tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8326475892909745132024-03-18T17:59:42.122-07:00The Midnight RambleA blog by Tim George. Follow my other work at http://www.tewahanui.nz/by/tim.george, http://www.denofgeek.com/authors/tim-george, and theatrescenes.co.nz.Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.comBlogger1146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-73452134438163446502024-03-14T23:22:00.000-07:002024-03-14T23:23:23.619-07:00The Marsh King's Daughter (Neil Burger, 2023)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0e6059a7-7fff-515d-edb1-49714b79f109"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After spending her childhood with her father (Ben Mendelsohn), the man who held her mother (Caren Pistorius) captive, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Helena (Daisy Ridley) has buried her past and built a new life with an unsuspecting husband (Garrett Hedlund) and child.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When her father escapes prison, Helena finds her new life upended. Paranoid of his return, and haunted by her memories, Helena tries to figure out a way to confront the ‘Marsh King’ before he finds her…</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp29mY0Q6z9fd41JBsu_vrJ3uVFITJyd7HR_duIZucGrq-GNCqtM-yc0VDZany7Y7GhNDO4k3G4NR1cu7F_C3aX4YcAULGs5iCBYDJLrpA1TGysYhqiqhYJorSkM07PdjdZOtwK5KUIIIq0IQNnY6xKXOxuX2azqcGeIqTn1BmZ5Zt02gviai4bt4T7Md8/s2048/MV5BNjgyNDY2YjEtYWU1Ni00N2JhLTgxZGMtN2Y5NmJmMzI0Njg1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAxNzQ1NzI@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1382" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp29mY0Q6z9fd41JBsu_vrJ3uVFITJyd7HR_duIZucGrq-GNCqtM-yc0VDZany7Y7GhNDO4k3G4NR1cu7F_C3aX4YcAULGs5iCBYDJLrpA1TGysYhqiqhYJorSkM07PdjdZOtwK5KUIIIq0IQNnY6xKXOxuX2azqcGeIqTn1BmZ5Zt02gviai4bt4T7Md8/w432-h640/MV5BNjgyNDY2YjEtYWU1Ni00N2JhLTgxZGMtN2Y5NmJmMzI0Njg1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAxNzQ1NzI@._V1_.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rarely have I seen a movie with so much obvious potential that fails to fulfil it:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It has an intriguing concept, or a solid cast.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You could take it in so many directions: a character study, a suspense thriller, a straight-ahead thriller.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While watching this movie, I could not help feeling excited by the movie in my head - and frustrated by the one I was watching.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a movie with a totally legible storyline, with identifiable character arcs and thematic intention, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Marsh King’s Daughter</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> should work.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is too much air in this movie - there is no sense of narrative momentum, no sense of tension or dread (either for the father’s literal return, or the title character’s fear of said return).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The movie takes so long to show its hand, and the journey is not that compelling.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The movie wants to deal with this idea of family, and the way parents influence us, but it never goes anywhere.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The third act is a by-the-numbers thriller set-piece which could have come from any movie. It features a couple of instances of Helena using her childhood hunting skills, but it has all been done before, and lacks the catharsis the filmmakers intended.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The acting by all is fine - Ridley and Mendelsohn are watchable, and Gil Birmingham</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> brings some gravitas to an underwritten foster father figure.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frankly I think I would have more to say about the performances if the movie was more sure of what it wanted to be.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Or even if it was just tighter. The movie seems unwilling or unable to figure out what is terrifying or potentially suspenseful about the story. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If it was more of an unpretentious crowd-pleaser, it probably would be a little generic - but at least it would be clear in its intentions.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As is, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Marsh King’s Daughter </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exists in a weird middle ground of inertia. A pity.</span></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #6699cc; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" target="_blank">link</a></b></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-13859301265838035922024-03-09T17:19:00.000-08:002024-03-14T23:23:09.953-07:00Drácula (George Melford, 1931)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b824357c-7fff-28b6-dac6-60201365045f"><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0be7479f-7fff-ac3d-5397-1839f56ff0fc"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Produced at the same time as the English-language version, this </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drácula</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was intended for Spanish language audiences.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxhmXqAtRj-KG1eLceVE2wjvyzb4Z7thCq1CxFMdAYmGASDj4hAEuKiHEY-eGwfaGgportSFS_7X7v_226-t6D6pYMRlKTlz1AfjbImwx7_IDPQPE-SFnIjO9FpliaYA08A0eiBj5oN7566eGbG5If58fKLMlajUoT1cU5sGT1tSp2CmHY2vDfnceWl8M/s1600/Dracula_(1931_Spanish-language_film_poster).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1114" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxhmXqAtRj-KG1eLceVE2wjvyzb4Z7thCq1CxFMdAYmGASDj4hAEuKiHEY-eGwfaGgportSFS_7X7v_226-t6D6pYMRlKTlz1AfjbImwx7_IDPQPE-SFnIjO9FpliaYA08A0eiBj5oN7566eGbG5If58fKLMlajUoT1cU5sGT1tSp2CmHY2vDfnceWl8M/w446-h640/Dracula_(1931_Spanish-language_film_poster).jpg" width="446" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-f5597e1c-25ef-8634-80dc-b35fb1a465d6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Longer than the English-language version, and in some ways more sophisticated - it explains some of the narrative jumps, and - particularly through the costuming - leans toward the eroticism the original only hints at.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While the script is essentially the same, the blocking and setting of the scenes are more varied, and the film benefits from a more dynamic use of the camera.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Part of the reason was due to the way the way this film was made: George Melford would review Browning’s rushes every day, and it is fascinating to juxtapose how different his version is. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The acting overall feels more naturalistic - while he is not as iconic as Dwight Frye, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pablo Alvarez Rubio</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feels more human and pathetic as Renfield. Lupita Tovar (who passed away at 106 in 2016) is winning as Vera/Mina.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The one person in the cast who suffers in comparison is the lead: Poor </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carlos Villarías does his best, but it is hard to shake Lugosi’s shadow.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One wishes they had gone for a more distinctive interpretation - he tries to replicate Lugosi’s glower and smirk, but it feels like cosplay.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My personal highlight was the Demeter sequence - it is not much longer than the Browning version, but it is far more atmospheric, as terrified crewmen stare at the camera (Dracula’s POV) while Reinfield cackles in the background.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As a film, the Spanish language Dracula is far superior to the Tod Browning version.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it is based on the same source material, and suffers from a similarly stage-bound finale.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I would be keen to revisit the film without its more well-known predecessor in mind, but the film is so much more interesting as a study in contrast, as different teams of filmmakers tackle the same story.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Related</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/03/dracula-tod-browning-1931.html" target="_blank">Dracula (1931 Anglo version)</a></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/02/bite-sized-dracula-john-badham-1979.html" target="_blank">Dracula (1979)</a></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/03/dracula-george-melford-1931.html"><br /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; text-decoration: none;"><u><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/03/dracula-george-melford-1931.html">The Last Voyage of the Demeter</a></u></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/03/dracula-george-melford-1931.html"><br /></a></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/03/dracula-george-melford-1931.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><span style="color: #6699cc;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" target="_blank">link</a></b></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"> for tips!</span></span></span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></span></span></div></div></div></span></div></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-82774018365426814162024-03-09T17:07:00.000-08:002024-03-09T19:42:39.956-08:00Dracula (Tod Browning, 1931)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6b283e90-7fff-bf6f-4bb2-b78b1e222a28"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">By sheer coincidence, this is the version of Dracula I have seen the most.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN54WdcqjJC4_5WoxKHjaQAZnqTHhOQUtyDH8hfu9CRqm5wZHn2eUB8OfI_-sLulU9MAYrXstiujepZ8o6QMrGC7dD4rJB3Qt4Asr-8_EP10ZoZczYvE1CoUNnP-00B-zhyphenhyphen1S6r4PGpDi-BpeFejqTk-9ePZR8HAl_t9i6_FyFNOl0b39RCdVbmIVeMzba/s2936/Dracula_(1931_film_poster_-_Style_F).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2936" data-original-width="1954" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN54WdcqjJC4_5WoxKHjaQAZnqTHhOQUtyDH8hfu9CRqm5wZHn2eUB8OfI_-sLulU9MAYrXstiujepZ8o6QMrGC7dD4rJB3Qt4Asr-8_EP10ZoZczYvE1CoUNnP-00B-zhyphenhyphen1S6r4PGpDi-BpeFejqTk-9ePZR8HAl_t9i6_FyFNOl0b39RCdVbmIVeMzba/w426-h640/Dracula_(1931_film_poster_-_Style_F).jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-0d8aaa6a-25e4-6d59-377f-4ffbab26cff6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I recorded it off the TV and remember watching it quite a lot as a kid. I cannot say I loved it, but at over 70 mins in length, it was an easy watch.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It has been almost 20 years since I last watched it, which gives me some distance from my earlier impressions.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watching it after FW Murnau’s </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nosferatu</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> does it little favour.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But like the earlier film, it benefits from a remarkable, one-of-a-kind star.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first half hour, the film has an eerie, understated power. Once the action is confined to the Seward’s residence, the film loses steam. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A lot of the more supernatural elements are conveyed through monologue, recalling this version’s stage origins.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have read different stories of the film’s production - there are rumours that Browning, for various reasons, was not significantly involved, and it fell to cinematographer Karl Freund to direct the film.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whatever the real story, the film’s most iconic effects owe a lot to his work, particularly the close ups of a glowering Lugosi. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Certain edits around violence add to the film’s dreamlike vibe - the brief scene of Renfield crawling toward the maid’s body and lowering toward her exposed neck is never referenced.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While stilted and ponderous, it is hard to take these elements as purely flaws - that stop-start pacing and lingering shots are part of the film’s atmosphere, drawing attention to the theatrical yet uncanny power of the main character.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Related</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/02/bite-sized-dracula-john-badham-1979.html" target="_blank">Dracula (1979)</a></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/08/out-now-last-voyage-of-demeter-andre.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial;"><u>The Last Voyage of the Demeter</u></span></a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="color: #6699cc; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"> for tips!</span></span></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-68935709124022300032024-03-06T22:12:00.000-08:002024-03-06T22:12:00.650-08:00Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)<span id="docs-internal-guid-6ab474c8-7fff-0dd1-f77b-1a553f5edb84"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's got Indiana Jones in it. </span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKQKBWVfUyVMj0xaOQKV8LlshuL06NUOgXfCDIi8VHEc3la5sq7tNEmkzXlia9vLTJIsoPLx7jJB70eXfAPhEcWi1q-KsXBs01l7bbdfNx2LTbVXPS1ZGghsckuew9naRfWSvAofyfxtoT9Dvo2OG1vHz4xf1Nkv0RsM29vqCpHXTI_4eS9Q4BNLvG13R/s1500/raiders_of_the_lost_ark_ver1_xlg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKQKBWVfUyVMj0xaOQKV8LlshuL06NUOgXfCDIi8VHEc3la5sq7tNEmkzXlia9vLTJIsoPLx7jJB70eXfAPhEcWi1q-KsXBs01l7bbdfNx2LTbVXPS1ZGghsckuew9naRfWSvAofyfxtoT9Dvo2OG1vHz4xf1Nkv0RsM29vqCpHXTI_4eS9Q4BNLvG13R/w424-h640/raiders_of_the_lost_ark_ver1_xlg.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-02490add-7fff-6792-6e2e-4a85de65e5d2"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the signature movies in its director’s filmography, and one of the key texts of you are interested in action cinema, either as a spectator or a filmmaker, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raiders of the Lost Ark</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">makes its seeming frivolity seem so easy.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made by Spielberg following the commercial disaster of bloated farce </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1941</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, there is an energy to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raiders</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, not just in his love of serials and James Bond, but a desire to economise.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Following a series of successes in which he went over-budget and schedule, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raiders</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was a bit of a last chance saloon for the director. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every frame is packed with tension and humour.</span></span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every character is memorable and specific, defined by behaviour and action. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The clarity of action is razor sharp - the truck chase is a brilliant example of cause and effect.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This action is bracketed with great comic beats - Marion taking a swig of the liquor pouring out of the barrel, Indy shooting the swordsman, Toht unveiling a sinister chain and stick contraption that turns out to be a coat hanger.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have not watched it in years but it still carries a charge of excitement. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having watched more cliffhanger serials and being more aware of Humphrey Bogart’s filmography, the film’s sense of pastiche is more overt, but the film never feels like a facsimile. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is more than the sum of its influences - it feels like filmmakers taking their influences and elevating them, with an earnestness and sense of fun.</span></p><div><br /></div></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Famously cast as a last-minute replacement for Tom Selleck, Harrison Ford is so cemented in the role it is almost impossible to imagine anyone else under the hat. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exasperated, exhausted, always struggling, Ford’s Indy epitomises that mythic everyman quality that lies at the foundation of his star persona.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">A dynamo of f</span>linty, comic outrage, Karen Allen matches him as Marion.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On this viewing I was impressed by the villain, </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; white-space: pre-wrap;">Belloq (Paul Freeman)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He tends to get overshadowed by Ronald Lacey as the villainous Toht, but Freeman is great.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remorseless, self-satisfied and always a step ahead, or with another trick up his sleeve, he is truly Indy’s equal, his dark shadow (down to his white hat).</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His motivation feels like a combination of pure greed and narcissism. He seems to be defined by a need to best Indy - including his desire to ‘possess’ Marion Ravenwood. </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The supporting cast are amazing: Not just future recurring players (Denholm Elliott and Jonathan Rhys-Davies) but even Alfred Molina as Indy’s treacherous sidekick in the opening sequence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is nothing much to say about <i>Raiders</i> - it has been copied and sequelized, but on this viewing, it is a beautifully pure and unique object.