Saturday, December 19, 2020

Anabela Belikova


 

Salt and Fire (2016)


 
A scientist blames the head of a large company for an ecological disaster in South America. But when a volcano begins to show signs of erupting, they must unite to avoid a disaster. 
 

Despite an interesting cast (including physicist Lawrence Krauss!) and admittedly great landscape cinematography this Werner Herzog adventure disappoints with lame performances and a pretentious, uninspired plot with a failed message. 


 

Taylor Lashae


 

New Stuff: Gelb wie die Nacht: Das italienische Thrillerkino von 1963 bis heute

 


Kaia Gerber


 

ph: Lachlan Bailey

The Straw Man (1953)


 
An insurance investigator investigates murderer on Death Row, insured by his company.


OK, but other mediocre crime mystery doesn't create much suspense despite a promising premise.


 

Nastassja Kinski



Friday, December 18, 2020

New Stuff: The New Yorker


 

(art: Edward Steed)

Who's That Girl?

 


Art: Giorgio Kienerk


 
Bio (in Italian):

Miley Cyrus


 

C'era una volta il West (1968)


 

 
A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.
 
A masterpiece Western that elevates the genre onto a level of pure myth; it is immaculately composed like an opera with leitmotifs for each main protagonist, beautifully photographed in John Ford territory and full of memorable scenes, both humorous and vicious - and Henry Fonda's first appearance in the movie is a genuine shock.

Halliwell***: "Immensely long and convoluted epic Western marking its director's collaboration with an American studio and his desire to make serious statements about something or other. Beautifully made and very violent."
 

Maltin***1/2: "Sergio Leone's follow-up to his "Dollars" trilogy is languid, operatic masterpiece...Fonda (brilliantly cast as one of the coldest villains in screen history). Exciting, funny, and reverent, with now-classic score by Ennio Morricone; not to be missed."


 

Kirsty Hume

 


Today's Cat


Monday, December 14, 2020

Today's Cat


Katharine Hepburn


A day in the life, Apr 13


 

A day in the life, Apr 13, objet trouvé

Sophie Martynova


 

New Stuff: Satoko Fujii Min-Yoh Ensemble

 



Irina Shaykhlislamova


 

Germania anno zero (1948)


 
A young German boy faces the problems of the tough life in the immediate post WWII Berlin.

Filmed among the ruins of post WWII Berlin and with a remarkable cast of German actors this film presents a realistic, albeit devastatingly bleak and tragic view of life after the catastrophe of war.
 
Halliwell*: "Both realistic and pessimistic, this depressing film has a savage power of its own but totally fails to be constructive."

Maltin***1/2: "Shattering neorealist masterpiece...Heartbreaking story of a childhood tragically, irrevocably tainted, with a devastating finale." 
 

 

Sunday, December 13, 2020