An interesting short documentary. Probably more intriguing to think about how it was constructed than to actually watch. It's a skilled piece of ethnography with some poetic flourishes. In other words, it's a nice portrait of a place that doesn't really exist anymore. I'll have to watch more Joris Ivens, it's clear he had a fascinating career.
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The Misfits 1961
One of the most austere and somber films to come out of Old Hollywood. Every frame oozes a bleak and unrelenting feeling of a dire foreboding. Part of the ambience is inherently within the story written by Arthur Miller and through John Huston's tactful direction but it is truly realized by its performers; of which the trio of leads would all meet untimely demises shortly thereafter its production. Gable and Monroe were never better and Clift gave such unhidden depths…
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The Magnificent Seven 2016
The Magnificent Seven is a skilled remake that excels in the action department but is routine elsewhere. The script by Nic Pizzolatto is proficiently, if also only dutifully, done and Antoine Fuqua directs some crackerjack sequences of mayhem that undeniably excite but something is amiss. A big problem with this one is the cast just doesn't have chemistry. They're all great actors but they don't really go together, it's as if they all exist in different movies yet they share…
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BlacKkKlansman 2018
Rewatching this after sometime, with more critical distance, I agree with Boots Riley's criticism more. The film is great but the very end, with its montage of real documentary footage of the ground, is powerful but runs the risk of aging in an odd way. By tying the white supremacist movement so strongly to Trump, as a piece of agitprop it fails to recognize the man as just a malignant symptom of a larger problem (the failings of a capitalist…
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Fast X 2023
Fast X is a disappointment. It's a total mess and I say that as a big fan of this franchise. If you told me they made it up as they went, I'd believe you. In fact, that's probably what happened since the producers fired the longtime director of the series, Justin Lin, and replaced with him Louis Letterier in the middle of production. The result isn't just one of the most expensive movies ever made (it's clear the money didn't…
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Beau Is Afraid 2023
Beau Is Afraid is a near masterpiece that gets away from itself in the end. Evoking a sense of adventurous dread (if there even is such a thing), Ari Aster's film holds a narrative that is kaleidoscopic in its surrealistic passages which reflect a nightmarish version of contemporary America. The film takes us on an episodic quest for its titular protagonist as he attempts to get to his mother's funeral; a seemingly mundane task which turns out to be anything…
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Heist 2001
A strong crime thriller with a killer cast. Everybody here is on point and Mamet delivers once again with his hardboiled scripting. Although his direction is stagey and there some unnecessary regressive elements, Heist is an engaging film that is always captivating and dynamic. It's not the most ambitious film, it's not reinventing the wheel, but all parties are bringing their A game. It's also great to see Gene Hackman in top form, in one of his last leading roles…
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The Putin Interviews 2017
Fearless filmmaking. Regardless of political orientation, this is necessary viewing for anyone interested in the subjects of today's current affairs, contemporary Russia, modern geopolitics, the war in Ukraine, the filmography of Oliver Stone, and/or history at large. Few filmmakers are privy to interviews of this nature with world leaders and then there is Stone. He is truly a maverick filmmaker. One of a kind.