ph: Inez Van Lamsveerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Saturday, February 4, 2017
The House I Live In (1945)
Frank Sinatra teaches a group of young boys a lesson in religious tolerance.
Sandwiched between two songs performed by the star this short propagates a patriotic message against antisemitism and religious intolerance in general; one would think the film is dated by now, but unfortunately it isn't.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
A former prisoner of war is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy.
Highly effective and suspenseful thriller about a mad political scheme that nowadays doesn't seem as unlikely as it did to its contemporaries; direction, script and cast are all top-notch.
Halliwell****: "Insanely plotted but brilliantly handled spy thriller, a mixture of Hitchcock, Welles and All the King's Men."
Maltin***1/2: "Tingling political paranoia thriller...Harrowing presentation..."
Friday, February 3, 2017
First Lines: Eric Newby - A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
With all the lights on and the door shut to protect us from the hellish draught that blew up the backstairs, the fitting-room was like an oven with mirrors.
All Is Lost (2013)
After a collision with a shipping container at sea, a resourceful sailor finds himself, despite all efforts to the contrary, staring his mortality in the face.
Professionally made one-man-lost-at-sea drama tells its story silently and in finely tuned sequences of consecutive little disasters; Redford is perfect for the role.
Maltin**1/2: "...virtually dialogue-free film...The narrative loses its pull when we realize (assured by the film's title) that things are not headed in a good direction. Expertly crafted by writer-director Chandor and his team, but the picture's major asset is Redford, who is completely and effortlessly credible. He alone makes the movie worth watching."
Nighthawks (1981)
A conservative street cop reluctantly agrees to terminate an international terrorist who has demanded media attention.
Effective, but simple-minded thriller offering a psychopath terrorist without a cause and a gutsy cop; Keith Emerson wrote the interesting (and dated) score.
Halliwell (no star): "Kojak-style thriller with a rather glum attitude to its subject."
Maltin***: "Exciting story...On target from the first scene to the fade-out, with plenty of hair-raising moments along the way."
Thursday, February 2, 2017
First Lines: Ernest Shackleton - South
I decided to leave South Georgia about December 5, and in the intervals of final preparation scanned again the plans for the voyage to winter quarters.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Anthony Zimmer (2005)
In Nice, the international police force and the Russian mafia are chasing Anthony Zimmer, an intelligent man responsible for laundry of dirty money in France, who had extensive plastic surgery, and his new face and voice are completely unknown.
Goodlooking thriller offers little suspense, and the twist ending is highly predictable.
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