Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Precious Doll
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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The Platform (2019) Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia 4/10
Love Wedding Repeat (2020) Dean Craig 1/10
The 47 Ronin (1941) Kenki Mizoguchi 5/10

Repeat viewings

The Miracle Woman (1931) Frank Capra 8/10
Boogie Nights (1997) Paul Thomas Anderson 10/10
Hotel Du Nord (1938) Marcel Carne 7/10
White God (2014) Kornél Mundruczó 9/10
Shock Corridor (1963) Samuel Fuller 8/10
The Ice Storm (1997) Ang Lee 8/10
Brokeback Mountain (2004) Ang Lee 9/10
Dark Victory (1939) Edmund Goulding 8/10
Worzeck (1979) Werner Herzog 5/10
The Women (1939) George Cukor 7/10
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
Reza
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

Post by Reza »

Uphaar (Sudhendu Roy, 1971) 6/10
Big Night (Campbell Scott & Stanley Tucci, 1996) 7/10
The Brothers Rico (Phil Karlson, 1975) 6/10
The Magnet (Charles Frend, 1950) 4/10
Peeper (Peter Hyams, 1975) 5/10
Man in the Middle / The Winston Affair (Guy Hamilton, 1964) 3/10
One Shoe Makes It Murder (William Hale, 1982) 4/10
Buchanan Rides Alone (Budd Boetticher, 1958) 4/10


Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, 1959) 8/10

Classic Boetticher western with his favourite star Randolph Scott who in his later years played silent grizzled cowboys in a series of B-films for the director. A vicious bounty hunter (Randolph Scott) captures a young killer (James Best) and on his way to collect the bounty comes across a disparate group of stranded individuals - an outlaw (Pernell Roberts), his aide (James Coburn) and a young frontierswoman (Karen Steele). They are all forced to come together when a band of Indians show up wanting to carry off the woman. Unusual western as all the "good" guys are vicious and greedy killers with the worst of them - the prisoner's brother (Lee Van Cleef) - making an appearance at the end to face off with the bounty hunter who has been waiting to flush him out. The Boetticher westerns were all set in the same world as John Ford's films but had characters more real to life making these films edgy and provocative. This is one of Martin Scorsese's favourite westerns and Sergio Leone was greatly inspired by the westerns of Boetticher.


The Bridge at Remagen (John Guillermin, 1969) 5/10

Old fashioned war film set during early 1945 about the 9th Armored Division approaching
Remagen and capturing
Ludendorff Bridge which was a critical remaining bridge across the river Rhine in Germany. Realistc heroics with an interesting cast of actors - George Segal, Ben Gazzara, Robert Vaughn - some who would go on to become major stars during the 1970s. The film was shot in Czechoslovakia during a difficult time just as the Russians marched in. The film has outstanding widescreen cinematography by Stanley Cortez and a rousing Elmer Bernstein score.

The White Tower (Ted Tetzlaff, 1950) 6/10

As mountain climbing films go this does not hold a candle to the modern-day effects which help make this genre today so real and exciting. This 1950 production, based on the novel by James Ramsey Ullmann, holds its own quite well thanks to the two visual stylists on the crew - the director Tetzlaff, an acclaimed former cinematographer, and Ray Rennahen who shoots the film in stunning colour mostly on location. The stock characters are portrayed by an eclectic cast - the anxious woman (Alida Valli) wanting to climb the mountain for her late father who died attempting it, an alcoholic failed writer (Claude Rains) wanting to redeem himself, an elderly geologist (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), an unreformed Nazi (Lloyd Bridges) wanting to prove that he is the best, the peasant guide (Oscar Homolka) and the former bomber-pilot / tourist (Glenn Ford) who takes on the challenge as a means to follow the woman for whom he has the hots. Everyone has a deep-rooted chip on their shoulder and the difficult climb leads them to either salvation or to their doom. The actual climb is well shot with the actors and the stuntmen seamlessly integrated with many suspenseful moments along the way.

A Death in the Gunj (Konkona Sen Sharma, 2017) 8/10

Atmospheric film is set in an old Anglo-Indian town, McCluskieganj, where a boistrous Bengali family gather at the colonial bungalow of an elderly retired couple, the Bakshis (Om Puri & Tanuja) over new years in 1978-79. The film's dramatic opening has two men trying to load a dead body into a car and then Sharma, in this dazzling directorial debut, flashes back a week as we see events unfold. As in most family gatherings there are temper and ego flareups, fun and games, drinking, sexual escapades as secrets unravel and different temperaments collide as the guests all gather under one roof - the hosts' son (Gulshan Deviah) and his wife (Tilotama Shome), her sexually liberated friend (Kalki Koechlin) getting drunk and having it off with her now married former boyfriend (Ranvir Shorey) who relentlessly teases the young introverted Bakshi cousin (Vikrant Massy) who appears to be troubled as he silently observes everyone interacting. The ensemble cast give pitch perfect performances - the dialogue has a natural rhythm with the cast frequently jumping from Hindi to English to Bengali. Sharma uses sound and the camera to maintain a sense of eerie dread throughout leading up to the tragedy which was hinted at during the film's opening sequence. The period is marvelously but subtly evoked through costumes and props but at its center the film is a sensitive and moving portrait of an angst ridden young man derailed by lack of empathy in a world that harshly moves on by.

Siamo donne / We, the Women (Alfredo Guarini, Gianni Franciolini, Roberto Rossellini, Luigi Zampa, Luchino Visconti, 1953) 4/10

Tiresome Italian portmanteau film divided into five segments. The first one is the best about a casting call for a film at Rome's Cinecitta studio with hundreds of young girls showing up for the audition. Fascinating process of how the field is narrowed down with the chosen few getting to make a screen test. The other segments have four great stars seen in supposed events from their own lives. A bored Alida Valli decides to attend the engagement party of her masseuse where all the guests fawn over her making her feel like a freak in a circus. Rossellini directs the silliest episode with his wife Ingrid Bergman trying to chase away her neighbor's chicken which has destroyed her rose garden. A huge film star (Isa Miranda) has fame, awards, looks and wealth but no children and through a chance encounter helps a young boy and his siblings while their mother is out of the house. Visconti directs Anna Magnani in the last segment which involves her in a silly argument with a taxi driver over paying an extra lira for the pet dog on her lap. Boring movie is strictly bearable because of the four leading ladies.

Red Beard (Akira Kurosawa, 1965) 6/10

Long rambling film is notorious for having caused a rift between Kurosawa and his star Toshiro Mifune. After collaborating on 16 films the duo never worked together again. An arrogant young doctor (Yūzō Kayama), trained at a Dutch clinic in Nagasaki, is assigned to a rural clinic for his post-graduate training. He immediately clashes with the strict but humane doctor (Toshiro Mifune) who runs the clinic and is afectionately called "Red Beard". Gradually the young man gets involved with the poor patients and learns a valuable lesson in humanity - lives of patients are more important than wealth or status. Superbly produced film has many moving vignettes involving different patients but the 3-hour running time is rather excessive.

Photograph (Ritesh Batra, 2019) 6/10

A master of the understatement, Batra's films speak volumes about human relationships as his protagonists quietly meet, form a bond and through mostly silence evoke the flutter of love. A lonely photographer (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who takes pictures of tourists for a living convinces a girl (Sanya Malhotra) passing "India Gate" to pose for him. She leaves without paying for the photograph. Later when his old grandmother browbeats him into settling down with a girl he lies and tells her that he has already found a girl. Seeking out the girl in the photograph he convinces her to play along to appease the old woman. As they continue meeting the extreme differences in their backgrounds seems to vanish as they connect as two persons. Frankly its only in movies that such couples manage to not only meet but connect as well. And even their connection is in a catatonic way with hardly any dialogue and just furtive glances which seem to be doing all the talking. Slow moving film is well acted by the two leads.

37 Days (Justin Hardy, 2014) 7/10

Archduke Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian empire was assassinated on June 28, 1914. Exactly 37 days later on August 4 Britain declared war on Germany. This 3-part miniseries is a mixture of drama and documentary and looks at events during those 37 days as desperate diplomatic negotiations took place between the British Foreign Office and the German Chancellery with active roles also played by Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicholas II, Franz Joseph I.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha toh Aisa Lagaa (Shelly Chopra Dar, 2019) 1/10

Sometimes a good intention backfires miserably as it does with this dismal film. The story about Sweety (Sonam Kapoor) growing up a closeted lesbian and coming out to her middle class Punjabi milieu - which includes the entire town in addition to her shocked dad (Anil Kapoor). How do we try and break the taboo of homosexuality? Preach in broad strokes to the masses and in particular the "aam middle-class jantaa". So set the story of poor little Sweety in a small-town Punjabi milieu peppered by characters with silly names like Babloo and Chatro and make everyone really loud and obnoxious from the maid to the grandmother to the angry brother. Keep the comic quotient at fever pitch throughout before springing the surprise of Sweety's sexuality via a staged "naatak" in front of the whole town. Unfortunately nothing works starting with the two lead actors. Anil Kapoor is totally miscast and does not convince as a middle class punjabi and the less said about Sonam Kapoor who appears to have the acting chops of a gnat. Juhi Chawla does her tired punjabi comic shtick as a sort of love interest for Anil and if anyone survives this mess its Rajkumar Rao as the guy being mistakenly pushed as Sweety's love interest and author of the "naatak". This trite film not only does diservice to an important subject but also trashes the legacy of the classic song by R.D. Burman by using it as the title to this film.

