tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-280067842024-03-07T22:02:25.484-05:00gareth's movie diary<br>
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<br>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.comBlogger1334125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-4202478456965794842020-12-31T16:29:00.217-05:002021-07-20T08:05:09.003-04:00Films Seen in 2020 (52)<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>BlackKklansman </i>(2018, US, Spike Lee) January 6, 2020</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Run Silent Run Deep</i> (1958, US, Robert Wise) January 7, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Les Petits mouchoirs</i> (<span style="line-height: 107%;">2010, France, Guillaume Canet) January 14, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open</i> (2019, Canada/Norway, Elle-Májía Tailfeathers & Kathleen Hepburn) January 12, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>Transit</i> (2018, Germany, Christian Petzold) January 25,
2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>Street Scene</i> (1931, US, King Vidor) January 28, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>The Pirate </i>(1948, US, Vincente Minnelli) February 8,
2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>Fear</i> (1946, Alfred Zeisler) February 8, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>Midnight Mystery</i> (1930, US, George B. Seitz) February
11, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>Mulan</i> (1998, US, Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook) February 17, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>The Sound of Music</i> (</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">1965, US, Robert Wise)</span> February 22, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>La
Guerre des tuques</i> (2015, Canada, Jean-François Pouliot) March
7, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>Wendy and Lucy</i> (2008, US, Kelly Reichardt) March 7,
2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>They Shall Not Grow Old</i> (</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">2018, New Zealand/UK, Peter
Jackson)</span> March 24, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>Early
Man</i> (2018, UK, Nick Park)</span> March 28, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><i>Top
Hat</i> (1935, Mark Sandrich) March 28, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><i>La
Course des tuques </i>(2018, Canada, Benoît Godbout)</span> April 1,
2020<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Hangover Square </i>(1945, US, John Brahm) April 4, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Spy Who Came In From the Cold</i> (1965, UK, Martin Ritt) April 13, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Strange Love of Martha Ivers</i> (1946, US, Lewis Milestone) May 2, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Occupe-toi d'Amélie</i> (1949, France/Italy, Claude Autant-Lara) May 11, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</i> (2002, US/UK, Chris Columbus) May 11, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Le Retour du héros</i> (2018, France/Belgium, Laurent Tirard) May 25, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Les Misérables</i> (2019, France, Ladj Ly) May 25, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Mr Right</i> (2015, US, Paco Cabezas) May 27, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Invention of Lying</i> (2009, US, Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson) May 27, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Lovebirds</i> (2020, US, Michael Showalter) June 1, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Black Power Mixtape, 1967-1975</i> (2011, Sweden, Göran Olsson) June 13, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>10 Rillington Place</i> (1971, UK, Richard Fleischer) June 20, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>I Will Follow</i> (2011, US, Ava DuVernay) July 8, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>La Guerre des boutons </i>(2011, France, Yann Samuell) July 27, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Le Petit Nicolas</i> (2009, France/Belgium, Laurent Tirard) August 3, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Le Juge Fayard dit "Le Sh</i><i>ériff" </i>(1977, France, Yves Boisset) August 26, 2020 </p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Cold War </i>(2012, Hong Kong, Sunny Luk & Longman Leung) September 21, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>La Vie scolaire </i>(2019, France, Grand Corps Malade & Mehdi Idir) September 21, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Une Fille facile </i>(2019, France, Rebecca Zlotowski) September 26, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Balle perdue</i> (2020, France, Guillaume Pierret) September 27, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Willoughbys</i> (2020, US, Kris Pearn) October 16, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Les Choses de la vie</i> (1970, France, Claude Sautet) October 24, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Secret Garden</i> (1993, US/UK/Poland, Agniezska Holland) October 31, 2020</span></p><p><i>Rien à declarer</i> (2010, France/Belgium, Dany Boon) November 7, 