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Wojna światów - następne stulecie [The War of the Worlds: Next Century] (1981)
Przesłuchanie [Interrogation] (1989)
Ucieczka z kina Wolność [Escape From the 'Liberty' Cinema] (1990)
Żółty szalik [The Yellow Scarf] (2000)
Przesłuchanie [Interrogation] (1989)
Ucieczka z kina Wolność [Escape From the 'Liberty' Cinema] (1990)
Żółty szalik [The Yellow Scarf] (2000)
I liked "Interrogation" (7.5/10) but sure there's at least one I haven't seen that I'll try to check out soon.Thank you
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Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8707554
Hellraiser III : Hell on Earth - (1992)
By the time we get to the third Hellraiser film one direction the franchise is taking becomes clear - Pinhead is more the focus, and he's become a kind of Freddy/Jason/Michael Myers type villain who resurrects himself and tries to see plans realised. We don't hear much about the dimension of sensation the Cenobites come from, and Pinhead's usual friends have been cast on the scrapheap. Ashley Laurence plays Kirsty again, like she did in the first two films, but here it's only in a cameo - the main returning actor is Doug Bradley, who plays Pinhead and his initial human form as Elliott Spencer. The film still exists in the same timeline, and carries on from the end of the second with Pinhead escaping from a stone column he'd been imprisoned in by devouring people who come too close. Once free, he intends to destroy the box which will send him back to his dimension, content to stay on Earth and turn it into a ghastly torture kingdom. It's a little dumb, cheaper than the first two, but has some good moments all the same. There's some great invention in this, but at the same time it veers into territory that's all too familiar to horror films of this period. Exchange Pinhead for Freddy Krueger and it would just about pass for a Nightmare on Elm Street film. At one stage certain characters in the film are turned into Cenobites, with their main traits determining their grotesque outward manifestations. For fans of the series, it's good enough.
5/10
Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8707588
Hellraiser : Bloodline - (1996)
Okay, the train is coming off the tracks now - Hellraiser : Bloodline is a complete mess and is the first in the series I'd call a disaster. It only took the fourth installment to get a "Pinhead - In Space!" chapter, but the makers (going by Alan Smithee) had grander plans for this film. Plans so grand that there was no chance they'd pull it off with the budget they had. Bloodline is an epic saga which covers the time period from 1796 to 2127, and charts the rise and fall of t̶h̶e̶ ̶C̶e̶n̶o̶ Pinhead from when a French toymaker made the famous box for a magician, to when an intrepid spaceman ancestor of that toymaker finally undid the damage and sent Pinhead and the underutilized Cenobites back to hell (along with a demon lady who turned up for some reason.) I haven't seen too many films that lack cohesion as much as this does, and it feels like a 4 hour film cut down to 80 minutes with some important plot points lost along the way. Underneath it all there seems to be a grand story - and the faint outlines are still there, but this has the feel of a film edited in a random kind of way. There are many "wait...what?" moments, and while nothing is too hard to understand, the overall structure of the film has been messed up badly. It was far too ambitious - with elements of Alien, modern day horror films and period stuff mixed together. One day I'll go into it in more detail.
3/10
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)
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A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
THE DREAM CHILD
(1989, Hopkins)
THE DREAM CHILD
(1989, Hopkins)
"Your birth was a curse on the whole of humanity. I will not allow it to happen again."
A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child starts a year after the fourth part, with survivor Alice (Lisa Wilcox) trying to return to a normal life alongside his boyfriend Dan (Danny Hassel). Unfortunately, dreams of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) start to haunt her and her friends again, so it's up to her to figure out not only how has Freddy returned, but also how to stop him for once and for all.
The film is not completely devoid of the silliness that has plagued the franchise after the first film, but it does play its cards a bit better than Part 4. Here, the circle of friends feels more organic, and although the kills retain the same trend of using stereotypes and gimmicks to get rid of the characters, I didn't feel they were as "conveniently" telegraphed as the previous one.
Grade:
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Waterfront (1950)
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring: Robert Newton, Kathleen Harrison, Avis Scott, Susan Shaw, Richard Burton
British drama set in Liverpool during the Depression era, involving family and relationship troubles. Not as overly melodramatic as it first sounds, with some good sentiments and local atmosphere portrayed by way of a decent script and good photography. A solid cast and fine directing make for a well rounded picture.