</span></p></span></span><div><span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><div><b>Related</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/04/jaws-steven-spielberg-1975.html" target="_blank">Jaws</a></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/02/close-encounters-of-third-kind-steven.html" target="_blank">Close Encounters of the Third Kind</a></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-jurassic-park-trilogy-1993-2001.html" target="_blank">Jurassic Park</a></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2018/01/in-theatres-post.html" target="_blank">The Post</a></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/02/west-side-story-steven-spielberg-2021.html" target="_blank">West Side Story (2021)</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></div></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-53335523247166772352024-03-05T21:58:00.000-08:002024-03-05T21:58:38.955-08:00The Abyss - Special Edition (James Cameron, 1989)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-990f4731-7fff-b5bc-4f93-5c46265fd456" style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When an American nuclear submarine goes missing, a crew of deep sea oil drillers led by </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Virgil "Bud" Brigman</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Ed Harris) and his rig’s designer/soon-to-be-ex-wife </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lindsey</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are enlisted to attempt a rescue.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shadowed by a mysterious Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn), the team finds their search for the submarine overtaken by something else down in the abyss...</span></p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLN9a2SIrbt4jgqVN75z55o1SiX1YM5F2GVfjGhielImlPcRn_eHBBCv53hoxsWPsr9sIStmtddfp6aZ3yg3xfjbYad7OIFW-21sy-t4XJwriHh_Y1AbEz1jZUDAxc5FJRFOW3Tt88gjWyHNxyXvxznViMUMaMtJuoGGJL11y9u9fwAKTjx3xdr9R5nJnH/s2978/m9gCzSA86bslTiGYbRIIBIYndPi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2978" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLN9a2SIrbt4jgqVN75z55o1SiX1YM5F2GVfjGhielImlPcRn_eHBBCv53hoxsWPsr9sIStmtddfp6aZ3yg3xfjbYad7OIFW-21sy-t4XJwriHh_Y1AbEz1jZUDAxc5FJRFOW3Tt88gjWyHNxyXvxznViMUMaMtJuoGGJL11y9u9fwAKTjx3xdr9R5nJnH/w430-h640/m9gCzSA86bslTiGYbRIIBIYndPi.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cc6a8029-7fff-81ba-6e98-8dcb70e82b70"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I grew up as a fan of James Cameron, I have no relationship with this movie.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-99ccda25-7fff-102f-8009-d400664176c5" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think I have seen the theatrical cut but I cannot remember much of the experience, so I cannot go into the differences with this 'Special Edition', which came out in 1993. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From a pure production standpoint this movie is fascinating - so much of this movie is real actors interacting with large-scale underwater sets.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The central romance is cliche and maybe not as affecting as it is just functional.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank the maker for Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastriantonio. The actors had a tough experience making the film, and that strain comes through. But somehow they manage to make what could have been a slightly condescending relationship into something more alive.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I left the movie slightly underwhelmed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of the reason is personal. I think my relationship with Cameron has changed. When I was a kid, he was a god.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now I find my tastes have diverged - nothing against his work, but it does not speak to me the way it once did.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is so much about this movie that I want to applaud.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The reveal of the computer-generated tentacle is still amazing. I have seen critiques of the alien effects at the climax, but I thought they looked great.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The themes are familiar Cameron territory now but feel more like a dry run for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avatar</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - a conflict between curiosity and a desire to learn, and dogmatic pursuit of singular goals.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cameron’s single-minded villains are replaced by one Navy SEAL losing his mind and falling into paranoia and violence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film is pretty solemn, but there is a neat vein of humour running through the group’s interactions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of the one-liners are obvious, but they felt like the kind of dad joke-adjacent lines these people would make. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are some surprisingly effective jokes - the reveal of Jammer (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Bedford Lloyd</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) behind the hatch, Lindsey telling Hippy (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Todd Graff </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) to not take her side after he derails her account of encountering the UFO. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After two movies (or three, if you include </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Piranha II: The Spawning</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) where he had to work within tight budget constraints, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Abyss</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the first James Cameron where he has room to expand on his obsessions (the sea, technology, man’s relationship with the world, the threat of militarism).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whereas </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Terminator </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aliens</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are in constant motion, moving efficiently through their narratives. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Abyss</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is not interested in momentum. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie is the opposite - it is about pausing, thinking about one’s actions, especially alternatives to violence. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michael Biehn’s casting as Coffey almost feelings like a passing of the torch, from the lean, relentless, brutal action of Cameron’s early films, to the slower, more garish and emotionally open tone of the films which followed (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">True Lies</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> aside).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Abyss</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the film where Cameron becomes shaggier, less interested in plot - and more interested in sitting in the worlds he has created.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The movie almost plays as the opposite of the Avatar movies in narrative structure, in that the key conflict is ended long before the movie is over.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the characters have to defuse the bomb, the focus is on Buddy - the literalist - sharing his wife’s belief in protecting the entities in the titular location.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is something off in the way the characters are written versus the way the actors play them that does not sit right with me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I feel like I need to give the film another watch.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is something unfinished about the relationship that I cannot define - there are times where their dynamic comes off as blue collar v remote intellectualism (a familiar theme of Eighties Hollywood).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is more a conflict between practicality versus idealism, fear of the unknown versus curiosity about the same.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After spending the movie butting up against his wife’s beliefs, it falls to Buddy to convince the aliens not to wipe out humanity.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie felt like Cameron doing Spielberg - particularly the Spielberg of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Close Encounters of the Third Kind</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the climax does not carry the impact intended, there is something appealing about the film’s faith in the empathy and humanity of ordinary people.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our protagonists work together and take comfort in, take care of, each other. Meanwhile, Coffey keeps to his own, and is eventually abandoned.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An important film in Cameron’s filmography, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Abyss</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the hinge on which his career pivots. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not only is it influential on the rest of his filmography, it is also - despite its flaws - a fascinating peek into the filmmaker’s worldview.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Related</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-terminator-james-cameron-1984.html" target="_blank">The Terminator</a></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2022/09/avatar-james-cameron-2009.html" target="_blank">Avatar</a></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2022/12/avatar-way-of-water-james-cameron-2022.html" target="_blank">Avatar - The Way of Water</a></b></span></p></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-44035414089573072962024-03-05T11:04:00.000-08:002024-03-05T11:04:24.241-08:00GoldenEye - the first draft of 007's comeback<div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black;">I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;">n this season of</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;">The James Bond Cocktail Hour </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;">podcast, we are covering the six year gap between</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;">Licence to Kill </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;">GoldenEye</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;">, covering everything James Bond-related, from books to comics to video games, to non-Bond properties which tried to fill the gap.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxNEjhLylX4kgcNzp8zPp1yOSJm51Fgaw3Rb6xqVWtJG5-U8xx0l-_-AaaSOUuuiRXarwrodZdLRLY1B9joWOvX9hnYdAMcrqrfJypzni7Q8oRA9_20pXbJuDljYmWxzn8AzJinxHMGTbvos4XNu5E_gneB1lUPTQVJzXgnjlidkrbm6dDBF5sDiXC7nX/s1920/GoldenEye-Featured.webp" 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/AVvXsEhPxNEjhLylX4kgcNzp8zPp1yOSJm51Fgaw3Rb6xqVWtJG5-U8xx0l-_-AaaSOUuuiRXarwrodZdLRLY1B9joWOvX9hnYdAMcrqrfJypzni7Q8oRA9_20pXbJuDljYmWxzn8AzJinxHMGTbvos4XNu5E_gneB1lUPTQVJzXgnjlidkrbm6dDBF5sDiXC7nX/w400-h225/GoldenEye-Featured.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;">On the latest episode, we take a look at the first draft of GoldenEye, by screenwriter Michael France (<i>Cliffhanger</i>)!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0c0e10;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></span></div><div><div><b style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out the episode at the link below:</b></div><div><span style="color: #0c0e10;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-no-time-to-die-initial-reactions-w-stitch" target="_blank">No Time To Die (review)</a></b><b><br /></b><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-no-time-to-die-watch-along-w-stitch" target="_blank">No Time To Die (commentary)</a></b><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-pierce-brosnan-the-bond-in-waiting" target="_blank">Pierce Brosnan - The Bond In Waiting</a> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-goldeneye-and-spymaker-the-secret-lives-of-ian-fleming" target="_blank">GoldenEye & Spymaker - The Secret Lives of Ian Fleming</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-nikita-1990" target="_blank">Nikita</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-total-recall-1990" target="_blank">Total Recall</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-fire-ice-and-dynamite-bullseye" target="_blank">Fire, Ice and Dynamite & Bullseye!</a></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-russia-house-fred-schepisi-1990" target="_blank">The Russia House</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-brokenclaw-john-gardner-1990" target="_blank">BrokenClaw</a></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-lethal-weapon-die-hard-the-titans-of-the-early-90s" target="_blank">Lethal Weapon & Die Hard</a></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-if-looks-could-kill-william-dear-1991" target="_blank">If Looks Could Kill</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-hudson-hawk-michael-lehmann-1991" target="_blank">Hudson Hawk</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-rocketeer-joe-johnston-1991" target="_blank">The Rocketeer</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-black-cat-stephen-shin-1991" target="_blank">Black Cat</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timebomb-avi-nesher-1991" target="_blank">Timebomb</a></u></b></span></div><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country-nicholas-meyer-1991" target="_blank">Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country</a></b></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-man-from-barbarossa-john-gardner-1991" target="_blank">The Man From Barbarossa</a></b></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-james-bond-jr-1991" target="_blank">James Bond Jr</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-james-bond-jr-other-lost-adventures-with-mark-edlitz" target="_blank">James Bond Jr. and other lost adventures, with Mark Edlitz</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timothy-daltons-unmade-third-film-1990" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 (Mark I)</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-mike-grells-permission-to-die-w-chris-piers" target="_blank">Permission to Die</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-memoirs-of-an-invisible-man-john-carpenter-1992" target="_blank">Memoirs of an Invisible Man & The King's Ma</a>n</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-live-wire-christian-duguay-1992" target="_blank">Live Wire</a> </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-sneakers-phil-alden-robinson-1992" target="_blank">Sneakers</a> </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-blue-ice-russell-mulcahy-1992" target="_blank">Blue Ice</a></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline;">The Harry Palmer Trilogy</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-freddie-as-fro7-jon-acevski-1992" target="_blank">Freddie as F.R.O.7</a> </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-death-is-forever-john-gardner-1992" target="_blank">Death is Forever</a></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timothy-daltons-unmade-third-film-1991-part-1" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 (Mark II), Part 1</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timothy-daltons-unmade-third-film-1991-part-2" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 (Mark II), Part 2</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-serpents-tooth-comics-the-rhythm-section" target="_blank">Serpent's Tooth</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-daltons-bond-17-comparing-the-different-versions" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 - comparing the different visions</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-man-who-killed-timothy-daltons-james-bond" target="_blank">The Man who almost killed James Bond</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-point-of-no-return-john-badham-1993" target="_blank">Point of No Return</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-death-train-1993-tv" target="_blank">Death Train</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-in-the-line-of-fire-wolfgang-petersen-1993" target="_blank">In the Line of Fire</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-undercover-blues-herbert-ross-1993" target="_blank">Undercover Blues</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-hunt-for-red-october-re-release" target="_blank">The Hunt for Red October </a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-patriot-games-re-release" target="_blank">Patriot Games </a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-clear-and-present-danger-re-release" target="_blank">Clear and Present Danger</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-michael-frances-goldeneye" target="_blank">GoldenEye - the First Draft</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span> </div></div></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-64990259607101676782024-03-04T20:34:00.000-08:002024-03-04T20:52:21.676-08:00Electra Glide in Blue (James William Guercio, 1973)<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-67866c6b-7fff-619e-5c32-27fde49143ac"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Officer John Wintergreen (Robert Blake) is a highway patrolman with dreams of becoming a detective.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When he stumbles on a bizarre suicide, he smells murder - and a chance to achieve his goal.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paired with hard-nosed detective Harvey (Mitch Ryan), Wintergreen finds himself questioning the idealised image he has of the people who enforce ‘the law’...</span></p></span></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr07WgHB8_s917UZaFI87HQ-OkT5CeD8BCQQVpBWaNH9GLVbXONQko17atYHeI9Ks2piZWqvkhUHrYhm47I6NGgeoMkz9l2hHe-RxK6eDk788gHZvexkCW37ZO4-n9pUJKuf7Wrf3bBPphEpMOR9N8JKmFzvlNA3lJxcwHYfuUj9wTfw7Sozptfo9Ghp6m/s2210/MV5BMmExMWU3NTItNDcxMC00NzY1LTlkMzktMWFmODdkY2JmYjJjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2210" data-original-width="1454" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr07WgHB8_s917UZaFI87HQ-OkT5CeD8BCQQVpBWaNH9GLVbXONQko17atYHeI9Ks2piZWqvkhUHrYhm47I6NGgeoMkz9l2hHe-RxK6eDk788gHZvexkCW37ZO4-n9pUJKuf7Wrf3bBPphEpMOR9N8JKmFzvlNA3lJxcwHYfuUj9wTfw7Sozptfo9Ghp6m/w422-h640/MV5BMmExMWU3NTItNDcxMC00NzY1LTlkMzktMWFmODdkY2JmYjJjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f4b9e498-7fff-fdde-b6a5-6d987287c960"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electra Glide in Blue</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is an offbeat cop thriller that is probably only now known for starring a murderer. What is depressing about the movie is that it is ultimately about a man’s rejection of (a form of) toxic masculinity.