Sonchiriya (Abhishek Chaubey, 2019) 9/10

Riveting dacoit drama is set in the dry river ravines of Chambal valley. This once popular Bollywood genre last came to the screen 25 years ago when Shekhar Kapur's "Bandit Queen" won critical raves. Chaubey's gritty and relentlessly violent and profane film surpasses that classic. A gang of dacoits, led by Dadda (Manoj Bajpayee), make a bold daylight raid on a village wedding hoping to steal the gold dowry. Unaware that it is a trap by the police a horrific shootout takes place, Dadda is killed and the remaining bandits go on the run with the police Inspector (Ashutosh Rana) in hot pursuit. The gang comes across a local woman (Bhumi Pednakar) on the run from her family carrying a young girl who is a rape victim in need of a hospital. The gang splits as Lakhna (Sushant Singh Rajput) wants to help the woman and surrender to the police while the hotheaded Vakil Singh (Ranvir Shorey) wants to continue Dadda's legacy. Things don't quite go according to plan for both men as the woman's family and the police continue their pursuit leading to more violent showdowns. The brilliant screenplay weaves layers upon layers touching on the dacoits' strong code of honour mixed with superstition and caste segregation. The film is almost like a spaghetti western shot in wide screen capturing the stunning location in all its splendour. Haunting film took the Filmfare Critics prize and won the award for its costume design. Pednekar, Shorey, the story, screenplay, dialogue, cinematography, production design, sound and action were all nominated. The film's dialogues are entirely in the Bundeli dialect. A must-see.

Sharktopus (Declan O'Brien, 2010) 2/10

Hilariously trashy Jaws ripoff has a shady military project - they've built a half shark-half octopus as a mean killing machine - that goes awry with the giant monster on the loose scrounging the Mexican resort beaches for fresh boobs - every victim gets a dramatic slicing and a swallow. Eric Roberts is the inventor of the beast and up to shady stuff and gets to have an encounter with the pet he created. The nastier the character on screen the more gruesome the death. It's fun watching bodies in swim suits getting torn apart.

Tam Lin (Roddy McDowall, 1970) 8/10

A beautiful aging matron (Ava Gardner) holds sway over a group of young and beautiful men and women all living in her country mansion. When her boy-toy lover (Ian McShane) falls in love with the vicar's daughter (Stephanie Beacham) and demands to leave the older woman the old adage - "hell hath no fury as a woman scorned" - comes true. McDowall's only film as director came about because of his desire to work with close friend Ava Gardner and the studio all but massacred it. Surprisingly effective film (much later restored with Scorsese's help) is beautifully shot by Billy Williams in Scotland with snazzy flourishes provided by McDowall in keeping with the drug-fueled 1960s. Based on an ancient Scottish ballad about a witch having her revenge on a lover who escapes her clutches. Gardner, dressed in Pierre Balmain and still very beautiful at 48, has a field day with the part seductively rolling around in bed with a nude McShane, drinking, smoking (in her usual erotic style) and basically having a ball on camera. Unjustly neglected film is full of macabre moments with Gardner basking in the company of young people in order to preserve her own vitality. A number of familiar faces appear in small parts - Joanna Lumley, Sinéad Cusack, Madeline Smith - who would go on to make a mark during the following decade

Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (Vasan Bala, 2019) 7/10

Quirky film with extremely quirky characters. A young man (Abhimanyu Dassani), born with a rare disorder called Congenital insensitivity to pain, grows up being mentored by his eccentric grandfather (Mahesh Manjrekar) and becomes obsessed by martial arts films. Since he cannot feel pain he is forced to lead a very sheltered life befriending a girl in his building who has an abusive father. The film manages to toe a very thin line between ridiculous farce - the slow-mo fight sequences - and serious issues dealing with having to live in an abusive home. The latter part of the story involves the now grown up girl (Radhika Madan), vulnerable but defiant, who joins up with her childhood friend to fight a cocky thug with the help of the hood's one-legged twin brother and karate champ. The far fetched plot keeps getting stranger and stranger but the entire cast is game and is a real crowd pleaser - something on the lines of "Deadpool". Dassani, making his film debut, is fantastic as the zany young man who relishes being an action hero in his neighborhood - the actor, son of yester-year superstar Padmini Kolhapure, won a well deserved Filmfare award for his debut. Radhika Madan, also making her debut, is sensational as the kick-ass girl with a chip on her shoulder who nurses deep wounds under her boistrous facade. A joyful film that entertains through its broad humour and zany sensibility.

Pataakha (Vishal Bhardwaj, 2019) 7/10

A story about two sisters growing up in a small village in Rajasthan who have an extremely volatile relationship. The story charts their ups and downs taking a close look at village life along the way. The two leads - Radhika Madan & Sanya Malhotra - are sensational totally immersing themselves in their parts. Both actresses moved into an actual village to live their roles before acting in front of the camera. Vijay Raaz is also very good as the girls' exasperated father. The film goes on too long as the plot - including two elopments and two psychosomatic illnesses - could easily have been trimmed. Malika Arora appears in the "Hello Hello" item number and is a welcome surprise.

Meri Pyaari Bindu (Akshay Roy, 2017) 8/10

Bittersweet romantic love story seen through the eyes of a pulp horror-romance novelist (Ayushman Khurrana). Best friends since childhood they keep drifting towards and away from each other as vivacious Bindu (Parineeti Chopra), a rock star wannabee, cannot decide what she wants from life. The story, set in a Bengali milieu in Calcutta, resonates with song, laughter, heartbreak and joy - not necessarily in that order - as the two friends revel in each other's company with "love" hovering at the brink of their relationship. Bindu is a character seen solely through the love struck eyes of the writer so she comes across as this tremulous free spirit in slow motion with hair flying in constant motion - the ultimate romantic vision. The story shifts back and forth in time catching the two at different moments in their lives which never seem to connect and gradually we come to see that Bindu has a different agenda in life far removed from the idealized romantic view of the writer. Holding on to dreams can be heartbreaking and is the lesson that gently unfolds. Sad but uplifting film is steeped in reality despite the "filmy" tropes. It all comes together due to the exceptional screen chemistry between Khurrana and Chopra and the superb actors surrounding them. The film proves that old wine in new bottles can actually work as the romance at the center bends the rules of the genre. Great score with Parineeti Chopra making her singing debut with the song "Mana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin".

The Gay Falcon (Irving Reis, 1941) 4/10

First in the long running Falcon series of B-films with George Sanders as suave detective with more than a roving eye. Here he gets involved in a series of murders with jewel thieves at the center of the crimes. Interesting to see Dame Gladys Cooper in a glamourous role not requiring her to be "old". Boring film gets by on Sanders' charming persona. And the Falcon is not "gay" - Gay Laurence is his name.

Yours Truly (Sanjoy Nag, 2019) 8/10

A lonely single woman (Soni Razdan) in her late fifties goes through life in a haze of regrets. A mundane government job in Calcutta to which she daily commutes via train is her only activity. Wistfully longing for a man in her life she imagines having sex at night but is often disturbed by the loud sexual activity going on next door courtesy of her dim religious neighbour (Pankaj Tripathy) who likes to have noisy sex. On her daily train commutes she forms an association with the announcer talking on the speaker at Howrah station by writing to him expressing her love. She imagines he responds to her via the loudspeaker. Based on a short story by Annie Zaidi this moving little film delves into the character of a woman who holds on to the past - she refuses to sell the dilapidated family home which her younger pragmatic sister advises. Soni Razdan - wife of Mahesh and mother of Alia Bhatt - superbly conveys the longings of this woman and the film ends on a poignant note with a brief scene involving Mahesh Bhatt. Not since Aparna Sen's "36 Chowringhee Lane" has a film captured the state of human loneliness with such an acute eye.

Aiyaary (Neeraj Pandey, 2018) 6/10

Political thriller that implicates the Indian army and politicians in corruption although it swerves at the end by exonerating the forces of any wrong doing. There is, however, an interesting bit of dialogue about Kashmir where a question is raised about the "problem" and why it can't be resolved - and the response is that the matter can easily be resolved except the powers that be greatly "benefit" from keeping it occupied in a state of terror. The convoluted plot involves an agent (Siddharth Malhotra) belonging to a secret intelligence unit who goes rogue after eavesdropping on a conversation where the Army chief is being bribed. His mentor (Manoj Bajpayee), and leader of the unit, starts searching for him scared that he may be selling secrets to the enemy. The action moves from Bombay to Cairo to Kashmir and on to London as various double agents, arms dealers, hackers, terrorists, journalists and opportunistic politicians become part of the game being played. The screenplay takes on too many characters and it becomes a chore trying to figure out who is doing what to whom although there are enough thrilling moments to keep you hanging on. Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah have small but pivotal roles and along with Bajpayee are regulars in the films of the director.

