Saturday, September 29, 2012
First Lines: William Shakespeare - Twelfth Night
If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Traitor (2008)
When a straight arrow FBI agent heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to a former U.S. Special Operations officer.
Intelligently told political thriller that despite all efforts has only a simple message.
Maltin **1/2: "Straightforward espionage drama attempts to seriously explore religious fervor as it applies to acts of terrorism and suicide bombers. Documentary style makes it intelligent and realistic but not terrifically entertaining."
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Death at a Funeral (2007)
Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family.
Fairly entertaining black comedy.
Maltin ***: "Amiable comedy...Expert cast gets the most out of this material, which gathers momentum as it goes along in the fashion of a classic farce."
Thursday, September 27, 2012
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New York
Berenice Abbott: Court of the First Model Tenements in New York City, 361-365 East 71st Street c. 1935-39
First Lines: Louis de Bernieres - Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Dr Iannis had enjoyed a satisfactory day in which none of his patients had died or got any worse.
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
A historic telling of the failed attempt to capture several bridges to Germany in World War II in a campaign called Operation Market-Garden.
Detailed and extremely well plotted recreation of a historic event, but in the end just another war star spangled movie with all the things one is used to seeing in such a movie.
Halliwell **: "Like all large-scale military films, this one fails to make its tactics clear, and its sober intent conflicts with its roster of guest stars. For all that, there are impressive moments of acting and production."
Maltin **: "Lifeless, overproduced..."
Day Night Day Night (2006)
A 19-year-old girl prepares to become a suicide bomber in Times Square.
Prim, meticulously detailed analysis of an extreme existential situation, but: despite all cinematic realism way beyond the real thing.
Maltin **1/2: "Using a literal in-your-face approach, writer-director Loktev deliberately withholds information so we focus on the girl and the immediacy of her situation, not her motivation or her cause. Riveting at times, but peters out, although the filmmaker planned her surprising climax just that way."
