The Movies I Watched in November

Affair in Havana 1957  6/10 

Animalia 2023  7/10 

Boat 2007  7/10

 

Censor 2021  6/10

City of Fear 1959  6/10 

The Crimson Kimono 1959  6/10

Dark Intruder 1965  6/10

Din of Celestial Birds 2006  8/10

Don Camillo monsignore...ma non troppo 1961  6/10

Dracula Untold 2014  6/10 

Effie Gray 2014  6/10

Die Fälschung 1981 6/10

The Fearmakers 1958  6/10

House of Numbers 1957  6/10 

The House of the Devil 2009  6/10

I Married a Witch 1942  7/10

 

Ich bin! Margot Friedländer 2023  6/10

Kinds of Kindness 2024  6/10

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 2024  7/10

 

Knock at the Cabin 2023  6/10

The Last of Us 2023  7/10

 

La legge di Lidia Poët 2 2024  6/10

Longlegs 2024  7/10

Modesty Blaise 1966 5/10

Monk 2002-2009  7/10 

My Gun is Quick 1957  6/10

La passion de Dodin Bouffant 2023  7/10

 Plunder Road 1957  7/10

Screaming Mimi 1958  6/10

The Seventh Victim 1943  7/10

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2022  6/10 

Tobacco Road 1941  7/10

Underworld U.S.A. 1961  6/10

Vtáckovia, siroty a blázni 1969  7/10

Rio Grande (1950)

 

A cavalry officer posted on the Rio Grande is confronted with murderous raiding Apaches, a son who's a risk-taking recruit and his wife from whom he has been separated for many years.

Classic John Ford western Features in best manner many its director's hallmark features: a meandering plot, rollicking scenes alternating with solemn songs and lively action and all in beautiful blacl-and-white cinematography.

Halliwell*: "Thin Ford Western on his favourite theme, with too many pauses for song, too many studio sets, and too little plot. Aficiandos, however, will find much to admire."

Maltin***: "The last of  director Ford's Cavalry trilogy..., and the most underrated: a vivid look at the gentlemanly spirit of the Cavalry during post-Civil Ward days...Beautifully shot by Bert Glennon and Archie Stout..." 

 

New Stuff: Rio Grande

 

The Movies I Watched in September

9/11 2002 7/10

 Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes 1972 10/10

 

L'aîné des Ferchaux 1963  6/10

Audrey 2020  6/10 

Big Night 1996  8/10

 Encounters at the End of the World 2007  7/10

Une femme est une femme 1961  8/10

Hollywood Story 1951  6/10 

Indien 1993  8/10

Infinite 2021  5/10

Kuroi ame 1989 8/10

 Let Them All Talk 2020   7/10

Die Nackte und der Satan 1959  6/10

Neko no ongaeshi 2002  7/10

 Papurika 2006  7/10

Point Blank  1967  7/10

Portrait de la jeune fille en feu 2019  7/10

Rio Grande 1950  7/10

Schitts Creek Season 1 (2015)  7/10 

 

Schitts Creek Season 2 (2016)  7/10 

 

Shikoku 1999 6/10

Shiva Baby 2020  7/10 

Stark Fear 1962  6/10 

Tonight For Sure 1962  3/10

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 1962  9/10

The Movies I Watched in March

Brecht (2019)  6
Casualties of War (1989)  7

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2019)  7

The Exorcism of Molly Hartley (2015)  5
First Reformed (2017)   8

Frasier, Season 1 (1993)  8

Frasier, Season 2 (1994)  8

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)  5
Ghostbusters (2016)  6
Grace of Monaco (2014)  6
Hold the Dark (2018)  7

Horns (2013)  6
The Killing (1956) 7

Life (2017)  6
Loving (2016)  7

Man Without a Star (1955)  7

Marius et Jeannette (1997)  6
Mon pire cauchemar (2011)  6
The Mummy (2017)  5
Pope Francis: A Man of His Word (2018)  6
Skazka skazok (1979)  9

Triassic World (2018)  4
Two Rode Together (1961)  6
Ulisse (1954)  7

The Uninvited (1944)  6
The Zookeeper's Wife (2017)  7

Two Rode Together (1961)

A corrupt marshal is pressured by his army friend into negotiating the release of white captives of the Comanches, but finds that their reintegration into society has its consequences.

Dark and quite misogynist Western clumsily tackles the issue of racism; Stewart and Widmark are worth the watch, though.

Halliwell (no star): "Substandard Ford, moderately good-looking but uninteresting of plot and dreary of development."

Maltin**1/2: "Fair Western..."

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

A fictionalized account of the early life of the American president as a young lawyer facing his greatest court case.

Basically a courtroom mystery this movie has more to offer with its beautiful and poetic cinematography and a splendid cast, and Henry Fonda's portayal of Abraham Lincoln is meticulous.

Halliwell***: "Splendid performances and period atmosphere are rather nipped  in the bud by second-feature courtroom twists, but this is a marvellous old-fashioned entertainment with its heart in the right place."

Maltin***1/2: "Not so much a historical document as a slice of Americana, filtered throuth the sensibilities of director Ford and screenwriter Lamar Trotti. The early episodic portion of the film, covering Abe Lincoln's formative years, includes some of Ford's most lyrical moments, luminously photographed by Bert Glennon."

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.

Much-loved classic Western with a dream cast that leisurely spins a tale self-reflecting the genre and its political implications.

Halliwell***: "Clumsy, obvious Western with the director over-indulging himself but providing some good scenes in comedy vein."

Maltin****: "Panned and patronized upon original release, but now regarded as an American classic; one of the great Westerns."