2020</p><p><i>Rosie</i> (2018, Ireland, Paddy Breathnach) November 7, 2020</p><p><i>Peter Pan</i> (1953, US, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, & Wilfred Jackson) November 26, 2020</p><p><i>Pinocchio</i> (1940, US, Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske) November 27, 2020</p><p><i>The Muppet Movie</i> (1979, US, James Frawley) November 29, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p><i>M</i> (1931, Germany, Fritz Lang) December 2, 2020</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Mangrove</i> (2020, UK, Steve McQueen) December 19, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Home Alone</i> (1990, US, Chris Columbus) December 26, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Brave</i> (2012, US, Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman) December 27, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Onward </i>(2020, US, Dan Scanlon) December 28, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Elf</i> (2003, US, Jon Favreau) December 31, 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Star Wars</i> (1977, US, George Lucas) December 31, 2020</p>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-7096573062675071262019-12-31T20:39:00.040-05:002021-01-19T14:22:00.805-05:00Other Films Seen in 2019 (36)<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Le Grand blond avec une chaussure noire</i> (1972, France, Yves
Robert) January 11, 2019</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Yankee Doodle Dandy</i> (1942, US, Michael Curtiz) January 11,
2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Destry Rides Again</i> (1939, US, George Marshall) February 1,
2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World</i> (2019, US, Dean
DeBlois) March 10, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Ant-Man and the Wasp</i> (2018, US, Peyton Reed) March 30, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Jane Austen Book Club</i> (2007, US, Robin Swicord) April 5,
2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> (2018, US, Jon M. Chu) May 17, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Wonder Woman </i>(2017, US, Patty Jenkins) May 31, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Braqueurs</i> (2015, France, Julien Leclercq) June
11, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Always Be My Maybe</i> (2019, US, Nahnatchka Khan) June 19, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Snowpiercer</i> (2013, South Korea, Bong Joon-ho) June 21, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Arrival</i> (2016, US, Denis Villeneuve) June 23, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>X-Men: Apocalypse</i> (2016, US, Bryan Singer) July 1, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>My Cousin Rachel</i> (2017, UK/US, Roger Michell) July 29, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Runaway Jury</i> (2003, US, Gary Fleder) July 29, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Step</i> (2017, US, Amanda Lipitz) July 30, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Booksmart</i> (2019, US, Olivia Wilde) August 2, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Widows</i> (2018, US, Steve McQueen) August 3, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>X-Men: First Class</i> (2011, US, Matthew Vaughn) August 11,
2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood </i>(2019, US, Quentin Tarantino) August 15, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Mule</i> (2018, US, Clint Eastwood) September 9, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Paris is Burning</i> (1990, US, Jennie Livingston) September 23,
2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Miseducation of Cameron Post</i> (2018, US, Desiree Akhavan) September 25, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>La Beaut<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">é</span> du diable</i> (1952, France/Italy, Ren<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">é</span>
Clair) September 26, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Smallfoot</i> (2018, US, Karey Kirkpatrick) October 11, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Downton Abbey</i> (2019, UK, Michael Engler) October 13, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Mississippi Grind</i> (2015, US, Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck) November 9, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Killer is Loose </i>(1956, US, Budd Boetticher) December 5,
2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Klaus</i> (2019, Spain, Sergio Pablos) December 8, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Love in a Fallen City </i>(1984, Hong Kong, Ann Hui) December
17, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Knives Out</i> (2019, US, Rian Johnson) December 22, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Parasite</i> (2019, South Korean, Bong Joon-ho) December 23,
2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Irishman </i>(2019, US, Martin Scorsese) December 23, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Charlie Chan at the Opera</i> (1936, US, H. Bruce Humberstone) December 24, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>The Old Man and the Gun</i> (2018, US, David Lowery) December
