Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Cinema at the End of the World Edition

[Mr Jiggyfly]

They Call Us Monsters - 2016

Being an individual who grew up up in the inner city among gangs, drugs and poor choices, films/documentaries about the urban struggle naturally appeal to me.

However, I disliked the way this documentary went about drumming up compassion for these kids, almost painting them as victims.

We only meet one of their actual victims, and while she is now wheelchair bound from her attacker, the filmmaker never truly explores the devastation done by these kids.

Painting these minors as being partially insane because of their undeveloped minds and life circumstances to garner sympathy, was frustrating.

I have to think this one over some more, but it was definitely a manipulative documentary that hides reality.

 

[Pink Mist]

Alexander Nevsky / Александр Невский (Sergei Eisenstein and Dmitri Vasilyev, 1938)

When an army of Nazis... ahem... I mean, Germans Teutonic Knights attempt to invade Russia, Prince Alexander Nevsky (Nikolai Cherkasov) assembles an army of the common people to fight off the Germans in an epic battle on a frozen lake. A very much on the nose political allegory of the threat of the Nazis against the Soviet Union in the 1930s (not very subtle, the Teutonic Knights even have swastikas emblems on their clothing), and very much prescient on what would happen when Germany would try to push the invasion of Russia in winter a few years later in WWII. Hitler must not have caught this one in theatres. But like most of Eisenstein’s films, this film is more than just mere propaganda. There is a deep level of craftsmanship which elevates Eisenstein’s work, with carefully composed shots, creative editing techniques, an excellent score by Sergei Prokofiev, and fantastic production design and costumes. You don’t need to be a Soviet to enjoy this work, but I’m sure it was an effective piece of propaganda in its day.

 

[OzzyFan]

Oh I thought you were saying Cronenberg was repetitive, just like Craven was - my poor English often tricks me into believing I understood stuff. ;-)

As far as I know, Craven was kind of f***ed over on the Nightmare franchise, and he only gets writing credits because they're using his character(s). I don't think he wrote a line of any of the sequels, up 'til they went back to him for New Nightmare.

As for Videodrome, I thought you were pretty much on points with your comments. I used to use it in class as an "exam", presented it and asked students to write a short essay on the New Flesh as postmodern utopia, which is (or was) my main interest with the film. You're right to link it to eXistenZ, who also toys with that notion, but I remember it as a lot less relevant picture.

No worries. I know my writing can come across iffy on coherence sometimes, words on a paper vs expressive speech is also another boundary here that we all are effected by. Interesting, didn't know that about Craven and the NOES franchise.

That's an interesting assignment to give out, interpreting the New Flesh with that angle. As a concept, that might be the most interesting one in the movie.

It's funny about Cronenberg, I can see about 6 of his movies or so being personal favorites and the quality of excellence amongst them is arguably not that different amongst them, especially given the variance of criteria of what one would want or be looking for from them. I wonder how many directors, not even just horror, have that sort of ability to tell such different stories (in a similar sub-genre/genre) in such an intellectually effective and entertaining manner.

 

[kihei]

Alexander Nevsky / Александр Невский (Sergei Eisenstein and Dmitri Vasilyev, 1938)

When an army of Nazis Germans Teutonic Knights attempt to invade Russia, Prince Alexander Nevsky (Nikolai Cherkasov) assembles an army of the common people to fight off the Germans in an epic battle on a frozen lake. A very much on the nose political allegory of the threat of the Nazis against the Soviet Union in the 1930s (not very subtle, the Teutonic Knights even have swastikas emblems on their clothing), and very much prescient on what would happen when Germany would try to push the invasion of Russia in winter a few years later in WWII. Hitler must not have caught this one in theatres. But like most of Eisenstein’s films, this film is more than just mere propaganda. There is a deep level of craftsmanship which elevates Eisenstein’s work, with carefully composed shots, creative editing techniques, an excellent score by Sergei Prokofiev, and fantastic production design and costumes. You don’t need to be a Soviet to enjoy this work, but I’m sure it was an effective piece of propaganda in its day.