Baby (Neeraj Pandey, 2015) 5/10

A massive hit at the boxoffice - it was banned in Pakistan because the chief terrorist is a maulana (based on the nutjob-mastermind of the Bombay blasts). A covert government intelligence unit, created to find and eliminate terrorists, is run by a group of highly trained agents. Akshay Kumar is the Bond-like spy who nimbly chases and beats up suspects with help from Om Puri, Taapsee Panu and Rana Daggubati. Overlong film just goes on and on and could have easily been trimmed by an hour. Pandey seems to be stuck in terrorist mode and regurgitates the same theme in all his films.

1971 (Amrit Sagar, 2007) 6/10

Indian POWs held captive in Pakistani jails since 1971 are shifted to a secret camp in the mountains when the Red Cross arrive to check. It is 1977 and General Zia has taken over and declared Martial Law. Six prisoners plan an escape from the camp and head towards Muzaffarabad. The film describes their plight while on the run chased by the Pakistani army over mountaneous terrain. There is a hilarious scene of a female Pakistani lawyer - "Sabeena Jahangir" (obviously based on Asma) - berating a senior army official demanding to know why the army has still kept Indians as prisoners with both shouting at each other. One by one the prisoners die and even though two manage to reach the LOC one (Manoj Bajpayee) is shot from the back just as he crosses the border and the other (Deepak Dobrial) recaptured and returned to jail in Multan. The fact that none manages to make it back to India alive makes one wonder if the story is just Indian propaganda. The film ends with a note that there are 54 Indian prisoners from 1971 still languishing in Pakistani jails and were last seen there in 1988.

Panga (Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, 2020) 6/10

A wife and mother (Kangana Ranaut), at the urging of her young son, decides to return to the field of Kabaddi. She excelled at the sport before her son was born and was a world champion. The seven year gap makes it difficult for her but her family's support helps her take the "panga" and she makes a comeback. The predictable plot and its outcome is brought to life by Ranaut who doesn't miss a beat adding this to an already long list of memorable film performances. She gets fine support from Jassi Gill as her husband, Richa Chadda as her best friend and Neena Gupta has her mother. Feel-good film about sports, unconditional love and the true meaning of family.

Hope Gap (William Nicholson, 2019) 7/10

Angst-filled drama appears to be like a stuffy filmed play - it is based partly on Nicholson's own play "The Retreat From Moscow" - but instead using the spectacular location of Seaford, East Sussex with its dramatic white cliffs to open it up from its stage origin was an inspired choice. At it's center is an intimate heartfelt drama which the author said was "a midpoint between 'Brief Encounter' and 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'". A young man (Josh O'Connor), on a weekend visit to his family home, is suddenly confronted with the shocking news that his parents' 29-year marriage is over. His mild mannered father (Bill Nighy) calmly announces that he is walking out of his stifling marriage, has been having an affair with his student's mother for over a year and admits that his marriage was a big mistake as he was never compatible with his wife. If the news comes as a big shock to the son it comes as a bigger one to his incredulous wife (Annette Bening) who at first refuses to accept the fact. An opinionated brittle woman with a sarcastic nature she retaliates with bitter anguish wanting to discuss details while her meek husband just wants to slip away. Caught in-between the two is the son who refuses to take sides and gently tries to bring some semblance of peace and resolution to the matter. Shooting many of the scenes in the outdoors - on the beach and at the edge of the towering cliffs - gives the drama an exciting edge and does not let what is basically a talk-fest to dissolve into abject claustrophobia. Nighy's confession also results in the son examining his own solitary life spent in not being able to make solid connections with anyone. Superbly acted film examines the importance of making a connection with a spouse or partner which is often missing or is suppressed in many relationships.

Journal of a Crime (William Keighley, 1934) 7/10

Ruth Chatterton, like Norma Shearer and Ann Harding, was a huge star during the 1930s but is like them all but forgotten today. Stardom lasted from the late silents through to the early talkies and into the 1930s and then virtually ended with that decade. This was one of the last pre-code films so murder and adultery went unpunished at the end. The wife (Ruth Chatterton) of a successful playwright (Adolph Menjou) shoots and kills his mistress (Claire Dodd) the star of his latest show. By coincidence a bank robber hides out in the theater where the actress is shot and is taken by the cops and charged with the crime. The wife goes scott free although her husband discovers her gun in a bucket at the theater and knows she is the murderer. When he confronts her she refuses to give herself up and continues with her life. Distraught and disgusted by her he says she will eventually die of guilt. The silly plot with more than a few coincidences as well as an absurd ending is not the reason for watching these old films - although many have a certain camp factor that makes them memorable. The actual fun is in watching these great stars who manage to make absurd plots believable through their performances. This was Chatterton's last film at Warners - she was one of the most expensive stars at the studio and her contract was not renewed. She was well past 40 which was a death knell for actresses in Hollywood. A great stage star before the movies she gives an expert performance as the deluded woman who thinks she can win back the love of her husband by murdering his mistress. She gets many camera closeups throughout acting mostly with her face as this psychological study of a woman unfolds although being a famous clothes horse she also gets to wear many dramatic Orry-Kelly gowns. What is galling to see is how the suave Menjou is allowed (via the script) to taunt his wife after the murder without feeling even an ounce of guilt about his own infidelity. The almost spiritual ending involving amnesia is absurd but allows the wife to get what she wanted all along.

Moby Dick (Lloyd Bacon, 1930) 8/10

First sound adaptation of Herman Melville's classic novel actually diverts from the book by adding on an imagined prequel and a sequel with Captain Ahab (John Barrymore) getting involved in a love triangle. Both he and his brother (Lloyd Huges) fall in love with the daughter of a minister (Joan Bennett). The film is actually a sound remake of Barrymore's silent film The Sea Beast (1926). The central portion follows the novel as Ahab comes across the white whale, grapples with it and loses his leg in the process - the scene where the crew cauterize his leg after the whale has bitten it off is horrific. He becomes obsessed with killing the great beast and his subsequent voyage involves a mutiny by his crew and a tremendous chase followed by confronting Moby Dick for the final time. Barrymore, dispensing with his romantic image, proves to be a great action hero performing acrobats on the ship's mast and heroics on the open sea as he gives chase. Bennett, in one of her early talkies, was at the start of her memorable screen career and makes a good on-screen couple with the great Barrymore even if she is almost thirty years younger. The action scenes with the whale on the ocean are quite spectacular for a film made in 1930.

The Man in the Sky (Charles Crichton, 1957) 6/10

The perils of being a test pilot and one (Jack Hawkins) who takes far too many chances with bringing a plane down despite being urged to bail out. This causes problems on the domestic front when his wife (Elizabeth Sellars) realizes the unnecessary risks he is taking with his life. An ordinary man facing an extraordinary life moment - a theme in many of the films from Ealing studio of which this was one of the last films to come out of there before it shut down.

The Bold and the Brave (Lewis R. Foster, 1956) 7/10

Perceptive screenplay makes points about good vs evil and how that religious concept can often screw up a person. The story is set during WWII - the 1944 Italian campaign - and takes a glance at three American soldiers. There is the idealist (Wendell Corey) who does not belive in killing. The zealot (Don Taylor) who has no qualms about killing the enemy but his religious beliefs about good vs evil have his brain twisted into knots - on a layoff he meets a young woman (Nicole Maurey) in a village and falls in love all ready to marry her until he suddenly discovers she is a prostitute. The third soldier (Mickey Rooney) is the raucous "class clown" always coming up with ways to make a quick buck especially through crap games. Low budget B-film is old fashioned but thoughtfully plotted focusing more on human character rather than the actual war the soldiers are part of. Rooney was nominated for an Oscar for his energetic comedic performance as was the film's screenplay.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Citizen K (2019) Alex Gibney 5/10
Out of Blue (2019) Carol Morley 4/10
Just Mercy (2019) Destining Daniel Cretton 4/10

Repeat viewings

Long Days Journey Into Night (1962) Sidney Lumet 8/10
Burden of Dreams (1982) Les Blank 6/10
The Two of Us (1967) Claude Berri 7/10
Fitzcarraldo (1982) Werner Herzog 5/10
The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) John Huston 10/10
Nosferatu: The Vampyre (1979) Werner Herzog 7/10
Ullee's Gold (1997) Victor Nunez 9/10
My Favourite Year (1982) Richard Benjamin 7/10
McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) Robert Altman 9/10
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

Post by Reza »

House of Bamboo (Samuel Fuller, 1955) 7/10
Underworld U.S.A. (Samuel Fuller, 1961) 6/10
Shadow (Zhang Yimou, 2018) 9/10
Hard Boiled (John Woo, 1992) 8/10

Comes a Horseman (Alan J. Pakula, 1978) 7/10

Pakula's offbeat and revisionist western is set during the waning years of WWII. Deliberately paced film gently recalls classic westerns of the past with familiar tropes of the genre. A land baron (Jason Robards) with delusions of past grandeur takes on two neighbours, a woman and a war veteran, by trying to browbeat both into giving up their land to him. The feisty woman (Jane Fonda), helped by her devoted aging hand (Richard Farnsworth), and the laid back veteran (James Caan) stand their ground against strong-armed tactics by the baron's goons and attacks on their land and cattle. There are additional problems for all the ranchers as they owe big debts to the bank allowing a close friend (George Grizzard) of the baron to manipulate the bank into giving his land to him so he can drill for oil. The evil baron takes matters into his own hands against everyone leading to a fiery finalé. Fonda's presence recalls her dad Henry Fonda, a veteran of classic westerns from Hollywood's golden era while Farnsworth, a veteran stuntman in numerous westerns (including for Henry Fonda), makes his acting debut after numerous unbilled or bit parts (since 1937) as the grizzled old cowpoke (shades of a gentler Walter Brennan) and was rewarded with an Oscar nomination for his sympathetic performance. Both Caan and Fonda have great chemistry as they gently warm up to each other. The spectacular location - Wet Mountain Valley in Colarado, all rolling hills and vast meadows - is captured in all its glory by the superb widescreen cinematography by Gordon Willis.