25, 2019<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Frozen II</i> (2019, US, Jennifer Lee & Chris Buck) December
30, 2019</p>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-5100528992134729162019-12-13T21:54:00.010-05:002020-08-03T11:28:09.603-04:00The Sleeping Tiger<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpdwdnZolvl2G6D6TwywuaA6_k7fGZrsJ7UCDbbC_V95oxw3r_CymyEMkgqNh2JDpe8UmX36loCNzbCxG6ZVvKoeaB1NyFZP_M0R9vf7C4GO7-9mQfcSHfEWUFxzpvZD6RoW-Hg/s512/thesleepingtiger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="512" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpdwdnZolvl2G6D6TwywuaA6_k7fGZrsJ7UCDbbC_V95oxw3r_CymyEMkgqNh2JDpe8UmX36loCNzbCxG6ZVvKoeaB1NyFZP_M0R9vf7C4GO7-9mQfcSHfEWUFxzpvZD6RoW-Hg/w410-h264/thesleepingtiger.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><i><br /></i></b></div><b><i><div><b><i>1954, UK, directed by Joseph Losey (under the pseudonym Victor Hanbury)</i></b></div></i></b><div><br /></div><div>As so often, a viewing choice inspired by <a href="https://dcairns.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/sleeping-tiger-crouching-dirk/">David Cairns</a>, this is an enjoyably ripe melodrama, over-stuffed with plot and challenges to logic, but Dirk Bogarde does good sleaze, Losey directs with great energy, and the climax has a nice bit of visual poetry to it.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-31514839468933458602019-12-10T12:07:00.001-05:002020-07-16T12:07:49.113-04:00The Man Who Cheated Himself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdK5wDWtqPFcdquF0ClV6q6vnpwZ1fdT8eyYI3_LlZ-iCvMVkQudWSFSZIEX4Iqsxkqok-FqbfoD5lqOYu5hKRO1HtPN4B5Q3K8PYwuxN2IhMSGvAxruKgY9wJvIGxiAJQ1dj1g/s920/themanwhocheatedhimself.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdK5wDWtqPFcdquF0ClV6q6vnpwZ1fdT8eyYI3_LlZ-iCvMVkQudWSFSZIEX4Iqsxkqok-FqbfoD5lqOYu5hKRO1HtPN4B5Q3K8PYwuxN2IhMSGvAxruKgY9wJvIGxiAJQ1dj1g/s320/themanwhocheatedhimself.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;"><i>1950, US, directed by Felix E. Feist</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">A pretty classic, B-level <i>noir</i>, in which Lee J. Cobb's cop is bewitched and betrayed by a <i>femme fatale</i>, again a classically misogynistic trope of the genre. Cinematically, it's worth a look, with some striking shot choices, especially as the film reaches its climax, while there's surely a nod to Hitchcock's <i>Suspicion</i> in the prominent appearances of several glasses of milk. There's also a nice mix of San Francisco location work and back projection shots.</div></span></div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-47868715836265783882019-12-03T13:47:00.003-05:002020-07-10T14:36:22.146-04:00Tanzania Transit<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjfm84hHxBCLdaX2giGUy7f6QSrDgkDNZekHWVwzFbC_oHA4Pngtj3dEo9JLTWTbo3brcTRkb-tEPP6WxjVQqFmO1zEbN80xZJl2bn1xPcy3mhiMnm4kpgLRV5P0kAqiHqgUQkw/s900/tanzaniatransit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjfm84hHxBCLdaX2giGUy7f6QSrDgkDNZekHWVwzFbC_oHA4Pngtj3dEo9JLTWTbo3brcTRkb-tEPP6WxjVQqFmO1zEbN80xZJl2bn1xPcy3mhiMnm4kpgLRV5P0kAqiHqgUQkw/s320/tanzaniatransit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><br /></i></b></div><b><i><div><b><i>2018, Netherlands/Tanzania, directed by Jeroen van Velzen</i></b></div></i></b>
<br />I came across this when searching for the film <i>Transit</i>; it's a documentary filmed aboard long-distance trains in Tanzania, and the filmmakers manage to get exceptionally intimate access to the key players, ranging from a woman who's the definition of a survivor to a preacher/scammer preying on those a little further down the pecking order than himself. It's very engagingly filmed, with camerawork that gives a sense of an expansive rather than enclose world on board. Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-4751516761812053742019-11-23T23:23:00.004-05:002020-07-10T14:32:32.807-04:00The Pretender<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCr98Oixwh0Fhg0WAcxSThtJWtc6dy5M4XzYF2dy47KnQvY4OoOjY5Cy9C8OfIqf1IYP-W-kruiSVwl9c30Fs-v7xd1-P6_FnQtNnXjx3QBY4_cDHz8GxtF9oPRsPdw-a5DKUzng/s2048/thepretender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCr98Oixwh0Fhg0WAcxSThtJWtc6dy5M4XzYF2dy47KnQvY4OoOjY5Cy9C8OfIqf1IYP-W-kruiSVwl9c30Fs-v7xd1-P6_FnQtNnXjx3QBY4_cDHz8GxtF9oPRsPdw-a5DKUzng/s320/thepretender.jpg" /></a></div></b></div><b><i><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div>1947, US, directed by W. Lee Wilder</i></b><br />
<br />
Stronger on plot than on execution, with a nice, bitterly sardonic sting in the tail. Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-21383459470438028882019-11-20T12:43:00.011-05:002020-07-10T14:29:59.082-04:00The Red House<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheb5-QN5B4PX3dJtIHbfG0_6NBg8A7C6oIqn0nxnsVIGvP4EvnT6xyEUEZRNpotvKWl5bbp_TAvBksY3M5urwIVcptKHl5DK8B1XaPaL6f_zKIYrdsIuWWskybUeUCLocMnY8lkg/s400/theredhouse.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheb5-QN5B4PX3dJtIHbfG0_6NBg8A7C6oIqn0nxnsVIGvP4EvnT6xyEUEZRNpotvKWl5bbp_TAvBksY3M5urwIVcptKHl5DK8B1XaPaL6f_zKIYrdsIuWWskybUeUCLocMnY8lkg/w400-h300/theredhouse.