Transfer - 2017 - France

Transfer - 2017 - 7/10
AKA - Transferts

 
SciFi set in the near future.  Within a decade, perhaps?
Medical breakthroughs have made it possible to transfer one's soul into another body.
In an ideal situation, shift the consciousness of a cancer patient into a car crash victim.
Of course, the aged rich and powerful might want to jump into a young shell.
Or criminals might want to -- or terrorists -- or . . .
The government outlaws the procedure, the black market explodes, and an elite police unit is formed.
While the series has budget limitations, the writing is diabolically cunning.
Each episode (06) has fresh developments or a barbed twist.
Pili Groyne is memorably bewitching as the angelic Liza.

Some Velvet Morning - 2013 - USA

Some Velvet Morning - 2013 - 7/10

 
Two characters, 80 minute film, shot almost exclusively indoors, all but screams theatre.
Written and directed by Neil LaBute, another tipoff.
Ex-john shows up at doorstep of high priced call girl after a four year hiatus.
Left his job as attorney, dumped his wife, ready to move in and pick up where they left off.
Confrontations, accusations, recriminations.
Uncomfortable territory here, with an in-your-face attitude throughout.
Great for serious drama fans, with superb performances.

The Internship - 2013 - USA

The Internship - 2013 - 6/10

 
Light comedy of two middle aged stumblers who apply for jobs with Google, going the intern route.
Applicants break off into teams and competition begins.
Enjoyed this more than I thought as the two older males do not condescend to younger members,
nor do they try to take advantage of them.
They walk a narrow line between ignorance and earnestness, but carry that off.
Overlong at 2.00+ hours, yet never seemed to lose momentum.
Vaughn and Wilson struck me as being too old for these roles.

In The House - 2012 - France

In The House - 2012 - 7/10
AKA - Dans Le Maison

 
François Ozon offers another film (his third) about writers.
Young student worms his way into his best friend’s house and family, observing and probing their bourgeois, middle class home.
Sharing his voyeuristic streak, he writes stories about them and submits them to his composition teacher.
Always ending, “To be continued ...”
The teacher soon becomes absorbed, as does his wife, with whom he shares the stories.
Maddening difficult to tell if the student’s observations were accurate or partial.  Were the stories clichéd, balanced, stereotyped?  Was the teacher layering his own filters and fantasies?
The house of cards narrative steadily teeters higher.
Not exactly a thriller, but an unpleasant ride.

The Maiden - 2016 - USA

The Maiden - 2016 - 6/10

 
Near perfect distillation of the haunted house story.
Realtor Lucy is saddled with a white elephant, the battered mansion.
Worse, it could be haunted, cursed, possessed.
Well, commission is commission.  Amidst a few trifling problems she scrubs the interior to be presentable.
Limited dialogue, some jump scares, foreboding atmosphere, acceptable acting.

Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool - 2017 - UK

Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool - 2017 - 7/10

 
Gloria Grahame biopic, sure to attract Film Noir fans.
Annette Bening plays the faded femme fatale in her final two years.
This covers her relationship with Peter Turner (from whose book this is based) and his family.
AFTER she had undergone cancer therapy and thought herself clear, and into the final relapse.
Heyday films (The Bad And The Beautiful, In A Lonely Place, Crossfire, The Big Heat, Human Desire, among many) are barely referenced.
The infamous scandal of marriage number four is a mere breath.

Hollywood generally loves filmed versions of their glittering selves.
Chaplin, Ed Wood, Frances, The Aviator, Too Much, Too Soon, receive acclaim, and if not awards, at least nominations.
Other films, The Cat's Meow, Valentino, The Last Of Robin Hood, Auto Focus, not so much love, even when acting is outstanding.
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool seems to be in the latter group.

Mods, Rockers And Bank Holiday Mayhem - 2014 - UK

Mods, Rockers And Bank Holiday Mayhem - 2014 - 5/10

 
Somewhat illuminating.
Mods = sharp suits, scooters, and style. / / Rockers = leather, motorcycles, and speed.
Mostly, though, this is a shabby BBC doc about the overblown clashes between British youth in the early 60's.
Early squabbles were exaggerated by the English press, fueling future rumbles.
Before they knew it, Swinging London swept their moment into history’s dustbin.

