Saturday, September 21, 2019
First Lines. Suzanne Collins - Gregor the Overlander
Gregor had pressed his forehead against the screen for so long, he could feel a pattern of tiny checks above his eyebrows.
Friday, September 20, 2019
The Great Hack (2019)
The Cambridge Analytica scandal is examined through the roles of several affected persons.
This documentary not only exposes a disquieting corporation misusing our data for disgusting purposes but also shows the human hypocrisy as its incentive.
Gui lai (2014)
Lu and Feng are a devoted couple forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner during the Cultural Revolution. He finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife no longer recognizes him.
A simple, heart-wrenching tale with greater personal and political implications, staged by the sure hand of an accomplished director and good performances throughout.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
First Lines: Cory Doctorow - Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
My girlfriend was fifteen percent of my age, and I was old-fashioned enough that it bugged me.
Teorema (1968)
A mysterious young man seduces each member of a bourgeois family and changes their lives.
Although told quite straightforwardly, this tale is charged with political, existential and religious implications without giving any answers; a riddle of sorts.
Halliwell*: "Moderately amusing fable with the presumed intent of decrying all universal panaceas, including Christianity."
Maltin**: "Pointed, but obvious, occasionally hokey political/sexual fable..."
A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)
An irreverent young woman who uses her humor to prevent matters from getting serious has a life-changing visit with her doctor.
Mildly entertaining drama tries a bit too hard to take a slight and uplifting view on death - at times on the verge of silliness.
Maltin*1/2: "Well-meaning but meandering story...Improbable subplot involving a budding romance with her doctor (played unconvincingly by Bernal) would sink this film if that hadn't already been accomplished by some embarrassing heavenly scenes with Whoopi Goldberg as a God-like character who dispenses advice to Hudson!"
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Monday, September 16, 2019
First Lines: Lois McMaster Bujold - Paladin of Souls
Ista leaned forward between the crenellations atop the gate tower, the stone gritty beneath her pale hands, and watched in numb exhaustion as the final mourning party cleared the castle gate below.
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians, and proves to be a match for their warriors in one-on-one combat on the early frontier.
Classic revisionist western about a legendary, almost mythic man of the wild, masterfully depicting the harsh life in the wilderness with amazing realism.
On rewatching: I've seen this movie quite often by now, and it's still a rewarding view
Halliwell**: "Splendidly made if rather desultory plotted adventure story with the feel of raw reality."
Maltin***: "Atmospheric chronicle...Unfortunately, film doesn't know where to quit rambling on to inconclusive ending. Geer is delightful as feisty mountain hermit."