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i></b></div><b><i><div><b><i>1947, US, directed by Delmer Daves</i></b></div></i></b><div><br /></div><div>A sweaty, tense thriller, that picks away at the apparently benign exteriors of location and character to reveal the darkness beneath -- just as the quiet small town setting becomes less innocent, Edward G. Robinson's character starts to drift off the rails, and it's all set up for quite the fervid psycho-sexual climax. It's an interesting counterpoint to the more common urban settings of post-war <i>noir</i>, too. </div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-56548300110640591602019-11-09T22:49:00.005-05:002020-07-10T14:23:32.481-04:00Wives Under Suspicion<div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWkIyo2F38p2aqA8eDNztBxxeylAWa1-zLfotPjqONjyRsFRvLKezzYnmRlzlFqeneWRJhZYcbsP2QMRN3o499yn0rwWEPmq0gPPgI1PD0jiusj-UbN8xjUYQTdle1eqXxSdmoQ/s2048/wivesundersuspicion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1373" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWkIyo2F38p2aqA8eDNztBxxeylAWa1-zLfotPjqONjyRsFRvLKezzYnmRlzlFqeneWRJhZYcbsP2QMRN3o499yn0rwWEPmq0gPPgI1PD0jiusj-UbN8xjUYQTdle1eqXxSdmoQ/w269-h400/wivesundersuspicion.jpg" width="269" /></a></div></b></div><b><i><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div>1938, US, directed by James Whale</i></b><div><br /></div><div>A rather precipitous fall from the standards that Whale set earlier in the decade, this is an efficient enough vehicle for Warren William, who is good value -- as ever -- in a role as a prosecutor who senses some overlap between his current case and his own wife's behavior. However, there's nothing of the distinctiveness of Whale's Universal horrors, even in the visuals. </div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-87762461697362753862019-08-27T22:53:00.005-04:002020-07-08T11:12:39.867-04:00Tomka and His Friends<div><font face="inherit"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xI49w1_95cOw31ObzcL-9ve9zqtwx5OdCJ0nb8-1WvJ2N8rwn5ZVN_PagM09Yh6fXBfQZ73kA0vwU9K18DhqIO-oNPu-ZYZA9TNxPxEErAwtHy93uI1jhvfWrcpHcdPwqpiGvA/s1800/tomkaandhisfriends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xI49w1_95cOw31ObzcL-9ve9zqtwx5OdCJ0nb8-1WvJ2N8rwn5ZVN_PagM09Yh6fXBfQZ73kA0vwU9K18DhqIO-oNPu-ZYZA9TNxPxEErAwtHy93uI1jhvfWrcpHcdPwqpiGvA/w400-h214/tomkaandhisfriends.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i></b></font></div><font face="inherit"><b><i><div><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>1977, Albania, directed by Xhanfise Keko (aka </i>Tomka dhe shokët e tij<i>)</i></b></div></i></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">An Albanian film that I became aware of through Mark Cousins' </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-story-of-children-and-film.html">A Story of Children and Film</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">, on one level a standard coming-of-age film, but of course also a film about oppression and survival on multiple levels, set against the backdrop of the German occupation of Albania, </span></font><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">with charming, naturalistic performances from the kids, and a sometimes infectious insistence on living and thriving in adversity; there's also a terrific tracking shot to start the film. </span>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-51103955830124021912019-07-06T22:53:00.003-04:002020-07-08T11:05:00.324-04:00Le Samouraï<b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4W0ZJ7t7-TvVL3_7XUd-iwqNRGDeUsiJ2W8yvYxZ7lR01cpnTHHgzqzgQ5376GDcrErEG_e5L9KqPKXKm3uZx9zBRwR2g9HaRY7_jgNopRd7RppCfXszvWRWhqD3DUZDmui8tg/s974/lesamourai.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="974" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4W0ZJ7t7-TvVL3_7XUd-iwqNRGDeUsiJ2W8yvYxZ7lR01cpnTHHgzqzgQ5376GDcrErEG_e5L9KqPKXKm3uZx9zBRwR2g9HaRY7_jgNopRd7RppCfXszvWRWhqD3DUZDmui8tg/w400-h271/lesamourai.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><font face="inherit">1967, France, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville</font></i></b><font face="inherit"><br /></font><div><b><i><font face="inherit"><br /></font></i></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><font face="inherit">A rewatch, to see the restored version, which looks glorious from the wonderful first shot to the last. Pretty much the concentration of both Melville and Delon, even if not necessarily my favourite film by/with either.</font></span></div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-60908015759903346632019-07-05T14:01:00.005-04:002020-07-08T11:03:30.886-04:00La Poison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpaLdHOYiDTKzmhyphenhyphenHrdOozkXd7b3ytnkYsuVA7NU4rkcQ4aHapPImhWNc4RRfQe9Vb01xrS3xFxWuI4yQjAJ7KnZEs35dfsZl0P0JhMLNoXsJ-ZH7AjJtT6iLp_kQwqSnwjlruw/s1600/vlcsnap-2019-07-02-13h01m58s093.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpaLdHOYiDTKzmhyphenhyphenHrdOozkXd7b3ytnkYsuVA7NU4rkcQ4aHapPImhWNc4RRfQe9Vb01xrS3xFxWuI4yQjAJ7KnZEs35dfsZl0P0JhMLNoXsJ-ZH7AjJtT6iLp_kQwqSnwjlruw/s400/vlcsnap-2019-07-02-13h01m58s093.