behind the decade old robbery and murder? Gripping film manages to sustain suspense almost to the end but then devolves into typical Bollywood melodrama and silly action to allow the film's "hero" to prove heroic. The film rests on Shabana Azmi's fantastic performance as she goes from being a loving and trusting wife and mother to being suspicious and scared for her life. She and Vinod Khanna have great chemistry in this their first film together and would later star in many films opposite each other. Both Khanna and Farida Jalal (in a fantastic cameo) were nominated for the Filmfare Award.
Prem Kahani (Raj Khosla, 1975) 7/10
The story is set during the turmoil days of 1942 India when the locals were in constant agitation against the British and wanting their removal from power. For a period film it is extremely jarring to see the actors sporting contemporary clothes and hairstyles circa 1975 which clearly signals lazy filmmaking on part of Khosla. The film was a massive hit continuing the Rajesh Khanna craze at the time with the added bonus of Shashi Kapoor and Mumtaz as co-stars in a love triangle. An apolitical poet (Rajesh Khanna) lives with his freedom fighter brother (Trilok Kapoor - Prithviraj's younger brother) and is madly in love with his childhood sweetheart (Mumtaz) who comes from a family that works for the British government. Her father (K.N. Singh) makes it clear that he is opposed to their union which, through a tragedy, causes a rift between the two lovers when the poet joins the freedom struggle and breaks off his relationship with her. Sometime later, wounded and on the run, he arrives at the doorstep - with the help of a pathan truck driver (Vinod Khanna) - of his best friend (Shashi Kapoor) - a cop - for shelter and is shocked to see his former sweetheart now married to his friend. The melodramatic quotient heats up as jealousy rears its head and long suppressed feelings emerge leading to a sacrifice involving a gun. The film's music and songs helped at the boxoffice as Khanna romances lovely Mumtaz on screen while Shashi Kapoor, then in his third-wheel but equally successful phase on screen, adds a touch of class to the proceedings.
I girasoli / Sunflower (Vittorio De Sica, 1970) 6/10
Swooningly romantic, sentimental film is really not one of De Sica's best but it has at its center a fearlessly strong performance by Sophia Loren. A woman (Sophia Loren) spends years waiting for and later relentlessly searching for her husband (Marcello Mastroianni) who was sent to the Russian Front 12 days after their marriage. The brief early scenes all consist of the famous co-stars enjoying each other in bed as they can't keep their hands off each other. A plan to pretend insanity to avoid the war backfires and he ends up at the horrific snowbound Russian Front. After the war ends and he fails to return she goes to Russia in search for him only to find him married to a local woman (Ludmila Savelyeva) who saved his life. Shocked and disappointed she returns to Italy to start life again but the former lovers meet once more some time later during a dramatic scene - keep a box of kleenex within easy reach - set on a railway platform accompanied on the soundtrack by Henry Mancini's soaring Oscar nominated score. This is Loren's film from start to finish and she is quite magnificent. It was the first Western film to be shot in the USSR with scenes set in Moscow but mostly shot in Ukraine - the memorable scenes of an endless expanse of sunflowers in a field became the film's iconic image as created by the camera of Giuseppe Rotunno.
Desirable (Archie Mayo, 1934) 7/10
Suave businessman (George Brent) greatly admires a stage star (Verree Teasdale) who likes the attention but has no time for him. When he discovers her visiting teenage daughter (Jean Muir) he falls head over heels in love with her much to the mother's consternation who hid the fact from the world that she has a grown up daughter. Charming Muir is a delightful presence in this fluff as she wraps Brent around her finger without meaning to. Teasdale is fun as the imperious actress trying to hide her age. Pre-code film manages to present what could have been scandalous - man romancing both a mother and her daughter - with a touch of sophistication.