Onna ga kaidan wo agaru toki / When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Mikio Naruse, 1960) 10/10

Naruse never got the same adulation as his contemporary Japanese directors - Yasujirô Ozo, Kenji Mizoguchi and Akira Kurosawa. This was mainly due to a certain lack of style in comparison although his films show a remarkable sensitivity in depicting the female psyche. Like Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen (in his dramas), Naruse depicts his female characters in a bleak and pessimistic light but shows great sensitivity in exploring their position in a working class milieu. Mama (Hideko Takamine), a 30-something widow always strapped for cash, works as a bar hostess in the Ginza district of Tokyo. At home she is constantly pestered by her aged mother and good-for-nothing brother for money which she provides out of guilt. At work she maintains a conservative and traditional outlook. She dresses in a prim kimono unlike the other girls who wear western attire and while she welcomes and entertains men at the bar she politely refuses to sleep with them. At the bar rumour has it that she made a vow to her dead husband that she would never ever love another man which greatly endears her to the bar manager/pimp (Tatsuya Nakadai). The sharply drawn, almost brutal, screenplay follows the dead-end life of this woman as she struggles to maintain her independance and honour in a society that stinks of the madonna-or-whore paradox dominated by male-centric views of women. Desperate because of her advancing age she has options of either branching out with her own bar for which money is needed or getting married to an eligible man. After three disastrous attempts with men - one proposes but turns out to be a liar and fraud, another with whom she falls in love is married and won't give up his family for her and she rejects her manager who has silently been in love with her. The film ends on a positive note as totally dejected she puts on a brave face and ascends the stairs to the bar to start yet another day at work. Shattering film is exquisitely acted by Hideko Takamine who worked extensively with Naruse in a dozen films throughout the 1950s and early 1960s becoming a top star in Japan playing strong-willed, poverty-stricken women held down by the traditional family system.

Late Autumn (Yasujirô Ozu, 1960) 8/10

Wistful but thoroughly charming comedy-drama is almost a reversal of Ozu's Late Spring (1949). However, instead of a widower trying to get his daughter married in the former film here the young girl has a widowed mother who wishes her daughter would settle down. The leading lady in both films is the luminous
Setsuko Hara who played the young daughter in the previous film and here plays the widowed mother. Concerned that her daughter (Yôko Tsukasa) needs to settle down she takes up the offer from her late husband's three friends (Shin Saburi, Chishû Ryû, Nubuo Nakamura) in finding a suitable husband for the young girl. The film takes on the mantle of a gentle farce - with a jaunty score straight out of an Italian romantic comedy - as the three friends go about suggesting candidates which the girl keeps rejecting. It transpires that she does not want to leave her mother alone. So the three bumbling men decide to take matters further into their own hands to find a suitor for the mother - the candidate being one of them who just happens to be a widower. Needless to say this causes a misunderstanding between the daughter and her mother which happily is resolved by the end. The film has a number of Ozu's signature traits - scenes with impressive spatial compositions, the camera placed at the floor level viewing characters as they sit still and the director's familiar theme of showing post-war changes in the attitudes of the modern young which he contrasts with the traditional older generation. The film is shot in stunning colour with outstanding production design often viewed by the still camera capturing static shots of bedroom interiors, dining areas, hallways and restaurants. The film also glorifies Japanese cuisine making the film a gastronomical delight.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (George Stevens, 1965) 5/10

A repeat viewing after many years. Found out an interesting bit of trivia unknown to me before - the opening sequence between Herod the Great (Claude Rains in his last screen appearance) and Herod Antipas (José Ferrer) was directed by David Lean as a favour to Stevens. This is a long (clocked in at almost 3.5 hrs although the original cut was over 4 hrs), rambling and often boring epic about the life of Christ. Max von Sydow was chosen to play Christ because his face was unfamiliar to Western audiences despite being a star for years in the films of Ingmar Bergman. He brings a strong sense of nobility and dignity in his portrayal and is surrounded by an all-star cast of familiar Hollywood faces, many in tiny wordless cameos, playing assorted characters. Critics at the time found all these faces a distraction but they actually seamlessly fit into the story in a subtle manner. What I found distracting was Stevens' choice of location for the film. Arizona, Nevada and Utah were chosen for most of the outdoor shoot with Christ posing against the grandeur of the Grand Canyon as a backdrop along with familiar Monument Valley from all the John Ford westerns. Out of all the stars the only one who comes off totally unconvincing is John Wayne as a centurion watching the crucifixion and drawling in his familiar voice the hokey dialogue "Truly, this man was the son of God”. Other prominent actors (some in blink-and-you-miss-them parts) appear as John the Baptist (Charlton Heston wearing a hideous wig) whose beheading is not shown, The Virgin Mary (Dorothy McGuire, a great star playing an important role, but who is shockingly just a silent and mostly weepy observer), Barabbas (Richard Conte), Pontius Pilate (Telly Savalas who shaved his head for the role and remained shaven till the end of his career), Satan (Donald Pleasence), Angel at the Tomb (Pat Boone), various jewish priests and Roman guards (Martin Landau, Victor Buono, Michael Ansara), the disciples - Judas (David McCallum who jumps into fire instead of hanging himself), Matthew (Roddy McDowall), Simon (Robert Blake) - Herodias (Marian Seldes), assorted people who were either healed by Jesus or who helped him (Shelley Winters, Ed Wynn, Van Heflin, Carroll Baker, Ina Balin, Angela Lansbury (must have blinked or was on one of my many, many loo trips because I never saw her), Janet Margolin, Sal Mineo, Joseph Schildkraut) and Simon of Cyrene (Sidney Poitier) who helps Jesus carry the cross to his crucifixion. The film's production design, cinematography, costumes, special effects and score received Oscar nominations. The definitive screen version about the life of Christ remains Franco Zeffirelli's all-star television movie.

Downhill (Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, 2020) 1/10

There was really no need for Hollywood to remake the Scandanavian "Force Majeure". It's just an excuse to cast two comedians - Will Ferrell and Julia-Louise Drefuss - in a drama that feels very forced. It also does not help that both play rather unappealing characters stuck in a marriage that appears to be wavering. A family skiing holiday (with two sons in tow) in the Austrian Tirol proves fatal when an avalanche scare becomes the catalyst of doom for their relationship. When danger of being crushed by the moving snow becomes inevitable he makes a run for it leaving behind his terrified wife and sons. So begins their nightmarish holiday with wifey in full snarling mode at guilty hubby. Everyone is miserable and moody throughout despite the spectacular location and even the crude humour of one character falls totally flat. Skip this crappy film.

Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966) 4/10

Quoting Jodie Foster - "Cruelty might be very human, and it might be very cultural, but it's not acceptable". And this is especially true towards animals. Bresson's cruel film charts the life of a donkey from birth to death. A life that starts as a pet to a young girl whose father works on a large estate. The life of the girl runs parallel to the donkey and involves physical violence directed at her. She is loved by the owner's son but they move away after his mother dies. The girl remains at the estate as her father is put in charge to look after it in the absence of the owners. The donkey is given away and as the years pass it is used as a beast of burden for different owners all of whom treat the animal with intense cruelty. Escaping from an owner it finds its way back to the estate and the now grown-up girl. The boy who loved her returns but she now prefers the baker's son, a cruel and insensitive youth given to creating havoc with his buddies. When the donkey is sold to the baker it faces more cruelty at the hands of this young man who lights its tail with fire. It just goes on and on, the cruelty, and in a relentlessly deadpan way by which Bresson appears to be making (maybe?) a spiritual parable to Christ. Life's a bitch and then you die. Which the donkey finally does in a field surrounded by sheep. The only moment of relief this film brings. While the donkey goes through life in a totally passive way, seemingly accepting its fate, all the human characters behave without logic. Pretentious film is frustrating and an ordeal to sit through and its only plus point is the superb cinematography by Ghislain Cloquet.

