Mulholland Drive - 2001 - USA

Mulholland Drive - 2001 - 8/10

 
The only Lynch item I like, despite baffling elements with every rewatch.
A dense film about identity, reality, madness, narcissism, Hollywood.
Betty, hoping to make it big in Hollywood arrives at her aunt’s bungalow, and finds amnesiac Rita.
Betty auditions, moguls tug the strings.  Then she and Rita search for clues about the latter’s amnesia.
One almost has to view this three times before half the plot makes sense.
On physical copies (eg: DVD) Lynch has left “helpful hints” on what to watch for.
They may be helpful, they may be jokes from this, at times, maddening director.
A hypnotic film.

Warning!  Faithful fans already know the site below.
New arrivals to Mulholland Drive, visit at your own risk:
https://www.mulholland-drive.net/studies/theories.htm

The Doors - 1991 - USA

The Doors - 1991 - 7/10

 
Iffy biopic of the group, focusing on frontman, Jim Morrison.
Val Kilmer disappears into Morrison, even doing much of his own singing.
Film charts the genesis on Venice Beach though heyday, debauchery, odd conclusion.
Midway, the film captures the fin de siècle vibe of the 60’s end.
Purists and band members have a problem with Stone’s storyline, as he seems to use the Doors’ narrative as a metaphor for the decade itself.
This is not Jim the poet, this is gonzo Jim, the lizard king, Jimbo.  This unbalances the movie.
Outstanding music, stellar casting (save for Meg Ryan who is too wholesome, too prudish).
Flawed as history, but spectacular in its own right.

The Mists Of Memory - 2017 - France

The Mists Of Memory - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - Les Brumes du Souvenir

 
The honorary mayor of an obliterated village in Verdun is murdered on the eve of Armistice Day.
Thousands of Great War bodes are still unearthed, targets for looters who sell relics online.
Searching, another, more recent skeleton is dug up.
Local police expect a prosecutor to arrive, not a rival detective since locals may be “too close”.
This breaks with most French mysteries, which invariably pair a detective with a legal official,
Also, the local gendarme continually marginalizes and undercuts the detective.
Watchable French mystery shuffles along by fits and starts.

Ever After - 1998 - USA

Ever After - 1998 - 7/10

 
Charming adaptation of Cinderella, applying a few modern sensibilities.
Cinderella here is a rather feisty heroine, a can-do girl who strives.
A fine family film, this not Disney, not Hallmark..  No cloying syrup in this.
Drew Barrymore, well cast, has enough girlishness for the role.
She also really sells her character.
The rest of the cast is first rate, from Angelica Huston to Jeanne Moreau.
As noted, a good family film, bordering on classic, one your kids won’t roll their eyes at.

Blume In Love - 1973 - USA

Blume In Love - 1973 - 5/10

 
Nina divorces hotshot lawyer Blume (George Segal), who cannot accept she left him.
And that she has taken up with a laid back musician (Kris Kristofferson).
Well acted, but this basic love triangle borders on obsessive melodrama.
Aside from Kristofferson and a radiant Marsha Mason, the characters are narcissists.
Unless you were there, and still remember, the 70’s were “The Me Decade”.
While this showcases that attitude, along with the empty, hedonistic values, the character stories are rather trite if not outright boring.
A message film, and the final message is flat out wrong.  Even for the 70’s.

Conan The Destroyer - 1984 - USA

Conan The Destroyer - 1984 - 6/10

 
What happened here?
Conan The Barbarian (1982) was faithful to Robert E Howard and Frank Frazetta.
Brutal, sexy, dark, bloody.  Breathe the Hyborian Age.
This followup is more cartoonish.  Silly at times.
Anyway, the Cimmerian is tasked with escorting a virgin princess to restore a horn on the god Dagoth (Dagon?).
Adventures follow in this disappointing sequel.
Great cast, fabulous sets, all wasted.
John Milius and Oliver Stone sorely missed.

The Relic - 1997 - USA

The Relic - 1997 - 6/10

 
Uh!  Don’t drink the water.  Don’t drink the medicine stew from the South American jungle tribe.
Yes, I know, one wants to fit in, be accepted, especially if you are an anthropologist.
Well, don’t blame me when you don’t feel so well upon your return to Chicago.
Then the killings start.
Glorified B-Horror is akin to monster in the museum.
OK premise of creature feasting on brains in closed building is spooky enough.
Film excessively dark, most of the characters are dull as putty.
Tolerable if you don’t analyze too much.

The Red Circle - 1970 - France

The Red Circle - 1970 - 8/10
AKA - Le Cercle Rouge

 
Before being released from prison, one of the guards tells Corey about a perfect heist.
Meanwhile, prisoner transfer Vogel escapes from a train.
Chance – Fate – Luck.  The two criminals meet, start planning the caper, assembling the team.
Wonderful Noir is an example of minimalism and efficiency.
Almost no music, dialogue is spare.
These are professionals, men, who respect each other and don’t babble like 30 year old manboys.
Honor among thieves, at odds with human weakness and treachery.

Something For Everyone - 1970 - USA

Something For Everyone - 1970 - 7/10

 
Wickedly funny comedy will definitely not be for all tastes.
Konrad is the charming, young opportunist who glides into the castle of the von Ornsteins.
They are impoverished, as is he, yet he is calculating.
As daughter Lotte declares, “Thinking all of the time.  Clickety-click.”
Enter the visiting nouveau riche boors, what they lack in manners, they compensate with gobs of money.
One can see how this failed in the States.  Much too European in sensibilities and sexuality.

L'autre Aile - 1923 - France

L'autre Aile - 1923 - 6/10

 
After Reymat perishes in an aeroplane crash, wealthy fiancé Hélène decides to be an aviatrix
In no time flat, this buxom beauty is the toast of the tarmac.
The press adores her, men chase and grope after her, women hate her.
One even tries to kill her!
Yes, Grade A melodrama.
Restoration is outstanding, tinting sublime, aerial sequences likely state of the art in the 1920’s.