From Headquarters (William Dieterle, 1933) 6/10
Fast paced police procedural during a murder investigation takes great pains to show the ballistics expert, the autopsy surgeon (taking great delight in the murder), the fingerprint men and the toxicologist at their business of shifting and sorting clues. A playboy is murdered and the chief suspect is a lady (Margaret Lindsay) who just happens to be the former lover of the cop (George Brent) investigating the case. Comedy elements are provided by the blustery police sergeant (Eugene Pallette who never takes off his hat) bulldozing his way through to comoletely incorrect conclusions, a bailbondsman (Hugh Herbert) crawling around the precinct halls and a safecracker (Hobart Cavanaugh) who ends up in a broom closet slashed with a knife. The entire story is set within the precinct except for flashback sequences to the room where the murdered man was discovered with a bullet through his eye. Smartly directed film scores points on depicting realistic less archtype characters and a facinating way of using a first-person camera technique during all the flashback sequences.
Beast (Baltasar Kormákur, 2022) 6/10
This is basically "Jaws" on land. In the jungles of South Africa. A family - a doctor (Idris Elba) and his two daughters on vacation - run foul of a very pissed off lion whose pride was shot dead by poachers. This Man vs Beast action thriller allows Elba to shine - wtf has Hollywood completely neglected to provide him suitable lead roles? The media needs to shout foul instead of repeatedly talking shit about the actor playing James Bond. The actor is too good for Bond - even if he wrestles the CGI lion - and should be part of the A-list in Hollywood. This B-film is totally predictable but smartly does what it sets out to do - create an edge-of-the-seat thriller as the characters find themselves trapped in a jeep with the relentless predator out for blood.
A housewife (Shabana Azmi) receives a letter in which a man accuses her husband of robbery and murder. Ten years before her husband (Vinod Khanna) had arrived home covered in blood saying a colleague had been murdered at the office and his testimony later sent another colleague to prison for the crime. The wife recalls that soon afterwards their lower middle-class life had suddenly changed for the better and their money problems came to an end. Doubt leads to suspicion and she decides to investigate behind her husband's back and visits the imprisoned man's impoverished and hysterically distraught wife (Farida Jalal), the man (Utpal Dutt) who wrote the letter and his sympathetic cabaret-dancer mistress (Bindu). When the cops later appear her husband urges her to flee with him. Is he guilty or is someone else behind the decade old robbery and murder? Gripping film manages to sustain suspense almost to the end but then devolves into typical Bollywood melodrama and silly action to allow the film's "hero" to prove heroic. The film rests on Shabana Azmi's fantastic performance as she goes from being a loving and trusting wife and mother to being suspicious and scared for her life. She and Vinod Khanna have great chemistry in this their first film together and would later star in many films opposite each other. Both Khanna and Farida Jalal (in a fantastic cameo) were nominated for the Filmfare Award.
Prem Kahani (Raj Khosla, 1975) 7/10
The story is set during the turmoil days of 1942 India when the locals were in constant agitation against the British and wanting their removal from power. For a period film it is extremely jarring to see the actors sporting contemporary clothes and hairstyles circa 1975 which clearly signals lazy filmmaking on part of Khosla. The film was a massive hit continuing the Rajesh Khanna craze at the time with the added bonus of Shashi Kapoor and Mumtaz as co-stars in a love triangle. An apolitical poet (Rajesh Khanna) lives with his freedom fighter brother (Trilok Kapoor - Prithviraj's younger brother) and is madly in love with his childhood sweetheart (Mumtaz) who comes from a family that works for the British government. Her father (K.N. Singh) makes it clear that he is opposed to their union which, through a tragedy, causes a rift between the two lovers when the poet joins the freedom struggle and breaks off his relationship with her. Sometime later, wounded and on the run, he arrives at the doorstep - with the help of a pathan truck driver (Vinod Khanna) - of his best friend (Shashi Kapoor) - a cop - for shelter and is shocked to see his former sweetheart now married to his friend. The melodramatic quotient heats up as jealousy rears its head and long suppressed feelings emerge leading to a sacrifice involving a gun. The film's music and songs helped at the boxoffice as Khanna romances lovely Mumtaz on screen while Shashi Kapoor, then in his third-wheel but equally successful phase on screen, adds a touch of class to the proceedings.
