Angels And Insects - 1995 - UK

Angels And Insects - 1995 - 7/10

 
William returns from the Amazon, rich in experience, bereft of funds.
Fortunately, a country squire, himself an amateur dabbler, takes a shine to him.
William is hired to organize the haphazard collection, where he soon becomes part of the collection.
Slow moving film is never dull.  Family observation on several levels.
From the ant colonies to family dynamics, shrouded in gauze curtains and cryptic remarks.
An absolutely bewitching film of Victorian repression and unease.
Behavior that hardens into habit, unshakeable, rotting from within.

Dogtown And Z-Boys - 2001 - USA

Dogtown And Z-Boys - 2001 - 6/10

 
Roots in surf, blooming on the sidewalks.
Documentary on the rise of skateboarding into professionalism.
Usual mix of aerial prowess, newsreels, participants telling their versions.
Hardcore fans need no prompting, casual viewers – give it fifteen minutes and decide.
The history and details strike me as fairly accurate.
I was keenly aware of the skateboarding world of the 1970’s.
Believe it or not, I put myself though college working at a skateboard factory (across from a porn studio),
We had our own “Pro,” half of the early crew were surfers, though later on stoners predominated.

Backtrack - 2015 - Australia

Backtrack - 2015 - 6/10

 
Psychological thriller set in nighttime Australia.
After his daughter dies in an accident, psychiatrist (Adrian Brody) becomes haunted by a ghost.
Or is it his imagination?  Guilt?  Or repressed memory?
Perhaps demons originate from his childhood home, so back he returns.
Visually dark film, starts slow and confusing, but gears eventually click together.
Bleak design scheme in that places resemble the abandoned hours of midnight shift.
Evokes the early (ie: the good) M Night Shyamalan efforts.  Perhaps evokes too much.

Dick Tracy: The Noir Edit - Fanedit

Dick Tracy: The Noir Edit

The 1990 film remains a powerful example of style over substance.
The set design, primary color scheme, makeup, songs, all top flight.
Story though?  Originally meant for Disney, shifted to Touchstone as it was deemed too adult.
Nevertheless, this is still a cartoon.
Fanedit by Wakeupkeo intends to transform this into a Noir is intriguing, though I suspect Tracy harks back to gangster films of the 1930’s rather than post WWII Film Noir.
Straight off, the “look” of high contrast black and white is outstanding.

 
Using Miles Davis themes from “Elevator To The Gallows” darkens the mood immediately.
More would have been better, though I grasp dialogue interference.
The sound is a swaggering 5.1.  Crank those bullet scenes, boys.
For all the trims and cuts, the narrative remains a problem.
This is a kiddee film.  Violent, but aimed at juveniles.
Noir was always aimed at adults, with hard boiled themes.

 
The Kid is insufferable.  Al Pacino’s Big Boy is a ranting buffoon.
Blame the source, not the faneditor.
This is a good, alternative view, of a disappointing movie.

Afterthought.  There is an actual Noir story buried in Dick Tracy, although one would have to subvert the original pitch.
This would run about an hour, jettison the Kid, many of the goons, Tracy’s cops.
Typical of Noir, there is a femme fatale, smart plan, overreach, rotten end.
The stripped down story?  That of Breathless.

Dick Tracy - 1990 - USA

Dick Tracy - 1990 - 6/10

 
Tracy and cohorts take on Big Boy Caprice and his associates.
Distracting the sides are Tess Trueheart, the Kid, and Breathless Mahoney.
Eye-popping set design, amazing color scheme, blazing bullets.
All underwhelmed by a white bread script that serves Disney, rather than the comic strip.
The result is akin to a violent, live action cartoon.  A triumph of style over meager substance.
The 90’s witnessed a lot of Pulp inspired movies.  This was one of the first and one of the poorest.
Coulda, shoulda.  I’ve watched this for years, floored by the photography, cringing at the “family values”.
Beatty OK, Pacino hamms it up, Madonna steals everything in sight.

Youth - 2015 - Italy

Youth - 2015 - 8/10

 
Striking visuals enrich a series of vignettes, compact yet powerful, not so much about old age, but more about the ability to recharge.  Not to succumb, to stay invigorated in Life.
Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel play very old friends, renowned composer and acclaimed director, relaxing at what can only be defined as an exclusive health spa.
One is in self-imposed retirement, the other struggles to stay relevant.
Multiple characters drift in and around them.
Over the film, one gets an image of who many of the characters were, where they are now, and where they may be going.
Not really an “old fogy” film, as I think many fear.  Wonderful feast for film buffs.

