Thursday, December 31, 2015
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.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
The Paradine Case (1947)
A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.
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..."
New Stuff: Sauve qui peut (la vie)
I have been wanting to rewatch this Godard movie for quite a while now.
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.
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."
Sunday, December 27, 2015
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."
First Lines: Mary Higgins Clark - Where Are the Children?
Ray came down the stairs pulling the knot closed on his tie.
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."
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!"
