Saturday, July 10, 2021
The King of Comedy (1982)
Rupert Pupkin is a passionate yet unsuccessful comic who craves nothing more than to be in the spotlight and to achieve this, he stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself.
A very dark
satire that hits straight to home, although it's a hard and quite
uncomfortable ride; De Niro can be seen at his best, and Jerry Lewis
surprises by playing himself - and he's not a nice guy!
Halliwell****: "Amusing, underplayed farce with a tragic lining: a very convincing picture of the media today."
Maltin***1/2: "Pungent black comedy...The denouement is a wow! Too mordant and"sick" for many viewers' taste, though it's all been done with a minimum of exaggeration...and a pair of knock-out performances by De Niro and Lewis"
Friday, July 9, 2021
Clara (2018)
An obsessive astronomer and a curious artist form an unlikely bond which leads them to a profound, scientific discovery.
Wonderfully subtle and heart-felt sci-fi tale is embedded in a love story, but is also focused on the science of searching for signs of intelligent life in the universe; it may appeal more to the nerds among us, but its unusual and surprising conclusion is quite worth it.
Thursday, July 8, 2021
Wednesday, July 7, 2021
I Am Legend (2007)
Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into
monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to
find a cure.
Competent doomsday flic with a fascinatingly convincing setting in
Manhattan, but with some flaws in the story (which takes some
unreasonable liberties compared to the original novel).
On re-watching: good entertainment, and Will Smith does a good job in the title role.
Maltin**1/2: "Third screen version of Richard Matheson's novel...benefits from Smith's charisma and physicality but falls back on horror cliches hen it comes to the zombies."
Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Teströl és lélekröl (2017)
When slaughterhouse workers Endre and Mária discover they share the same dreams, where they meet in a forest as deer and fall in love, they decide to make their dreams come true, but it's difficult in real life.
Wonderfully idiosyncratic tale with a great sense for the supernatural is perfectly cast and beautifully photographed despite its otherwise dreary settings; a heartfelt study of love amidst an obstinate reality.
Monday, July 5, 2021
Sunday, July 4, 2021
Behind Her Eyes (2021)
It follows Louise, a single mom with a son and a part-time job in a psychiatrist's office. She begins an affair with her boss and strikes up an unlikely friendship with his wife.
This TV mini-series starts off with quite an intriguing premise, but twist after twist it loses most of its credibility and finally descends into supernatural humbug.