The Band’s Visit (2007) ****
Sweet but never sticky-sweet story of ships passing in the night. Israeli townsfolk put up unexpected guests--a lost group of musicians--from Eqypt. Lovely, lonely moments, with music to match.
Casablanca (1942) *****
One of the greatest things America ever gave the world was Hollywood in its prime, and the very greatest thing Hollywood in its prime ever gave the world was “Casablanca.” Pure joy again and again.
Network (1976) *****
Peter Finch plays Howard Beale, “the Mad Prophet of the Airwaves,” in a satire about the TV industry so prophetic you might think it’s a clever fake. Chayefsky wrote it, Lumet directed. Pure gold.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) *****
A crackling political thriller—alert, quirky, and satirical. Angela Lansbury a great arch-villain with equally great hair-do; Laurence Harvey’s insufferable self well-used as her brain-washed assassin-son.
The Furies (1950) **
Cattle baron Walter Huston and his willful daughter, the always loathsome Barbara Stanwyck, chew the scenery for what seems like hours. Gilbert Roland a redeeming presence.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Kaze's Movie Notes: Archive 11
Young@Heart (2008) ***
Mixed feelings over this documentary about a chorus of very old folks singing songs by the Clash, Sonic Youth, etc. Some very affecting moments, but also a nagging sense they’re being exploited.
Redbelt (2008) ***
Joe Mantegna, Ricky Jay, Rebecca Pidgeon . . . must be a David Mamet scam movie! And it is, but this time making a solemn big deal about martial arts. An odd blending of themes, but good stuff.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) *****
From RKO’s glory days, the perfect studio picture. Impossible not to be moved by this grand story, which has at its heart the impossibility of beauty loving the beast. Charles Laughton miraculous.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) ****
Basic Woody Allen types, this time in sunny Spain, wondering, as always, why we can’t be happy. Old wine in new bottles, but charming as the Dickens, especially the irresistible Javier Bardem.
The Hospital (1971) *
Just about zero entertainment value in this overwritten piece of hysteria from the usually lucid Paddy Chayefsky. George C. Scott just furious throughout; Diana Rigg very taken with herself, as usual.
Mixed feelings over this documentary about a chorus of very old folks singing songs by the Clash, Sonic Youth, etc. Some very affecting moments, but also a nagging sense they’re being exploited.
Redbelt (2008) ***
Joe Mantegna, Ricky Jay, Rebecca Pidgeon . . . must be a David Mamet scam movie! And it is, but this time making a solemn big deal about martial arts. An odd blending of themes, but good stuff.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) *****
From RKO’s glory days, the perfect studio picture. Impossible not to be moved by this grand story, which has at its heart the impossibility of beauty loving the beast. Charles Laughton miraculous.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) ****
Basic Woody Allen types, this time in sunny Spain, wondering, as always, why we can’t be happy. Old wine in new bottles, but charming as the Dickens, especially the irresistible Javier Bardem.
The Hospital (1971) *
Just about zero entertainment value in this overwritten piece of hysteria from the usually lucid Paddy Chayefsky. George C. Scott just furious throughout; Diana Rigg very taken with herself, as usual.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Gadget Archives 4
Blog of Week
Ulysses “Seen”
A cross between a Classics comic and a graphic novel, this blog showcases a monumental effort to turn Joyce’s masterwork into visual story telling.
Writers on Writing
"Poetry should strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a remembrance." John Keats
Nice Openings
“ “So now get up!’ Walter is roaring down at him, working out where to kick him next. He lifts his head an inch or two, and moves forward, on his belly, trying to do it without exposing his hands, on which Walter enjoys stamping. “What are you, an eel?” his parent asks. He trots backward, gathers pace, and aims another kick. It knocks the last breath out of him; he thinks it may be his last. His forehead returns to the ground; he lies waiting, for Walter to jump on him. The dog, Bella, is barking, shut away in an outhouse. I’ll miss my dog, he thinks.”
From Hilary Mantel’s novel Wolf Hall
RasoirJ’s Movie Notes
Friday Night Lights (2004) **
Superb book, top-notch TV show, but the movie suffers by comparison. Even the great Billy Bob Thornton as a small-town Texas football coach can't bring enough complexity to the story.
Good Reads
Are Stories Still Hip?
