tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24815491853084651102024-03-09T20:32:49.012-05:00TrustMoviesMovie criticism (mostly foreign films, documentaries and independents: big Hollywood product hardly needs more marketing), very occasional interviews from James van Maanen, now 80 years old, who began his late-career movie reviewing for GreenCine, then took the big blog step over a decade ago. He covers new movies, video releases, and occasional streaming choices. You can reach him at JamesvanMaanen@gmail.comTrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.comBlogger4213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-31846384705926454252021-05-19T14:20:00.006-04:002021-05-20T13:07:19.995-04:00We are sad to announce...<p> On May 18th, 2021, James van Maanen, the creator of TrustMovies, passed away due to natural causes. Therefore, this blog will not be continuing. We thank you for your ongoing support over the years. This blog meant everything to Jim; it was his lifelong love and passion. His family is struggling right now, but we wanted to let you know how much you meant to him. Thank you, his family. </p><p><br /></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-67507318469392776822021-05-15T18:16:00.003-04:002021-05-15T19:54:31.474-04:00Haifaa Al Mansour's THE PERFECT CANDIDATE explores the (very) slowly expanding opportunities for women in the UAE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizw7yJahcl14LR6mamBUtYvJsHfH8ytjk-y_FxIs8y8KdMi_3t8esqMOWgIHO5R0f5Wm8l3WMYgh3u9dN5VH0vXbY6q4zvkQp6krRkHYI7VLdNW_2x9z9poIZVb1C0phBjJ9U_o9qbF44/s1700/The-Perfect-Can-Theatrical-Poster-27x39-1-1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="1180" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizw7yJahcl14LR6mamBUtYvJsHfH8ytjk-y_FxIs8y8KdMi_3t8esqMOWgIHO5R0f5Wm8l3WMYgh3u9dN5VH0vXbY6q4zvkQp6krRkHYI7VLdNW_2x9z9poIZVb1C0phBjJ9U_o9qbF44/w278-h400/The-Perfect-Can-Theatrical-Poster-27x39-1-1.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>Watching the many and frequent hoops that a woman -- this one a noted doctor at a small-town clinic -- in the United Arab Emirates must constantly jump through called to mind the statement attributed to <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001677/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Ginger Rogers</a></b> about what it was like to dance with <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000001/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t5">Fred Astaire</a></b>: "I had to do everything he did -- but backwards and in heels." Had Rogers resided in the UAE, she might well have added, "With one hand held behind my back and one foot tied to the sofa, and completely draped in black cloth that covers everything -- even my eyes!" <p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9Rjq3Kqmm84NfRvaT9y9ztAtRXGiJdqsimf-gdemaJT8RwF4TzzAMYs8hkBztYZAEABofzRFSCpZKOPLABrrF_VVYPRc7Tv1HVv820iDPYmRKIH5oSa8uCCFhHemqjSsOaxBEGSJSwY/s2048/Haifaa+Al+Mansour_Director_Photo%25E2%2594%25AC%25E2%258C%2590Brigitte+Lacombe.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1424" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9Rjq3Kqmm84NfRvaT9y9ztAtRXGiJdqsimf-gdemaJT8RwF4TzzAMYs8hkBztYZAEABofzRFSCpZKOPLABrrF_VVYPRc7Tv1HVv820iDPYmRKIH5oSa8uCCFhHemqjSsOaxBEGSJSwY/w278-h400/Haifaa+Al+Mansour_Director_Photo%25E2%2594%25AC%25E2%258C%2590Brigitte+Lacombe.jpg" width="278" /></a></b></div><b><a href="https://www.musicboxfilms.com/film/the-perfect-candidate/">THE PERFECT CANDIDATE</a></b>, the new film from the <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2223783/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Haifaa Al Mansour</a></b> (shown at left, the director of the popular film <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2258858/?ref_=nm_knf_i1">Wadja</a></b>, as well as of<b> <a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2018/05/a-good-bio-pic-about-rarely-explored.html">Mary Shelley</a></b>) gives us that scene of our heroine, an almost-by-accident political candidate, having to give her big speech in front of people, with nothing but her words and the sound of her voice allowed to be seen/heard. This has got to be one of the most ironic/crazy moments ever put into a film about politics and feminism, among other subjects.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWzX1vohYkbebIFTSv0CfzQt_-I50mA6QXvOCYVvcgj_fd-M3FYER21cC5IKLd_WHYTo5-C5Ck926Ag6mrJVh-62F2T4wVq4qaeehyVEIsvIkOhTtWIRA51wmSsh6P2awmhW5xubb80E/s2048/ThePerfectCandidate_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWzX1vohYkbebIFTSv0CfzQt_-I50mA6QXvOCYVvcgj_fd-M3FYER21cC5IKLd_WHYTo5-C5Ck926Ag6mrJVh-62F2T4wVq4qaeehyVEIsvIkOhTtWIRA51wmSsh6P2awmhW5xubb80E/w400-h225/ThePerfectCandidate_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Is this regime utterly nuts? Of course it is. Long has been. Fortunately, our good doctor Maryam Alsafan (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10624906/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Mila Alzahrani</a></b>, above), along with her two younger sisters (below) and very self-involved father (mom is deceased), understands how to negotiate many of the perils of being a woman with a will in Arab countries. But not all of them, unfortunately. Nor could we expect her to. But we do see the doctor contending with nasty patriarchal patients, along with the many obstructions to simply getting a necessary form signed by the government.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwwvxlfj6CjBd4NvIxaB6Udc9wTuIOPsWQ2IG3NrBvXNEmbbKGKWLAfrUBqBcc56RnEpTVeOcE8Q2fUkcA1ll7GOEvuo4PJYE69lJ4JuWCy_V4K3gNeqJL0yip5xUbxLP_LqRxvUMg38/s2048/ThePerfectCandidate_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwwvxlfj6CjBd4NvIxaB6Udc9wTuIOPsWQ2IG3NrBvXNEmbbKGKWLAfrUBqBcc56RnEpTVeOcE8Q2fUkcA1ll7GOEvuo4PJYE69lJ4JuWCy_V4K3gNeqJL0yip5xUbxLP_LqRxvUMg38/w400-h225/ThePerfectCandidate_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And our girl is not shown to be anything like perfect. Clearly, she bought a new car because it was "on sale," and initially she seems more concered with improving her own station in life than with helping the people and patients around her. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5_kN_RlVn4bu_WjtfcjuLMcLGmze1SP6M-e5Vl7hctHxoi6_NyKgRzq1vEJEHQ5eodgi6H_3ByMOdmf5svDt-jYMuh0SCF8aIRxVWC_3Q3FRLgP7KVQHTzZanqzncGMXeqlDLCe0nnk/s2048/ThePerfectCandidate_4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5_kN_RlVn4bu_WjtfcjuLMcLGmze1SP6M-e5Vl7hctHxoi6_NyKgRzq1vEJEHQ5eodgi6H_3ByMOdmf5svDt-jYMuh0SCF8aIRxVWC_3Q3FRLgP7KVQHTzZanqzncGMXeqlDLCe0nnk/w400-h225/ThePerfectCandidate_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />But as her campaign begins to take wings, we and she begin to see a little hope. Just a bit. But this is enough to buoy up the movie and its characters, and to give us a final scene (above) in which one of those patriarchal patients has something of an enlightenment. It's not a whole lot, but it is enough to make Maryam (and us) understand that you can lose, even as you simultaneously win.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_68jjCUAnfx1gBzRDS4OXYhYzDu5UmGBgC4wKskt63-5zeLP3mOBkZsnTNTkuUV8aEc-RGt47iaLklof-caeXv8S1k3sTycm1m_8wK0-XA5YojOBAAlDEf_xnkHmKXu2n84CJkkUQMbg/s1590/ThePerfectCandidate_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1590" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_68jjCUAnfx1gBzRDS4OXYhYzDu5UmGBgC4wKskt63-5zeLP3mOBkZsnTNTkuUV8aEc-RGt47iaLklof-caeXv8S1k3sTycm1m_8wK0-XA5YojOBAAlDEf_xnkHmKXu2n84CJkkUQMbg/w400-h216/ThePerfectCandidate_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.musicboxfilms.com/">Music Box Films</a></b>, in Arabic (with English subtitles) and a little English, and running 104 minutes, the movie opened in theaters (in New York City and the Los Angeles area) yesterday, and will hit further venues around the country in the weeks to come. Click <b><a href="https://www.musicboxfilms.com/film/the-perfect-candidate/">here</a></b> (and then scroll down to "Theatrical Engagements") to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-82417085382577218522021-05-13T11:11:00.005-04:002021-05-14T12:29:39.299-04:00The first great film of this year: Mohammad Rasoulof's Iranian marvel, THERE IS NO EVIL<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDZcUsPScI92mC8svCtOdSLm4-aTA3YUZqBV8mcXqebPmicjwZnI08VpK-Kn_c7So5ejI-7T2-hmYVIvDxmr6-WbhAvqFl5338wjyeDL4NN58sAAR6xmqXdcdx7tjSQdyzI_Mcs9u0Rs/s897/Untitled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="573" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDZcUsPScI92mC8svCtOdSLm4-aTA3YUZqBV8mcXqebPmicjwZnI08VpK-Kn_c7So5ejI-7T2-hmYVIvDxmr6-WbhAvqFl5338wjyeDL4NN58sAAR6xmqXdcdx7tjSQdyzI_Mcs9u0Rs/w408-h640/Untitled.jpg" width="408" /></a></div><br />The deservedly top prizewinner at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival, <b><a href="https://www.kinolorber.com/film/there-is-no-evil">THERE IS NO EVIL</a></b> is a movie that constantly questions the power of the state vs the morality of the individual in an authoritarian regime. For that reason, this film by Iranian-born <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1488024/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Mohammad Rasoulof</a></b> had to be shot on the sly and smuggled out of Iran. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExMFJV3bKBzLRyXqXAUDjLmYDt7NaIbDADldWFZKe1h9-tXIq3oSsNrtjxb0prEa16j-vQBuCZ7B24T2gyJO-tsgVnpcA6T2Cu7lGQgu-vlFlkpAJ6yn_cbK0v8fbOSmcc4TDpbN_1pE/s831/Untitled1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="513" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExMFJV3bKBzLRyXqXAUDjLmYDt7NaIbDADldWFZKe1h9-tXIq3oSsNrtjxb0prEa16j-vQBuCZ7B24T2gyJO-tsgVnpcA6T2Cu7lGQgu-vlFlkpAJ6yn_cbK0v8fbOSmcc4TDpbN_1pE/w248-h400/Untitled1.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>Despite this, the movie -- in terms of art, content, philosophy and, yes, even as entertainment -- seems to me to be not much improvable upon, had Mr. Rasoulof been given the time, budget and accommodation of any western "studio blockbuster." (The filmmaker himself, shown at right, has been imprisoned in Iran and banned from making movies for two years.) <p></p><p>Each of the four tales in this anthology addresses a particular moral question from a different angle, situation and set of characters -- although by the finale, you may wonder if one of these stories is simply the continuation of an earlier one, though perhaps in a different time frame. (Or maybe not.) This does not really matter, in any case, because each story is told so honestly and so well.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xNYCJAmj6kljSWjB5A9nYtqKZSkHgiLlAa1PdYXu-Qz-bjp4GOoBQRUacGggr-rTaqWpJjRAw_9xIU-vwOnMyqBUPonCXetpGUmQAHaOg5yOliHRujiCMPkv7_jz-XfszKy-TeHVTnQ/s1960/V9k0O_NA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7xNYCJAmj6kljSWjB5A9nYtqKZSkHgiLlAa1PdYXu-Qz-bjp4GOoBQRUacGggr-rTaqWpJjRAw_9xIU-vwOnMyqBUPonCXetpGUmQAHaOg5yOliHRujiCMPkv7_jz-XfszKy-TeHVTnQ/w400-h266/V9k0O_NA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The entire film lasts two and one-half hours. I admit this sounded a bit daunting when I began my viewing. But so immediate, pertinent and involving is the first episode (and each one thereafter) that any sense of time and/or deadline quickly melted away.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iEH5ka1VBle-V4i08AvdYs2HaDtCtl1DSwM8JmwbA6fcKlAx6BhRRndBX9CHrJ9i_eC1lv7-EobD5B456fpDikciLzcL-xIzsVBhB0suvwK67Y37XZnEf9EpiaovfAW82GnYOHumaOw/s1960/_xjVbFMw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iEH5ka1VBle-V4i08AvdYs2HaDtCtl1DSwM8JmwbA6fcKlAx6BhRRndBX9CHrJ9i_eC1lv7-EobD5B456fpDikciLzcL-xIzsVBhB0suvwK67Y37XZnEf9EpiaovfAW82GnYOHumaOw/w400-h266/_xjVbFMw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Episode One deals with a man, above and above) coming home from work and showering, an imperilled animal he encounters and saves, his wife and child and the various errands he and they must handle. The sense we get of modern-day Iran seems exceptional in its very ordinariness, and the tale ends with our hero back at work and a sudden <i>coup de cinema</i> that I have never experienced -- until now -- and which sets the scene for, as well as our sites on, all that follows, while forcing us to re-think all that we have so far seen.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgB73a0frOhbbQNlgoLWe0Oz-OrVgRHX8i-tmQdsIPDAWptWMiWqy8aEd3uO96QwfHmRYvlD5YWw14dn_z4dMQInPDQDZNHttR1pzRu2P2etJz-t23S4cq-flM9aR5iXT68RB1nXEtqw/s1960/hW-YoBvQ.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgB73a0frOhbbQNlgoLWe0Oz-OrVgRHX8i-tmQdsIPDAWptWMiWqy8aEd3uO96QwfHmRYvlD5YWw14dn_z4dMQInPDQDZNHttR1pzRu2P2etJz-t23S4cq-flM9aR5iXT68RB1nXEtqw/w400-h266/hW-YoBvQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Episode Two is set in what looks like prison but I think is actually the military (which in Iran, as elsewhere, seems awfully close to the same thing), as we learn of the dilemma faced by one young man. Included here in one of the best philosophic discussions of guilt, innocence, death, responsibility and the power of the state that I have seen and heard. Plus quite a bit of suspense and surprise. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjourJw4rqVCzFJ7snwzmSvbi1dxVZpKdGZHj15Hleptkm9pp6rey_kHYJv05zylxUIA_db7DdF81DLQlrHKS-Y9LRIrpKpeYnw2_rZVDa6p4n61fI4oax2Th5ddMtEISJZ0tIME9196cE/s1443/wpkBYGEI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1443" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjourJw4rqVCzFJ7snwzmSvbi1dxVZpKdGZHj15Hleptkm9pp6rey_kHYJv05zylxUIA_db7DdF81DLQlrHKS-Y9LRIrpKpeYnw2_rZVDa6p4n61fI4oax2Th5ddMtEISJZ0tIME9196cE/w400-h235/wpkBYGEI.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We move to the verdant countryside in Episode Three and the birthday of a lovely young woman (above, left), attended by her family and her fiance (above, right), which then turns into a wake. For whom, why, and how this has come to be all bubble up and pour over each other in this tale of, not lies, exactly, but information withheld. The final shot is simply amazing: ironic, deeply moving and quietly provocative. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfLYEpecdtpNJOEqrgfwImeKk4VIKpqiVNbNy211LuujLMTNuXOMaMYFWQoi7mOoTRfMExT5lvnzuMwB0xMCNXj3Z2Qd1zte9VtxOfP_XicdMvgjUkY0uugTQMN_PmEKQ5eNWia0NRpI/s1960/9XV13cXA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfLYEpecdtpNJOEqrgfwImeKk4VIKpqiVNbNy211LuujLMTNuXOMaMYFWQoi7mOoTRfMExT5lvnzuMwB0xMCNXj3Z2Qd1zte9VtxOfP_XicdMvgjUkY0uugTQMN_PmEKQ5eNWia0NRpI/w400-h266/9XV13cXA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Quiet describes the final section, too, as we see the arrival at the airport of Darya, who has returned to Iran from attending university in the west. Awaiting her are her parents, or so we imagine. But history, along with information again withheld, slowly disseminates, as we and Darya learn of the older couple's beekeeping activity and the man's health issues. The animal world, as well as the human, figure in this episode, and the ending is one of the most subtle yet encompassing and quietly moving that I can recall.<p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifT06llR7_WDu-w1COwE0hhXtEFQPZa6CzBi_ThrYpF8DBRkLu4I8-5HdRvnXXi6NGEB_TTi774nCDErOKpsm82TPPd_eglt5lNr5yVYzePFSHRk2oN2m8LSUWMlQld5yLFiLlePSNxU/s1960/Hr3JMBtQ.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifT06llR7_WDu-w1COwE0hhXtEFQPZa6CzBi_ThrYpF8DBRkLu4I8-5HdRvnXXi6NGEB_TTi774nCDErOKpsm82TPPd_eglt5lNr5yVYzePFSHRk2oN2m8LSUWMlQld5yLFiLlePSNxU/w400-h266/Hr3JMBtQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> has deliberately left out the actual "theme" of this film -- the engine that drives all of its episodes -- because simply to name it seems almost too obvious and heavy-handed, not to mention offering up somewhat of a spoiler. Rasoulof is such a delicate filmmaker, giving us such a rich array of characters, as well as attitudes toward his main subject, that I urge you to see this film without reading too much about it beforehand. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oJHwqJv_rJa23MLvKbrjOp7hOlxEa_rG4Kh9BSrlbv5hkKcn41_CNQ8EMMkQ3cqDc1nvbEJ5mHpX_9HHX3UGabd_jPAne82_jJVFw32f_wiv_bT82L9V8AqP0I9GYjk-EUm-SnDLl9c/s1960/FdzukvzA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oJHwqJv_rJa23MLvKbrjOp7hOlxEa_rG4Kh9BSrlbv5hkKcn41_CNQ8EMMkQ3cqDc1nvbEJ5mHpX_9HHX3UGabd_jPAne82_jJVFw32f_wiv_bT82L9V8AqP0I9GYjk-EUm-SnDLl9c/w400-h266/FdzukvzA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The writer/director plays fair by all his characters -- even when they do not always play fair with each other. (He also draws expert performances from every actor.) There are no villains here -- except the State itself. We're all flawed, right? So his chosen title <i>There Is No Evil</i>, if not taken in completely ironic fashion, may bring to mind that famous quote from <b><a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Terence">Terence</a></b>, "Nothing human is alien to me."</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpVBWX9Ms5bHtyQPFsH1RJumWg7gAcp0dtGArsL9h0lkilEEpr8bkc8ATYdqeCQJV0jqyJyiUO7wf591Bi-aj2y2S7TkrBi1y9ezWIc2UyKTiZNoKfMC8v0GUTixyA_b0l4FWkFyhSGo/s1960/OF37p1bQ.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpVBWX9Ms5bHtyQPFsH1RJumWg7gAcp0dtGArsL9h0lkilEEpr8bkc8ATYdqeCQJV0jqyJyiUO7wf591Bi-aj2y2S7TkrBi1y9ezWIc2UyKTiZNoKfMC8v0GUTixyA_b0l4FWkFyhSGo/w400-h266/OF37p1bQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In any case, for me this is the movie of the year so far. I have not stopped thinking about it over the week since I viewed it. Even the occasional maybe-too-easy coincidence Rasoulof allows pales in comparison to the beauty, depth, subtlety and inclusivity on view. The filmmaker has given us here not merely Iran but ourselves and consequently the whole wide world.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IiIjMCW5wiSYe88t4ociSNi8hlDnWZbJY88XbJcx6zl57cyiPfzHMTsoPrqnkUEZB7DhhhPi4D90Xt0d7w89kz-vm0MD3l1xV9CQCas3DoB8SsKzvdyxvqXfrBKf2-2s6THL0-4KxME/s1960/1lMnAs9g.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="1960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IiIjMCW5wiSYe88t4ociSNi8hlDnWZbJY88XbJcx6zl57cyiPfzHMTsoPrqnkUEZB7DhhhPi4D90Xt0d7w89kz-vm0MD3l1xV9CQCas3DoB8SsKzvdyxvqXfrBKf2-2s6THL0-4KxME/w400-h266/1lMnAs9g.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.kinolorber.com/">Kino Lorber</a></b>, in Persian and German with English subtitles, <i>There Is No Evil</i> opens tomorrow, Friday, May 14, at <b><a href="http://www.filmforum.org">Film Forum</a></b> in New York City -- both walk-in and virutally -- and can also be seen at virtual cinema across the country. Click <b><a href="https://kinomarquee.com/film/venue/60232056a83d6f000188da71">here</a></b> to view all venues nationwide.</div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-58359933483980160932021-05-11T20:08:00.352-04:002021-05-11T20:08:00.198-04:00ISIS recruitment and "love story" -- all via the Internet -- in Timur Bekmambetov's PROFILE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSOfeuOomkErqOvA8YHFOKSCwUNZMbGLur6VEN13b5MYGs6nG2m-RZRkAg4QhnzQHTJAHBNpTD_GPZAxba6fx_0bk8SDXskSdeKK70LSlKyHEWNFlmDcXV9hHRjs4gXUmS4CF7tQuCNU/s2048/MV5BMjRkYTkyMTQtOGE1NC00NDMxLWJlNzQtYTg3NWJhMzdjYTk0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODk4OTc3MTY%2540._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1382" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSOfeuOomkErqOvA8YHFOKSCwUNZMbGLur6VEN13b5MYGs6nG2m-RZRkAg4QhnzQHTJAHBNpTD_GPZAxba6fx_0bk8SDXskSdeKK70LSlKyHEWNFlmDcXV9hHRjs4gXUmS4CF7tQuCNU/w270-h400/MV5BMjRkYTkyMTQtOGE1NC00NDMxLWJlNzQtYTg3NWJhMzdjYTk0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODk4OTc3MTY%2540._V1_.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>Rather reminiiscent of another entirely-online movie, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7668870/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_11">Searching</a></b>, which was first seen in 2018 -- the same year as <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7826276/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">PROFILE</a></b>, the film under consideration here, made its festival debut -- this reviewer's first question is: Why has the latter taken three years to find U.S. distribution? <p></p><p></p><p>Even if the style is not spanking new (a number of previous movies have taken place mostly or entirely online), the content -- online recruitment by ISIS of young women to "serve" in its ranks -- is certainly still timely. </p><p>Further, its director <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0067457/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Timur Bekmambetov</a></b> (shown below) has had his share of success (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_14">Night Watch</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_12">Day Watch</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493464/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_10">Wanted</a></b>), so a three-year wait, even including the current Covid pandemic, seems a bit much.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8Z9AwJiL21rHZu_OEYxvbs7Q4QXfMOTW-AfACKcSGAeIICg9Gz5UeFhcR77cYFa6X-nu1juXL54KPkGhUTvaMnLmySvZ-GPTf4phgaZE-6XeSM5TZ1OJ72S73UGBol1NtkANocD4L8w/s899/Untitled.Jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="599" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8Z9AwJiL21rHZu_OEYxvbs7Q4QXfMOTW-AfACKcSGAeIICg9Gz5UeFhcR77cYFa6X-nu1juXL54KPkGhUTvaMnLmySvZ-GPTf4phgaZE-6XeSM5TZ1OJ72S73UGBol1NtkANocD4L8w/w266-h400/Untitled.Jpg" width="266" /></a></div>The film itself, despite its total reliance on what's in front of us on that computer screen, holds up pretty well. Once you buy into its scenario -- a pretty British journalist, to get a good story about how ISIS recruits young European women, goes online and, under an alias, pretends to have converted to Islam and may now be interested in joining up -- the movie will engross you and unsettle you.<p></p><p>Buying into that scenario, however, will mean glossing over moments early on in which our heroine, Amy (played by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3442484/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Valene Kane</a></b>, below), worries more about looking young enough than whether or not she's wearing too much make-up on the face that her hijab so beautifully exposes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzy1qJbE0rUEtdw7SanUSDGTnK8uB3UBsfvp9T7WwuOdr46-YYF0XTGT-U9QdynSczQdjR0OyESEEkYkfWVeKvc5pK3uLUNPW75WZ8WK9Uxs9Yb0gRD-Zyzx2pTcTBwB6d4vxydhevjmU/s1920/MV5BZWZiNzE0Y2YtOTNmYy00ZmFlLWFiZWMtZjk3NzM3ZmYzYWMwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzy1qJbE0rUEtdw7SanUSDGTnK8uB3UBsfvp9T7WwuOdr46-YYF0XTGT-U9QdynSczQdjR0OyESEEkYkfWVeKvc5pK3uLUNPW75WZ8WK9Uxs9Yb0gRD-Zyzx2pTcTBwB6d4vxydhevjmU/w400-h225/MV5BZWZiNzE0Y2YtOTNmYy00ZmFlLWFiZWMtZjk3NzM3ZmYzYWMwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw%2540%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />As co-written by Bekmambetov, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4006926/?ref_=ttfc_fc_wr1">Brittany Poulton</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4959907/?ref_=ttfc_fc_wr2">Olga Kharina</a></b>, the screenplay seems computer proficient enough to engage technophiles, while pulling the rest of us along without too much kicking and screaming. <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> found much of the written online correspondence too small to easily read, but he was still able to follow the plot in manageable fashion, as most of the movie is concerned with spoken dialog via video chats between Amy and her "recruiter" (played by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3691746/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t2">Shazad Latif</a></b>, below) <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBQP2we8Gkes2pKr5DWlBJq9zMTpG93scurLtW1INNj3SnMb4CYmbjGQf3Uw-ll_fYCd6Cu4TLBfL1pTTiz-FG_cDWXyBzgPVOZBwhPUjcGeolkK4SQ9L3xtctbLf__wkxOKIzXwjeM8/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzg2NDBkOWIyLTc1YzEtNGZjNS04MWY2LTRkYTEwYjA4NTRmZS5qcGc%253D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBQP2we8Gkes2pKr5DWlBJq9zMTpG93scurLtW1INNj3SnMb4CYmbjGQf3Uw-ll_fYCd6Cu4TLBfL1pTTiz-FG_cDWXyBzgPVOZBwhPUjcGeolkK4SQ9L3xtctbLf__wkxOKIzXwjeM8/w400-h225/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzg2NDBkOWIyLTc1YzEtNGZjNS04MWY2LTRkYTEwYjA4NTRmZS5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />and, to a lesser extent, between Amy and her boy friend, Matt, and her boss at the journal (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0010837/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3">Christine Adams</a></b>, at right, below). As expected, it takes awhile for the relationship between Amy and her recruiter to bud and blossom, and perhaps the film's greatest strength is that this happens in surprisingly believable fashion, keeping us viewers on edge and uncertain about just how involved -- personally, emotionally -- these two people actually are.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAk1QTUzuUt_ByMhr-auHd5iZmbxZzCQVHB2e-GWRBnjwwLgs4z5dPOOJ7zRl28Dz70lob9Pji3HVdyh9ehhC6i1Ako1rjRtZa3e0PCM6YmS1a7_TIZVJER0dRg9GaNAAC4tDEfwk-yN0/s1000/default-large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAk1QTUzuUt_ByMhr-auHd5iZmbxZzCQVHB2e-GWRBnjwwLgs4z5dPOOJ7zRl28Dz70lob9Pji3HVdyh9ehhC6i1Ako1rjRtZa3e0PCM6YmS1a7_TIZVJER0dRg9GaNAAC4tDEfwk-yN0/w400-h225/default-large.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I can understand some viewers feeling that using a still-current and ugly subject like this for entertainment value renders the whole thing specious. (I don't think I've encountered much depth in anything I've seen of Bekmambetov's work.) Yet the movie holds you fast and, in its fashion, delivers the goods. <div><br /></div><div>I hope any women flirting with the idea of joining the Islamic State will see <i>Profile</i> before they do. Lest anyone imagine I am only anti-Islam, I would equally try to dissuade any young woman from joining Orthodox Judaiism or any Fundamentlaist Christian sect. They're all anti-woman, but I must admit that, regarding ISIS, the stakes are a good deal higher.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrRAlE3b4q9wqsrb_B6NWFA8fMvvaFweiX9ukfCEs6fVSR75G06mguLO8pBOYQsmmiX-xoRQMAqK4JJJMHzASRgKLtmFU7SKqRmu46VQYI0WsrDzXQVOw9bb19boXvGKQPwyRWmspbcE/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzIwOGQ2ZmYzLWEwNTUtNGY2OC1iYTJjLTRjYzk2NDM5MTZjMS5qcGc%253D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrRAlE3b4q9wqsrb_B6NWFA8fMvvaFweiX9ukfCEs6fVSR75G06mguLO8pBOYQsmmiX-xoRQMAqK4JJJMHzASRgKLtmFU7SKqRmu46VQYI0WsrDzXQVOw9bb19boXvGKQPwyRWmspbcE/w400-h225/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzIwOGQ2ZmYzLWEwNTUtNGY2OC1iYTJjLTRjYzk2NDM5MTZjMS5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.focusfeatures.com/">Focus Features</a></b> and running 105 minutes, the movie opens in theaters nationwide this coming Friday, May 14. Here in South Florida, you can find it at the following locartions. In Miami: AMC
Aventura Dolby Cinema IMAX 24, AMC
Coral Ridge, 10
AMC
Hialeah 12 DBOX, AMC
Pembroke Lakes Dolby IMAX 9, AMC
Pompano Beach 18 PLF, AMC
Sunrise 8, AMC
Sunset Place Dolby, Cinema 24 IMAX, AMC
Tamiami 14, AMC
Weston 8, BRIELL
Fusion Superplex 8 4DX/IMAX
CINMEX
Cinebistro @ Cityplace Doral 7, CINMEX
CMX Brickell City Centre 10 PLF, CINMEX
Dolphin 24 IMAX/DBOX, CINMEX
Miami Lakes 17, CMARK
Paradise Park 24 XD/DBOX
COMPFB, Silverspot Cinema at Coconut Creek 11
COMPFB, Silverspot Miami 16, CSRVDL
Flippers Cinema 8
IPGCE, iPic Intracoastal Mall 8, PARAGO Coral Square 8, PARAGO
