Army Of Shadows - 1969 - France

Army Of Shadows - 1969 - 8/10
AKA - L'armée des Ombres

 
French Resistance during the German occupation of World War II.
This focuses more on the tedium, the tension, and the loneliness of key members.
Individuals seem to be constantly on the move, relocating from one "safe" house to another.
Missions are small, try to rescue a pilot, deal with a betrayer, recruit, and missions often fail.
Help comes from ordinary people, while armed troops scrutinize the populace.
No lengthy gun battles, pyrotechnic explosions, bombastic heroic music.
Everything is understated and weary.
There are the Germans, the Vichy collaborators, and the weasels.
Lack of glamour possibly evokes the Occupation and Resistance better than other films.

The Wave I Ride - 2015 - USA

The Wave I Ride - 2015 - 6/10

 
Surfing doc of Paige Alms, one of the few, very few, females riding big waves.
More than most surf films, this is a character study.  Don’t go here for loud music, hyper cut, surf porn.
Paige’s training, injury, support crew, home life, community work, jobs.
Yes, jobs.  Being a girl, she doesn’t get the sponsorship that the boys get.
The sport is segregated male / female.
Money also tends to flow to riders working the shore, or – especially – those who model for boards and suits, showing sculpted backsides.
As in many spheres, talent and ability generally lose out to sex appeal.
Paige is genuinely likeable, if a little New Agey.

Le Week-End - 2013 - UK

Le Week-End - 2013 - 6/10

 
Film references and pays homage to Goddard’s Band Of Outsiders, and features cues by cult fave Nick Drake, yet Le Week-End remains a frustrating, pale reminder.
Narrative follows an older, professorial British couple who return to Paris for their 30th anniversary.
Their original honeymoon room has changed ... or perhaps they have.
They bolt, and book the executive suite in a posh hotel.
Bickering, whining, accusations and atrocious behavior soon flow thick and fast.
The scenery was enjoyable - hell, I appreciated the story - a frayed marriage at the end of its rope.
Yet, I disliked the couple.  Intensely.
Once they started running, without paying, from every place they went, short-changing waiters, cooks, maids, etc...., “working people,” it was hard to be sympathetic toward them.

Los Angeles Overnight - 2018 - USA

Los Angeles Overnight - 2018 - 6/10

 
Shaggy dog yarn.
Failing, barely working actress overhears a whispered conversation during her waitress gig.
What she caught was a secret, a clue, a puzzle.  She needs assistance in solving.
She should have realized bad guys would find her.
Plot is nothing new, characters are oddballs, though not needlessly weird.
Surprise in this sunny Neo Noir is the waitress/actress who is determined to remain in Los Angeles, praying for the mythical big break.
Her desperation to not return to Ma n Pa and the hometown, pushes her actions.

My Past - 1931 - USA

My Past - 1931 - 6/10

 
Steel tycoons, partners, one old, one young, fall for the same showgirl.
Bebe Daniels is the alluring Doree, Joan Blondell her sharp chum.
This Pre-Code has nude swimming, bedroom action, adultery, casual morality.
“Ultra modern” girls, says one gent, are here today, gone tomorrow.
The first half is racy, the second stodgy.  Lewis Stone’s as fading sugar daddy is the most sympathetic.
Trappings throughout of furs, jewels, champagne, seem like a dimly remembered take on the half lit world of the Roaring Twenties, swept away two years earlier.
Look for the book Daniels reads, “The Maltese Falcon,” which would be her next film.

Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie - 2012 - USA

Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie - 2012 - 6/10

 
Documentary of trash talking talk show host who chased fame from the rabble.
His TV show, which I well remember, barely lasted two years.
Meteoric rise followed by hurtling crash.
I knew he was involved in the 60’s surf music scene, but that was not mentioned.
Instead, the doc showed his childhood home, a stone’s toss from the Kennedy family.
From leftie to songster to demagogue to has-been.
Curiosity flick.  Better if you have a fondness for belligerent types.

Midnight Hair - 2014 - China

Midnight Hair - 2014 - 5/10
AKA - Yèbàn Shūtóu //  夜半梳頭

Such a tantalizing title.  Especially for a yarn featuring newlyweds.
Film is, however, Chinese horror, and a throwback to old school Hong Kong.

 
Happy couple moves into grand home.  Within ten minutes you realize the joint is haunted.
Soon enough, the bride sees a pale ghost, the husband grows troubled.
So what do they do?  They stay put.  Well, it is a really nice house.
Story plods along like a drunken tortoise, past fog, creepy shadows, and jump scares.
The male actor (clearly a high school drama dropout) does IT or something.  His gifted companion prances about in skimpy dresses, sheer negligees, tight tops, while exploring posh, dust-free, interiors.
Subs were embedded Chinese over English, and just as ridiculous as HK subs from the 90's.
Pedestrian narrative, poor ending.  Might rewatch though, because I enjoyed that home.
It was huge - especially by Asian standards.  And richly furnished.
How could they afford that?  (Yes, there was an explanation.)