I Am (Onir, 2010) 6/10

Four short stories about subjects that were more or less taboo in Indian films at the time as characters fight to hold onto their dignity in a world that is cruel and unsympathetic. A woman (Nandita Das) dumped by her boyfriend decides to have a baby through artificial insemination. Her friend (Juhi Chawla), who argues against the procedure, has problems of her own. She, a Kashmiri Pandit who along with her family was driven away from Kashmir, needs to return after 20 years to sell off the family home. The visit brings back bitter memories as she visits the home of her childhood muslim friend (Manisha Koirala) and her family. The two discover that both families have suffered - one through displacement and the other through vicious treatment of the Indian military. This sequence is fascinating as we get to see Srinagar as a complete military zone under heavy barricades as the two characters walk the streets - the director's camera captures the beautiful Dal lake in all its glory showing "paradise" under lockdown. The third sequence involves the hedonistic lifestyle of a documentarian (Sanjay Suri) which is revealed to be related to sexual abuse during his childhood at the hands of his step-father (Anurag Kashyap). The last sequence deals with the dreaded Section 377 of the Indian penal code and how the police misuse it in order to browbeat victims into paying bribes - a gay Mumbai-based executive (Rahul Bose) is caught in a compromising position with a student. Well acted film with meaningful subjects is awkwardly linked to each other through common characters.

The Night Fighters / A Terrible Beauty (Tay Garnett, 1960) 6/10

Simplistic but atmospheric film set in a small village in Ireland in 1941. War is raging in Europe with Britain engaged with Germany. Nazis smuggle in ammunition for the locals to rise up against the english on their home turf to coincide with their plan of invading Britain. A local IRA outfit, headed by an unstable patriot (Dan O'Herlihy), enlists local boys including the tough but happy-go-lucky Dermott O'Neill (Robert Mitchum). During a raid on an ammunition dump he gets separated from the group and with a wounded colleague (Richard Harris) goes on the run. Later realizing the outfit's rabid and dicey plans do not make sense he decides to get out of the IRA causing the wrath of the group who capture him. Will he reunite with his girlfriend (Anne Heywood), escape and depart for England? Mitchum and a fine cast of Irish character actors - Cyril Cusack, Niall MacGinnis, Marie Kean - make this an interesting watch. Mitchum would go on to play an Irishman again to much acclaim 10-years later in David Lean's "Ryan's Daughter".

The Cakemaker (Ofir Raul Graizer, 2017) 8/10

Sensitive intelligent and well-crafted story moves like a novel with characters that not only feel real but display emotions that seem familiar. The perceptive screenplay uses a gentle tone that neatly explains subtle cultural differences which although seemingly outdated and outrageous to a modern mind are the product of orthodox religious beliefs. I was very surprised to see the similarity between jewish and muslim customs not only about kosher/halaal food but the orthodox rules towards people of different religions which even Hindus display via their caste system. A german pastry chef (Tim Kalkhof) in Berlin starts up a relationship with a married Israeli engineer who periodically visits the city for brief meetings. After a year when there is suddenly no response from his lover in Israel he is told that the man suddenly died in a car accident. Utterly bereft he turns up in Jerusalem and takes up a job at a cafe run by his dead lover's widow (Sarah Adler). Soon her business increases as he introduces cookies and exotic cakes on the menu and also finds himself bonding with her son and other family members. Before the relationship with the widow takes on an expected turn something unexpected also happens which the screenplay neatly concludes without much fanfare but is pleasing nevertheless. The film's exploration of friendship, love, grief and food is packaged without delving deep into the darker recesses of grief or sexuality. It may be a rather simplistic approach but it is sweetly presented with much feeling.

Rob Roy (Michael Caton-Jones, 1995) 8/10

The romance between outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy (Liam Neeson) and his wife Mary (Jessica Lange) is completely dwarfed by the spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands where their story is set. As with any story about a power struggle there has to be a good adversary for the gallant hero to fight against. This film has three memorable ones - a sniveling coward (Brian Cox), the Marquess of Montrose (John Hurt) who drips sarcasm with every line of dialogue and the viciously despicable fop played by Tim Roth who was given carte blanche by the director to make the character as over-the-top as he wished. Roth goes beyond expectations and runs off with the film mincing about with a sneer on his face murdering, impregnating and raping his way through the film. His deliciously evil performance won the actor a well deserved Oscar nomination. No swashbuckler is complete without a wink and a wave at Errol Flynn and the movie ends with a great sword fight between Neeson and Roth. Old fashioned story is given new life by director Caton-Jones and his marvelous team of technicians behind the camera - the production and costume designers, the lovely score by Carter Burrell and the breathtaking vistas captured by the camera of Karl Walter Lindenlaub. Great fun.

Firaaq (Nandita Das, 2009) 8/10

Heartrending film chronicles the aftermath of the 2002 Gujrat "sectarian riots" in India which left 900 muslims and 300 hindus dead while hundreds of thousands on both sides were rendered homeless. Rookie director Nandita Das, who also wrote the perceptive screenplay, more than once hints the terror was state devised as a means towards ethnic cleansing. That muslim genocide resonates even more today when the current situation in India more than testifies to this fact as senior government officials openly talk in contempt about their muslim population. The screenplay captures a microcosm of the population left defenceless and petrified as they go about rebuilding their lives after the carnage. A young muslim couple (Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Shahana Goswami) return to find their home burnt and destroyed. An elderly classical vocalist (Naseeruddin Shah) lives in a reverie of the past oblivious to the death and destruction. A wealthy inter-religious couple (Sanjay Suri & Tisca Chopra) plan to leave strife ridden Gujrat and move to Delhi because the husband, who is a muslim, feels insecure. A middle-aged hindu woman (Deepti Naval) is guilt ridden for not having saved the life of a muslim woman banging on her door during the riots while her crooked husband (Paresh Rawal) is trying to bribe the cops to save his brother who was involved in a gang rape. Each vignette is superbly intercut with the pace and tone increasing in dramatic intensity. Das does not spare the audience and presents moments that are sad and horrific but ends each story with a light of hope. Disturbing, thought-provoking and disturbing film.
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mlrg wrote:
Precious Doll wrote: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Lewis Gilbert 6/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Peter Hunt 8/10
I’m a huge James Bond fan since I was a kid and this two films, alongside Skyfall, are my all time favorites.

Had On Her Majesty’s Secret Service stared another actor rather than the lame George Lazenby, the movie would be pitch perfect. A trivia note: big parts of this movie were shot in Lisbon and surrounding areas (beach sequence, the final wedding and even the jewelry story Bond enters to buy the wedding ring which still exists).
They are my three favourite Bond films too.

George Lazenby works for me only because he is so off kilter as is the film, however his accent in the film is dreadful moving between Australian and English. On Her Majesty's Secret Service also has the most moving ending (and scene for that matter) in any Bond film and Diana Rigg was terrific (she is included in my 1969 Oscar Shoudhavebeen supporting actress line-uo).

I noticed at the end of the film that some of it was shot in Portugal and I'd never have guessed that. Another bit of trivia relating to The Spy Who Loved Me is that at the very end of the credits it is revealed that For Your Eyes Only will be the next Bond adventure. Funny because it didn't turn out that way as Moonraker (1979) turned out to be the next Bond film and For You Eyes Only (1981) after that.

I suspect that may have happened because of the success of Star Wars and the sci-fi crazy it generated that Moonraker may have felt like an even more promising commercial project that For Your Eyes Only. Alas, Moonraker is one of the weaker Bond films.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Precious Doll wrote: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Lewis Gilbert 6/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Peter Hunt 8/10
I’m a huge James Bond fan since I was a kid and this two films, alongside Skyfall, are my all time favorites.

Had On Her Majesty’s Secret Service stared another actor rather than the lame George Lazenby, the movie would be pitch perfect. A trivia note: big parts of this movie were shot in Lisbon and surrounding areas (beach sequence, the final wedding and even the jewelry story Bond enters to buy the wedding ring which still exists).
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The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) Joe Talbot 5/10
Tell It to the Bees (2019) Annabel Jankel 2/10
Halston (2019) Frederic Tcheng 6/10
Clemency (2019) Chinonye Chukwu 7/10

Repeat viewings

Tess (1979) Roman Polanski 8/10
Possessed (1947) Curtis Bernhardt 8/10
Heart of Glass (1976) Werner Herzog 6/10
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) Anthony 8/10
Return to the Ashes (1965) J. Lee Thompson 7/10
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Lewis Gilbert 6/10
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Peter Hunt 8/10
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Georgetown (C. Waltz, 2020) 6/10

When a 91-year old Washington DC socialite (Vanessa Redgrave) is found dead with head injuries her much younger husband (Christoph Waltz) is arrested for her murder. True story is brought to the screen by Waltz who is perfect casting as the ambitious social climbing liar who charms his way into the life of an elderly widow and through her into the political circle of the capital for whom he hosts soirees. Waltz has a natural built-in sleazy demeanor about him which he has used particularly well in films playing oily but often charming characters and winning two Oscars along the way. He again uses charm and outrageous lies - claiming to be a high rank officer in the Iraqi army - to fool everyone around him except his wife's daughter (Annette Bening) who sees through him. The character is so delusional that he becomes almost a caricature. Waltz plays him like a petulant school boy with a violent streak - when he resorts to bursts of violence against his aged wife the scenes are scary but Vanessa Redgrave, in a rare lead role, is sublime one minute like a school girl and the next feisty giving back as much as she gets in this story which uses flashbacks to establish their weird relationship. Bening is good as the concerned and suspicious daughter but her role is underwritten and remains on the periphery of the plot.