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-63ab3421-7fff-4875-7f60-08d088ebdfed" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I was interested in the movie from a genre standpoint, the film’s themes of clashing masculinities, and the central character’s arc, gain a disturbing irony from its central casting.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of the film is a buddy movie between the naive, eager Wintergreen and Mitchell Ryan’s self-confident lawman Harvey.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The leading man is well cast, with his stature and slightly nasal voice offsetting his attempts at macho posturing.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan is terrifying - his unflinching gaze and taciturn delivery (undermined by a slight quiver betraying the deep-set rage).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan’s Harvey is the dark side of Wintergreen’s dream, a paranoid fascist who sees the police as an endangered species, beset by hippies, racial minorities and women.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is gripped by a fear of a failure of masculinity, and uses Wintergreen as an audience for his philosophy.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Released the same year as </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magnum Force</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electra Glide in Blue</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> plays like a satire of the collective, mechanised evil of that film’s villains (a connection increased by Mitchell Ryan’s casting in both films).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Winegreen solves the central mystery when - as he puts it, he starts “listening” to himself- and apprehends the suspect by talking rather than fighting. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In its own way, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electra Glide in Blue </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is kind of a movie about men unable to express or be in touch with their emotions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I say kind of because the movie as a whole seems a little unsure of what it wants to be. Not that that is a bad thing! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is not a real action movie - it does not have the same sense of propulsion or focus on violence as a resolution. A lot of the movie feels like a digression, as characters/actors are given space to monologue. According to the trivia I read, Guercio, a debuting director, ended up splitting creative control with cinematographer Conrad Hall.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The movie even includes an extended musical sequence from the band Chicago, which director James William Guercio produced in his other career (and who also performed the score, which Guercio composed).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Considering how winding the story is, the finale is surprisingly focused.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After Wintergreen is finally forced to kill someone, the film cuts to a brief scene of our lead, backlit by the sun, watching dusk over a western landscape. It is a beautiful shot, and with the iconography of the location, symbolises the characters’ belief in a myth of western heroism dying.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wintergreen does not even get a chance to learn from his mistakes.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He dies, not heroically, but inadvertently - he tries to return a licence to some hippies and they blow him away, thinking he is failing them for whatever they are up to.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wintergreen’s blood splattered disappears into the distance as the camera tracks backwards into a perfectly framed shot of Monument Valley, the iconic backdrop of so many westerns. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Related</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><span style="text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/bullitt-peter-yates-1968.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>Bullitt</u></span></a></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><br /></u></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b style="font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/vanishing-point-richard-c-sarafian-1971.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>Vanishing Point</u></span></a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-french-connection-william-friedkin.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>The French Connection</u></span></a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-seven-ups-philip-dantoni-1973.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>The Seven-Ups</u></span></a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u><br /></u></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-driver-walter-hill-1978.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><u>The Driver</u></span></a></b></div></span></div></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-57850895263309340162024-03-04T19:53:00.000-08:002024-03-04T19:54:00.713-08:00The Driver (Walter Hill, 1978)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c69fa1ae-7fff-0d10-7edb-6d6d14789966"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Driver (Ryan O’Neal) is a professional getaway driver. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cop (Bruce Dern) will do anything to catch him. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the Player (Isabelle Adjani) is caught in the middle. </span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEDGpm5fJlxCEsPsIQrfUk3tw7Vk_yqdoaeiZSRmTAQPGAnEdKWvPHakI_IE3lyoRunjq8pJi1G5G9pjfHL8ynWfGCtzE3qsjdzjHw1wk1W8qr3WABPH75Ly1QYP8aXaMDvSEqHaFszIRavY0n1FUno66qYJogbHS3lo2DXC_MOIn0Z1tRT4tzJ2l5nOh/s1500/driver_xlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="976" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEDGpm5fJlxCEsPsIQrfUk3tw7Vk_yqdoaeiZSRmTAQPGAnEdKWvPHakI_IE3lyoRunjq8pJi1G5G9pjfHL8ynWfGCtzE3qsjdzjHw1wk1W8qr3WABPH75Ly1QYP8aXaMDvSEqHaFszIRavY0n1FUno66qYJogbHS3lo2DXC_MOIn0Z1tRT4tzJ2l5nOh/w416-h640/driver_xlg.jpg" width="416" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Inspired by the minimalism of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jean-Pierre Melville, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Driver</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feels like the end point of the seventies car chase movies - a movie stripped down to its essentials, powered forward by a simple plot and a lot of vehicular action.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fittingly, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bullit </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">star Steve McQueen was Walter Hill’s first idea for the title character.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it makes sense - McQeen’s persona will forever be tied to cars - it also feels like a cliche.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">McQueen had already starred in one iconic car chase. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Furthermore, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Driver</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is almost too archetypal in its characterisation that a star of McQueen’s calibre would unbalance the film.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">O’Neal is more of a blank slate - that flatness fits the cypher of the character better.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Driver is a pro living from job to job.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film’s fire comes from Bruce Dern as the Driver’s nemesis. The Cop is defined by his need to capture the Driver.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of the conflict comes from how much of a contrast they are. The Driver has a code, while the Cop does not.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breaking any and all rules of his job, morality and anything else that can get in his way, the Cop is as a part of the chaos around him, rather than an opposing order.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His scheme juxtaposes the Driver against a different variety of ‘cowboy’ - three gun-toting robbers whose only unifying trait is a desire to destroy wherever they are robbing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a man of honour in a world of grey, the Driver ends the movie betrayed - swindled out of the money. And the Cop is left empty-handed, his ends-justified-the-means approach amounting to nothing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pair are back to square one, their vehicular duel doomed to continue…</span></p><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Related</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/bullitt-peter-yates-1968.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Bullitt</span></u></a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-french-connection-william-friedkin.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><u><span style="color: #2b00fe;">The French Connection</span></u></a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-seven-ups-philip-dantoni-1973.html" target="_blank">The Seven-Ups</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/vanishing-point-richard-c-sarafian-1971.html" target="_blank">Vanishing Point</a></b></div></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-34945816942426896642024-03-03T21:54:00.000-08:002024-03-03T22:08:27.666-08:00OUT NOW: Dune Part II (Denis Villeneuve)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4a0149df-7fff-6dd1-150a-b436c61d0ecf"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After escaping the Harkonnen forces, Paul Atredis (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) escape into the desert of Arrakis to join the indigenous Fremen.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Paul joins forces with the tribe, he is torn between his potential role as messiah and his fear of the destruction that could follow…</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXL5TLADQukeluavhdfDgQgCSw2lDf9gvSF6Nd0Kz783nyUIZV8gULyJNrulqXKzu9UFIoluUlB-lgsY_fX39z2hD1Y3rBBBG2NXxu0ajDcvshMUj1K5D9Jy4I0nlJ5hSJPzSKXXaM4XowNxaRX4Rzop3USdNpx2oYIn67kT5J_P_MV-pchBxc1DoLFNd/s1024/Dune-Part-Two-Movie-Poster-Main-Paul-Chani-819x1024.jpg.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="819" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXL5TLADQukeluavhdfDgQgCSw2lDf9gvSF6Nd0Kz783nyUIZV8gULyJNrulqXKzu9UFIoluUlB-lgsY_fX39z2hD1Y3rBBBG2NXxu0ajDcvshMUj1K5D9Jy4I0nlJ5hSJPzSKXXaM4XowNxaRX4Rzop3USdNpx2oYIn67kT5J_P_MV-pchBxc1DoLFNd/w512-h640/Dune-Part-Two-Movie-Poster-Main-Paul-Chani-819x1024.jpg.webp" width="512" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watching this movie in the shadow of multiple crises, particularly the genocide in Gaza, is bizarre. This is a movie full of MENA references, from language to culture and history. Furthermore, the fact it is ultimately about how ancient power structures endure and evolve in their grip on power makes </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune Part II</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> seem even more relevant to our times.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One wishes it had more to say with its weighty foundations.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an action epic, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune Part II </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is the kind of expansive epic we do not get enough of.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And in contrast to its predecessor, while the structure of the film is a little shaggy, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune Part II</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feels slightly more contained.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The previous movie had a strange, distended close. It felt like the movie ended with Idaho’s (Jason Momoa) sacrifice, and then kept going.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune Part II</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> benefits from time - with the introduction of so many new characters, it is hard to see how a singular adaptation could have handled both pieces of the epic story.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the first movie is a story about betrayal and intrigue, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dune Part II</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a movie about the rise/fall of a charismatic leader.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is it an inversion of a white saviour narrative, or just takes the story past its end point?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is not really a movie that interested in subtext - the film’s weariness of charismatic leaders is expressed literally through Paul’s interactions</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a point at the third act where Paul accepts his fate - yet something was missing.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It felt like there was a step missing.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suddenly Paul is willing to do whatever it takes to become a power player.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film feels like a plot summary - there are themes expressed through dialogue, but that literalness, especially the lack of shading in the portrayal of the antagonists and the one-note portrayal of the Fremen, means the film never feels like it is truly expressing any kind of subtlety or nuance in its attempts at deeper ideas.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the movie is about Paul’s fall, the film is so expansive - the introduction of Austin Butler’s Fayde is its own digression - and abbreviated in how it covers time, that it is hard to track the character.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is a movie that wants to be about how passion can be used and manipulated, but the movie never grounds you in the characters’ perspectives, nor has the control to expand its scope to the broader power-plays and themes.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is a movie to be admired rather than immersed in.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are points where the film’s po-faced sincerity is effective - the few set pieces are mildly gripping - but it feels at a remove.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a movie that wants to juxtapose passion and empathy with sadism and calculation, the movie is armontic and strangely sexless - there are two mild references to offscreen shenanigans but they are so elliptical as to be completely inert.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe that has something to do with the performers - Chalamet and Zendaya do not have the chemistry to make their relationship work, which is problem when the finale depends on Paul’s choice to abandon her.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Austin Butler is solid as the new antagonist, his raspy affected voice echoing Stellan Skarsgaard’s as the Baron.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The one standout among the cast is Lea Seydoux who appears in three scenes and steals them lock, stock and barrel. Her cool, understated performance as an intergalactic femme fatale seems more keyed into what the movie wants to be.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is watchable, and some of the aesthetics are interesting, but there is a monotone bluntness to the filmmakers’ approach that prevents the movie from reaching its full potential.</span></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Related</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2021/12/out-now-dune.html" target="_blank">Dune</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span> </div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-76484825449207144272024-02-28T12:22:00.000-08:002024-02-29T08:46:25.082-08:00BONDIFICATING: Boosting the Bond of the early 80s<div style="text-align: left;"> <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Time changes all things, including views of Bond movies. </span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-78b75ddb-7fff-722f-5964-c3fea914a5cd"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In overview, the Bond franchise has a couple of periods which have been reappraised. Most recently, the Dalton era has been critically reappraised. And the Brosnan movies are currently undergoing their own revival. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of this is generational, as a new cohort of Bond fans become more vocal. And part of it has to do with whoever is currently the incumbent. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Roger Moore is one of the most defined and iconic of Bonds. Irony has been part of Bond’s makeup since </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr No</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but Moore made it the character’s foundation. Double entendres are everywhere, and Moore is the first to point them out.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whereas Connery is contained and Lazenby was (due to lack of technique) exposed, Moore is unflappable. Moore carries a sense of confidence that almost seems bigger than the movie around him. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The qualities which made him unique have been used as praise and damnation - he is either in on the joke or a joke. His movies are either too light or show an awareness of Bond as a fantasy. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Dalton’s critical esteem has shifted, it has affected the treatment of Moore.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moore’s run as Bond is more unique and varied than he is given credit for, and his latter run through the early eighties, shows that the franchise’s pivot toward darkness and a more grounded sensibility was underway before his successor was cast.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The biggest shift in this final part of Moore’s tenure is the conception of Bond himself. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In his Seventies movies, Moore is - mostly - able to get out of trouble due to gadgets.