ph: Byron Mollinedo/Thorsten Greve
Saturday, October 5, 2013
First Lines: Anthony Marra - A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
On the morning after the feds burned down her house and took her father, Havaa woke from dreams of sea anemones.
About Schmidt (2002)
A man upon retirement embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's
wedding only to discover more about himself and life than he ever
expected.
Wonderfully observant tragicomedy with a masterful Nicholson playing as if this role had already been waiting for him all through his career.
Halliwell***: "At once affecting and funny, slyly observant and celebratory, this dark, comic look at old age gains immeasurably from Nicholson's constrained performance; he restrains his usual mannerisms to suggest the confusions and decencies of a man who has lost his place in the world."
Maltin***1/2: "Superb human comedy...Subtle, deliberately paced, and splendidly acted, with as many sad moments as funny ones. Nicholson's magnificently quiet, true performance may be the best of his career."
Friday, October 4, 2013
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First Lines: Jhumpa Lahiri - The Lowland
East of the Tolly Club, after Deshapran Sashmal Road splits in two, there is a small mosque.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The Movies I Watched in September
13 Going on 30 2004 5
Asterix Conquers America 1994 5
Backlash 1956 5
Conan the Barbarian 2011 5
Diamonds Are Forever 1971 5
Do the Right Thing 1989 8
I Am Number Four 2011 4
La Vie en Rose 2007 8
Madagascar 2005 5
Murder by Numbers 2002 5
Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2011 6
The Yellow Rolls-Royce 1964 5
Asterix Conquers America 1994 5
Backlash 1956 5
Conan the Barbarian 2011 5
Diamonds Are Forever 1971 5
Do the Right Thing 1989 8
I Am Number Four 2011 4
La Vie en Rose 2007 8
Madagascar 2005 5
Murder by Numbers 2002 5
Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2011 6
The Yellow Rolls-Royce 1964 5
R.I.P. Giuliano Gemma
Eulogy:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/italian-actor-giuliano-gemma-dies-641710
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
First Lines: Rachel Kushner - The Flamethrowers
Valera had fallen back from his squadron and was cutting the wires of another rider's lamp.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
New Stuff: Richard Sennett
After having bumped into Richard Sennett's thoughts on several occasions I decided to start reading his works.
La môme (2007)
The life story of singer of Edith Piaf.
Magnificent bio-pic cleverly meandering back and forth between different stages of the artist's life, and Cotillard's performance is immaculate.
Maltin***: "Not a conventional biography...Randomness of the narrative is a liability, but a must-see for Cotillard's astonishing Academy Award-winning performance. She transforms herself into the Little Sparrowin her youth, at her peak, and during her precipitous decline...and does a remarkable job lyp-synching Piaf (and a soundalike who recorded songs from her early years)."
Murder by Numbers (2002)
Two gifted high school students execute a "perfect" murder - then become engaged in an intellectual contest with a seasoned homicide detective.
Slow-paced and not particularly suspenseful variation on the Loeb/Leopold case, Alfred Hitchcock's take with Rope was intellectually much more intriguing.
Halliwell (no star): "An unconvincing star vehicle of startling unoriginality."
Maltin **1/2: "Yet another contemporary thriller that squanders all its good qualities by tacking on a silly, old-fashioned Hollywood finale. By that time, the two sick teenage criminals have worn out their welcome anyway."