Editing complaints:  This was padded, including repeated interview bites.
Worse, attempts to “damage” the look were blatant and amateurish.
Any time there was a 60's photo, sprocket holes raced across the middle, or debris, or blobs of color.
Scratches and added grain seemed mandatory.
By the end, one of the editors must have snoozed because the vintage overlay bled onto surviving interviewees.

Joan Rivers: By Her Friends - 2018 - USA

Joan Rivers: By Her Friends - 2018 - 6/10

 
Lukewarm pairing to Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work - 2010
This is a remembrance of the savage tongue by friends, peers and daughter Melissa.
Numerous old clips and routines, though her bio material is better covered elsewhere.
Decent introduction and tribute to Ms Rivers.
Folks either love Joan or detest her, this doc is for the former.
Feels like a fan letter to admirers.

A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder - 2021 - USA

A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder - 2021 - 6/10

 
Fun, socially distant (Covid era) production put on by CollaborAzian.
An all-Asian cast perform this musical cousin of Kind Hearts And Coronets.
After Montague’s mother dies, he discovers he is actually a D’Ysquith.
More than that, he is actually eighth in line for the earldom!
Oh, those pesky relatives.  Save for the lovely Phoebe, something of a cousin, yet elegant.
Then there is Sibella, catnip personified.
First things first, those heirs, can’t they simply … move along?
As far as the songs, think music hall or Gilbert & Sullivan.
Theatre junkies, comedy tonight!

The Square - 2017 - Sweden

The Square - 2017 - 6/10

 
Flux of museum curator, publicity consultants, journalists, benefactors, an innocent.
Not the actual creative forces.  No, showmen, touts, hangers on.
Stockholm museum, determined to juice interest in upcoming installation, opts for disturbing gala.
Anyone who has done PR - or rolled their eyes at it - will recognize how some stunts, no matter how moronic or stale, succeed despite themselves, whereas imaginative concepts may be utterly ignored by the unwashed.
The distracted curator is a poor father, thoughtless lover, bully to children.
Insider satire may be too icy and too incestuous for its own good.

I had a couple fundraising gigs for "non-profit" arts groups.
Their appetite for money would astonish many.  Just how much was taken in and spent.
I was good, coaxing mid-sized Poobahs to donate so they could admire their names in guides
Until I was fired.  Next year, I was recalled.
When money is involved, the arts world has little shame.

Just Like A Woman - 2012 - UK

Just Like A Woman - 2012 - 6/10

 
Chick flick hits the road.
Two women flee Chicago for a belly dance competition in Santa Fe.
To pay for fuel and supplies, they perform at bars and clubs along the way.
Fabulous outdoor scenery provides backdrop to confessions and fears.
Unlike other traveling souls who seem drawn to trouble, these two try to avoid it.
Their past trails after them, however, and free spirits always capture attention.

The Museum - 2021 - UK

The Museum - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Yr Amgueddfa

 
Daniel, right, brings new mate / love stud, Caleb, to the museum gala.
Whereupon Caleb immediately puts the moves on Dan’s mom, Della.
And Della, apparently as heedless as she is weak, succumbs and opens the velvet temple.
First episode of a corkscrew puzzler from Wales.
Believe me, there are twists and turns throughout this labyrinth of schemes and secrets.
At times, this is a little too contrived from its own good.
Soap opera elements detract from the mystery angles.

The Double - 2013 - UK

The Double - 2013 - 6/10

 
How come I never heard of this one?
Oh, because it was way too confusing and artsy for 98% of the planet?
Evocative Orwellian set design, straight out of Brazil sets the tone of an oppressive worker drone state.
Insecure, nebbishy Jesse Eisenberg bobbles adrift in vast, gloomy, mega-corporation, going nowhere fast.
Then his double, Jesse Eisenberg, arrives, swaggering confidence and gusto.
The pair meet, and the charismatic one offers to help his meek counterpart.
Viewers can spot that L for loser across his forehead.
Bleak, often wickedly funny film based on Dostoyevsky story.

The Mystery Of Henri Pick - 2019 - France

The Mystery Of Henri Pick - 2019 - 7/10
AKA - Le Mystère Henri Pick

 
Publisher Daphné hears about a peculiar library devoted to rejected books.
Manuscripts that other presses had refused to publish.
By chance, she comes across the one by Henri Pick, recently deceased pizza maker.
Once printed it becomes a massive best-seller, lauded by critics and casuals alike.
Save for Jean-Michel, TV critic, who declares the whole business is dubious.
From there, into the maze he scuttles, with viewers tagging behind.
Light comedy with a bitter edge will suit reading types, who will be better at catching the sly jokes.