I girasoli / Sunflower (Vittorio De Sica, 1970) 6/10
Swooningly romantic, sentimental film is really not one of De Sica's best but it has at its center a fearlessly strong performance by Sophia Loren. A woman (Sophia Loren) spends years waiting for and later relentlessly searching for her husband (Marcello Mastroianni) who was sent to the Russian Front 12 days after their marriage. The brief early scenes all consist of the famous co-stars enjoying each other in bed as they can't keep their hands off each other. A plan to pretend insanity to avoid the war backfires and he ends up at the horrific snowbound Russian Front. After the war ends and he fails to return she goes to Russia in search for him only to find him married to a local woman (Ludmila Savelyeva) who saved his life. Shocked and disappointed she returns to Italy to start life again but the former lovers meet once more some time later during a dramatic scene - keep a box of kleenex within easy reach - set on a railway platform accompanied on the soundtrack by Henry Mancini's soaring Oscar nominated score. This is Loren's film from start to finish and she is quite magnificent. It was the first Western film to be shot in the USSR with scenes set in Moscow but mostly shot in Ukraine - the memorable scenes of an endless expanse of sunflowers in a field became the film's iconic image as created by the camera of Giuseppe Rotunno.
Desirable (Archie Mayo, 1934) 7/10
Suave businessman (George Brent) greatly admires a stage star (Verree Teasdale) who likes the attention but has no time for him. When he discovers her visiting teenage daughter (Jean Muir) he falls head over heels in love with her much to the mother's consternation who hid the fact from the world that she has a grown up daughter. Charming Muir is a delightful presence in this fluff as she wraps Brent around her finger without meaning to. Teasdale is fun as the imperious actress trying to hide her age. Pre-code film manages to present what could have been scandalous - man romancing both a mother and her daughter - with a touch of sophistication.
From Headquarters (William Dieterle, 1933) 6/10
Fast paced police procedural during a murder investigation takes great pains to show the ballistics expert, the autopsy surgeon (taking great delight in the murder), the fingerprint men and the toxicologist at their business of shifting and sorting clues. A playboy is murdered and the chief suspect is a lady (Margaret Lindsay) who just happens to be the former lover of the cop (George Brent) investigating the case. Comedy elements are provided by the blustery police sergeant (Eugene Pallette who never takes off his hat) bulldozing his way through to comoletely incorrect conclusions, a bailbondsman (Hugh Herbert) crawling around the precinct halls and a safecracker (Hobart Cavanaugh) who ends up in a broom closet slashed with a knife. The entire story is set within the precinct except for flashback sequences to the room where the murdered man was discovered with a bullet through his eye. Smartly directed film scores points on depicting realistic less archtype characters and a facinating way of using a first-person camera technique during all the flashback sequences.
