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Suffice to say though, Kubrick excelled in several genres and that's something few directors can claim.
@GoldenGun
I'd certainly be interested in reading your article. Would you mind sending it to me via PM?
“I’m not going to tell you their names, but if I did, I don’t think you’d sleep so well at night.”
;)
Fans of '60s spy films beware! Here comes the one and only Raquel Welch as the sexy skydiver 'Fathom', recruited by the good guys to pursue a stolen something that gives the bad guys access to nuclear horror. But don't lose your sleep over it; this is a comedy film, written by Lorenzo Semple Jr., shot by Douglas Slocombe, and directed by Leslie H. Martinson. We're in good hands with Raquel in a two-piece bikini. Not much else going on, though, apart from a good bit of sightseeing in Spain. The truth is that I'd be burning this film to the ground if I didn't have a soft spot for the era, genre, and exotic flavours of the film. And that two-piece bikini. I'm an easy lay for the ingredients, even if the meal has little to offer. The story goes nowhere; there is no suspense whatsoever; and Raquel's handsome figure is probably 100% of why this film was green-lit in the first place.
Bond aficionados are known to eagerly collect other spy material, but this one you can easily skip. Unless a bit of nostalgia and Raquel Welch in a green bikini is all you need. I enjoyed seeing the film, but just this once.
Seems like we have a soft spot for the same ingredients :p
Btw, is that the same Tony Franciosa as in Argento's Tenebre?
Yes, he's in Tenebrae as well. But understand something, @GoldenGun, you don't watch this film for anyone other than Raquel and her lavish beauty. ;-)
The January Man: Rod Steiger's main scene led me to this one. From Roger Ebert's review, I expected a tonal mess, and yes, it is a tonally varied film, but somehow, the casual, semi-ironic quality present throughout the movie made it all blend together. Written by John Patrick Shanley... but of course! Thumbs up.
La gran fiesta: Raúl Juliá led me to this film. He has a memorable five-minute role. This is a good drama with intertwined personal and sociopolitical stories during the party celebrated before the Antiguo Casino de Puerto Rico is transferred to the US for entertaining their troops. The bittersweet denounement of the main personal story mirrors the bittersweet reason for the event. The numerous songs serve as a Greek Chorus. I understand this is a fairly celebrated film from Puerto Rico, but unfortunately I had to settle for a VHS rip to watch it. Nonetheless, thumbs up.
Queer: I was looking forward to something in the vein of Under the Volcano, a semi-meandering, half-drunk series of evocations on regret and longing. That's pretty much what this was; in fact, in a scene, Lee is shown to be reading Lowry's book. A couple of scenes were too long for my taste, but otherwise, it was a terrific watch, superbly acted, and somewhat risky in how crazy it gets in certain spots, at the risk of losing the audience. In fact, the epilogue was a little too abstract for me at first, but on the journey back home, it started to make a great deal of sense to me. Thumbs up.
The Penitent: More from Raúl Juliá. Another film I had to watch in a VHS rip. A love triangle set in a rural town where there's a religious tradition of crucifying a man for a day. As expected, the personal and the religious crash into each other, and some characters find themselves doing unexpected things. Juliá plays a somewhat repressed character, while Armand Assante is all charisma and alpha male-ness. Nice little drama. Thumbs up.
This film has stunning visuals.
That was bizarre and depressing.
Was it with the red tape? I remember renting it abd the VHS was very red. It really stood out.
Good question, I didn't even see the VHS tape itself, but it sounds like it had some special edition tapes all those years ago with its release. I love those unique colors to some of them, like the green and orange tapes for some animated/children's films.
To add : I wouldn't be surprised if the final song gets at least an Oscar nomination :
@Fire_and_Ice_Returns
If we're talking about the same "visuals", then yes, they are stunning indeed. ;-)
You should also check out 'The Beastmaster' (1982) , for similar 'visuals' ! 😁
Director John Frankenheimars excellent political thriller. During the Korean War, an army unit are captured by Chinese Communists, and brainwashed into thinking their unpopular, Mother fixated Sergeant, Raymond Shaw, is a hero, and yet has been programmed to be a political assassin! (The opening scenes where the unit think they're at a Ladies garden party, but in reality it's their captors, is chilling!) Based on Richard Condons novel, this has terrific cast, with Laurence Harvey as Shaw, and Frank Sinatra as Marco, who suspects all is not right, but the film is stolen by Angela Lansbury, a million miles from 'Bednobs and Broomsticks' as Shaws odious power crazy mother! It builds to a tense climax! I haven't seen the remake, with Denzel Washington, but it would hardly be as brilliant as this!
Great film the brainwashing scenes always stuck with me, very eerie. I bought the remake also with Denzel though never really got into that version. The Sinatra film was so incredibly well shot that added to the paranoia. A long with The Parallax View its my favorite conspiracy thriller.
Pakula's The Parallax View is a film I discovered a few years ago, along with Klute, All The President's Men, and Presumed Innocent. I had seen The Pelican Brief before. These films convinced me that Pakula's political and legal thrillers are among the very best. I'm especially fond of his '70s output. And The Parallax View is probably my favourite of the bunch. I love how Pakula manages to build tension without the typical Hollywould spectacle element. His style reminds me a bit of how Coppola handled The Conversations. You are slowly pulled in... and then you're stuck.
The Parallax View is a stunning thriller.
Also contains an amazing brainwashing scene, ( which must have been so complex to put together, and the music accompanying it is brilliant!)
Gosh I LOVE The Manchurian Candidate. I am kind of obsessed by it. I read the novel, watched the movie countless times. It's one of these perfect films for #Noirvember or even Christmas (there's one scene set in Christmastime and that's good enough for me).
The remake is a dumb, derivative techno thriller with neither soul nor heart.
Having seen and liked Smile, I was somewhat looking forward to this sequel. That first film had solid directing, good acting, and a couple of scary moments. It was better than okay, though not great.
Smile 2, however, I have instantly fallen in love with. It has an eerie vibe, but more than that, it's thematically rich, painful (in a good way), and expertly carried by a perfect Naomi Scott.
Yes, she's perfect. Obviously a very beautiful actress, now in her absolute prime, Scott isn't worried about getting her hands dirty. She gives a powerfully intense performance, and I can't take my eyes off her. When her character is frightened, I can almost feel the terror myself. Her pain is my pain. Her suffering, not unlike Christine's (Alison Lohman) in Drag Me To Hell (Sam Raimi), or Jay's (Maika Monroe) in It Follows (David Robert Mitchell), is strongly felt.
Smile 2 is 'elevated horror': it plays as both a horror film and a drama film. It not only further explores the myth of the first film, it also discusses the life of a superstar whose rehab is a media spectacle, whose fans are obsessed with her, and whose schedules dictate her every move. She's only a smile away from her downfall, and her past is a burden she cannot shake off, which leaves her vulnerable and susceptible to something much worse.
I had a blast with Smile 2. I love descending into madness along with a combative Naomi Scott. Another case of a sequel besting the original, this film has suddenly made me wanting more of director Parker Finn's work.
Great film. Sinatra is excellent in it, as is Angela Lansbury. Those brainwashing scenes are pretty disturbing.
Steven Spielberg directs this film version of Roald Dahl's book.
It's not a full-on faithful adaptation of the book, but it does provide a couple of hours' worth of passable escapism.
5/10
I'm a Spielberg fan. The man can do no wrong. Everything I've seen of his work ranges from good to great. Except The BFG. I simply did not like that movie. I found it a bore.