Scoring more for visuals: cinematography, set design, color schemes.
Storylines range from sublime to pedestrian.

O Lucky Man! - 1973 - UK

O Lucky Man! - 1973 - 7/10

 
The continuing (mis)education of Mick Travis, following 1968’s If.
Mick, rising employee in the coffee conglomerate, dates  the boss’s daughter and rises in status.
His roots remain working class, however, and he retains some 60’s optimism.
Whatever.  Overlords and the empowered will find a way to exploit naiveté.
Bracing cynical film has aged, yet is more relevant each passing year.
The ranks of gullible Micks swell exponentially, eternal fall guys.
Messy film, more of moments than narrative.  Overlong by an hour.
“If you've found the reason to live on and not to die you are a lucky man.”

Swimming Pool - 2003 - France

Swimming Pool - 2003 - 7/10

 
A writer accepts her publisher’s offer to use his home to rest and recharge.
Well and good, until the publisher’s assertive daughter appears.
Put off, somewhat, the writer chooses to stay, and watch.  No, observe.
The daughter seems a free-spirited exhibitionist.  Or is the show play acting?
Keep in mind, this is a writer taking in details, making notes.
A Noir tinged thriller, filmed under hot sun, with long stretches of bare flesh.
Multi-layered with a lot going on, though you have to be attentive.
One of François Ozon’s best films.

War And Peace - 2016 - UK

War And Peace - 2016 - 5/10

 
Lavishly filmed and lavishly praised mini-series of Tolstoy’s classic.
Once you get past the sumptuous visuals, the story itself is more peace than war.
Meaning the tale is dominated by angst dialogue, ennui, and characters full of doubts.
The stereotyped view of Russians.
Acted and directed with great seriousness throughout, to the point of being stilted.
This is Tolstoy, damnit!
All star cast still results in, to paraphrase George Harrison, a drag, a well known drag.

Deep Blue Sea - 1999 - USA

Deep Blue Sea - 1999 - 6/10

 
Scientists, searching for an Alzheimer’s cure, boost the intelligence of sharks.
Luckily, the sharks, who increasingly exhibit anger management issues, are penned in strong cages.
Well made horror outing, though by the numbers.
Meaning, I knew which humans would die – chomp, chomp – and which would live.
However, I got the dining order wrong.  Boy, did I get that wrong!
As far as shark films go, this is one of the best.  Compared with other sharkie flicks, this is an 8.
Youtube offers several entertaining fan commentaries.

Dust Angel - 2021 - USA

Dust Angel - 2021 - 5/10

 
Earth and Mars, engaged in a terrible war, are ever in search of resources.
Weapons in hand, a lone Earth pilot lands on Dorniens Tora.
This SciFi short resembles something between plastic models and a video game.
Makeup could be from Halloween or a KISS convention.  EFX acceptable.
Plus, it’s preachy.

Empire Of The Tsars: Romanov Russia - 2015 - UK

Empire Of The Tsars: Romanov Russia - 2015 - 7/10

 
Lucy Wolsey hosts three part documentary covering 300 years of the Romanov Dynasty.
Episodes focus on Peter The Great, Catherine The Great, and Nicholas The Not-So-Great.

 
Wolsey is always enthusiastic and prepared, and seldom offers personal opinions or snarky comments.
As history, much of this will be old hat to buffs.
The chief draw is that she seems to have been allowed unrestricted access to many areas inside palaces or behind the scenes.

Clyde’s - 2022 - USA

Clyde’s - 2022 - 7/10

 
Clyde’s is a sandwich shop.
Kitchen staff are ex-cons, crafting, what sounds like imaginative platters.
Clyde herself is a harsh taskmaster, a belligerent bully.  In fact, I started wondering if she was the devil.
And is Clyde’s actually Purgatory?
While the staff are hard luck types, bent by Fate and poor choices, one stands out.
Montrell exudes calm throughout, reassuring crushed teammates, ever in quest of a perfect sandwich.
Montrell is the guardian angel of the kitchen.
Theatre junkies, place your order.

The Violent Four - 1968 - Italy

The Violent Four - 1968 - 6/10
AKA - Banditi a Milano

After an opening of mayhem, this goes into police procedural.
Tracking cars, fielding calls, rounding up suspects.
Police have one already, the wheelman, and they start squeezing.
This excels at showing the confusion following a heist and bullet spree.
Yet once the driver starts filling details, the story ratchets higher.
Predates Euro Crime genre and remains influential.

 
Boss Pietro confers with gunslinger Sante, preparing for three capers in a row.
If Michael Corleone ever had a cousin in Milan, it was Sante.