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Your Eyes Only</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A View To A Kill</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Moore’s Bond is basically MacGyver - he still has hardware but it has limits, and he often has to figure out new uses for The gadgets during the mission.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Your Eyes Only</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the easy example since the whole movie feels like a palate cleanser for the super spy fantasy of the late seventies. His next two films are seen as a swing back toward fantasy, but I am not so sure the distinction is that clear.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYO7FzER_SKEeC8AfQsFSXQGIelWwi4zQYauUHqMRFgWDAduAPyMBb3_EYp7nmtuXgQonMxfTMb93IcSmUCRehiUQ9JOPs7vy7PpwSjL4OjEyKVUbK7YG9jY471mC39DVRy7UhjDwphExxzzegRE0lHWOOEB80b_NaWEXyRhcO3sRHQW59YpBXTlZTvvN/s1280/VitriArt_Octopussy+movie+poster_24x32in.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1280" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYO7FzER_SKEeC8AfQsFSXQGIelWwi4zQYauUHqMRFgWDAduAPyMBb3_EYp7nmtuXgQonMxfTMb93IcSmUCRehiUQ9JOPs7vy7PpwSjL4OjEyKVUbK7YG9jY471mC39DVRy7UhjDwphExxzzegRE0lHWOOEB80b_NaWEXyRhcO3sRHQW59YpBXTlZTvvN/w400-h280/VitriArt_Octopussy+movie+poster_24x32in.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3868002c-f5bc-ddfa-2fe5-6c2bd674c5d9" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being a natural improviser is a familiar element in Bond - see Connery electrocuting Oddjob in </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Goldfinger</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or Craig trying to keep up with the free-running </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mollaka in </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casino Royale</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It might fit Moore - the Bond known for wit rather than physicality - the best. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It also works for Moore’s age. It makes sense that he would be more thinking his way out of problems rather than fighting. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it is a subject of criticism, Moore’s age gives this element of Bond’s character a greater sense of stakes. The movies seem to be conscious of their leading man, and rather than ignoring it, they make his age a key part of the character’s behaviour.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Octopussy</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feels like a balancing act, between the more grounded, contemporary tone and style of its predecessor, and the more heightened, fantastical approach of Moore’s earlier films.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This duality is epitomised by its dual villains:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">General Orlov’s nuclear plot could be stripped down to a simple Cold War thriller, while his partner Kamal Khan feels like a homage to the OTT Bond villains of the (recent) past, with his massive lair, henchman (Gobinda) and one liners.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What makes the movie work is how Moore’s Bond feels at home in both arenas.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it tends to be overlooked, in Octopussy Moore’s Bond is on the back-foot frequently and the film plays to his age in interesting ways.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took a couple of viewings for me to realise Bond never fights Gobinda - his clashes are basically about Bond evading a direct confrontation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And he beats him by whipping an antenna at his head.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His gadgets are limited in scope (the Mike in the Farbage egg, the jet is just fast, with no weapons).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it has the reputation of being OTT, there is a sense of proportion to the gadgets that keeps Bond and his ingenuity the focus rather than the hardware.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bond’s race to defuse the nuke is based on familiar obstacles (he tries to hitch a ride, and is rebuffed by some cheeky teens).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He has to steal a car and is chased by the police.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nothing is easy and everything he does comes with its own complications. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A View To A Kil</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">l gets a lot of flack, but even a cursory look shows that the late Moore/John Glen Bond remains a man of improvisation rather than a gadget-sprouting superman.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pre-credit sequence gets a lot of flack for the needle drop, but if you ignore the Beach Boys cover, the sequence (designed and shot by Willy Bogner) is a terrific example of this characterisation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bond is constantly peril, from losing his skies to the sled being blown up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout the sequence, he is constantly having to get himself out of trouble - and has to improvise new solutions when he finds himself in new danger (like inventing snowboarding).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aside from the iceberg ship, there are no gadgets to get Bond out of trouble - it is all based on Bond improvising using whatever props he has around him (another great example of this approach is when Bond has to use air from a car tyre to breathe).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While he is overshadowed by his successors, Moore’s final run as Bond should not be seen as a series low point, but a forerunner for the style of Bond we would get with his successors.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.7px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.7px;">If you are new to this blog, I also co-host a podcast on James Bond, <i>The James Bond Cocktail Hour</i>. </b></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="font-size: 16px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">You can subscribe on </b><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><b>iTunes</b></span><b style="font-family: arial;">, or wherever you get your podcasts.</b></p><div><b style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out the episode at the link below:</b></div><div><span style="color: #0c0e10;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-no-time-to-die-initial-reactions-w-stitch" target="_blank">No Time To Die (review)</a></b><b><br /></b><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-no-time-to-die-watch-along-w-stitch" target="_blank">No Time To Die (commentary)</a></b><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-pierce-brosnan-the-bond-in-waiting" target="_blank">Pierce Brosnan - The Bond In Waiting</a> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-goldeneye-and-spymaker-the-secret-lives-of-ian-fleming" target="_blank">GoldenEye & Spymaker - The Secret Lives of Ian Fleming</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-nikita-1990" target="_blank">Nikita</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-total-recall-1990" target="_blank">Total Recall</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-fire-ice-and-dynamite-bullseye" target="_blank">Fire, Ice and Dynamite & Bullseye!</a></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-russia-house-fred-schepisi-1990" target="_blank">The Russia House</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-brokenclaw-john-gardner-1990" target="_blank">BrokenClaw</a></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-lethal-weapon-die-hard-the-titans-of-the-early-90s" target="_blank">Lethal Weapon & Die Hard</a></b></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-if-looks-could-kill-william-dear-1991" target="_blank">If Looks Could Kill</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-hudson-hawk-michael-lehmann-1991" target="_blank">Hudson Hawk</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-rocketeer-joe-johnston-1991" target="_blank">The Rocketeer</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-black-cat-stephen-shin-1991" target="_blank">Black Cat</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timebomb-avi-nesher-1991" target="_blank">Timebomb</a></u></b></span></div><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-star-trek-vi-the-undiscovered-country-nicholas-meyer-1991" target="_blank">Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country</a></b></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-man-from-barbarossa-john-gardner-1991" target="_blank">The Man From Barbarossa</a></b></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-james-bond-jr-1991" target="_blank">James Bond Jr</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-james-bond-jr-other-lost-adventures-with-mark-edlitz" target="_blank">James Bond Jr. and other lost adventures, with Mark Edlitz</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timothy-daltons-unmade-third-film-1990" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 (Mark I)</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-mike-grells-permission-to-die-w-chris-piers" target="_blank">Permission to Die</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-memoirs-of-an-invisible-man-john-carpenter-1992" target="_blank">Memoirs of an Invisible Man & The King's Ma</a>n</span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-live-wire-christian-duguay-1992" target="_blank">Live Wire</a> </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-sneakers-phil-alden-robinson-1992" target="_blank">Sneakers</a> </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-blue-ice-russell-mulcahy-1992" target="_blank">Blue Ice</a></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: arial; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline;">The Harry Palmer Trilogy</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-freddie-as-fro7-jon-acevski-1992" target="_blank">Freddie as F.R.O.7</a> </span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-death-is-forever-john-gardner-1992" target="_blank">Death is Forever</a></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timothy-daltons-unmade-third-film-1991-part-1" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 (Mark II), Part 1</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-timothy-daltons-unmade-third-film-1991-part-2" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 (Mark II), Part 2</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-serpents-tooth-comics-the-rhythm-section" target="_blank">Serpent's Tooth</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-daltons-bond-17-comparing-the-different-versions" target="_blank">Timothy Dalton's Bond 17 - comparing the different visions</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-the-man-who-killed-timothy-daltons-james-bond" target="_blank">The Man who almost killed James Bond</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-point-of-no-return-john-badham-1993" target="_blank">Point of No Return</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-death-train-1993-tv" target="_blank">Death Train</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-in-the-line-of-fire-wolfgang-petersen-1993" target="_blank">In the Line of Fire</a> </b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><b style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://007cocktailhr.libsyn.com/jbch-undercover-blues-herbert-ross-1993" target="_blank">Undercover Blues</a></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span> </div></div></span>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-54752226813709955792024-02-28T12:08:00.000-08:002024-02-28T12:12:57.748-08:00BITE-SIZED: Dracula (John Badham, 1979)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b012eabf-7fff-5125-16c2-35bb5b9b8915"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a ship is wrecked off the coast, its mysterious passenger (Frank Langella) is invited into the home of local asylum doctor, Seward (Donald Pleasance).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-15a9f07e-7fff-9eab-ede6-6952ad7f43fe" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It turns out this stranger is Count Dracula, Seward’s new neighbour from Transylvania.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the Count charms the doctor and his daughter Lucy (Kate Nelligan), misfortune begins to fall on the small coastal community - and it all seems to lead back to its new member…</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUfBQPZHqM0pcUQnqtht_ED0Wf1pyGltadTm5V5WT8StdZyWz7fZscAEmy0_5k5SyAo5J-09YpC8MZEL-jWYPdk30iF2ptA0dmrMraTRYTLvJRtHnWWJ-rvPv_hmKWNctfe_4ekMPC_H36PGiUN6Sxmax5Y2uNkvDHUTYpxkZtWcpeNRz6P3Fh0BTLRXn/s1496/MV5BZTg3YmEwNjItZDdhYS00ODIzLTg5YzAtOGNhNTBhYWM0ZmEyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUfBQPZHqM0pcUQnqtht_ED0Wf1pyGltadTm5V5WT8StdZyWz7fZscAEmy0_5k5SyAo5J-09YpC8MZEL-jWYPdk30iF2ptA0dmrMraTRYTLvJRtHnWWJ-rvPv_hmKWNctfe_4ekMPC_H36PGiUN6Sxmax5Y2uNkvDHUTYpxkZtWcpeNRz6P3Fh0BTLRXn/w428-h640/MV5BZTg3YmEwNjItZDdhYS00ODIzLTg5YzAtOGNhNTBhYWM0ZmEyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second adaptation of the play which served as Bela Lugosi’s launch to stardom, and the incarnation of the Count as a suave member of the upper classes.</span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-33fdac8a-7fff-36a0-863e-faafce5bc618"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie is like a painting. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many beautiful shots, production design and atmosphere, but the movie as a whole is a little bloodless. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The version I saw was the desaturated version released after the theatrical release.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is more of a romantic element to the central relationship between Dracula and Lucy (the filmmakers decided to swap the names of the female leads).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The production benefits from contemporary advances - the opening sequence on the ship is frenetic, and carries a real sense of tension. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dracula’s lizard crawl down the wall of Dr Seward’s home is fantastic, framed in an extended wide shot with fog billowing behind Langella as he glides down toward his prey.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While handsomely mounted, the film never finds a way to define itself. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And it is neither that scary nor romantic.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film’s willingness to take narrative liberties with the familiar story is interesting at first, but they do not reveal anything or bring anything new to the story.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;">Related</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/08/out-now-last-voyage-of-demeter-andre.html" target="_blank">The Last Voyage of the Demeter</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1pt; margin-top: 1pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"> for tips!</span></span></p></span>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-11124695861582191622024-02-28T10:56:00.000-08:002024-02-28T10:56:13.012-08:00BITE-SIZED: Gloomy Sunday (Rolf Schübel, 1999)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Set in Prague during World War 2, the film concerns a love triangle between a worldly hotelier (Joachim Król), a pianist (Stefano Dionisi) and a young woman (Erika Marozsan).</span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-61ff9b38-7fff-2238-aa15-b4fa5dc4c126"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00KiR26Xa418C8S0O7S-Np99EZYEZnVZLR6pQ6eOPQqpJi11KjdTe2JeILXNnqPUBpKXkXXap-Wzekd9mrVYVU2kTxSyZCWw-3aVLhkzyqrPd1-TelNRRQbr1qZEz-emQH7aTwVKagwKWpzoTMWNsHF489Z4c4LxfF1_tSliVX3eJ3LyW2q3GYZaRcA/s1822/MV5BMzJiNWMxNDQtNTAyNS00YmJkLThmMTctZTEwZjU2NWNmNWUzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc3MjQzNTI@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1822" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00KiR26Xa418C8S0O7S-Np99EZYEZnVZLR6pQ6eOPQqpJi11KjdTe2JeILXNnqPUBpKXkXXap-Wzekd9mrVYVU2kTxSyZCWw-3aVLhkzyqrPd1-TelNRRQbr1qZEz-emQH7aTwVKagwKWpzoTMWNsHF489Z4c4LxfF1_tSliVX3eJ3LyW2q3GYZaRcA/w422-h640/MV5BMzJiNWMxNDQtNTAyNS00YmJkLThmMTctZTEwZjU2NWNmNWUzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc3MjQzNTI@._V1_.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My grandad has been talking about this movie for 20 years - he is not a movie fan and he hates it whenever I start rambling, so this is a unique occurrence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He saw it at my local arthouse and would often mention how it was still running at a cinema in Christchurch. The news site Stuff wrote an article about that particular phenomenon.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I finally found a DVD copy of the movie online, and ordered it for him for Christmas a couple of years ago. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">While he was happy to finally have it, he was more excited to have his family watch it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first half of the movie feels like classic melodrama - not great but familiar. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We start in the present before flashing back to the main action, watching the lovers meet and turn into a triangle.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is well-acted and benefits from some good production design. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is watchable, but still feels a tad too familiar.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But that familiarity is not a weakness. It is a sign of the film's sturdy construction.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And once the net starts to tighten and characters show their true colours, the movie becomes very compelling. The film's sense of melancholy gains new weight.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not a classic, but one can see why something so functional has managed to maintain an audience. </span></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-22827130940225703452024-02-17T22:49:00.000-08:002024-02-17T22:56:27.629-08:00Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3bc5d06a-7fff-77da-1abd-6e8e75ee43ca"><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-679a52af-7fff-1576-13f4-22ba7cb0b2e5"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After witnessing UFOs, Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) finds himself plagued by visions of a mysterious object, which he is compelled to draw and sculpt.