Well, what can I say, I'm glad for you that your experience with Shang-Chi was better than mine. For me, the third act of that film was basically the end of the MCU for me. I have grinded out the last several Marvel entries since but with almost no enthusiasm (and often leaving angry) and really only because one was Spidey which is usually quite good (and the latest Spidey is almost certainly the best MCU film since Infinity War) and the other two were the follow-ups to two other of the best films in the MCU (Black Panther and Thor: Rangnarok)... but they both stunk on ice. But, everything you say negative about Shang-Chi was true, I just also thought the big, hazy-dark-grainy CGI-only finale was an abomination against film and my sensibilities. But I am truly glad you did not suffer as much as I did.
One thing that's been bugging me:
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SUNRISE
A SONG OF TWO HUMANS
(1927, Murnau)
A SONG OF TWO HUMANS
(1927, Murnau)
"Wherever the sun rises and sets, in the city's turmoil or under the open sky on the farm, life is much the same; sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet."
Sunrise follows a humble farmer (George O'Brien) that becomes infatuated with a "woman of the city" (Margaret Livingston) prompting him to leave his wife (Janet Gaynor) one night. Upon meeting with this woman, she convinces him to murder her so he can sell the farm and move with her to the city.
This film was a significant blindspot I had; I didn't even know specifically what it was about, so I was surprised to find out that the premise was a bit darker than I was expecting. I thought that was interesting. Most of what makes the film works happens in the first and the last act, where I think Murnau's direction is more effective. I really liked how well it was shot, the way he moved the camera, and how he staged some scenes where the man imagines himself "doing the deed".
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Hitsville: The Making of Motown
Very good. I always loved Philly soul more, but I'm from Michigan, and so it's nice learning a few things, especially when you've walked the same exact streets. I think Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On?" really started a maturity, followed by my favorite stuff -- psychedelic soul, progressive soul, cinematic soul. Temptations, Diana Ross & The Supremes, but the late 60s, early 70s was short lived, but I know there's songs out there for me to find.
Full movie below. Free.
Very good. I always loved Philly soul more, but I'm from Michigan, and so it's nice learning a few things, especially when you've walked the same exact streets. I think Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On?" really started a maturity, followed by my favorite stuff -- psychedelic soul, progressive soul, cinematic soul. Temptations, Diana Ross & The Supremes, but the late 60s, early 70s was short lived, but I know there's songs out there for me to find.
Full movie below. Free.
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Two Val Lewton produced, Mark Robson directed classic horror flicks:
The Seventh Victim (1943, Mark Robson)
There's definitely a certain comfort in watching these old horror flicks - they're short and sweet, and quite compact in their storytelling. Except this one isn't really horror, more like a noir thriller with elements of horror. It's about a young girl who embarks on a search for her lost sister who appears to have become a member of a cult of Satan worshippers. Sounds creepy? Well, disappointingly, the film was anything but. It started ok and I was enjoying it up to a point, expecting it to turn the horror dial up a few notches, but it simply plodded on to its dull end. I was actually in disbelief at how tame the ending was, and the cult itself was a joke (in fact, one of the characters literally calls them that to their face in the end, and I literally laughed into the screen, "DUH"). I would call it anticlimactic but really, there wasn't much of a buildup either - it was just consistently unremarkable all the way through, with very little tension aside from a couple of scenes.
The Ghost Ship (1943, Mark Robson)
Much better. Just more enjoyable all around, with a better, more tense plot and a better ending.
The Seventh Victim (1943, Mark Robson)
There's definitely a certain comfort in watching these old horror flicks - they're short and sweet, and quite compact in their storytelling. Except this one isn't really horror, more like a noir thriller with elements of horror. It's about a young girl who embarks on a search for her lost sister who appears to have become a member of a cult of Satan worshippers. Sounds creepy? Well, disappointingly, the film was anything but. It started ok and I was enjoying it up to a point, expecting it to turn the horror dial up a few notches, but it simply plodded on to its dull end. I was actually in disbelief at how tame the ending was, and the cult itself was a joke (in fact, one of the characters literally calls them that to their face in the end, and I literally laughed into the screen, "DUH"). I would call it anticlimactic but really, there wasn't much of a buildup either - it was just consistently unremarkable all the way through, with very little tension aside from a couple of scenes.
The Ghost Ship (1943, Mark Robson)
Much better. Just more enjoyable all around, with a better, more tense plot and a better ending.