A Hidden Life (Terence Malick, 2019) 7/10

Long rambling true story about the life of Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), an Austrian peasant farmer, who refused to fight for the Nazis during WWII. Exquisitely shot with the first part of the film focusing on his family - his wife (Valerie Parchner) and three daughters and their idyllic life in a tight-knit rural community as they farm the land. The film's stunning Austrian scenery is breathtaking as the camera captures in detail the beautiful countryside with its rolling green meadows and towering snow capped mountains. As the war carries on all the men are called up to register as soldiers which he openly defies causing him and his family to be ostracised by the community. When he finally leaves to join but refuses to take up an oath of allegiance to Hitler he is imprisoned. The story moves back and forth between the couple as they write letters to each other - she telling him about the farm and their daughters while he describes life in prison and about other prisoners worse off than him. After a long time they finally meet in a prison in Berlin where he has been moved. Facing constant brutality by guards he remains steadfast in his belief and despite an offer of non-combatant work if he signs the oath he is sentenced to death at his trial and executed. He was later declared a martyr and beatified by the Catholic Church. A lyrical film about love, faith and strong convictions which Malick shoots as a structured narrative unlike his last few experimental films which jumped all over the place using flashy editing and weird timelines. In addition to the moving performances by the two lead actors the film also benefits from a haunting score by James Newton Howard and the lush cinematography by Jörg Widmer a former camera operator to Emmanuelle Lubezki who shot most of Malick's previous films. The film is a spiritual experience told in a simplistic manner without delving deep into the man's soul or exactly making clear what made him tick.

Spenser Confidential (Peter Berg, 2020) 4/10

Rather tired buddy action-comedy with a plot that was already beginning to seem stale during the late 1980s. An ex-cop (Mark Wahlberg), just out of prison, teams up with an amateur boxer to chase corrupt cops who brutally murdered two of his former colleagues. Wahlberg is always fun to watch but the material here is just too repetitive and dull. Skip this.

Curtiz (Tamas Yvan Topolanszk, 2019) 8/10

Fascinating highly evocative Hungarian film about the making of the iconic Hollywood classic, "Casablanca". The film is inspired by actual events and seen totally from the perspective of the autocratic director Michael Curtiz. A Hungarian jew and immigrant who, after a prolific career in Europe, arrived in Hollywood and became a star director at Warner Brothers studio. He is under great pressure from Jack Warner, the studio head, to make a hit film revolving around the events unfolding in Europe at the time. Unfortunately the production is chaotic, the screenplay keeps changing on a daily basis and the film starts running over budget. Along with these problems the skirt-chasing Curtiz (Ferenc Lengyel) has to deal with assorted lovers, the unexpected arrival of his estranged daughter (Evelin Dobos) and his attempt to help his sister and her family escape the Nazis in Europe. The novelty of the film is showing Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the two stars of the film, in total silhouette which puts the entire focus of the film on the background of the actual filming. Stunningly shot in black and white (by Zoltán Dévényi) which provides an atmospheric noir touch. Above all it is a portrait of Curtiz with the screenplay capturing the womanizer and his casting-couch escapades, coarse attitude toward peers and his irascible personality. It also provides a vivid look at film making during the studio years.

Desire in the Dust (William F. Claxton, 1960) 6/10

Tawdry overwrought melodrama set in the South where all men have sweat marks on their shirts while the women are blonde, sexually hot and seemingly cool as a cumcumber. A convict (Ken Scott) returns to his hometown after spending 6 years in the clink for a crime he did not commit. He took the rap for his sexually instatiable girlfriend (Martha Hyer), at the insistence of her rich plantation-owner politician dad (Raymond Burr), when she accidently killed her brother in a car accident. Her elegant mother (Joan Bennett) lost her mind and flits about celebrating her dead son's birthday at the graveyard bringing him toys. The young man's return creates ripples in town as he is not only hell bent on revenge but resumes his torrid affair with the woman who is now married to the town doctor (Brett Halsey - who won a Golden Globe award for best newcomer). Pulpy trash has a good cast, a fascinating if very familiar premise and Lucien Ballard's widescreen cinematography all of which lend it weight. The story takes its cue from the steamy Tennessee Williams' dramas, then in much vogue, with incest and nymphomania as its major plot points.
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The Mustang (2019) Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre 2/10
Luce (2019) Julius Onah 1/10

Repeat viewings

Spartacus (1960) Stanley Kubrick 9/10
The Private Life of a Cat (1946) Alexander Hammind & Maya Deren 9/10
The Decameron (1971) Pier Paolo Pasolini 9/10
The Canterbury Tales (1972) Pier Paolo Pasolini 9/10
Arabian Knights (1974) Pier Paolo Pasolini 9/10
I, Claudius (1976) Herbert Wise 10/10
No Way to Treat a Lady (1968) Jack Smight 8/10
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L'humanité (Bruno Dumont, 1999) 5/10

There are some films not to everyone's taste. This is certainly one of them. It's not that I didn't appreciate what the director was trying to say but he could have easily done it without boring the audience. I mean why have almost every shot go on and on with the camera focused on characters who are static while they either stare at the distance, potter around the garden or eat an apple. After a while you feel like kicking the director to make him move onto another scene. The main plot device is the rape and murder of an 11-year old girl whose body is discovered in a field by a cop (Emmanuel Schotté). The film opens with the first of about four shocking scenes - the camera focuses on the exposed mutilated genitals of the dead child while ants roam across her bare legs. The cop, who lost his wife and daughter - it's never explained if they died or if they left him - is almost a dimwit, a contemplative sort who barely speaks. The film focuses more on him as a type than on the murder investigation which also carries on but in a vague sort of way. There is also a suspicion in the air that he could be the murderer. He lives in a dead end town in Northern France with inhabitants who act as if they are in a haze of mental malaise. The cop is close friends with a neighbour (Séverine Caneele) who works in a factory and spends most of her time indulging in sex with her bus driver boyfriend. There are three graphic sex scenes where the two fornicate like hungry animals with the sex act played out without an iota of tenderness. This is followed by a gratuitous moment where the camera endlessly stares in close-up at the exposed moist vagina of the woman. Does the director include these scenes for their shock value or is there a reason for it? The film ends in a shocking and ambiguous manner leaving it up to the audience to decide its meaning. The film was awarded three prizes at the Cannes film festival with two going controversially to both the lead actors. Well made film is otherwise quite a head scratcher.

Gate of Hell (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1953) 10/10

During a rebellion in 12th century Japan a samurai (Kazuo Hasegawa) falls in love with a lady-in-waiting (Machiko Kyō) who turns out to be married. A story about desire, obsession and unrequited love as the samurai relentlessly pursues the woman and in his anger is willing to kill her, himself and her husband in order to win her hand which she rightfully thinks is utter madness. Exquisitely crafted production was the first Japanese film to be shot in Eastman Colour and the result is specatcular with each frame resembling a painting. The deliberate pace enhances each scene as the camera moves in and out of palaces and characters, dressed in resplendent costumes, act with strict formality as per ancient Japanese custom. Never before has tension and anguish been performed with such subtlety. The film was awarded the grand prize at the Cannes film festival and won Oscars in the categories of costume design and foreign film. A must-see.

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (Richard Shepard, 2009) 8/10

Loving tribute to an actor who made only five films but which were easily the most memorable and remembered films of all time. A stage actor and chameleon with quirky looks who had the ability to draw the audience towards him even though he was surrounded by a bunch of spectacular actors in the same frame. His little moments and gestures stand out on screen along with his hang dog expression. This short documentary celebrates John Cazale the actor with friends and colleagues paying tribute to his craft. Al Pacino speaks about their collaboration playing brothers in "The Godfather" & "The Godfather II" - the title of this documentary is taken from Pacino's devastating dialogue from the latter film, "I knew it was you, Fredo". Also providing insights on Cazale are his co-stars Gene Hackman (The Conversation), Robert De Niro & Meryl Streep (The Deer Hunter) and directors Francis Coppola (who directed him in 3 films) and Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon). Streep, who was his friend, co-star and lover provides rare personal insights about the man she loved and took care of right to the end when he died at age 42 of lung cancer.