</span></p><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When fellow UFO spectator Jillian’s (Melinda Dillon) son Barry (</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cary Guffey</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) is abducted by the mysterious visitors, the pair head to Devil’s Tower, a natural outcrop that resembles the image they keep imagining... </span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCknJrVYTn8AsLvnTy0t9-s3XNU0RiamvO0CFs_gJvk-2Yir1W48hQwRR6SdZo_hu2BGfTg_eLOlZFxraMkjlEPnC5T3ZaiAYP5ajbnakTx5R33lvVv1wJr7ol_2qYXUjMbvEdIbC5iT6acw9oafHx4OnCVlN-zXwBT8DabFVddP6vJdCIG4c27g3F3vY4/s2906/close_encounters_of_the_third_kind_xxlg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2906" data-original-width="1918" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCknJrVYTn8AsLvnTy0t9-s3XNU0RiamvO0CFs_gJvk-2Yir1W48hQwRR6SdZo_hu2BGfTg_eLOlZFxraMkjlEPnC5T3ZaiAYP5ajbnakTx5R33lvVv1wJr7ol_2qYXUjMbvEdIbC5iT6acw9oafHx4OnCVlN-zXwBT8DabFVddP6vJdCIG4c27g3F3vY4/w422-h640/close_encounters_of_the_third_kind_xxlg.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is hard not to compare </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Close Encounters of the Third Kind</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to the blockbusters of today. And I gave up trying to avoid the comparisons.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c5678884-7fff-c706-ad1b-225024711c0b" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it is partially the result of natural escalation, today’s blockbusters are so much more action-focused. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite its premise and spectacle, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Close Encounters</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is not an action film. In some ways, it is the opposite.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite some hardware, there is no real threat of military escalation - from either the humans or the aliens.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike the protagonists of later blockbusters, the film is based around ordinary people. There are experts and specialists at the margins, but the focus is on Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) and Jillian (Melinda Dillon).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And who can see such a large-scale movie now coming down to an exchange of musical notes?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie is as distinct from the popular offerings of today as it probably felt compared to the disaster, war and post-</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jaws</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> monster movies of its release.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film opens with Lacombe (F</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rançois Truffaut</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and his team discovering planes from WW2 in the Sonora Desert. It sets out a mystery that is ultimately based on a conflict between adult anxiety and child-like innocence.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The scenes of Jillian’s son Barry greeting the unseen UFOs are played for suspense, with the aliens kept offscreen, and the sense of danger increased by the choice to position the camera at Barry’s eye-level.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now these scenes are iconic for exemplifying their creator’s childlike sense of wonder.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For audiences at the time, coming on the heels of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jaws</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the movie’s playful sense of suspense must have played differently.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That sense of fear is maintained in the adult reactions to the encounters. But so is the child’s embrace of the unknown, and the uncanny - see the scene where Ray gathers materials for his Devil’s Tower model. In the background, his son is enthusiastic, helping his dad carrying bricks back inside the house.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That juxtaposition also provides the film with a rich vein of irony that adds to the film’s fundamentally playful take on the story - the headlights rising over Roy after he distractedly waves the ‘vehicle’ past - the scientists try to wheel the globe of the world around corridors; Roy trying to reach his wife on the phone while the massive model of Devil’s Tower looms behind him (just as expertly timed is the secondary gag of the news report in extreme right of frame, repeatedly showing the real Devil’s Tower (but only when Roy’s back is turned). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the central story is small, Spielberg’s delight in crowds and the bric-a-brac of people energises the movie - the crowd who shows up at the initial encounter site look like they have come for a party, with signs, food and games.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scenes like this play to the film’s less paranoid view of humanity. In </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Close Encounters</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, people do not (just) come with guns. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had never seen the film before, and I was surprised at the way the film has Ray’s family drive away, and there are no cutaways or reunion when his bizarre behaviour is validated.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not familiar with Spielberg’s work. I caught a couple of the big titles as a kid, and I have probably seen the lionshare of his recent movies. But seeing </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Close Encounters of the Third Kind </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for the first time hammers home how unique his voice is.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The subtle way he juggles tones and his deceptively simple control of framing and blocking - it is hard to think of a conventional narrative filmmaker with such an understanding of cinematic tools as him. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He has gotten a little more contemplative and cynical in outlook in recent decades (I am very interested in re-watching </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Munich</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), which makes this period of his work a little more special. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Related</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/04/jaws-steven-spielberg-1975.html" target="_blank">Jaws</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-jurassic-park-trilogy-1993-2001.html" target="_blank">Jurassic Park</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2018/01/in-theatres-post.html" target="_blank">The Post</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/02/west-side-story-steven-spielberg-2021.html" target="_blank">West Side Story (2021)</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-59487822189000830242024-02-08T14:02:00.000-08:002024-02-12T09:49:01.784-08:00LA Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Los Angeles, 1953. Crime kingpin Mickey Cohen is in prison and the corruption-plagued LAPD are attempting a public relations makeover.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34);">When a group of patrons are massacred at the Nite Owl café, officers </span></span></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">Bud White (</span>Russell Crowe)<span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"> and</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"> Ed Exley (</span>Guy Pearce) find their investigations running to the heart of LA's underworld... and the LAPD itself.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPdPYKC23zMLZtEJwoL3y5GHTuFvfyKFBQbLsTyqYxoJ88v3ZzF9sEWQm78iufNWyH2z1VZ_paBUIGzKDDY3rjiWhsEb23S2cBycI3b9JwID7SjeDKl6AmpXEjzk0-h4ew6sRSuVQ5tb0K8mcBo-JfxVqhKE3gosAUMzU8vGJoNYW-qtnV1mllf4HuTcz/s1500/la_confidential_ver2_xlg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1015" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPdPYKC23zMLZtEJwoL3y5GHTuFvfyKFBQbLsTyqYxoJ88v3ZzF9sEWQm78iufNWyH2z1VZ_paBUIGzKDDY3rjiWhsEb23S2cBycI3b9JwID7SjeDKl6AmpXEjzk0-h4ew6sRSuVQ5tb0K8mcBo-JfxVqhKE3gosAUMzU8vGJoNYW-qtnV1mllf4HuTcz/w434-h640/la_confidential_ver2_xlg.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8bf5b2f0-7fff-2abc-3f18-ab3f117c8e30" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-304aa159-8abe-65df-7b1b-74cb4c3b237e" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have trouble writing about great movies. If one catches my imagination, then I can lock in and unpack it.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But most of the time, I do not feel any real desire or ability to pull apart a movie’s magic.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes that is all it is - magic. The alchemy of specific creative workers at a specific point in time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think that is why so many of my reviews focus on films where that magic does not happen.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can learn a lot about cinematic storytelling, particularly in the linear, narrative-based genre/Hollywood fare I gravitate towards, by watching the movies which fail to achieve their basic aims.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A lot of films may not have that unifying magic, but most have some nuggets of gold, something special that - if it does not make it worth watching, at least provides the viewer with something to take away, even if that is an unconscious lesson in the power of the medium to provoke reactions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While reducing movies to ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is detrimental for thinking critically about the medium, it can be instructive.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After watching </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LA Confidential</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I felt elated, but completely barren:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is there to write about an acknowledged classic which has been covered for decades?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After watching its follow-up, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Black Dahlia</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I was inspired.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will not spend this review comparing the two films. I just raise it as context - watching them so close together really gave me perspective on LA Confidential.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What sticks out most about the film is its sense of confidence and control. The way the film maintains a grip on the sprawling narrative. The film is not particularly flashy in terms of style, but it never </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pearce and Crowe are so well-cast. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crowe is all bottled rage, plowing through the movie like a freight train.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pearce is more ambiguous, a cool intelligence always evaluating. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pearce’s body language is fascinating. He is always ramrod, never at ease. He is so tightly coiled, betraying the character’s deep-set insecurity. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The way the movie manages to make them compelling without sugarcoating them is one of the movie’s main strengths.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite its setting, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LA Confidential</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> does feel plugged into the underlying tensions of the titular city. Yes, there is Hollywood glamour, but there is also corruption and systemic racial abuse. Released five years after the LA riots, the film feels more evocative of its time - and sadly its portrayal of the police as an institution built on racism remains evergreen.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it is dark, the movie is remarkably deft in tone - it gives weight to the stakes but manages to still feel fun. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fundamentally </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LA Confidential </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is pulp - well-crafted and well-acted, but still pulp. And it never forgets that, while managing to be nuanced and considered in its presentation of its darker elements.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A great movie.</span></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;" /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b>Related</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-black-dahlia-brian-de-palma-2006.html" target="_blank">The Black Dahlia</a></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-56685290062880652492024-02-05T23:16:00.000-08:002024-02-05T23:16:39.539-08:00Narrow Margin (Peter Hyams, 1990)<div style="text-align: left;"><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-db66ef34-7d41-8a3a-5135-3b5fa3f06016" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trapped on a train with a pair of killers on his tail, can deputy DA </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Robert Caulfield</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Gene Hackman) keep his witness </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carol Hunnicut</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Anne Archer)</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> alive?</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCypMUWYF4OEaQgJ73WaJ5YUc359Uq-MTslVaJCP8q1VQERijSbR1QLUeY4d08DYmcLsFGGcvYdarYh6lx-BMSCNfw23uwsMUomZC1_Lip0DG45J37R3ps_3qEl2ewIf-2UtZBdfxKLLvHUrOXjKo7VjlPmP3O3XrZDJK6J0MMS-YgWRhgm4L5AgO2yOFC/s2100/5hftq3g4IEyxqOprmcn2uTq3uLb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCypMUWYF4OEaQgJ73WaJ5YUc359Uq-MTslVaJCP8q1VQERijSbR1QLUeY4d08DYmcLsFGGcvYdarYh6lx-BMSCNfw23uwsMUomZC1_Lip0DG45J37R3ps_3qEl2ewIf-2UtZBdfxKLLvHUrOXjKo7VjlPmP3O3XrZDJK6J0MMS-YgWRhgm4L5AgO2yOFC/w426-h640/5hftq3g4IEyxqOprmcn2uTq3uLb.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It has been a minute since I reviewed a Peter Hyams joint.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie is not as good as the original. Its additions only draw attention to how good the original is.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But on its own terms, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Narrow Margin 90</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is fun.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of the appeal is aesthetic - I love the look of thrillers from this period. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another related factor is the cast. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gene Hackman is so good at playing a prick, and he is well cast as Caulfield. The character is not that nuanced - he is so tenacious he rubs the brass the wrong way, and blown any chance of promotion.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hackman makes for a worthy stand-in for Charles McGraw, although I wish he got something more developed and unique to play (but more on that later).</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anne Archer is given some meat as the witness. We open the movie with the sequence of her witnessing the murder that gets the plot going.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike the original, she is playing an ordinary woman who finds her escape plan sabotaged by Hackman’s over-eager bloodhound.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frankly the film teases a more suspenseful and unique take on the film’s premise.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the original, part of the suspense comes from Brown trying to keep up appearances for the sake of the passengers.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the film had been centred around Archer, and her attempts to avoid the killers AND overcome Hackman’s blundering, this film might have stood on its own.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the film’s credit, it tries to make this failure key to Hackman’s character, but it does not carry through in the way that the filmmakers intended.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rest of the cast are good: Alexander Sikking is solid as the smooth-talking mouthpiece of the killer duo.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film is also notable for being the only movie to feature both JT and Emmet T Walsh. Both are great character actors (no blood relation) and they add some unique flavour to rote supporting roles.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The third act turns into an action thriller, with our heroes trying to hide on top of the speeding train - the sequence benefits from a lack of process shots. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hackman, Archer and Sikking are really on top of the train, in both close-ups and wide shots.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In a film that lacks a lot of original ideas, this sequence gives the movie a jolt of energy.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Related</b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2021/09/bite-sized-review-capricorn-one-peter.html" target="_blank"><b>Capricorn One</b></a></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2021/11/outland-peter-hyams-1981.html" target="_blank"><b>Outland</b></a></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2016/03/bite-size-review-star-chamber-1983.html" target="_blank"><b>The Star Chamber</b></a></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2021/11/running-scared-peter-hyams-1986.html" target="_blank">Running Scared</a></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-presidio-peter-hyams-1988.html" target="_blank">The Presidio</a></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2021/11/timecop-peter-hyams-1994.html" target="_blank"><b>Time Cop</b></a></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2021/08/bite-sized-review-relic-peter-hyams-1997.html" target="_blank"><b>The Relic</b></a></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2022/03/end-of-days-peter-hyams-1999.html" target="_blank">End of Days</a></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2022/06/enemies-closer-peter-hyams-2013.html?m=0" target="_blank">Enemies Closer</a></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-weight: 700;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700;"> for tips!