Beast (Baltasar Kormákur, 2022) 6/10
This is basically "Jaws" on land. In the jungles of South Africa. A family - a doctor (Idris Elba) and his two daughters on vacation - run foul of a very pissed off lion whose pride was shot dead by poachers. This Man vs Beast action thriller allows Elba to shine - wtf has Hollywood completely neglected to provide him suitable lead roles? The media needs to shout foul instead of repeatedly talking shit about the actor playing James Bond. The actor is too good for Bond - even if he wrestles the CGI lion - and should be part of the A-list in Hollywood. This B-film is totally predictable but smartly does what it sets out to do - create an edge-of-the-seat thriller as the characters find themselves trapped in a jeep with the relentless predator out for blood.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
Blonde (Andrew Dominik, 2022) 8/10
Harrowing look at the life of an actress who begins life as the child of a mentally unbalanced mother (Julianne Nicholson in an unforgettable performance) who tries to drown her and burn her alive. Based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates this is a nonlinear and elliptical telling of the life of Norma Jeane Baker who became the Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe. Cuban-Spanish actor Ana de Armas effortlessly transforms herself into the iconic woman and shockingly even gets the star's ever-breathless voice down pat. Her sad life of many highs, but more lows, is presented in a dreamlike matter-of-fact way which although familiar to the average fan is relentlessly unforgiving in the way every sad moment is starkly presented. The highlights of her professional and personal life get a look-in - her first important movie role on screen is achieved but only after Hollywood producer Darryl Zanuck rapes her doggy style. She is forever in search of the "daddy" who abandoned her and tries to see him in the husbands she latches onto - Joe DiMaggio (Bobby Cannavale) the baseball player who physically abuses her, and via an emotionally codependent marriage to the playwright Arthur Miller (Adrien Brody). In between we get glimpses of famous moments - the song “Bye, Bye Baby” from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes references a forced abortion she reluctantly has in order to do the movie (we get to see the abortion taking place from within her vagina), the famous subway-grate sequence from The Seven Year Itch where her skirt is blown up above her waist and which turns into a grotesque nightmare as she is gawked at by photographers and onlookers as the moment is captured on film, and later she is literally carried by two Secret Service agents and delivered to President John Kennedy, who then makes her fellate him while he casually watches television. The repetitive degradation she is confronted by becomes a vicious exercise in horror but despite the film's excessive length it is never boring as the film visually compensates through its stunning cinematography (both in lush colour and in jarring black & white) backed by a softly wailing score. Ana de Armas gives a tour-de-force performance willing to totally give herself to the role in all its literally naked glory.
Lásky jedné plavovlásky / Loves of a Blonde (Miloš Forman, 1965) 7/10
Early Forman is set during the communist era and is one of the seminal films of the Czech New Wave. A heavy gloom hangs over everything as we follow the travails of a young shoe factory worker - the blonde of the title - as she goes about with her friends looking for love, sex or friendship - whichever comes first. A night out at a village dance the young girls are horrified to find the place full of sleazy middle-aged soldiers. Forman's camera - one of his very early collaborations with the great Miroslav Ondrícek - captures these characters in stark comic closeups as the girls manage to escape the planned crude sexual advances of the leering men who try their best to lure them. The men, in full-on clumsy mode, act like silly gossiping schoolgirls as they pass remarks about the girls seated at tables across from them. The blonde hooks up with a piano player from Prague who sweet talks her into going to bed with him. In love with him she takes off the following day to the big city in search of him only to fall foul of his parents. His overbearing mother is incredulous at the audacity of this single girl who expects to move into their house. A comedy of errors acted to perfection by a cast mostly consisting of amateurs - the blonde is superbly played by Forman's former ex-sister-in-law. The film resembles the British kitchen sink dramas then in vogue and was nominated for an Academy Award in the foreign film category.
Horí, má panenko / The Fireman's Ball (Miloš Forman, 1967) 5/10
The director's second highly acclaimed film from the Czech New Wave era is an unfunny comedy about a fire department throwing a retirement party for a former boss. The whole town is invited but nothing goes according to plan and everything goes wrong which was a veiled attack at the communist regime causing the film to be banned. The film was instrumental in launching Forman's career in Hollywood. Nominated for an Academy Award in the Foreign Film category.
LBJ (Rob Reiner, 2016) 5/10
Jennifer Jason Leigh is shockingly underused as Lady Bird Johnson but Woody Harrelson makes for a robust LBJ - buried under mounds of prosthetics - as he tries to emerge from under all that makeup and create the colorful and cagey vulgarian who was the 36th President of the United States. Ambitious enough to run for the Presidential ticket he ends up as Vice President to John F. Kennedy but then eventually gets thrust into the top office when the latter is shot and killed. The screenplay sets up LBJ's political career via flashbacks from the motorcade wherein Kennedy is assassinated during that fateful ride down the street in Dallas. Once LBJ gets to the Oval office it becomes a series of verbal encounters with his nemesis Senator Robert Kennedy and his tussle with his friend and mentor - the Georgia State Senator Richard Russell (Richard Jenkins) - over the Civil Rights Bill which was Kennedy's dream and which he successfully pushes forward. He later gets elected to the presidency when he wins by a landslide - the largest share won by any presidential candidate since the 1820 election, but his popularity plummets as the Vietnam War rages amidst American deaths and intensifying anti-war protests. Interesting from the historical perspective this biopic gets a very ordinary treatment not helped by that distracting wax-like makeup on Harrelson's face.
