Saturday, October 17, 2015
First Lines: Lionel Davidson - The Sun Chemist
I came in quietly, dabbing at the chill spots of rain on my forehead, and took my coat off and began sniffing.
Fair Game (2010)
CIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.
Effective political drama based on a true case manages to tell the story straight and fairly simple, although it does heroize the two leads a bit; Watts and Pean, however, are in top form.
Maltin***: "Intimate, propulsive drama...reveals how these events affected their lives and threatened their marriage. Engrossing and credible; an especially fine showcase for Watts."
First Lines: J. J. Marric - Gideon's Day
The wrath of Gideon was remarkable to see and a majestic thing to hear.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Tracks (2013)
A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the deserts of West Australia with four camels and her faithful dog.
Well-made adventure movie with a supberb Mia Wasikowska in the lead role with some beautiful landscape photography unfortunately fails to show the actual hardships of such a journey.
Maltin***1/2: "Absorbing, eye-filling dramatization...What seems like a story of survival and perseverance also becomes a journey of self-discovery for the stubborn loner, who is played to perfection by Wasikowska. Deeply felt screenplay by Marion Nelson, with great cinematography by Mandy Walker. An eminently satisfying movie."
Thursday, October 15, 2015
First Lines: John Fowles - The Collector
When she was home from her boarding-school I used to see her almost every day sometimes, because their house was right opposite the Town Hall Annexe.
