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A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 40

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Full Contact - 1992 - 7/10
AKA - Xia dao Gao Fei // 俠盜高飛

One of the dark jewels of Hong Kong cinema, in an time when the community was on creative fire.
Gou Fei and Sam Sei (Chow Yun-Fat and Anthony Wong) get embroiled in a bank heist.
Leading the heist is Judge (Simon Yam as flamboyantly gay) and his sidekicks Psycho and Virgin.
When things sour, when thieves fall out, boy do they ever.
This is a gritty actioner, lacking the slo-mo stylistics of John Woo.
Nevertheless, the fight sequences in this are extraordinary.
Some of the bullet scenes will have Matrix fans going, “Wait a minute.”
Full Contact is irresistible. A must watch.

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Catch Us If You Can - 1965 - 5/10
AKA - Having A Wild Weekend

I first saw this … hell … 50 years ago. Brit Invasion film, dimly remembered.
I recalled this being a funny comedy featuring the DC5, who during this period, were real rivals to the Beatles.
Instead, this is lightweight satire.
The band play stuntmen for a Beef For Go! commercial.
The movie is 90% dour faced Dave Clark and Barbara Ferris. Other band members casual tokens.
No real plot. Nonsense scenes, chases, dull dialogue.
A Hard Days Night, this ain’t, though it clearly wants to be.
I fought sleep watching this.
Early John Boorman directorial effort.

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Maya - 1949 - 6/10

After the ship docks, crewmen hurry into the red light district in search of company.
The most acclaimed prostitute goes by many names, but most call her Maya.
Ennui fills her. Whereas the other girls force bright smiles and laughs, she is resigned.
One seaman falls for her, and falls hard. He starts imagining an “us,” though she dissuades him.
The lighting and set design are remarkable, an offshoot of Expressionism.
Narrative itself is drama, replete with meaning-heavy dialogue.
Could’ve and might’ve been a play. Felt stagey despite attempts to open it up.

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Alexander Nevsky - 1938 - 8/10
AKA - Aleksandr Nevski

An invading army of Teutonic knights cut their way through 13th century Russia.
Prince Alexander Nevsky rallies the populace to halt the murderous foes.
Propaganda film with glorious battle sequences.
Evocative Prokofiev score aids immensely.
To you history buffs, this was meant as a warning to later Teutonic knights, the Third Reich.

Several years ago, the university in my hamlet decided to screen this.
With the university symphony! And a massed chorus of three church choirs.
Dazzling!

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The Ghosts Of Kasane Swamp - 1957 - 6/10
AKA - The Depths // Kaidan Kasane-ga-Fuchi // 怪談累が渕

Late at night, thick snow falling, the blind moneylender decides to collect.
The client? An impoverished, though arrogantly proud, samurai.
Who cannot, or will not, pay! Who uses the sword to terminate discussion.

Years later, the orphaned children are grown and getting into love triangles.
Yet the ghosts, and stains on respective families, infect their lives.
Dark film, crammed with weak souls, manipulators and betrayals.

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Something Real And Good - 2013 - 4/10

Two sadsacks meet cute in an airport terminal. Their destination, Chicago, is snowed in and they are diverted to Denver.
The blizzard prone, mile high city had rain soaked streets and flowing fountains. Mmmm … SoCal …
Very much an indie flick, that felt like a small, two act (two actor) play.
Leads are mismatched, and pout and mug throughout.
There were no reviews whatsoever for this one when I saw, so I took a chance.
Avoid unless you are an investor or relative.

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The Limehouse Golem - 2017 - 6/10

1880 London. A serial killer is loose and authorities at a loss.
Historical note: Jack the Ripper was 1888.
A marginalized detective is given the case, purpose being if he fails, he will be the scapegoat.
The inspector’s attention turns to an unrelated domestic murder, instead.
Suspects include Dan Leno, George Gissing, Karl Marx.
Methodical pace allows various imagined scenarios to unroll in gaslit Victoria England.
Aside from the illuminated British Library, this is set in dirty alleys and the hazy confines of the music hall.
Soiled look will appeal to fans of Ripper Street, Mr Holmes, Sergeant Cribb
Bill Nighy fine in role originally meant for Alan Rickman.
Steer clear of spoiler reviews. Devilish corkscrew ending.

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Nobody Else But You - 2011 - 6/10
AKA - Poupoupidou

Crime novelist, suffering writer’s block, reads about apparent suicide of Marilyn Monroe lookalike.
Off he drives, to one of the coldest, snowiest regions of France.
Where he chats with locals, reads the dead girl’s diaries, and begins to smell a cover-up.
Good little mystery about very minor, local actress (she was the model for a cheese line) who treads out of her depth.
Sharp touches of comedy and irony.