In The Courtyard - 2014 - France

In The Courtyard - 2014 - 7/10
AKA - Dans la Cour

 
Just before the concert, the band singer is fed up, and walks.
He is old, he has no professional skills, he is unsuited for most work.
The building complex needs a janitor, however.
French drama, with comic touches, is of the inhabitants, their obsessions and flaws.
Catherine Deneuve nominated for a Cesar as the wife whose anxiety over a wall crack deepens as the fissure itself.
Not necessarily a downer, but most of the characters are disappointed in themselves and despondent.

The Howling Wind - 2020 - USA

The Howling Wind - 2020 - 6/10

Early on, radio broadcasts alert listeners that the unusual winds are turning humans deadly.
When gusts wail, lock the doors and let no one inside.
So what to do when you are barricaded, alone, then discover an intruder.

 
Well, in this short, there are long conversations.  Interrogations.
The caliber of acting is high in this, the photography top notch.
And yet, for most of us, the 12 gauge would have boomed at first sight.

Annihilation - 2018 - UK

Annihilation - 2018 - 6/10

 
Extraterrestrial object impacts isolated southern USA coast.
Flora and fauna soon begin to alter, then the affected area begins to widen.
A select team of four women cross into this zone, also known as the Shimmer.
Previous male units vanished with one exception.
Taut SciFi thriller packs in suspense, psychological drama, mystery and a creeping sense of unease.

I went into this stone cold, never having read the runaway bestseller upon which it is based.
While some reviews cast this as an invasion film, it is a contagion story, unless contrary details are in the book.
Themes of adaptation, assimilation and utter indifference may confuse "answer seekers."
Visuals are imaginative, sound mix is unobtrusive, acting is fine.
For all that, this struck me as a left turn fork of Day Of The Triffids.
Afterward, I had an odd reflection - that may only resonate with Southerners - as I wondered if the author had grown up in a pre-kudzu era, before the landscape was overwhelmed, and if the Shimmer is an echo of that.

Scenic Route - 2013 - USA

Scenic Route - 2013 - 5/10

 
Two aging, childhood friends are driving a forsaken backwater route through Death Valley.
Failed, homeless writer and newly married, burnout musician.
Height of summer, sheer oblivion, what are the odds of engine trouble?
I was barking aloud at this one:
“Don’t do that.”  “No, you idiots, what are you, suicidal?”  “Stop talking and start thinking.”
As gathered, the pair talked and they talked and they talked.
Note to producers:  Men don’t gab this much.  Otherwise they get booted from the Guy Club.
Note redux:  Dialogue was not remotely “My Dinner With André.”

Tell No One - 2006 - France

Tell No One - 2006 - 7/10
AKA - Ne le dis à Personne

 
After skinny dipping with her husband in the family lake, Margot trots off to get the dog.
There are screams, a scuffle, and husband Alex hurries to rescue, only to get pummeled.
Eight years later, widower Alex learns bodies have been found by the lake.
Perhaps the assailants.  Either way, gendarmes who still suspect him of his wife’s death, now eye him for these.
That is the opening five minutes of a tight thriller, packed with twists, lies, back-stories.
Well executed, although a few points are predictable.  (Early on, a character appeared, and I said he would loom larger later in the film.  Sure enough.)

Life Itself - 2014 - USA

Life Itself - 2014 - 6/10

 
Recent documentary, bordering on feel-good, about America’s favorite film critic.
Covers the bases from childhood, newspaper years, partnership with Siskel, demise.
Much is made of influence Ebert had, but the impact for me was from Sneak Previews on.
Back in the early 80's, Siskel and Ebert were one of the first to feature extended clips.
That was invaluable when deciding what film to spend my cash on.
Also, unlike more so-called literary critics, the Chicago pair never spoiled a plot twist, nor did the reader have to wade through pages of text - seldom necessary for fresh releases.
At the end of it all, however, Ebert was a film critic.
His influence waned, as has the influence of all critics.  The films omits that aspect.

The critical process, circa 1980 -
Sneak Previews: “Take 2: Going to the Movies"
https://vimeo.com/542423495
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV4_UjtNzjI

Breath Of Life - 2021 - USA

Breath Of Life - 2021 - 7/10

 
Theatre junkies, your attendance, please!
Best-selling novelist Frances travels to the Isle Of Wight to visit Madeleine, retired curator.
Neither had truly met before, but they shared an interest, Frances’s ex, Martin.
Much of the play is taken up with discussion of fidelity, history, choices, and the absent Martin.
Dialogue ranges from wistful to comic to acerbic.  Guilt, not from these two.
Some of the lines are memorable, and I’m paraphrasing a few.
“Why did I move to Wight?  It’s what humanity does when we age. We crawl south to die.”
“It’s as the most powerful nation on the planet is now the most worried.”
Inventive camera work in filming a socially distant play.