</span></span></span></div></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-56564722804114437552024-02-05T22:43:00.000-08:002024-02-05T22:43:39.792-08:00The Narrow Margin (Richard Fleischer, 1952)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-619051ed-7fff-259c-c3e0-a457c963fe4d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A cop has to get a witness from Chicago to Los Angeles in time for a major trial.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trapped on a train with a pair of killers on his tail, can Brown (Charles McGraw) keep </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frankie (Marie Windsor)</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> alive?</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFpzFe79xsLu8PSSYMlm7y6X50jQ6dqt6A1YEsAei82Mbmm4EX7KR3eGXVWoPIu0ld0xaS5ugFcGg7aIewTr3M7cZPrWiXbovdLsX-p4kCFOlpiNY2DZXytrRwvvDeGyYTnaopkBXgSg3No2GwtCHkomX2X3t24_aWo4E6414phIG8VY8GeCrX1akZIaO/s1518/MV5BMTMyN2EwZWYtYTRlZS00NjU3LWFiNDgtOWI2YTMwMGY3Mzc5L2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI2NDg0NQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1518" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFpzFe79xsLu8PSSYMlm7y6X50jQ6dqt6A1YEsAei82Mbmm4EX7KR3eGXVWoPIu0ld0xaS5ugFcGg7aIewTr3M7cZPrWiXbovdLsX-p4kCFOlpiNY2DZXytrRwvvDeGyYTnaopkBXgSg3No2GwtCHkomX2X3t24_aWo4E6414phIG8VY8GeCrX1akZIaO/w422-h640/MV5BMTMyN2EwZWYtYTRlZS00NjU3LWFiNDgtOWI2YTMwMGY3Mzc5L2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI2NDg0NQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpeg" width="422" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my favourite movies. I watched it about a decade ago and fell in love. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So clean and efficient, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Narrow Margin</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the epitome of a small-scale genre piece.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The cast are solid: Charles McGraw is all gruff professionalism as the incorruptible Brown, but the real highlight is Marie Windsor as the tough-as-nails witness who becomes his unwilling accomplice. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made using only a few sets, the film is always on the move, milking suspense from every minor interaction.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brown is constantly having to contend with his fellow passengers. While there are only two villains, it is Brown’s fellow passengers and the claustrophobic setting which become greater obstacles to his mission.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film’s one action scene - a desperate scuffle in a train car bathroom - is fantastic. Shot with a handheld camera between the combatants, occasionally approximating a POV, with characters attacking the camera.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With only the sound of heavy breathing and train tracks, it is still a visceral set-piece.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite McGraw’s growl and presence, he never comes across as a superman.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few final twists add to the suspense - one of the villains gets off the train and is replaced by another killer who Brown does not know- the filmmakers do not keep this a surprise, revealing this new variable to the viewer before Brown to increase the suspense.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The whole movie is a testament to how much can be milked from limited resources.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A pulpy, noir-infused sibling to Hitchcock’s train-set thrillers, there are no lulls in the action, as the film speeds through its 71 minutes.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A terrific showcase for director Richard Fleischer, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Narrow Margin </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is one of the highlights of a long, underrated career of a talented studio journeyman.</span></p><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-74903656192835272372024-02-03T15:11:00.000-08:002024-02-03T15:11:13.539-08:00One Way Passage (Tay Garnett, 1932)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Two people have a one-way ticket to the other side: fun-loving Joan (Kay Francis) is dying, and convict Dan (William Powell) is on his way to a death sentence.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finding each other on the eve of a cruise back to their final destination, the pair find themselves falling in love… </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismeQnvcJ91B4rNjzGADeZ1pzQjgV5hE6XHxhRJXzoe1qISHMauC9L8-mS0oc6lNyJo9mHz3RD6GUPI_AGTLi02SVLpNc6tfCNy2xGq5JAEePPm2AEC99gOgmHZ6EDc99DiYZFx6wdUBff9u3JBUlOyciWAheSUKySzXo7cwEmiSs8DhNMJjjAweYjHQEv/s1600/MV5BYWI1OWFmNWItMzQ3My00ODQzLTliMTMtN2YyOTY0NWRmZDU2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTcwNjUwNzk@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismeQnvcJ91B4rNjzGADeZ1pzQjgV5hE6XHxhRJXzoe1qISHMauC9L8-mS0oc6lNyJo9mHz3RD6GUPI_AGTLi02SVLpNc6tfCNy2xGq5JAEePPm2AEC99gOgmHZ6EDc99DiYZFx6wdUBff9u3JBUlOyciWAheSUKySzXo7cwEmiSs8DhNMJjjAweYjHQEv/w400-h640/MV5BYWI1OWFmNWItMzQ3My00ODQzLTliMTMtN2YyOTY0NWRmZDU2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTcwNjUwNzk@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another 60 minute Kay Francis vehicle from 1932, <i>One Way Passage</i> once again pairs Francis with frequent co-star William Powell (<i>My Man Godfrey</i>).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span class="s1">The film equivalent of a short story, <i>One Way Passage</i> is beautifully mounted two-hander. I would call it understated, except for certain elements which feel stylistically welded to an earlier time and a different medium.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span class="s1">When the film is in the orbit of Francis and Powell, the film evokes the melancholy of the central lovers, both aware of their vanishing mortality, and savouring the time they have left. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s1"><br /></span><span class="s1" style="font-size: 17px;">The film around the stars is a little shopworn. J</span><span><span style="font-size: 17px;">uxtaposed with the their love story is the budding romance between Dan’s gaoler Steve (Warren Hymer) and con artist Betty (Aline MacMahon), who is masquerading as a wealthy Countess.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span><span class="s1">The strait-laced g-man and the world-weary trickster’s pairing could be the set up to a romcom of their own, but in this context their differences are treated as arbitrary and pointless.</span><br /><span class="s1"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s1">Compared with mortality, who cares about stealing from those who can afford it?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s1"><br /></span><span class="s1">It is an intriguing idea, and </span>Aline MacMahon,<span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;"> as "Barrel House " Betty/"Countess Barilhaus" provides a welcome dose of cynicism to proceedings. Betty is looking for a way out with a final haul, and finds her attraction to Steve at odds with her future independence.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />While I found her engaging, her would-be paramour Steve, played by Warren Hymer, is less compelling. Maybe it is a result of the filmmaking, but Hymer is completely one-note. His reactions are limited and he mugs for every reaction, deflating the comic effect from his scenes. And his limited palette means all the pathos of this subplot is due to MacMahon and the gravitational pull of the central romance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: 17px;">As the film's ostensible 'comic relief', </span>Frank McHugh<span style="font-size: 17px;">'</span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;">s Skippy, another minor schemer, plays every beat for the cheap seats. His performance feels better suited for </span>vaudeville, with exaggerated expressions that are even more OTT than Hymer's.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Still these elements are not detrimental. While his performance feels too broad, having Skippy onboard provides Dan with a circle of confidants from his world. His fate is what they are desperate to avoid.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />There is a pathos to this small community, surrounded by rich passengers who have nothing to worry about.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is a mark of the film's un-sugary sentiment that the elements I criticised do not torpedo the overall effect.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Related</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/09/jewel-robbery-william-dieterle-1932.html" target="_blank">Jewel Robbery</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-59496050387326924122024-02-03T15:02:00.000-08:002024-02-03T15:06:57.351-08:00Reality (Tina Satter, 2023)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cd4379ad-7fff-4a3d-43e6-cd59b7d47df4"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One day in 2017, military contractor Reality Winner (Sydney Sweeney) returns home to find two strange men waiting for her.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The two men are FBI agents, and they want to know what Reality knows about a leaked document…</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyK8jlUfqVCuoc5DQs5-ob6VlekNa6YDxLrAh9gGZ1GJXkphOilgZuy-2wM63dczCBJZf6eSGdB7U4x8vceAr8p0n3D39SCWJC8qNQO3_MIradzgs5J2rKl5kM-p10jvx5kEiIK0c05N0Tc1KPdoYS7bSQirTIt4FzE7nkyjgjnPWCVQCAjf1IXzgiZeU/s3000/nXOAgmr6stIbs9JEwEcxLlEGlX2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyK8jlUfqVCuoc5DQs5-ob6VlekNa6YDxLrAh9gGZ1GJXkphOilgZuy-2wM63dczCBJZf6eSGdB7U4x8vceAr8p0n3D39SCWJC8qNQO3_MIradzgs5J2rKl5kM-p10jvx5kEiIK0c05N0Tc1KPdoYS7bSQirTIt4FzE7nkyjgjnPWCVQCAjf1IXzgiZeU/w426-h640/nXOAgmr6stIbs9JEwEcxLlEGlX2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Based on the transcript of whistleblower Reality Winner’s arrest and initial interrogation by the FBI after she leaked a document on Russian attempts to hack the 2016 US election, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reality</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a neat little pressure cooker of a movie.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have not seen </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is This A Room</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I was not aware it existed before watching this movie.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A lot of people are still reckoning with the Trump presidency.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because he is still at the heart of American politics it is difficult to treat his term with a real appraisal, particularly if he returns to the presidency. Still, watching </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reality</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I was reminded of those early days, particularly following the election and into his first months.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The never-ending string of controversies, news coverage and how emotionally draining it all felt. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I remember being terminally online, following every detail. It was a perpetual state of despair that affected me. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I look back on my reviews from that period and wonder how I would feel about these movies.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reality </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feels like it captures a little of the vibe of that time: the way the agents attempt to act as though everything is normal, and their meeting is nothing out of the ordinary. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reality is trapped into a situation that she cannot get out of.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a movie about words, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reality </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">never feels like a play.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Satter keeps the camera close, allowing close-ups of her cast to fill in all the subtext and innuendo. </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sweeney is excellent in the title role - slowly revealing a steel and wry self-awareness as she is cornered.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie is a duel where the winner is never in doubt - it is going to be a slow dance as the agents pick apart Reality's story. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is terrifying watching the way her interrogators awkwardly try to maintain a front of affability, even as their questioning becomes more pointed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A solid little thriller.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.85px; font-weight: 700;"> for tips!</span></span></p></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-44459650575743351722024-02-03T12:05:00.000-08:002024-02-03T12:05:34.886-08:00Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Everyone knows the deal with this one.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6Y4khxcIROFlq42C1Ikre9sTb7FmG9lJ3gBAQlRi0vs05gHwam_WUkhsJq6azSIVTivf5z_L3MdPVDbv6qO1r0e27-e_HoQSPpPja4g4ksF1OQ94evq-eQx0niATOCJFCqICEmojYBsVzQ7bh3tE9Ci-psySoc39TtMQzNmZ9pzkeM9HqydPgjzidjqu/s1300/145805.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="867" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6Y4khxcIROFlq42C1Ikre9sTb7FmG9lJ3gBAQlRi0vs05gHwam_WUkhsJq6azSIVTivf5z_L3MdPVDbv6qO1r0e27-e_HoQSPpPja4g4ksF1OQ94evq-eQx0niATOCJFCqICEmojYBsVzQ7bh3tE9Ci-psySoc39TtMQzNmZ9pzkeM9HqydPgjzidjqu/w426-h640/145805.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This is not going to be a long spiel. It is more of an addendum to my reviews of Humphrey Bogart's movies from last year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Besides, what is there left to say about <i>Casablanca</i>?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Its greatness has been cemented in the public imagination for so long it is almost on the point of becoming underrated.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I last watched <i>Casablanca </i>in August, at the end of festival of Humphrey Bogart pictures focused on 'international' locations. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I took from watching </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casablanca</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at the end, was getting a sense of the shadow it threw on the rest of his career.</span></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-849f46e8-7fff-1615-fa69-91dd4151d229"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After watching the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casablanca</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> clones (</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sirocco</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tokyo Joe</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, one can see even Bogart wrestling with the impact of his most famous film. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />It is also a reflection of the way stars of his era were generally stuck in similar roles and genres.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><i>Casablanca </i>is the kind of movie I enjoy - it is focused around a single location and a small cast of characters.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set largely inside Rick’s club, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casablanca</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a world unto itself - deals are done, lives hang in the balance and secrets are the most important currency.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Claude Rains steals the movie as the cheerfully amoral police chi</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">ef </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Renault</span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">- his witty asides and the clever choreography (the way he accepts his winnings while closing Rick’s club for illegal gambling) are a comic delight.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The margins of the movie are so colourful, and Bogart and Bergman are so iconic, that they are almost too archetypal. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nothing against their performances, but they are not as fun as the characters around them. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After going through so many of his movies in a short space of time, I have gained such a new appreciation for Bogart’s face. That </span><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> face</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, particularly his eyes, have been the most fascinating aspect of his affect. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those sunken eyes burdened by age, mistakes and regrets.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coming out of the miniseries, my preference is for the goofier, weirder edge of his filmography and performances. </span><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rick is a more solemn and withdrawn characterisation. But it also gains a new potency after watching a broad selection of his other roles - including parts that feel like pale re-takes of Rick.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">By contrast, the original gains so much more power.