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I forgot the opening line.

By image, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43419263

Aparajito - (1956)

This follows on from Pather Panchali very neatly, and it flows on in the same manner. I'm starting to get why some people lump all 3 'Apu' movies into one trilogy and quote that alone on 'favourite films' lists. Emotionally, this one had even more impact for me as it explores the relationship young Apu has with his mother, especially as an adolescent. When he goes to university in Calcutta there's a severing of the bond from one direction - and while Apu's mother longs to be part of his life, and not lose him, Apu strains to get away from the confining need she presents him with constantly. He's still discovering the world, and it's so much greater than his poor home life that he forgets to pay homage to it. I can't say much more, because events in these Apu movies should really be experienced as the shocks and surprises they are. I've got one to go, but so far I've enjoyed seeing these films very much. They're essentially meditations on real life, and the experiences we go through that bind us and make us human beings.

8/10
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Latest Review : Le Circle Rouge (1970)




By image, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43419263

Aparajito - (1956)

This follows on from Pather Panchali very neatly, and it flows on in the same manner. I'm starting to get why some people lump all 3 'Apu' movies into one trilogy and quote that alone on 'favourite films' lists. Emotionally, this one had even more impact for me as it explores the relationship young Apu has with his mother, especially as an adolescent. When he goes to university in Calcutta there's a severing of the bond from one direction - and while Apu's mother longs to be part of his life, and not lose him, Apu strains to get away from the confining need she presents him with constantly. He's still discovering the world, and it's so much greater than his poor home life that he forgets to pay homage to it. I can't say much more, because events in these Apu movies should really be experienced as the shocks and surprises they are. I've got one to go, but so far I've enjoyed seeing these films very much. They're essentially meditations on real life, and the experiences we go through that bind us and make us human beings.

8/10
That was one of my favorite first-time watches of last year. Glad you also liked it.
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Old Henry - 2021 Western starring Tim Blake Nelson in the title role. He plays Henry McCarty, who homesteads a farm with his teenage son Wyatt (Gavin Lewis). He's a widower whose wife passed away ten years ago and whose nearest neighbor is his late wife's brother Al (Trace Adkins). One day a riderless horse wanders by his property and when Henry goes looking for the owner he finds a wounded man along with a saddlebag full of money. It isn't long before three men show up looking for the man and the money.

This is an uncomplicated story told in a straightforward manner but when that's done right the results are gratifying and immediate. It's also good to see Tim Blake Nelson front and center in a movie. He's so good at filling in those spaces at the fringes of a story that it's easy to forget what a capable actor he is. His small supporting parts also make it easy to overlook how he loses himself in a role.

There's some fine casting in this with Lewis and Adkins, Scott Haze as the wounded man Curry, Stephen Dorff as the loquacious ringleader Ketchum and Max Arcineaga as the tracker Stillwell. There's a lot here to recommend, the screenplay and direction by Potsy Ponciroli and the cinematography by John Matysiak. The production values as well, in particular the choice in wardrobe. A seemingly simple part of the moviemaking process, but one which can so easily take one out of the moment if not done right. But a decent budget will alleviate that. The ending with it's riddle answered could have been problematic but that actually worked for me. This is a small, no frills, enjoyable Western. If you hold any fondness for the genre you should watch it.

90/100




The Ballad of Lefty Brown - This was released five or so years ago but I'd never heard of it. Another Western that features another underrated actor in Bill Pullman. He plays the title character with the hook being that he's basically the sidekick to Peter Fonda's character of Edward Johnson. He's the charismatic alpha male and he and his wife Laura (Kathy Baker) are in the process of relocating to Washington DC. Edward has been elected the first senator of the new state of Montana and he wants to leave Lefty in charge of his ranch. But first there's the matter of tracking the three horses stolen from the ranch.

An unexpected act of violence sets Lefty on a path of vengeance where he's joined by an inexperienced youngster named Jeremiah Perkins (Diego Josef) and old friend and Territorial Marshal Tom Harrah (Tommy Flanagan). Harrah is a recovering alcoholic and the actor playing him will immediately be familiar to most movie watchers. Flanagan is one of those recognizable character actors whose name you can never quite recall. Marshal Harrah has been given a chance to redeem himself and been appointed by the last member of the old quartet of friends who happens to be Governor of the State Jimmy Bierce (Jim Caveziel).