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Generation Wealth - 2018 - 5/10

Indirect followup to 2012‘s Queen Of Versailles charts the recent obsession with greed.
No longer keeping up with the neighbors, the mob attempts to keep pace with the affluent.
The first half is incisive, with penetrating analysis, historical overview, and smug interviews.
Our age of decadence. Perhaps, even, the end of a cycle.
Midway, however, wanders off topic, muddles into naval gazing, and totally loses the thread.
Pornography is explored, professional women commodifying their beauty.
Finally, our filmmaker wonders if she is a good mother.
From interviews with her own ever-smiling mother, we realize both women chose careers over parenting.
She had three + documentaries here, but by cramming so much in, the result is a mess.

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The Beatles, Hippies And Hells Angels - 2017 - 7/10

Scoring this a 7 for Beatles fans. Casual onlookers, give a 6.
Labour of love overview of Apple Corps. Wide eyed, trusting souls, launch a “new business model.”
Behind the scenes histories as told by the office girls, a few hangers on, and the accountant.
Especially, the accountant. The Beatles, at the height of their success had tax liabilities to choke royalty.
“Set up your own company." They did, and this doc shows where a flood of the money went.
Packed with photos, many I had never seen before, as well as fresh voices.
Funny, engaging, bittersweet. From gear to groovy to bummer. Must for moptop fans.

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The Sheik And I - 2012 - 7/10

Infuriating documentary (¿fictional?) of small (very small) American indie filmmaker invited to make film for biennial celebration for the Kingdom of Sharjah. Where? Tiny kingdom is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates.
Without writing a script, the film maker decides to do the one thing he was told not to do, mock the ruler of the country, the Sheik.
Several of his scenes involve having extras don burqas and wave guns. (“Isn’t this the typical stereotype of Arabs?” one asked the director.)
He tries to recruit locals to impersonate the Sheik, and is warned of repercussions. He shrugs.
Is reminded, he goes back to America when finished. Meanwhile, his hired locals must stay and face consequences.
The director also tries to coerce women to dance in burqas, which is expressly forbidden.
Director, Caveh Zahedi, of Iranian descent, is every inch the entitled American, I-can-do-anything-I-want artiste.
Zero respect for the country, their social orders.
Film was quickly banned for blasphemy and director Zahedi threatened with a fatwa.
Cringe inducing film drove me up the wall, and everyone in the room screamed at the screen at various moments.
Yet I believe such was exactly the reaction he aimed for, so I’m giving it high marks for punching those buttons.

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Fair Isle: Living On The Edge - 2016 - 6/10

Breeders needed! Tiny island in northern Britain is looking for newcomers.
Current population is 57, not counting the sheep.
Power goes off at nights. Owing to storms, sometimes the island is cut off for weeks.
Just to keep the island going, inhabitants must do 3 - 4 - 5 jobs.
Isolation? Plenty. Awe inspiring nature? This is the place.
Mind you, during summer scenes many still wore jackets. Winter? Lordy.
Two part series of inhabitants fighting valiantly to maintain their community.

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A Killer’s Key - 1967 - 6/10
AKA - Aru Koroshiya no Kagi // ある ころしや の かぎ

A yakuza moneyman, in police custody, is about to reveal evidence that will convict mobsters and politicians.
The bosses hire a hitman, who also happens to be a dance teacher.
Correct, a dance teacher. Whom they intend to snuff after the job.
Raizô Ichikawa memorable as the cool, almost detached assassin.
Film is more the mechanics of death, rather than explosive violence.
Packed with details (geishas, rock clubs, fights) the movies rushes along.
Dry sense of humor may elude some. Retribution for welshers, if only.

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FILM REVIEW // Breathless (1960)

I’m about to commit film buff sacrilege: I think Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless is overrated. The story follows a young criminal and chauvinist named Michel - based on the real life Michel Portail - who steals a car, kills a policeman, and goes on the run, hiding out with his American girlfriend. I like film realism, so I appreciate Godard’s efforts to ground scenes in Breathless in the authentic and everyday. He even went the length of filming a couple of scenes entirely in long takes, using a secret camera hidden in a mall pushcart (it’s pretty obvious which scenes; just look out for the trademark wobbly tracking shot and canted angles). However, with so many passers-by looking directly into the camera, the scenes instead come across as completely artificial - and I think Godard’s reach for thoughtful, intellectual dialogue backfires when it seems stilted and amateurish as hell (“Which do you like best: my eyes, my mouth or my shoulders?” is an odd example). Perhaps the latter point is because I was dependent on subtitles rather than performances. I did like how the film dipped into the gangster genre, but the accompanying music by jazz pianist Martial Solal - as cool and stylish as it is - did not fit the tone of the film for me. Some dramatic scenes ended up as pathetic, particularly the ending. The characters are morally indifferent and often rather enigmatic. Although Breathless is a memorable film, I simply wasn’t engaged at all.

