Saturday, May 12, 2018
The Way Back (2010)
Siberian gulag escapees walk 4000 miles overland to freedom in India.
Basically an adventure drama made with expertise, wonderful landscape photography and a good cast, the political message is merely an afterthought.
On rewatching; I agree it is mostly watchable as a successful adventure movie.
Maltin**1/2: "Episodic story is told on a vast canvas, in a grand style reminiscent of David Lean. Unfortunately, despite some genuinely exciting passages and strong performances, the film goes on too long and leads to an unsatisfying conclusion. Perhaps its most noteworthy achievement is making us believe its actors are genuinely Russian, Polish, etc."
First Lines: Paul Theroux - The Mosquito Coast
We drove past Tiny Polski's mansion house to the main road, and then the five miles into Northampton, Father talking the whole way about savages and the awfulness of America - how it got turned into a dope-taking, door-locking, ulcerated danger-zone of rabid scavengers and criminal millionaires and moral sneaks.
Friday, May 11, 2018
La sirène du Mississipi (1969)
A wealthy plantation owner is captivated by a mysterious woman with a shady past.
Offbeat Noir thriller treated more like a l'amour fou romance with some typical Truffaut touches, occasionally a bit heavy-handed and with some risible dialogue.
On rewatching: Lively drama omits the novel's noir elements and turns the story into an almost surreal romance;the director and his two stars somehow make it work.
Halliwell*: "Oddly obsessive romantic murder mystery; the hero continues to love the girl who tries to kill him, and at the end they are still together. Interesting when it is not uncomfortable."
Maltin***: "One of the director's few flops, but any film with Belmondo-Deneuve-Truffaut combo is of interest...Always buy brand names."
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
First Lines: John Crowley - Little, Big
On a certain day in June, 19--, a young man was making his way on foot northward from the City to a town or place called Edgewood, that he had been told of but had never visited.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
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