Thursday, December 31, 2015

Annika-Marie Leick


A day in the life, Dec 28


A day in the life, Dec 28, Regensburg by night

Danielle Pontes


New Stuff: Janis Joplin


Considered as her best album, didn't have it yet.


Aine O’Gorman


New Stuff: Paths of Glory


One of the movies not in my Stanley Kubrick box set.

Alicia Ruelas


ph: Ted Emmons

Ne te retourne pas (2009)


Panic attacks and memory loss signal the plight of a writer whose body is inexplicably being taken over by another woman.

Intense, but a bit overplayed psychodrama with a quite confusing plot. 

Simone van Werkhoven


New Stuff: Jupiter Ascending


I simply wanted to finally see it.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Anna Voskresenska


The Paradine Case (1947)

 
A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.
 
Superb courtroom drama with an excellent cast; Hitchcock manages to set the characters' moral ambiguities as the plot's pacemaker.





On renewed view: it's bit pedestrian in pace.

Halliwell**: "A stodgy and old-fashioned script is given gleaming treatment; this and the acting make it seem better thirty years later than it did on release."

Maltin**1/2: "Talk, talk, talk in complicated, stagey courtroomdrama...Below par for Hollywood..."

Lyoka Tyagnereva


ph: Angelika Buettner

New Stuff: Sauve qui peut (la vie)


I have been wanting to rewatch this Godard movie for quite a while now.

Marusja Archipov


ph: Damien Elroy Vignaux

The Jungle Book (1967)

Bagheera the Panther and Baloo the Bear have a difficult time trying to convince a boy to leave the jungle for human civilization.
Beloved animated Disney feature may have its flaws, but the jolly flow of the story, the lovingly  portraited animals and the songs make it extremely enjoyable.

Halliwell*: "Cartoon version relying less on action than on songs and voices; patchily successful but no classic."

Maltin***: "Genial Disney animated feature...Hand-picked cast of actors help create some vivid characterizations in this easy-going film."

Mariacarla Boscono


ph: Johan Lindeberg

New Stuff: Pieta


As addition to my Ki-duk Kim collection.

Who's That Girl?


Art: Paul Lehr

Crystal Noreiga


A day in the life, Dec 27


A day in the life, Dec 27, objet trouvé

Delaney Coyle


ph: Sootket Jiwpanitt

New York


William C. Shrout. Street Scene in New York City, May 1945

Abbey Lee Kershaw


ph: Gregory Harris

First Lines: Sue Grafton - "A" Is for Alibi


My Name is Kinsey Millhone.

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Sissel Grubbe


ph: Lucy Brown

A day in the life, Dec 26


A day in the life, Dec 26, my parents' Christmas tree

Barbara Palvin


ph: Jack Waterlot

Bewitched (2005)



Thinking he can overshadow an unknown actress in the part, an egocentric actor unknowingly gets a witch cast in an upcoming television remake of the classic show "Bewitched."

Lacklustre romantic comedy that is not that amusing and leaves one wondering, why any girl would fall for this guy.

Maltin**: "Postmodern riff on the popular 1960s TV series...Inoffensive comedy allows Kidman to be cute, but has no genuine emotions or sentiments because its premise is so cpmpletely artificial."

Who's That Girl?


Photographer: David Octavius Hill

Frida Aasen


A day in the life, Dec 25


A day in the life, Dec 25, big bird

Jerry Hall


ph: Arthur Elgort

New York


Central Park, New York City, circa 1870s

Audrey Hepburn


First Lines: Mary Higgins Clark - Where Are the Children?


Ray came down the stairs pulling the knot closed on his tie.

Isabeau Hitijahubessy


ph: William Garrett

A day in the life, Dec 24


A day in the life, Dec 24, Christkindlmarkt is over

Zhang Yu


It's a Wonderful Life (1946)



An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.

A sentimental fantasy tale is turned into a beloved masterpiece by Capra's assured directorial expertise and a perfect cast; a Christmas classic ever since.

Halliwell****: "Superbly assembled small-town comedy drama in a fantasy framework; arguably Capra's best and most typical work."

Maltin****: "Sentimental tale...Only Capra and this cast could pull it off so well; this film seems to improve with age."


Jena Goldsack


New Stuff: David Byrne


A Christmas gift I received.

Sona Matufkova


Fargo (1996)


A car dealer's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of a pregnant policewoman.

A masterpiece of black comedy and arguably the directors' most perfect work summing up their oeuvre so far.

It's one of the few movies I enjoy rewatching again and again.

Halliwell****: "Deft, witty and original thriller which pits a pregnant, rural police chief against two city slickers; the violence, when it comes, is properly shocking, but it's the humanity that you will remember."

Maltin***1/2: "The Coen brothers put a unique spin on a murder case, layering their story with droll Minnesotans and winding up with a totally disarming comedy!"

Natalie Portman