If you’re interested in how Breathless revolutionised the form of cinema and low-budget filmmaking, you should absolutely check it out; it is undoubtedly a watershed work in film history. But if you’re someone in it for the plot and a good evening’s entertainment… maybe not.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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FILM REVIEW // Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Off the back of saying Breathless is overrated, I am continuing to commit film buff sacrilege: I think Wonder Woman 1984 is a better film than most people give it credit for. I suppose it’s kind of a beautiful mess, but I was easily able to forgive the nonsensical plot points because I liked the themes and characters so much. Given that I am having to accept the premise of an immortal woman with magical powers whose main weapon is called the ‘lasso of truth’, for me it is not a stretch to accept the premise that there is an ancient magical stone which can grant people’s wishes. I’m also perfectly willing to accept that Diana Prince’s long-dead boyfriend Steve - played by Chris Pine - can come back to life through the the magic stone, because of the compelling story opportunities that it provides (although be prepared, the way in which Steve is reincarnated is… odd). If you’re already put off by this, I doubt the film will exceed your expectations.

However, if skepticism can be laid aside, I think WW84 has a lot to offer. The movie absolutely screams a clear moral, “Be careful what you wish for”, but I really liked the theme of an ideal world or object actually turning out as dangerous and destructive, when self-interest takes over - as much as it was overly preached in the climactic scene. I also took a liking to the villains of the story, Barbara Minerva and Maxwell Lord - played brilliantly by Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal respectively - who represent widespread personality problems. Barbara represents the loner whose lack of self-confidence means they never see that they’re really a good person; Maxwell represents the businessman whose drive for profit and success strips them of humanity. We can look at the characters more deeply than this, too: Barbara is truly well-meaning, hard-working and kind, but she measures her worth in popularity, and because she has no friends, these things don’t seem valid. Casting a chilean actor to play a character who may seem like a Trump caricature is particularly interesting to me: impressively, WW84 reserves villain backstory until the end of the film, and we learn that Maxwell Lord - born Maxwell Lorenzano - was a poor immigrant child who never fit in and who nobody trusted, and who became so obsessed with American capitalist culture and adopting the ‘white businessman’ persona that it took over his personality. Gal Gadot plays a great wonder woman, shamelessly ‘heroic’ in an era of many morally grey anti-heroes; it is her warmth and compassion for others, combined with her journey of self-empowerment, which makes her a better role model and inspiration than the likes of Captain Marvel. Lastly, for positive thoughts, there are some truly stunning wordless sequences in WW84, beautifully directed by Patty Jenkins (the romantic ‘invisible jet’ scene was a highlight for me) and I have been playing Hans Zimmer’s glorious soundtrack on repeat for several days.

Wonder Woman 1984 admittedly has its fair share of contrived and expositional dialogue, but its saving grace is being delivered by high-caliber actors rather than the cast of The Room. In any case, the movie clocks in at 2 and a half hours, so I’m reluctant to complain about dialogue which is straight to the point. I also didn’t mind when scenes or performances went over-the-top, because this is a primarily fun film. As for things I genuinely didn’t like, there ARE silly plot points that are too noticeable to be ignored, and Barbara Minerva becoming ‘Cheetah’ comes absolutely out of nowhere, which was a let-down - Barbara notices Diana’s cheetah-skin-patterned high heels at one point, which is… something, but the writers could at least have given her a fascination with cheetahs early-on in the film. Overall, WW84 has heart; it has occasional clever and well-placed jokes, sweeping and inventive action sequences, memorable characters, great setpieces, and the right amount of compelling and emotional moments. I generally don’t cry at films, but some bring me close - and a scene in which we see Maxwell Lord for the last time brought me close. Despite all the hate it gets, that’s proof for me, at least, that Wonder Woman 1984 definitely did SOMETHING right.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet - 2012 - 5/10
AKA - Vous n’avez Encore Rien Vu

Only myself to blame for this pretentious two hour artsy film.
Deceased director summons ex-actors to view a modern production of one of his works, based on Orpheus And Eurydice. While they watch, they reimagine their own versions.
Sometimes, you are watching three versions of the same scene.
The look is theatrical, stagebound, indoors.
Very fine acting from France’s creme de la creme of actors, yet I was increasingly bored.

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The Body Collector - 2016 - 6/10
AKA - De Zaak Menten

Based on true story of ex-Nazi collaborator living privileged retirement.
By chance, a Netherlands journalist follows the whisper and begins exploring the past.
Bloodsoaked theft of art, primarily paintings.
Confronting the rich with powerful connections and ample funds, however, there’s the rub.
Absorbing throughout, and the film does not flinch from SS activities in the Jewish village in Poland.
Strives for an emotional impact, but an air of detachment undercuts this.