That epic battle on a frozen lake is one of the three or four most amazing action scenes in movie history in my book, second maybe to only his Odessa Steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin. Eisenstein brought such technique, imagination and genius to his work, just a master among masters.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The Right Stuff (1983) - 7/10

The 10s and 20s with space film and TV have spoiled us a bit making this film's impact feel probably less so than it would have before. It also feels like a mix between a film and doc at times, wide breath less depth with clumsy transitions and a Chuck Yeager storyline which the film struggled to fit in properly.

 

[Osprey]

Black Friday (2021) - 5/10

Toy store employees working late on Thanksgiving must fight for their lives when a horde of early Black Friday customers turns into a horde of zombies. It's a body horror comedy with a seasonal setting and Bruce Campbell (which tells you the tone that it's going for). Unfortunately, his role is just a supporting one and not as fun as others of his because he's a cowardly store manager instead of a sarcastic hero, but he's still the best thing about the movie. Even with him and it being partly a comedy, though, I didn't find it very funny. It's a shame because the premise of holiday shoppers terrorizing retail employees is a clever one. It also should've been funnier to outweigh the slightly depressing elements mostly related to the employees being unhappy about working on a holiday. At least it has lots of good practical effects (ex. zombie makeup and costumes and goo), some of it gross or a little gory, and undead mayhem inside of a store is always fun. In fact, I kept thinking that it could've been a sequel to Army of Darkness if Ash had continued working at S-Mart for 30 years and made his way up to manager, though I suppose that that was what Ash vs Evil Dead was, and much better. Anyways, I found this more forgettable than entertaining, but it passed the time. It's now available for rent, but probably only aficionados of horror comedy who are in the mood for a seasonal one and aren't too picky should consider it.

 

[kihei]

House of Gucci--Razzie bad. Or worse.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

The Right Stuff (1983) - 7/10

The 10s and 20s with space film and TV have spoiled us a bit making this film's impact feel probably less so than it would have before. It also feels like a mix between a film and doc at times, wide breath less depth with clumsy transitions and a Chuck Yeager storyline which the film struggled to fit in properly.

Wait I forgot Jeff Goldblum had an unexpected appearance in this like all his unexpected appearances in 70s and 80s films. It wasn't as annoying at that cameo in Night Moves and he wasn't Goldblumming but I was still annoyed and taken out of the film when he showed up, minus half a star so 6.5 for that.

 

[Pink Mist]

28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002)

When a group of well-meaning environmental activists break into a government research facility to free chimpanzees undergoing experiments, they end up releasing a virus that turns the infected into homicidal maniacs. 28 days later, a man (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma in a hospital to find the hospital and the streets of London completely empty. Together with a small group of other survivors (Naomie Harris, Brenden Gleeson, and Megan Burns) he attempts to find safety from the hordes of virus infected zombies. The film is shot in a realistic gritty manner, which initially had me confused because the resolution looks like 480p but it is intentional. The low budget aesthetic is one of those things you either think works or has aged gracelessly, to me it is the former - once I got over my initial shock which had me pause to check my resolution settings on Disney+ - as I think it suits the style of film Boyle is going for in his film. The four leads, who basically have the only speaking parts for most of the film until the third act, are all very convincing in their roles, although I think the film is let down by the last half hour or so. Murphy spends about a third of the film nude or semi-nude. The film is a very good zombie/pandemic movie and can be thanked for reviving the zombie movie genre in the 2000s, with things like The Walking Dead or The Last of Us owing a debt to the film. It is also a nice reminder that all though the present pandemic has been long and exhausting and come at a great loss of life and livelihood, at least catching covid doesn’t turn you into a homicidal zombie. Although on the other hand, the pandemic in 28 Days Later only lasted less than two months whereas ours is coming up on two years (yes, I know there’s a sequel to the film).

