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One of my guilty pleasure that I ran across channel surfing over the weekend. The cinematic equivalent of a big pretty package with nothing inside. This male version of Waiting to Exhale features a very pretty cast stuck in a predictable and sometimes silly story that only sustains interest for fans of the stars.



Victim of The Night


David Byrne, American Utopia, 2019

This is a concert documentary of Byrne's show that played on Broadway, filmed by Spike Lee.

I thought this was pretty excellent. Byrne and his collection of singers/musicians/dancers are all bursting with talent. The dance choreography is complex and meticulous, but very accessible so that it always adds to what is happening on stage.

Some of Byrne's between-song dialogue might seem too on the nose for some people, but I appreciated that he made his points (at times bluntly) and then got back to the music. Like it or not, the dialogue firmly grounds this performance in time and place--urging people to register to vote, and a song commemorating Black victims of police violence (feel depressed as you realize how many more people died in the time between the performance of the song and watching it now--for example George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor are honored in images following the song).

In terms of the filming itself, I quite liked Lee's approach, which made use of bold camera moves and angles that gave the film a dynamic, intimate, and exhilarating feeling without the sense that you are missing important moments.

I would totally watch this again.


I got to see him do this show at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and it smoked so hard a friend of mine who does not really know or like The Talking Heads (that he knows of) stood up and said, "Dude, this is actually pretty awesome, what the **** am I watching?"
Seriously, everyone here was pretty floored and he initially added another show to his tour to come and do it for us again because the response was so strong but he didn't end up pulling it off.



Kiss Me Deadly - What can you say about a movie that not only influenced the French New Wave movement but plot devices from such diverse films as Repo Man and Raiders of the Lost Ark? That's a lot of territory to cover especially from such an unexpected source as this 1955 noir starring Ralph Meeker as Mickey Spillane's archetype tough guy PI Mike Hammer. From it's offbeat opening credits, to the first scene featuring a very young Cloris Leachman running barefoot down a road dressed in nothing but a trench coat, the movie grabs your attention. This is the second Robert Aldrich film I've watched in the last few days and it also stars a no nonsense male lead. Meeker turns in an indelible performance as Hammer who apparently conducts business in a bull-in-a-china-shop sort of way. Aldrich does a great job of capturing the night time streets of Los Angeles. Many other films have attempted to depict the city as a dangerously shady and amoral place but Aldrich and company altogether succeed. There are plenty of femme fatales whose sole purpose seems to be to throw themselves at Hammer. There's also a decent MacGuffin and hired goons and blackjacks to the head. A veritable wish list of noir mainstays. 90/100



I had a classic gangster film binge, so I figured I'd share my thoughts on the films I watched for it.

Little Caesar (1931) - 6/10

My experience with this film was feeling as if I was watching a historical document rather than feeling it in my pores. Rico's arc, though unique when it came out, is pretty standard nowadays as the genre elements it features are pretty bare bones by today's standards and their impacts were drastically lessened over time. In addition, the most interesting character in the film, Joe Massara, was largely pushed to the sideline throughout the film and got much less screen time than Rico, a move which further distanced myself from the characters. If anything, this film is worth watching for Edward G. Robinson's performance. I normally don't pay attention to acting, but I really appreciated the charisma he showed in his role. Watching him was sometimes the only thing which kept me entertained. It's also worth watching as a historical document, as mentioned above. Several elements of this film - ambitious gangster trying to control all the gangs in the city - lead character becoming boss of his gang - hostile takeovers of rival gangs - people not associated with the gang being negatively effected by it - the law trying to close in on the gang - were pioneered by this film and its influence can be felt all throughout the genre, so I appreciate it for its impact. While this film laid a rough template for the genre, I think other films went on to perfect upon that template.

Scarface (1932) - 9/10

It would be fair to criticize this film for some of what I criticized Little Caesar for. Like LeRoy's film, both films are, essentially, smorgasbord's of the same genre elements that the genre would perfect later on (lead gangster trying to achieve control, becoming boss, hostile takeovers, negative effects on people not in the gang, the law force on their trail). What differentiates these two films for me though is Hawks' film is able to find its own unique voice to represent these elements with. The style of the film has a lot of similarities to German Expressionism as it bursts with unconventional tracking shots, evocative shadow effects, its usage of lighting in darkened areas, or the stylistic editing found in montages. This style also extends to the actors themselves as the later degradations of Tony's character arc are represented by his tattered clothing and disheveled hair. The violence was fairly shocking when this film was released, with an uncharacteristically large body count (again, for the time), a few scenes of several people being killed at once, and some dead bodies falling/being ejected out of cars. Though the violence is tame by today's standards, the arrangement of the people/objects involved in the violent scenes still packed quite a punch, like the aforementioned shadow effects, the bowling alley, a few scenes in the final act, etc. Overall, the style of this film was distinct and impressive enough that I didn't mind the similarities its plot had to Little Caesar one bit. I was sold by the film's look and feel.

