Saturday, September 9, 2017

First Lines: Edgar Rice Burroughs - A Princess of Mars


I am a very old man; how old I do not know.

Librada Meji


A day in the life, Sep 4


A day in the life, Sep 4, Bänger's gonna bäng

Lena Petersen


New Stuff: The Revenant


Liza Ostanina


ph: Alexander Neumann

Southland Tales (2006)


During a three day heat wave just before a huge 4th of July celebration, an action star stricken with amnesia meets up with a porn star who is developing her own reality TV project, and a policeman who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.

Obviously intended as a flashy satire, the intentions in this expensive mess pretty much backfire due to a silly, incomprehensible script with multiple subplots and twists; even the characters show no coherence and the star cast seems wasted on the way.

Maltin*1/2: "Impressive cast is wasted in an overlong, overwrought wallow...Even more convoluted and disjointed than it sounds."

Julia Stegner


ph: Chris Colls

New Stuff: Arlo Guthrie



Anna Maria Olbrycht


Friday, September 8, 2017

Island of Lost Souls (1932)


An obsessed scientist conducts profane experiments in evolution, eventually establishing himself as the self-styled demigod to a race of mutated, half-human abominations.

Despite its age this short and fast-paced horror thriller still has impact with its frightening, tormented mutants and Laughton's adequately over-the-top performance as the sadistic mad scientist Dr. Moreau.
Halliwell*: "Unchilling but interesting thriller with a rolling-eyed star performance."
Maltin***1/2: "Strong adaptation of H.G. Well's novel...Laughton hams it up a bit, but despite more explicit horror films of late, this retains its frightening aura, particularly in the grisly finale."
Michael Weldon/Psychotronic: "It was banned in England for years. H.G. Wells...condemned it as being vulgar.It's probably the best horror film ever made. No other film has as many different and scary faces as this one. The atmosphere (mostly created on sets) is remarkable. With his little goatee, a clean white suit, and an ever present whip, Charles Laughton is perfect as Dr. Moreau."

Nastya Kusakina


New Stuff: The New Yorker


(art: Bruce Eric Kaplan)

Who's That Girl?


A young woman working out with boxing gloves and a punching bag, 1890

Art: Solange Knopf

Jordan van der Vyver


ph: Yanin Edry

A day in the life, Sep 3


A day in the life, Sep 3, Peter & Paul, Regensburg

Misha Hart


ph: Tung Walsh

New York


NY in the 80s 77 South Bronx circa 1980

Jessica Stam


ph: Miguel Reveriego

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Rachel McAdams


New Stuff: J. Edgar


Aliane Uwimana


ph: Ludo Hanton

Paterson (2016)


Paterson is a hardworking bus driver in Paterson, N.J., who follows the same routine every day and writes poems about his observations.

Quiet and reserved, this masterpiece depicts the everyday poetry of a simple life in tone and pictures just as perfect as its protagonist; Adam Driver delivers an admirable performance.


Evelyn Tripp


New Stuff: The War on Drugs



Cong He


Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Gojira (1954)

 
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable, dinosaur-like beast.
 
The original Godzilla movie is probably the best of the series, as it is well-produced and delivers the thrills while implying more political and existential issues than its successors. 
 
Halliwell (no star): "Tepid forerunner of scores of Japanese monster movies peopled by men in rubber suits."
 
Maltin***: "Grandaddy of Japanese monster movies...Much more complex and nuanced than the Americanized GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS!..."

Vlada Roslyakova


New Stuff: Ema



Who's That Girl?


1950s air travel

Photographer: Ken Schles

Yaya Deng


A day in the life, Sep 1


A day in the life, Sep 1, umbrellas

Monday, September 4, 2017

Sandrine Bonnaire


New York


Telephone Wires Over New York, 1887

Louise Brooks


First Lines: Arthur Conan Doyle - The Lost World


Mr. Hungerton, her father, really was the most tactless person upon earth, -- a fluffy, feathery, untidy cockatoo of a man, -- perfectly good-natured, but absolutely centered upon his own silly self.

Ria Serebryakova


A day in the life, Aug 31


A day in the life, Aug 31, balloon

Kasia Struss


ph: Hunter & Gatti

Guyver (1991)

 
A young man discovers a mechanical device that merges with his own body, turning him into a cyborg superhero.
 
Deliberately silly - and gory - spoof with some quite fantastic monster outfits; entertainment value limited to fans of the genre.
 
Maltin*1/2: "Clumsy clumps of humor only make the contrived plot seem even more foolish."
 

Liu Wen


New Stuff: Koyaanisqatsi



Bettie Page


The Monuments Men (2014)



An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners.

An otherwise highly interesting episode of  WWII is (intentionally) treated like a Dirty Dozen-style war adventure complete with a good-humoured cast, light action and some sombre moments; mildy entertaining, though, it is.

Maltin**: "A great true-life story...gets surface treatment and the identities of its heroes is fictionalized, making it difficult to fully invest in their characters. Deliberately old-fashioned, the movie has its moments, and the charisma of its formidable cast carries it a long way."