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I concur! Saw it in the cinema, and loved it! Vincent Price is marvellous as Rattigan, and it has a fantastically staged finale inside the Big Ben clock. A gem indeed!
Great fun.
The Festival’s 25th anniversary edition kicked off with a restored, re-edited version of Erich von Stroheim’s Foolish Wives (1922). “The Man You Love to Hate” played a con artist posing as a Russian nobleman in Monte Carlo. Typical Stroheim–-novelistic attention to layered (visual) detail alongside a fetishistic love of well-heeled sleaze and an odd streak of sentiment. The same was mostly true of Blind Husbands (1919), which played a day later and also starred Von Stroheim as an adulterous swine who looks great in uniform and gets his comeuppance, this time in the alps.
Below the Surface (1920), directed by Irvin Willat, starred steely-eyed Hobart Bosworth as a diver fighting to free his son from con artists. Not as great as the previous Bosworth/Willat collaboration, the awesomely twisted revenge drama Behind the Door (1919), but still a corking melodrama, with a submarine rescue opener and sinking ship climax. Next on the program was The Primrose Path (1925), an agreeable crime-drama programmer featuring Clara Bow as the hero’s girlfriend.
I was slightly let down by Waxworks (1924), the famous anthology film directed by Paul Leni. The first story, involving Harun al-Rashid, is too long; the last, dealing with Jack the Ripper, is too short. In between we get Conrad Veidt as Ivan the Terrible, but the film was never as macabre or scary as I’d hoped. Splendid art direction though.
The Great Victorian Moving Picture Show: Large Format Films from the British Film Institute (1897-1902), was narrated (with dry humor) by the BFI’s Bryony Dixon and collects 68mm footage by former Edison film pioneer W.K.L. Dickson. It covered everything from the Boer War to the Royal Family, including Queen Victoria in sunglasses.
There’s little original I can say about Buster Keaton’s masterpiece Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928). The last independent film from the greatest comedian to work in cinema, it begins slowly and ends in a symphony of ingenious slapstick. Afterward came Apart From You (1933), a rare silent from the great Japanese director Mikio Naruse. A short and sad (but not depressing) tale of two geishas aiding a juvenile delinquent.
Rebirth of a Nation (2007?) was billed as DJ Spooky’s “remix” of Birth of a Nation (1915) but turned out to be a summary of BOAN with a modern score. I had been expecting an essay film rather than a digest and was disappointed. Another letdown: Salomé (1922), a creakily directed adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play, starring Alla Nazimova in a series of progressively silly costumes. Any camp value was negated by turgid pacing and filmed theater staging.
The fourth day of the Festival started with The Kid Reporter (1923), a short starring the charming Baby Peggy (Diana Serra Carey, four years old at the time; she passed away in 2020 at 101) and Penrod and Sam (1923), an adaptation of the once popular Booth Tarkington book. Parts of it resembled the Our Gang films; all of it benefited from director William Beaudine’s skill in handling child actors.
Prem Sanyas (1925), an opulent German-Indian retelling of the Buddha’s life story filmed in India, featured music by Club Foot Hindustani, with Pandit Krishna Bhatt on the sitar. The sound proved so soothing I fell asleep within 15 minutes and didn’t wake until the final quarter.
Arrest Warrant (1926) was of obvious relevance, being set during the Russian Civil War and made in (Soviet) Ukraine by Ukrainian director Heorhii Tasin. The copy screened was a scan from the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Centre in Kyiv (temporarily closed but showing films in the subway). The dark and unsettling story of betrayal and human weakness had little consolation and none of the ideological posturing that blights much of early Soviet cinema.
Just as bleak was Sylvester (1924), a German Kammerspielfilm (chamber drama) set on New Year’s Eve. Though stylishly directed by Lupu Pick and featuring no intertitles, the story (between a man, his wife, and his mother) was unconvincing. Also disappointing was A Trip to Mars (1918, Denmark); the Martians turned out to be simpering pacifist goodie-goodies.
Skinner’s Dress Suit (1926) started the Festival’s fifth day. A delightful light comedy starring the superb farceur Reginald Denny, adroitly directed by William A. Seiter, that proves “clothes make the man.” Next was The Fire Brigade (1926), famous for featuring in the first episode of Kevin Brownlow’s Hollywood documentary series as an example of Hollywood craftsmanship. Familiar but unseen after decades in the vaults, the firefighting melodrama proved itself a rousing crowd-pleaser, thanks to the restoration of its tinting, Handschiegel process color effects, and what was left of a scene in two-color Technicolor. Afterward came Limite (1931), a Brazilian avant-garde feature by Mário Peixoto, boasting evocative imagery and a punishing two-hour runtime.