The Public Enemy (1931) - 8/10

A common thing I'm noticing about gangster films from this time period is that they can be more interesting as historical document than as interesting and compelling stories. I loved the feel of Scarface and connected to it really well, but I had my issues with Little Caesar. I'd say this film falls somewhere in the middle of those two films. While watching it, I found myself less taken in by the gangster elements of it (though, I still enjoyed them) and more impressed by the way Matt and, especially, Tom's participation in Paddy Ryan's gang had on their lives. Tom not only experienced conflict with his various romantic partners, but also with his straight-laced brother Mike, who disapproved of both his lifestyle and how he lied to his mother about how he obtained money. His mother, misinformed about Tom's involvement in Ryan's gang, was confused and saddened by Mike's disapproval of Tom, further representing how their family was torn apart. I also appreciated the gang elements quite a bit such as the first act's depiction of Tom's and Matt's rise as gangsters, the visually impressive shootout in the rain, or the final minute (even though I saw it coming). I still appreciated the family drama bits the most and some of the gang-related scenes didn't matter much to me, but I still appreciated some of the imagery in those sequences. Overall, this film was pretty solid.
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matt72582's Avatar
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The KGB Connections - 8/10
This was REALLY good.. Defectors, sexual blackmail (sound familiar?), etc.. I took a lot of notes, paused a lot to look everyone interviewed up, searching to find more interviews and downloading any books they read.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0949880/?ref_=rt_li_tt



matt72582's Avatar
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Pyongyang s'amuse - 6.5/10
More revealing than a lot of documentaries on North Korea, but was too saccharine for me. Not an indictment on the director, since he was very limited. Made in 2019, so you see the Trump thaw in relations.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9817964/?ref_=rt_li_tt




The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
A story of the grind/rise and fall emotions of showbiz. The whole cast is on top form with a razor sharp script to match. This has to be my most watched movie of all time and just doesn’t tire. It’s also nice to watch a modern film but, made in pre internet times so no Twitter, Facebook or mobile phone talk. A captivating great escape.




Kiss Me Deadly - What can you say about a movie that not only influenced the French New Wave movement but plot devices from such diverse films as Repo Man and Raiders of the Lost Ark? That's a lot of territory to cover especially from such an unexpected source as this 1955 noir starring Ralph Meeker as Mickey Spillane's archetype tough guy PI Mike Hammer. From it's offbeat opening credits, to the first scene featuring a very young Cloris Leachman running barefoot down a road dressed in nothing but a trench coat, the movie grabs your attention. This is the second Robert Aldrich film I've watched in the last few days and it also stars a no nonsense male lead. Meeker turns in an indelible performance as Hammer who apparently conducts business in a bull-in-a-china-shop sort of way. Aldrich does a great job of capturing the night time streets of Los Angeles. Many other films have attempted to depict the city as a dangerously shady and amoral place but Aldrich and company altogether succeed. There are plenty of femme fatales whose sole purpose seems to be to throw themselves at Hammer. There's also a decent MacGuffin and hired goons and blackjacks to the head. A veritable wish list of noir mainstays. 90/100
Amazing film. Also has clear homage paid to it in Pulp Fiction and Lost Highway.



'Enter the Void' (2009)

Dir. Gaspar Noe


Harrowing, shocking, nauseating but beautiful. An absolute technical masterpiece with superb editing and camerawork.

After the shocking event that happens after around 20 minutes, you wonder how Noe is going to fill the subsequent 2 hours. But he does, and manages to do it superbly. It's a spiritual journey into what death might look like melded with an acid trip. Even the sound design has an epic sense of dread. Some of the overhead shots of Tokyo are breathtaking, and you think they are simply model sets filmed in a tilt shift type effect, then the camera moves down into a real scene with moving talking characters. Feels other-worldy throughout.

The dream sequence I feel could have been omitted but all you can ask for is for artists to keep on pushing boundaries, and Noe seems to do it with ease. Incredible film.




The Nest (2020)
Not exactly riveting but worth a watch as it's directed well. Carrie Coon is good as the mother in a family falling apart.



Mangrove (2020)
from Steve McQueen's BBC mini film series 'Small Axe'. It's clearly a made for TV affair but is an important watch and has some good performances



Lovers Rock (2020)
2nd episode of 'Small Axe' - A slice of life house party in 1970s London. Almost like a real time musical. Very well done.



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Koko-di Koko-da (2019)


Bizarre film based on a couple experiencing grief but in the style of a Lynchian Groundhog Day. Not really sure how else to explain this. Whatever it was, it didn't really do much for me.


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Rebecca (2020)

This was an OK adaptation of a Daphne du Maurier novel. Directed well by Wheatley with fantastic scenic shooting (Dorset for Cornwall) but just didn't raise the required amount of tension for me. The 2 main actors are - Maxim, who is very stiffly played by Armie Hammer, (even by the standards of the time) and Mrs De Winters who is too winsomely played by Lily James to elicit any real sympathy or concern. Needed more punch.





Well.... this movie sucked!!
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You’re the disease, and I’m the cure.
Fanboys (2009):
Underrated film with some hilarious scenes throughout. Seth Rogen's 1st cameo is the best part. Very accurate at times to how Star Wars fans talk. Quotable film.
"Make it so!”
"Nobody calls Han Solo a b!"
9/10
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