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">1951, France, directed by Sacha Guitry</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">One of the most extraordinarily misogynistic films I've seen, as well as being very much of the postwar <a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2012/07/macadam.html">tradition</a> of bitter, black, self-lacerating social examination in French film (the two may be linked, of course; several of those key French <i>noirs</i> are hardly kind to their central female characters, who are at times depicted as taking advantage of the men in their lives -- men rarely seem to have to take responsibility for themselves). </span></span></span><div><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVIwFTcKbECX4Mi2kSEETdvx3ZCavrD-wOIoA07u7N0-PuumzUXCkAyd8euXKWZt3I692D0oaLBYRFau2WHWfDsPRaBGO9J99cKjyahdZamMeqnOhDz-6O7-z2MmuRATG14NZtA/s1600/vlcsnap-2019-07-02-13h02m14s808.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVIwFTcKbECX4Mi2kSEETdvx3ZCavrD-wOIoA07u7N0-PuumzUXCkAyd8euXKWZt3I692D0oaLBYRFau2WHWfDsPRaBGO9J99cKjyahdZamMeqnOhDz-6O7-z2MmuRATG14NZtA/s320/vlcsnap-2019-07-02-13h02m14s808.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Ginette Vincendeau's Criterion </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4850-la-poison-or-how-to-kill-your-wife&source=gmail&ust=1578606320502000&usg=AFQjCNF5kIu9L3cdybg2ps-lqSOpsVSAyA" href="https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4850-la-poison-or-how-to-kill-your-wife" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">piece</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> that accompanies the DVD of the film is extremely useful in providing the context for Guitry's tone, without ever defending the writer/director. </span></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIfGvEMRzsUxJ2f6ILcSPKr52m70rOzft7G-em55uctJOkto3GUVYZUXkE9jQCdftzrHwOyA5ajR7dyLYBtVyKtwaG5_6qdv1TZv1h4ZFRfATjILtV6DUdW0NyqjU5Kt0FJsHDQ/s1600/vlcsnap-2019-07-02-13h15m07s449.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIfGvEMRzsUxJ2f6ILcSPKr52m70rOzft7G-em55uctJOkto3GUVYZUXkE9jQCdftzrHwOyA5ajR7dyLYBtVyKtwaG5_6qdv1TZv1h4ZFRfATjILtV6DUdW0NyqjU5Kt0FJsHDQ/s320/vlcsnap-2019-07-02-13h15m07s449.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Of note in the background: a r</span></span>are non-comic role for <a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2011/11/le-corniaud.html">Louis de Funès</a>.</div>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-6545198042724620302019-06-24T21:43:00.000-04:002020-01-08T16:49:13.594-05:00Persona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgePwxKU_H9Bls-asJEqDLuO374S9yp4wCe2bOJ87NLw12zLlq1q4kggIB3e9l1fI1Y8VE1zpfRKfhgNgStJdxT02GGDUSXb1KpD-kBCmggHMqdV2uOtumklWCuMXezWw7nHO_A/s1600/persona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1023" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgePwxKU_H9Bls-asJEqDLuO374S9yp4wCe2bOJ87NLw12zLlq1q4kggIB3e9l1fI1Y8VE1zpfRKfhgNgStJdxT02GGDUSXb1KpD-kBCmggHMqdV2uOtumklWCuMXezWw7nHO_A/s400/persona.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">1966, Sweden, directed by Ingmar Bergman</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">One of the Bergmans that really retains its power, a genuinely disconcerting film that must have been an especially strong jolt on its release, and which is both strange, not-quite-like-anything-else, and acutely perceptive of its particular psychological pathology. The sense of an enclosed world got under my skin in the same way as when I first saw the film as an undergrad -- there's a sense that both characters and audiences can't escape. </span>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-64443232087573378742019-06-20T14:11:00.000-04:002020-05-26T15:10:45.900-04:00Brute Force<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdnWKO-FEHAMF9rIOh7P2PsLIIAetwnZ0cq2ViNprhe6m03je_xTaeNi8r847Go2Zmh62ZEgG8BcPMsEtd-dPQ2LdbUcAjzztq8zBLXmJ5EmXLudu5IkbS33gBRzvU4rMvnasZw/s1600/bruteforce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdnWKO-FEHAMF9rIOh7P2PsLIIAetwnZ0cq2ViNprhe6m03je_xTaeNi8r847Go2Zmh62ZEgG8BcPMsEtd-dPQ2LdbUcAjzztq8zBLXmJ5EmXLudu5IkbS33gBRzvU4rMvnasZw/s400/bruteforce.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>1947, US, directed by Jules Dassin</i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A film that lives up to its title, depicting the constant, claustrophobic drumbeat of violence, both psychological and physical, in prison. The characters are never unaware of the restrictions under which they operate, whether it's the bars on their cells, or the (often arbitrary) rules with which they must comply. Dassin's framing, as in the picture above, is often very strong, quickly delineating the free and unfree zones. The film isn't as strong in its social analysis sections, inventing a somewhat unconvincing context in which several characters debate the meaning and utility of prison; it's much stronger down in the bowels with the men, and the tick-tock sense of a bomb about to explode. Burt Lancaster, in one of his earliest roles, is already every inch the star, commanding the screen. T<span style="background-color: white;">he decision to cast Hume Cronyn as the sadistic warder is a stroke of genius, though he's alarmingly </span><i style="background-color: white;">into it</i><span style="background-color: white;"> at times.</span></span>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-26881305970501523452019-06-01T23:43:00.000-04:002020-01-03T10:43:28.247-05:00The Million Pound Note<b><i>1954, UK, directed by Ronald Neame</i></b><br />