Harrowing look at the life of an actress who begins life as the child of a mentally unbalanced mother (Julianne Nicholson in an unforgettable performance) who tries to drown her and burn her alive. Based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates this is a nonlinear and elliptical telling of the life of Norma Jeane Baker who became the Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe. Cuban-Spanish actor Ana de Armas effortlessly transforms herself into the iconic woman and shockingly even gets the star's ever-breathless voice down pat. Her sad life of many highs, but more lows, is presented in a dreamlike matter-of-fact way which although familiar to the average fan is relentlessly unforgiving in the way every sad moment is starkly presented. The highlights of her professional and personal life get a look-in - her first important movie role on screen is achieved but only after Hollywood producer Darryl Zanuck rapes her doggy style. She is forever in search of the "daddy" who abandoned her and tries to see him in the husbands she latches onto - Joe DiMaggio (Bobby Cannavale) the baseball player who physically abuses her, and via an emotionally codependent marriage to the playwright Arthur Miller (Adrien Brody). In between we get glimpses of famous moments - the song “Bye, Bye Baby” from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes references a forced abortion she reluctantly has in order to do the movie (we get to see the abortion taking place from within her vagina), the famous subway-grate sequence from The Seven Year Itch where her skirt is blown up above her waist and which turns into a grotesque nightmare as she is gawked at by photographers and onlookers as the moment is captured on film, and later she is literally carried by two Secret Service agents and delivered to President John Kennedy, who then makes her fellate him while he casually watches television. The repetitive degradation she is confronted by becomes a vicious exercise in horror but despite the film's excessive length it is never boring as the film visually compensates through its stunning cinematography (both in lush colour and in jarring black & white) backed by a softly wailing score. Ana de Armas gives a tour-de-force performance willing to totally give herself to the role in all its literally naked glory.
Lásky jedné plavovlásky / Loves of a Blonde (Miloš Forman, 1965) 7/10
Early Forman is set during the communist era and is one of the seminal films of the Czech New Wave. A heavy gloom hangs over everything as we follow the travails of a young shoe factory worker - the blonde of the title - as she goes about with her friends looking for love, sex or friendship - whichever comes first. A night out at a village dance the young girls are horrified to find the place full of sleazy middle-aged soldiers. Forman's camera - one of his very early collaborations with the great Miroslav Ondrícek - captures these characters in stark comic closeups as the girls manage to escape the planned crude sexual advances of the leering men who try their best to lure them. The men, in full-on clumsy mode, act like silly gossiping schoolgirls as they pass remarks about the girls seated at tables across from them. The blonde hooks up with a piano player from Prague who sweet talks her into going to bed with him. In love with him she takes off the following day to the big city in search of him only to fall foul of his parents. His overbearing mother is incredulous at the audacity of this single girl who expects to move into their house. A comedy of errors acted to perfection by a cast mostly consisting of amateurs - the blonde is superbly played by Forman's former ex-sister-in-law. The film resembles the British kitchen sink dramas then in vogue and was nominated for an Academy Award in the foreign film category.
Horí, má panenko / The Fireman's Ball (Miloš Forman, 1967) 5/10
The director's second highly acclaimed film from the Czech New Wave era is an unfunny comedy about a fire department throwing a retirement party for a former boss. The whole town is invited but nothing goes according to plan and everything goes wrong which was a veiled attack at the communist regime causing the film to be banned. The film was instrumental in launching Forman's career in Hollywood. Nominated for an Academy Award in the Foreign Film category.