The manhunt takes up about half the movie but then the film changes gears and becomes more of a conspiracy driven drama. How you process this will ultimately affect your enjoyment of the film. I didn't think it was clunky or too abrupt a sea change but that had a lot to do with Pullman's winning performance as Brown. It's good to see a lot of these actors working including Kathy Baker and Tommy Flanagan. And Jim Caveziel is always a welcome addition to any project he's involved in. So thumbs up to this.

Even though I liked Old Henry a bit more I thought these were both fine examples of Westerns with two compelling lead performances from veteran actors.

80/100



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I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Man of Steel (2013)

In many ways a solid sci-fi superhero movie, but I got bored of buildings being smashed long before the film did.



Justice League (2017)

OK, but it just felt like an attempt to do what Marvel are doing when all DC's better movies are far darker.



The Lost Daughter (2021)

OK, but parts of it felt very ordinary and I'm a bit bemused by all the nominations. On the one hand, I absolutely understood the themes of motherhood and regret, but on the other hand I didn't feel like I got what was special or interesting about the film and didn't completely understand (and certainly didn't like) Colman's character. Shout out for Jessie Buckley though.



Dune (1984)

How can one movie look so expensive and so cheap at the same time? It's not a good movie, for sure, the decision to race through the second half via montage and voiceover is certainly something, for one thing, but there are moments of weirdness with cult appeal.



Dune (2021)

My main takeaway from this was that Denis Villeneuve should have been allowed to direct the Star Wars sequels. It was interesting watching this so soon after the 1984 version in how it manages to be so very different. Visually, it was stunning; the world-building and set design were fantastic. It was very well cast. It avoids the problem of the second half pacing by just not including the second half of the story at all, which is probably wiser that what happened in the earlier version but a still a little unsatisfying, story-wise. I think the trouble with Dune is that it is fairly humourless and a lot of talk about prophecy and staring moodily across desert landscapes. It's impressive but not necessarily fun. Watched in imax which is probably the best way to do the visuals justice - this is definitely a big screen movie.






Spider-Man 2, 2004

Peter Parker/Spiderman (Tobey Maguire) is having a rough go of things. Fired from his job as a pizza delivery driver, on the rocks with newspaper owner J Jameson (JK Simmons), watching his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) slide into financial problems, coping with his estrangement from troubled friend Harry Osborn (James Franco), and maybe worse of all, watching the woman he loves, Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) in a relationship with a new guy (Daniel Gillies). As the pressure mounts on Peter from all sides, he questions whether or not he even wants to continue in his role as a hero. Unfortunately, scientist Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) is on the brink of a major discovery and has been taken over by a nefarious artificial intelligence. No matter what Peter does, his personal and "professional" lives seemed doomed to bleed into one another.

I saw the first Spiderman film in the theater when it first came out. While it was . . . fine . . . it did not inspire me to check out the sequels. This film made our best of the 2000s list, and I know that it has pretty good word of mouth. Honestly, I thought it was a very pleasant surprise.

A stand-up comedian described her experience with Marvel movies as "a bunch of happy meal toys punching each other on a big rock for three hours." While I have enjoyed some of the superhero films of the last 20 years, I definitely think that many of them get the balance between character and spectacle totally wrong, stranding half-baked relationship dynamics in a flood of overlong, consequence-less CGI slugfests.

The depth of character development in this film--elevated by some really strong performances--is really the best part of it. Every action sequence in the film has a consequence, either for Spiderman, for Peter, or for both. Peter grows increasingly anxious about the impact that his heroism may have on his loved ones. Octavius is a personal friend, Harry is going off the rails, and both Mary Jane and Aunt May frequently find themselves in the path of various flying debris. Peter keeps his double life a secret from everyone, but this means that through the whole film, everyone expresses disappointment in his lack of reliability. (I loved a recurring joke that Mary Jane has landed a beauty campaign, and so Peter is constantly haunted by her image, including one sequence where a hundred Mary Janes judge him as he walks down the street).

And while Molina's Octavius doesn't get quite the same amount of time, Molina and the writers wring everything they can out of those moments of quiet character development, giving us a tragic villain with dimension and understandable motivations. The toxic mix of pride and guilt that Octavius feels after his first failed experiment makes him vulnerable to the whispers of his AI tentacles.