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Something of an Ealing knockoff, this is a generally charming fable about the chaotic consequences of a bet/social experiment as to how a penniless American will handle the titular banknote (<i><a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2009/03/trading-places.html">Trading Places</a></i> followed a similar template, albeit with more 1980s grit and volume). The fun mostly comes from the reactions of other people to Gregory Peck's dilemma -- one sequence in a restaurant is especially good -- and the supporting cast is, predictably, very strong, with many familiar faces of the period given some work.Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-14369777539233011202019-05-21T21:58:00.000-04:002020-01-03T10:35:13.376-05:00Les Invisibles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9luKBEzId86VU_tlEQX2kq0wLXbapck170piAlOlrjM1ikVhddymuYgeOIao2onZ8aS6iWvSvUPbt0RwA0XfbMGc0ZyiuVp8LXyhgaKzmkkgxqD1TSk3PGUbbCfQS3vJZ1pB4Uw/s1600/lesinvisibles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1499" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9luKBEzId86VU_tlEQX2kq0wLXbapck170piAlOlrjM1ikVhddymuYgeOIao2onZ8aS6iWvSvUPbt0RwA0XfbMGc0ZyiuVp8LXyhgaKzmkkgxqD1TSk3PGUbbCfQS3vJZ1pB4Uw/s400/lesinvisibles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>2018, France, directed by Louis-Julien Petit</i></b><br />
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A picture that walks its walk, not only depicting the reaction of a group of women to the closure of their shelter, but actually casting women from homeless backgrounds in many of the key roles. While it certainly hits beats from the <i>Full Monty</i> school, sometimes pretty insistently, some of the spikier edges feel as though they've come from genuine collaboration between cast and director, and those fragments give the film its most significant charge.Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-29110546272929121652019-05-21T19:56:00.001-04:002020-12-03T16:07:54.169-05:00If Beale Street Could Talk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VMK3Bnf-Apc_lnPJoYilBy7pRRIjl5yKV-iBxjE6azqwCOwA55qe3nWLzy9Ygv7lt1yzYwWcPY1zB0fSHKAuhFxXhN5T0rnq0rJsDYeO8KdOLwfn2trxfb_NYJx4esY62xmNhg/s1600/ifbealestreetcouldtalk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VMK3Bnf-Apc_lnPJoYilBy7pRRIjl5yKV-iBxjE6azqwCOwA55qe3nWLzy9Ygv7lt1yzYwWcPY1zB0fSHKAuhFxXhN5T0rnq0rJsDYeO8KdOLwfn2trxfb_NYJx4esY62xmNhg/s320/ifbealestreetcouldtalk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>2018, US, directed by Barry Jenkins</i></b><br />
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Not, perhaps, as luminously successful as Jenkins' previous <i>Moonlight</i>, but this is still very strong, grounded in very engaging performances and complemented by gorgeous photography, with an exceptionally rich palette of colours, and a warmth of feeling toward its characters (James Baldwin's characters) that's very affecting, though perhaps more beautiful than real. As much as we want to root for the pair, at times it feels as though the film's hardest edges lie in the background, in the lives, and traumas, of the other characters.<br /><br />Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-13937925308149462492019-05-17T21:53:00.000-04:002020-01-03T10:18:43.147-05:00Can You Ever Forgive Me?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQe-kmzI8dSj_T0s-e07gmGQIfB1r0Uyvm9LiDVMmWe112D0bQwUcQXwJvpWfmzF11pslD83ocCm8mJrPN2gVTXd_qWCl9OT-w7xow8RszWRFFoXG2MkABm8JVKZ9Y3I6zFa5pFA/s1600/canyoueverforgiveme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQe-kmzI8dSj_T0s-e07gmGQIfB1r0Uyvm9LiDVMmWe112D0bQwUcQXwJvpWfmzF11pslD83ocCm8mJrPN2gVTXd_qWCl9OT-w7xow8RszWRFFoXG2MkABm8JVKZ9Y3I6zFa5pFA/s400/canyoueverforgiveme.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>2018, US, directed by Marielle Heller</i></b><br />
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Wonderfully absorbing, with two terrific performances: Melissa McCarthy gets to show more of her range, without having to bottle up her energy, and Richard E. Grant hasn't been as good for years. Heller has a great feel for the period and milieu of the film, or more accurately the multiple milieus, from grimy day-drinking bars to down-at-heel walk-ups to glimpses of the other side at swanky parties or warm academic havens. She also has a tenderness toward her characters, as weak and self-deluding as they can sometimes be, that's deeply affecting -- and gives lovely scenes to many of the supporting players.Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-3390987622755665732019-05-16T22:45:00.000-04:002020-01-03T10:10:14.760-05:00Shame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-hh3ftkzH8ih2dPjZz5q3Cj5_dYNYMTg_AGLLYZN5nDnmMmf2l3mIF0z8Ao_MeYkdGj-6kA65GOacvVfgrY4UWiNqeTEJ7bOVu6GxIOk59_QFxckcTNEkrZ1wUoIb9LmoZDTXw/s1600/shame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="750" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-hh3ftkzH8ih2dPjZz5q3Cj5_dYNYMTg_AGLLYZN5nDnmMmf2l3mIF0z8Ao_MeYkdGj-6kA65GOacvVfgrY4UWiNqeTEJ7bOVu6GxIOk59_QFxckcTNEkrZ1wUoIb9LmoZDTXw/s400/shame.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>1988, Australia, directed by Steve Jodrell</i></b><br />