Cobain: Montage of Heck - 2015 - USA

Cobain: Montage of Heck - 2015 - 5/10

 
Quirky bio-pic of happy-go-lucky --- oops, wait a minute!
“Authorized documentary” of the troubled musician.
Primarily told from talking heads, with little challenging or fact-checking.
At two plus hours, this goes on way too long and is heavily padded with animated doodles.
Kurt’s ma and Kurt’s wife are each glossy, and each defend and excuse themselves.
Kurt’s wife repeatedly assures that she never cheated on Kurt.
Who is not here?
Grohl, Vig, any honcho from Geffen or UNI, fellow grunge band members, the word “grunge” period, Seattle.

“History is written by the victors”

Shinobi no Mono 8 - 1966 - Japan

Shinobi no Mono 8 - 1966 - 6/10
AKA - Shinsho: shinobi no mono  // 新書・忍びの者 // The Three Enemies

 
Final installment in the “Band Of Assassins” franchise is a great capper.
A gunpowder maker is murdered by three thugs, one with a face scar.
Hiding behind the walls, young Kojiro sees and vows revenge.
Twenty years on, Kojiro, while skilled, is not yet a proper ninja.
Ninjas, all but extinct, are few, though a master takes the young apprentice.
Their band gets embroiled in the wars between Ieyasu and Shingen.
Sieges, full scale battles, along with brutal one on one combats.
The “magic” in this is slight and should not dissuade you.
Raizô Ichikawa, top of his game.

52 Pick-Up - 1986 - USA

52 Pick-Up - 1986 - 6/10

 
Harry, successful businessman, gets blackmailed for cheating on his wife (Ann Margaret, really?).
Somewhat an ego-head, Harry blows them off, refuses to pay.
The hoods up the ante, screening Harry an up close and personal snuff flick.
Neo-Noir roots are strong in this, likely because this is based on an Elmore James novel.
That said, sport, this is trashy exploitation at times.
The narrative leaps logic, there are plot holes, and characters are too knowledgeable, or pure stupidity.
Although Roy Scheider stars, and there are plenty of “names” (including a slew of porn stars), John Glover as the lead villain, steals every scene he is in.
Got that, sport?
Fun film, though extremely sleazy.

Coming Home - 2014 - China

Coming Home - 2014 - 7/10
AKA - Gui Lai //  归 来

 
Man returns home after being imprisoned as a “rightist” for over a decade during China’s Cultural Revolution.
He attempts to rebuild his family though there are complications.
His wife suffers amnesia and does not recognize him, his daughter shuns him.
Over time, he uncovers some of the mishaps that befell while he was in prison.
Not all, however, which may frustrate Western viewers.
No dates are given, the Cultural Revolution goes unmentioned.
Gong Li remarkable as the broken wife.

Orlando - 1992 - UK

Orlando - 1992 - 7/10

 
“Do not fade, do not wither, do not grow old.”
So commands Queen Elizabeth upon giving Orlando a castle.
Time rolls on, and the young lord does not age, dabbling away the years.
He does, however, transform into a female, and experiences life from that perspective.
And years continue to sweep past.
An audacious film of gender identification and sexual fluidity, far ahead of its time.
Haunting score, interesting casting.  A film that may linger with you for weeks, or through your life.

Romeo Is Bleeding - 1993 - UK

Romeo Is Bleeding - 1993 - 6/10

 
Jack is a bent copper, on the take from the mob, a woman abuser.
A doomed loser, hemmed in by his own sorry choices and corrupt character.
Latest favor he owes?  Whack job.
Only the target is attractive, and cunning.  Oh, and a hitman, feminine version.
Yes, Jack is out of his league.
Merciless Neo-Noir, riddled with diseased twists.
Dialogue is arch, and Gary Oldham’s delivery strikes one as mannered, yet believable.
For a dark tale, this is awfully funny at times, and Jack is a cringe worthy soul.

Desperate Romantics - 2009 - UK

Desperate Romantics - 2009 - 6/10

 
Six part series narrates the rise of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Only four are in this:  Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, William Holman Hunt, and Fred Stephens - err - Walters.
Rejected by the Royal Academy, they win favor from influential John Ruskin, and learn how to market.
Focus is on their inter-personal relationships and affairs with models.
Parents - There is copious nudity and rather enthusiastic bouncing.
This is a modernish account.  Characters are a blend of fiction and truth.
(I’m hardly an expert, but I have a dozen or so books on the PRB.)
High production values, some funny moments. with a great deal of brio.
Not dry.  More fun than Effie Gray, though best viewed with a skeptical eye.