</span></p></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-26e18d30-7fff-cfb9-01b5-11484eb4c52c"><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u>Related</u> </b></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/07/across-pacific-john-huston-and-vincent.html" target="_blank">Across The Pacific (1942)</a></b><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/08/sahara-zoltan-korda-1943.html?m=0" target="_blank">Sahara (1943)</a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/08/to-have-and-have-not-howard-hawks-1944.html" target="_blank">To Have and Have Not (1944)</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/07/tokyo-joe-stuart-heisler-1949.html" target="_blank">Tokyo Joe (1949)</a> </b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/06/sirocco-curtis-bernhardt-1951.html" target="_blank">Sirocco (1951)</a> </b></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-african-queen-john-huston-1952.html" target="_blank">The African Queen (1952)</a></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2023/07/beat-devil-john-huston-1953.html" target="_blank">Beat the Devil (1953)</a> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-26e18d30-7fff-cfb9-01b5-11484eb4c52c"></span></p><div><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; font-family: Arial; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span></span></div></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-69325387003907333352024-01-29T10:58:00.000-08:002024-01-29T11:30:23.633-08:00OUT NOW: The Iron Claw (Sean Durkin, 2023)<span id="docs-internal-guid-413c5d57-7fff-2573-cb91-6d8c842c3e1b"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the early Eighties, the Von Erichs (Kevin, Kerry and David) were one of the most exciting and popular factions in wrestling.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-1aa6d46c-7fff-1d65-139a-2a789f047fbd" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Based out of Dallas, Texas, the Von Erichs (Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson) were the stars of their father Fritz’s promotion, World-Class Championship Wrestling.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just when it look like the brothers were set to become the kings of the ring, tragedy struck…</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoF7WJCVeXOeAtFUiqySfkrcbNCoMpamGpWzyu40r8ULYa-MX2MOjkYlkQJlyq3S75LnnepfopRwfpHDtD8v-n3r8ucqdiloIoxVRvMr-QlJPpUgj6zeuWeiH0XBz_25A6t3DtSf5AYJAWnOmpr_FMKyYLQ5vvgyvBrFjgrFn0MJyLCRnheB-NmQHVS8H/s4032/IMG_0794.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoF7WJCVeXOeAtFUiqySfkrcbNCoMpamGpWzyu40r8ULYa-MX2MOjkYlkQJlyq3S75LnnepfopRwfpHDtD8v-n3r8ucqdiloIoxVRvMr-QlJPpUgj6zeuWeiH0XBz_25A6t3DtSf5AYJAWnOmpr_FMKyYLQ5vvgyvBrFjgrFn0MJyLCRnheB-NmQHVS8H/w480-h640/IMG_0794.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This movie left me a bit cold.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-f762f269-7fff-af83-484d-a4eacf5b50b7" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had seen the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dark Side of the Ring</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> episode on the Von Erichs, so I was familiar with their story. That familiarity made certain scenes feel like madlibs, and certain foreshadowing come off a little obvious.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of that is my problem, but the second half of the film feels a little more like a series of vignettes, as we cover a greater span of time. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first half of the movie, covering the Von Erichs being drawn back to their father’s wrestling promotion, and Kevin’s romance with Lily James’ Pam, is stronger.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We never leave Texas, and we barely leave the Von Erichs’ domain (the ranch and the ring). We get a sense of the family’s close-knit ties, but also a sense of insulation and claustrophobia.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At times, it feels obvious in hitting its themes, and the way the characters talk to each other. However, these are characters who either cannot talk or are incapable of not speaking their minds. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">None of the brothers’ deaths are shown - the film’s strength lies in the way it shows their absence, and lets that fester through the family’s dynamic.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While it is not the focus, the film does a solid job of highlighting certain aspects of pro-wrestling (they shoot the scenes in wide shots that show off the physicality while also getting close enough to show the way the performers choreograph the match). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What the film is more interested in is the family’s focus on physical health as the benchmark of success, and the way in which that focus on the body affected Mike (</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2); background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Inter, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Stanley Simons) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">and Kerry (and the unseen Chris) when they experience life-changing injuries. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The performances are good - despite the lack of screentime together, the actors have solid chemistry with each other. Zach Efron anchors the movie as the sensitive, emotionally inarticulate Kevin.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other brothers do not get a lot to do - most of their impact is collective. What they all do is reflect the different ways that Fritz has made them incapable of dealing with the situations they find them in. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bear</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s White gives Kerry a live-wire, simmering rage behind a superficial calm. As his brothers die, and he loses his foot, he lets the facade fall.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Holt McCallany is effectively one-note as Fritz, an egotist who only sees his sons as extensions of himself. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film has many strengths, but there was a tipping point where it felt like the movie’s grip on the story becomes less sure.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As with most biopics, its scope is too wide for a feature runtime so it starts to feel compressed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It plays like a disaster movie, imbedding the viewer in the family and their dynamic - and then David (</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harris Dickinson) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">dies.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To an extent, the pace of the brothers’ spiral of tragedies after David’s death is an effect of the story. It is also the film trying to present the ways in which tragedy and grief compound.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That need to compress is overt in one respect - youngest brother Chris is absent from the movie entirely. Perhaps the filmmakers felt that another death would have made the movie oppressive and left viewers emotionally exhausted. Still, for a film about athletes doomed by their obsession with physical prowess, to ignore the one brother who struggled the most to fit the family mould, it feels off. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is one scene near the end that I cannot get my head around. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After Kerry dies, the film cuts to the dead Von Erich Brothers reuniting in the afterlife, and embracing their eldest brother </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jack Jr.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who died as a small child. Cutting back to Kevin with Kerry’s body, the scene feels wrongheaded. Is it Kevin’s imagination? Is it meant to emphasise the brothers’ freedom from Fritz and their own pain? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It strikes an off note, particularly since it is intercut with Kevin crying beside his brother’s body. They are free, while he is abandoned.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Iron Claw </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is not a bad movie. It has many fine qualities, but I left it with the gnawing sense that something had been left behind. Maybe the family’s tragedies are cumulatively too powerful for a dramatic framework. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I look forward to watching it again, but on this first watch, it felt too condensed. </span></p></span>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-1240856769451776802024-01-27T16:34:00.000-08:002024-01-27T16:54:56.334-08:00Vanishing Point (Richard C. Sarafian, 1971)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7097628a-7fff-bbe1-103f-5a8c048b5b0c"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-edc87782-7fff-c380-44d1-19ad63a71762"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">Car deliveryman Kowalski (</span>Barry Newman)<span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"> has to deliver a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in three days. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"><br /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; white-space: normal;">Fuelled by </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: small; white-space: normal;">benzedrine</span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; white-space: normal;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34);"> and a bet, he </span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34);">intends to reach his destination in two, all obstacles be damned...</span></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2srmzpxiLorCLDDvLt2UxfAyj8SGhYNd3615TvDyEWBIZ43ldWt8fcQklbg0APfRWmtimGMSjt23rD9wMjpsU8nh_gPx7XAEC25AOVieE0ok0DAcRd7CmIgV5QHgUXhhJrsQ_Dj5NHpLVrBb3OaaEQPKH4m7Rdr_aiVHBo-Sc6NMTYSxGGqmbPIOsUMuu/s1500/MV5BNjg2YTk2MjAtMzdjZS00ODhjLTk3MDAtNTI1ZmYyNjZmZjIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc5NjEzNA@@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2srmzpxiLorCLDDvLt2UxfAyj8SGhYNd3615TvDyEWBIZ43ldWt8fcQklbg0APfRWmtimGMSjt23rD9wMjpsU8nh_gPx7XAEC25AOVieE0ok0DAcRd7CmIgV5QHgUXhhJrsQ_Dj5NHpLVrBb3OaaEQPKH4m7Rdr_aiVHBo-Sc6NMTYSxGGqmbPIOsUMuu/w426-h640/MV5BNjg2YTk2MjAtMzdjZS00ODhjLTk3MDAtNTI1ZmYyNjZmZjIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc5NjEzNA@@._V1_.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After covering three seventies movies featuring car chases, I was keen to check out a few more.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While filled with more vehicular action than <i>Bullitt</i> or <i>The French Connection</i>, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vanishing Point</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is closer to a road trip movie than a thriller. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film is pretty episodic, as our hero interacts with different sets of characters throughout his journey.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made at the turn of the decade, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vanishing Point</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feels like a time capsule - yet its simple narrative prevents it from feeling of its time.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our lead becomes a folk hero of sorts, with an electro-bard (Cleavon Little’s DJ SuperSOul) imparting his story to the masses.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lead actor Barry Neewman does not get a lot to do, but he is fine. At a certain point, it feels like the car is on screen longer than he is. They become fused as one and the same.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The character is not even involved in any particular quest for a higher goal - he is transporting a car cross country, and plans to deliver it ahead of schedule because he thinks he can (with a bet thrown in, of course).</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The character is not checked out of society in the same way as others in the movie (religious groups, hippies, SuperSoul’s pirate radio station), but as the film progresses, his inscrutability becomes a blank canvas for struggling against the system.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film had to shorten its shooting schedule and was affected by budget problems. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">These issues are probably partially influenced by the film’s near-abstract sense of momentum, and then increasingly opaque lead figure.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">We get a few flashes of the protagonist’s past, but these snippets only increase his status as an elemental, mythic figure. Kowalski's past as a veteran, racing car driver and cop ties him to iconography of action and speed. His past career as a policeman feels like the ultimate rejection of society's norms - here is someone who used to work for the Man fighting the Man. He is Bullitt if he had chucked in his badge because he would not play ball with slick politico </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">Chalmers (Robert Vaughn).</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Only one character - at the very end of the movie - is able to recognise him from his past life, connecting an act of righteousness that unmoored him from the establishment, and set him on this final course.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The movie’s explosive ending is established by the opening sequence - a flash-forward that sets out Kowalski’s race as inherently doomed - feels like a metaphor for the shift from the optimism of the sixties to the new decade.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His ultimate escape is immolation. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The movie ends, the character is dead, but in his sacrifice</span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> his legend is cemented.</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-57670531170216532422024-01-26T22:18:00.000-08:002024-01-26T22:26:25.356-08:00The Seven-Ups (Philip D'Antoni, 1973)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c1a9fd9e-7fff-03a1-14d3-02f6f3e3871d"><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cdaf9c8a-7fff-dbe3-29ea-01ca23452168"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Seven-Ups are a team of NYPD officers who go outside the rules and are known for arresting criminals who receive </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sentences of seven years or more.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Led by Buddy Manucci (Buddy Manucci), the squad find their reputation used against them when an unknown party begins impersonating plainclothes cops to kidnap wealthy gangsters.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the pressure building, Manucci goes on the trail of the pair of killers (Richard Lynch and Bill Hickman) who have been masquerading as his team.</span></p></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnG8ReXApNPXuotjnbLbdU8EF2UJ3sXg1vPE58lKh5bQdHNl0xXAb8E6e84e34yR_ILHHFAmsHpW2iV25WyhlUmtJRB8u-CDbA5shD_sgTuA2jep8o9I3eBRuILxT9v7HCTpwKxyeFsq1-0-pvT8huSwYYGv_LqsUvfTzAknY3TDc_jAdF2RvdRiE2PKvF/s1404/seven_ups_xlg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnG8ReXApNPXuotjnbLbdU8EF2UJ3sXg1vPE58lKh5bQdHNl0xXAb8E6e84e34yR_ILHHFAmsHpW2iV25WyhlUmtJRB8u-CDbA5shD_sgTuA2jep8o9I3eBRuILxT9v7HCTpwKxyeFsq1-0-pvT8huSwYYGv_LqsUvfTzAknY3TDc_jAdF2RvdRiE2PKvF/w430-h640/seven_ups_xlg.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the success of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bullitt </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The French Connection</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, producer Philip D'Antoni had a unique streak of success in Hollywood.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-3546f93e-7fff-cf1c-85b8-e41f18df98a8" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a career in television, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bullitt</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> represented D'Antoni’s big screen debut, and he would only have two other theatrical features, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The French Connection</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and this one, which is also his only big screen directorial effort.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had never seen this movie before. And aside from knowing there was a car chase, I knew nothing of the story.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With its familiar cast and locale, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Seven-Ups </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">often feels like a spiritual follow-up to the William Friedkin film. And that is probably the biggest knock against it.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Featuring a great cast of faces including Richard Lynch and future horror icon Joe Spinell,</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The Seven-Ups</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is ironically let down by a lack of specificity. The plot is complicated, with an antagonist who is playing both sides against each other. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The car chase combines the NYC locale of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The French Connection</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with a similar concept as the chase from </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bullitt</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Some gags call back to the earlier chase sequences - the kids blocking the street; Richard Lynch firing a shotgun at Scheider’s car during the chase.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite its scale, it feels a bit overlong, and lacks the visceral impact of Doyle’s race against the assassin.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More plot-heavy and less character-driven, the film feels like a programmer entry in the police thriller sub-genre.It is also hard not to see this movie as a sequel to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The French Connection</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Scheider as the lead; secondary antagonist Tony LaBianco as the mastermind.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In terms of D'Antoni’s direction, the film is more classical and formalist in style than either of its predecessors. There is none of immediacy of Friedkin’s documentary-style approach.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More fundamentally, the film does not have a clear take on the titular characters. There was an ambiguity to the way 'Popeye' Doyle was presented. While Scheider is solid in the role, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Buddy Manucci is more of a placeholder action hero. Even the narrative possibilities of the having an antagonist use the Seven Ups' reputation against them feels undercooked.</span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #202122;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because of its similarities to the prior films, and the lack of anything new, the film comes off as a tad anonymous.