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A very strong 1980s film that sadly feels equally relevant today. It's grounded in a sharp analysis of toxic masculinity, grounded in a specific rural Australian reality but not in any way restricted to that environment, and features an excellent central performance by Deborra-Lee Furness, as an unapologetic, self-confident lawyer taking a solo trip through the outback. Her character draws on Western tropes, literally riding into the dusty small town and introducing a new vocabulary of justice. The film neither shies away from nor revels in its depiction of violence, and the conclusion comes as a genuine gut-punch.Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-8227836954061777462019-05-11T23:16:00.000-04:002020-01-02T16:52:12.043-05:00Le Jeu<b><i>2018, France, directed by Fred Cavayé</i></b><br />
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Although very competently made (or rather re-made), and visually slick, the picture has little meaningful to say about the consequences of our modern technological obsession -- centered on a game wherein the characters allow the contents of their phones to be shared, the picture is all plot mechanics, no commentary.Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-41415439293131624232019-05-04T23:17:00.000-04:002020-01-02T16:47:47.560-05:00Bad Blood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHahf6sCbns2ywgCdDmfPbkwAbiTCdGSKdeX8gg4ys6SCaimNtEhkNxeXA245CzuvedR143xSqxaZioq6kvFB9ew66ZcCYnudmQ-8I_hvXhGi6Hoz_CqhhwsQMUWcIuqBmg0Emg/s1600/badblood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHahf6sCbns2ywgCdDmfPbkwAbiTCdGSKdeX8gg4ys6SCaimNtEhkNxeXA245CzuvedR143xSqxaZioq6kvFB9ew66ZcCYnudmQ-8I_hvXhGi6Hoz_CqhhwsQMUWcIuqBmg0Emg/s400/badblood.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>1981, New Zealand/United Kingdom, directed by Mike Newell</i></b><br />
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A fairly straightforward retelling of the mass murder perpetrated by Stanley Graham in 1941, a series of crimes that was the culmination of a lengthy standoff with police over the surrender of weapons in wartime. There's a broader resonance in the New Zealand context of the man asserting himself in relation to the authorities, as well as the relationship with the bush, both a source of refuge and a threat (already explored in films like <i>Sleeping Dogs </i>and, later, in more sophisticated pictures like <i><a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2013/08/utu.html">Utu</a></i>). While the film is centered on Jack Thompson's character, Carol Burns, as Graham's wife, matches him beat for beat as his mental state collapses. The sense of a tight-knit, yet poisonous, community is very well drawn, and was surely influenced also by the aftermath of the Crewe murders, which would have been in the news throughout the 1970s (and which formed the basis for the film <a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2009/08/beyond-reasonable-doubt.html" style="font-style: italic;">Beyond Reasonable Doubt</a>).Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-36145998560925662532019-04-27T22:26:00.000-04:002019-11-20T12:53:41.334-05:00La Fiancée du pirate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTGddSd6t9x7P0u5XqrCd_K2DlEzTVHkiu5aYT_T0srmVtl7HYG5ko3H0rVDDX2mZ66ui39rq2a6TpppdMmIRh-aE2yTypd1IDy65g3Tnnnt95aHyY9_ncKE607z-poo_2ivhuQ/s1600/lafianceedupirate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="898" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTGddSd6t9x7P0u5XqrCd_K2DlEzTVHkiu5aYT_T0srmVtl7HYG5ko3H0rVDDX2mZ66ui39rq2a6TpppdMmIRh-aE2yTypd1IDy65g3Tnnnt95aHyY9_ncKE607z-poo_2ivhuQ/s400/lafianceedupirate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>1969, France, directed by Nelly Kaplan</i></b><br />
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I thought that Yves Boisset's <i><a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2019/04/dupont-lajoie.html">Dupont Lajoie</a></i> was pretty acid in its analysis of French society, but Nelly Kaplan's first feature film is at least as bleak, and certainly more thorough in its merciless dissection of the mores of its small-town setting. At times, Kaplan's wide-ranging condemnation recalls Simenon, though Kaplan is far more interested in society's view of women than Simenon ever was. The film constantly surprises in its tone, veering from the cynical to the carnivalesque, with Bernadette Lafont providing a central performance of exceptional energy and frankness that still feels fresh today, even if the character's turning-of-the-tables might take a different form in 2019.<br />
<br />Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-2733509272528232782019-04-14T23:39:00.000-04:002020-05-26T12:10:19.567-04:00Police Story 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQljdSCXVQauI7vfW98SR6FozxHywe_ER00KwKIyD9u9rWxtrDkQO6xjlMEP1d_hSVUALFfDwIHN0d7iDdSa9TkdWbct8BEec1zqO47aSXKvQeSVvkf1ywav-HgGipw-JIIv6fug/s1600/policestory2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="850" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQljdSCXVQauI7vfW98SR6FozxHywe_ER00KwKIyD9u9rWxtrDkQO6xjlMEP1d_hSVUALFfDwIHN0d7iDdSa9TkdWbct8BEec1zqO47aSXKvQeSVvkf1ywav-HgGipw-JIIv6fug/s400/policestory2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>1988, Hong Kong, directed by Jackie Chan</i></b><br />