TAJOUJ
(1977, Gubara)
(1977, Gubara)
"Sitting beside my beloved is Heaven."
Released in 1977, Tajouj came at a time where the Sudanese film industry was still in development, which obviously explains most of its shortcomings. Set in 19th Century Sudan, the film follows Mohallak (Salah ibn Albadya), a young man that falls in love with his cousin Tajouje. However, he has to face not only the refusal from her father, but also the jealousy of Ohag, another suitor interested in her.
The direction wasn't that bad either, and the story kinda picks up in the last act, which caught me a bit off guard. I was surprised at how it took a bit of a dark turn. So even if the execution wasn't that good, and the production values weren't fully there, I still thought it was an interesting and worthy watch.
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BLUE COLLAR
(1978, Schrader)
The first film from any director
(1978, Schrader)
The first film from any director
"They pit the lifers against the new boy and the young against the old. The black against the white. Everything they do is to keep us in our place."
Blue Collar follows Zeke, Jerry, and Smokey (Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto), three workers at an auto factory in Detroit. Suffocated by the pressures from management, the low wages, and the inaction from the union, the trio decide to rob the union headquarters. However, they end up getting more than what they bargain for, as they end up uncovering ties from the union with organized crime, which might put their lives in danger.
Like the above quote implies, the film ends up being a critique of the struggles of "blue collar" workers, as well as union practices, and more broadly, economy itself. It achieves this with a smart and engaging script that gives the three leads the opportunity to shine. I was particularly impressed with Pryor, who I had only seen in more comedic roles, but here he gets a chance in a role that's both serious and tragic.
Grade:
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Two Val Lewton produced, Mark Robson directed classic horror flicks:
The Seventh Victim (1943, Mark Robson)
There's definitely a certain comfort in watching these old horror flicks - they're short and sweet, and quite compact in their storytelling. Except this one isn't really horror, more like a noir thriller with elements of horror. It's about a young girl who embarks on a search for her lost sister who appears to have become a member of a cult of Satan worshippers. Sounds creepy? Well, disappointingly, the film was anything but. It started ok and I was enjoying it up to a point, expecting it to turn the horror dial up a few notches, but it simply plodded on to its dull end. I was actually in disbelief at how tame the ending was, and the cult itself was a joke (in fact, one of the characters literally calls them that to their face in the end, and I literally laughed into the screen, "DUH"). I would call it anticlimactic but really, there wasn't much of a buildup either - it was just consistently unremarkable all the way through, with very little tension aside from a couple of scenes.
The Seventh Victim (1943, Mark Robson)
There's definitely a certain comfort in watching these old horror flicks - they're short and sweet, and quite compact in their storytelling. Except this one isn't really horror, more like a noir thriller with elements of horror. It's about a young girl who embarks on a search for her lost sister who appears to have become a member of a cult of Satan worshippers. Sounds creepy? Well, disappointingly, the film was anything but. It started ok and I was enjoying it up to a point, expecting it to turn the horror dial up a few notches, but it simply plodded on to its dull end. I was actually in disbelief at how tame the ending was, and the cult itself was a joke (in fact, one of the characters literally calls them that to their face in the end, and I literally laughed into the screen, "DUH"). I would call it anticlimactic but really, there wasn't much of a buildup either - it was just consistently unremarkable all the way through, with very little tension aside from a couple of scenes.
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Three Colours: Blue - 7.5/10
Three Colours: White - 8/10
Three Colours: White - 8/10
WARNING: "spoilers" spoilers below
I've known about this movie for years, but I think after so many also telling me to see "Veronique", I thought "more style than substance".. First off, my unwritten rule is to try and do everything chronologically. For some reason, the poster always gave me the idea it was ... car chases. Or, some murder kinda movie. But after watching "Camera Buff" thanks to TCM (the only reason I have cable; although they charge 90% of the bill on the internet, and pennies for the party package), I thought I'd check this out, because it's only the second movie I've seen this year, but I liked both. The other one (Charles Burnett - Bless...), so thanks TCM again.
And @Mr Minio replying to my last post, him being passionate about movies, Polish, and not into the mainstream shit, I had a feeling it was good. I might even give "Werckmeinster Harmonies" another chance, but I did not like the main character, telling his story for "big people like me".
