The Movies I Watched in February

Adidas: The Wall 1993  6/10 

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 1988  7/10

 

Americany Murder Gabby Petito 2025  6/10

The Amputee 1974  6/10

Åremorden 2025  6/10

Asymmetrical Productions: Tag 1991  6/10

Avatar: The Way of Water 2022  5/10

Beurokeo 2022 7/10

 Blue Velvet 1986  10/10

Calvin Klein: Obsession 1990  6/10 

Chris Isaak: Wicked Game 1990  7/10 

Collateral 2018  7/10

 

Coming to America 1988  6/10

The Cowboy and the Frenchman 1988  7/10

 

CQ 2001 6/10 

Dangerous Crossing 1953  6/10

Dare mo shiranai 2004  8/10

 

Dune 1984  6/10 

Dylda 2019  7/10

 

The Elephant Man 1980  10/10

Four Daughters 1938  6/10 

Four Wives 1939  6/10

Gekijô-ban: Zero 2014  7/10

 

Georgio Coffee: Twin Peaks 1993 6/10

Gucci by Gucci 2007  6/10

Die Herrlichkeit des Lebens 2024  5/10 

Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken-Hearted 1990  7/10

 Inside Out 2 2024  7/10

 

An Introduction to David Lynch 2001  6/10 

Lady Blue Shanghai  7/10 

Let's Scare Jessica to Death 1971  5/10 

The Magdalene Sisters 2002  7/10

 

Miller's Girl 2024  5/10

Parisienne People by David Lynch 1998  6/10

Philomena 2013  7/10

 

Playstation 2: The Third Place 2000  6/10

Premonition Following an Evil Deed 1995  7/10

Return to Twin Peaks 2007  6/10

Rolling Thunder 1977 6/10

The Silent Partner 1978  6/10

A Slice of Lynch 2007  7/10

 Small Things Like These 2024  7/10

 

Stalingrad - Stimmen aus Ruinen 2023  7/10

 

Today We Live 1933  5/10

Twin Peaks Season 1 1990  9/10

 

White Christmas 1954  5/10

Wild at Heart 1990  7/10

Yves Saint Laurent: Opium 1990  6/10

Marion Cotillard

 

Marion Cotillard

 

Marion Cotillard

Allied (2016)

In 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines, and when they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.

Old-fashioned WWII espionage romance drama has a good cast and production value, but doesn't quite convince as it only partially reveals its mystery.

On rewatching: Still good to watch, but one does wish a happy ending for Marion Cotillard.

Marion Cotillard

ph: Dominique Issermann

Marion Cotillard

ph: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Contagion (2011)

Healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a worldwide epidemic as the CDC works to find a cure.

Realistic, grand-scale and star-cast catastrophe movie manages to keep multiple stories and locations  seamlessly in line with the major plot; however, the matter-of-fact approach underplays the doom of a pandemic.

Maltin***: "Pulse-pounding account...Scott Z. Burns' screenplay is scary  because it's all so credible. Soderbergh handles the material in utterly straightforward fashion; there's no poetry here."

Allied (2016)

In 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines, and when they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.

Old-fashioned WWII espionage romance drama has a good cast and production value, but doesn't quite convince as it only partially reveals its mystery.

Marion Cotillard

The Immigrant (2013)

1921. An innocent immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.

Wonderfully realized period piece rich in details and atmosphere and offering a great cast, but in the end it doesn't manage to give emotion to the inherent melodrama.

Maltin**1/2: "Ambitious and complex period piece, exquisitely realized but emotionally off-putting at times. Cotillard is convincing, even when speaking in Polish."

Blood Ties (2013)

Two brothers, on either side of the law, face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s.

A thriller with a stellar cast functions as study of a complex brotherly love/hate relationship; manages to keep one's attention, despite a large array of characters and subplots and being slightly too long.

Maltin**: "Convincingly performed all around, especially by Caan as their sickly dad, but the too-familiar setups deliver merely the expected."

Marion Cotillard

Midnight in Paris (2011)

While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.

Very light comedy without any depth you might expect from its director, but the fatnatstical encounters with historical figures are quite entertaining.

Maltin***: "A divertissement from Allen filled with wistful charm, although it won't stand up to scrutiny; either you go along with its fantasy premise or you don't. Wilsin is the best in a long line of Woody surrogates because he truly makes the part his own."

Ma vie en l'air (2005)

Will the fear of flying rob a man of his second chance for love?

Likable light romantic comedy,  but otherwise quite unremarkable.

Une affaire privée (2002)

 

 

It's been six months since a young woman has disappeared, and at the request of her mother, a private detective takes over the investigation.

 

A Chandleresque Noir mystery that has style and atmosphere, but a not so exciting conclusion.

 

 

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Eight years after the Joker's reign of anarchy, the Dark Knight must return to defend Gotham City against the enigmatic jewel thief Catwoman and the ruthless mercenary Bane as the city teeters on the brink of complete annihilation.

Highly accomplished attempt (on all levels) to top off the previous The Dark Knight on an almost epic scale - it nearly succeeds.

Maltin***: "With more humor and grace notes but just as many story detours as the previous film, this one offers juicy moments to Caine, Hathaway, and a new straight-arrow cop character well played by Gordon-Levitt. Still a bit self-serious but roundly entertaining, with a highly satisfying finale."