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A SUMMER'S TALE 1996 ‘Conte d'été’ Éric Rohmer

1h 53m | Drama | Romance
Writer: Éric Rohmer
Cast: Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet, Gwenaëlle Simon


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Welcome to the human race...
Private Parts -


wow, we really need to redo the "directed by women" list
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Victim of The Night
I made the switch over the years, from viewing Commando as a simple action film as a kid to growing up, realizing how silly it is, and then enjoying it as absurd, camp fun. In that regard, I'm thankful that the film they made is that crazy - if it wasn't then I'd have forgotten about Commando long ago. Films like this and Action Jackson I'm pretty fond of.
Yeah, ya know, that's one thing I hope came across in what I said, that this movie is ridiculous beyond belief and, for me, it was kind of a struggle, but that I absolutely don't think it's something that wouldn't be enjoyable for a lot of people. In our discussions of whether or not movies have to be unique to be either Art of worthy of being Canon, this movie is unquestionably unique, so...


(I did just watch a much better Dan Hedaya film, though, more to come on that when I have time.)


Edit - Also, I do have a soft-spot for Action Jackson.



Victim of The Night
Private Parts -


wow, we really need to redo the "directed by women" list
Wait, which Private Parts is this?



Berlin Express -


An American, an Englishman, two Germans and a Russian board a train. Unfortunately, there's no punchline. In fact, something explosive happens. Set and filmed in the husk of post-World War II Frankfurt, it's a fun little thriller proving that some Germans were not so ready to give the win to the Allies.

This was the first feature to be filmed in Germany after the war ended and the resulting authenticity all but enhances it, especially the historically accurate set pieces like what's left of a brewery and an illegal cabaret. As for our band of heroes, while it's highly unlikely such a convenient cross-section of Allies would be on the same train, I appreciate the adorability and optimism. One of them says a line that resonates just as much as it likely did then: "sometimes, I think we shall never get together on this earth until we find someone on Mars to hate." I went into this hoping for lots of train action a la The Lady Vanishes or Murder on the Orient Express, but I felt a little baited and switched at the end since the bulk of the movie occurs in Frankfurt. The scenes on trains are the best ones, though, and with this cast and Jacques Tourneur at the helm, nothing in between them lacks for tension or intrigue. Movies that pick up World War II's pieces like The Third Man and The Best Years of Our Lives are among my favorites, especially ones like those that were made while the dust was still settling. While this one is hardly the classic that those are, it's still a worthy genre alternative.





Re-watch though I don’t think I watched the entire thing before.

Good movie. Interesting storyline.

I have to wonder: McQueen is British. Ditto Mulligan. Fassbender is from the North of Ireland. So why did McQueen (who wrote this with another Brit) set it in NYC which necessitated Mulligan learning an American accent? Why not set it in London? It would have made no difference to the storyline.
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I think this dynamic is actually pretty key to the movie's view of the War on Terror. Crowe is making decisions at such a remove that it totally abstracts the stakes for him. From his perspective, he might as well be shopping for groceries or dropping his kids off at their game, while these things have a life or death impact for Leo and his contacts.
Oh, I understand completely why this is a central part of the point that the movie is making. At every iteration, you have people making choices like it's some far off abstract chess game while other people have to be there to get the bone fragments sprayed in their faces.

But the point was made in their very first conversation, and from that point on those telephone calls were so redundant and entirely lacking in zest that it ground the film to a halt for me each time. And the conversations never evolved. Which might also be part of the point but it sure didn't make for interesting viewing!



I forgot the opening line.

By http://www.impawards.com/2022/she_said_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71294136

She Said - (2022)

Awfully hard to rate this one - I'm fully aware that I have a tendency to underrate investigative journalism films based on true stories - and this one has Spotlight/All the President's Men Oscar-bait written all over it. The film does do the right thing however, in highlighting just how the system protected sexual predators before the "me too" movement. With basically no hope of a win in court, a victim's only recourse would be to settle with a plaintiff - and in doing so they'd have to sign a "non-disclosure agreement", effectively gagging them. Because of this, movie producer Harvey Weinstein managed to get away with rape, sexual harassment and such for years - all the while destroying the careers of many a talented woman in the industry. This film starts with a 2016 Donald Trump moment that sets us up for a look at sexual harassment by The New York Times - and the name Harvey Weinstein keeps coming up in relation to that subject. Really important stuff - but what about the movie? I don't know - it did seem like a careful retread of Spotlight in more ways than one. My interest in the subject carried me to the half way point, but the movie kind of gets lost in the details, and it's nowhere near the incredible dramatic narrative we had with All the President's Men. I hope I'm wrong, and come back one day to give She Said a higher rating - but for now it seems a bit of a let-down.