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) - 5/10

This is an embarrassment for Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy should be embarrassed with himself. With that said, I'm not one to judge, if I ever got this sort of paycheque from a single film I'd buy a bunch of bitcoin, gold, real estate, and then retire to some tax haven. At least Woody Harrelson's character is semi-interesting.

 

[Devilsfan992]

King Richard - 8/10

 

[Osprey]

Speaking of taking a paycheck...

Apex (2021) - 3/10 (Really disliked it)

A half dozen rich people who regularly hunt other people on a secluded, forested island for sport (original, huh?) are no match for their latest prey... 65-year-old grandfather Bruce Willis. Get this: his backstory, as given to the hunters to warn them of what they're up against, is an ex-cop who's always in the wrong place at the wrong time, survived leaping off of a building, was shot in the back at an airport and was even the sole survivor of a train crash. I don't know whether to laugh or roll my eyes. What's really dumb is that, after all of the verbal establishment of what a superhuman killing machine he is, he does next to nothing for most of the movie except look old while traipsing through the forest and watching the stupid hunters turn on and kill each other for him. If you're going to pretend that a 65-year-old is a killing machine, at least commit to the absurdity and indulge in it instead of holding it back until the last 5 minutes of the movie. The writing is terrible. There's nothing original about the plot, which is almost exactly like The Most Dangerous Game, and the writers probably watched the Westworld series because the lead bad guy's back story is eerily similar to The Man in Black's. Speaking of the lead bad guy, he's played by Neal McDonough, who brings the best acting to the movie, but can't save it. The worst acting, on the other hand, goes not to Willis, but to a writer and producer. That's right. One of the key "creative" minds behind the movie must've had the brilliant idea to make Willis look better by giving himself a fairly substantial acting role. How generous. The movie actually started out OK and I was wondering why the reviews were so terrible, but then I kept watching. Overall, it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting, but that's only because I've gotten used to giving 2/10 reviews to Willis' latest projects. Where his career is at doesn't look pretty, but, like @ItsFineImFine, who am I to judge when I'd be so lucky to consistently get the paychecks that he does for doing very little in movies made with no concern for quality?

 

[Chili]

Have been re-watching some classics...

The Great Escape-1963

Based on the real mass escape of prisoners from a WWII prison camp. Many of the actors in the film had been in the military themselves (McQueen, Garner, Coburn, Bronson, etc.) Donald Pleasance and the German camp commander in the film, Hannes Messemer (in Russia) had both been prisoners of war themselves. Was filmed in Germany so they were able to obtain a lot of authentic equipment. The tunnel set was impressive, capturing the confined area including during a cave-in. The motorcycle scene never gets old for me.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre-1948

Father and son team up to tell the story of the search for gold in Mexico. Three men get together and seek out their fortune, facing the perils of the area, especially the local bandits who have no steenking badges. Probably my favorite adventure film.

Once Upon a Time in the West-1968

The push of the railroad west and the changes it brought told in slow paced, meticulous fairy tale. Great attention to detail, influenced by several classic westerns of the past. The brilliant score, written before the movie was filmed, sets the tone for many scenes. Not a lot of dialogue, the camera, music, sounds and especially the faces tell much of the story.

'How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can’t even trust his own pants.'

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Rewatched again:

The only holiday movie I still watch every year…

9/10

 

[Puck]

Dream Horse, Directed by Euros Lyn, 7.0

Dream Alliance is an unlikely race horse bred by small-town Welsh bartender Jan Vokes. With no experience, Jan convinces her neighbors to chip in their meager earnings to help raise Dream in the hopes he can compete with the racing elites.

Nice story. 2020 film, a bit late I know but... Kind of weird but I liked it. I found the close-ups of the horse's eye during the races weird but other than that the local town drunk is a hoot. True story but probably embellished for the film. Highly recommend it though.

