ph: Ellen von Unwerth
Saturday, April 24, 2021
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman
by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.
A sentimental fantasy tale is turned into a beloved masterpiece by
Capra's assured directorial expertise and a perfect cast; a Christmas
classic ever since.
On rewatching: I watch it every Christmas, and it's fully worth it.
Halliwell****: "Superbly assembled small-town comedy drama in a fantasy framework; arguably Capra's best and most typical work."
Maltin****: "Sentimental tale...Only Capra and this cast could pull it off so well; this film seems to improve with age."
Friday, April 23, 2021
First Lines: Matthew De Abaitua - The Destructives
A single human life remembered in very detail from beginning to end, this was his granddaughter's bargain, the nature of which he would only understand in the minutes following his death.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.
Beautifully produced and photographed sci-fi doomsday drama is good to watch, but never really explains what has been going on, rendering the plot almost silly, and the ending is quite predictable.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Les glaneurs et la glaneuse... deux ans après (2002)
Agnes Varda returns to the people she met in her 2000 documentary on gleaning and meets some new people who were inspired by her first film.
More continuation and expansion of the excellent original documentary than just a sequel, it shows, once again Agnes Varda, at the top of her art.
Les glaneurs et la glaneuse (2000)
Varda films and interviews gleaners in France in all forms, from those picking fields after the harvest to those scouring the dumpsters of Paris.
A remarkable documentary is fully realized in what one may
call the Varda touch: an otherwise unnoticed aspect of everyday human
life gets a full and very personal inspection and reveals so much more
about those depicted, Varda herself and humanity.
Maltin***1/2: "Outstanding documentary...The filmmaker contrasts the gleaners of yesteryear with those of today...Highly personal film explores a host of themes, including aging and the quest for survival. This is the work of a filmmaker who is keenly aware of her surroundings, and in complete command of cinematic language."
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
You Better Watch Out (1980)
A toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon learning Santa Claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.
Remarkable horror
thriller is more a excellently played psychodrama than an exploitation
flick; the ending is a bit over-the-top, though.
Maltin***: "Gripping, well-made thriller...with Maggart excellent as the psychopathic Kris Kringle. A sleeper with cult status possibilities."