Ridge Plaza 8, REGAL
Broward Stadium 12 RPX, REGAL
Cypress Creek Station Stadium 16, REGAL
Falls 12, REGAL
Magnolia Place Stadium 16
REGAL
Oakwood 18
REGAL
Sawgrass Stadium 23 IMAX
REGAL
South Beach Stadium 18 IMAX/VIP, REGAL
Southland Mall 16, SANTI
Le Jeune 6, SILVER
Landmark at Merrick Park 7. In West Palm Beach: AMC
Indian River 24, AMC
Port Saint Lucie 14, AMC
Rosemary Square 12 Dolby IMAX, ASHURS
Movies of Lake Worth 6, CINMEX
CMX Wellington 10 PLF, CINMEX
Downtown 16 Theatre, CMARK
Boynton Beach 14, XD
CMARK
Palace 20 XD, EPIC
Regency Cinema 8
IPGCE, iPic Delray Beach 8 IPGCE, iPic Mizner Park 8, REGAL
Royal Palm Beach 18 RPX, SHADOW
Movies at Wellington 8.<p></p></div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-81100446804612908762021-05-08T16:44:00.010-04:002021-05-08T16:48:55.873-04:00Home video debut for two mid-20th-Century British mysteries: CAST A DARK SHADOW and WANTED FOR MURDER<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsuLjATZasmxcYusO0vwOImyl7w6frzTdYP_kEBGu_hVW-gUIbAPm4iEdLR-eNfC_ZM9QRUQytclwXC182aCn6_2WUOAm2-qiz1hQhbJCwQklM93HZuPR9Za2Hpvi1qBtK3SVRmq1n_c/s891/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="711" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsuLjATZasmxcYusO0vwOImyl7w6frzTdYP_kEBGu_hVW-gUIbAPm4iEdLR-eNfC_ZM9QRUQytclwXC182aCn6_2WUOAm2-qiz1hQhbJCwQklM93HZuPR9Za2Hpvi1qBtK3SVRmq1n_c/w319-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>This pair of certainly-not-classic but quite-presentable-anyway murder mysteries from England (both on the same disc) comprise a nice evening-or-two's enjoyment for buffs of British film. <p></p><p>Surprisingly enough, it's the lesser-known and less-credentialed of the two that makes for the more pleasant viewing.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP52rMZtId-nO_vUb98OPCr3v_ohZh89GOzukFx2ALq1aD8R5po-kg4p_xus61RquBPuS1vC-le5OiTj52jNKWFl-olqN_qYTG_Vxhq-xWzfJeLDarZ0gtvG5Ed8Lc6-Y7H4T4p80v54/s435/Untitled4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="435" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP52rMZtId-nO_vUb98OPCr3v_ohZh89GOzukFx2ALq1aD8R5po-kg4p_xus61RquBPuS1vC-le5OiTj52jNKWFl-olqN_qYTG_Vxhq-xWzfJeLDarZ0gtvG5Ed8Lc6-Y7H4T4p80v54/w400-h245/Untitled4.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /><a href="http://www.cohenfilmcollection.net/Films.aspx?r=h">CAST A LONG SHADOW</a></b> (from 1955) boasts the talents of actors <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001958/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t1">Dirk Bogarde</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0516994/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t2">Margaret Lockwood</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0909727/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3">Kay Walsh</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913332/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t6">Mona Washbourne</a></b> plus the directorial skills of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318150/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1">Lewis Gilbert</a></b>, in which Bogarde (above and on box art, top) plays another in his "handsome rotter" repertoire (was he unknowingly auditioning here for <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057490/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2">The Servant</a></b>?), at which the actor was just about unparalleled. Even as you know every word out of his mouth is fraudulent, you also easily believe that the older women he's seducing (in one way or another) and then "demising" are at least hopeful, if not completely convinced, of his honesty and worth.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDzjlorFs2sVYl61McLZXMEvvFZvhRlD2U_i7GDkQrwP3wqQDcW-DjuZU2xQHxheHryfVOiYaF2NRT_SQ7SfaDEkB9TLr_7MNn6UHgQyekyU4ojZLkbwdXyID1UHbBk_UbMXX9VvBTbc/s436/Untitled6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="436" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDzjlorFs2sVYl61McLZXMEvvFZvhRlD2U_i7GDkQrwP3wqQDcW-DjuZU2xQHxheHryfVOiYaF2NRT_SQ7SfaDEkB9TLr_7MNn6UHgQyekyU4ojZLkbwdXyID1UHbBk_UbMXX9VvBTbc/w400-h246/Untitled6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Until, that is, he connects with the crafty, no-nonsense, I'll-take-what-I-can-get character played by Ms Walsh (above), who proves the film's highlight. This is one memorable performance. The elderly and always delightful Ms Washbourne portrays an early victim of our boy, while Ms Lockwood (below), is also spot-on as an attractive late-comer to the mix.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiRh0U0hBucFayBp4mu_5LqpAQov2iddGnI3uA2KHPz3_98sbD00sTmBwfkeMSM86uRPQ98-Cx_CHia8icVBd3rYTKrkbfrzSMAg91vfN5JFZ1zT5xV5ZWiHtRlN8E1sJOPdAfYhzA-o/s444/Untitled5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="444" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiRh0U0hBucFayBp4mu_5LqpAQov2iddGnI3uA2KHPz3_98sbD00sTmBwfkeMSM86uRPQ98-Cx_CHia8icVBd3rYTKrkbfrzSMAg91vfN5JFZ1zT5xV5ZWiHtRlN8E1sJOPdAfYhzA-o/w400-h238/Untitled5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The movie is nicely acted, written and directed, but at this point in time, not at all surprising. You can predict just about everything that will happen, if not immediately then plenty ahead of the folk to whom it will occur. Still, there remains little as appealing and appalling as Mr. Bogarde at his usual naughty best.<p></p><p style="text-align: center;">**********************</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgTSYU7RNh6zqWhjYF0AkVB8hFMxA-JvHECETCIuhjX0lVol9enw5EuBm7Rp4dSXImPCjHYZ-6_aOhduHixddqVoyVp81_jZp0eVBvH-UMGP0N84q7UxjBpdFzMJeCZGSn39GAgqetUg/s444/Untitled1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="444" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgTSYU7RNh6zqWhjYF0AkVB8hFMxA-JvHECETCIuhjX0lVol9enw5EuBm7Rp4dSXImPCjHYZ-6_aOhduHixddqVoyVp81_jZp0eVBvH-UMGP0N84q7UxjBpdFzMJeCZGSn39GAgqetUg/w400-h305/Untitled1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The lovely surprise of this duo, however, is the movie with the moniker that could hardly be more generic: <b><a href="http://www.cohenfilmcollection.net/Films.aspx?r=h">WANTED FOR MURDER</a></b>. Yet this one is a small gem of its time period: a genre-mashing mystery with sweet romance and a little comedy -- and simply full of the social mores and cultural artifacts of its day. There's little mystery (not for long, at least) regarding who it is who's wanted for those murders. That would be the film's star, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692439/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Eric Portman</a></b>, who excelled at portraying strong, often nefarious characters, here playing a successful, well-to-do fellow whose problems stem from "father issues," about which we learn more as the film proceeds.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEI28TDu2T75HWhb9T5SJeW9ysQPPpK9c0fDvhxq_Wbjya2QBr59BnpoU4UjJEZV5MUV1_S6O0Tyn0RudWWHXyB7k2IUKZ1iH2cTdKtGhAyy5oLmdZNxliBDw-zbGuac4DaccCz9vfSE/s441/Untitled2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="441" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEI28TDu2T75HWhb9T5SJeW9ysQPPpK9c0fDvhxq_Wbjya2QBr59BnpoU4UjJEZV5MUV1_S6O0Tyn0RudWWHXyB7k2IUKZ1iH2cTdKtGhAyy5oLmdZNxliBDw-zbGuac4DaccCz9vfSE/w400-h296/Untitled2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The romance and comedy come via an in-danger young woman (the lovely <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336588/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Dulcie Gray</a></b>, above right), whom the Portman character is "dating," and the young man (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0268006/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Derek Farr</a></b>, above center) she meets and is smitten by, and by the always on-his-marks <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0391361/?ref_=tt_cl_t5">Stanley Holloway</a></b> (above left), as a not-quite-brilliant police officer. The manner in which this romance develops is so charming, witty and "unpushed" that it should make you long for the "old days" when at least a few films knew how to create and then make the most of their endearing characters. (The best recent example of this can be found in the film <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5774062/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Spontaneous</a></b>; check it out via <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spontaneous-Katherine-Langford/dp/B08J28WQS9/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=spontaneous&qid=1620495534&s=instant-video&sr=1-1">Prime Video</a></b> or <b><a href="https://www.hulu.com/hub/movies">Hulu</a></b>.)<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheK878A46qnBTRvu3etLppvi3dqzmaPqx59frzMmMc7DqlmTYj6kUqlX2TGUn2G_ERq-IUZ6yQs2Q8otz1DHHs7sQ5bR0tQcBZ8m72gRj6Cqt-ibRrpSRb_EZnGduQzsj0hlzroCKPL4/s437/Untitled3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="437" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheK878A46qnBTRvu3etLppvi3dqzmaPqx59frzMmMc7DqlmTYj6kUqlX2TGUn2G_ERq-IUZ6yQs2Q8otz1DHHs7sQ5bR0tQcBZ8m72gRj6Cqt-ibRrpSRb_EZnGduQzsj0hlzroCKPL4/w400-h300/Untitled3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The murder-mystery portion of the film work surprisingly well, too, for we end up feeling, as we should, real empathy for the victims, and even, finally, some understanding of the villain himself, whom Portman brings to life chillingly and sadly. Based on a stage play and very nicely filmed indeed by journeyman movie-and-television director <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0403126/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Lawrence Huntington</a></b>, <i>Wanted for Murder</i> proved special enough to fully make up for some of the dreck <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> has had to sit through over the past months.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXZyvhkCJ0AwbgN-4Ei5WOrXTTe0lXfidD5dRZ2VvvsqA3truij3oLVKO4UYZDlENftJp3zUXpTu3N0Vj1xyNyBH5v7XsmHLx0nVTlxLbXJaaJRB-Eab9jcLMyrXte2_dkzhyXydySrw/s438/Untitled7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="438" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXZyvhkCJ0AwbgN-4Ei5WOrXTTe0lXfidD5dRZ2VvvsqA3truij3oLVKO4UYZDlENftJp3zUXpTu3N0Vj1xyNyBH5v7XsmHLx0nVTlxLbXJaaJRB-Eab9jcLMyrXte2_dkzhyXydySrw/w400-h306/Untitled7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From the <b><a href="http://www.cohenfilmcollection.net/">Cohen Film Collection</a></b>'s <i>Classic of British Cinema</i>, (distributed via <b><a href="https://www.kinolorber.com/">Kino Lorber</a></b>) these two features on a single disc arrived on Blu-ray (in a nice 2K restoration) and DVD a month or so back and are available now for purchase (and I hope rental, too). Click <b><a href="https://www.kinolorber.com/film/cast-a-dark-shadowwanted-for-murder">here</a></b> for more information.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-55818410520502782992021-05-06T16:44:00.005-04:002021-05-06T23:20:22.605-04:00Sergei Loznitsa's death-of-Stalin documentary, STATE FUNERAL, opens at Film Forum<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfx0DLAnh8pEAquo-x3RWRKmL1UiQKdJLP4y3DE1fFJPUCf-keTnYshX5t29YIiAwrqcylT3940J11ucrBaJUooFdkDpKKFtsRJKp0Y0K2ShN1KV9aAUCJi3gvNCa38EdbFu4-aZcWOA/s907/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="612" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfx0DLAnh8pEAquo-x3RWRKmL1UiQKdJLP4y3DE1fFJPUCf-keTnYshX5t29YIiAwrqcylT3940J11ucrBaJUooFdkDpKKFtsRJKp0Y0K2ShN1KV9aAUCJi3gvNCa38EdbFu4-aZcWOA/w270-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>Of most interest, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> suspects, to big-time history buffs and Russophiles, <a href="https://mubi.com/films/state-funeral"><b>STATE FUNERAL</b></a> -- the 2019 documentary directed by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0523665/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Sergei Loznitsa</a></b> (shown below, of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646114/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_16">My Joy</a></b>) -- is two-and-one-quarter hours of black-and-white and color footage originally shot by the Soviets of the several-days-long funeral of USSR dictator <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin">Joseph Stalin</a></b>. <p></p><p>There he is, "Uncle Joe," laid out in state complete with signature mustache. What a record-breaking, mass-murderer kind of guy!</p><p>I always forget which of these -- Hitler, Mao or Stalin, with Pol Pot closing in the outside -- holds the absolute record of most-innocent-citizens-killed. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmA6CACmSeGzZe1ACLeuUDgYwjlSVpZGln9NpXQ6IL-yTfciXyUuNthKO1p3wvABBF7vWxSQPCLHL0yArZ5o4Ppe8GFs5y4bqJjZvSeoEK5GcHo3-mIWdRVwMin3brmudonnjQNRpeRM/s478/sergei-loznitsa_a195468.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="317" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmA6CACmSeGzZe1ACLeuUDgYwjlSVpZGln9NpXQ6IL-yTfciXyUuNthKO1p3wvABBF7vWxSQPCLHL0yArZ5o4Ppe8GFs5y4bqJjZvSeoEK5GcHo3-mIWdRVwMin3brmudonnjQNRpeRM/w265-h400/sergei-loznitsa_a195468.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>So here we are, watching as the hordes of "workers" (as well as the occasional head of state) from so many of those republics across the USSR (and next-door-neighbor Finland, too), pay their respects, seemingly utterly saddened by the news of their hero's death. <p></p><p>As we hear on the soundtrack the official version of how and why Stalin died, my mind wandered back to the wonderful <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0406334/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Armando Iannucci</a></b> comedy <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2018/03/armando-iannuccis-death-of-stalin.html">The Death of Stalin</a></b>, and then to imagining how the many fans of our own would-be dictator Donald Trump will react (someday soon, I hope) to the news of that guy's death. How much has changed during the succeeding nearly 70 years, and yet how little -- particularly in terms of official "news" in Russia or elsewhere -- actually has. The only difference comes via the transmission of news. Hello, internet! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM0mUIzuPrFob3ctV2nZmAzPBzFpuWwv-V2blBOsPPRgQeKACQl5sXNKZ1IuWaTDUVksxfO-1mxVjWgfm-ixM9OF2v-pkol6RPHK_eTCMa5Je-ffS-1HhbT5E4RCNORbBMj7N_BupWu8/s1890/TQA2qY8Q.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1890" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM0mUIzuPrFob3ctV2nZmAzPBzFpuWwv-V2blBOsPPRgQeKACQl5sXNKZ1IuWaTDUVksxfO-1mxVjWgfm-ixM9OF2v-pkol6RPHK_eTCMa5Je-ffS-1HhbT5E4RCNORbBMj7N_BupWu8/w400-h304/TQA2qY8Q.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />But back to the "spectacle," if you can even quite call it that. The publicity release refers to the film as "hypnotic," but I would only agree because the incredible repetition in the film is likely to put you to sleep. While there is identification of place, there is none of person (I thought I caught of a glimpse of Mao for a couple of seconds, and I know I saw Khrushchev early on) until toward the end we are told we're about to hear a speech by first Malenkov, then Beria, then Molotov. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppUor99-GPKG3kh9mae21LBxvZwv9Tm3YG1tVXQNCX7yQ-kZAitvYCITMA9INRvY_EtZEv9VvKNjkfwaxF7vp2Jrm-LhqrT3t516agnD-AzzAG19yTyCgXarC5Rs0Un1x-NqBD5Dv0bQ/s1890/splKEKKQ.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1890" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppUor99-GPKG3kh9mae21LBxvZwv9Tm3YG1tVXQNCX7yQ-kZAitvYCITMA9INRvY_EtZEv9VvKNjkfwaxF7vp2Jrm-LhqrT3t516agnD-AzzAG19yTyCgXarC5Rs0Un1x-NqBD5Dv0bQ/w400-h304/splKEKKQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Yet any spoken words are, of course, utter nonsense. If you replaced all the references to the triumph of Communism here with that of Capitalism (or merely the word "business") you might be listening to any western politician anywhere else. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViK1Ez7ztq7Scaa8SHV5nyQBY-PtdwHQtRWr0ihFES8VdHeCjYp45nlMFNh4w_pEw1TjSjFEFQFtG4ctwEmmwcQunQZqupgc9J3XEsNwz8plrAbPhD_2rUezIJzlq9tgt_78YQsdFsOk/s1890/YdtY5i5g.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1890" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgViK1Ez7ztq7Scaa8SHV5nyQBY-PtdwHQtRWr0ihFES8VdHeCjYp45nlMFNh4w_pEw1TjSjFEFQFtG4ctwEmmwcQunQZqupgc9J3XEsNwz8plrAbPhD_2rUezIJzlq9tgt_78YQsdFsOk/w400-h304/YdtY5i5g.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Much has been made of how this documentary shows us "authoritarianism" and "the cult of personality" at work via the brainwashed masses turning out to mourn. Come on. This happens because the documentary bangs us atop the head for over two hours to make the same point, and this happens in <i>all</i> countries under dictatorship (and not a few supposedly "democratic" ones, too). Russia was simply the best at this. Still is, I'd wager -- though China's a close second (and it has done a lot better at goosing its populace into a healthier condition). <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVYqxQHm_lv7sXuT1gEqA5cKFu4P6QqnzR5ASx5_4JmOawB7B8xROTItNCYrUaTN-cl41V17Spe-8bI4XmZ5G-ZpQiE4IeEICBtf2dTgQTQ75iCdzHUxdIorJrmd4Mc5e0oZ7eCJm2Rw/s1890/-OvqjZ0A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1890" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVYqxQHm_lv7sXuT1gEqA5cKFu4P6QqnzR5ASx5_4JmOawB7B8xROTItNCYrUaTN-cl41V17Spe-8bI4XmZ5G-ZpQiE4IeEICBtf2dTgQTQ75iCdzHUxdIorJrmd4Mc5e0oZ7eCJm2Rw/w400-h304/-OvqjZ0A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />You may smile at some of the schlock poetry recited here, as you note the many artists at work trying to capture Uncle Joe at rest. And you may begin to notice that, while a lot of the women are indeed crying, the men -- a much sterner gender -- often seem annoyed or maybe a little befuddled. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OJ4F_W1gZPrMGLxhm3BwiWm8VetXBdTULWWZceDgLYCPt8Gn-SNPn6ijzcYpcdRZaj0gDDkCcnoDT6P5ZW31IAS2c4OOHOfk-QGYG8QOMGdQN3SOCYOFiJFx4qMlln2SfoponDSfH1E/s2047/x15XXURg.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="2047" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4OJ4F_W1gZPrMGLxhm3BwiWm8VetXBdTULWWZceDgLYCPt8Gn-SNPn6ijzcYpcdRZaj0gDDkCcnoDT6P5ZW31IAS2c4OOHOfk-QGYG8QOMGdQN3SOCYOFiJFx4qMlln2SfoponDSfH1E/w400-h304/x15XXURg.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And the music! Of course it's funereal. But then, that was our Joe: Always ready with a purge, until it was time for a dirge. From <b><a href="https://mubi.com/">MUBI</a></b>, running 135 minutes and in Russian with English subtitles, <i>State Funeral</i> opens tomorrow, Friday, May 7, in New York City at <b><a href="http://www.filmforum.org">Film Forum</a></b> (Click the preceding link for more information.)<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-6766851280836786442021-05-05T17:37:00.000-04:002021-05-05T17:37:39.508-04:00Justin Price's mediocre genre-masher, WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME, hits home video<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpeRkZoMweNwFMXlQBusOmiLgeSW9k4GGuQLB_iFTzcea8c3rkFaQyT9JqzHg-kmQ8fiixci0KiVNDRJ0MYF_TTZu30LZLVKzZoRsCCwQwxzyZoSIo7OhrtODyRMNHlTIo-Tif4Di5Mk/s612/Untitled1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="425" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpeRkZoMweNwFMXlQBusOmiLgeSW9k4GGuQLB_iFTzcea8c3rkFaQyT9JqzHg-kmQ8fiixci0KiVNDRJ0MYF_TTZu30LZLVKzZoRsCCwQwxzyZoSIo7OhrtODyRMNHlTIo-Tif4Di5Mk/w278-h400/Untitled1.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>Well, it's not completely awful. You've seen plenty worse. <p></p><p>And if that's damning with (not even) faint praise, so be it: <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13281312/?ref_=fn_al_tt_9">WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME</a></b> takes one oft-tried genre (the big-time heist) then couples it to another (the supernatural) with results that are consistently done in via mediocre dialog and performances that are made up of "attitude" rather than the "specifics" required by genuine acting. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5klf1e5A0reZ3fHYFz8s-mwirY9wBKSzFIl9CKzc1N6grRHyR7fh13RZ3YAKivwcV24lyTnG7PA8eUUA2AR3KjgpcWuXlbHb11VJWO5iqdEEOGuwh81Y9DGkF3FkQx6mKd1criM-y_c/s819/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="483" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5klf1e5A0reZ3fHYFz8s-mwirY9wBKSzFIl9CKzc1N6grRHyR7fh13RZ3YAKivwcV24lyTnG7PA8eUUA2AR3KjgpcWuXlbHb11VJWO5iqdEEOGuwh81Y9DGkF3FkQx6mKd1criM-y_c/w236-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>As written and directed by a fellow named <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2691863/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1">Justin Price</a></b> (shown at right; he is also the co-producer and cinematographer), the movie starts out with a bang (quite a few bangs, actually) as a bloody, never-before-managed theft of some major information occurs and is then interrupted by a major, terribly silly and sentimental moment between one of the killers and a little boy.<p></p><p>Our anti-heroes flee and finally take refuge in an off-the-beaten-track house that is full of nasty surprises, which will come as a surprise only to those who've not seen several of this type of genre mashing previously.</p><p>The near-constant, would-be suspenseful music does not help things much, nor does the fact that these supposedly super-smart, top-of-the-line criminals keep behaving so stupidly. (When one of their group suddenly disappears, this fact is mentioned yet nobody bothers to go look for the poor girl.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Iu2OTXGLFhISxFbUFhAjnYZ8dtePcN7dUkRljX0m6mWr5-NC_MWXJSf45SeSi3xzRTLvTfYrXEkRlXoD1w2WHxOk5UDFC1i4nlY7PLjY-KEn6Ex0BAevO8XTWkQ2O7zJTKyPJZ9uEMY/s640/wrong-place-wrong-time-sage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Iu2OTXGLFhISxFbUFhAjnYZ8dtePcN7dUkRljX0m6mWr5-NC_MWXJSf45SeSi3xzRTLvTfYrXEkRlXoD1w2WHxOk5UDFC1i4nlY7PLjY-KEn6Ex0BAevO8XTWkQ2O7zJTKyPJZ9uEMY/w400-h225/wrong-place-wrong-time-sage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The film vamps its way along, with us viewers far ahead of those poor, on-screen schmucks, while the dialog, which begins as merely mediocre, soon falls a bit below that. My favorite line is "Solomon, hey -- what's happening?" spoken to poor Solomon, as he is clearly in horrible pain and probably dying.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN3EIii8Izua7DCDI3eV0ipblg0mfpJ7wCVFw0du6HF6VLQQG4sTz4TbhyphenhyphenIoBtwSiN2as535osFl0Bl74lAb5c0jqU4DpevlKjrp_HJgbhKZhlJVARDUHzpmnR8H-8kDkBmJMGS70KPI/s284/wrong2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN3EIii8Izua7DCDI3eV0ipblg0mfpJ7wCVFw0du6HF6VLQQG4sTz4TbhyphenhyphenIoBtwSiN2as535osFl0Bl74lAb5c0jqU4DpevlKjrp_HJgbhKZhlJVARDUHzpmnR8H-8kDkBmJMGS70KPI/w400-h249/wrong2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Finally all that is left is a lot of blood-letting and low-cost special effects. On the plus side is a real beast of a villain, played effectively, with pretty good prosthetics, by -- yes! -- Mr. Price himself. But the finale goes on and on and on until you're ready to grab the one remaining gun on view, stick it in your mouth, and pull the trigger. However, if you're into watching a person's intestines being pulled out of their body as they die, then this may be the movie for you.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ7Iipmu9hGepnPWIN2rbtB8Eb1q85-j3PchigzQqQivhGciOF2sYVjM4BiCzsjnx49uDgpqFjMZ0tTNC1ILfOgOKW2SILWKoD_SXWhdIO5t1XNhkOd1PjS27fIN_7hiydqmTB-UNDas/s300/wrong3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ7Iipmu9hGepnPWIN2rbtB8Eb1q85-j3PchigzQqQivhGciOF2sYVjM4BiCzsjnx49uDgpqFjMZ0tTNC1ILfOgOKW2SILWKoD_SXWhdIO5t1XNhkOd1PjS27fIN_7hiydqmTB-UNDas/w400-h224/wrong3-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://twitter.com/uncorkdent?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Uncork'd Entertainment</a></b> and running 85 minutes, <i>Wrong Place Wrong Time</i> hit home video via On-Demand and DVD yesterday, May 4 -- for purchase and/or rental.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-50382370379462739892021-05-03T05:55:00.009-04:002021-05-03T23:30:55.302-04:00Home video debut for Philippe Garrel's leisurely, laughable THE SALT OF TEARS<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNG55gZbf7AwybET9KoMDfd25eshklPuO18fD3nR0SDsLiPKTNY5irlxGIXe9bpcND_KNxSbh2xpjwParJbFRNJTzuOQ1PiKcRER3uGjVgm8JyD4XQN3EwmkJTOfCSHrfEuMs0mcaRzE/s1440/unnamed.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="992" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNG55gZbf7AwybET9KoMDfd25eshklPuO18fD3nR0SDsLiPKTNY5irlxGIXe9bpcND_KNxSbh2xpjwParJbFRNJTzuOQ1PiKcRER3uGjVgm8JyD4XQN3EwmkJTOfCSHrfEuMs0mcaRzE/w275-h400/unnamed.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>The relationship that a callow, manipulative young man named Luc develops with three different young women provides most of the content for <b><a href="https://www.distribfilmsus.com/portfolio/salt-of-tears-available/">THE SALT OF TEARS</a></b>, the latest film from <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0308042/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Philippe Garrel</a></b> (shown below), a French filmmaker whose sensibility seems forever stuck back in the 1960s even when, as here, he's desperately trying to come to terms with life and love in the 21st Century. <p></p><p>Motherless for most of his life, Luc does have a bond with his father (he's followed Dad's line of work), but seems to gravitate toward clingy, uncertain young women.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75iWcFuXOM4WCEPQp7BBu-zoIUFPuEkFrgBUoGoJ1R-32vZ4axyKAxm4ThsmRgJbiJ_xXmPBgfIw_Wzk_NdWCSlAwYUPZ33sxVlnbD1vUyhsAvACIshplopY79ztd6P64QXmovlsNEaY/s650/165845_v9_ba.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75iWcFuXOM4WCEPQp7BBu-zoIUFPuEkFrgBUoGoJ1R-32vZ4axyKAxm4ThsmRgJbiJ_xXmPBgfIw_Wzk_NdWCSlAwYUPZ33sxVlnbD1vUyhsAvACIshplopY79ztd6P64QXmovlsNEaY/w278-h400/165845_v9_ba.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>A fairly prolific filmmaker, M. Garrel already has 37 directorial credits and 32 for writing. For my taste, his movies have always remained in the (at best) "iffy" category. This one doesn't begin to achieve even that level.<p></p><p>Here, he relies on narration to fill in too many of the blanks -- from history and character to what his hero, Luc, is thinking and feeling. </p><p>Garrel tells instead of shows -- except when he does both, in far too tiresome a fashion. Further, that narration too often comes through as both pretentious and empty.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_7AxX8fbgHYjnj1V1REZUjKWxo7tpEr1Np3EnZz5RXcZHifdQw-1Kg_oKbrxh3xBi88lEh7g7WR25ifQEI92Utb7e19ATzBg_dBHDE4cQx9l6NfSIZSqImSU2RWrsIsvvE73qowV6JQ/s2048/LbKogrAA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="2048" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_7AxX8fbgHYjnj1V1REZUjKWxo7tpEr1Np3EnZz5RXcZHifdQw-1Kg_oKbrxh3xBi88lEh7g7WR25ifQEI92Utb7e19ATzBg_dBHDE4cQx9l6NfSIZSqImSU2RWrsIsvvE73qowV6JQ/w400-h275/LbKogrAA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Luc is played by the handsome newcomer <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10597030/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Logann Antuofermo</a></b> (above, left), whom we'll probably see again under better circumstances, while two of the three women are portrayed by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8317321/?ref_=tt_cl_t4">Louise Chevillotte</a></b> (above, right), whose needy, clingy character seems clearly responsible for Luc's learning how to "finger" so very well, and<p></p><p><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4205963/?ref_=tt_cl_t2"></a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrx8LbMtCkXqY8bZ5mDJ9FZmDTtxq6pg8b4bNWyXDczykSRE4aUsqlPqUwjhAWlxtCogh2qmtmDJb46LvjOxAazMq92ZcIbQehD66ebw8433EKLpdeQ-ZAKAmNZcw-e3SmWBhMfWKmvAM/s2048/rUczPPoQ.