3 out of 5. Raoul Walsh would have given James Cameron a run for his money with his epic THE THIEF OF BAGDAD. The energy that Douglas Fairbanks brings to this film must have been how we feel watching parkour today. It had to have blown people's minds. If not that then the sets that were just out-freaking-standing. This film played with scale in so many ways. Incredible production design. It reminded me of other grandiose films like INTOLERANCE. Also, Anna May Wong's magnetism is hard to beat. She was execellent. The story is pretty epic as well to the point of collapsing in on itself. Even for a silent-movie which many may feel impatient about, I assure you there's a lot of great elements that do keep on moving. I had dreams of emotive hand gestures for the next two days.
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4 out of 5. Director Benh Zeitlin found the right alchemy with people and place in BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD. As far as indie films go, which I do not watch many, this has opened my eyes to some fantastic possibilities. Perhaps it was his short film GLORY AT SEA that got me excited to see his feature. It's smart storytelling with an intensely successful DIY approach to just about everything. I say this because they get a lot of mileage out of so little. The Art Direction of this film is as textured and prevalent as the acting. Easily one of the best films I saw last year.
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4 out of 5. I was reminded to day of the work
of Luis Buñuel, specifically his THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL. I loved this
film about class degradation. Just a wonderful surreal film where dinner
guests are trapped in one room and they
can't keep up appearances. In some ways it feels like it could have
been more appropriate 30 years earlier...or more caustic if handled by
the likes of Waters or Lynch. Still, a great concept delivered in style.
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3 out of 5. Mario Bava is known for horror but DANGER DIABOLIK is a
very cool flick. I don't know what to say, the color the production
design, the soundtrack (Ennio Morricone) is all super-spy and even
superhero. It's based on an Italian comic by two sisters. The lead,
John Phillip Law is a great match for Marisa Mell...beautiful people
doing extraordinary things. If you like James Bond and a little
Euro-camp to wash it down with you will dig this groovy spectacle.
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4 out 5. Federico Fellini can be a frustrating
director at times. I just watched LA DOLCE VITA and by the end of it I
rather preferred 8 1/2. It's clear I cannot stand SATYRICON and that's
really the only thing that is clear to
me about Fellini. His movies tend to float through scenes and ideas with
the sharpest edge left for his characters who are clearly
defined...mostly. I'm often left to interpret their real motivations as
they all seem to move through a miasma of parties and debauchery that
never seem to have any real affect on the story direction. His skill
clearly lies in his directing and composition. The photography is
beautiful and his actors are chic and interesting to look at. Part of
you wants to inhabit that life and another is frustrated right along
with the characters. Whatever the case if you can relax and let good
cinema wash over you like an incoming tide you'll enjoy Fellini and be
left picking sand out of your shorts for days to come.
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