LBJ (Rob Reiner, 2016) 5/10
Jennifer Jason Leigh is shockingly underused as Lady Bird Johnson but Woody Harrelson makes for a robust LBJ - buried under mounds of prosthetics - as he tries to emerge from under all that makeup and create the colorful and cagey vulgarian who was the 36th President of the United States. Ambitious enough to run for the Presidential ticket he ends up as Vice President to John F. Kennedy but then eventually gets thrust into the top office when the latter is shot and killed. The screenplay sets up LBJ's political career via flashbacks from the motorcade wherein Kennedy is assassinated during that fateful ride down the street in Dallas. Once LBJ gets to the Oval office it becomes a series of verbal encounters with his nemesis Senator Robert Kennedy and his tussle with his friend and mentor - the Georgia State Senator Richard Russell (Richard Jenkins) - over the Civil Rights Bill which was Kennedy's dream and which he successfully pushes forward. He later gets elected to the presidency when he wins by a landslide - the largest share won by any presidential candidate since the 1820 election, but his popularity plummets as the Vietnam War rages amidst American deaths and intensifying anti-war protests. Interesting from the historical perspective this biopic gets a very ordinary treatment not helped by that distracting wax-like makeup on Harrelson's face.
Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings
I'll have to check that out some time. This is the first I've heard of that film.Big Magilla wrote: I've never seen DeMille's version of J.M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton but I love Lewis Gilbert's 1957 version with Kenneth More as the butler and Sally Ann Howes in the Swanson role. Diane Cilento, Cecil Parker, Martita Hunt, and Miles Malleson are also in it.
Yi Yi (2000) - 9/10 - A middle class Taiwanese family each are dealing with a variety of issues. The father has concerns about his business and reunites with an old girlfriend. The mother struggles with her own mother's stroke. The daughter spends time with her new friend and is interested in the friend's boyfriend. The son takes an interest in photography and we get to see plenty of his school life as well. It's a very nice film
Bullet Train (2022) - 8/10 - An assassin often cursed with bad luck (Brad Pitt) takes an assignment to snatch a briefcase on a bullet train. It is supposed to be a quick job, but complications arise in the form of other assassins on the train. There is plenty of humor and violence and I thought it was fun.
Sparrows (1926) - 8/10 - Mary Pickford stars as Molly, the oldest of a group of orphan children who are used as slave labor on a farm deep in the swamps of the south. A new baby is added to the mix in the form of the kidnapped daughter of a wealthy family. There are a number of hijinx as well, often involving the bratty son of the grizzled old farmer. Pickford is good here and I thought it was fun. The journey through the swamp was done pretty well.
The Raid (2011) - 8/10 - A small group of elite police officers raid an apartment tower that is under the control of a powerful gang. The raid turns into a trap and they must fight in order to survive. Tons of action in a fairly entertaining film.
A Face in the Crowd (1957) - 8/10 - Andy Griffith gives a strong performance as Lonesome Rhodes, a drifter who is discovered by a radio reporter (Patricia Neal) while he is in jail on a minor charge. Lonesome has some talent as a folk singer and for connecting with people. He soon has his own tv show and quickly rises in power and popularity, exposing a darker side to his character. Neal is also pretty good in her role.
Dil Chahta Hai (2001) - 8/10 - Three men just out of college have been very close friends for a long time. The film follows their friendship and their romances with the women they come to love. The film has a nice mix of comedy, romance, and drama plus the songs generally add to the story rather than distracting from it. I'm not sure it had to be 3 hours long, but I enjoyed it.
A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929) - 8/10 - A an escapes from Dartmoor Prison and heads for a cottage on the moor. This leads to an extensive flashback about a jealous barber who is obsessed with a pretty manicurist who works at the barbershop. The acting is good and the camerawork and story are as well.