Can 8,000-word articles – let alone novels – stories survive Web 2.0 attention spans? Joel Achenbach lines up some big thinkers to weigh in.
Washington Post
Favorite Words
Gimcrack – a cheap, gaudy, tasteless object; a geegaw. “…if he knew she broke off the hand off that little gimcrack statue with her roughness and her carelessness before she left ...from James Joyce’s Ulysses
Ulysses “Seen”
A cross between a Classics comic and a graphic novel, this blog showcases a monumental effort to turn Joyce’s masterwork into visual story telling.
Writers on Writing
"Poetry should strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a remembrance." John Keats
Nice Openings
“ “So now get up!’ Walter is roaring down at him, working out where to kick him next. He lifts his head an inch or two, and moves forward, on his belly, trying to do it without exposing his hands, on which Walter enjoys stamping. “What are you, an eel?” his parent asks. He trots backward, gathers pace, and aims another kick. It knocks the last breath out of him; he thinks it may be his last. His forehead returns to the ground; he lies waiting, for Walter to jump on him. The dog, Bella, is barking, shut away in an outhouse. I’ll miss my dog, he thinks.”
From Hilary Mantel’s novel Wolf Hall
RasoirJ’s Movie Notes
Friday Night Lights (2004) **
Superb book, top-notch TV show, but the movie suffers by comparison. Even the great Billy Bob Thornton as a small-town Texas football coach can't bring enough complexity to the story.
Good Reads
Are Stories Still Hip?
Can 8,000-word articles – let alone novels – stories survive Web 2.0 attention spans? Joel Achenbach lines up some big thinkers to weigh in.
Washington Post
Favorite Words
Gimcrack – a cheap, gaudy, tasteless object; a geegaw. “…if he knew she broke off the hand off that little gimcrack statue with her roughness and her carelessness before she left ...from James Joyce’s Ulysses
Gadget Archive 3
Blog of Week
Screenwriting Basics
For those with the screenplay bug, a one-stop aggregator of useful articles, blogs, comments, books for the wannabes among us.
Writers on Writing
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant,
Success in circuit lies,…”
Emily Dickinson
Nice Openings
“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. For Lucy had her work cut out for her. The doors would be taken off their hinges; Rumpelmayer’s men were coming. And then, thought Clarissa Dalloway, what a morning – fresh as if issued to children on a beach.”
From Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway
RasoirJ’s Movie Notes
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) *****
Still fabulous after all these years. A movie fan's movie. Funny as hell, with wonderful acting in every part. Producer Warren Beatty and director Arthur Penn deserve all their glory.
Good Reads
NaNoWriMo: First-Aid Pack for Needy Characters
Cranking out a novel in November means 1,667 words a day. That leaves no time to ponder when one of your characters fails to come alive. Marg McAlister has some practical advice for how to freshen them up.
Suite 101
Favorite Words
Pentimento – “Old paint on canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens it is possible in some pictures, to see the original line: a tree will show through a woman’s dress….That is called pentimento because the painter “repented,” changed his mind.” From Lillian Hellman’s memoir Pentimento
Screenwriting Basics
For those with the screenplay bug, a one-stop aggregator of useful articles, blogs, comments, books for the wannabes among us.
Writers on Writing
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant,
Success in circuit lies,…”
Emily Dickinson
Nice Openings
“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. For Lucy had her work cut out for her. The doors would be taken off their hinges; Rumpelmayer’s men were coming. And then, thought Clarissa Dalloway, what a morning – fresh as if issued to children on a beach.”
From Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway
RasoirJ’s Movie Notes
Bonnie and Clyde (1967) *****
Still fabulous after all these years. A movie fan's movie. Funny as hell, with wonderful acting in every part. Producer Warren Beatty and director Arthur Penn deserve all their glory.
Good Reads
NaNoWriMo: First-Aid Pack for Needy Characters
Cranking out a novel in November means 1,667 words a day. That leaves no time to ponder when one of your characters fails to come alive. Marg McAlister has some practical advice for how to freshen them up.
Suite 101
Favorite Words
Pentimento – “Old paint on canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens it is possible in some pictures, to see the original line: a tree will show through a woman’s dress….That is called pentimento because the painter “repented,” changed his mind.” From Lillian Hellman’s memoir Pentimento
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