Overall the action sequences and the CGI look pretty good. The whole film has a very "animated" comic feel to them, and the look of the effects fits pretty well into the overall vibe of the film. The action sequences are easy to follow, and they get some heft because there is always a consequence tied to each one.

There's a great wealth of fun bit parts, from Aasif Mandvi as Peter's disappointed pizza place boss to Bruce Campbell as an unfuriatingly snobby usher.

My only real complaint is that some of the characters are just present enough that it feels like they should be developed more. Harry is obviously here just to be a through-line between the first and third films. But Mary Jane and Aunt May (and actually all of the female characters) mainly seem to be there to be confused and land in mortal danger. I wish that the proportion of time that was spent with both of them knowing Peter's identity had been greater. Mary Jane get a lot of screen time, but she's mostly saying the same thing over and over again. Dunst is able to make this baffled injury work because she's so good, but it feels as if more could have been done with her character. A relationship has two sides, and so Mary Jane can't really make a decision about her relationship with Peter until she has the facts.

Overall, though, I really liked this film. It had the intelligence to know when to let there be a quiet moment, and the strength in its actors to make those moments work. I really can't say enough about Molina, whose portrayal of Doc Ock might be my favorite portrayal of a superhero villain.




Victim of The Night


Spider-Man 2, 2004
Overall, though, I really liked this film. It had the intelligence to know when to let there be a quiet moment, and the strength in its actors to make those moments work. I really can't say enough about Molina, whose portrayal of Doc Ock might be my favorite portrayal of a superhero villain.

So true. Excellent performance by a great actor. He's so great in Chocolat.



Finally saw The Maltese Falcon. Crisp dialogue and strong direction leads this film noir led by Humphrey Bogart who nails it as Sam Spade, the tough talking private detective unafraid to punch a man threatening him but at the same time, abhors guns. Mary Astor is fine as the complex woman who hires him to find a guy she is looking for for reasons that will become clear later. Sydney Greenstreet is good as a potential client with his own agenda. Outside of what appeared to be an underdeveloped subplot involving his partner's widow (and potential love interest of Spade), this was well done.



Finally saw The Maltese Falcon. Crisp dialogue and strong direction leads this film noir led by Humphrey Bogart who nails it as Sam Spade, the tough talking private detective unafraid to punch a man threatening him but at the same time, abhors guns. Mary Astor is fine as the complex woman who hires him to find a guy she is looking for for reasons that will become clear later. Sydney Greenstreet is good as a potential client with his own agenda. Outside of what appeared to be an underdeveloped subplot involving his partner's widow (and potential love interest of Spade), this was well done.
The Halloween of noir. Not quite the “first” one but the one when all the elements fully clicked into place and kicked off the movement.





Spider-Man 2, 2004

I remember this being the first "superhero movies can be more, you know" movies when it came out. Haven't watched any of the Raimi ones in a long time but I'm pretty sure this was the best of the bunch.



27th Hall of Fame

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) -


Before I start, I might as well address the "sleeping with underage women" bit which has been getting some controversy in this thread. After watching Jones' and Marion's first scene together, I definitely raised an eyebrow at the "You knew what you were doing" conversation, and after reading the transcript where Spielberg and Lucas intended for Marion to be 15 and for Jones to be 25 when they had their affair, that aspect of the film stuck out as problematic. Due to that (in addition to Jones being a colonist), I wasn't able to get invested in their friendship and eventual romance. If Jones' arc was of him redeeming himself throughout the film, that would be different, but he instead seemed to be portrayed as noble and charming all throughout.

So yeah, couldn't get invested in the characters this viewing. In spite of that, however, I still think this is a solid action film. It has some memorable action scenes (the opening), a couple terrific magical scenes (the God's wrath scene at the end is outstanding, in particular), and its fair share of humor here and there (Jones shooting the swordsman). Back when I was a kid, this film was everything for me. When I rewatched it a couple days ago, however, I found that the love I felt towards the film when I was a kid wore off. This isn't to say the film aged poorly per se (rather, I think the film aged great for the most part). It's just not my kind of film anymore and I'm no longer the target audience for it. Since I've watched a number of films like Battleship Potemkin, Zulu, The Wild Bunch, Apocalypse Now, Hard-Boiled, Saving Private Ryan, etc since then, which have action scenes that are far more engaging and technically outstanding, that may play a part in why my tastes have moved on. Who knows. Still though, I think this is a great gateway film and it would definitely be among my top recommendations for someone new to classic film.