Welsh accents took some getting used to, but...no problem after a few minutes.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Rewatched again:

The only holiday movie I still watch every year…

9/10

This will always be among my top 5 favorite holiday classics and could never be made today.

Takes me back to a different time when we were right on the edge of the world discovering the WWW, but not quite there yet.

Now you just keep relentlessly searching online for your kids favorite hard to find toys, instead of going out into the big bad world and getting jumped by a pack of bad Santas.

 

[Pink Mist]

Light of My Life (Casey Affleck, 2019)

In a near future, a pandemic has almost entirely wiped out the female population. Rag (Anna Pniowsky), a precocious 11-year-old who was born at the onset of the pandemic is one of the very remaining females left, and she and her dad (Casey Affleck) live on the run in the woods avoiding society who present a danger to the remaining females. This post-apocalypse story is unlike most post-apocalypse stories. It is extremely understated to the point that it may turn off most viewers. The film begins with a 12-minute-long monologue from Affleck where he is telling his daughter a bedtime story, which I found touching and engaging but for someone who may be expecting something closer to The Road based off plot description may find boring. The film does feel like a cross between The Road and Leave No Trace in that it is a post-apocalypse movie with a tender story of a father-daughter relationship. Both the usually reliable Affleck and newcomer Pniowsky are terrific in their roles and have great chemistry, and it is a great story of a father trying to raise their child normally in terrible circumstances. Just be aware that it takes its time telling its story and is patiently paced.

 

[OzzyFan]

The Invisible Man (1933)
3.25 out of 4stars

"A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but a side effect of his invention is madness. He tries to find a cure as the town finds out his discovery and hunts him down."
A classic universal monster movie, and my personal favorite of the batch that I viewed. Rains shines as The Invisible Man(TIM) and brings the energy and contempt for the world necessary to bring his character to life. This is the only monster film that works a horror/comedy hybrid effectively. There is a lot of fun jovial dark humor and hijinks mixed in. That said, TIM is psychotically threatening in both direct and indirect ways and cares for nobody in the world (with exception to his love interest). The cat and mouse game between TIM and the police and townsfolk is fun, alongside some creative brainstorming and initially hoax/sanity questioning of the situation. This concept of invisibility is also conceptually explored a bit on a grand scale or wider use even, during a delusion of grandeur or possibly not a delusion if the dominos fell correctly for him. This to me is Whale's best film out of 4 I've seen. Lastly, as with all these universal monster movies where it is incorporated, the special effects are great and makeup fantastic creating some excellent imagery.

Dracula (1931)
3.20 out of 4stars

"Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night."
Another classic universal monster movie. Everything on screen is well done in this adaptation of Stoker's novel (mythos, acting, story, direction) and we get to see the first commercialized Dracula/prototypical vampire, which is thanks in large part to Lugosi's excellent lead performance I should add. Lugosi's Dracula gave widespread audiences it's complete identity: physical appearance (attire included), behavioral characteristics/mannerisms, accent, abilities, and weaknesses. I know this movie is rightfully famed for Lugosi's performance, but Frye's Renfield was scene stealing and memorable also. This is also the only monster movie with a clear and notable villain/hero dynamic, with the historically memorable "Professor/Dr. Van Helsing" character, which was solidly utilized near the latter part of the film. The movie itself is tightly scripted with excellent uses of lighting, close-ups, and periods of silence that enhance the mood and even heighten Lugosi's performance to another level, and making the most of it's 75minutes runtime.

