Saturday, December 15, 2018
Blue Tiger (1994)
A woman dedicates her life to seeking revenge after her son is killed by crossfire as Japanese gangsters perform a hit.
Solid, but a bit crude Yakuza crime thriller; always good to see Harry Dean Stanton, even if it is just a small role.
Halliwell (no star): "On its own undemanding level, an enjoyable and well-made thriller."
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.
Professionally made, but halfhearted rehash of a cult 60sespionage TV series, replacing the original's Cold War chauvinism with some playful irony.
Friday, December 14, 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
First Lines: Norman Mailer - Harlot’s Ghost
On a late-winter evening in 1983, while driving my car through fog along the Maine coast road, recollections of old campfires began to drift into the March mists, and I thought of the Abnaki Indians of the Algonquin tribe who dwelt near Bangor a thousand years ago.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Downsizing (2017)
A man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.
Although this movie tries to sell itself as a satire, it is very low on bite, but otherwise quite entertaining and endearing.
Suspiria (2018)
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist.
Artful re-imagination of an already highly stylish horror classic has a lot going for it (style, great sets, cast, atmosphere and a great soundtrack), but far outstays its welcome, disappoints with an over-the-top ending and generally can't hold a candle to the original.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Sunday, December 9, 2018
First Lines: Barbara Vine - King Solomon’s Carpet
A great many things that other people did all the time she had never done.
Elektra (2005)
Elektra the warrior survives a near-death experience, becomes an assassin-for-hire, and tries to protect her two latest targets, a single father and his young daughter, from a group of supernatural assassins.
Comic adaptations, especiallly of the superhero kind, are generally a slippery task (campy vs silly), but on this occasion the result is on simple B picture/Golan-Globus level.
Maltin*1/2: "Lackluster fight scenes, Garner's sleepwalking, and a tendency toward the psychoanalytic (Elektra had a tough childhood) make this a groan...a far cry from the franchise it was intended to launch."