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrx8LbMtCkXqY8bZ5mDJ9FZmDTtxq6pg8b4bNWyXDczykSRE4aUsqlPqUwjhAWlxtCogh2qmtmDJb46LvjOxAazMq92ZcIbQehD66ebw8433EKLpdeQ-ZAKAmNZcw-e3SmWBhMfWKmvAM/w400-h300/rUczPPoQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4205963/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t2">Oulaya Amamra</a></b> (above, right), who plays the young woman Luc accosts at a bus stop, finagling his way into her affection (and perhaps into her womb: Our boy proves <i>very</i> fertile). These two characters seem like hold-overs from another age, and even the faintest feminist is likely to cringe while watching them. ("<i>You're</i> the one who matters, Luc!" implores one of these, when it is already too clear that he neither does nor should.)<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPjWtDfOJlSSPKAFsVadDy0mi5db9Mfibdtrp8kXs8dD4j6WZO05B1NUpJ43pDiSl6iEYZWqBlPtYDmPZquUQd9F3LRQCjffqunxmR4xKkyenXXFVrS-v3uayczVu-YHuSzZJjg6bmcY/s2048/ErRQhVTw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPjWtDfOJlSSPKAFsVadDy0mi5db9Mfibdtrp8kXs8dD4j6WZO05B1NUpJ43pDiSl6iEYZWqBlPtYDmPZquUQd9F3LRQCjffqunxmR4xKkyenXXFVrS-v3uayczVu-YHuSzZJjg6bmcY/w400-h266/ErRQhVTw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The third woman, Betsy, however, is quite another matter: self-supporting and self-sufficient, too. At least until we discover she needs to be fucking two men -- one by day, the other by night -- in order to be really satisfied. As played by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9113893/?ref_=tt_cl_t5">Souheila Yacoub</a></b> (above, right), Betsy helps brings the movie to some life during its final third.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevayE_i0vZGdMEuEhgZqpA2p9ANRIeTZLhKR7VPOfArXLCooiTa5rAROYsDTmjNSq3bv04poUfGghmoRCH2qtRd9RVdQJ4uqeyTf_LEyuwEslkwDPeserJ3izF_nwz-jHns9nYMvJUKk/s2048/UZ8cXVig.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevayE_i0vZGdMEuEhgZqpA2p9ANRIeTZLhKR7VPOfArXLCooiTa5rAROYsDTmjNSq3bv04poUfGghmoRCH2qtRd9RVdQJ4uqeyTf_LEyuwEslkwDPeserJ3izF_nwz-jHns9nYMvJUKk/w400-h266/UZ8cXVig.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Far too leisurely paced and predictable, <i>The Salt of Tears</i> is probably most embarrassing when it asks us to feel so sorry for poor Luc because he can't afford to eat lunch out with his classmates. And that narration grows ever more self-serving, pompous and finally very nearly as stupid as seems our asinine hero -- whose thought and action (via that narration, of course) regarding his father at film's end may very likely draw your biggest guffaw. (That's <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932870/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3">André Wilms</a></b>, above, as Luc's dad.) <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhIXPgB9kgT7GtuOU4tF-8OHVfiwz_QKXuKFvM1kUQqVbwvm1htn9oU2chCLNH4kGgwTafOfwbZ2D4Bw7K02URsczQ_YmgR9_HRCVaTNUER8r034fBY2MZqNDJ-PVNW1nG2HaoDoCDSg/s2048/JWxVXxKA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhIXPgB9kgT7GtuOU4tF-8OHVfiwz_QKXuKFvM1kUQqVbwvm1htn9oU2chCLNH4kGgwTafOfwbZ2D4Bw7K02URsczQ_YmgR9_HRCVaTNUER8r034fBY2MZqNDJ-PVNW1nG2HaoDoCDSg/w400-h266/JWxVXxKA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />There is an excellent dance scene at a club, due to its being shot at enough distance to allow us to see and enjoy the choreography, while the focus is on the faces as well as the bodies of the participants. The cinematography (by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005655/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr8">Renato Berta</a></b>, of <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2020/05/filippo-timi-and-sebastiano-mauris.html">Fairytale</a></b>) is also very fine. Otherwise, <i>The Salt of Tears</i> is mostly flatfooted nonsense.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg4xRh4plux7fQ3jgNs-pt4qtxqOoYMh_7K3c4JHOS0NpKM-1MGXTx0GcQkfOJLrLUv8hJGz6YhbjBUX2lc2H1IqgeluGiqwyFAj6gsAU3sNBJMTOjhRbDRNekVI-fGl-c9ixsyA-xW0/s2048/5e4zhyfA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="2048" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAg4xRh4plux7fQ3jgNs-pt4qtxqOoYMh_7K3c4JHOS0NpKM-1MGXTx0GcQkfOJLrLUv8hJGz6YhbjBUX2lc2H1IqgeluGiqwyFAj6gsAU3sNBJMTOjhRbDRNekVI-fGl-c9ixsyA-xW0/w400-h275/5e4zhyfA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.distribfilmsus.com/">Distrib Films US</a></b> (distributed here in the U.S. via <b><a href="http://icarusfilms.com/homevideo/">Icarus Home Video</a></b>) and running 101 minutes, the movie hit home video on DVD at the end of last month and is available now. Click <b><a href="http://icarusfilms.com/di-salt">here</a></b> and/or <a href="https://www.distribfilmsus.com/portfolio/salt-of-tears-available/"><b>here</b></a> for more information.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-75639292383366962682021-05-02T00:55:00.000-04:002021-05-02T00:55:47.591-04:00Peccadillo Pictures' latest compilation of gay shorts, BOYS ON FILM 21: BEAUTIFUL SECRET<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdi8B4fWVRWcQDZc8h1_IICzSEomLRTjETHXmbqGheMTQrVsHW-1ySbm5YRB_fYUnq55qUrtm-0a8CYO7DzBoZds1YAILGBMwGZHIuWSKQ-jRUYzxvPKw6idznSc1y2qvvnBMjjFKYi4/s423/BOF21.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdi8B4fWVRWcQDZc8h1_IICzSEomLRTjETHXmbqGheMTQrVsHW-1ySbm5YRB_fYUnq55qUrtm-0a8CYO7DzBoZds1YAILGBMwGZHIuWSKQ-jRUYzxvPKw6idznSc1y2qvvnBMjjFKYi4/w284-h400/BOF21.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>After giving quite a batch of review time to <b><a href="https://www.nqvmedia.com/">NQV Media</a></b> and its selections of short gay-themed movies, it seemed only fair that <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> looked elsewhere into the GLBT distribution field. Sure enough, up popped a company called <b><a href="https://www.peccapics.com/">Peccadillo Pictures</a></b> and its most recent grouping of international gay short films entitled <b><a href="https://www.peccapics.com/product/boysonfilm21/">BOYS ON FILM 21: BEAUTIFUL SECRET</a></b>. This lengthy moniker suggests that there may have been even earlier renditions of <i>Boys on Film</i>, and yes: 20 of these actually pre-date the current release, beginning back in <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5423582/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_10">2009</a></b>.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3_VUnlHZzb34gCLtNUD2WHveTsYOT898cCLKOm3Dic3iMAi08C1hvJJvWhuMG_XDl7K0B9ndvrsKEcVzNNsGo_I9yP6RKDtan7NLcofzVhd1gD9tr6uKjU1woyogSiuQBV1R8KKK75k/s300/3_MDWTNS-300x183.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="300" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3_VUnlHZzb34gCLtNUD2WHveTsYOT898cCLKOm3Dic3iMAi08C1hvJJvWhuMG_XDl7K0B9ndvrsKEcVzNNsGo_I9yP6RKDtan7NLcofzVhd1gD9tr6uKjU1woyogSiuQBV1R8KKK75k/w400-h244/3_MDWTNS-300x183.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />The current films arrive from a half dozen countries, though the majority come via Great Britain (English language subtitles are provided as needed) and run the gamut -- not just of countries but of themes, genres and emotions -- and while the quality may vary a bit, it never dips below the acceptable level and is in general very good.<p></p><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmwpkS-V9qpuf_5dx9IJm53xCQkHjxfnbUIxsuMOmhxDLnPg1YAbFJmknh8Qj7uby9Xl9S_VYuSAYMttqHGtLI94T26JkspY5QlEYXt1YmHAp6r8z21wOMg_r-6reYUHWRhdg4bUFIf0/s242/1_Memoirs-Of-A-Geeza-300x169.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="242" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmwpkS-V9qpuf_5dx9IJm53xCQkHjxfnbUIxsuMOmhxDLnPg1YAbFJmknh8Qj7uby9Xl9S_VYuSAYMttqHGtLI94T26JkspY5QlEYXt1YmHAp6r8z21wOMg_r-6reYUHWRhdg4bUFIf0/w400-h268/1_Memoirs-Of-A-Geeza-300x169.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Beautiful Secret</i> leads off with the utterly winning <b>MEMOIRS OF A GEEZA</b> (UK), in which director <b>Theo James Krekis</b>, in just four minutes flat (including credits) gives us the verbal and visual history of a young gay man at a fabulous, furious speed. "Perception's a funny thing, ain't it?" will take on wonderful new meaning by the end of this little delight.<div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVGTtjW35334HoWjr5l6vNfR34ro3y-_XzJm70ihz_iEJ3Zp-MkHLkTgGIkyoXDLTt19OrD18rjNw45XiCOpM_wi4fCAsdEwrQICaPc-tSCNvlzO9Sm5eZGxOSXgrF1uZH-gGygjp1ms/s300/2_We-Are-Dancers-300x126.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVGTtjW35334HoWjr5l6vNfR34ro3y-_XzJm70ihz_iEJ3Zp-MkHLkTgGIkyoXDLTt19OrD18rjNw45XiCOpM_wi4fCAsdEwrQICaPc-tSCNvlzO9Sm5eZGxOSXgrF1uZH-gGygjp1ms/w400-h168/2_We-Are-Dancers-300x126.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />WE ARE DANCERS</b> (UK, 30 mins) is set in the Berlin of 1933, as Hitler youth, along with Hitler elders, threaten a gay cabaret and its aging songstress owner in a kind of "last dance" before the shit hits the fan. Directed by<b> Joe Morris</b>, the film may seem somewhat <i>been there/done that</i> for those of us in the older generation. Still, it's nicely filmed written and acted by a game cast. </div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4F7t47jDB4YyUjmauTcR-fgVDbqpc2FcniOC8ZrfNR0RmLEnHT7zKviFjDNhd-WOMr-ch4LPjBpGneDqs0C_WmC-lSVKVfUSrw-MpnfNKYgEnnIXzGlK45hprvO0CUDz2bG3hh8n64Y8/s300/3_MDWTNS-Op2-300x184.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="300" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4F7t47jDB4YyUjmauTcR-fgVDbqpc2FcniOC8ZrfNR0RmLEnHT7zKviFjDNhd-WOMr-ch4LPjBpGneDqs0C_WmC-lSVKVfUSrw-MpnfNKYgEnnIXzGlK45hprvO0CUDz2bG3hh8n64Y8/w400-h245/3_MDWTNS-Op2-300x184.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />From Canada comes, <b>MY DAD WORKS THE NIGHT SHIFT</b>, a 14-minutes movie directed by <b>Zachary Ayotte</b>. A coming-out tale complete with swimming pool, locker room and a not-quite pick-up, this one features the rather memorable line, "Hey, Dad -- how long is seven inches?" It also offers a nicely surprising finish. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq5hiIzH6YGi5y-F3aTRaL9D7TSlaXtsgstZuVEVXmz8YemiPznRwG_Y6L2ypRiuRFWuto47eKHlrytlgN9C9BfwQtvq6EjKbCzwRAnr4EF_o4JpqpoBya3P26uTt18Duio2pxAhIlU8/s300/4_LHJ-300x200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwq5hiIzH6YGi5y-F3aTRaL9D7TSlaXtsgstZuVEVXmz8YemiPznRwG_Y6L2ypRiuRFWuto47eKHlrytlgN9C9BfwQtvq6EjKbCzwRAnr4EF_o4JpqpoBya3P26uTt18Duio2pxAhIlU8/w400-h267/4_LHJ-300x200.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I suspect <b>Jean Genet</b> would have creamed his shorts, had he been able to view <b>L'HOMME JETÉE</b> (Switzerland, 21 mins), directed by <b>Loïc Hobi</b>. Here we have sailors, sex, gay guys, abusive fighting and lots of longing, as Theo, our hero, gloms onto Giuseppe and hopes to follow him out to sea. Easier said than done -- but full of the requisite angst and taboo. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOuuhxaUYGvX4HiEG1X5MvmT2e5Gxwf_bj_cE7n_oWfbN6zvUC54dvs2z64sA_zQjk3-F2v_TMm7KClf9nFG_IE-T5y5gLn1HRm-kBj-jxGJejT66o8jUgZjA6ofvGJ2wD3tijbzch_E/s300/5_MYSWEETPRINCE_MainStill1_PhotoCreditJennyBrough-300x200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOuuhxaUYGvX4HiEG1X5MvmT2e5Gxwf_bj_cE7n_oWfbN6zvUC54dvs2z64sA_zQjk3-F2v_TMm7KClf9nFG_IE-T5y5gLn1HRm-kBj-jxGJejT66o8jUgZjA6ofvGJ2wD3tijbzch_E/w400-h267/5_MYSWEETPRINCE_MainStill1_PhotoCreditJennyBrough-300x200.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Angst is also front and center in <b>MY SWEET PRINCE</b> (UK, 12 mins), as director <b>Jason Bradbury </b>has his hot-looking young hero fret no end about his would-be love (who may have no idea that he's the object of such lust). Set on the Isle of Wight near the turn of this new century, video comes up against fiction in ways not always that deciperhable for this viewer, at least. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-iYrVtuwBG5eNhYlpOFTdhELORVagsb2opvWbeBDMx81SdKX-FpriiwN_eU4hqeXS2Md2kggyzcFNhDSKk_YV6fOJzeKScIdvAg10ranoSWJxoC0G1cE9LKOCHZDyanwCgK4xEn1LwU/s300/6_DUNGAREES-300x169.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="300" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-iYrVtuwBG5eNhYlpOFTdhELORVagsb2opvWbeBDMx81SdKX-FpriiwN_eU4hqeXS2Md2kggyzcFNhDSKk_YV6fOJzeKScIdvAg10ranoSWJxoC0G1cE9LKOCHZDyanwCgK4xEn1LwU/w400-h225/6_DUNGAREES-300x169.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />In <b>DUNGAREES</b> (UK, 5 mins), director <b>Abel Rubinstein</b> gves us a very short film that deals with two boys, a dildo, and acceptance of gay identity. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNPv3P0JehePssidY34PyRr7dfphf9QRpn7p0eTkXrjb_LIixgG3LhJp28YpATN0NGPVypyrtNwqrYWX94HTy_G9uxlUybPkCsKhM4cmpYx85EshxeJSDvD57duFeEFJCva-Nq9x2Nvg/s300/7_Clothes-and-Blow-300x200.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNPv3P0JehePssidY34PyRr7dfphf9QRpn7p0eTkXrjb_LIixgG3LhJp28YpATN0NGPVypyrtNwqrYWX94HTy_G9uxlUybPkCsKhM4cmpYx85EshxeJSDvD57duFeEFJCva-Nq9x2Nvg/w400-h267/7_Clothes-and-Blow-300x200.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The lightest and closest to maybe conventional comedy comes with director <b>Sam Peter Jackson</b>'s charming coming-out-abroad-themed <b>CLOTHES & BLOW</b> (a US/UK co-production, 23 mins), in which a young American man making his living doing voice-overs in London gets a surprise visit from both his mom and his sister. Among the many wittty gems here, perhaps the funniest involves the particular DVDs our hero's sex partner must play to help mask the sound of his very loud lovemaking. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyZQFR0GPFR9gAetQg9wJKGSiQAd279VQvQ-8YgduP8xvnamHl5C5cqomR-mSAV7Le2ZlRX1oCe51WB_iXhikOcRypHNRxHGB1u_YsTUipV8F_xZaJcxKD3Mk7m3NXDuCqVYvYx0Ud0w/s292/8_A-Normal-Guy-300x169.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="129" data-original-width="292" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyZQFR0GPFR9gAetQg9wJKGSiQAd279VQvQ-8YgduP8xvnamHl5C5cqomR-mSAV7Le2ZlRX1oCe51WB_iXhikOcRypHNRxHGB1u_YsTUipV8F_xZaJcxKD3Mk7m3NXDuCqVYvYx0Ud0w/w400-h177/8_A-Normal-Guy-300x169.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Romania proves the surprising source of one of the best of this lot, <b>A NORMAL GUY</b> (14 mins), in which director <b>George Dogaru</b> tells the tale of a cute gay guy who lives with his straight brother and bro's girlfriend, and the night he gets particularly lucky bringing home a very hot number from a local club. This one also boasts the most original full-frontal nude scene you'll have seen. Fun -- and then some.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WmYDjonuy-1moCbZmOTofMEnylPVQ537Dcqf8Ph5ErdObtux4orNsSW6YUz-pykUsIe26L1fZjnypUAsaSN415Llwhyphenhyphen9iVXFSk9hXYcvRVoUe574wwFd1KZ5DfZE7NkV86k9alCvUTU/s300/9_Pretty-Boy-300x128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="300" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WmYDjonuy-1moCbZmOTofMEnylPVQ537Dcqf8Ph5ErdObtux4orNsSW6YUz-pykUsIe26L1fZjnypUAsaSN415Llwhyphenhyphen9iVXFSk9hXYcvRVoUe574wwFd1KZ5DfZE7NkV86k9alCvUTU/w400-h171/9_Pretty-Boy-300x128.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />PRETTY BOY</b> (Australia, 9 mins) concludes the compilation, as directors Pierce Hadjincola & Sinclar Suhood give us a closeted teen whose mother is not as welcoming as he or we might like. Overall, there's enough variety and talent here to make this anthology worth a viewing (or, in the case of some of these shorts, maybe two).</div><div><br /></div><div>From <b><a href="https://www.peccapics.com/">Peccadillo Pictures</a></b> and, in its entirety, running two hours and 14 minutes, <i>Boys on Film 21: Beautiful Secret </i>is available now here in the USA via digital streaming on Amazon. Click <b><a href="https://www.peccapics.com/product/boysonfilm21/">here</a></b> for further information.</div><div><br /></div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-88790247151449745192021-04-30T00:12:00.012-04:002021-04-30T09:47:16.405-04:00Black and white disparity--again and forever it seems--in Chris Haley and Brad J. Bennett's short doc, UNMARKED <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT02kt7nToc16OEuuoAfEkNsbzp8IyjUEZReKRdelAxuKMR2A2H1MeKUcK1JKML3m3fqgeBUMUG1heAmiWJTAluS9Au_s63DEO5znIW6hXXuIyMfeWkZ9mNBsHT1ByjJNFFLmGsqcYo8/s452/unnamed.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibT02kt7nToc16OEuuoAfEkNsbzp8IyjUEZReKRdelAxuKMR2A2H1MeKUcK1JKML3m3fqgeBUMUG1heAmiWJTAluS9Au_s63DEO5znIW6hXXuIyMfeWkZ9mNBsHT1ByjJNFFLmGsqcYo8/w284-h400/unnamed.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>Here's a subject linked to systemic racism, like so many others coming to the fore of late, that my readers may not even have considered -- unless you happen to be Black, especially from the South but also, unfortunately, from the supposedly woke-earlier-North of these United States. That subject would be burial, and the treatment of that burial as something worth honoring and remembering. <p></p><p>As the new documentary <b><a href="https://www.unmarkedfilm.com/">UNMARKED</a></b> shows us, there are hundreds of slave cemeteries -- until now allowed to disappear or slip into total disrepair -- seemingly unknown yet almost in plain view that dot our southern states, particularly in the area of Virginia, where this documentary takes place.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSodCCBO8yJNQG4v2QOBGog2bt3Yuqva9fugfMOvTdHZTwEnIi0lnAwJpDS_sII2LZ57K91Kro2fsVOUEslC_3T8DPVm6UxZNgzHokjrVIg2GbR2q0ISjE_hU1jDdV020myOyYCLKq5jI/s372/c-haley-unmarked.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="238" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSodCCBO8yJNQG4v2QOBGog2bt3Yuqva9fugfMOvTdHZTwEnIi0lnAwJpDS_sII2LZ57K91Kro2fsVOUEslC_3T8DPVm6UxZNgzHokjrVIg2GbR2q0ISjE_hU1jDdV020myOyYCLKq5jI/w256-h400/c-haley-unmarked.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>As directed by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1341277/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Chris Haley</a></b> (shown at right) and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5279185/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Brad J. Bennett</a></b> (below), the documentary is actually a short film which started out, according to its <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8271098/?ref_=tt_mv_close">IMDB page</a></b>, as only 27 minutes in length, now grown to 40 minutes. And yet, the subject itself calls for full-length treatment.<p></p><p>Perhaps because the venue is confined (probably by both the budget the location of the filmmakers to the state of Virginia), the ability to reach out nationwide was limited. And so we remain in and around that state, as these new/old graveyards are rediscovered and </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDn_WE782qOCB7jyoDgNpu_WZT9sqtmdRJvBLPsL7wbN6FvYD4r-lBo4hy1_KeSaqOb0k328zi23aUj-Jsw019ytzeDmT_vDjOfq2ypYTzElUIuRY5hAZqgaGB18FSiODaYIh9ehSjSU/s450/BRAD_2017_B%2526W.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDn_WE782qOCB7jyoDgNpu_WZT9sqtmdRJvBLPsL7wbN6FvYD4r-lBo4hy1_KeSaqOb0k328zi23aUj-Jsw019ytzeDmT_vDjOfq2ypYTzElUIuRY5hAZqgaGB18FSiODaYIh9ehSjSU/w266-h400/BRAD_2017_B%2526W.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>reinvigorated from the confines of the natural world that has grown around them and covered them.<p></p><p>Catch as catch can, we meet some of the folk who are helping unearth and then maintain these graveyards, and we watch them work and see how they manage all this. </p><p>It's interesting, important, and -- when at one point we view the pristine and beautifully-tended Confederate cemetery in the area of Richmond, VA -- fucking enraging to compare this to the separate-but-unequal "disappeared" cemetery of the slaves.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcdpzDhHBvOpSEoSUddc4fkkFEDreVlFY64YnHzHWGKSIVBoves_5C0_IkxKj8IrQiLsq1Uo6FF1k-dkGLOKwV8hZwGuJnztVmDPlAaT6cB1aWkqDyiY3k0J86CyDIUMxKgy3qmvyKSQ/s1509/Untitled1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1509" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcdpzDhHBvOpSEoSUddc4fkkFEDreVlFY64YnHzHWGKSIVBoves_5C0_IkxKj8IrQiLsq1Uo6FF1k-dkGLOKwV8hZwGuJnztVmDPlAaT6cB1aWkqDyiY3k0J86CyDIUMxKgy3qmvyKSQ/w400-h226/Untitled1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Most of the documentary will not and is not meant to be enraging because it is clear that the folk working to regain these burial grounds and turn them into something that honors, records and remembers the dead want to do this as peaceably as possible.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGJckPJRuDGo7l0I4xyxV8FWqp2OfrVFA9CrSAXIa6slUPKdTkOlqdEJZCNaVLY-jUa2tYBSLAFn4Vo6H6kr8kGHU5_uo4E3zkoJxlLzg1W1HWV7029oMs2MYd1IK-VUC7Cy4kUrc2nw/s600/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGJckPJRuDGo7l0I4xyxV8FWqp2OfrVFA9CrSAXIa6slUPKdTkOlqdEJZCNaVLY-jUa2tYBSLAFn4Vo6H6kr8kGHU5_uo4E3zkoJxlLzg1W1HWV7029oMs2MYd1IK-VUC7Cy4kUrc2nw/w400-h225/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This means using the help of mostly volunteers but also politicians and local institutions -- educational and otherwise -- in ways that might finally bring us together, at least somewhat.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLrOR1EsfN4s8N-8w1Kk2xA9RpPeEyB-vAZMBJVDwgnETIaJkWz52bKo7Cz0y-PNWQGFJ-_tqiTcEznF7ncby4pTiaR3HDmbGEQX2MCwbwezj8cR14_cLCvEa9o6ed2lNcpfACsO4J3w/s600/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLrOR1EsfN4s8N-8w1Kk2xA9RpPeEyB-vAZMBJVDwgnETIaJkWz52bKo7Cz0y-PNWQGFJ-_tqiTcEznF7ncby4pTiaR3HDmbGEQX2MCwbwezj8cR14_cLCvEa9o6ed2lNcpfACsO4J3w/w400-h225/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />So we watch as these volunteers, using only their bare hands against the under- and over-growth, discover more tombstones in more locations. One woman speaks movingly of finally traveling the road from shame to pride regarding the history of slavery, while another remarks on how important it is to possess "authentic history," rather than merely history (or the kind of revisionist history that would have us believe that so many of the slaves were such <i>happy</i> people, really.). <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nbQb3yfS8htYVsRcRlmovMAIxVNUDu6nVi_QeApCazj6piU8LuK2tVB91ZdH47jmWKMMYbT2rLgxst_eRLZJNFUF3kQBo5x-3r4HiBYWaA1ZUBEt9Hfwc7S3Zu48ys9E8hkwbV3k3BA/s1515/Untitled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1515" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nbQb3yfS8htYVsRcRlmovMAIxVNUDu6nVi_QeApCazj6piU8LuK2tVB91ZdH47jmWKMMYbT2rLgxst_eRLZJNFUF3kQBo5x-3r4HiBYWaA1ZUBEt9Hfwc7S3Zu48ys9E8hkwbV3k3BA/w400-h226/Untitled.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />If the doc jumps around into subjects barely covered, and even includes an apocryphal-sounding tale of a sad "Cinderella" love story, its heart is clearly in the right place. Let's hope that a full-length documentary may someday arrive covering more of the totality and history of these unmarked graves. Meanwhile, this short film will fill you in as a decent introduction.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLRpNoxdmvhxjq14AgyaLQWXzFUOPsi7xA6zRNjvWtNk_Lj55WG5GKFF0bMZ_GghsNcbV0mXUZP5_m0h5Tbe10ZALva1Cv9y8kuCKrsAQqceHL_MxpmnA6CsxYYcvkkKhNDW_VfOnMBM/s1415/Untitled2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1415" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLRpNoxdmvhxjq14AgyaLQWXzFUOPsi7xA6zRNjvWtNk_Lj55WG5GKFF0bMZ_GghsNcbV0mXUZP5_m0h5Tbe10ZALva1Cv9y8kuCKrsAQqceHL_MxpmnA6CsxYYcvkkKhNDW_VfOnMBM/w400-h239/Untitled2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://firstrunfeatures.com/">First Run Features</a></b> and lasting but 40 minutes, <i>Unmarked</i> arrived on DVD and digital streaming this past Tuesday, April 27 -- for purchase and/or rental. Click <b><a href="https://firstrunfeatures.com/unmarkedvod.html">here</a></b> for further information.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-78866378628265450312021-04-28T12:12:00.012-04:002021-04-28T12:12:00.244-04:00Roy Andersson is back -- and treading water -- with ABOUT ENDLESSNESS<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriO4iSxUB-xt9XQEr217Qqnl8y9s2y9SwWEWX4xqJGAorQCN4dSs_Qz_N0SFJDSEVYb1c_FYcyZtlpb6DS3oRLDoeUw2O2irg6336pwRqlBPUSKmtFrkoLM1yM8DjET8s8qufv1DRdgk/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2Q1ZGNlMzI4LTg3ZTAtNDViMy05YzU1LWU0NzEwNjlkMDdlZi5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1433" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriO4iSxUB-xt9XQEr217Qqnl8y9s2y9SwWEWX4xqJGAorQCN4dSs_Qz_N0SFJDSEVYb1c_FYcyZtlpb6DS3oRLDoeUw2O2irg6336pwRqlBPUSKmtFrkoLM1yM8DjET8s8qufv1DRdgk/w280-h400/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2Q1ZGNlMzI4LTg3ZTAtNDViMy05YzU1LWU0NzEwNjlkMDdlZi5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>They're all here, once again, those special pleasures of viewing a film by Swedish master <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0027815/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Roy Andersson</a></b>: the stationary camera, perfect compositions, elegance, ugliness, humor (dry, dark), and above all quietude -- even amidst what would normally be considered a terribly trying time (a modern-day Christ being persecuted as he carries his cross uphill in one of those uber-sanitary Scandinavian towns). <p></p><p>Beginning with a Chagall-like image (above) of a man and woman floating in the sky, Andersson's newest, <b><a href="https://www.aboutendlessnessfilm.com/">ABOUT ENDLESSNESS</a></b>, is only his fourth full-length film in 20 years. None of these are what you'd call lengthy (maybe 95 or 100 minutes), and his new one lasts but 78. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYqn24XjpfQ6VuQ48OtVwIPddCUsTlb186YiarJOoVBfe0oNyUULBczfYQ4fMLzcdwETijq29oDxsSUyqn15Jmf5ErXujGuMJZ6viFpoL41cIdvTNNEH-O_x8tdlZgLTi_FT1VGYh-6o/s470/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="336" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYqn24XjpfQ6VuQ48OtVwIPddCUsTlb186YiarJOoVBfe0oNyUULBczfYQ4fMLzcdwETijq29oDxsSUyqn15Jmf5ErXujGuMJZ6viFpoL41cIdvTNNEH-O_x8tdlZgLTi_FT1VGYh-6o/w286-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>Yet for <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b>, this one seems the longest, thanks to a certain repetition and sameness that have clearly set in to the filmmaker's work (Mr. Andersson is shown at right). Not that his situations are the same (though they are often pretty similar), but his themes -- from religion, war, commerce, communication (or the lack of it), and a populace that is at best utterly brainwashed -- remain front and center, with little new to be said about any of these. <p></p><p>What the filmmaker has done, I think, is to pare down each of his segments more and more to what is currently coming very close to the bone. (Andersson has always been a minimalist; he's simply more so now.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LaGPPivVT8WNUuZDJnfJ7C3eO59wlVvK2dyKPOrZAoIN8kOvuc7XyBqTNfMWzurqGfm_RY11f0qVqtizI5McMH9ZgqPRsjneN6C_3BIntGOA9nY033fN5JMGrnXqJ7HLr4xYC4Yp_cQ/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzNmZmQ5M2FkLWMxMTItNDQ4NC1hNzE5LTdkNDViOGU0YTZlOS5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LaGPPivVT8WNUuZDJnfJ7C3eO59wlVvK2dyKPOrZAoIN8kOvuc7XyBqTNfMWzurqGfm_RY11f0qVqtizI5McMH9ZgqPRsjneN6C_3BIntGOA9nY033fN5JMGrnXqJ7HLr4xYC4Yp_cQ/w400-h225/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzNmZmQ5M2FkLWMxMTItNDQ4NC1hNzE5LTdkNDViOGU0YTZlOS5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />He's right, of course, in that society is certainly <i>not</i> changing (except for the worse), but then neither is his own vision. And since there are usually a few years inserted between his last and the debut of his latest, we're more primed for yet another chapter of Andersson-ville.