The Post - 2017 - USA

The Post - 2017 - 6/10

 
Beleaguered Washington Post receives leftovers of classified Pentagon Papers after the powerful New York Times is stifled.
Will the Post publish?  Will they risk indictments?  Will the presses stop?
Scoring this old-fashioned yarn generously.
One gets the feeling Spielberg tried to create his version of All The President's Men.
That film was of its time and relevant.  This feels dated, the story and the telling.
This history lesson is over earnest, sentimental and corny.
Hanks is given a long leash and he overacts his blustery heart out.
Steep is fine, though her character seems mousy and mannered.
Newspapers once meant something.
Watch Five Star Final (1933) instead, or Deadline USA (1952).

Three Wise Girls - 1932 - USA

Three Wise Girls - 1932 - 6/10

 
Single girls in New York.  One struggling, one cruising, one conflicted.
Jean Harlow in an early role is the conflicted girl.
Attracted to a man, a married man, whose wife “won’t give me a divorce.”
An oft used excuse.
For all the romance and swinging, this is stuffy, though Harlow fans will relish.
Me?  I watched because I wanted to see the “struggling” girl, Marie Prevost.
A faded Silent vixen, Prevost gives her character humor and humanity.
Prevost would be gone in four years, Harlow in five.

The Touchables - 1968 - UK

The Touchables - 1968 - 5/10

 
Four females kidnap Michael Caine from Madame Tussaud's.
OK, Mr Caine's wax effigy.
Next step, they kidnap a cute pop star (think Davy Jones) and take him to their woodland bubble.
Once inside, they take turns romping on either the cushy round bed or plush stack of cushions.
Free love in Swinging London.
Side plot follows wrestlers, one of whom is infatuated with the pop singer, and gangsters.
"Plot" is an overstatement.  This is a series of situations and vignettes.  Perks along, though.
Not a particularly good film, nor fun-bad, just an odd relic from the 60's.
Song "All Of Us" by Nirvana.

Adele: Live At Royal Albert Hall - 2011 - UK

Adele:  Live At Royal Albert Hall - 2011 - 7/10

 
Before she shredded her vocal cords, before the baby, before the seemingly endless hiatus …
Adele rode the tiger of  fame.
Emotional live concert, in front of an adoring, hometown crowd, Adele in possibly a milestone moment.
Going against popular fashion, she keeps her cloths on, has no spectacular sets, and doesn’t bother with choreographed dance.
For golden ears who lament the death of pure singing, there is no auto-tune, no lip-syncing, and a full third of the show are just Adele and her pianist.
Just music, and that voice.  At this point, she was fearless, reaching for high notes, pushing the pedal for power.

The Big Combo - 1955 - USA

The Big Combo - 1955 - 6/10

 
Daring, perverse Noir finds obsessed detective pursuing boss of major syndicate.
Cornell Wilde OK as cop, Richard Conte excellent as cool, controlled organization leader, always two steps ahead of authorities or slippery enough to glide out of snares.
Swanky jazz score along with fine ensemble acting drive this one.
Famous with Noir buffs for the dramatic lighting, every shot is a master study in black n white contrast.

 
The Production Code was pushed to the limits with this one.
Forgetting the strippers momentarily, the more I watched Conte’s two gun men (Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman), I noted they shared a room, one was bare chested, and they kept touching each other.
Also, Conte’s trophy girl tries to escape, complains how she hates him, but cannot break away.
In a key scene, boss Conte, standing behind her, drops quietly down, and her facial reaction is one of anticipated pleasure.
Conte’s hold on her seems a cunning one.

And Then There Were None - 2017 - Japan

And Then There Were None - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - Soshite Daremo Inakunatta

 
Attractive looking adaptation of Christie’s tale of eight invitees and two servants stranded on an island.
Once inside, all are accused of homicide, which each denies most heartily.
This is set in the 2000’s as there are cellphones and delivery drones – which are addressed.
There is also a full police investigation, complete with oddball inspector in the Poirot mold.
More than other versions, this is quite talky.  Accusations, confessions, explanations, etc …
It is also repetitive.  Scenes are shown, later replayed by police, then later.
Not necessarily boring, this does feel padded.

I Love A Mystery - 1945 - USA

I Love A Mystery - 1945 - 6/10

 
Decent Columbia B-flick, based on popular radio show.
Wealthy husband has been told - no, prophesied to - he would die after a year.
Well, times up, big boy!
His wife becomes an invalid, a weird melody haunts him, a mysterious dame hooks up with him at the Russian Samovar club, he is pursued by a pegleg, death attempts, the secret society of Barokan!
This is the opening ten minutes!
I recognized many character actors, but the only real face was George Macready.
Hold on, keep up, and brace for twists.