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A letdown -- the film opens with a summary of the exceptional stuntwork of the first film, but very little of what follows has the same rhythm and verve.Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-82733865434655647482019-04-07T22:57:00.000-04:002019-10-01T11:00:50.107-04:00Dupont Lajoie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uNY3VzdbTUF1mpzaQAcWlhU6YaxUwGj19vMjMu8MNTzhx26sKfk68arNDw568zqXByzVTMzIgEct_iVEC8QFdjgiogqXXs4hjmPBEcu3fHK53u-szTbMbBHHRPn4MJvG3PgAlw/s1600/dupontlajoie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="600" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uNY3VzdbTUF1mpzaQAcWlhU6YaxUwGj19vMjMu8MNTzhx26sKfk68arNDw568zqXByzVTMzIgEct_iVEC8QFdjgiogqXXs4hjmPBEcu3fHK53u-szTbMbBHHRPn4MJvG3PgAlw/s400/dupontlajoie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">1975, France, directed by Yves Boisset</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Boisset had a decent run of films in the 1970s, taking a fairly left-of-centre perspective, with this perhaps his most acid picture, a disturbing portrait of French society and its dealings with outsiders, specifically France's Arab population, though other, nearer neighbours' "true" Frenchness also comes under the microscope as <i>la France profonde</i> defends its interests. Jean Carmet is excellent, and quite disturbing, in an atypical role, while Isabelle Huppert lights things up in a fairly early screen appearance. </span></span>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-85397040655271452992019-04-06T22:56:00.000-04:002019-10-01T10:52:20.360-04:00The Bigamist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW0Dj8WNwrYc3h6JG1BAmvwtG-36RsWJpGK6Uv4VAOtIiYTFVJjnngC3HAqycWqEOQufXaJAujZfIRvE6RNnA_KblkJPmyx888mqEWHW7pmYgTL6ng7QUm8TZS0mr7zCp9NyZWA/s1600/thebigamist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1024" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW0Dj8WNwrYc3h6JG1BAmvwtG-36RsWJpGK6Uv4VAOtIiYTFVJjnngC3HAqycWqEOQufXaJAujZfIRvE6RNnA_KblkJPmyx888mqEWHW7pmYgTL6ng7QUm8TZS0mr7zCp9NyZWA/s400/thebigamist.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>1953, US, directed by Ida Lupino</i></b><br />
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An unusually frank film, for its time, with respect to social mores, focused on a salesman who is attempting to juggle two relationships, though the picture has to stretch credibility a little to accommodate this situation in a manner that keeps the central character sympathetic.While the film seems to start out as a justification for male misbehaviour, as the narrative unspools it becomes something a good deal more interesting, a discussion of how the standard boxes don't work for every situation, and where women, in particular, are likely to fall foul of social regulations that determine acceptable behaviour. The film is quite up front about this, engineering situations in which conversations about stifling convention are reasonably credible, while Lupino makes ample time for us to hear from the two women -- they're anything but subordinate to the story. It might make a good pairing with the slightly earlier <i><a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2019/01/that-brennan-girl.html">That Brennan Girl</a>.</i>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28006784.post-43775716461126713142019-04-01T13:41:00.001-04:002019-09-26T14:14:45.210-04:00Mollenard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGAo7GYsk1bu09xnGQJ6S7QDMk4BzH058onApxg-_KeM5TkxCi1RhVYu2eCBwJ8vvJ21pFY5O1ooS5H8gXc5i4yC9IIa21V4A8AWz0ZDPaf1biSO0QY8WXIgKAIUwSYuZQm2PHA/s1600/mollenard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="1024" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGAo7GYsk1bu09xnGQJ6S7QDMk4BzH058onApxg-_KeM5TkxCi1RhVYu2eCBwJ8vvJ21pFY5O1ooS5H8gXc5i4yC9IIa21V4A8AWz0ZDPaf1biSO0QY8WXIgKAIUwSYuZQm2PHA/s400/mollenard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">1938, France, directed by Robert Siodmak</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An assured film from Siodmak's French period, though with a somewhat unusual structure -- it almost feels like two different films, albeit both featuring the same protagonist, with the capacious frame a tale of domestic spite and poison and the inset a rousing sketch of colonial skulduggery in Shanghai (a pretty <a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2012/05/le-drame-de-shanghai.html">common</a> backdrop at the time). Harry Baur is in fine form as the titular Mollenard, a merchant marine captain facing ruin and shame, a circumstance that brings every dark aspect of his relationship with his wife, played by Gabrielle Dorziat, to the fore. The film rigs the game somewhat, though, by making Dorziat's character so utterly unsympathetic -- the same rather unpleasant trick Renoir played in <a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2007/07/la-chienne.html" style="font-style: italic;">La Chienne</a> -- that the audience is cast on the side of the criminal by default. Still, the downbeat ending manages to channel something of the spirit of <i><a href="https://garethsmovies.blogspot.com/2018/10/quai-des-brumes.html">Quai des brumes</a></i>, made the same year, with the two films also sharing Eugen Schüfftan as director of photography.</span></span>Garethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08544047015325046422noreply@blogger.com1