So the movie... I love the little nuances of the director. Love it! Sprinkles of humor, usually something with ... complete irreverence, and I like it a lot. Sometimes I'd be thinking, "I wonder if anyone took what I took?"
However, I was so into the second movie (I accidentally watched Red for 10 minutes) before putting on "White"... Of course, I misread the title! Sometimes even one IMDB line is too much, so I glance, and thought it had seen, "Polish immigrant plans to BRING back his wife" but it didn't matter.. At one point, I thought, "Please don't go there" (Hollywood romantic ending) and for a while he didn't. He gets back, but... the prison scene, ah...
Mikolaj! The first time he said it, I squeezed out a couple of tears... The moment I saw that actor, I was hooked in, and immediately hoped he would have a lot of screen time. 90% of characters who are "brooding men of a few words" are cool..... If you like Aki Kaurismaki (or even Cassavetes), you'd probably like this... I'm sure PTA did with his "Magnolia" ending. But he's after Altman. He's done at least three 'studies' of Altman's (Nashville, McCabe, Long Goodbye) without being too ... much. Just like the book to the movie ("There Will Be Blood").
At first I thought, "Maybe it is for a friend of his" but pretty soon I figured it was for Mikolaj, and then at the subway, he says, "Mikolaj!"... and I really felt a great friendship. I love the director being adventurous without being stupid. Surprised the gun (subtitle issue?) "Tear gas" was a blank. I thought even a blank killed. No matter - it's a movie. I thought it would have been funny if he were to ask Mikolaj to kill him.. After all, he got the money, which was a bit too much, just like "Blue" (one of the world's greatest composers), my only real issue with the director; using Hollywood mainstream gimmicks (yes, I'm talking to you, pal) with superlatives to maybe cause the audience to ... care more because it's not simply a great composer, but one of the greatest! As a musician/composer, I loved the scene where they collaborate, and thanks to ... a little brains, realizing there's so many things outside of updating homage/motifs (originality), when she would think on her feet about the song's arrangement, the movie's sound guy instantly substituted the horns for a violin or a piano, which is something I've been doing over the internet with orchestration/brass (pain in the ass online with people who don't speaking English, but amazing if it's done well)...
"The stove"... "You're lucky the stove wasn't on".... After the scuffle, the father keeps asking his son, "Should I turn on the stove", and the low-level criminal replies for him with, "Yes, it's cold".. Little things like that...
Not to harp on Mikolaj again, but the second he heard his fellow countryman's song, it's very cool.. I hardly ever met Americans while backpacking, and it seemed like people wanted to avoid each other's country. Especially a guy with money who I expected to maybe be disparaging, but I can imagine that feeling of needing to talk to someone who you can identify with in a strange land.
I love that the director Kieslowski kept on with the theme of mild satirizing of the system.. Initially, a few mild lines about "communism", and now with "capitalism" and done in a good subtle way. No preachiness, just what it's like.
I must say when I saw Mikolaj described as a man of 40, I thought "old", and then realized I am 40 and old. But I just looked and Janusz Gajos was actually about 53, and would like to see some of his best movies. Maybe someone knows?
In the second, very beginning, the main character from the previous movie is told to get out of the movie (by a gentleman ushering out through the doors).
Well, I wanted to take a break before watching the final one, "Rouge". Some judge secretly spying caught by the lead character....
And @Mr Minio replying to my last post, him being passionate about movies, Polish, and not into the mainstream shit, I had a feeling it was good. I might even give "Werckmeinster Harmonies" another chance, but I did not like the main character, telling his story for "big people like me".
So the movie... I love the little nuances of the director. Love it! Sprinkles of humor, usually something with ... complete irreverence, and I like it a lot. Sometimes I'd be thinking, "I wonder if anyone took what I took?"
However, I was so into the second movie (I accidentally watched Red for 10 minutes) before putting on "White"... Of course, I misread the title! Sometimes even one IMDB line is too much, so I glance, and thought it had seen, "Polish immigrant plans to BRING back his wife" but it didn't matter.. At one point, I thought, "Please don't go there" (Hollywood romantic ending) and for a while he didn't. He gets back, but... the prison scene, ah...
Mikolaj! The first time he said it, I squeezed out a couple of tears... The moment I saw that actor, I was hooked in, and immediately hoped he would have a lot of screen time. 90% of characters who are "brooding men of a few words" are cool..... If you like Aki Kaurismaki (or even Cassavetes), you'd probably like this... I'm sure PTA did with his "Magnolia" ending. But he's after Altman. He's done at least three 'studies' of Altman's (Nashville, McCabe, Long Goodbye) without being too ... much. Just like the book to the movie ("There Will Be Blood").