Donnie Brasco, 1997

Donnie Brasco (Johnny Depp) is a man who begins to climb in the ranks of the local mafia, vouched for by ageing gangster Lefty (Al Pacino). But Donnie is really Joe, an undercover FBI agent. As Donnie gets deeper and deeper in with the crew, his work puts a strain on his relationship with his family and wife (Anne Heche). He also begins to feel guilt about what his betrayal will mean for Lefty.

This was a pretty decent little crime/thriller.

When I reviewed Find Me Guilty, I noted my mixed feelings about the portrayal (or lack thereof) of the violent acts committed by the gangster characters. This film does a bit better on this front, punctuating different sequences with moments of violence that remind us just how poorly things will end for Donnie if he is discovered.

Depp and Pacino develop a good rapport and a believable friendship. Donnie depends on Lefty to lend him legitimacy, while Lefty clearly values Donnie's intelligence and sees him as an ally. The supporting cast is also quite good, from Michael Madsen as boss Sonny to Tim Blake Nelson and Paul Giamaatti as two FBI techs.

Overall, the film also does a good job of giving a balanced portrayal to the stress on both sides of the family. Donnie is in a very dangerous position. Discovery would mean certain death. He is under the constant strain of keeping up a cover that depends on the cool-headedness of other---sometimes incompetent---people. But his family, a wife and three daughters, are also in a bad position. Maggie, his wife, is left to do all of the housework and childcare. Donnie sometimes spends days or even months away from them, missing important days and leaving them hanging in unknowing silence.

I did grapple a bit with the sympathy that we were meant to have for Donnie over his concern regarding Lefty. I will say that the film did a great job of laying the groundwork to show how the two men had bonded. Lefty invites Donnie to spend Christmas with his family. Donnie supports Lefty when Lefty's adult son overdoses and ends up hospitalized. But at the same time . . . I don't know. There's a sequence where Donnie refuses to take off his boots in a Japanese restaurant because it would reveal his wire. He creates misdirection by whipping up an anti-Asian attack on the restaurant's maitre'd, which culminates in Donnie and the rest of the crew severely beating the man in the restaurant's bathroom. The attack is brutal, and we see that Donnie is upset by it. But the thing is: Donnie was willing to let this innocent man get killed (and some of the blows landed on the victim's head and back could have easily killed him) not to blow his cover. I get that he cared for Lefty, but I couldn't quite get myself around to his point of view or his emotions. His decision that Lefty's wellbeing is more important than the wellbeing of the people he sees hurt, maimed, or killed by Lefty and the others. (I do get that it's "real", but at times it seemed like the film wanted us to agree with his sentiment).

Solid picture, though not one I'm sure I'd revisit.




Victim of The Night
Finally saw The Maltese Falcon. Crisp dialogue and strong direction leads this film noir led by Humphrey Bogart who nails it as Sam Spade, the tough talking private detective unafraid to punch a man threatening him but at the same time, abhors guns. Mary Astor is fine as the complex woman who hires him to find a guy she is looking for for reasons that will become clear later. Sydney Greenstreet is good as a potential client with his own agenda. Outside of what appeared to be an underdeveloped subplot involving his partner's widow (and potential love interest of Spade), this was well done.
I find that The Maltese Falcon becomes better on subsequent viewings, and/or after reading the book as well, and that, specifically, Mary Astor's performance becomes kinda masterful after seeing it a couple few times (and again, especially if you read the book). It's really good the first time you watch it but it will actually be better, I predict, when you eventually go back to it.



Victim of The Night
27th Hall of Fame

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) -


Before I start, I might as well address the "sleeping with underage women" bit which has been getting some controversy in this thread. After watching Jones' and Marion's first scene together, I definitely raised an eyebrow at the "You knew what you were doing" conversation, and after reading the transcript where Spielberg and Lucas intended for Marion to be 15 and for Jones to be 25 when they had their affair, that aspect of the film stuck out as problematic. Due to that (in addition to Jones being a colonist), I wasn't able to get invested in their friendship and eventual romance. If Jones' arc was of him redeeming himself throughout the film, that would be different, but he instead seemed to be portrayed as noble and charming all throughout.