The Invisible Man (Leigh Whannell, 2020) 3/10

Prepostrous film takes the plot of "Sleeping With the Enemy" (also cloned thrice by Bollywood as "Yaraana", "Agni Sakshi" & "Daraar") and mixes the main element from H. G. Wells' classic story and comes up with this #metoo nightmare. A woman (Elisabeth Moss) escapes the clutches of her psychotic scientist boyfriend and hides out with her sister's ex-husband - a cop (Aldis Hodge). When it is revealed that her boyfriend has committed suicide she can't help feeling that something is amiss feeling his "invisible" presence around her. The film initially manages to maintain a creepy feeling of dread with a number of jump scares but then keeps getting more and more absurd with many glaring coincidences and potholes in the screenplay. Not sure if the writer's main intent was to make points about toxic male syndrome or was it meant to be a take on female vigilantism as a means to even the score. The science fiction aspect whipped in from the novel never rings true and seems to merely give the old Julia Roberts chestnut an extra padding in an attempt to make it seem something new and different but fails miserably. Even Moss, usually a good actress, flounders around giving a one-note performance.

Seberg (Benedict Andrews, 2019) 6/10

Kristin Stewart is compelling and poignant as American actress Jean Seberg who was hounded by the FBI for supporting the Black Panther movement and for her brief affair with its leader Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie). The toast of the New Wave film "Breathless", Jean Seberg (Kristin Stewart), has a flourishing film career in France with occasional forays into Hollywood, has an open happy marriage with famous french author Romain Gary (Yvan Attal) and a son. On a flight to America she meets by chance an activist in the black civil rights movement and shows him sympathy as he is being poorly treated due to race issues. She later makes contact with him, helps his cause by donating money and they also have a brief affair. As he is already under surveillance by the FBI she gets targeted as well. Her house is bugged, she is constantly followed and her pregnancy is falsely outed in gossip columns as being the result of her affair with the black activist. The child, a daughter who is white - fathered by her husband - is born but dies after two days. It becomes the start of her nervous psychotic condition leading to nervous breakdowns and suicide attempts at each subsequent death anniversay of the child. As the years pass the FBI continues to undermine her career and her personal life. In 1979 the actress suddenly disappeared and nine days later her decomposing body was found wrapped in a blanket in the back seat of her Renault, parked close to her Paris apartment. Next to her body was a bottle of barbiturates, an empty mineral water bottle and a note written in French from Seberg addressed to her son. It read, in part, "Forgive me. I can no longer live with my nerves." Police stated that Seberg had such a high amount of alcohol in her system at the time of her death, that it would have rendered her comatose and unable to get into her car without assistance. Police noted there was no alcohol in the car where Seberg's body was found. Police theorized that someone was present at the time of her death and failed to get her medical care. Jean Seberg lost her battle against the FBI against very suspicious circumstances. The film fails to address why Seberg's political belief's were so important to her and appears to waft through the various sad moments in her life. Stewart, dressed in chic Chanel, gives a superb performance and the film's outstanding production design goes a long way to invoke that period in history.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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India Song (Marguerite Duras, 1975) 9/10

Haunting dream-like film has no dialogue with only a narrator providing feedback on what the camera is capturing on the screen. In 1930s Calcutta the bored french ambassador's wife (Delphine Seyrig) has a series of affairs while her husband shows tolerance towards her behaviour. The Vice Consul of Lahore (Michel Lonsdale) attempts an affair with her but fails. Fascinating film with its concentration on sound and imagery - characters appear standing stationary, walking gently towards or away from the camera and one fantastic shot has Seyrig fully dressed lying on the ground with her breast glaringly exposed as she stares at the ceiling while two lovers beside her stare at her face. Although set in India the entire film was shot at the Palais Rothschild in Boulogne - a splendid villa through which the camera snakes capturing its rooms, artifacts, an abandoned tennis court and gardens. Duras' screenplay makes pointed jibes at the decaying French Empire as seen through the actions of the promiscuous woman - the closeups capture her tousled hair, tangled jewellery, dishevelled gown and the general disarray of her life as she flits between different men. Dazzling, stylistic and hypnotic film has lovely Delphine Seyrig as its central and most memorable vision - never more beautiful than in her maroon coloured dress silently dancing the waltz or standing in front of a large mirror which covers a huge green wall in the large mansion. Seyrig was nominated for a Cesar award for her performance of silent posturing.

Devi (Priyanka Banerjee, 2020) 9/10

Hardhitting short film, running just 13 minutes, takes on the form of a mystery which is gradually revealed through dialogue. Nine women are seen conversing and doing chores in a room. A news reporter is heard on the television stating that yet another crime has been committed. The women represent different social strata and ages - two elderly Maharashtrian women (Sandhya Mhatre & Rama Jishi), an old Mausi (Neena Kulkarni), a medical student (Shivani Raghuvansi), an anglecized career woman (Neha Dhupia), a party girl (Shruti Haasan), a deaf and mute maid (Yashaswani Dayam), a Burka-clad lady (Mukta Barve) waxing her legs and a sensible and God-fearing young Maharashtrian housewife (Kajol). When the doorbell rings the ladies are all alarmed. Only the housewife wants to let the person in while all the others say it is already too crowded inside. They all talk of the dangers outside and each reveals how they were all raped describing their attackers. Gradually it is revealed that they are all dead and when the person desperately ringing the doorbell is allowed inside it is revealed to be a little child - the latest victim. The film graphically describes the trauma and struggles of rape victims and emphasizing that this crime does not depend on age, class, education, religion or appearance. It is in fact a crime against humanity.

Tanhaji: The Unsung Hero (Om Raut, 2020) 3/10

"Unsung" is the right word as Bollywood apes the nationalistic jingoistic fervour in the country and has started dredging up historical "heroes". Anyone who tried to stand up to the might of the Mughal rulers during their long and successful reign over India is now termed a hero while the Emperor of the country and his allies are portrayed as villains. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb the Mughal army takes over the Maratha fort at Kondhana in South India. The film depicts the battle fought between the Maratha army under the leadership of warrior Tanhaji Malusare (Ajay Devgan) and the Rajput Udaybhan (Saif Ali Khan) appointed by the Emperor to defend the fort using a large canon called "Naagin". The film lacks bite in its dialogue, the production design looks fake and the characters are underdeveloped. Saif Ali Khan plays the campy "villain" - a dark bearded savage - taking his cue from Ranveer Singh's portrayal of Khilji in "Padmaavat". Ajay Devgan, dressed in white, gives a stiff performance intoning his lines in a monotone. The second half of the story has the battle scenes shot using a great deal of CGI. Kajol, as Tanhaji's wife, is totally wasted and seems to be around just for decoration. Shockingly bad film.

The Durrells - Season 1 (Steve Barron and Roger Grimbo, 2016) 8/10

Charming series based on autobiographical novels by explorer and writer Gerald Durrell about his family's move from Bournemouth to Corfu in 1935. His mother (Keeley Hawes), in severe financial straits since the death of her husband, decides to sell their house, payoff their debts and move to Corfu in Greece with her brood of unruly kids. The eldest son Lawrence (Josh O'Connor), an aspiring writer, second son Lesley (Callum Woodhouse) who is fond of guns and girls, daughter Margo (Daisy Waterstone) and the youngest son Gerald (Milo Parker) who is fond of animals. The first season sees them settle in a house on the island, make new friends and soak in the almost primitive lifestyle on the island. This light series is held together by the charming Keeley Hawes as the vivacious widow and the gorgeous location seen in all its sun-dappled splendor.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1997) 8/10

There are so many little moments (the action choreography) from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in this sequel which Spielberg uses to wring maximum thrills from an already tried and tested formula - dinosaurs on the rampage - which he introduced in the classic "Jurassic Park". After the last film's havoc the owner of the park, Hammond (Sir Richard Attenborough), sends in a research team to another island where the creatures were initially bred in order to study them as they roam free in their habitat. The team consists of a scientist (Jeff Goldblum - survivor from the last film), his stowaway young daughter (Vanessa Lee Chester), his paleontologist girlfriend (Julianne Moore) and a documentarian (Vince Vaughn). Unbeknownst to the old entrepreneur and his research team his nephew (Arliss Howard) and an army of mercenaries, led by a crazy gung-ho game hunter (Pete Postlethwaite), descend on the island to capture the creatures for transportation to a theme park in San Diego. From the word go it's absolutely clear in this sequel that Spielberg's eye was purely on the film's boxoffice - the first film's sense of awe is completely missing and which is actually quite fine - because he goes straight for the jugular creating astounding set pieces each topping off the one that came before. The dinosaurs are all back starting with the giant plant eating ones to set the scene followed in quick succession with scenes involving the ferocious T-Rex - a stomach churning sequence involving two pushing a trailor off a cliff with cast members dangling from a rope high above a terrifying drop - the cute but deadly tiny carnivourous Compsognathus, the cunning Velociraptors and the final set piece which is an homage to "King Kong". Don't look for proper character arcs, ignore the potholes in the screenplay and just belt yourself in for a rollercoaster ride of excitement through a film packed with action and adventure.