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></p><div><b>Related</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/bullitt-peter-yates-1968.html" target="_blank">Bullitt</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-french-connection-william-friedkin.html" target="_blank">The French Connection</a></b></div></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-66605712156999589862024-01-26T16:03:00.000-08:002024-01-26T21:46:10.166-08:00The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5f15fc31-7fff-9106-2011-175ebf1fff70"><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-27e84b0f-4834-cab4-67a7-c348881a5bbe" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York police officers ‘Popeye’ Doyle (Gene Hackman) and ‘Cloudy’ Russo (Roy Scheider) think they have stumbled onto a massive drug smuggling ring.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But can they prove it? </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mv9fKB6MJBJyorSi4fYCLhYGxuCvmfDXkPepZtFrSJJlJQ0eZAZO9w09Tdfdamyx2tRb0qsRqvMJhQ3yuQ_uiNPaK4KP_kB2WpNLtZq7_zz_rvMtinoOWMr-13HGFJfS5ITTupDpRZ7hQf7SUz5MllRQWBbOtVGoRz8lq44DNNZiRCmzF6rJyvdNA-ja/s685/french_connection.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="476" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mv9fKB6MJBJyorSi4fYCLhYGxuCvmfDXkPepZtFrSJJlJQ0eZAZO9w09Tdfdamyx2tRb0qsRqvMJhQ3yuQ_uiNPaK4KP_kB2WpNLtZq7_zz_rvMtinoOWMr-13HGFJfS5ITTupDpRZ7hQf7SUz5MllRQWBbOtVGoRz8lq44DNNZiRCmzF6rJyvdNA-ja/w444-h640/french_connection.jpg" width="444" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e5abc2fb-4835-7fad-9eba-ddee26afd6e0" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Far from the sunshine of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bullitt</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the reassured cool of Steve McQueen’s persona, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The French Connection</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is grim and claustrophobic.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Without the presence of an established star, the film is given a greater sense of unpredictability and stakes.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike Frank Bullitt, Gene Hackman’s Popeye Doyle feels like a deconstruction of the loner lawman.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doyle is a man who believes in his hunches.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before the movie has started, he has a reputation for failing. He is a loose cannon with a specific skill set, but the film seems more fascinated by his mindset than endorsing it. </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bullitt</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the character’s investigation was sidelined by scenes of his everyday life. Bullitt keeps his professional and personal lives separate - something highlighted in the moment when his lives cross, when his girlfriend stumbles onto a crime scene he is working.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By contrast, Popeye has no life - he is constantly working. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even when he and partner </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cloudy</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Roy Scheider) go to a bar for a drink, he uses it to surveil some gangsters at a nearby table. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is never shown at home or having any relationships beyond Cloudy.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While they create a sense of verisimilitude, sequences of process serve as signs of Popeye’s obsessive drive - stakeouts, the subway peekaboo with </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charnier</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Fernando Rey), the stripping of the car.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doyle cannot let it go - even after he accidentally kills his nemesis</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FBI Agent Bill Mulderig</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Bill Hickman), he staggers out into the void to try and prove his hunch right.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The elliptical finale leaves our protagonist in stasis as success slips through his fingers… </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A great movie, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The French Connection</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> moves like bullet even before Doyle gets behind the wheel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Related</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://midniteramble.blogspot.com/2024/01/bullitt-peter-yates-1968.html" target="_blank">Bullitt</a></b></div></div></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-61893121780470596942024-01-23T12:20:00.000-08:002024-01-23T12:20:36.897-08:00Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (William Greaves, 1968)<div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e82f65b0-7fff-6f43-3e31-5192f1b9155a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A director (William Greaves) attempts to film an audition piece in Central Park, while another crew films the film, and a third films the park.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNT9kp0H0MPuPR5NzEY4BYgkPgSiExvwfmm9Qmy3skVc9YbbtfEz_8FspgoCZ-EG_ZX5GosXEq5CtCRfZKsgb89t1E5FaF-utwomALrWn4_TqdKJvYAUyKIHu3GX3PXApy_nYK3B6_DKlFA21J4FFhZeKtfmS5iF42qquWpdpJUN_UnwQtWK_ILrvINGn/s1408/MV5BMTQ1ODYyODYyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDM0MTA0MQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNT9kp0H0MPuPR5NzEY4BYgkPgSiExvwfmm9Qmy3skVc9YbbtfEz_8FspgoCZ-EG_ZX5GosXEq5CtCRfZKsgb89t1E5FaF-utwomALrWn4_TqdKJvYAUyKIHu3GX3PXApy_nYK3B6_DKlFA21J4FFhZeKtfmS5iF42qquWpdpJUN_UnwQtWK_ILrvINGn/w454-h640/MV5BMTQ1ODYyODYyOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDM0MTA0MQ@@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="454" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-80279774-7fff-70cf-0f8a-38ab24d59a52"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-80ae6897-37f9-cbaa-9a16-0925c203189a" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do not know why I bothered with the plot synopsis. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One could classify </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as cinema verite, but the omnipresent camera - and Greaves’ editing of the footage - is slyer than that easy label.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The movie starts with the initial attempt at an audition, cut together between different sets of actors.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The reveal of different cameras recording the scene and the crew recording the scene. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Greaves himself plays the director as befuddled and inarticulate. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to what I have read, Greaves was unhappy with the production, believing that he had not created the conditions for a more complex and piercing piece. And then the crew presented him with the footage they had filmed on their own.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Greaves did not realise at the time was that the crew had started filming themselves discussing Greaves and the project.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The crew are young filmmakers and have an awareness of film theory, which gives their conversation an added layer of meta-textuality as they discuss concepts that the film is wrestling with.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Graves cuts these discussions into the film, further increasing the film’s layers of self awareness.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The repetition of the audition, and the processes around it, draws attention to both the extreme artifice of ‘acting’, and the ways in which performance informs every aspect of the world around the central production.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film is filled with cutaways of people becoming aware of being recorded. Part of the film’s impact comes from these moments and the way they are compiled to create a constant sense of surveillance.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of these moments are familiar - people, whether on the production or bystanders, ham for the camera, or become self-conscious. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is something timeless about these reactions - these moments made me think of two things - the early movies of the 1890s and 1900s, like the Lumiere Bros’ factory, and the way people perform on social media. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scenes are allowed to play out from multiple angles but before you can become immersed, the film adopts a split screen format to show the same scene from different angles.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He increases this sense of disruption and self-awareness by cutting away to the crew’s BTS discussions, creating more ironic juxtapositions and punchlines.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While we get various voices discussing the film and unpacking it’s potential meanings, the one voice we never hear is Greaves as himself. Everyone else is shown in medis res, between ignorance and awareness of the camera.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Greaves himself is the one person onscreen who never shows his hand.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film feels like a mischievous joke - at the crew’s and the viewer’s expense.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The film’s final scene is worth watching the movie by itself - Greaves and his crew are confronted by a man living in the park. With his diction and theatrical deamenour, he is like the film’s intention come to life - both an over-cooked example of presenting a public face, and completely real.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In an era where we record every element of our lives, the line between private and public, artifice and authenticity, what is considered real and what is considered true, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">feels even more prescient. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #6699cc; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for tips!</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.85px;"> </span></p></span></div></span></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-832647589290974513.post-85739840475290714482024-01-20T14:39:00.000-08:002024-01-21T10:18:36.521-08:00The Underneath (Steven Soderbergh, 1995)<div style="text-align: left;"><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-fb4caabe-2904-400b-cce0-4cf25f6dea8e" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After abandoning his life due to gambling debts, Michael Chambers (Peter Gallagher) has come back home for his mothers’ marriage.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is also back to reconnect with his ex-wife Rachel (Allison Elliott), whom he abandoned.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Making their reunion even more complicated is Rachel’s new boyfriend, a criminal named Dundee (</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">William Fichtner).</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But Michael has a new gamble - and he thinks the odds are in his favour…</span></p></div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHF2zmNo7SHJ3YUCJkZcQnRjtyFCV48rFC6yA_yCHBa5z_lsjS1BPh3BBB2mWRQnf6FYH9AAVql5TbEPE7qV9lUcXILE5bUjLxW_49MDtnfPcJWTuis4TWYmnT1we5Nx3T4OGgkqB9-soHQFyvMTI0wojoQaGOWqWs21NkreQLNQ0Dw8iKLPNsQXI_jkDc/s1478/MV5BYTU5MjRlMGYtNWRhZS00YjA2LTllNjMtMWZmNzhjNjQ2OWU4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHF2zmNo7SHJ3YUCJkZcQnRjtyFCV48rFC6yA_yCHBa5z_lsjS1BPh3BBB2mWRQnf6FYH9AAVql5TbEPE7qV9lUcXILE5bUjLxW_49MDtnfPcJWTuis4TWYmnT1we5Nx3T4OGgkqB9-soHQFyvMTI0wojoQaGOWqWs21NkreQLNQ0Dw8iKLPNsQXI_jkDc/w434-h640/MV5BYTU5MjRlMGYtNWRhZS00YjA2LTllNjMtMWZmNzhjNjQ2OWU4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The key text for me with Steven Soderbergh is an Interview collection edited by Anthony Kaufman.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the key hinges of Soderbergh’s career - and one of the main focuses of those interviews - was the crisis of confidence he experienced in the mid-nineties while making this film.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Underneath</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Soderbergh said he had thrown out the approach he had developed since </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sex, Lies and Videotape</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He critiqued his early mindset as too focused and exacting - he had drained any sense of joy or improvisation out of the creative process.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Underneath</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is about containment, his subsequent film, 1996’s </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schizopolis</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, was an explosion.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had watched pieces of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schizopolis</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and a decent chunk of his post-</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schizopolis</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> work (</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Out of Sight</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, The </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oceans</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> trilogy, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Informant!</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), but watching </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Underneath</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> reminded me that I had not seen any of Soderbergh’s work pre-epiphany.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A remake of the noir </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Criss Cross</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Underneath</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is stylistically ambitious. From the beginning, it drops the viewer into the middle of the story, using cross-cutting between different timelines to slowly build context for its characters.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yet one takes a strange inertness to the project.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cutting between a robbery gone wrong and the events leading up to it, what stands out about </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Underneath </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is how measured it is - slow and pensive, it is a story about people caught in the undertow of choices they made a long time ago. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even within the diegesis, the characters of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Underneath</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> are obsessed with time.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chambers is a man tortured and imprisoned by his past. Despite running away from his problems, the guilt has never left him - and on his return home - he appears to be drained. He is no longer the cocky, super confident gambler of his past.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is older, and still capable of being charming - but there is no centre to him. That spark and confidence are gone.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peter Gallagher is effective in the role - he has the gravitas, and physically he makes sense for the role of someone who could get by on their looks - those big eyes and lips feel like context by themselves. This quality is enhanced by the way most of the characters who meet him for the first time take his open face and good looks as a sign of decency and competence.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As his ex-wife, Allison Elliott is fine - maybe I need to watch the movie again, but when I try to focus on the other characters, the film’s style starts to work against it.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While she is (and looks) younger than Gallagher, Elliott has a gravitas in the present day sections that makes their dynamic more even-handed. And in the flashbacks, she sells the romance. There is a youth and naïveté to her past self, but Elliott never oversells this to the point of coming across as stupid.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is a more subtle distinction, although I am not sure if it works for the film’s twist ending.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is a noir so a tragic ending for the protagonist is not a surprise, but something about it never comes off.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is something in the idea that the character’s last gamble destroys him, and it made sense that his wife would want to flip roles and use him to make her own escape. But it does not have much dramatic payoff.</span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe it is because I had watched it recently, but I was amazed by how similar the central motivations and dynamics were between Chambers and his ex-wife, to Danny Ocean’s in </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ocean’s Eleven</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The film is like a smaller, more sombre take on a crime story based around a personal relationship. </span></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-align: start;" /><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The Underneath</i> is not a bad film. But at the end of the film, it felt like an interesting technical expression of a theme, but a bit inert as a drama. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700;">If you enjoy something I wrote, and want to support my writing, here’s a </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/timg88" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #6699cc; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">link</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #0f1419; font-family: arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700;"> for tips!</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.85px; white-space: normal;"> </span></span></p></div>Tim Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14134559095719313217noreply@blogger.com0