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sV9MWcaCbUOQGGDJfvuOeVUPwcyQL3XRpvoRqmB4vPQpmI2cByr4Oi9l2nbZhwYq5h15lKmwbjwmpTqcM3CgbmCbZLd5tQFz8zuY6xfoo0yJbN8c94Ue5iwPVF-TQnFJmS01bBAyXR4/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzM4NzUwZGM2LWIxYTAtNDQ1NS04ZWVmLTFlMzAyYzAxYzdmMi5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sV9MWcaCbUOQGGDJfvuOeVUPwcyQL3XRpvoRqmB4vPQpmI2cByr4Oi9l2nbZhwYq5h15lKmwbjwmpTqcM3CgbmCbZLd5tQFz8zuY6xfoo0yJbN8c94Ue5iwPVF-TQnFJmS01bBAyXR4/w400-h225/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzM4NzUwZGM2LWIxYTAtNDQ1NS04ZWVmLTFlMzAyYzAxYzdmMi5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And so as <i>About Endlessness</i> was unspooling, I found myself, as ever, engaged with the simultaneous beauty/ugliness of it all. At the same time, my mind wandered back to his first (and still best) full-length film, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120263/?ref_=nm_knf_i1">Songs From the Second Floor</a></b>, and how much more deeply, movingly, often shockingly, these same themes were rendered.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtX9t-n4q_U4-yU8ciLrXGDUjpZFNtwjSCgk9wnuhUQmYK9ump9liqnAWnWB7gBcVvMifHYgJhZkSR56YkqkTtwEeBgk8cFWIrnzcAwkSHWOcuVSkyhI9ds_LpqxtYEUzuL7dFrtGRSoU/s1203/Untitled2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1203" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtX9t-n4q_U4-yU8ciLrXGDUjpZFNtwjSCgk9wnuhUQmYK9ump9liqnAWnWB7gBcVvMifHYgJhZkSR56YkqkTtwEeBgk8cFWIrnzcAwkSHWOcuVSkyhI9ds_LpqxtYEUzuL7dFrtGRSoU/w400-h223/Untitled2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Well, society certainly ain't changing ('cept for the worse), so can you blame a filmmaker for staying his course? (Even treading water, Roy Andersson puts most other movie-makers to shame in <i>so</i> many ways.) And if we perceive an awful lot of state-sanctioned, by-rote behavior here, I can also tell you that the likes of Adolf Hitler makes an appearance, as well.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhte6ZboIJkdWdG3ocCdFCahvXzPt59xsGInCmfNyTz3oB_YuytxyA9Hvuin8ZMLcBtcMz2SELsOF7ysXmNelWBqBy0IvizO6itkn-JzBLYeXDOwfCR1gVf5s5ozJBza5kNvMDkv_rgBBQ/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2UyMDZiYjlhLTM0OGItNDMxNS05YjBmLTllYjlkNzI2NTZiMi5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhte6ZboIJkdWdG3ocCdFCahvXzPt59xsGInCmfNyTz3oB_YuytxyA9Hvuin8ZMLcBtcMz2SELsOF7ysXmNelWBqBy0IvizO6itkn-JzBLYeXDOwfCR1gVf5s5ozJBza5kNvMDkv_rgBBQ/w400-h225/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2UyMDZiYjlhLTM0OGItNDMxNS05YjBmLTllYjlkNzI2NTZiMi5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The refrain, "I saw a man..." (or sometimes a woman) occurs often here, as do forms of love and even thermodynamics. And if I can detect any <i>really</i> special loathing of Andersson's, it just might be toward psychotherapy and its practitioners (maybe even toward the entire medical profession). <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLn21Kb5L1WkA15WsaMLASf25qrlXKE6HnXQZGRjVpzX9_L8JbRXHHlB_LaiajUqQ1HGr2svWSrWnPX5W4gbeRPleksnWvM4YmlfFIW6W1CgN483VtfKVeK6QNGoL5XRwSpG-kICp6jk/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzM0M2M5OTAxLWNjYWQtNDI4Yi1iZjkxLTcxM2E1ZTg3MzUxNS5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLn21Kb5L1WkA15WsaMLASf25qrlXKE6HnXQZGRjVpzX9_L8JbRXHHlB_LaiajUqQ1HGr2svWSrWnPX5W4gbeRPleksnWvM4YmlfFIW6W1CgN483VtfKVeK6QNGoL5XRwSpG-kICp6jk/w400-h225/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzM0M2M5OTAxLWNjYWQtNDI4Yi1iZjkxLTcxM2E1ZTg3MzUxNS5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I might suggest that it's time for Andersson to move on, but as the world appears to be arriving at its end, in its own not-so-good time, perhaps it is this filmmaker who is the best choice to help us properly embrace it all.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgp1ABu_jDjIukwPLOroQTPFqsKH10h71lUUi48lveAPB-tTUXr16iZi0pdfcFV0hSP4QkG1UjD0EobHcWXt0bBs1Wbw60d1FsW-H0LdqAkN7WRKNa65PrU2Kwrb2HIK9F8VmT2T8eMs/s2048/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzI5ZTVjNDBmLTczYzItNGMwOC04NTZmLTI4NWVkZGI3YTI5MS5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgp1ABu_jDjIukwPLOroQTPFqsKH10h71lUUi48lveAPB-tTUXr16iZi0pdfcFV0hSP4QkG1UjD0EobHcWXt0bBs1Wbw60d1FsW-H0LdqAkN7WRKNa65PrU2Kwrb2HIK9F8VmT2T8eMs/w400-h225/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzI5ZTVjNDBmLTczYzItNGMwOC04NTZmLTI4NWVkZGI3YTI5MS5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.magnoliapictures.com/">Magnolia Pictures</a></b>, in Swedish with English subtitles (damn few, actually; fast, snappy dialog is not Mr. Andersson's thing) and running 78 minutes, <i>About Endlessness</i> opens theatrically this Friday, April 30 in limited release. (It will not be challenging Godzilla and King Kong for the box-office crown.) Click <b><a href="https://www.aboutendlessnessfilm.com/">here</a></b> for more information on the film and its theatrical and/or digital-viewing venues.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-53317597514073568362021-04-27T00:12:00.011-04:002021-04-27T00:12:00.220-04:00Heat waves -- and whom they affect -- in Judith Helfand's history/documentary, COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU_sfi-KripcQv9E9onfISPpareZ5S4oBFkaMq5zePQwxt-xiNK2XxB6kPNEtSxu2rc8JaaDzJ11HAMfa0sVAz0ymOI0zmrsRhooykBKqchFkI5xd8bEn-ZifJYPjJzuyzDcLTQr9jLQ/s792/Untitled.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="792" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqU_sfi-KripcQv9E9onfISPpareZ5S4oBFkaMq5zePQwxt-xiNK2XxB6kPNEtSxu2rc8JaaDzJ11HAMfa0sVAz0ymOI0zmrsRhooykBKqchFkI5xd8bEn-ZifJYPjJzuyzDcLTQr9jLQ/w400-h206/Untitled.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The film begins with a "natural" disaster -- the summer-of-1995 heat wave that hit Chicago and killed hundreds of people -- and then quickly moves to make us understand how the particular choice (and, yes, it was a long-gestating choice) of exactly which people would die was anything but "natural." <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBcU-KUJimOzNC_JPRce2RQuuW2vVWe3KC9aYN9Oavh4qtNv2QoTNesbhX5JhfSrk5HBHS4SVze8L2nPyM7xjisihtWt305mqFh_cmnrS7b2DerlITatStkyziL9lST6Gza9G7xO-5GA/s2048/EKPortrait2017.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBcU-KUJimOzNC_JPRce2RQuuW2vVWe3KC9aYN9Oavh4qtNv2QoTNesbhX5JhfSrk5HBHS4SVze8L2nPyM7xjisihtWt305mqFh_cmnrS7b2DerlITatStkyziL9lST6Gza9G7xO-5GA/w266-h400/EKPortrait2017.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><p>Adapted from the book, <b><a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo20809880.html">Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago</a></b> by sociologist and urban studies author <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Klinenberg">Eric Klinenberg</a> </b>(shown at left). <b><a href="http://misc.icarusfilms.com/homevideo/sellsheet/cooked_sell.pdf">COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE</a></b> tackles not just heat waves, hurricanes, and other natural disasters but why these always seem to first kill folk from low-income, non-white neighborhoods, along with why "disaster preparedness" seminars and demonstrations prepare mostly wealthy white enclaves for survival. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlmmGCWxDe8Yvm0hq3Icb0p54vX5TZ67iK250xpdkbWAwu2Q1wuphcRUvxly3LlNRvBsybjK6uXqaozPR2xmHLjHX8hwQceZrdPRBs05n_9yGrjDVN7Dr0z6Htg4xTa3OuvDkGp1FPnM/s300/Cooked-237x300.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="198" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlmmGCWxDe8Yvm0hq3Icb0p54vX5TZ67iK250xpdkbWAwu2Q1wuphcRUvxly3LlNRvBsybjK6uXqaozPR2xmHLjHX8hwQceZrdPRBs05n_9yGrjDVN7Dr0z6Htg4xTa3OuvDkGp1FPnM/w264-h400/Cooked-237x300.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>As directed by Peabody award-winner <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0375030/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Judith Helfand</a></b> (shown at right), <i>Cooked</i> brings to screen life Klinenberg's hugely important book. with interviews with both the citizens who suffered through these traumatic events and some of the policy-makers and folk in charge of the supposed survival mechanisms in place to protect us all. It is not a pretty picture.<p></p><p>One of the great strengths of ths film is how Klinenberg and Helfand use history and statistics (from as far back as the early 1940s) to show us how injustices such as redlining prevented non-white citizens from obtaining bank loans and thus owning real estate, as did their white brethren.</p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdshOsI0NyeMLLmsH8jSBRPIA8riGjt8jL1D_NVvEgx-uZ-0fchsSUkjabU1lI8qb3brczgknJH8t5EBX9eEX-yrBkBkiss8WCv6yYd4wxRGLY89ljDNwm7MvCtR4tzUhoBCrbfg82XQ/s960/cooked960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="960" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdshOsI0NyeMLLmsH8jSBRPIA8riGjt8jL1D_NVvEgx-uZ-0fchsSUkjabU1lI8qb3brczgknJH8t5EBX9eEX-yrBkBkiss8WCv6yYd4wxRGLY89ljDNwm7MvCtR4tzUhoBCrbfg82XQ/w400-h224/cooked960.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />Cooked</i> was filmed prior to our current pandemic and prior to the death of George Floyd (and so many others) that seem now to have at least somewhat broadened the understanding and changed the attitude of a larger portion of America's white population. Still, to see and hear Helfand asking direct questions of these in-charge men and women, and to see how her interviewees pause, look away, and either make excuses or practically outright say,"Well, yes, but good luck with trying to change any of this," is alternately shocking and deadening. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoUXSEWiGcoCyAUhLxtznZ5oRGVWlu_iz57g5ymuYO0ncIL-SGPqMOgyXKjhRPdQqN5rG3SV9QqMQbomxyQkP41T9cuuz7VzQEt8P5iLajayaxa72w0cr23kWy5bAj779y1W3gvSrpnY/s300/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoUXSEWiGcoCyAUhLxtznZ5oRGVWlu_iz57g5ymuYO0ncIL-SGPqMOgyXKjhRPdQqN5rG3SV9QqMQbomxyQkP41T9cuuz7VzQEt8P5iLajayaxa72w0cr23kWy5bAj779y1W3gvSrpnY/w400-h224/index.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Perhaps now, with all that has happened in and to our country over the past year, we might be able to look forward to actual change finally arriving. Meanwhile, we have all the evidence we need of its urgency and importance. Early on in the film, I think it was Klinenberg who points out how so much of how we live and what we are allowed to see and understand has kept the entitled portion of our population "protected and blissfully ignorant."<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpECeS6hUJmV3Z_U2aF00QdFK0QeVt0QiZHFz9iX4-m9MsS4dT3Had9KO-xTTM_szHkQvO_Hta6Jqw4ShuB8rYFDln2J-Qqr5KksKcytmD3cjzC9XZBCS1SBhpdao6LeRlmjCxM55Tzg/s800/image-asset.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpECeS6hUJmV3Z_U2aF00QdFK0QeVt0QiZHFz9iX4-m9MsS4dT3Had9KO-xTTM_szHkQvO_Hta6Jqw4ShuB8rYFDln2J-Qqr5KksKcytmD3cjzC9XZBCS1SBhpdao6LeRlmjCxM55Tzg/w400-h225/image-asset.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />By the finale of this very important documentary, I suspect you will completely agree with Ms Helfand when she notes "how deeply flawed and immoral our national priorities are." <i>Cooked</i>, however, is not simply a litany of the horrors. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKOv8TOOsHTA35gUvpOqfGc68MTPP2oh9thqGPz7ZWxWXtNGyLVhEBBBUJoqmH_yym0Wlv0g1QjrMX9yjvV1szSTB4-caJfHknCQUeJzJdPboZeSnR7k2wZ8sl3SMWRxToWNbo1jWp7Y/s1077/COOKED_Still1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1077" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKOv8TOOsHTA35gUvpOqfGc68MTPP2oh9thqGPz7ZWxWXtNGyLVhEBBBUJoqmH_yym0Wlv0g1QjrMX9yjvV1szSTB4-caJfHknCQUeJzJdPboZeSnR7k2wZ8sl3SMWRxToWNbo1jWp7Y/w400-h225/COOKED_Still1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Toward the finale, we're on a food truck bringing fresh produce into a neighborhood without any proper venues for healthy food shopping. An older teenage boy comes aboard the bus and is cajoled into eating -- for the first time in his life, he tells us -- a raw apple. He finally does, and... gosh, it's pretty tasty! This scene is so unusual, so moving, and actually almost shocking that you may ask yourself, When did <i>you</i> eat your first apple? Can you imagine not having even the opportunity to actually eat one until you were very nearly a young adult? Probably not. But now you'll consider what this might feel like. And if you have any further doubts, as does <b><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/25/politics/lindsey-graham-systemic-racism-america/index.html">Lindsey Graham</a></b>, about the systemic racism plaguing our country, maybe it's time to simply resign from the Senate -- or the human race. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-xLERAQB_Zq5XY2lg4dzMTw2qDjV_lIZvL5_IDiguBr5h1MSK4HbcrXdAJGezOedal0RD6z2zTSyV2G8NBMzEmy7feuFX2HN7SGE7ZHDKVfFj5OKEGb31dH0bSMdt20fGcwMpaX03is/s1000/image-asset.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-xLERAQB_Zq5XY2lg4dzMTw2qDjV_lIZvL5_IDiguBr5h1MSK4HbcrXdAJGezOedal0RD6z2zTSyV2G8NBMzEmy7feuFX2HN7SGE7ZHDKVfFj5OKEGb31dH0bSMdt20fGcwMpaX03is/w400-h225/image-asset.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/">Bullfrog Films</a></b>, distributed by <b><a href="http://icarusfilms.com/">Icarus Films</a> </b>and available on DVD in two different versions: an 82-minute version with SDH English captions and a 54-minute PBS version with SDH English captions (I watched the 82-minute version, which I would thoroughly recommend), <i>Cooked</i> can be purchased (and I hope, rented, too) now. Click <a href="http://misc.icarusfilms.com/homevideo/sellsheet/cooked_sell.pdf"><b>her</b>e</a> for more information.<p></p><p></p></div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-73171825309691300342021-04-25T00:12:00.020-04:002021-04-25T10:15:31.303-04:00Our April Sunday Corner With Lee Liberman: Tony Jordan's DICKENSIAN <p> </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FeuNADC9VRlS_BnsZ-jWut_-ihIIAYvSe7BL241aKjO7SCoMjS7ygdMgC5jDSDHSlzOiy8uIkBpoeAAVjeHR4kTIw3X6nojVA915NkNyMlIv1uw63a35RCC49VVcV9J8rRtdE38LrzI/s1800/MV5BYTZkZGJiYmYtNmIwNi00ZmE5LWJlYTgtNWMyZDg4YjY0NDk5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTExNDQ2MTI%2540._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FeuNADC9VRlS_BnsZ-jWut_-ihIIAYvSe7BL241aKjO7SCoMjS7ygdMgC5jDSDHSlzOiy8uIkBpoeAAVjeHR4kTIw3X6nojVA915NkNyMlIv1uw63a35RCC49VVcV9J8rRtdE38LrzI/w266-h400/MV5BYTZkZGJiYmYtNmIwNi00ZmE5LWJlYTgtNWMyZDg4YjY0NDk5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTExNDQ2MTI%2540._V1_.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>This post is written </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>by </i></b><b><i>our </i></b><b><i>monthly </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>correspondent, </i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Lee Liberman</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Picture this (find it on <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Episode-1/dp/B07CG8QP74/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dickensian&qid=1619133530&s=instant-video&sr=1-1">Prime Video</a></b>) — Dickens' most iconic personages, portrayed by best Brit actors and written by formidable scribe <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0430210/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Tony Jordan</a></b> (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088512/?ref_=nm_flmg_msc_1">East Enders</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478942/?ref_=nm_knf_i1">Life on Mars</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379632/?ref_=nm_knf_i2">Hustle</a></b>), doing business with each other cheek by jowl in Dickens’ London hot spots like the The Three Cripples Pub and The Old Curiosity Shop. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWGO0mhkTtZ3WZhmpT6Y5l4Jr6PbK4JeLl6JXQhU4NKy8RyAu23FaCfRRYzLN8v3b5V0ukswY601JZYt49QpbwE1BzKdrK3RF118bmw0s1H3196eUM4Rko_M7XsVeNS4Ee9TLgQ2Xr1Q/s1210/anglo_1280x720_dickensian+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1210" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWGO0mhkTtZ3WZhmpT6Y5l4Jr6PbK4JeLl6JXQhU4NKy8RyAu23FaCfRRYzLN8v3b5V0ukswY601JZYt49QpbwE1BzKdrK3RF118bmw0s1H3196eUM4Rko_M7XsVeNS4Ee9TLgQ2Xr1Q/w400-h355/anglo_1280x720_dickensian+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Fagin’s (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504320/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Anton Lesser</a></b>, far right, above) den where he recruits boys to become pick pockets is nearby. Same for the home of the Barbary sisters, Frances and Honoria, and Satis House, the Havisham residence. It happens here that Amelia Havisham and Honoria Barbary are best friends as young women, both having great expectations, only to join the long-suffering. We know from the novel that Miss Havisham was betrayed and spent her mature years holding court at her grimy wedding table dressed in her decayed wedding dress. But our gothic Dickensian is the made-up prequel to all that; here she is a young beauty (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3095562/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Tuppence Middleton</a></b>, of <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2015/03/parades-end-acquired-taste-scroll-down.html">Downton Abbey</a></b>, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2020/12/sunday-corner-with-lee-liberman-mank.html">Mank</a></b>) who shines with demure confidence as she helms her father’s company, tho we are sorry to watch her half-brother Arthur Havisham, (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4806449/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Joseph Quinn</a></b>, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2018/07/lee-libermans-monthly-sunday-corner-e-m.html">Howard’s End</a></b>) decompensate in self-hate and are filled with dread at her adoration of the duplicitous Meriwether Compeyson (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4534594/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Tom Weston-Jones</a></b> of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1878805/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_10">World Without End</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2006374/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_9">Copper</a></b>), below, knowing what is to follow. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdY5laXhpqVZymb_bx9j4IpT41sCL3simP-yGpJngec-R88_09wTFVRcnrAtliSjIVZJ9nidACtbj5JsoeB7pYKV4mU4cDkqvUc-xdGIGaWXK2apy0rULftI7JDkGf_ozorTfnWV6iuo/s800/Dickensian-BBC-9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdY5laXhpqVZymb_bx9j4IpT41sCL3simP-yGpJngec-R88_09wTFVRcnrAtliSjIVZJ9nidACtbj5JsoeB7pYKV4mU4cDkqvUc-xdGIGaWXK2apy0rULftI7JDkGf_ozorTfnWV6iuo/w400-h225/Dickensian-BBC-9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Three main plots weave through the 10 episodes of Dickensian. One is the inventive backstory of Miss Havisham who has been fixed in our memory as the man-hating, jilted bride. Second is the tale of Bleak House’s heart-warming Honoria Barbary, in love with young Captain Hawdon (below), but here on a soul-killing journey to wed dreary Sir Leicester Deadlock at the connivance of her jealous sister. (Honoria, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2570706/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Sophie Rundle</a></b> of <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/search?q=peaky+blinders">Peaky Blinders</a></b> and <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2019/07/julys-sunday-corner-with-lee-liberman.html">Gentleman Jack</a></b>, is not lauded enough; she is as good a tough mob moll as she is a tragic heroine). </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjFZysfyv5tR6hlnkurkyQgYFE5oZPDXkdU8n-q9osFZEyRnrc496w63L32hkUigpJRkY9fR6X3RyQVFu-k3TzyK8lH2v3Is44is0H3djedY7QroDd1u65-dxrz6XzF0GLlRT_RkuFAI/s700/MV5BOGE1ZTkxZDItY2ZhNi00YTlkLWJlMDItNzVjNjI3MDg2ZWI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM4MzczNDU%2540._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="700" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjFZysfyv5tR6hlnkurkyQgYFE5oZPDXkdU8n-q9osFZEyRnrc496w63L32hkUigpJRkY9fR6X3RyQVFu-k3TzyK8lH2v3Is44is0H3djedY7QroDd1u65-dxrz6XzF0GLlRT_RkuFAI/w400-h266/MV5BOGE1ZTkxZDItY2ZhNi00YTlkLWJlMDItNzVjNjI3MDg2ZWI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM4MzczNDU%2540._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The third story is the mystery of who killed Jacob Marley (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278752/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Peter Firth</a></b>) of ‘A Christmas Carol’ (‘Marley was dead to begin with’) that is adjudicated by lawyer Jaggers (fine character actor,<b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3467387/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">John Heffernan</a></b>) and investigated throughout by terribly decent Inspector Bucket of Bleak House, until all possible suspects have been ruled out except the least likely one. The dutiful-inspector task falls to the impeccable <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001653/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Stephen Rea</a></b> (below, of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104036/?ref_=nm_knf_i1">The Crying Game</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110148/?ref_=nm_knf_i3">Interview with a Vampire</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087075/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_107">The Company of Wolves</a></b>) whose mobile face and precise articulation is perfect as a good Dickensian, just perfect, in a nod to the start of dedicated police investigation. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdzmcUik8cfOxjZu0pTs36eXradrqd3_i7gqBOIHHbS48a9LVffMuZ5Y7LVY94cixzTdhyphenhyphenS24cAns9WWy-McBVXo2lUjIw7OGhCn9lBL0y7rm14FJigNNLST4UjBp5ni-NmV12-8MKlA/s480/dickensian1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="480" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdzmcUik8cfOxjZu0pTs36eXradrqd3_i7gqBOIHHbS48a9LVffMuZ5Y7LVY94cixzTdhyphenhyphenS24cAns9WWy-McBVXo2lUjIw7OGhCn9lBL0y7rm14FJigNNLST4UjBp5ni-NmV12-8MKlA/w400-h266/dickensian1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Subplots involve miserly Mr. Scrooge, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0219329/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Ned Dennehy</a></b> (Peaky Blinders, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/search?q=outlander">Outlander</a></b>), who is deliciously bad and all too far from redemption here, and the impoverished, put-upon Cratchit family, including the now renown <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3697443/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Phoebe Dynevor</a></b> (below, of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8740790/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2">Bridgerton</a>,</b> now filming season 2) as pretty young Martha Cratchit (below). </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeJ80BsWiPQt0_Oipw0bty_YTjMsHM3kIeU4H-BOgcvhqVDpQe_g9sMYe9l2ej5clPjhH0v7gimcY_M0vwW-vb-bcNx4DNSXgaLm9dyyGxFMu4pMaP00ASJ4G-Wz3bOhZdnQDlyVlNCg/s1227/Dickensian-Martha-Cratchit-PHOEBE-DYNEVOR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="1217" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeJ80BsWiPQt0_Oipw0bty_YTjMsHM3kIeU4H-BOgcvhqVDpQe_g9sMYe9l2ej5clPjhH0v7gimcY_M0vwW-vb-bcNx4DNSXgaLm9dyyGxFMu4pMaP00ASJ4G-Wz3bOhZdnQDlyVlNCg/w396-h400/Dickensian-Martha-Cratchit-PHOEBE-DYNEVOR.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br />Comic relief is supplied by the Bumbles, Madam Scold and her toadie Mister who run the children’s workhouse without an ounce of kindness or common sense (below) </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwWGkRbdJXH2tSG-PkAJ3YyhWNYMqSjezHUUTHMDDHzYrX1nZqg5B82zHdtZi8xMv5ZbkEEtEABM3_My6qduSMjw2q4UrmYj_m3qKX0jGSMjav3my-ZAWhhBVAG3UBqHSjaJ0b940ROA/s615/we-love-tv.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="615" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwWGkRbdJXH2tSG-PkAJ3YyhWNYMqSjezHUUTHMDDHzYrX1nZqg5B82zHdtZi8xMv5ZbkEEtEABM3_My6qduSMjw2q4UrmYj_m3qKX0jGSMjav3my-ZAWhhBVAG3UBqHSjaJ0b940ROA/w400-h266/we-love-tv.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />and by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0172604/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Pauline Collins</a></b> (below) who has had a long career as a character actress beginning with the vamp who seduced the rich young master in the original <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066722/?ref_=nm_knf_i4">Upstairs, Downstairs</a></b> (1971-73). Collins, now past 80, plays the tippling Mrs. Gamp here, in a satiric take on the terrible state of nursing pre-Florence Nightingale. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOA8UzeQVDgkXbGXKmumi7A-_x1eIjzxmQ8vkdLOr5nQ9aKnoTruJYdV6C3gJw7RnyWCiBdPOJXUVCzc-4hYbOGqkd4yAUdGcZhRJ5adHKc45FcrhZha_8q83jufAoK1u4iPsU2vMkHg/s960/Dickensian+Mrs+Gamp.jpg.2018-11-23T11+21+09%252B13+00.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOA8UzeQVDgkXbGXKmumi7A-_x1eIjzxmQ8vkdLOr5nQ9aKnoTruJYdV6C3gJw7RnyWCiBdPOJXUVCzc-4hYbOGqkd4yAUdGcZhRJ5adHKc45FcrhZha_8q83jufAoK1u4iPsU2vMkHg/w400-h225/Dickensian+Mrs+Gamp.jpg.2018-11-23T11+21+09%252B13+00.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />These (and more) groundlings are clever but tiresome on repeat; Tony Jordan’s wallow in Dickensian caricature adds length without depth. (An adorer of the theater, Dickens was an actor and mimic, from which came his enduring comic characters.) At the other extreme, screen-writer Jordan (below) was much more successful in harnessing our emotions to the pain of betrayal and loss suffered by the two heroines, Honoria and Miss Havisham, in contrast to Dickens, himself, whose female characters could be tiresomely mad or bad. Some prudent cuts might have helped save Dickensian from the chopping block. One has to wait too long for the good parts — the more emotional parts. After its run in 2015-16, the series was not picked up for renewal, sadly for the loss of many delights within. (That's Mr. Jordan, below.)</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUDbgCkVN98n51dSrkzKOWUjLVnQLxo2tyg9zy-hwboF2GAjYBL4pl72OwRnvH8axy3kW3fFlPyz2HeJYEqPQwM9t39PCKMU9TLQ7ZtXjgyk4ka257rvAHo4FMVm1lwfbyI5c_FZ4MSs/s250/tony-jordan4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUDbgCkVN98n51dSrkzKOWUjLVnQLxo2tyg9zy-hwboF2GAjYBL4pl72OwRnvH8axy3kW3fFlPyz2HeJYEqPQwM9t39PCKMU9TLQ7ZtXjgyk4ka257rvAHo4FMVm1lwfbyI5c_FZ4MSs/w400-h400/tony-jordan4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens"><b>Charles Dickens</b></a> himself (1812-1870), buried in Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey, was one of England’s most successful novelists during his lifetime and posthumously — much has been written that describes his life and motivations. He was more of a social and political critic (in tune with today’s democratic left) than a conveyor of deep sensibility or psychological depth. His characters are more cartoon-like than real but invented to castigate the aristocracy, the rising merchant class, and the exploitation of the working poor. He popularized serial storytelling in newspapers — streaming TV leaps right off the pages of the Dickens playbook. He mined his own life experience such as his father’s stay in debtors’ prison that became the work-house setting in ‘Little Dorrit’ and his own 10-hour days as a child in a boot-blacking factory leading to indignation that working class children endured such. He is quoted in a New York speech: “Virtue shows quite well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen.” </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55795m4EGsxlL1a_rIf_0K98NtiyJ3KNKLKqnpzRgbSu8tpvinC0LZFSc_x1qtLsyRC9PawaiEZLf_KJBDddZJlyVTuxtA7MbVK2XQsC0JZOV91CGRJYcBmcwG7zUNF3pA5hxOSBFf7w/s1436/Dickens-Festival-2016-Deventer-Netherlands-05-%25C2%25A9-Ronald-Hissink-e1535121595699.