Frankenstein (1931)
3.10 out of 4stars

"Dr. Frankenstein dares to tamper with life and death by creating a human monster out of lifeless body parts."
Another classic universal monster movie. Dare I say an early influence on the subgenre of slasher films? Frankenstein without question has that superhuman strength/size, mythical/unnatural origin, tormented roots, evil "subparts", human disconnect/incommunicable to humans, and murderous/violent streak. Surprisingly to me, Karloff in this role is only 5'11''. There are a number of seriously sinister scenes in this also. That said, this movie is much more than that. It's the debate over how far science can and should go. Is it against nature and/or God to recreate/create life? Science constantly questions and tries to explain the presently unknown/unexplainable, but how far could that arm extend? Frankenstein in this is treated like a science experiment, albeit a tormented and tortured one. Could this even be a nature vs nurture metaphor with the criminal brain existing in Frankenstein's skull? Does he have a human soul/is he human or should he be caged given the circumstances and/or freshness of the situation? Karloff brings the, now familiar, very raw stiff qualities and performance to Frankenstein's character. While the story feels complete and has gone full circle, I felt it missed things necessary to kick it up a notch quality/rating wise, some of which are explored in it's direct sequel the Bride of Frankenstein. For example, the girl by the pond scene is the perfect definition of something unorthodox here yet barely scratched upon regarding the Frankenstein character. Frankenstein in this movie is treated more like a skin deep caricature here than a fully realized entity, which is fine, albeit when his sequel exists with him fully developed, it definitely hurts the original version of him, or at minimum creates conflictedness.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
3.05 out of 4stars

"Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate."
Another classic universal monster movie. While some consider this to be superior to the original, I'd say it's equal at best. This and the original really are quite a bit different to compare directly. The first is more horror and questioning of science/ethics/limits/morality vs this one being more the exploration of Frankenstein the person/character itself and the necessity of a mate/wife similar to himself(maybe for experimental purposes a touch also). Not to mention BOF also has some notable touches of humor thrown in. Here Frankenstein is humanized the with abilities of communicative speech, wide ranging emotions, intellect, and care for some other people(seen in a few scenes). Frankenstein is no longer this mindless violent abomination, but a fully realized more tame civilized 'sort of human being' with a bit of a rage streak. The true earned sympathy for this character, which the first one attempted at arguably with the pond girl scene, was expanded upon and fulfilled in this movie, alongside the range of his brute strength and endurance. The ending here is poetic and metaphorical and spot on, creating the necessary evolution of the story and character arc. Lastly but unimportantly, I am honestly conflicted about the titling of this movie the Bride of Frankenstein when that character is only in the last 5minutes of the film. I know it's a sequel, but I would have much preferred a "Frankenstein: It's Still Alive" or "Frankenstein 2/Part 2".

The Wolfman (1941)
2.90 out of 4stars

"Larry Talbot returns to his father's castle in Wales and meets a beautiful woman. One fateful night, Talbot escorts her to a local mysterious gypsy fortune teller and has an incident with a werewolf."
Another classic universal monster movie. I really enjoyed this one a lot, but it's oddly the only one of the bunch that I felt the film ended before the story was fully complete/realized also. One of my favorite aspects of this one was the dual personality/form for the Wolfman, he spends time showing his human side and time showing his ravenous werewolf side. Chaney Jr does an excellent job of humanizing the character throughout the movie as joyous, charming, caring, and eventually sad, regretful, and fearful. He was easily the protagonist I felt the most sympathy for amongst these movies. That said, the story felt incomplete. The father relationship/newly crowned successor, his romance with Gwen, and even his human and werewolf time after acquiring this curse felt a little bit underwritten. I don't know if there were any sort of production(time, money, control, etc.) constraints or not, but I wished this film had another 10-20minutes to flesh it all out more. The werewolf murders and scenes were solid. And the transformation scenes were fun to watch also in this highly influential film on lycanthropy.