Big Sur - 2013 - USA

Big Sur - 2013 - 7/10

 
Languid adaptation of Kerouac’s novel, focusing on a couple of stays at Ferlinghetti’s mountain cabin.
Slow going and meandering, yet enjoyable for fans of the author and the Beats.
Kerouac is older here, haggard, and well on his descent into alcoholism.
Opening paraphrase sums up the curse of fame and expectation -
 “All over America high school and college kids are thinking Jack Kerouac is 26 years old and on the road hitchhiking, while there I am, almost 40 years old, bored and jaded,”
Might be difficult for those who know the Beats through movies, not their writings.

Grand Budapest Hotel - 2013 - USA

Grand Budapest Hotel - 2013 - 6/10

 
Is it just me?  How is this shaggy dog tale such a critical darling?
Narrative supposedly shows hotel in its glorious heyday, especially the ever attentive manager, and how it came to fall into the possession of the current, and possibly final manager.
Story itself is a series of onion like recollections, each more stylized, more fabricated the deeper memory probed.
Stunning set design counterbalanced by mannered performances of oddballs and kooks. 
Anderson’s films are always worth a look, but the overall look and tone begin to feel repetitive.

Ferris Wheel At Night - 2013 - Japan

Ferris Wheel At Night - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Yakou Kanransha  //  夜行観覧車

 

 

Warning!  This J-dorama is like a female hormonal tornado.
Family moves into exclusive, posh community they can barely afford.
Straight away, neighbors regard them with disdain and belittle them numerous times.
At school, the daughter is bullied.  Across the street, a brutal murder.
No mistake, while seemingly a “chick drama," secrets and conspiracies increasingly predominate.
Perfect families, perfect neighborhoods, and those brittle, perfect facades that conceal so much.
Cleverly constructed to punch emotional buttons.

Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work - 2010 - USA

Joan Rivers:  A Piece Of Work - 2010 - 7/10

 
Documentary following the comedian for a year.
I had viewed this when it came out, but watched this time with her audio commentary.
In many ways, funnier, with merciless self awareness.
Rivers packs the commentary with jokes, one-liners, sarcasm, and confessions.
Sensitive souls, beware, there is foul language galore, as well as an early sequence of her sans makeup.

Web Of Deception - 1989 - Hong Kong

Web Of Deception - 1989 - 6/10
AKA - Jing Hun Ji  //  驚魂記

 
Lawyer Lin, planning to emigrate to Canada, is being blackmailed.
Her friend and assistant, May, might have motive.
In addition, May’s friend Queenie has a desperate financial need for her convict sister.
Then, during a stormy night, everyone winds up in Lin’s dark home.
Muddled Hong Kong thriller has an improvised, cobbled together feel.
As if they had a sketch, rather than a script.
Juicy dual role for Joey Wong, especially as the crazy, vengeful jailbird sister.
No great shakes but will divert Hong Kong fans for an hour or so.

Phantom Thread - 2017 - USA

Phantom Thread - 2017 - 7/10

 
Austere take on the Pygmalion fable.
Dressmaker for London's high end takes on new girl as model.
He is extremely fastidious, the only soul who understands or who can communicate with him is his sister.
Leisurely paced, desaturated color scheme, the narrative steps along by nuances.
Character study of man with complicated mother issues, the irony being his incredible eye for enhancing female appearance compounded by his tendencies to wound them.
Sound mix is noteworthy.  Concentrated silence marred by the tiniest activity.
This will not be for all tastes.
First Paul Anderson film I have actually enjoyed since Boogie Nights.

The Hoodlum - 1951 - USA

The Hoodlum - 1951 - 6/10

 
Ma pleads with the parole board,  “He’s a good boy.  He’s learned.  Please, he’s my son!”
So junior get released, then starts working at his brother’s gas station.
Conveniently located across the street from the bank.
Grade-D Noir with hard as nails, Lawrence Tierney.
Main supporting cast are terrible, including Tierney’s brother, Edward.
Guys portraying the heist crew are fine, and the caper was creative.
Film clocks in at barely an hour, packing bullets, betrayal, and sleaze.
Okay for Noir diehards.