The Killer That Stalked New York (Earl McEvoy, 1950) 6/10

By coincidence came across this film with a plot that scarily mirrors what is going on all around the world. A woman (Evelyn Keyes) arrives in New York from Cuba. She has smuggled in a cache of diamonds, is being followed by a detective and is very ill. After a brief visit to a clinic where she comes in contact with a little girl she meets up with her husband (Charles Korwin) who is having an affair with her sister (Lola Albright). Meanwhile it is discovered that the little girl has come down with small pox. It becomes a race against time to get everyone vaccinated and find the person who is carrying the virus and spreading it to everyone she is coming into contact with in New York. Tense, briskly paced drama is shot like a noir with Keyes very good as the ill woman who realizes she is married to a louse and wants revenge for being betrayed.

St. Elmo's Fire (Joel Schumacher, 1985) 7/10

Coming-of-age story is one of the seminal films from the 1980s with the Brat Pack in full force playing friends just out of college and floundering in the real world. Don't look for any emotional resonance in any of the snug and obnoxious characters. Just enjoy the location (Washington DC), the hideous hair and fashion of the period, the tinkling piano theme music by David Foster, the #1 hit song "Man in Motion" sung by John Parr and most of all the ensemble cast - actors who were just coming into their own and some who would go onto become huge stars working in a number of familiar films of the decade. The characters are intertwined in love and friendship as some form into couples - the sweet but frumpy social worker (Mare Winningham) in love with the married sax-playing fuck up (Rob Lowe), the would-be lawyer (Emilio Estevez) infatuated by an older woman (Andie MacDowell), the smug yuppie politician (Judd Nelson) dating but eventually rejected by the architect (Ally Sheedy) who is secretly loved by the sullen journalist (Andrew McCarthy) and the banker and coke-snorting party girl (Demi Moore) whose life is unraveling. They all gather at St. Elmo's fire, a jazz club, where their angst ridden, self absorbed problems get a slight break while they drink, gossip, fight and listen to music. This is one of those so bad it's good kind of films which bring back happy memories of the time this film first came out. Winningham, Sheedy and Moore come off best while Rob Lowe won a Razzie award for the worst supporting actor of the year.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Farewell to the Night (2019) Andre Techine 5/10
Queen and Slim (2019) Melina Matsoukas 5/10
The Translators (2019) Regis Roinsard 4/10
In the Name of the Land (2019) Edouard Bergeon 5/10
Someone, Somewhere (2019) Cedric Klapisch 4/10
Only the Animals (2019) Dominik Moll 8/10
Edmond (2019) Alexis Michalik 4/10
The Lost Prince (2020) Michel Hazanavicius 1/10
How to Be a Good Wife (2020) Martin Provost 7/10
Raining in the Mountain (1979) King Hu 7/10

Repeat viewings

Scandal (1989) Michael Caton-Jones 9/10
King of Hearts (1966) Philippe de Broca 7/10
Julius Caesar (1950) David Bradley 8/10
The Mark (1961) Guy Green 7/10
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Mister Tee wrote:
Reza wrote: High Season (Claire Peplo, 1987) 7/10
Can you tell me where you found this? I've been looking to watch it for many years, and have never been able to track it down.
Please check your inbox. Have messaged you.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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Reza wrote: High Season (Claire Peplo, 1987) 7/10
Can you tell me where you found this? I've been looking to watch it for many years, and have never been able to track it down.
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Re: Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

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SOS Pacific (Guy Green, 1959) 7/10

Thrilling but little known B-film with a great cast in a percursor to all the disaster films so in vogue decades later. A typically contrived plot - group of diverse passengers fight for survival after their plane crashes into the sea - is given an interesting twist. The stock list of passengers are all very flashy with interesting character arcs - the alcoholic pilot (John Gregson) in love with the stoic stewardess (Pier Angeli), a handcuffed prisoner (Eddie Constantine), a shifty sniveling louse (Richard Attenborough), a prostitute (Eva Bartok), a prim spinster (Jean Anderson), a cop and a german physicist. The bickering survivors manage to make it to an island after the crash only to discover they are on an A-bomb testing site with a short time before the island will be decimated. The only chance for survival is to disable the detonator which is on another island 2 miles away. Can it be done by swimming through shark infested waters? Not withstanding the low budget - the crash effects are laughable - this is a solid suspenser with a wonderful cast who at the time just went through the motions working on what they thought was a "potboiler" but which actually turned out quite fine.

The Weapon (Val Guest & Hal E. Chester, 1956) 6/10

Post-War London streets are the setting for this chase film. A young boy (Jon Whiteley) playing in the ruins of a bombed out building discovers a gun and during a skirmish with his chums inadvertently shoots one of them when the gun goes off. Scared he goes on the run as his frantic mother (Lizabeth Scott), a US army officer (Steve Cochran) and the local police chief (Herbert Marshall) search for him. It appears the same gun was used in a murder ten years before and the murderer is also on the lookout for the boy to retrieve the weapon. Solid little susepenser is well cast and acted particularly by Nicole Maurey as a hooker who knows a little too much about the murderer.

The Hollow Crown - Henry IV: Part 2 (Richard Eyre, 2012) 6/10

The third part of Shakespeare's tetralogy is an extension of Henry IV Part 1 placing more emphasis on the wheeling dealings of the Knight Falstaff (Simon Russell Beale). King Henry IV (Jeremy Irons) is aging and still critical of his son and heir Prince Hal (Tom Hiddelston) whose great friendship with Falstaff falters as they go their separate ways. After the King's death Hal comes to the throne as King Henry V. He is approached at the coronation by Falstaff who thinks his old friendship with the Prince will get him great rewards only to find himself totally rejected and his thieving lowlife friends imprisoned. The story suffers from too much forced comedy in the scenes between Falstaff and his rowdy friends at the tavern - Mistress Quickley (Julie Walters) and the prostitute Dolly Tearsheet (Maxine Peake). Irons and Hiddelston superbly play off each other in the scene where the King who is assumed to be dead suddenly awakens to find Hal putting the crown on his own head. They reconcile and the old man crowns his son before dying. The saga continues with Shakespeare's next play about Henry V.

Chariots of Fire (Hugh Hudson, 1981) 9/10

Exhilarating film about the 1924 Paris Olympics focusing on two runners from Britain - Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice. When they first run against each other Liddle beats Abrahams who takes it poorly but later uses the help of professional trainer Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm) to improve his technique. This brings on criticism from his Cambridge college masters (Lindsay Anderson & Sir John Gielgud) who consider it ungentlemanly for an amateur to hire professional help - the perceptive screenplay takes sharp digs at the anti-Semitic and class based prejudices prevalent at Cambridge. The film's highlight is the recreation of the Paris Olympics where the two star runners and their team mates, Lord Andrew Lindsay (Nigel Havers), Henry Stallard (Daniel Gerroll) and Aubrey Montague (Nicholas Farrell), all run and return home triumphant. Sharply edited film is helped greatly by the iconic music score by Vangelis. A huge boxoffice hit, the film received a surprise Best Picture Oscar along with awards for original screenplay, music score and costume design. Hugh Hudson, Ian Holm and the film's editing were all nominated. Impeccable production is an incredibly moving and inspirational cinematic experience.

Cinderella Man (Ron Howard, 2005) 7/10

Biographical film inspired by the life of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe). Formerly a light heavyweight contender he is forced to give up boxing when he breaks his hand in the ring. Lack of jobs during the depression, no money, a sick son and a constantly sniveling and worried wife (Renée Zellweger) bring him to the breaking point. His faithful manager and friend (Paul Giamati) manages to get him one fight opposite the number-two contender of the world which proves to be a turning point for him when he beats the champion. To his wife's dismay he returns full time to the boxing ring this time with continuous success and wins against John Henry Lewis and Art Lasky. His rags to riches story inspires the sportswriter Damon Runyon to nickname him "Cinderella Man", and he becomes a hope for many Americans struggling through the depression. His next fight has him confront the heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko), portrayed here in full vicious mocking mode, which proves to be a historical fight. Crowe gives a remarkable physical performance and his interactions with the hammy Giamati (who was nominated for an Oscar) are funny and moving. Howard bathes the film in sepia tones capturing the poverty and despair during the Great Depression and also making very clear how ugly boxing can be as a sport.

The Missing (Tom Shankland, 2014) 8/10

Harrowing 8-part tv film deals with the abduction of a child and its aftermath. The story jumps back and forth between two time periods - the abduction and the police investigation in 2006 which comes up with no evidence despite clues leading up to a pedophile and a gang of vicious criminals who may be involved with sex trafficking. Eight years later the frantic father (James Nesbitt) obsessively still pursues clues while his wife (Frances O'Connor) has left him and moved in with a detective (Jason Flemyng) who was on the case as a liaison to the french investigative team led by a Parisian cop Tchéky Karyo). Fresh clues revealed help to re-open the case bringing the retired detective back on track while also reuniting the estranged couple on their endless pursuit for answers. Hard-hitting drama moves like a suspenseful detective novel throwing in vague clues that raise hope only to dash everything to bits followed by a cliffhanger at the end of each episode.
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