ph: Mark Squires
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)
College student and tourist Elisa Lam vanishes, leaving behind all of her possessions in her hotel room. The Cecil Hotel grows in infamy.
Extensive and comprehensive take on one of the most discussed present-day true-crime mysteries upholds the conundrum of Elisa Lam's death despite giving it a rather unconvincing conclusion.
Wiener-Dog (2016)
A dachshund passes from oddball owner to oddball owner, whose radically dysfunctional lives are all impacted by the pooch.
As to be expected from this director this episodic film is downbeat, bleak
and tinged with a dark humor, but more subdued, probably due to the
shortness of each story; still, we get some great performances and
enlightening moments, although the dog himself seems to be merely the
unwilling observer of the events told.
On re-watching: indeed bleak, but fascinating to watch.
Friday, June 11, 2021
New online film magazine: Animus Magazine
Link:
From their about section:
Animus is an online film magazine based in London, UK, and turned towards the future. New issues are published monthly, each featuring six essays guaranteed to cut through the noise and be worth your time, published all at once for you to read at your leisure.
On our Patreon, we publish articles reacting to the news and to the conversations animating the film world, as well as interviews and other extras.
Current contributors are:
Elena Lazic, Sophie Monks Kaufman, Charles Bramesco, Manuela Lazic, Paul Ridd
Jennifer's Body (2009)
A newly possessed high school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates.
A
horror film wrapped up in a feminist message works both ways as genre
movie and as political statement, but some male audiences might not
notice.
Maltin**: "Attempt to layer horror-movie tropes onto a story of female friendship (and the roles young women inhabit) doesn't work. Written by Diablo Cody, but this teenage outsider isn't as easy to embrace as the heroine of JUNO."
Thursday, June 10, 2021
First Lines: William Makepeace Thackeray - Vanity Fair
While the present century was in its teens, and on one sunshiny morning in June, there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton's academy for young ladies, on Chiswick Mall, a large family coach, with two fat horses in blazing harness, driven by a fat coachman in a three-cornered hat and wig, at the rate of four miles an hour.
Welcome to Marwen (2018)
A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.
Well-intentioned and heartfelt drama based on a true story presents some great special effects and godd performances by Carrell and Mann, but there's an unbalance between its fantasy and reality segments, so that the real-life scenes seem more artificial than the imagined ones.
Wednesday, June 9, 2021
In the Middle of the River (2018)
A wounded military veteran returns home to face the war within his own dysfunctional family, as he tries to piece together the reasons behind his sister's mysterious death.
Feverish, fast-paced Semi-Western drama follows a complex and multi-layered story, but in its dizzying realism it rather gives an accurate study of life and issues in a Native American community.
Made in Dagenham (2010)
A dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where
female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination.
Likeable and lightweight period piece with a spirited cast depicting
an important episode of British history, the political stance, however,
quite toned down.
On re-watching: Highly enjoyable and entertaining, worth a second view.
Maltin**: "Routine dramatization of a
meaty, true-life story...The film gives its audience no credit for
understanding anything that isn't spelled out and underlined. Good
performances, especially Hawkins as the unlikely labor leader, make it
watchable."
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Supersonic (2016)
Oasis's breakthrough years documented into a detailed depiction of the infamous brothers from Manchester forming the band in the early 90's leading up to the legendary performance at Knebworth.
OK documentary gives a good overview of the band's history for the uninitiated, but it's mainly aimed at the fan base for an audience.
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