The Mummy (1932)
2.70 out of 4stars

"A reanimated, mostly refleshed, and blended with present society Egyptian mummy searches Cairo for the girl he thinks is his long-lost princess."
Another classic universal monster movie. I'm quite surprised they took the angle of this monster being in visually and nearly complete human form 95% of the movie and assimilated into modern society. And just as surprising is that the entire plot of this movie is about love/romance. Karloff's mummy isn't hideous or different looking or even frightening unless he's on the path of reviving his 3700year old love interest and their relationship. And while relatable, doing supernatural things to accomplish this on his quest for love, were somewhat intriguing but not really 'scary' or 'threatening'. There is no/very low risk of innocent casualties and only those purposely confronting him or knowingly acting against his 'love-seeking' wishes were in danger. He's ultimately invisible to the world I'd say. Altogether a commendable thing for Imhotep to do, and there is some decent mood throughout, but not really vibing with the other movies or monsters in this universe I watched.

The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
2.65 out of 4stars

"A strange prehistoric beast lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. A group of scientists while scavenging for fossils come across it's existence and try to capture the animal and bring it back to civilization for study."
Another classic universal monster movie. A humanoid amphibian water centric spin on the monster film, and it works for the most part. Uses all the 'old' tricks for building horror suspense and tension with a creature/single villain entity, and starts with a less is more approach in the unveiling the monster and it's capabilities/threat-level to the audience, which adds considerable interest and minor thrills. There are attempts or jokes at adding to the possibility of a creature similar to this's actual existence/given odd species existing/vastness of unexplored places/legends/urban myths/evolution/etc, but for the most part it's a very straight forward monster horror movie without much expansion or depth(no pun intended). And given the circumstances, the underwater action is decent. Probably the worst acting amongst these films I've seen I'd say is it's most notable weakness.


I also watched the Netflix series Hellbound... "People hear predictions on when they will die. When that time comes, a death angel appears in front of them and kills them. New religions and groups are formed pro and anti this occurrence."

A very thought provoking and short (2 and a half hours or so over 6 episodes) dark fantasy drama. Lots of food for though on religion, deities, sin, justice, morality, karma, hell, repentance, existentialism, doctrine, free will/predestination, premonitions, angels/demons, media intervention on these things, and humanity are covered throughout this show.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Jojo Rabbit (Waititi, 2019) - There's a few moments that feels brilliant, but its shine is always shadowed by its echoing of Life Is Beautiful. I think the whole hate is childish angle was a lot more interesting as an undertone in the Benigni film than as a central element here. It doesn't have the charm nor the poignant moments of the earlier film, but it's still an interesting result. 6.5/10

 

[Babe Ruth]

Now you just keep relentlessly searching online for your kids favorite hard to find toys, instead of going out into the big bad world and getting jumped by a pack of bad Santas.

Yeah, Jingle is definitely a good time capsule of mid'90s life.. and was mostly light-hearted & funny (including basically goofy villains). But I remember thinking after the scene where Arnold's kid is chased on to a building top.. that Sinbad's character was a legitimate psychopath. Didn't Sinbad flush the kid out over a building ledge, or something.. (it's been a while).

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Yeah, Jingle is definitely a good time capsule of mid'90s life.. and was mostly light-hearted & funny (including basically goofy villains). But I remember thinking after the scene where Arnold's kid is chased on to a building top.. that Sinbad's character was a legitimate psychopath. Didn't Sinbad flush the kid out over a building ledge, or something.. (it's been a while).

Ya and Jamie was like “hey here is my Turbo Man, no hard feelings about trying to hurl me to my death”

I still love this movie, but I always can’t help thinking about Phil Hartman and how he died.

He’s probably the best part of this movie.

 

[Osprey]

Ya and Jamie was like “hey here is my Turbo Man, no hard feelings about trying to hurl me to my death”

This reminds me of the pitch meeting video that I watched a few days ago and that you guys might also find amusing:

Spoiler: YouTube video

 

[Osprey]

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

A man who hasn't murdered anyone in over 12 years finally gets out of prison and makes up for lost time. In his film debut, Michael Rooker kills it... repeatedly. He also brings vulnerability to the role and sympathy to a character who just can't seem to settle down because he's always having to leave town in the middle of the night. Henry is a gentleman, because being a sicko is no reason not to have good manners, and eventually falls for Becky, a former stripper who abandoned her young daughter. There's a great message about how, no matter what a terrible person you are, there's still someone out there for you. It's an urban love story like Rocky if Rocky stabbed people instead of punching them. The ending got me choked up. Killer movie.