So yeah, couldn't get invested in the characters this viewing. In spite of that, however, I still think this is a solid action film. It has some memorable action scenes (the opening), a couple terrific magical scenes (the God's wrath scene at the end is outstanding, in particular), and its fair share of humor here and there (Jones shooting the swordsman). Back when I was a kid, this film was everything for me. When I rewatched it a couple days ago, however, I found that the love I felt towards the film when I was a kid wore off. This isn't to say the film aged poorly per se (rather, I think the film aged great for the most part). It's just not my kind of film anymore and I'm no longer the target audience for it. Since I've watched a number of films like Battleship Potemkin, Zulu, The Wild Bunch, Apocalypse Now, Hard-Boiled, Saving Private Ryan, etc since then, which have action scenes that are far more engaging and technically outstanding, that may play a part in why my tastes have moved on. Who knows. Still though, I think this is a great gateway film and it would definitely be among my top recommendations for someone new to classic film.
Interestingly, I find this to be one of the few films of its ilk that I think of as being a kind of masterpiece of what it is. I go on and on about how I do not like Spielberg but to me, this is Spielberg at his best and, of course, this is really the film that made everyone want to copy him and Hollywood trying to make the next "Spielberg" movie.
I saw it in the theater when it came out, multiple times, so I had a lot of nostalgia for it, but I moved away from that (and the film) in my 30s but came back to it here in my late 40s. I think it's excellent.



Interestingly, I find this to be one of the few films of its ilk that I think of as being a kind of masterpiece of what it is. I go on and on about how I do not like Spielberg but to me, this is Spielberg at his best and, of course, this is really the film that made everyone want to copy him and Hollywood trying to make the next "Spielberg" movie.
I saw it in the theater when it came out, multiple times, so I had a lot of nostalgia for it, but I moved away from that (and the film) in my 30s but came back to it here in my late 40s. I think it's excellent.
Someday, I hope I'll grow to like it more in the future as well. My mom is a huge fan of the film, in particular, so maybe down the road I can rewatch it with her next time she puts it on.



I forgot the opening line.

By image, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43419278

Apur Sansar - (1959)

Wow - this film really got to me, and as such it rounded out the Apu trilogy in marvelous fashion. I don't know if I can say much more than what I've already said while rating the first two films. Apu is a young adult now, and has left university without his degree. He lives a poor life, and is a dreamer who has aspirations to be a writer, but out of the blue an offer of marriage finds him with a beautiful young wife and happiness follows. More, I cannot say, for Apu's rocky road is best experienced by those who don't know what lurks around the corner. I've really fallen for these films, and it's that final scene in Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) which really touched my heart - the trilogy is full of such moments, but that final one was the most powerful for me and ends everything so well that it lifts this entire body of work into classic status. A stirring ode to the human spirit, which doesn't always soar but nevertheless shines brightly - and a fine document of what life is all about.

9/10



Registered User
Haha, I just watched this really dumb movie "Double Take" (2001) on that BOUNCE channel, which is geared to African American movies (well, actually that's ALL they seem to play!) Anyway, very silly movie, but it actually ended up being enjoyable, in some aspects. WAY too many turns in the plot. I just sort of enjoyed the insanity of it, though. Bad movie, but it's one where you enjoy laughing at the badness of it. Some good action sequences. The two leads, well, wouldn't call them the best actors, but they managed to have some nice moments for sure. It was typical of comedy action flicks of that era, with more insanity added in than usual. I would give it a very low grade, but it's a fun ride to watch as casual entertainment. Some moments in the movie were quite funny, for sure.

1 And A Half Stars Out Of 4 (The Ebert Scale, baby!!!)



Registered User
Haha, I just watched this really dumb movie "Double Take" (2001) on that BOUNCE channel, which is geared to African American movies (well, actually that's ALL they seem to play!) Anyway, very silly movie, but it actually ended up being enjoyable, in some aspects. WAY too many turns in the plot. I just sort of enjoyed the insanity of it, though. Bad movie, but it's one where you enjoy laughing at the badness of it. Some good action sequences. The two leads, well, wouldn't call them the best actors, but they managed to have some nice moments for sure. It was typical of comedy action flicks of that era, with more insanity added in than usual. I would give it a very low grade, but it's a fun ride to watch as casual entertainment. Some moments in the movie were quite funny, for sure.

1 And A Half Stars Out Of 4 (The Ebert Scale, baby!!!)
I just read Ebert's review of this movie, by the way, and he rated it ever so slightly lower than me, giving it one star!