At first I thought, "Maybe it is for a friend of his" but pretty soon I figured it was for Mikolaj, and then at the subway, he says, "Mikolaj!"... and I really felt a great friendship. I love the director being adventurous without being stupid. Surprised the gun (subtitle issue?) "Tear gas" was a blank. I thought even a blank killed. No matter - it's a movie. I thought it would have been funny if he were to ask Mikolaj to kill him.. After all, he got the money, which was a bit too much, just like "Blue" (one of the world's greatest composers), my only real issue with the director; using Hollywood mainstream gimmicks (yes, I'm talking to you, pal) with superlatives to maybe cause the audience to ... care more because it's not simply a great composer, but one of the greatest! As a musician/composer, I loved the scene where they collaborate, and thanks to ... a little brains, realizing there's so many things outside of updating homage/motifs (originality), when she would think on her feet about the song's arrangement, the movie's sound guy instantly substituted the horns for a violin or a piano, which is something I've been doing over the internet with orchestration/brass (pain in the ass online with people who don't speaking English, but amazing if it's done well)...
"The stove"... "You're lucky the stove wasn't on".... After the scuffle, the father keeps asking his son, "Should I turn on the stove", and the low-level criminal replies for him with, "Yes, it's cold".. Little things like that...
Not to harp on Mikolaj again, but the second he heard his fellow countryman's song, it's very cool.. I hardly ever met Americans while backpacking, and it seemed like people wanted to avoid each other's country. Especially a guy with money who I expected to maybe be disparaging, but I can imagine that feeling of needing to talk to someone who you can identify with in a strange land.
I love that the director Kieslowski kept on with the theme of mild satirizing of the system.. Initially, a few mild lines about "communism", and now with "capitalism" and done in a good subtle way. No preachiness, just what it's like.
I must say when I saw Mikolaj described as a man of 40, I thought "old", and then realized I am 40 and old. But I just looked and Janusz Gajos was actually about 53, and would like to see some of his best movies. Maybe someone knows?
In the second, very beginning, the main character from the previous movie is told to get out of the movie (by a gentleman ushering out through the doors).
Well, I wanted to take a break before watching the final one, "Rouge". Some judge secretly spying caught by the lead character....
There's a scene in Blue where Juliette Binoche is carrying a case of wine. That wine is WHITE wine. She then walks on to a pedestrianised area and directly intersects two people walking. One of those people is wearing a RED coat, and the other is wearing BLUE. At that very moment the three people on screen signify the Trilogy visually as the colours are represented.
Subtle detail that made me look into the art of film-making where before I would have labelled pretentious nonsense.
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Stressed by various matters & this could not keep my interest. I need to revisit it.
Excellent movie from Chad, Africa. Expected nothing & pleasantly surprised. Two leads never acted before. The sole IMDB review says “it’s extremely depressing”. Not true, quite the opposite.
Revisit of a terrific movie. I always love ensemble casts.
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This one disappointed me as well, sorry to say. Val Lewton's productions with Jacques Tourneur, I Walked With a Zombie and The Leopard Man, are worth checking out.
FREDDY'S DEAD
THE FINAL NIGHTMARE
(1991, Talalay)
THE FINAL NIGHTMARE
(1991, Talalay)
"First, they tried burning me... Then they tried burying me... But this... this is my favorite. They even tried holy water!... But I just keep on tickin' "
Freddy's Dead follows a group of troubled teenagers at a shelter that somehow end up being terrorized by Krueger. Led by Maggie, a therapist at the shelter, they discover various truths about Freddy's past, including the fact that he had a child. Whatever. The film is just a stupid excuse to pit a new batch of teenagers against Freddy, as he dispatches them one by one, in sillier ways.
From Zane's bad performance or the script's attempts to offer some sort of background to Freddy, to the awkward cameos from the likes of Roseanne & Tom Arnold, or the lame 3-D excuse and the awful CGI in the last act, the film is just a barrage of terrible, terrible decisions. Like some of the previous films, the logistics of how Freddy works doesn't make much sense, but here it is all paired with the mediocrity of everything and everyone involved.
Grade:
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