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1436" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55795m4EGsxlL1a_rIf_0K98NtiyJ3KNKLKqnpzRgbSu8tpvinC0LZFSc_x1qtLsyRC9PawaiEZLf_KJBDddZJlyVTuxtA7MbVK2XQsC0JZOV91CGRJYcBmcwG7zUNF3pA5hxOSBFf7w/w400-h266/Dickens-Festival-2016-Deventer-Netherlands-05-%25C2%25A9-Ronald-Hissink-e1535121595699.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The unfeeling treatment of Dickens by his mother is thought to be the cause of some grimly unpleasant women in the Dickens lexicon. He himself was flighty in love (though not particularly so by today’s standards). He tired of his wife or they of each other, separating households after 10 children, divorce being unthinkable then, falling in love with a young actress kept hidden from the public. He supported them all — wife, mistress, children, servants— not to mention being widely known otherwise for his kindness and philanthropy. Dickens was prodigious in his short lifetime (58 years) but we don’t revisit him for interiority; instead he is beloved for verbal genius, memorable characters, and observations about social ills that repeat back on us today like indigestion. To purists who would have no meddling with the work of an original, I say never mind, just enjoy this evanescent Dickens for the nostalgia and the pleasure of re-imaginings. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuctLNSxxJ6-d4uU8krORGhjTG8LL-omt3uFbDm7ZBbj1O8kp7Micx6Ync6vZ651bz6NmopM2vY6u4oOnoLqCH8CAlRUyr7gi87vumYcvNQuqK-wGKRzzMwfl4rVpn0bfnTgcGqN_UnU/s600/Dickens+-+characters.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuctLNSxxJ6-d4uU8krORGhjTG8LL-omt3uFbDm7ZBbj1O8kp7Micx6Ync6vZ651bz6NmopM2vY6u4oOnoLqCH8CAlRUyr7gi87vumYcvNQuqK-wGKRzzMwfl4rVpn0bfnTgcGqN_UnU/w400-h308/Dickens+-+characters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-48370875064539372002021-04-23T05:55:00.011-04:002021-04-23T18:50:06.465-04:00Paris of the 1960s comes to oddball life in Ulrike Ottinger's PARIS CALLIGRAMES<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8oROCDFfU78TTLF2cN-bFUt4JIwgF57EhpkDkM-y7S583mLa_GwbWfvQ0uxLXb2m6tTp35aUkwvzbF7OxlIYyvUvkhyphenhyphenRwqTYTItezYrhWNCd-QHekuXkzwReb5JXH4DUsF6wyRko5bo/s2048/cKiFX3-w.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8oROCDFfU78TTLF2cN-bFUt4JIwgF57EhpkDkM-y7S583mLa_GwbWfvQ0uxLXb2m6tTp35aUkwvzbF7OxlIYyvUvkhyphenhyphenRwqTYTItezYrhWNCd-QHekuXkzwReb5JXH4DUsF6wyRko5bo/w283-h400/cKiFX3-w.jpeg" width="283" /></a></div>A calligram, according to <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligram">Wikipedia</a></b>, is text arranged in such a way that it forms a thematically related image. <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> is not sure he actually saw a calligram in any of the many works of artist/filmmaker <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0653200/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Ulrike Ottinger</a></b> on display in her new documentary, <b><a href="http://icarusfilms.com/if-gramme">PARIS CALLIGRAMMES</a></b>. <div><br /></div><div>But perhaps she means her film itself to be a kind of calligram, with her voiced text acting in coordination with the often quite wonderful visuals she presents of the city of Paris that existed when Ottinger first came to live there during the transitional/tumultuous 1960s. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY51Gi8zq2gtip1U5BuVzdH3cXBUt0quQY_REsh6bQuNyaIXlgVOBmGLmbC_BAMGOGicA5nsZZnCp0EDM3pUDtvJyJddCKud2D-V-VlmWDhPZXFf668RrjH8YqmOUQxPlGNXTfz98-Zo/s1772/_g08Zu4A.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="1329" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY51Gi8zq2gtip1U5BuVzdH3cXBUt0quQY_REsh6bQuNyaIXlgVOBmGLmbC_BAMGOGicA5nsZZnCp0EDM3pUDtvJyJddCKud2D-V-VlmWDhPZXFf668RrjH8YqmOUQxPlGNXTfz98-Zo/w300-h400/_g08Zu4A.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>Upon finishing this over-two-hour-long film, I was initially struck by the fact that I'd very much enjoyed the whole experience, even though I didn't much care for the snippets of her own films that Ottinger -- shown above on the poster as a young woman and at left in current times (yes, she likes sunglasses) -- includes throughout. <p></p><p>Her colorful, humorous visual art itself is often fun, usually interesting and sometimes provocative. And one would have to have seen her films in their entirety to make any truly informed judgment. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDnCyXx7o7h0gsdgPjdvOn8DAAB6kgkyfEiSiPr3XY6SeUSasD-8sG2-EX6sk5BmX5l05ObT-F1SoGGc88znfkQD7TbtuURi36hp6tsbMUY4_zdcObLP_7C8kmOAeuoF2fmz5n4XVE_w/s1420/_4yoeh2g.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1420" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDnCyXx7o7h0gsdgPjdvOn8DAAB6kgkyfEiSiPr3XY6SeUSasD-8sG2-EX6sk5BmX5l05ObT-F1SoGGc88znfkQD7TbtuURi36hp6tsbMUY4_zdcObLP_7C8kmOAeuoF2fmz5n4XVE_w/w400-h304/_4yoeh2g.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Yet the beauty, charm and intelligence of this documentary comes through via Ottinger's unusual combination of nostalgia for a lost time and place, and her adamant stance regarding art, artists and in particular those famous student demonstrations of the late 1960s (she seems wisely anti the violent police behavior, as well as some of the students' stupid and sleazy shenanigans).<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEN0vBKbrk3JOhwD5JEfa6nqh4SP6M_u4Oz6mb6xJ0CfIk4uhhZmLB1k9mH3N65-EYDiTK1T1e-INDDBiEOG1qKQVZq_4vSHvzxxeslay1eK3fqUYC0IgdfuDX3DxW0lIPahuCcXlJFLg/s2048/_RDzZ0bw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1471" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEN0vBKbrk3JOhwD5JEfa6nqh4SP6M_u4Oz6mb6xJ0CfIk4uhhZmLB1k9mH3N65-EYDiTK1T1e-INDDBiEOG1qKQVZq_4vSHvzxxeslay1eK3fqUYC0IgdfuDX3DxW0lIPahuCcXlJFLg/w400-h288/_RDzZ0bw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Ottinger seems particularly taken with (as so many of us were) the<b><a href="https://www.itinerariesofahummingbird.com/jean-louis-barrault.html"> work and career</a></b> of wife/husband acting/producing team of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0719233/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1"><b>Madeleine Renaud</b></a> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0056761/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Jean-Louis Barrault</a></b> (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034093/?ref_=nm_knf_i1">Remorques</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037674/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Les enfants du paradis</a></b>, etc. ), as well as by so many of the artists of that day (and much earlier, too). The filmmaker has a keen sense of history, particularly regarding French colonialism, and the documentary is simultaneously a love letter to the enchantments of Paris and a hard, repeated slap in the face to France itself.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gCavcsFTiFa26un51SFBW3rPOHJDWxE1WRD3Sxmr_I0jZX3KTOTqIEl9rZNzIQFcr8oZOx0-L5BZOOGQVqWGYC4q5ENvxY9qjELXwxwhA6odCJKWFpbPZE3H-X36AyPzADtx5y16FTU/s2048/pv1OskJQ.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1459" data-original-width="2048" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gCavcsFTiFa26un51SFBW3rPOHJDWxE1WRD3Sxmr_I0jZX3KTOTqIEl9rZNzIQFcr8oZOx0-L5BZOOGQVqWGYC4q5ENvxY9qjELXwxwhA6odCJKWFpbPZE3H-X36AyPzADtx5y16FTU/w400-h285/pv1OskJQ.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The filmmaker's interests are wide-ranging, even if, of course, they come back again and again to art and cinema. Yet we spend as much time at the gorgeous, horrific Colonial Museum, as at the Cinémathèque Française, and we move from Algeria as the topic of both art and conversation to Vietnam.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRPx_7JwowMjwb26BojyMQ6OYe2WTfw9sBAQIVs7lWC5aJnP4gpqLOjnbbLiAwKvxU0BlfhB7R89k0lKzIjY-60dMW4G3X5pNQHOekazOIrHaCVo1SdjNN_nbcFMwOiciKzSa1dWLKko/s1920/w20bGFMg.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRPx_7JwowMjwb26BojyMQ6OYe2WTfw9sBAQIVs7lWC5aJnP4gpqLOjnbbLiAwKvxU0BlfhB7R89k0lKzIjY-60dMW4G3X5pNQHOekazOIrHaCVo1SdjNN_nbcFMwOiciKzSa1dWLKko/w400-h225/w20bGFMg.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Particularly interesting is how Ottinger weaves modern-day views with footage of Paris in the 60s; there's a wonderful scene in and around a hair salon for blacks that seems to span three generations. Another section details <b><a href="https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Picard&prev=search&pto=aue">Fritz Picard</a></b> and an antiquarian bookstore. In her views on how to convert experience into art, Ottinger is both generous and buoyant.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Hg1R-nAkPnCVWV10Irnh23j8D-pb7U3w62rtapH3hNKhjOAZoR5DXQvVuUQBbs-5m46oHg7SPejxPG7XRWvWt7NibMTQwyY_g9b-BkvT39kX6jffUTewUz_3ENvt9vnZh1HTAE1_g0s/s2048/VTyhs6JA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1475" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Hg1R-nAkPnCVWV10Irnh23j8D-pb7U3w62rtapH3hNKhjOAZoR5DXQvVuUQBbs-5m46oHg7SPejxPG7XRWvWt7NibMTQwyY_g9b-BkvT39kX6jffUTewUz_3ENvt9vnZh1HTAE1_g0s/w400-h288/VTyhs6JA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Among the examples of her art, my favorite is one of Allen Ginsberg cut into puzzle pieces. Ottinger tells us that, at its debut, she disassembled all the pieces, tossed them into air, and let the audience put them together again. Ballsy chick!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWr94AehkLbxDjeh-Q7gBxbsbOaAEcmjAMNVUnu4cdbVeuv3poz49jiDHsYWpkAmSGSjaXKywkRzRU18kWHeBoXaYPhkkiJf_1p1bc4AwWNSG9-TFiS6i_H6n2e81B7TVOtNp8Tzq7AU/s1772/cZwT8FDg.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1772" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWr94AehkLbxDjeh-Q7gBxbsbOaAEcmjAMNVUnu4cdbVeuv3poz49jiDHsYWpkAmSGSjaXKywkRzRU18kWHeBoXaYPhkkiJf_1p1bc4AwWNSG9-TFiS6i_H6n2e81B7TVOtNp8Tzq7AU/w400-h265/cZwT8FDg.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Even if you've never been to Paris but only seen and heard of its wonders secondhand, I suspect <i>Paris Calligrammes</i> will interest, amuse and bemuse you in equal measure. From <b><a href="http://icarusfilms.com/">Icarus Films</a></b>, running 131 minutes, and featuring a very fine English narration from the beautifully husky-voiced <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000256/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Jenny Agutter</a></b>, the documentary opens this Friday, April 23, in New York City at <b><a href="http://www.filmforum.org">Film Forum</a></b> on virtual cinema and then, April 30, will have a limited engagement at theaters nationwide. To view all scheduled theater screenings, click <b><a href="http://icarusfilms.com/other/playdate">here</a></b> and then scroll down to the "P" section.</div></div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-31021153697837619812021-04-21T05:55:00.016-04:002021-04-21T09:47:52.238-04:00Italian workers and nuns unite in Samad Zarmandili's progressive comedy, BEATE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3oB10MHbP2WZiGr-vXik82pF4DGxEGmFt1EMoUj0mNFxmKkhp218sLSbr9NSajxhHFvbZXSl6CS4HxNrlgVXd2UZRklw9Jl__eYHhOaBIKwqsJV_c4PafYcB3rhOTZf1IKkGA-zqpcI/s1024/unnamed+%25284%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="717" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3oB10MHbP2WZiGr-vXik82pF4DGxEGmFt1EMoUj0mNFxmKkhp218sLSbr9NSajxhHFvbZXSl6CS4HxNrlgVXd2UZRklw9Jl__eYHhOaBIKwqsJV_c4PafYcB3rhOTZf1IKkGA-zqpcI/w280-h400/unnamed+%25284%2529.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>Religion and Marxism-lite unite in the very nicely-done Italian comedy from 2018, <b><a href="http://corinthfilms.com/films/beate/#film-info">BEATE</a></b> (in English, <i>blessed</i>), in which a group of female, suddenly-unemployed workers in a lingerie factory join forces with a group of nuns from a local convent -- in order to keep those workers working while stopping the convent from being surreptitiously turned into a seaside resort. Yeah: Capitalism strikes again. Or tries to. This being somewhat of a fantasy -- a quite dear one, nonetheless -- the bad guys have a bit tougher time of it. Also, it must be said that European workers, Italians and French in particular, have more of a history of intelligent, sometimes fierce (and still current) worker solidarity than does the American variety, in which trade unions seem nearly defunct. (Thanks so much, Amazon.)<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxU3jzc0IsuHqNDo7gqN_7o1mSyaVtogOP3RTfVwq7F7Ru7VE6rOX0K-lQtdFyYoIk49NGpiUjoborI5caCKLiLAKP5hFALUf7QHDwzr_TT2wZUFZM-EcFb0mFsfanTL3uP7O_Ax_7NRI/s273/index.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxU3jzc0IsuHqNDo7gqN_7o1mSyaVtogOP3RTfVwq7F7Ru7VE6rOX0K-lQtdFyYoIk49NGpiUjoborI5caCKLiLAKP5hFALUf7QHDwzr_TT2wZUFZM-EcFb0mFsfanTL3uP7O_Ax_7NRI/w270-h400/index.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>The filmmaker (shown at right) is a name new to me -- <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1176918/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Samad Zarmandili</a></b> -- though he worked as first assistant director on two excellent Italian movies, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2014/07/streaming-must-and-book-review-too-as.html">20 Cigarettes</a></b> and <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/11/distributor-wanted-salvatore-mairas.html">Valzer</a></b>, the latter being one of <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> favorite films of all time, the filmmaker of which, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0537848/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Salvatore Maira</a></b>, is one of the three credited writers on <i>Beate </i>(and not by coincidence, I suspect). Both filmmakers must share a very progressive attitude. <p></p><p>Signore Zarmandili and his writers set up their tale quietly and firmly, allowing, within the framework of a 90-minute screen comedy, as much character development as plot development, all of which makes for more depth, as well as enjoyment.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ11Jnbnt0Al2w6qh6T2q-1Pj8kAGp32zjD5WBIM32RQdlcFJb5RKx5oiHLW1CmBjrKleKOl_BGlu6YdjpRo_aX3ke8n6AvbZF1cUdcszxqyZLZYT3v_-1HLXcFQ-QlR2sTiD0g5OBrIs/s1024/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ11Jnbnt0Al2w6qh6T2q-1Pj8kAGp32zjD5WBIM32RQdlcFJb5RKx5oiHLW1CmBjrKleKOl_BGlu6YdjpRo_aX3ke8n6AvbZF1cUdcszxqyZLZYT3v_-1HLXcFQ-QlR2sTiD0g5OBrIs/w400-h266/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In the leading role of the woman who organizes the workers is the excellent Sicilian-born actress <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1006993/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Donatella Finocchiaro</a></b> (above, from <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0782709/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_55">Secret Journey</a></b>, <a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2011/05/open-roads-2011-rundown.html"><b>Sorelle Mai</b></a> and <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2013/07/open-roads-2012-alumnus-terraferma-from.html">Terraferma</a></b>). As usual Ms Finocchiaro brings a lovely, appealing combination of intelligence and easy-going sex appeal to the role. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VXMDY8b4wEWLqWuNh7Clfogka4TOriqkTsk9PoS9GPeS7fz-hIPoP7eOdKy0JP2iqEvfij-neRNO4AIlWqVteaEzCnZKlE_G3C5Saf69Y4sxzr5u2MDkEtGWd3iEEDrp3dneUgRD9zI/s600/584483_m1616687678.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VXMDY8b4wEWLqWuNh7Clfogka4TOriqkTsk9PoS9GPeS7fz-hIPoP7eOdKy0JP2iqEvfij-neRNO4AIlWqVteaEzCnZKlE_G3C5Saf69Y4sxzr5u2MDkEtGWd3iEEDrp3dneUgRD9zI/w400-h213/584483_m1616687678.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The "leader" of those nuns -- played with proper reticence and discretion by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5460346/?ref_=tt_cl_t4">Maria Roveran</a></b> (above) -- turns out to be one of the youngest and least tutored (but also the most aware and willing), and the movie's combination of religion and labor proves pretty irresistible because it takes seriously the Italian need for religious faith without ever succumbing to any insistence on belief in miracles and the like.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ddv1yEQyVya_OlaO8CQFy2aIDqP2kwyCKWG-HstzO05Y5wYPvsPeE7feuLmDa3MhRcKO9qb910q0fWLxTPKovSbpgMP7BrM9_vhwZdQKj09cLdJjxWpVos15MqB3Lwy8hptqlB0w4Nc/s600/584482_m1616687669.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ddv1yEQyVya_OlaO8CQFy2aIDqP2kwyCKWG-HstzO05Y5wYPvsPeE7feuLmDa3MhRcKO9qb910q0fWLxTPKovSbpgMP7BrM9_vhwZdQKj09cLdJjxWpVos15MqB3Lwy8hptqlB0w4Nc/w400-h213/584482_m1616687669.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In fact, the single "miracle" that helps bring things to a proper close is more ironic than anything else, and were <i>Beate</i> not such an endearing and kindly little film, you might also call what happens here deeply cynical. (The Capitalists can now make even <i>more</i> money off religion than they might have from their real estate project!).<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDFFDMS1gcd9YK_Xz1xQ0bij1_JA1NMn1pcwJcIBrHHjlea7K3IXzJd_tFyyCPTj2yLVJl6xSnqfQn0hWFgAWUfzq71Kdyt8B6SjGqITIHO0AniX2tdI9bSokmclS-lxuV6ARAm1_nvE/s1156/unnamed+%25285%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1156" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDFFDMS1gcd9YK_Xz1xQ0bij1_JA1NMn1pcwJcIBrHHjlea7K3IXzJd_tFyyCPTj2yLVJl6xSnqfQn0hWFgAWUfzq71Kdyt8B6SjGqITIHO0AniX2tdI9bSokmclS-lxuV6ARAm1_nvE/w400-h225/unnamed+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The movie's attitude toward sexuality is properly adult, as well. Humanity's foibles, particularly those of the male of the species, are not going to change anytime soon, so let's accept them/enjoy them (or not) -- and move on. <div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpNt-1WCIa3EPcvoj9kTxs1FMrtFwg5oWpApi0CsIrSPAdAq3N5zvE5PRaUxalu_RGDCLPBRahgTLAfVVhcfDKF_jMP6gpRfCTNieMtWhSfYsn8sK6iohsQTHNl-zMHeACwtLvEPhcWc/s600/584487_m1616687728.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpNt-1WCIa3EPcvoj9kTxs1FMrtFwg5oWpApi0CsIrSPAdAq3N5zvE5PRaUxalu_RGDCLPBRahgTLAfVVhcfDKF_jMP6gpRfCTNieMtWhSfYsn8sK6iohsQTHNl-zMHeACwtLvEPhcWc/w400-h213/584487_m1616687728.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And, sure, labor can work with the Church (wouldn't <i>that</i> be nice?!), and women with men, and retailers with wholesalers, and everyone can profit -- well, somewhat. Cooperation outdoes competition, employing locals is better than outsourcing, and acceptance beats being judgmental -- at least for the length of time you're viewing this little charmer.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcb0nl2xPGhEwbAYRUOhHXqPiNP0Oh8VrqX4ooC5SmHmwHgxF1ebzDZM-XhPh5pwHVaB1_ZyP5umtkzX_MuVTKInqJySu_40g3nYLnHZ4zhYTrd36lwxnKc4-sytWXhkSNzFXhvCplBZA/s441/hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="441" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcb0nl2xPGhEwbAYRUOhHXqPiNP0Oh8VrqX4ooC5SmHmwHgxF1ebzDZM-XhPh5pwHVaB1_ZyP5umtkzX_MuVTKInqJySu_40g3nYLnHZ4zhYTrd36lwxnKc4-sytWXhkSNzFXhvCplBZA/w400-h233/hqdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Another "find" from <b><a href="http://corinthfilms.com/">Corinth Films</a></b>, in Italian with English subtitles, and running 90 minutes, the movie opened in virtual cinemas this past weekend. Click <b><a href="http://corinthfilms.com/films/beate/#film-info">here</a></b> for more information and to view the several locations from which you can choose. <p></p><p></p></div></div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-74820476518686295092021-04-19T05:55:00.013-04:002021-04-19T05:55:00.228-04:00An original look at the meaning of "family" via Bettina Oberli's MY WONDERFUL WANDA<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSz5VZuj88yeiCfzB8PWM8D2nSbd0iyPeNmDBCeFDL7yauyd0VsYvqW_Ywygkp5KWjPc0iZTGVR-lURU7N5mT0TL76o3puDS159nXliUIJqqcWNzk0COjAkyxSh58AxAHNHhVFUtaUZk/s2048/MyWonderfulWanda_poster_ZG_2025x3000.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1382" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSz5VZuj88yeiCfzB8PWM8D2nSbd0iyPeNmDBCeFDL7yauyd0VsYvqW_Ywygkp5KWjPc0iZTGVR-lURU7N5mT0TL76o3puDS159nXliUIJqqcWNzk0COjAkyxSh58AxAHNHhVFUtaUZk/w270-h400/MyWonderfulWanda_poster_ZG_2025x3000.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>What a strange and interesting film is <b><a href="https://zeitgeistfilms.com/film/mywonderfulwanda">MY WONDERFUL WANDA</a></b> (<i>Wanda, mein Wunder</i>) co-written, with <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0956299/?ref_=tt_ov_wr">Cookie Ziesche</a></b>, and directed by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0643282/?ref_=tt_ov_wr">Bettina Oberli</a></b>. It appears to begin as one thing, then morphs into another and another until it somehow quite gracefully combines all those 'morphings' to arrive back where it began, with almost all the things we originally thought and felt turned on their head. At least twice.<p></p><p>Ms. Oberli (the filmmaker is pictured below) is dealing with "class" here: the </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlIii0J4XdbYB0_hHmRGRdFU2NI81VEEOPImiWtaxdxHywxqEUDBK_NFWngn083_Qr2iRG6jVV25DZ_WK6CeVEtVxu9DqBet6G8g6aQd6lTvS2RTtxbbVrBUiMwfx8yuiNTjRTYEl9Jo/s434/1601636376044_0620x0435_0x0x0x0_1601636407380.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="291" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlIii0J4XdbYB0_hHmRGRdFU2NI81VEEOPImiWtaxdxHywxqEUDBK_NFWngn083_Qr2iRG6jVV25DZ_WK6CeVEtVxu9DqBet6G8g6aQd6lTvS2RTtxbbVrBUiMwfx8yuiNTjRTYEl9Jo/w269-h400/1601636376044_0620x0435_0x0x0x0_1601636407380.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>wealthy and those who must work (and work and work) to earn their living. And while many of the expected tropes do show up, the movie's richer and more inclusive than you'll expect. Characters expand, and the very change they resist also allows them to grow. <p></p><p>The plot kicks off with the arrival at the local bus station of the eponymous care-giver, Wanda, a Polish woman who is returning to the lakeside home of a wealthy Swiss family to care for the aging father who has suffered a stroke. Why Wanda left in the first place is never baldly stated (the care-giver who replaced her did not work out) but once we get a load of the family itself -- elitist father, cheapskate mother, nasty sister and weakling brother -- it's not difficult to imagine myriad reasons for her departure.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnJCAb8dYeSXySQv8F1o-6d3QqAXDHoXiYKS9xkBIRgXLMPdky_9QuiX6BG7F2olCzBM2HSAHvrCFiLg8Nw3n4_jGRvrU8I-oj2Z3WXf-0lPIQ2SvRJeFk1-HsuYYhwDONpUNi0Rq_u8/s2048/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnJCAb8dYeSXySQv8F1o-6d3QqAXDHoXiYKS9xkBIRgXLMPdky_9QuiX6BG7F2olCzBM2HSAHvrCFiLg8Nw3n4_jGRvrU8I-oj2Z3WXf-0lPIQ2SvRJeFk1-HsuYYhwDONpUNi0Rq_u8/w400-h266/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The smart and serious Wanda is played by Polish actress <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1377449/?ref_=tt_cl_t2">Agnieszka Grochowska</a></b> (above, right, with her charge, played by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0432510/?ref_=tt_cl_t3">André Jung</a></b>), and this character is both active and reactive in terms of setting the plot in motion. What happens involves and is due to the actions of <i>all </i>the characters, so much so that any blame you're ready to portion out soon becomes beside the point.<p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWviECPsPj6IeGcvXj-0Q2IlUAa0VaRCRIsSBYPO3l4w2lkTOVYHxNM10ct4AJVrP7w4JyZEUX1nxzH-_3jQlOLNNWij9CPJSFPX9QrSU9Rnywf9n_YjU2EtWPzIh5XcbFrozyDO8Twec/s2048/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWviECPsPj6IeGcvXj-0Q2IlUAa0VaRCRIsSBYPO3l4w2lkTOVYHxNM10ct4AJVrP7w4JyZEUX1nxzH-_3jQlOLNNWij9CPJSFPX9QrSU9Rnywf9n_YjU2EtWPzIh5XcbFrozyDO8Twec/w400-h266/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Marvelous <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0445715/?ref_=tt_cl_t4">Marthe Keller</a></b> (above) handles the role of the mother with expected aplomb, and the weak son is given a careful, caring reading by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0559326/?ref_=tt_cl_t5">Jacob Matschenz</a></b> (below, left). The standout performance, however, comes from the actress who plays the sister: <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591352/?ref_=tt_cl_t6">Birgit Minichmayr</a></b> (center left, below), whom you may remember from the terrific film, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2010/04/everyone-else-maren-ades-sophomore.html">Everyone Else</a></b>. Ms Minichmayr runs the gamut here, and she takes us with her all the way home.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9V7qSv2oNf_FD7aE6lz_KZAMVNrC7Jbnto9xd3V87t8GLC_p6po_4VhCxdHg0xaZ-rHZ06s0dCzjjYFTGydRzmZFDGPS6vrXWYJkUSF53ajcOA7XywsoVAx-UHJCRVcS1xSa14kjdSm4/s2048/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9V7qSv2oNf_FD7aE6lz_KZAMVNrC7Jbnto9xd3V87t8GLC_p6po_4VhCxdHg0xaZ-rHZ06s0dCzjjYFTGydRzmZFDGPS6vrXWYJkUSF53ajcOA7XywsoVAx-UHJCRVcS1xSa14kjdSm4/w400-h266/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />By its finale, <i>My Wonderful Wanda</i> might even qualify as a feel-good film, but as my spouse pointed out, there's an awful lot of sadness here, too. It is also the kind of movie that Hollywood -- even American independent cinema – rarely gives us. In so many ways, it's simply more adult, offering an idea of life in all its messiness, rather than pre-digested pablum. Films like this are the reason why <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> began seeking out foreign-language movies back in the 1960s. And why he's still doing that.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_GJHkD44kHK9v96mv6k5FDSxgO9aUpMwKA2J9IA7e1XNDnZ9yuC4PXG9QmMOHAQhLCN52aAT-sfsjEpj14Gilkrn-vInAtHbtIl3u-L_70tVwhozFPPMTblRixEd6t8zrSkegeHfmFU/s2048/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_GJHkD44kHK9v96mv6k5FDSxgO9aUpMwKA2J9IA7e1XNDnZ9yuC4PXG9QmMOHAQhLCN52aAT-sfsjEpj14Gilkrn-vInAtHbtIl3u-L_70tVwhozFPPMTblRixEd6t8zrSkegeHfmFU/w400-h266/MYWONDERFULWANDA_%25C2%25A9_Aliocha_Merker_Zodiac_Pictures_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://zeitgeistfilms.com/">Zeitgeist Films</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.kinolorber.com/">Kino Lorber</a></b>, the movie -- in German with English subtitles and running 111 minutes -- opens in a limited run nationwide in theaters (both virtual and real) this Friday, April 23. Click <b><a href="https://zeitgeistfilms.com/film/mywonderfulwanda">here</a></b> then scroll down to see all listed cinemas, along with more information on the film.