 

[kihei]

Licorice Pizza (2021) Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson 5A

I have never been a fan of director Paul Thomas Anderson. My favourite film of his is Junun, basically Radiohead's brilliant Jonny Greenwood jamming with a bunch of Indian musicians, not exactly one of Anderson's primary or even secondary calling cards. (Full disclosure, I also liked Phantom Thread, and, no, I didn't like Punch-Drunk Love). I waver between thinking Anderson quirkily weird or weirdly quirky, one of the two, for sure. Whatever way you cut it I almost never like his movies, though. Set in the still hopeful early '70s, Licorice Pizza has a lot going for it. Not the least, there are brilliant break-out performances by Cooper Hoffman (Philip Seymour Hoffman's son) and especially by Alana Haim. Hoffman plays Gary, a charming, confident young entrepeneur and Haim plays Alana (same name) a young woman still trying to find her footing in life. As a result of Gary's incessant charm offensive, they begin a relationship, a sweet but stormy one, one in which you root for both characters. But here's the rub: Gary is 15 years old and Alana is 25 years old. Surprisingly, most reviews don't make a big deal about it. But think of the uproar if the genders were reversed and Gary was 25 and Alana 15. It doesn't help that the 15 year old is mature beyond his years and gets Alana pretty much to do his bidding, including in some situations with a high cringe factor. It also doesn't help that Alana seems to bumble through life weakly, lacking self-confidence and agency. Add an unforced error of racist humour and a gay stereotype and it becomes hard to deduce what Anderson thinks he is doing here.

Licorice Pizza is less of a narrative than a string of random vignettes glopped together in place of a plot. These vignettes usually focus on yucky men (William Holden and Barbra Streisand's ex, Jon Peters) and give ample opportunity for big stars to steal a scene or two (Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper, respectively). Cooper is indeed a hoot as the self-centred, volatile former hair dresser, and his vignette contains a superb scene about a truck that has run out of gas but not out of thrills. Lovely cinematography, also. So there is much to like here...and much to simply puzzle over, too.

Sidenote: The odd thing here is that Anderson could have made Gary 18-years-old and the movie wouldn't have skipped a beat. So he obviously wants that edge in there. No doubt there is a double standard here, but it is a weird (or is it quirky?) one. As a 15 year old, I'm not sure many guys would object to being seduced by the right older woman. Just sayin'....

 

[Pink Mist]

Quai des Orfèvres (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1947)

Smoked filled lounges and cabarets, trench coats, femme fatales, and a cigarette dangling from everyone’s lips. Quai des Orfèvres has all the trademarks for a film noir, but since this is a French film noir, the sexual expression/repression and cigarette smoking is turned up to 11. This film was Clouzot’s first film after his ban from filmmaking in France for collaborating with a German film studio during WWII was lifted and it was a solid comeback film for Clouzot. The film follows a man married to a lounge singer (whose entire wardrobe seems to be lingerie and fur coats) who goes to kill a sleazy film producer who is trying to casting couch his wife into a new film, only to find out upon arrival to the producer’s home that his wife has apparently already killed him. The film then turns into a mystery as a Parisian detective tries to get to the bottom of the case. The plot is convoluted, but the noir post-war Parisian atmosphere, cinematography, and acting are all solid. I’m a sucker for these types of films.

Also does anyone know why the French New Wave/ Cahiers du Cinéma crew detested Clouzot? He seems to make the same type of films and have similar style and characteristics as Alfred Hitchcock, who they adored. Seems like a strange contradiction in their taste.