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Get Luke Lowe - 2020 - 5/10

Bit of a vengeance tale, cloaked in fashionable woke.
After being trolled and bullied, Sadie commits suicide online.
Her friends kidnap the troll – Luke – then attempt to force him to “confess.”
When he proves recalcitrant, they escalate with more violent techniques.
Heavy handed, preachy at times, spotty acting.
Creators try too hard with message film, end up being somewhat hypocritical.

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FILM REVIEW // Super 8 (2011)

JJ Abram’s 2011 film Super 8 - both a homage to and collaboration with Steven Spielberg - may be corny and cliché, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Spielberg produced the movie, which not only contains the most famous iconography from Close Encounters and ET (friends riding bikes, technology behaving strangely, big spaceships, etc.) but also - like many of Spielberg’s films - contrasts the world of children, adults, and in this case, extra-terrestrials. The story follows a group of young teenagers in 1979 filming a homemade zombie film, who witness the event which leaves an otherworldly, monstrous being loose in their home town.

Perhaps the highlight of the film is early-on: the ‘inciting incident’ of the story, which comes in the form of a train-crash-turned-action-scene. It may be unrealistic as hell - explosions all round, heavy train wagons sailing into orbit and one making the noise of a truck (??) - but it’s absolutely SENSATIONAL. The sound effects and sweeping camera shots come together perfectly to make a whole other level of satisfying destruction (I see why JJ was previously hired for Mission Impossible…). The sinister antagonists are the US Air Force, and it was good to see Noah Emmerich (from The Truman Show) again, in the role of the bad guy.

The film is about a tortured, lost and embittered alien, but the emotional centre is a human story. Like many movies before it, Super 8 uses extraordinary events which help the main characters (Joe and Alice) improve their troubled family relationships. This worked well for me - several scenes are really touching, and Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney and Kyle Chandler all play their roles really well! There are a couple of the moments where the film screams ‘symbolism’ and overdoes it; overall I found myself wishing JJ’s writing was more original. But although it follows a tried formula, Super 8 contains the essential ingredients for an entertaining and emotionally engaging movie experience.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

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Manson - 2009 - 5/10

Lightweight documentary about Manson family as told by Linda Kasabian.
She has been in hiding since the 60’s.
Perhaps interesting if you know zero about the group.
Ed Sander’s “Family” remains definitive on the early Manson era.
Prosecutor Bugliosi’s “Helter Skelter” is the one to read for the trial.

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L’Argent - 1983 - 6/10
AKA - Money

Sorry, I ain’t buying this.
Ostensibly, we follow counterfeit money as it passes various hands.
From the gullible to the devious to the sly to the trusting.
Moralizing film studying human reactions.
For skeptical souls, behavior is predictable, especially if your opinions of humanity are low.
Narrative settles on one character and his path, which sinks preposterous.

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Walk A Tightrope - 1964 - 6/10

Middling crime mystery sees female stalked by man with a gun in his pocket.
Does she go to the nearest copper? No, she heads into a pub.
Not to reveal too much, there is a murder soon thereafter, and the killer demands payment.
Straight off, we know who did it, just not why.
Dan Duryea, in the twilight of a long career, before a string of TV appearances, is the best element in this.
Once he gets going, he bristles with energy. Everyone else is muted. As is the film itself.

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Traitor - 2008 - 6/10

Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce star in terrorist / espionage thriller.
American Muslim Cheadle, after suffering a crisis of faith, switches sides and helps terror cell in Yemen.
Pearce the CIA op tracking him down.
Solid location photography, tense cat and mouse plot, several twists.
Well acted all around, and seemingly unbiased, but I never got involved with any of the characters.

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Ghost In The Shell Arise: Border 4 - Ghost Stands Alone - 2014 - 5/10

Stumbling, repetitive conclusion to groundbreaking franchise.
Finale prequel to the original finds the unit mostly assembled.
Kusanagi, Batou, et al, just before joining Section 9.
Usual themes of identity, cyber consciousness, terrorism, intelligence hacking.
Some visuals quite beautiful, other scenes are static. Characters sitting in a bare room, talking.
Action is minimal, the plot is borrowed bits and pieces from earlier shows.
Not essential, even for GITS fans.

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Whore - 1991 - 6/10

Spare study of cynical prostitute.
Dealings with difficult johns, her handlers, tribulations, personal history.
Severe budget restraints are evident, and the look favors glamour over seedy.
Theresa Russell seems closer to a high tier call girl, rather than a street walker.
Many of the comments are laugh out loud funny. Once edgy film, tame now.
Viewed after seeing Pretty Woman, this is an acid rebuke.
Ken Russell provides a droll cameo as a waiter, sir!