</div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-49332145946145595362021-04-17T05:55:00.004-04:002021-04-17T05:55:00.215-04:00Father & son bond over the loss of their women in Robert Jan Westdijk's charming WATERBOYS<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ROmV9MtwK5g6LUzGu0-gBFLOk2KUyJXqVqdU-MMmR_QhuHIPk0OkacriS3XOO-eALwpD-opa31acp6Y_nELA5hWEJj65gbR9lJhg0q4XKOoYewPzztU2eM0f3FifqerY0XFk_O8VKns/s1440/e765fe1d894ebe200fa0c1b80b826653.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="976" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ROmV9MtwK5g6LUzGu0-gBFLOk2KUyJXqVqdU-MMmR_QhuHIPk0OkacriS3XOO-eALwpD-opa31acp6Y_nELA5hWEJj65gbR9lJhg0q4XKOoYewPzztU2eM0f3FifqerY0XFk_O8VKns/w271-h400/e765fe1d894ebe200fa0c1b80b826653.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>Yet another fine European movie rescued-from-obscurity (so far as American audiences are concerned) by <b><a href="http://corinthfilms.com/">Corinth Films</a></b>, <b><a href="http://corinthfilms.com/films/waterboys/">WATERBOYS</a></b> takes its title from the renowned (in Scotland, anyway) British-Irish folk rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1983, <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waterboys">The Waterboys</a></b>, whose sound has gone through various iterations during the nearly forty years that the band (with a severn-year hiatus during the 1990s) has been making music.<p></p><p>Music, in fact, play a major part in this alternately funny, charming and moving tale about two men -- father and son -- whose behavior has gotten them tossed out of the homes of both their women: the father's wife and the son's girlfriend.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoosNqCP7WHDqH1DnpSl5j3ccK86Pn4Ssy7UC63E29Y-cLnmdD_xwFA9i64q_G7EByanWuPXZE4vQLYNqYF4CmoDLWMiDaaqyToAbfHE3q2Jz0oHJFHFezxUbTclu0pMdk9GHI2KoGWk/s559/westdijk-1000x563.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="376" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoosNqCP7WHDqH1DnpSl5j3ccK86Pn4Ssy7UC63E29Y-cLnmdD_xwFA9i64q_G7EByanWuPXZE4vQLYNqYF4CmoDLWMiDaaqyToAbfHE3q2Jz0oHJFHFezxUbTclu0pMdk9GHI2KoGWk/w269-h400/westdijk-1000x563.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>As written and directed by the Dutch filmmaker <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0922520/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1">Robert Jan Westdijk</a></b> (shown, right), the movie offers parents who've long been smitten with The Waterboys' music, while their son, not especially a fan, makes music of his own via the cello, which, we eventually see and hear, he plays quite beautifully. <p></p><p>The father, Victor, is essayed by a noted Netherlands-born actor <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0936949/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t1">Leopold Witte</a></b> (below, right), while son Zack is brought to slowly resonating life by the younger Dutch actor <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5162263/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t2">Tim Linde</a></b> (below, left). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVSpqo2sE_rVg6dpzhi0VwAoGWB7SFhdiod2zp3nzzaBoOaMWayhNPkYLnOB12ywoyM42iYGOvaxGYJdydmlClnowxnpA37Ni7ZpIy_LbzlKVoK0NiDjeIoljScm6zt0bfW9ciuOz0xs/s1030/unnamed+%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1030" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVSpqo2sE_rVg6dpzhi0VwAoGWB7SFhdiod2zp3nzzaBoOaMWayhNPkYLnOB12ywoyM42iYGOvaxGYJdydmlClnowxnpA37Ni7ZpIy_LbzlKVoK0NiDjeIoljScm6zt0bfW9ciuOz0xs/w400-h216/unnamed+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Initially, we're not terribly taken with either of these guys, nor do they seem to be with each other. But as we get to know them, we begin to understand both what is going on between them and how and why each man continues to struggle with his own individual problems. Which are certainly noticeable -- particularly Dad's.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1RMhOc0xznHoHiCHUjk-npG2OWRxUX8WXl6YgmFdz23D36OvW5QyZrQ9GIMMMHs7IoXNHdovtw38FbklEG-skUhJhh_RYYWsv3GE3vVOqPXhAb9zIqcvzQI8ZEo7gGgdBd9HMPW_RYw/s1030/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1030" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1RMhOc0xznHoHiCHUjk-npG2OWRxUX8WXl6YgmFdz23D36OvW5QyZrQ9GIMMMHs7IoXNHdovtw38FbklEG-skUhJhh_RYYWsv3GE3vVOqPXhAb9zIqcvzQI8ZEo7gGgdBd9HMPW_RYw/w400-h216/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />While we meet the very pretty (and very angry) girlfriend of Zack, we never even see Victor's wife, Elsbeth. Yet so well-written and -conceived is Westdijk's screenplay that Elsbeth comes quite marvelously to life in any case. She's always there, somehow working behind the scenes, and her importance to both her husband and son comes ever clearer as the film moves on.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM63MWam7Ls42qVEhyVLypGVxl3fYXPuDRMaSl0gnmN-3mkDW8aNebI1AJpgrlAUvTeyhVPV-Y1algBHZPaQSA2gKcFTxmTWlsRRGe9kbMKT4xzASTsBt4piDyzp-PT5G6fedT5xFxxm4/s1998/waterboys_07.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1998" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM63MWam7Ls42qVEhyVLypGVxl3fYXPuDRMaSl0gnmN-3mkDW8aNebI1AJpgrlAUvTeyhVPV-Y1algBHZPaQSA2gKcFTxmTWlsRRGe9kbMKT4xzASTsBt4piDyzp-PT5G6fedT5xFxxm4/w400-h216/waterboys_07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />With suddenly having nowhere to live, Zack must accompany his dad -- who's a successful crime fiction writer -- to a book-signing in Edinburgh, where Dad is confronted by a woman from that branch of his publisher who refuses to put up with even an ounce of his bullshit (the very fine <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4083098/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3">Helen Belbin</a></b>, shown above, with her back to us) even as Zack meets and bonds with a lovely young hotel worker, played by<b> <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5462938/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t4">Julie McLellan</a></b>, below. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG679GhaiERsVE3LXE-ktGRLRMzqwyOsN6LWNrWOSJbjYA5I6W9J9Vus5cDYzSmWHohnmVoErHGdkQEtrDxg4WNbBnDRZP8BfMIk64zDH9As2HJnX5s0EdYolctNMgSFKI9LuguqG8A1o/s413/MV5BMGRiNjMzMGQtMzJlNy00MThiLThjNTEtYzhhNTFkNzc2OWI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw%2540%2540._V1_UX477_CR0%252C0%252C477%252C268_AL_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="413" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG679GhaiERsVE3LXE-ktGRLRMzqwyOsN6LWNrWOSJbjYA5I6W9J9Vus5cDYzSmWHohnmVoErHGdkQEtrDxg4WNbBnDRZP8BfMIk64zDH9As2HJnX5s0EdYolctNMgSFKI9LuguqG8A1o/w400-h245/MV5BMGRiNjMzMGQtMzJlNy00MThiLThjNTEtYzhhNTFkNzc2OWI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw%2540%2540._V1_UX477_CR0%252C0%252C477%252C268_AL_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />By the gentle, moving finale, no major bridges have been crossed, nor tons of growth achieved. But a small change can be even more believable and certainly important, and so it is here. "We are who we are," this movie seems to say, but even who we are can be tinkered with and perhaps improved a bit.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11Ce1zz6im3tnd01kQUCClCMcGwS3IDO8AWjJTe5Z7B0ea3WLj1jh4uKXgfNIpJH4GClLqv5M6WgSxhgUjjeNjGdksC0gtZ-z0s7f_H5w35QH8MFPBpQDT_N8Gpb3Kv2ZJWtwA_foYpk/s1030/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="1030" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11Ce1zz6im3tnd01kQUCClCMcGwS3IDO8AWjJTe5Z7B0ea3WLj1jh4uKXgfNIpJH4GClLqv5M6WgSxhgUjjeNjGdksC0gtZ-z0s7f_H5w35QH8MFPBpQDT_N8Gpb3Kv2ZJWtwA_foYpk/w400-h216/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="http://corinthfilms.com/">Corinth Films</a></b>, in Dutch (with English subtitles) and English, and running just 93 minutes, <i>Waterboys</i> hits home video this coming Tuesday, April 20, on <b><a href="http://corinthfilms.com/films/waterboys/">DVD</a></b>, and is available via digital streaming on <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Waterboys-Leopold-Witte/dp/B079LXMV4Y/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=waterboys&qid=1618629208&s=instant-video&sr=1-1">Prime Video</a></b> (members can view it free).<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-15035837886493303532021-04-15T05:55:00.005-04:002021-04-15T05:55:00.231-04:00The Black experience--from slavery onwards--is captured rather amazingly by Jeffrey Wolf's unusual documentary about an outsider artist, BILL TRAYLOR: CHASING GHOSTS<p><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Traylor"></a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnd7Du6EKoqIENQa0NzBUWpI2MIoyW2Jh9wm1UJEN4Q9uSFu_N-6a4AFNQB-jCckF4bUSZDU3-peMIlCXZafkW4MPbgyHk5wyFlR-vdUX1tF8oS7Xo7ubzCnu9Wp9FbesWlt5IyWDU9E/s903/Untitled1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="570" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnd7Du6EKoqIENQa0NzBUWpI2MIoyW2Jh9wm1UJEN4Q9uSFu_N-6a4AFNQB-jCckF4bUSZDU3-peMIlCXZafkW4MPbgyHk5wyFlR-vdUX1tF8oS7Xo7ubzCnu9Wp9FbesWlt5IyWDU9E/w404-h640/Untitled1.jpg" width="404" /></a></b></div><p> <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Traylor">Bill Traylor</a></b>, the subject of the new documentary <b><a href="https://kinomarquee.com/film/venue/604f8e7e9392d90001c8a93a">BILL TRAYLOR: CHASING GHOSTS</a></b>, was already 86 years old back in 1941, the year that <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b>, the fellow who is writing this review, was born. Mr. Traylor himself was born in Alabama as a slave in 1853 (that's how far back this doc goes), and yet his art -- however you might describe it: "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsider_art"><b>outsider</b></a>" "folk" or "primitive" -- also resonates as surprisingly contemporary, if also somewhat befuddling. Traylor's story, however -- his history, his life and his art career -- resonates without a bit of that befuddlement.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElmCWAZu68XtzE0Ztpyefm11NIKuw7P8L7zBmwfXhXn1q3AhCGJylFKUJIfnOIJSPxgkrs3rHiaIRD2dtxTuPQej0iBvIJN_HxHwbSPCa-KVJeK3E8-x7VHRcZrr2Yldnh9HmDB7ElZA/s854/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="570" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElmCWAZu68XtzE0Ztpyefm11NIKuw7P8L7zBmwfXhXn1q3AhCGJylFKUJIfnOIJSPxgkrs3rHiaIRD2dtxTuPQej0iBvIJN_HxHwbSPCa-KVJeK3E8-x7VHRcZrr2Yldnh9HmDB7ElZA/w268-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>The film's director, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0937800/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Jeffrey Wolf</a></b> (shown at left), and its writer, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057665/?ref_=tt_ov_wr">Fred Barron</a></b>, have put together in a mere 75 minutes, a movie that offers us as fine an example, via the life and work of a single individual, of the Black experience here in the USA as any I've seen. <div><br /></div><div>Whether this was the original goal of the film or not, I've no idea. But the achievement is certainly there. Of course, no single individual can truly act as a stand-in for an entire race. But, boy, does Mr. Traylor come close, thanks to the splendid archival footage, including interviews with folk long dead and some still alive -- especially, eventually, generations of the progeny of Mr. Traylor.<p></p><p></p></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz6zJM4ncUHii8jry5lV38J1XrY84qik2Jl6qxiibmLfWo0nXOhph6vNIkNsDaKqLh02s8_aOYtJYW3RHOaqJrNM-iLojOHzTmwsoI1lU_aSozGnZhLD9313J7IuedGk9y1jZ8Egx-Yk/s2048/M1qyP-MA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1951" data-original-width="2048" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz6zJM4ncUHii8jry5lV38J1XrY84qik2Jl6qxiibmLfWo0nXOhph6vNIkNsDaKqLh02s8_aOYtJYW3RHOaqJrNM-iLojOHzTmwsoI1lU_aSozGnZhLD9313J7IuedGk9y1jZ8Egx-Yk/w400-h381/M1qyP-MA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts</i> is primarily about this man's art, which has, since the late 1970s and early 1980s, been recognized by the art establishment as significant. (MOMA, ever the sleazy institution, actually tried, via its then director, to purchase a chunk of Traylor's art in the early 1940s at a ridiculously low price.) </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANuIi0v7Ax3cKZTmx_O3wu2HWRJJzvQEX_vu2LShvu5IM4Cz6fg0nyl39TqlUS8zkoskjod9YKV8d5ZQeoG9nGXkvMrGggNbJMPuYvwzZylzXNHAFDHV1vNL0u7SnuKMXRUvqQAjI1LA/s2048/bdaQlHRA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="2048" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANuIi0v7Ax3cKZTmx_O3wu2HWRJJzvQEX_vu2LShvu5IM4Cz6fg0nyl39TqlUS8zkoskjod9YKV8d5ZQeoG9nGXkvMrGggNbJMPuYvwzZylzXNHAFDHV1vNL0u7SnuKMXRUvqQAjI1LA/w400-h214/bdaQlHRA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We view plenty of this art (shown above and below) during the course of the film -- enough, actually, to be able to form our own conclusions about it. For me, the art is fascinating in its simplicity, even if its meaning proves more elusive than anything else. Instead, it is the life of this man -- as a slave who was greatly appreciated by his original "owner," so much so that that owner, the head of the "white" Traylor family, made certain that the further care of the black Traylor family was provided for in his will -- that resonates most strongly.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kYPSjMKIOZZ-lgK0liHkIHdZk7tNLTkLpIt_NN5OwuJMfbL1Efh0iRYP-smjlWHWPQc4YdEvI5nUdBQMIvTumsPpIwmCVrl76raCaq2WBiRzRe-TyZOHO-ceki2AoMQVKDzuWQXXP0E/s2048/i-L_cJZQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1296" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kYPSjMKIOZZ-lgK0liHkIHdZk7tNLTkLpIt_NN5OwuJMfbL1Efh0iRYP-smjlWHWPQc4YdEvI5nUdBQMIvTumsPpIwmCVrl76raCaq2WBiRzRe-TyZOHO-ceki2AoMQVKDzuWQXXP0E/w405-h640/i-L_cJZQ.jpeg" width="405" /></a></div><br />As one of the many highly intelligent and thoughtful narrators points out early on, as horrible as slavery was, "it had plenty of 'gray' areas, rather than always being, no pun intended, something black and white." These black and white Traylors were one such instance, as Bill Traylor and his family continued to work for the white Traylors for 40 years <i>after</i> slavery had been abolished -- and only left, once the white family was taken over by a particularly unjust Traylor offspring.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspcPtKed5096svUpiLw8HjpRC7npgs0pRSvb5JmSrheNlOs66L12PuwZBI2ZiX1qh5Y3EAw6Tw_q_l96H-dmzDXANebn4B4_C6upr-qwXaqeDj5C9d28i_7_Ur6tRumIMz2PfPFhCk9Q/s2048/DIo8rZfQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1551" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspcPtKed5096svUpiLw8HjpRC7npgs0pRSvb5JmSrheNlOs66L12PuwZBI2ZiX1qh5Y3EAw6Tw_q_l96H-dmzDXANebn4B4_C6upr-qwXaqeDj5C9d28i_7_Ur6tRumIMz2PfPFhCk9Q/w303-h400/DIo8rZfQ.jpeg" width="303" /></a></div><br />We see how Traylor's art came about, and how the man (shown above and below) -- quite the womanizer -- came to sire perhaps 20 offspring, all of whom he managed to care for as well as he could, while living and working during slavery, reconstruction, the Jim Crow south and beyond. </div><div>Talk about a "survivor"! </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD_IbTv-FZ-LCRDC7Ktq40LyX39kGAa-Pix9XYh-Eq_U_PYxO7X07BCkGnKb9QD-enOv9Fsahy-Ao-s4EO3Haee4G-HDaqkMFZ12yFZ3vNOVzDCqekguQGCkO_Bvw-AoncUUSBBMeZgs/s1894/1p3yP9aQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1894" data-original-width="1492" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD_IbTv-FZ-LCRDC7Ktq40LyX39kGAa-Pix9XYh-Eq_U_PYxO7X07BCkGnKb9QD-enOv9Fsahy-Ao-s4EO3Haee4G-HDaqkMFZ12yFZ3vNOVzDCqekguQGCkO_Bvw-AoncUUSBBMeZgs/w315-h400/1p3yP9aQ.jpeg" width="315" /></a></div><br />Once we meet the generations that came after him, while seeing and understanding how his art slowly accrued its reputation, we're simply amazed and ever more appreciative of his accomplishments. <i>Bill Traylor: Casing Ghosts</i> turns out to be a wonderful memorial to a man, his art and to a time long gone that has now been returned to us via this unusual and remarkable movie.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vtN9xVDCjKMH0VXVd4RoL-XOSPuSbl_6a6p4yKJbPB6eNmkeplwRTdZyVdsSV-UicipJDCxVqNmP0OIhvimMW6N_CmPMzJzKqJxzxV9uqa59A7RwEB1xb8Cc_W8GKTbzsVZ2z-kX7O4/s640/hu8k9QwQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="640" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vtN9xVDCjKMH0VXVd4RoL-XOSPuSbl_6a6p4yKJbPB6eNmkeplwRTdZyVdsSV-UicipJDCxVqNmP0OIhvimMW6N_CmPMzJzKqJxzxV9uqa59A7RwEB1xb8Cc_W8GKTbzsVZ2z-kX7O4/w400-h272/hu8k9QwQ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.kinolorber.com/">Kino Lorber</a></b> and running 75 minutes, the documentary opens tomorrow, Friday, April 16, in New York City at <b><a href="https://filmforum.org/film/bill-traylor-chasing-ghosts">Film Forum</a></b>, and the in Los Angeles area at <b><a href="https://www.laemmle.com/film/bill-traylor-chasing-ghosts">Laemmle theaters</a></b>, as well as elsewhere around the country. Click <b><a href="https://kinomarquee.com/film/venue/604f8e7e9392d90001c8a93a">here</a></b> and scroll down to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theatres (virtual or otherwise). </div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-56182479115355905392021-04-13T05:55:00.008-04:002021-04-14T15:32:16.813-04:00Twins in trouble: Stéphanie Chuat/Véronique Reymond's remarkably fluid and alive family drama, MY LITTLE SISTER, hits home video<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYs3ZvuCSXnp1C5ZV_o-iJZWEXaDmhqwuWBW81trgBvKpbn6sNQw91MeK_N7EqDHk3VxMigVyqFVaI0hLhHuv7dGGzgJRyWGVUXjFjAZfQEHT-0GfPMInc3UD12ARzI4SkQp02UkGfqE/s1498/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="1074" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYs3ZvuCSXnp1C5ZV_o-iJZWEXaDmhqwuWBW81trgBvKpbn6sNQw91MeK_N7EqDHk3VxMigVyqFVaI0hLhHuv7dGGzgJRyWGVUXjFjAZfQEHT-0GfPMInc3UD12ARzI4SkQp02UkGfqE/w286-h400/unnamed.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>The death of a sibling is difficult enough, I should imagine (being myself an only child), but the death of a twin at an untimely age must be one of the most difficult losses to endure. That is the tale told in Switzerland's entry into this year's Best International Film "Oscar" race, <b><a href="https://www.filmmovement.com/product/my-little-sister">MY LITTLE SISTER</a></b>, which opened in virtual cinemas earlier this year and this week hits home video. But if you are now expecting some dreary slough through pain and distress, relax a bit. Oh, the pain and distress are certainly there, but also present is one of the most lively, dramatic, vital and thoughtful films of this past year.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccoYzCbbZpN8mez3QJPRlLCgRbLAj7H1vYjo309YWu0tE3FOsrQsZCFayJwoIKgRLutITH9FMpbQqaNAISZEZlkBwN29oMZ8X3D-CwSbm4eQEfvvnaPLIC4cg3_W73R8F4FoH4z0g1kI/s2048/ChuatReymond_2020_PhotoSophieBrasey_64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccoYzCbbZpN8mez3QJPRlLCgRbLAj7H1vYjo309YWu0tE3FOsrQsZCFayJwoIKgRLutITH9FMpbQqaNAISZEZlkBwN29oMZ8X3D-CwSbm4eQEfvvnaPLIC4cg3_W73R8F4FoH4z0g1kI/w400-h266/ChuatReymond_2020_PhotoSophieBrasey_64.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Written and directed by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1268012/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Stéphanie Chuat</a></b> (at right, above) and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1425885/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Véronique Reymond</a></b> (above, left), the movie insists upon liveliness over all, despite its somber theme which is shown us at the outset. This liveliness is certainly due in great part to the family in question being a highly theatrical one. The self-involved and perhaps now slightly demented mom (the wonderful <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0445715/?ref_=tt_cl_t3">Marthe Keller</a></b>, below) was a noted actress and her late husband an evidently famous theater director. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIjlVpDuFblkd0xpGFCskLQLtdtMactONL-KTOEYVfbNvU6Yfr94sLkRAYPVRXAA8Er1QKuichC1Szic4O_GRvmqqR5LHDHJhbQY0HdRAKxBgUggCiDyMtmN9CBu27vgWOPV9GDHQQHc/s1280/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzJhMGZjZGY2LTQ4MzctNGUxYi1hYjA5LWU2ODBlODdmYWNlYi5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1280" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIjlVpDuFblkd0xpGFCskLQLtdtMactONL-KTOEYVfbNvU6Yfr94sLkRAYPVRXAA8Er1QKuichC1Szic4O_GRvmqqR5LHDHJhbQY0HdRAKxBgUggCiDyMtmN9CBu27vgWOPV9GDHQQHc/w400-h216/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzJhMGZjZGY2LTQ4MzctNGUxYi1hYjA5LWU2ODBlODdmYWNlYi5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Their son (played by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1955257/?ref_=tt_cl_t2">Lars Eidlinger</a></b>, below, right), now ill with leukemia, is a well-known actor, while his "little" sister (born a couple of minutes after him) is an equally famous writer (played by noted German actress <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396125/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Nina Hoss</a></b>, below, left) -- who appears to have given up her career to act as her brother's ever more full-time nurse.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHkBqc8a6s5W2uvf9fpfKPWBglk4841e5ciImgbRLNdq43VIKtVPJH3hR9oFsBOFOmJ_Y8unXK0gJvsZ9ej6EuoTPBCVfbppz2hfXY0NGcPpgm3ESGqwBrXhJjtpALDGotqWOJxHLIjk/s1920/p18579681_i_h10_aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHkBqc8a6s5W2uvf9fpfKPWBglk4841e5ciImgbRLNdq43VIKtVPJH3hR9oFsBOFOmJ_Y8unXK0gJvsZ9ej6EuoTPBCVfbppz2hfXY0NGcPpgm3ESGqwBrXhJjtpALDGotqWOJxHLIjk/w400-h225/p18579681_i_h10_aa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Sis, however already has a loving husband (<b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0016850/?ref_=tt_cl_t4">Jens Albinus</a></b>, below, right) and two children -- all of whom demand her time and energy. In fact, her hubby's own career is currently taking off, and -- as helpful and caring for her brother as he already is -- he needs his wife's attention even more just now.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgPHVz93rXMCYjzDG8L-g2o_Bl7Xz85lbVjuW8RN9WLgQcozOtD-z5BzAPCS1Ivd2TCN6rU8TNVyb5Hk2yBLOsJ68XySRwJtCxfeNDJtPZ-e6ySoHogqyERAcHNGExFiCkuJysxXlz38/s1280/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzc0ZGVhYTZhLWM5ZjEtNGQyNi04N2FlLWU0NDBiOWJjM2Q4YS5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1280" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgPHVz93rXMCYjzDG8L-g2o_Bl7Xz85lbVjuW8RN9WLgQcozOtD-z5BzAPCS1Ivd2TCN6rU8TNVyb5Hk2yBLOsJ68XySRwJtCxfeNDJtPZ-e6ySoHogqyERAcHNGExFiCkuJysxXlz38/w400-h216/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzc0ZGVhYTZhLWM5ZjEtNGQyNi04N2FlLWU0NDBiOWJjM2Q4YS5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />All this is communicated in near fast-and-furious fashion that somehow never detracts from the imminent pain and sorrow with which these characters are constantly dealing. The very vigor and energy of the film makes these people and their situation all the more believable and important. Clearly the filmmakers understand how life and its constant, immediate demands vie for attention -- no matter how awful the surrounding circumstances might be. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-S552XKAKRhsW2Jq6vhHnsh95SuLnmhi7nZx5ry7cCVlWy9t4J2eaH3dBj_EJtQDtM6B84dVDfgwDoBypJDfJXLShLcJc_85QDnA1Idh6jMAdcyhta5bMj9hyfEF2UE0MDjwUMxJVgI/s1200/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1200" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-S552XKAKRhsW2Jq6vhHnsh95SuLnmhi7nZx5ry7cCVlWy9t4J2eaH3dBj_EJtQDtM6B84dVDfgwDoBypJDfJXLShLcJc_85QDnA1Idh6jMAdcyhta5bMj9hyfEF2UE0MDjwUMxJVgI/w400-h216/unnamed+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Ms.Hoss and Herr Eidlinger could hardly be better<i> </i>(I can't think of an actor who's portrayed the pain of cancer any more convincingly), and supporting performances are aces right down the line. <i>My Little Sister</i> lasts but 100 minutes, yet by its conclusion, you'll have lived through what may seem like a lifetime or two -- and have been entertained and learned a hell of a lot in the meantime.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbFFJAOrRe2r7TnvmtXonFfiuXM-66dpme2w61LkkpU3MniDO0bX43dbJGS3mrmLDE9viIx3pUCnOmsEa0ZjFfbvPwXJPqx1xRoSrF6ZpxUIxV1xSJYiC2-uJ1STqyR1uKdtnhMIjqGQ/s1280/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzBiNjNjOTExLWM2NzAtNDNhOS1hNzYxLWMzOTBlYzY2Zjk2Yi5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1280" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbFFJAOrRe2r7TnvmtXonFfiuXM-66dpme2w61LkkpU3MniDO0bX43dbJGS3mrmLDE9viIx3pUCnOmsEa0ZjFfbvPwXJPqx1xRoSrF6ZpxUIxV1xSJYiC2-uJ1STqyR1uKdtnhMIjqGQ/w400-h216/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzBiNjNjOTExLWM2NzAtNDNhOS1hNzYxLWMzOTBlYzY2Zjk2Yi5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.filmmovement.com/">Film Movement</a></b>, in German and French (and a bit of English) with English subtitles, the movie -- after a theatrical release early this year -- is now available via DVD and streaming. Click <b><a href="https://www.filmmovement.com/product/my-little-sister">here</a></b> for more details on how and where to view.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-90493627284454806332021-04-11T17:55:00.020-04:002021-04-11T20:35:40.727-04:00Maria Sødahl's autobiographical movie, HOPE, tracks a woman's life once cancer returns<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZg_ndvOQ6igpaAPys55Wlc0kVq8pjyFN7d8echdUfB3KGEug_LmALGkhj7z6XfYblrtiPtou9djXvLxQFHLyIh4qJvggfayS_nePjGYuqeIA2brr7tXLfEzHOCplOCRPsZBfc_6MPJw/s2021/yvERNvgA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2021" data-original-width="1329" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZg_ndvOQ6igpaAPys55Wlc0kVq8pjyFN7d8echdUfB3KGEug_LmALGkhj7z6XfYblrtiPtou9djXvLxQFHLyIh4qJvggfayS_nePjGYuqeIA2brr7tXLfEzHOCplOCRPsZBfc_6MPJw/w420-h640/yvERNvgA.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br />Written and directed by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0845618/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Maria Sødahl</a></b> (shown below) -- whose story about an artist struck with cancer this movie actually is -- <b><a href="https://www.kimstim.com/film/hope/">HOPE</a></b> might initially seem an odd moniker for the tale of someone who, once her cancer returns, is told that she is both terminal and inoperable. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMspNVXwbgui-CfIfhOk5qrVHBog8fClAe9MqZsy1ioz_BQ8ARRVX5rmp5vV_hA6fzwLsDWE3aybxJAmslv-WKuMiuK5CzXKNE-6duv55DUO7NrOBzwoq7sxUYm2XduruFdbqzmMcjeaA/s899/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="603" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMspNVXwbgui-CfIfhOk5qrVHBog8fClAe9MqZsy1ioz_BQ8ARRVX5rmp5vV_hA6fzwLsDWE3aybxJAmslv-WKuMiuK5CzXKNE-6duv55DUO7NrOBzwoq7sxUYm2XduruFdbqzmMcjeaA/w269-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>Yet hope turns out to be just right, as this exceptional film explores, among many other things, what hope is, when it's appropriate and when it might be misplaced. <div><br /></div><div>Though Ms Sødahl is a filmmaker -- whose career was cut off for a decade due to her bouts with cancer -- her main character here is a just-now-growing-quite-successful choreographer (played by the fine actress <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0397034/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Andrea Bræin Hovig</a></b>, below, left), whose older partner (Scandinavian stalwart <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001745/?ref_=tt_cl_t2">Stellan Skarsgård</a></b>, below, right) appears to have been more interested in his own career than in anything else. <p></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1lroayTLWC0o821OskqYjb6ggR4ge9sLO_wRPA19Ge9eVAXPN1i7qFjqXKPFV2FrsMXRb-Upk0r1vf7lFyYKuqWtyAx4476z8dNH0no9SSNJwotpwbnFPt-WX7XLwXlenaRpG4C1klc/s2048/zAvIUloA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1lroayTLWC0o821OskqYjb6ggR4ge9sLO_wRPA19Ge9eVAXPN1i7qFjqXKPFV2FrsMXRb-Upk0r1vf7lFyYKuqWtyAx4476z8dNH0no9SSNJwotpwbnFPt-WX7XLwXlenaRpG4C1klc/w400-h225/zAvIUloA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Art, career, family, friends, relationships, love, sickness and upcoming death: Just in the first quarter hour of the film, all this is handled with speed, smarts and feeling, without any sentimentality or melodrama, so that <i>Hope</i> proves immediately both bracing and involving. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m1KA7l41mXSV68cjd6b2Z9YmZ5DXfn1XTE6jNgBkqDXAvA25pivYPk2rF_DCGDLpB8MysMw2h50GgAjipsWApeAAQj5XE1ko79wSGakQybbKHzlGI56yx8mAA2ALDwpzMPjvZjBq7kw/s2048/FQA6ee9w.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m1KA7l41mXSV68cjd6b2Z9YmZ5DXfn1XTE6jNgBkqDXAvA25pivYPk2rF_DCGDLpB8MysMw2h50GgAjipsWApeAAQj5XE1ko79wSGakQybbKHzlGI56yx8mAA2ALDwpzMPjvZjBq7kw/w400-h225/FQA6ee9w.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The caregivers here -- from doctora to the local pharmacist -- are so concerned and genuinely caring that <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> should think American viewers (those who can read subtitles, at least) will quickly, if they have not already, embrace both socialism and Scandinavian life and culture.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE9zB6oJmBU9hxYRsZOA3HoGSjDNEyKN_0t-lB8ZAhKMpc_KJr-AD1iIROMPjpVozhKMELYUKnTVeob9d2Aa5mXIzuq_GBeR4ck7DU8Nza5XrnMSyQzMXrQY0YJnMga-leQiJiJIQIhg/s2048/NN0X9Brw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE9zB6oJmBU9hxYRsZOA3HoGSjDNEyKN_0t-lB8ZAhKMpc_KJr-AD1iIROMPjpVozhKMELYUKnTVeob9d2Aa5mXIzuq_GBeR4ck7DU8Nza5XrnMSyQzMXrQY0YJnMga-leQiJiJIQIhg/w400-h225/NN0X9Brw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Rather than rely on the usual cliched situations, Sødahl chooses the more oddball and unusual to fill her film and thus makes most of the scenes seem new and refreshing. Neither her heroine nor hero (which Skarsgård's character certainly becomes over time) are depicted as anything approaching perfect. At one point, he calls her "ruthless," and indeed she has become so. But why not? This is her life -- what is left of it, at least.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2zgJO8KIvhozuhbKJsLJFQpDIvPwHEG9z7po4axxn-hs3dQoCIZA02Utav930vbwwsrnzmaiFozlqS1ueDQ8y_WVIW7ieq3wvmYPE_WucGSTIvsePhDqkIor9Q4oF5NCTkoWZTFwZog/s2048/BAWxNRWA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2zgJO8KIvhozuhbKJsLJFQpDIvPwHEG9z7po4axxn-hs3dQoCIZA02Utav930vbwwsrnzmaiFozlqS1ueDQ8y_WVIW7ieq3wvmYPE_WucGSTIvsePhDqkIor9Q4oF5NCTkoWZTFwZog/w400-h225/BAWxNRWA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The three generations on view here are depicted extremely well, and supporting roles are cast and played beautifully by all concerned. Technical aspects of the film are first-rate, too. Regarding everything from its understanding of psychology and personality, family dynamics, and medicine itself, the film excels. <i>Hope</i> is a rich, surprising and moving experience.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8VoQYEAKpdjeFF2LWGQ2xi9ByjQcmx8l4ZBxiORyFVRrpayo_mmRaJDuT4CpBgtrCceFeDVviZkwaxH79014hqbb8iRIjTtVUDUXOC0Pk7eg3ltQSn5-XAMZ7i_JkoLTBOwMerPzTkU/s2048/ul3WlUqg.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8VoQYEAKpdjeFF2LWGQ2xi9ByjQcmx8l4ZBxiORyFVRrpayo_mmRaJDuT4CpBgtrCceFeDVviZkwaxH79014hqbb8iRIjTtVUDUXOC0Pk7eg3ltQSn5-XAMZ7i_JkoLTBOwMerPzTkU/w400-h225/ul3WlUqg.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In the lead role, Ms Hovig is revelatory, nailing every emotion and nuance so totally and believably that we're with her first to last, while Mr. Skarsgård again proves himself an utter master of the small gesture and expression. He is, as usual and all on his own, a class in the skills of fine acting.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zZ5q9v-gcYMNDCvcecOKCrxPrFfXJzYoYI5vYww2MsILQGs3CH4nFfF7u3jVrPkpDZZjBVVquH86QHea9Msyo1N09VVwAOmHzISrlsansNs1lqv7MyYiOjTBeae9H7Q766OsTe8oCIc/s2048/ZwXo3dIw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3zZ5q9v-gcYMNDCvcecOKCrxPrFfXJzYoYI5vYww2MsILQGs3CH4nFfF7u3jVrPkpDZZjBVVquH86QHea9Msyo1N09VVwAOmHzISrlsansNs1lqv7MyYiOjTBeae9H7Q766OsTe8oCIc/w400-h225/ZwXo3dIw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.kimstim.com/">KimStim</a></b>, in Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles, and running 125 minutes, the movie opens this coming Friday, April 16, in theaters all across the country, and will eventually, sooner than later I hope, be available via digital and DVD. For more information on how and where to view the film, click <b><a href="https://www.kimstim.com/film/hope/">here</a></b> then scroll down.</div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-1421972190047979172021-04-09T00:12:00.013-04:002021-04-09T13:11:04.198-04:00Blu-ray debut for would-be camp classic from 1961, HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBieXhGG4IGxPrJv4x9nrU46i4iKXQFILDYonCgncfnTr9XwmZCoWwzekBmq0yN8Q-bfsx61IN6TZFwWNqVn4jpiTOx0kFOhsD2NSMinwi-nttraEBpDoCwlJASwX9RUm1UUu3BvHf9YU/s2020/7zcl0RFg.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2020" data-original-width="1524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBieXhGG4IGxPrJv4x9nrU46i4iKXQFILDYonCgncfnTr9XwmZCoWwzekBmq0yN8Q-bfsx61IN6TZFwWNqVn4jpiTOx0kFOhsD2NSMinwi-nttraEBpDoCwlJASwX9RUm1UUu3BvHf9YU/w301-h400/7zcl0RFg.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>Is there anything better than a good bad sword-sandal-and-sorcery epic to cleanse one's film-going palate? Not really. There's just something (well, many things) about these campy, goofy, usually-pretty-ridiculous musclebound-beefcake movies from the 1960s -- think any film that had the name <i>Hercules</i> in the title -- that puts the rest of the world, not to mention all other movies, into perspective. While you can't watch these things one after another without totally losing your mind, a viewing every few years can be oddly entertaining, maybe even productive.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zb6cIZwHKesLyHqCTAtOqNtCvqYo8xpG8m2zfNMoa9u6rcFXCGlAbTys4wd8liBCuPj8NZjVwdy0Z_MkF5Dyu_KcNGoxk7C35lvvVXc2Cx6mTSBSfDi7aMBxtShqDHOO5LRrT8XXaBI/s861/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="594" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zb6cIZwHKesLyHqCTAtOqNtCvqYo8xpG8m2zfNMoa9u6rcFXCGlAbTys4wd8liBCuPj8NZjVwdy0Z_MkF5Dyu_KcNGoxk7C35lvvVXc2Cx6mTSBSfDi7aMBxtShqDHOO5LRrT8XXaBI/w276-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>The latest addition to the understandably slowly-growing Blu-ray "collectible" trove comes via <b><a href="https://www.thefilmdetective.com/">The Film Detective</a></b> and is titled <b><a href="https://mvdshop.com/products/hercules-and-the-captive-women-1963-blu-ray?_pos=2&_sid=0662a6b33&_ss=r">HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN</a></b> (first released in Italy in 1961 under the moniker <i>Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide</i>), and if it is perhaps not quite the hoot-and-a-half that you'll hope it will be, for this genre it easily passes muster. <p></p><p>Directed by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0182913/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Vittorio Cottafavi</a></b> (shown at right; I'd never heard of him, either, even though he helmed, according to the IMDB, over 80 films), this movie is mostly mediocre rather than an outright camp fest, with a screenplay full of reams of exposition, punctuated with action scenes in between. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5eimOQ45MvXiPraI7qmHfu9s6nm_p3u41J4LRUOvHialMYUy_EKKiOEqeutaygwMcvS61b8RwmGUvG05G4-y6LTXkR5AWotfR1m4fHaLDIgiGKV8Klsw1hPeJso6lfNUi8yvhWqszfI/s648/Untitled2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="473" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5eimOQ45MvXiPraI7qmHfu9s6nm_p3u41J4LRUOvHialMYUy_EKKiOEqeutaygwMcvS61b8RwmGUvG05G4-y6LTXkR5AWotfR1m4fHaLDIgiGKV8Klsw1hPeJso6lfNUi8yvhWqszfI/w293-h400/Untitled2.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>The movie's main special effect is the gorgeous body of cute-but-goofy-faced <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0661918/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Reg Park</a></b> (shown at left and below), to whom the mantle of Hercules was evidently passed, once <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0716302/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2">Steve Reeves</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0779194/?ref_=nm_mv_close">Gordon Scott</a></b> got tired of wearing it. <p></p><p>Not much of an actor (none of these body-beautiful guys were) -- some of Park's oddball facial expressions will put a smile on your face -- all he really has to do to win us over is to flex those mammoth muscles. Which he does pretty consistently throughout. And mouth the silly exposition without stumbling over the words. Which he also does as gracefully as that big, brawny body will allow.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTeit2fFEyF7AF4d0HHlkDUiEe3nXM2AmkjDCbEj8xcJqryuZ5XEBxtj9F3tZgh8fW86OToHY-7V4kvk3YmVbdH2lBKZvAcG5SGGefitGAhYzela_2sglOkn3eknzNhw6UHhSiZ6ogpo/s550/Untitled1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="550" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNTeit2fFEyF7AF4d0HHlkDUiEe3nXM2AmkjDCbEj8xcJqryuZ5XEBxtj9F3tZgh8fW86OToHY-7V4kvk3YmVbdH2lBKZvAcG5SGGefitGAhYzela_2sglOkn3eknzNhw6UHhSiZ6ogpo/w400-h205/Untitled1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The plot? Oh, something to do with the destruction of all mankind via the evil Queen of Atlantis (yes, <i>that</i> place, when it was still above the water line), which Herc, his best pal Androcles, a comic little-person, and Herc's stowaway son all set out to sea in order to prevent.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5W0irQLPJ6mRhAZfJJQUSXsKLrTWHSyLMZoDYCPbguGJFmblKYcUH8Vp_ctoabF7QnP6O0r7-QKiDX4pCvF_QfnXTB4OsHtZ26xHE0u37n27J4rerN90Xz2LgxGBC9ulmVT-aUpb2-0/s1905/4k7gpKXA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1905" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5W0irQLPJ6mRhAZfJJQUSXsKLrTWHSyLMZoDYCPbguGJFmblKYcUH8Vp_ctoabF7QnP6O0r7-QKiDX4pCvF_QfnXTB4OsHtZ26xHE0u37n27J4rerN90Xz2LgxGBC9ulmVT-aUpb2-0/w400-h180/4k7gpKXA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Around one half-hour in, the movie does indeed grow campy, as our boy gets to fight with probably the silliest looking giant lizard in movie history. Further along, we get the usual "dancing-girl" sequence that features, I kid you not, a male ballet dancer strutting his stuff.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM2ga2c7rDEIvPHsV6DlEgWN6asL7RBAmGeGonVomejsV5VqP2-ya7y4Htrsn_doNeLwUZvXpPSLqixB-VbNlRH6KMkLEcbWKMk_MNVZgy0hNND0kvw_XX_56Tm7wTVToG9vsdiND4Nc/s1911/HwOEIIDA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1911" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM2ga2c7rDEIvPHsV6DlEgWN6asL7RBAmGeGonVomejsV5VqP2-ya7y4Htrsn_doNeLwUZvXpPSLqixB-VbNlRH6KMkLEcbWKMk_MNVZgy0hNND0kvw_XX_56Tm7wTVToG9vsdiND4Nc/w400-h181/HwOEIIDA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Priceless lines such as "Today is dedicated to Uranus" crop up (Uranus is the god these folk worship most), and the crowd scenes --- remember: these are <i>real</i> extras; no CGI effects back then! -- look like <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048283/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Land of the Pharoahs</a></b> on a shoestring or two.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVK0ahludNAstawX6RRz5ETegihmrTjX2928uKQK4Qk-5XHiem9rDlMh8sRQXcJ0ZJwop-d4DwNRnjBSGQA8G-ACdMIXJyPqGS1dzs408JY3QSjgAgQkYEEUE7TWUzluIhVGEx1Ugj0Y/s1902/XdOKoPIw.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1902" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVK0ahludNAstawX6RRz5ETegihmrTjX2928uKQK4Qk-5XHiem9rDlMh8sRQXcJ0ZJwop-d4DwNRnjBSGQA8G-ACdMIXJyPqGS1dzs408JY3QSjgAgQkYEEUE7TWUzluIhVGEx1Ugj0Y/w400-h181/XdOKoPIw.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The finale is full of stock "lava" footage, with that evil queen getting her comeuppance and Atlantis sinking you-know-where, amidst terror, tears, and quite a bit of laughter, as Hercules continues to show off that ample chest and arms. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7su72_hEC7aPtx9U7CDcNQLJuv1b_QehAXB6i_mdqRvP2wF0hEsZ8rJSpNR6gKOhI_Fx5ywXsAbQMjYyn6nZKin4nSogNOYSyET3jQVeG9ZLVMmL90Lx76UfI7WjqUwv5SIs98f5X-U/s1899/2w2bmx4g.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1899" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7su72_hEC7aPtx9U7CDcNQLJuv1b_QehAXB6i_mdqRvP2wF0hEsZ8rJSpNR6gKOhI_Fx5ywXsAbQMjYyn6nZKin4nSogNOYSyET3jQVeG9ZLVMmL90Lx76UfI7WjqUwv5SIs98f5X-U/w400-h181/2w2bmx4g.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://www.thefilmdetective.com/">The Film Detective</a></b>, in a so-so but supposedly 4K Blu-ray transfer from 35mm archival elements, and running 95 minutes (the film is also available in standard <a href="https://mvdshop.com/products/hercules-and-the-captive-women-1963-dvd?_pos=1&_sid=0662a6b33&_ss=r">DVD format</a>), the disc also features a number of bonus extra, including a very informative and fun 20-minute documentary, <i>Hercules and the Conquest of Cinema</i><b>,</b> and a really unnecessary complete <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094517/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Mystery Science Theater 3000</a></i> version of the film, which, if you can take more than a few minutes of this overdone and long-past-its-sell-date nonsense, you've a stronger constitution than I. (Really: You or I can talk back at the screen at least as well as those MST 3000 guys manage it.)<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-44199290410686577462021-04-07T00:12:00.022-04:002021-04-07T00:12:00.229-04:00Cody Calahan/Peter Genoway's tale-within-a-tale, THE OAK ROOM, hits theaters and VOD<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsGLko3dc8cEvG9o9ZPysmZcJYB_9XxuMllA77Fa19tobFf7n1A4g23uvGNH72LZlZuG-_11fJaoa2TszgxjcF8FPipdG_uVDOWJ4z4qWEqNnvhW2tJk_5tpfCgi0M38Y_0zu0CrwDp8/s600/the-oak-room.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsGLko3dc8cEvG9o9ZPysmZcJYB_9XxuMllA77Fa19tobFf7n1A4g23uvGNH72LZlZuG-_11fJaoa2TszgxjcF8FPipdG_uVDOWJ4z4qWEqNnvhW2tJk_5tpfCgi0M38Y_0zu0CrwDp8/w266-h400/the-oak-room.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>If you're a fan of smart storytelling, especially of a tale-within-a-tale-within-a-tale, <b><a href="https://linktr.ee/oakroomfilm">THE OAK ROOM</a></b>, the new Canadian film from director <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2970236/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Cody Calahan</a></b> and writer <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3908165/?ref_=tt_ov_wr">Peter Genoway</a></b>, might do a lot more than merely float your boat.<p></p><p>Beginning with a bar and a bit of a heard-but-not-seen rumpus, then a late-night appearance, the past, money owed, and a tale about a tale, we're maybe already one-third through the new film when all this is beginning to look a lot like mere vamping. Yet this is being handled</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AelQpm1xVee-9TN7UosJlHZM-AlvBFofH_o1oMKljAhrAlPlwVKAfy5aczlG4ehOiuouE4DH6JbhyphenhyphenE4XzMSe_onFtMtN4rN-EiBZ_FkiOkQhoVRyd2xmObVTl3HxRFid8R8xmB8S_Ao/s808/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="518" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AelQpm1xVee-9TN7UosJlHZM-AlvBFofH_o1oMKljAhrAlPlwVKAfy5aczlG4ehOiuouE4DH6JbhyphenhyphenE4XzMSe_onFtMtN4rN-EiBZ_FkiOkQhoVRyd2xmObVTl3HxRFid8R8xmB8S_Ao/w256-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>well enough -- in the writing, directing and acting -- that we're more than willing to go along. <p></p><p>Director Calahan (shown at left) and writer Genoway fill their film with enough clever visual and verbal clues and repetitions -- everything from that bar and a beer bottle to a wrist watch, wet shoes, cold feet and even class difference -- that the stories grow deeper and more serious as they move along. </p><p>Simultaneously, the movie fills with slowly accumulating menace, leading to an outburst that arrives as a penultimate event, rather than a finale. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oagwJigfPP6EdBDGmyH6y4GmBWJUZIqIYHSVFuy8knR82yFqduk72LeLce8bIGRWp_zi5xhvIgkBEDc8oyYfwYKcJxa7_AWKMd25seAJdz73bMhU87TaEoE1bue09DiNy4yTYCG1XSM/s1506/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2E0MWE0NjNhLWI4MzctNDQ0OC1iM2UxLTgyMWU4YjdlZmMyOC5qcGc%253D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1506" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oagwJigfPP6EdBDGmyH6y4GmBWJUZIqIYHSVFuy8knR82yFqduk72LeLce8bIGRWp_zi5xhvIgkBEDc8oyYfwYKcJxa7_AWKMd25seAJdz73bMhU87TaEoE1bue09DiNy4yTYCG1XSM/w400-h203/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2E0MWE0NjNhLWI4MzctNDQ0OC1iM2UxLTgyMWU4YjdlZmMyOC5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In retrospect, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> suspects you'll find the storytelling here pretty remarkable and <i>The Oak Room</i> itself a surprisingly interesting and engaging piece of filmmaking.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLYqmsVrsMGyo_m1XDw0aH6ubjQ999HRHlfqgCDKv6X2gGT4owyKu7871GO38w59zPgXET-FyODcziFPgGunJNeCZYKkfU4rWY0wn6HtDqv6IjmT9oN0ffS5ZyjABi8VNy-EtkMTvV0Q/s1211/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzNlODg5NjE3LTYxNGEtNDMxYy1iNWYyLTIwODNjOTIxYWZlYy5qcGc%253D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1211" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoLYqmsVrsMGyo_m1XDw0aH6ubjQ999HRHlfqgCDKv6X2gGT4owyKu7871GO38w59zPgXET-FyODcziFPgGunJNeCZYKkfU4rWY0wn6HtDqv6IjmT9oN0ffS5ZyjABi8VNy-EtkMTvV0Q/w400-h250/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzNlODg5NjE3LTYxNGEtNDMxYy1iNWYyLTIwODNjOTIxYWZlYy5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The small cast is made up of a half-dozen men, with each character particularly well-drawn and -acted, and three of these six guys offering change and surprise along the way.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFF5rHTHMLg9L0CYO30FSVuIcM_HhmbBE-hkRN0sF8ArfPs4Ho1Byn8GlDwBJjg0f3HqFFV7iw9E68nKKjGYFbxViCg6rfiXFqQLZyuh5MASFQUw2b5ruqEVqYQ6ijImi7oQUpXJbXQY4/s1341/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzg4ZWRiNmI0LWUzM2QtNDllMC1hZDQ2LWEyMjYzNjYyMmUzMC5qcGc%253D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1341" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFF5rHTHMLg9L0CYO30FSVuIcM_HhmbBE-hkRN0sF8ArfPs4Ho1Byn8GlDwBJjg0f3HqFFV7iw9E68nKKjGYFbxViCg6rfiXFqQLZyuh5MASFQUw2b5ruqEVqYQ6ijImi7oQUpXJbXQY4/w400-h228/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzg4ZWRiNmI0LWUzM2QtNDllMC1hZDQ2LWEyMjYzNjYyMmUzMC5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I'll not go into the "who, what and why" to avoid the usual spoilers, but I will list these fine actors: <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2826395/?ref_=tt_cl_i3">Ari Millen</a></b> (three photos up), <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2666409/?ref_=tt_cl_t1"><b>RJ Mitte</b></a> (two photos above) and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0653660/?ref_=tt_cl_t2">Peter Outerbridge</a></b> (just above) take the lead roles with utter panache, <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWMcpE5k7ccH0Vm4jOb2TnWJShbPTvwKN8TJQSo6NWGCiveQscIdCbPMAD3yVHccJ-F_2ZpuGNs6bm1KpQ0FEXjr8bO9PYihxB38ad-vchJ386DOViPQdsFHPFwSa0zO-mPBvS9W5fdA/s1534/Untitled1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1534" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWMcpE5k7ccH0Vm4jOb2TnWJShbPTvwKN8TJQSo6NWGCiveQscIdCbPMAD3yVHccJ-F_2ZpuGNs6bm1KpQ0FEXjr8bO9PYihxB38ad-vchJ386DOViPQdsFHPFwSa0zO-mPBvS9W5fdA/w400-h185/Untitled1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />while super support arrives via <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0132757/?ref_=tt_cl_t4">Nicholas Campbell</a></b> (above), <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0730045/?ref_=tt_cl_t5">Martin Roach</a></b> (below), and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0275072/?ref_=tt_cl_t6">David Ferry</a></b>. Who these characters are and what they want is revealed slowly and cleverly, keeping us ever on our toes and thinking that we've now got things all figured out. Not quite.<p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDw0rVexlB4WW-KhQI5PefOyWYPAwHGL5lM9XV_rNZqkWm7ZqsHyP295POWVCsRV8Da8yyw7rHYSPdIKLXOYajBMzvxdqwZvU9Lo94PZa665zG_jXc9yF2exkBkFagc4nKE-69aaAk5Y/s1197/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2Q3ZTdjZjBlLTYwNDYtNDVjNi05ZGZhLTFjN2QyZjc2N2MyNy5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1197" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDw0rVexlB4WW-KhQI5PefOyWYPAwHGL5lM9XV_rNZqkWm7ZqsHyP295POWVCsRV8Da8yyw7rHYSPdIKLXOYajBMzvxdqwZvU9Lo94PZa665zG_jXc9yF2exkBkFagc4nKE-69aaAk5Y/w400-h253/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzL2Q3ZTdjZjBlLTYwNDYtNDVjNi05ZGZhLTFjN2QyZjc2N2MyNy5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Even as the final credits roll, you'll still be mulling it all around in your mind, piecing together the fragments still missing. For those who enjoy story-telling, puzzles, mysteries and the kind of suspense and uneasiness that build ever so gradually, <i>The Oak Room</i> should satisfy in a myriad of ways.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0TWmfZjmV2iWBwL5_DxX7bUUdFrU7VV1_3p2ruuuCfgCm45sZPoi8N7OTHAcDOPEDDWVaSHeYIL9xWAyhAn6HGZCxLzwPpP1apItYRYSEzzJuqBw-N_xM5mG843UQwy7ew7BXhs2CG0/s965/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzkxOGQ0ZDIzLTFkMGMtNDA0Yy04ZTYxLThjNDhjMDZjMTU3Yy5qcGc%253D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="965" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0TWmfZjmV2iWBwL5_DxX7bUUdFrU7VV1_3p2ruuuCfgCm45sZPoi8N7OTHAcDOPEDDWVaSHeYIL9xWAyhAn6HGZCxLzwPpP1apItYRYSEzzJuqBw-N_xM5mG843UQwy7ew7BXhs2CG0/w400-h315/ems.ZW1zLXByZC1hc3NldHMvbW92aWVzLzkxOGQ0ZDIzLTFkMGMtNDA0Yy04ZTYxLThjNDhjMDZjMTU3Yy5qcGc%253D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="http://gravitasventures.com/">Gravitas Ventures</a></b> and running just 89 minutes, the movie hit a few theaters along with VOD just last weekend, Friday, April 2. Click <b><a href="https://linktr.ee/oakroomfilm">here</a></b> to see the various digital venues on which you can view the film. </div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-26636561520920763092021-04-05T14:22:00.017-04:002021-04-05T17:36:35.117-04:00Training for service in the South African military, circa 1981: Oliver Hermanus' MOFFIE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvDH9FNAeR1g42ln9fZo0kqBcd8OB-D51RkBSLQc_MA7DS8AY1Fk9UypnjBjX-joeIX5OrvhjSvC8q3hoRstj0f4c2mam6ZSTrMZ7sP8vOiCmIQSmMzVDn4yVyIjRQgWzwtUkFAPUQow/s2048/Moffie_Web.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1382" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvDH9FNAeR1g42ln9fZo0kqBcd8OB-D51RkBSLQc_MA7DS8AY1Fk9UypnjBjX-joeIX5OrvhjSvC8q3hoRstj0f4c2mam6ZSTrMZ7sP8vOiCmIQSmMzVDn4yVyIjRQgWzwtUkFAPUQow/w270-h400/Moffie_Web.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>I'm not certain that the title word of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3564996/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Oliver Hermanus</a></b>' new movie, <b><a href="https://www.moffie.movie/">MOFFIE</a></b>, is ever actually spoken in the film itself (<b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b>' understanding of the language of Afrikaans is nearly nonexistent, so he may have simply missed it*), but as <i>moffie</i> is the film's title and its publicity materials explain that the word describes someone weak, effeminate and illegal -- all of which homosexuals were perceived as some forty years ago in South Africa (elsewhere, too) -- the word is not simply eponymous, it stands as the prime example of something you would not want to be thought or spoken about yourself. Especially when you're doing military training/service. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq0SdSdj8yFlxR0_qUO8KgGUHtmPlkfoadeTMKl8JOnTi9Hs06PEu02pn8CenKRhdK0KYyoe3_Twavh37Yk2gHKT9SxX5v74CJUAL82nafTYVRTsBbV7DPUD65rlLwWDvLgwi7ILtqSs/s896/unnamed+%25288%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="563" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq0SdSdj8yFlxR0_qUO8KgGUHtmPlkfoadeTMKl8JOnTi9Hs06PEu02pn8CenKRhdK0KYyoe3_Twavh37Yk2gHKT9SxX5v74CJUAL82nafTYVRTsBbV7DPUD65rlLwWDvLgwi7ILtqSs/w251-h400/unnamed+%25288%2529.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>If the movie manages nothing else, it will leave you feeling that South Africa, under the old Apartheid regime, offered the most disgusting military training seen on film. (Even <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Full Metal Jacket</a></b> may seem something of a walk in the park.)<p></p><p>Mr. Hermanus, shown at right, concentrates most on the damage -- physical, emotional and psychological -- done to these young men under the charge and care of their commanding officer and less on the fact (perhaps mere assumption in some cases) of their homosexuality and any actual acting upon their emotional or physical attraction. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlr1yo3UD_hjZOnpcIKrGARHx45Lo6CGJoHg72kurZi8tEx00yFaMfeLX9CnRubBlpcAGeSDvEy2VjKgOLIY-Hh0z6KCEv_zxr2hbKRYj9mVjkhxHnnnuHmi4Lg9TEeK77dDYBRTcu-eQ/s2048/MOFFIE+Still+4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlr1yo3UD_hjZOnpcIKrGARHx45Lo6CGJoHg72kurZi8tEx00yFaMfeLX9CnRubBlpcAGeSDvEy2VjKgOLIY-Hh0z6KCEv_zxr2hbKRYj9mVjkhxHnnnuHmi4Lg9TEeK77dDYBRTcu-eQ/w266-h400/MOFFIE+Still+4.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>Consequently <i>Moffie</i> is weighted heavily on the side of violence and ugliness to the point at which you're likely to imagine that you, too, would remain in the closet for the rest of your dreadful, unhappy life.<p></p><p>Which is what our hero, Nicholas (played by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9240445/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Kai Luke Brümmer</a></b>, at left, standing) seems to be doing throughout the film -- and, from what we can gather, by the finale, he will continue doing, once the credits have finished rolling. (This is not one of those movies in which a good time is had by all. Or by anyone except the white, racist majority who tow the party line.) </p><p>Even the barely budding romance between two military mates is quite effectively nipped in that bud via the attitude/actions of the powers-that-be.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60SbYJddZ1K1IzJ1VJ5D7ExLPD8VZ1aTUhX5my-yXcB-W3H56OnN9oNujMNEQ300nLOSOhN5q5HOGyxYn5JRxmJPAY5rJDFM441XmWkmdTIXePw44RcrRnDqxTHZXrIYhzHPMeHqEnAs/s2048/MOFFIE+Still+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60SbYJddZ1K1IzJ1VJ5D7ExLPD8VZ1aTUhX5my-yXcB-W3H56OnN9oNujMNEQ300nLOSOhN5q5HOGyxYn5JRxmJPAY5rJDFM441XmWkmdTIXePw44RcrRnDqxTHZXrIYhzHPMeHqEnAs/w400-h266/MOFFIE+Still+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Why sit through a movie like <i>Moffie</i>? (My spouse didn't, giving up on it about one-half-hour in.) For me, the film showed so clearly and sadly the destruction that apartheid had on the soul and body of South African by the coercion of the populace into thinking and acting on the notion/law that the only things that count are being white and "straight." Anyone else was deemed something like a fourth-class citizen -- if that. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbo-SKwEk62kkfN0_bByXqgHIOk92xUuwhCyeQGK75a_bcl1NP1t944TwzI92uiowC-vvl4MYDdn39j_Gm2kyUXgTfxvWsn8XzwUBO7QrjH2l2ibYPKkaaJ1Utbl9d9h6YjQtQNvRvmA/s1920/MOFFIE+Still+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbo-SKwEk62kkfN0_bByXqgHIOk92xUuwhCyeQGK75a_bcl1NP1t944TwzI92uiowC-vvl4MYDdn39j_Gm2kyUXgTfxvWsn8XzwUBO7QrjH2l2ibYPKkaaJ1Utbl9d9h6YjQtQNvRvmA/w400-h225/MOFFIE+Still+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Not that this idea has somehow disappeared from today's world. Donald Trump and his wretched administration, as well as the current American Republican party and its mostly rabid followers continue to promulgate this philosophy. So it is salutary to be forced to see and deal with the results, as per South Africa in the early 1980s via this film, and in the USA today, as seen all around us.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejC00oEQbEnB3vwi3HRw1FlOsRWsGB11Y5WNf3wQ5S0QcpGnz-7m6ILdectkvLQVkJvqhef9it-Foj68IXzNvShMCix33tpVzESu7CEMetIP89qpvbOoaEiqe7WBm_WSKlFOQgp3q5Mw/s2000/MOFFIE_STILLS_DAY+06-27.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="2000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejC00oEQbEnB3vwi3HRw1FlOsRWsGB11Y5WNf3wQ5S0QcpGnz-7m6ILdectkvLQVkJvqhef9it-Foj68IXzNvShMCix33tpVzESu7CEMetIP89qpvbOoaEiqe7WBm_WSKlFOQgp3q5Mw/w400-h266/MOFFIE_STILLS_DAY+06-27.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />As co-writer (with <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3386106/?ref_=tt_ov_wr">Jack Sidey</a></b>), Mr. Hermanus does a decent directing job, though the sometimes lovely, sometimes heavy-handed musical score seems to lead the film, rather than the other way around. Performances are up-to-snuff (there's copious eye candy on view), and the dialog, more often sparse than full-bodied, seems appropriate in terms of how closed off and hidden so many of the lives on view must necessarily remain.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtUtIWTe9mPjbxvl2bO593ytZo2PP7520p9NbS4lKdNwbjCO4Zl1AXwVclTNwVGU4m4tolluabYnzGQxf06EBQJVwsYrJUy6f2l7DN3avW10uEUXsOcFqAIzMCWb4RZNADP6QuygIPa4/s2048/MOFFIE+Still+6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtUtIWTe9mPjbxvl2bO593ytZo2PP7520p9NbS4lKdNwbjCO4Zl1AXwVclTNwVGU4m4tolluabYnzGQxf06EBQJVwsYrJUy6f2l7DN3avW10uEUXsOcFqAIzMCWb4RZNADP6QuygIPa4/w400-h266/MOFFIE+Still+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />If I seem less than thrilled with <i>Moffie</i> overall, this is because the film does not tell us much that we don't already know. It simply makes it worse than we might have imagined.<p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iEK748R7SCiBzQNyDTbsHFQuKdUNBSuHSdDp6RdibEmYNHqfDbitYo1yDTqRgRvDavlzH05xtTUmBxiagVy3HjhLy_qOfMKA8eVBt1mJnleq8fRJekjyGiceXS3ESImJ5MfdNxQah1I/s2048/MOFFIE+Still+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iEK748R7SCiBzQNyDTbsHFQuKdUNBSuHSdDp6RdibEmYNHqfDbitYo1yDTqRgRvDavlzH05xtTUmBxiagVy3HjhLy_qOfMKA8eVBt1mJnleq8fRJekjyGiceXS3ESImJ5MfdNxQah1I/w400-h266/MOFFIE+Still+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From<b> <a href="https://www.ifcfilms.com/">IFC Films</a></b>, in English and Afrikaans (with English subtitles) and running 104 minutes, the movie opens in theaters -- including a welcome return to the <b><a href="https://www.ifccenter.com/">IFC Center</a></b> in New York City and to the <b><a href="https://www.laemmle.com/theater/royal">Laemmle's Royal</a>,</b> <b><a href="https://www.laemmle.com/theater/noho-7">NoHo 7</a> </b>and <b><a href="https://www.laemmle.com/theater/playhouse-7">Playhouse 7</a></b> in the Los Angeles area this Friday, April 9. Click <b><a href="https://www.moffie.movie/">here</a></b> for more information on theatrical venues across the country and /or how and where to view the film from your home.</div><div><br /></div><div>*The film's publicist tells me that the term "moffie" was indeed used in one scene, so chalk this up to my hearing/foreign language problems!</div>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-52839762933994135072021-04-03T09:09:00.006-04:002021-04-03T09:09:00.289-04:00Blu-ray debut for Richard Kelly's ever-more-pertinent cult classic, SOUTHLAND TALES<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiFUoLoRhQFSKw1GyVjLf3T7eRY1uD3DWXsoeQI_jDJcy_YM3rc8YVR0r4QU6KPqS1IRPzsOBDhBVJt9_8SmQyuEUzS97a3KmEdqcqj2Q9uOxoodFtlLMfbvFxi1sRjOuPObC0zQea5M/s2027/AV301.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2027" data-original-width="1613" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiFUoLoRhQFSKw1GyVjLf3T7eRY1uD3DWXsoeQI_jDJcy_YM3rc8YVR0r4QU6KPqS1IRPzsOBDhBVJt9_8SmQyuEUzS97a3KmEdqcqj2Q9uOxoodFtlLMfbvFxi1sRjOuPObC0zQea5M/w319-h400/AV301.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>Fifteen years have passed since <b><a href="https://mvdb2b.com/s/SouthlandTales/AV301">SOUTHLAND TALES</a></b>, the follow-up film to <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0446819/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Richard Kelly</a></b>'s now cult classic <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_5">Donnie Darko</a></b>, made its theatrical debut. <p></p><p>Back in 2006, <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> found the film alternately bewildering and fun. As I recall, the movie also marked the passing of the name of one of its stars, The Rock, into the more mainstream moniker of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0425005/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Dwayne Johnson</a></b> (his co-stars were the then-very-hot <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001264/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm"><b>Sarah Michelle Gella</b>r</a> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005405/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Seann William Scott</a></b>). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNt3xPgJDF2k4OS0nYhe74mHtJAkq3MlsLgY6pat2IdSR35F3r5l_6mYwg7q5C7JVtHVRLcHzwp8I1ZzCpIrcaxjVJrhSRdMPzTNAeOpnL-TWOBTTcTrzQ0fFHgrsB0XVFjCJBgy0YYg/s794/interviews_richardkelly2021.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="491" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNt3xPgJDF2k4OS0nYhe74mHtJAkq3MlsLgY6pat2IdSR35F3r5l_6mYwg7q5C7JVtHVRLcHzwp8I1ZzCpIrcaxjVJrhSRdMPzTNAeOpnL-TWOBTTcTrzQ0fFHgrsB0XVFjCJBgy0YYg/w248-h400/interviews_richardkelly2021.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>Mr. Kelly, meanwhile, has written and directed only one other movie since then, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362478/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_1">The Box</a></b> (from 2009). This seems to me a great waste, as all three of his films may be flawed, but they are also fascinating. <i>Southland Tales</i>, in fact, holds up much better now, I believe, than it seemed to upon release. Times have, unfortunately, caught up with the movie, and it turns out that Kelly (shown at right) was either prescient or remarkably ahead of his time.<p></p><p>His plot, if you can even quite call it that, both sci-fi-ish and political, has to do with travel between dimensions and the fight between right-wing fascists and left-wing neo-Marxists for the power and soul of the USA. Very big deals, right? Yet Kelly seems more amused by it all than overly worked up. And while his sympathies may lie more with the left than the right, he makes fun of both their methodologies, while making the most of his very game cast -- the supporting roles of which are played by some of our <i>crème de la crème</i> of comic actors (then <i>and</i> now).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv2U6Z0LRr0KIqVgiD2NfB6ST5-cJs7dD0COvEuDd_0iw2VljlwmnIjrDlx8X7S4u1iPffsDPzwBmcOSxD9lx1uxyz7WdFJrtV4sZSvb4E04w1-fuWgKWTeVonG65iVOpc7AeGxoseeg/s620/D22dLDFXcAAESrE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="620" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv2U6Z0LRr0KIqVgiD2NfB6ST5-cJs7dD0COvEuDd_0iw2VljlwmnIjrDlx8X7S4u1iPffsDPzwBmcOSxD9lx1uxyz7WdFJrtV4sZSvb4E04w1-fuWgKWTeVonG65iVOpc7AeGxoseeg/w400-h225/D22dLDFXcAAESrE.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Kelly also makes the most of the sex appeal (as well as the general appeal) of his three stars. Johnson (above, left) and Scott (at right) shine brightest here, though Gellar (below), in a lesser role, is certainly good enough. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IXtv8ffWqs0lWXMsp7JJVg3KbFemPOA3LCc_Z_RIDuGlDBJon1hiAF1cmK9FvckK_cvQsyp0MP_EdlH9SZTbheo5dNBhTEavAzvtoJNp2xIQccFukUSQTWFUBvhKVQR1AfkeKC4g5es/s613/15-CTEK-0568_southlandtales_613x463.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="613" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IXtv8ffWqs0lWXMsp7JJVg3KbFemPOA3LCc_Z_RIDuGlDBJon1hiAF1cmK9FvckK_cvQsyp0MP_EdlH9SZTbheo5dNBhTEavAzvtoJNp2xIQccFukUSQTWFUBvhKVQR1AfkeKC4g5es/w400-h303/15-CTEK-0568_southlandtales_613x463.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The filmmaker's tone is remarkably consistent in its goofiness, and this is where those supporting actors prove most important. Crazy as things get -- do they ever -- performers such as <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004887/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t9">Nora Dunn</a></b> (below), <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001484/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t26">Jon Lovitz</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0688132/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t33">Amy Poehler</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0488662/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t24">John Larroquette</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0335275/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t17">Beth Grant</a></b> keep things humming and on track throughout. <p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZvs299VNGbgLMbj_fz9y5X9xddmC60_jMSL4rF5NrhjkjfAtDE_4F6Nkq_7RJJtEidFxe3XZCNVKGh4kGTq8niIXPFyBruw_1at4hfI0voAAVPLrmh24_cKPdQSxof4L7TDnYQ5b04Y/s392/southland-02-400x283.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="392" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZvs299VNGbgLMbj_fz9y5X9xddmC60_jMSL4rF5NrhjkjfAtDE_4F6Nkq_7RJJtEidFxe3XZCNVKGh4kGTq8niIXPFyBruw_1at4hfI0voAAVPLrmh24_cKPdQSxof4L7TDnYQ5b04Y/w400-h264/southland-02-400x283.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><b><br /><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001728/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t41">Wallace Shawn</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000499/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t25">Bai Ling</a></b> (below, left and right) are used delightfully, too, as is the late <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0748289/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t38">Zelda Rubinstein</a></b> (further below). Even as the "plot" keeps spinning off grid, the enjoyment of watching these actors strut their stuff keeps us happily bouncing along. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinP5lLqorKAJ888bLtPwxX4Bl3hyA-bJ1lktnpS0lYtx-vnkj-kFA7WwlvsvEvdp7ngcsynN-BErjCAlYAmHbHGpA0K8-7mArGCnKjKn1-zVWl6p5GQPHa4GIFgQzaJnOwu15nGIyiFzc/s750/southlandtales.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="750" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinP5lLqorKAJ888bLtPwxX4Bl3hyA-bJ1lktnpS0lYtx-vnkj-kFA7WwlvsvEvdp7ngcsynN-BErjCAlYAmHbHGpA0K8-7mArGCnKjKn1-zVWl6p5GQPHa4GIFgQzaJnOwu15nGIyiFzc/w400-h224/southlandtales.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From the outset <i>Southland Tales</i> is apocalyptic (think climate change, even if the movie puts it elsewhere), while the behavior of its generally crazy characters is often violent and close-to-scary. Timely, right? <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5bPXvEbRLuxDi0AERbGUzrvqct9o-B49av3Fb4pt4b21N5-JwUtEnXsXHT1BN6PiOWbatjYsEzfXA8OAEds2rz1PZ5K5gDEF-FFOWZrKv5I_mQmfH0LqVvnJ4gxTtIPylyW_KGpQ22c/s614/southland-2-614x259.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="614" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5bPXvEbRLuxDi0AERbGUzrvqct9o-B49av3Fb4pt4b21N5-JwUtEnXsXHT1BN6PiOWbatjYsEzfXA8OAEds2rz1PZ5K5gDEF-FFOWZrKv5I_mQmfH0LqVvnJ4gxTtIPylyW_KGpQ22c/w400-h169/southland-2-614x259.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Further, the willingness of most of the characters -- politicians, military, police -- to embrace this terrible scenario also proves a little too close for comfort. If Kelly and his script is serious about anything, that would be our back-then-current -- and fuck-it-all, still current -- mid-east wars. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEhhrkEw6KW6KuyCtfvH-whm7hy58SMGzYaNuBICMprIlf_7WEjUkTZRRbBdNatI_ULhZryqjCRhiYJxmgeUTZN1Srg2ijHGi4VrrMdyyttM2RHBLsIFzW994WE-VgiquxRFy9MojD3c/s1000/Southland-Tales-Featured.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="1000" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEhhrkEw6KW6KuyCtfvH-whm7hy58SMGzYaNuBICMprIlf_7WEjUkTZRRbBdNatI_ULhZryqjCRhiYJxmgeUTZN1Srg2ijHGi4VrrMdyyttM2RHBLsIFzW994WE-VgiquxRFy9MojD3c/w400-h245/Southland-Tales-Featured.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The film's narrator (and perhaps the actual main character), a wounded vet played by <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005493/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t45">Justin Timberlake</a></b> (above) gets a kind of musical number for himself and his hot-girl chorus that is both wonderful and downright depressing.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdRkYRKUh_rQMkKbvGzPcMixex9MEkEmwZjAF05FTOpCCx1K4jJzhBuaMXAyurcxMTpXUTBo43S7wuXmh_aUZOxPtnJQQNtXSHjPMgXVbedhVeUIaAG4SmqFzjspYEG6E8T8KMC7eG24/s600/NYGJ3KFOG4I6TPC4445WAPT7HA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdRkYRKUh_rQMkKbvGzPcMixex9MEkEmwZjAF05FTOpCCx1K4jJzhBuaMXAyurcxMTpXUTBo43S7wuXmh_aUZOxPtnJQQNtXSHjPMgXVbedhVeUIaAG4SmqFzjspYEG6E8T8KMC7eG24/w400-h266/NYGJ3KFOG4I6TPC4445WAPT7HA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Finally, though, it's the charisma, charm and sheer sex appeal of the three stars that bring the movie home. When one woman places a gun to her head and tells the character played by Johnson that if she can't suck his dick, she's going to pull the trigger, I suspect you'll know exactly how she feels. Then, once satisfied, what the hell, we'll be ready for that apocalypse.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO4nKuQBcMImsL8LduEpSyBMQZTwcfnhI24_vyc_80Bu2dPBHxUwO7Btm4W_H6gbCwASrQgA38tNEhP94KGrkioMvnhXeBjq56BgnTyUwSva3ccF4eBfHpO42j63oZ06iMHCVv-loD5o/s1366/123.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="1366" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHO4nKuQBcMImsL8LduEpSyBMQZTwcfnhI24_vyc_80Bu2dPBHxUwO7Btm4W_H6gbCwASrQgA38tNEhP94KGrkioMvnhXeBjq56BgnTyUwSva3ccF4eBfHpO42j63oZ06iMHCVv-loD5o/w400-h154/123.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="https://arrowfilms.com/">Arrow Video</a></b> (distributed here in the USA via <b><a href="https://mvdshop.com/">MVD Entertainment Group</a></b>) and running 158 minutes (in the Cannes Festival cut) and 145 minutes (the theatrical cut) -- both are included on this two-disc 2K restoration set, approved by director Kelly and director of photography <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692925/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr17">Stephen Poster</a></b>, which also includes some nice Bonus features -- <i>Southland Tales</i> hit the street for purchase this past January. My copy, however, did not arrive until last week. Hence the late reporting. Click <b><a href="https://mvdb2b.com/s/SouthlandTales/AV301">here</a></b> for more information on the release.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2481549185308465110.post-70052767674942216802021-04-01T15:43:00.017-04:002021-04-01T15:51:36.921-04:00Clayton Witmer's overlong, tiresome psycho-creature feature, THE ARBORS, arrives via VOD<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQXMtQayoCcacGauLiWUg18ppPhym5KuL-PT06hlcAmQPpmv643vaMWGSpnmOfrEb1SuzQUG-uiQT1YZtkCBOXSEsYBbcmiqPT3gZpi3t3VzzyA_jLAJYQE_9aVGMBAmp5Em3rn8u9Jw/s902/Untitled.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="601" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQXMtQayoCcacGauLiWUg18ppPhym5KuL-PT06hlcAmQPpmv643vaMWGSpnmOfrEb1SuzQUG-uiQT1YZtkCBOXSEsYBbcmiqPT3gZpi3t3VzzyA_jLAJYQE_9aVGMBAmp5Em3rn8u9Jw/w266-h400/Untitled.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>You've got to hand it to any filmmaker with balls big enough to offer up -- after giving us a way-too-long two hours of genre-jumping nonsense that grows worse as it goes along-- a priceless line of dialog: "Can't this all just be <i>over</i>?!" To which you're likely to reply, Oh, yes, god --<i> please!</i> Yet exactly that's what a fellow by the name of <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5671676/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">Clayton Witmer</a></b> does, as director and co-writer, in his film <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheArborsMovie/">THE ARBORS</a></b>, which <b><a href="https://trustmovies.blogspot.com/2008/09/about-trustmovies-and-guy-whos-asking.html">TrustMovies</a></b> admits starts out well enough, as we perceive that quite a number of things are amiss in the small town in which the film takes place. We and our hero Ethan (a remarkably passive guy) notice a group of workers in bio-hazard suits just off the nearby road. Soon Ethan is asking his young neighbor to stop throwing rocks at his mailbox, and then he has an odd, not-quite dinner with his brother and his family.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTzSParuMAmWtPHjSfXRoXzppurF3FeVHGUN6Mq86NaxD9egb-bhZOSoS2-3c1KR1LZU1Obgf9dJw6UhEA25K_jBboL9TBjQ2tr3cQuHCOdRSSUGasZDcJkNsB5KiNUeFdZPkbM-MWVo/s530/65bff0fc7c-headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="360" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTzSParuMAmWtPHjSfXRoXzppurF3FeVHGUN6Mq86NaxD9egb-bhZOSoS2-3c1KR1LZU1Obgf9dJw6UhEA25K_jBboL9TBjQ2tr3cQuHCOdRSSUGasZDcJkNsB5KiNUeFdZPkbM-MWVo/w271-h400/65bff0fc7c-headshot.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>By the ten-minute mark, we've noticed something that, from the little we see of it, just might be some alien life form. And then we hear a TV evangelist doing the usual proclaiming about "last days." Sounds pretty promising, right? If only.<p></p><p>Mr. Witmer, pictured at right, gives us one good jump scare, before settling in to make his film as deadly dull as possible, given its promising set-up. Instead of proceeding in a way that anyone except a complete numskull would do (alert the authorities, <i>any</i> authority), Ethan takes into pseudo-captivity this clearly dangerous creature -- think <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093185/?ref_=tt_mv_close">The Hidden</a></b>, if you can remember back to 1987, but without any of the action and gleeful fun of that groundbreaking film. Our creature then grows bigger and begins doing very nasty things.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXf3_6NFHoxMemLIQrKBNQ_QHqG3AyQ5CDPeqzpi-vBGipraDhx-rVZcnbGga8Wq8YvBypvwWnEhmYqT_drqN0EHISEYxygKZoqZ-v1DkrN0d2rx6DzJBTl7Ey3FtFhS_PwsDYtBPL4s/s996/the-arbors.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="996" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXf3_6NFHoxMemLIQrKBNQ_QHqG3AyQ5CDPeqzpi-vBGipraDhx-rVZcnbGga8Wq8YvBypvwWnEhmYqT_drqN0EHISEYxygKZoqZ-v1DkrN0d2rx6DzJBTl7Ey3FtFhS_PwsDYtBPL4s/w400-h173/the-arbors.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>The Arbors</i> is written, directed and acted in the kind of faux naturalistic style that instead of seeming "real," comes off as all the more "fake" -- mostly because the dialog falls somewhere between screenwriting that's merely so-so and genuinely bad improvisation.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-nFzW_OiY7Dz1phwQ5d1i4es7EyDKiAwvwgHoYccth8b7Wiis7cnVC7mJlN5rvis-7ysf6jrtiuuYVHKVo7ueWY-BtOckifAto919Zur181O7WbDJGhiqTLPYT9K-4T5BcZEaC5xKSA/s1280/arbors1-1280x720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-nFzW_OiY7Dz1phwQ5d1i4es7EyDKiAwvwgHoYccth8b7Wiis7cnVC7mJlN5rvis-7ysf6jrtiuuYVHKVo7ueWY-BtOckifAto919Zur181O7WbDJGhiqTLPYT9K-4T5BcZEaC5xKSA/w400-h225/arbors1-1280x720.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />And it is not only Ethan himself who moves, speaks and acts like a person somewhere on the autistic-and/or-drugged-up spectrum; most of the other cast members seem a little too close to zombie status, too. You keep wanting to kick them and their film into something approaching action. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmavEF5FPm1Oe_kIJccW79bCEuzAcfDDxfbIs0j0GvZZE3O9VWOSxPHZxYnTdSeK0DdHjgl4-ClC_yDLA7hXBY1m_4rld3Uyiz2F4ho_Hw0LrDMcKD-fGx1mNbtz0zrvu68f2zGd3V3wI/s900/the-arbors-review-horror.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="900" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmavEF5FPm1Oe_kIJccW79bCEuzAcfDDxfbIs0j0GvZZE3O9VWOSxPHZxYnTdSeK0DdHjgl4-ClC_yDLA7hXBY1m_4rld3Uyiz2F4ho_Hw0LrDMcKD-fGx1mNbtz0zrvu68f2zGd3V3wI/w400-h165/the-arbors-review-horror.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />By the time those "clues" start building up as to what is really going on here, and the would-be psychological angle takes over, that psychology will seem like the dumbest thing about the movie. Unfortunately, it is also the film's entire point.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBPfXH_eZEIeI6ff-5pjxAm6c87KFsIqacb6pfZ2nyBSgpKqiIQIvIZyiJm8cWzWT9tN7q6GuPgrqmB3HETIzJRYa0gjl6GbcwTTUPBu0SX7nVcW7XyLlKPHuvUkxFEN4Swmvmwks1DY/s350/thearborsTrailerlegsmainHorrorimgTsr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="350" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBPfXH_eZEIeI6ff-5pjxAm6c87KFsIqacb6pfZ2nyBSgpKqiIQIvIZyiJm8cWzWT9tN7q6GuPgrqmB3HETIzJRYa0gjl6GbcwTTUPBu0SX7nVcW7XyLlKPHuvUkxFEN4Swmvmwks1DY/w400-h193/thearborsTrailerlegsmainHorrorimgTsr.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Performances certainly match the long, dark, tiresome style, with <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5056304/?ref_=tt_cl_t1">Drew Matthews</a></b> (above) sleep-inducing as Ethan, and <b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4928906/?ref_=tt_cl_t2">Ryan Davenport</a></b> (below, left) slightly more lively as his brother Shane. Especially ludicrous is the scene between Ethan and his ex-girlfriend, in which she pleads with this catatonic nutcase to run away with her. But then this entire movie seems to exist in some vacuum of utter unreality.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwzojuUFUZGMoHSk9BW0xyIbscoZw5fdUU4xtR3JRJVbmMGXfrfVEsxqQPAm552VIaoNNmEdjZG6sM7ETgObaGpv4qzgcOmoTsvCCzy1V-rUeHZoxJDuIBA3Q8eVxhrtuu2ZbeZscsEs/s1242/Untitled1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1242" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwzojuUFUZGMoHSk9BW0xyIbscoZw5fdUU4xtR3JRJVbmMGXfrfVEsxqQPAm552VIaoNNmEdjZG6sM7ETgObaGpv4qzgcOmoTsvCCzy1V-rUeHZoxJDuIBA3Q8eVxhrtuu2ZbeZscsEs/w400-h225/Untitled1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Well, this is Mr. Witmer's first full-length attempt, so we've got to give him a break, even if he has taken a workable, if not terribly original, concept and fleshed it out with a way-too-long, way-too-tiresome treatment. Brevity, it turns out, is not simply the soul of wit, it's the soul of most genre films, too. Note to budding filmmakers: Make certain that the amount of your content comes reasonably close to the length of your running time.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jg9VjhR6euKhZxz6XBsWhJOY0QugfSY-nXNEiQFEA3e8r4BEjtB-6hyphenhyphenPLlREZh3WH4_HZ9zdZK47_0H5Wg21-zUZbvtXHGSlZtNhicEbvG8e7ryqtBxZa1_s-2dbKCK5qrX1TIZsRTw/s512/unnamed.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="512" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jg9VjhR6euKhZxz6XBsWhJOY0QugfSY-nXNEiQFEA3e8r4BEjtB-6hyphenhyphenPLlREZh3WH4_HZ9zdZK47_0H5Wg21-zUZbvtXHGSlZtNhicEbvG8e7ryqtBxZa1_s-2dbKCK5qrX1TIZsRTw/w400-h168/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />From <b><a href="http://gravitasventures.com/our-films/">Gravitas Ventures</a></b>, two full hours in length, <i>The Arbors</i> hit VOD last week on March 26. Click <b><a href="You've got to hand it to any filmmaker with balls big enough to offer up -- after giving us a way-too-long two hours of genre-jumping nonsense that grows worse as it goes along-- a priceless line of dialog: "Can't this all just be over?!" To which you're likely to reply, Oh, yes, god -- please! Yet exactly that's what a fellow by the name of Clayton Witmer does, as director and co-writer, in his film THE ARBORS, which TrustMovies admits starts out well enough, as we perceive that quite a number of things are amiss in the small town in which the film takes place. We and our hero Ethan (a remarkably passive guy) notice a group of workers in bio-hazard suits just off the nearby road. Soon Ethan is asking his young neighbor to stop throwing rocks at his mailbox, and then he has an odd, not-quite dinner with his brother and family. By the ten-minute mark, we've noticed something that, from the little we see of it, just might be some alien life form. And then we hear a TV evangelist doing the usual proclaiming about "last days." Sounds pretty promising, right? If only. Mr. Witmer, pictured at right, gives us one good jump scare, before settling in to make his film as deadly dull as possible, given its promising set-up. Instead of proceeding in a way that anyone except a complete numbskull would do (alert the authorities, any authority), Ethan takes into pseudo-captivity this clearly dangerous creature -- think The Hidden, if you can remember back that far, but without any of the action and gleeful fun of that groundbreaking film -- which grows apace and begins doing some very nasty things. The film is written, directed and acted in the kind of faux naturalistic style that instead of seeming "real," comes off as all the more "fake" -- mostly because the dialog often falls somewhere between so-so writing and bad improvisation. And it is not merely Ethan himself who moves, speaks and acts like a person somewhere on the austistic-and/or-drugged-up spectrum; most of the other cast members seem a little too close to zombie status, too. You keep wanting to kick them and their film into something approaching action. By the time those "clues" start building up as to what is really going on here, and the would-be psychologfical angle takes over, that psychology will seem like the dumbest thing about the movie. Unfortunately, it is also the film's entire point. Performances certainly match the long, dark, tiresome style, with Drew Matthews (above) sleep-inducing as Ethan, and Ryan Davenport (below, left) slightly more lively as his brother Shane. Especially ludicrous is the scene between Ethan and his ex-girlfriend, in which she pleads with this catatonic nutcase to run away with her. But then this entire movie seems to exist in some vacuum of utter unreality. Well, this is Mr. Witmer's first full-length attempt, so we've got to give him a break, even if he has taken a workable, if not terribly original, concept and given it a way-too-long, way-too-tiresome treatment. Brevity, it turns out, is not simply the soul of wit, it's the soul of most genre films, too. Note to budding filmmakers: Do make sure the amount of your content comes reasonably close to the length of your running time. From Gravitas Ventures, two full hours in length, The Arbors hit VOD last week on March 26. Your move....">here</a></b> then scroll down for more information.<p></p>TrustMovieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01130460547029155342noreply@blogger.com0