6/10


By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51486570

Parenthood - (1989)

Just as good as it's always been - Parenthood tackles it's subject from every conceivable angle, and fully utilizes the acting talent of Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards and Tom Hulce (and more). Martin gets to showcase his unique comedic talents, and if I remember correctly it was a bit of a departure for him into a more serious area (though he was great in Pennies From Heaven in the early 1980s.) Well directed by Ron Howard, who had been getting better and better through the 80s - and with a great screenplay, this is a film I've enjoyed numerous times and one I still get laughs from. The "rollercoaster" scene near the end is brilliant. Check out the 14-year-old (and unrecognizable) Joaquin Phoenix!

8/10


By IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13302632

Housesitter - (1992)

Really not as good as I remember it - this comedy completely forgets to do anything funny in it's first 20 minutes, deadening the atmosphere considerably. It comes home with a wet sail - especially with Richard B. Shull and Laurel Cronin pretending to be the parents of Goldie Hawn (they were hilarious) - but that can't make up for the number of misfires and general story problems in this. Frank Oz and Steve Martin would normally be a winning combination, but this film lurches everywhere in tone and seems to be looking for improv and not quite finding it from the two leads. Really good in parts, but overall not worth investing time in.

5/10
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)




By http://www.impawards.com/2022/she_said_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71294136

She Said - (2022)

Awfully hard to rate this one - I'm fully aware that I have a tendency to underrate investigative journalism films based on true stories - and this one has Spotlight/All the President's Men Oscar-bait written all over it. The film does do the right thing however, in highlighting just how the system protected sexual predators before the "me too" movement. With basically no hope of a win in court, a victim's only recourse would be to settle with a plaintiff - and in doing so they'd have to sign a "non-disclosure agreement", effectively gagging them. Because of this, movie producer Harvey Weinstein managed to get away with rape, sexual harassment and such for years - all the while destroying the careers of many a talented woman in the industry. This film starts with a 2016 Donald Trump moment that sets us up for a look at sexual harassment by The New York Times - and the name Harvey Weinstein keeps coming up in relation to that subject. Really important stuff - but what about the movie? I don't know - it did seem like a careful retread of Spotlight in more ways than one. My interest in the subject carried me to the half way point, but the movie kind of gets lost in the details, and it's nowhere near the incredible dramatic narrative we had with All the President's Men. I hope I'm wrong, and come back one day to give She Said a higher rating - but for now it seems a bit of a let-down.

6/10


By The poster art can or could be obtained from the distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51486570

Parenthood - (1989)

Just as good as it's always been - Parenthood tackles it's subject from every conceivable angle, and fully utilizes the acting talent of Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards and Tom Hulce (and more). Martin gets to showcase his unique comedic talents, and if I remember correctly it was a bit of a departure for him into a more serious area (though he was great in Pennies From Heaven in the early 1980s.) Well directed by Ron Howard, who had been getting better and better through the 80s - and with a great screenplay, this is a film I've enjoyed numerous times and one I still get laughs from. The "rollercoaster" scene near the end is brilliant. Check out the 14-year-old (and unrecognizable) Joaquin Phoenix!

8/10


By IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13302632

Housesitter - (1992)

Really not as good as I remember it - this comedy completely forgets to do anything funny in it's first 20 minutes, deadening the atmosphere considerably. It comes home with a wet sail - especially with Richard B. Shull and Laurel Cronin pretending to be the parents of Goldie Hawn (they were hilarious) - but that can't make up for the number of misfires and general story problems in this. Frank Oz and Steve Martin would normally be a winning combination, but this film lurches everywhere in tone and seems to be looking for improv and not quite finding it from the two leads. Really good in parts, but overall not worth investing time in.

5/10

I agree with everything you said about Parenthood and Housesitter...will be adding She Said to my watchlist.





In honor of Thanksgiving, I watched the cheesy slasher Blood Rage. It's about a pair of twins, one of which is evil. As a child, Terry murders someone at a drive-in with an axe and then frames his brother Todd. We fast forward years later to Thanksgiving dinner and Todd breaks out of the mental institution, sending Terry into a murderous rage.

Even for a slasher movie, this is pretty basic. I think more could have been done with the twin set-up. Characters mistake Todd for Terry a few times, but there's never any doubt to the audience which one is which (Terry has the awful hairstyle). I would've liked to have seen someone initially scared of Todd realize that he isn't the evil twin, but we don't get any of that.

The special effects are pretty good. Body parts flop on the ground a bit after being cut off, which is amusing. Terry likes to taste blood and say "that's not cranberry sauce", which was weird the first time and weirder the second. Overall, Blood Rage is entertaining, but doesn't do enough to stand out in the slasher genre.