Saturday, April 18, 2020
L'Homme de chevet (2009)
A beautiful, free-spirited woman who becomes bedridden following a terrible accident, and against her better judgement, she hires a drunk middle-aged former boxer to cook and care for her.
Watchable, a bit schmaltzy character drama strolls along its unusual tale and has its moments; mainly a showcase for Marceau and Lambert.
The Net (1995)
A computer programmer stumbles upon a conspiracy, putting her life and the lives of those around her in great danger.
Mediocre, silly and predictable thriller with no clue about what the internet is; Sandra Bullock alone carries the show.
Halliwell (no star): "A dully paranoid thriller that is a bad imitation of Hitchcock. Its plot is full of implausibilities and it is also computer illiterate, which doesn't help, though Sandra Bullock's performance does, even if it is not enough to save the film."
Maltin**1/2: "The techno-thriller as plodding Sandra Bullock vehicle...Anyone who's ever seen a real thriller will be ahead of this story at every turn."
Friday, April 17, 2020
Scarface (1983)
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.
Deliberately sleazy, but engrossing gangster saga (clearly an Oliver Stone script!) with no redeeming character in sight with screechingly over-the-top performances by Pacino and Pfeiffer, a gawdawful 80s soundtrack (which was already dated at the time of its release) and lots of explicit violence.
Halliwell (no star): "Absurdly brutalized remake, with detailed violence and a superabundance of foul language; the film seems to want to make a political statement."
Maltin*1/2: "...but this film wallows in excess and unpleasantness for nearly three hours, and offers no insights except that crime doesn't pay. At least the 1932 movie moved. Even so, this has become a pop-culture phenomenon, with Pacino's Montana an underdog hero!"
First Lines: Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book
There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Black Sea (2014)
In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold.
Well-made, if not particularly original submarine adventure with a capable cast does manage to create some suspense, but no surprises.
Marriage Story (2019)
A marriage breaking up and a family staying together.
Excellent and realistic separation drama analyzes the back and forth of a divorce and emphasizes how the legal procedure actually boosts and preys on the split; superb cast throughout, but Laura Dern is absolutely amazing.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Beoning (2018)
A young bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood, who asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa, and when back, she introduces a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.
Intense, enigmatic and multi-layered character study is slow-paced, but slyly keeps one's attention throughout; enhanced by beautiful cinematography and great performances by the three leads.
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