The last screening of the day was Dans la Nuit (1929), the only feature directed by French character actor Charles Vanel, whose career lasted from 1912 to 1988. This beautifully directed film, about a miner who marries and undergoes a series of misfortunes, smoothly undertakes a radical tonal shift and has been accurately described as a fusion of Jean Renoir and Henri-Georges Clouzot. Despite the studio-mandated ending, it’s close to being a masterpiece.
The penultimate day of the Festival began with A Sister of Six (1926). I wasn’t sure what to expect of this this German/Swedish co-production, directed by Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius in Hungary. It turned out to be a funny and ingratiating comedy of mistaken identity, with stand-out performances from its many female cast members.
The Street of Forgotten Men (1925), a passable Bowery melodrama of professional beggars, directed Herbert Brenon, is now famous for marking the debut of Louise Brooks, who has a very small part as a gangster’s moll. Also passable was The History of the Civil War (1921), Dziga Vertov’s second documentary feature. A film of great historical interest but disappointing to anyone expecting another Man with a Movie Camera. I was also underwhelmed by The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)–-despite Lon Chaney’s make-up and a high production values, it was a shallow adaptation of Victor Hugo.
The festival’s final day commenced with Smouldering Fires (1925), about a female business executive who puts aside her masculine ways and appearance when she falls for a much younger male employee. This could have easily turned sexist and ugly, but the heartfelt lead performance by Pauline Frederick and sensitive, sophisticated direction by the underrated Clarence Brown resulted in genuinely humanist work of cinema.
Next came Ten Minutes in the Morning (1930), an amusing Soviet Georgian short on the importance of daily exercise to aid Communism, followed by Salt for Svanetia (1930), Soviet director Mikhail Kalatazov’s documentary about backwards villagers in the Georgian Caucasus, featured stunning compositions and intoxicatingly dynamic camerawork that anticipated his I Am Cuba (1964). Julien Duvivier’s The Divine Voyage (1929), a seagoing tale of miracles triumphing over fat-cat greed, was another example of exquisite late silent filmmaking, made by someone drunk on cinema, with a sensuous and ravishing style.
The Festival ended with Ernst Lubitch’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan (1925). Throwing away Wilde’s epigrammatic dialogue and retaining his melodramatic plot should have resulted in a failure; instead Lubitsch triumphed by retelling the story with visual wit. Eyelines and glances took the place of dialogue; blocking and camera placement created gags and showed character relations.
They're silent films. Very intresting to see some assessments regarding these films through the modern eyes.
I only have a few more left and then I've seen all the Bond films - hooray! :D
Advance Congratulations! @hoppimike 👏
Are you going to read the books too?
I actually very rarely read books >.<
I *own* books but I just don't *read* them, lol
It's tempting for sure but I'm just not sure if I have the personality type for reading novels! :)
Thank you for the congrats though! FYEO is the next on my list. I hope it is good ^^
Not quite up there with Scott s previous film, The Last Duel or some of his other efforts, but it s great work nonetheless. Massive talent all around in this depiction of high-class family intrigues.
I liked Lang s Dr. Mabuse der Spieler and even more so Metropolis, boh from the silent era. This one was pretty bad however, and Peter Lorre does his most unsympathetic role ever.
"TOP...GUN?"
Well, no, more like "Meh Gun"! The usual criticisms stand for me on what must be about my half-dozenth full viewing: Maverick is the only character, the movie is awesome when planes are on screen but often terrible when they aren't, and the final half hour salvages it from being a trainwreck.
6/10
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Quite possibly the greatest blockbuster action flick ever made. Absolutely shocking that something as aggressively "fine" as the movie I just finished talking about could, more than a quarter-century after the fact, spawn a sequel as absolutely brilliant as this. Tom Cruise keeps pushing movies to their limit; movies, in turn, keep proving that they will never have one.
10/10
Directed by Martin Campbell and starring Jackie Chan and (topically for this board) Pierce Brosnan. Chan plays an immigrant named Quan, who's daughter is killed in a rogue IRA cell's bombing, and he sets out to get the names of the architects from Brosnan's character, Sinn Fèin politician Liam Hennessy. The action is great, although there's not too much of it. Chan turns in a good performance, particularly when we learn his backstory, even as the film seems to forget about him a bit for periods in the middle. I wasn't sure about Brosnan at first, but he gets better as the film goes on.
Initially while watching, I wondered if the film was set in the modern day or the early 2000s. I think things might have seemed more natural if it was, when the GFA was more fragile and sectors of the IRA continued attacks, but the passage of time is incorporated well; even in our own world there's a segment of a generation unable to recall the bloodshed that idealises the PIRA.
As for the ending,
7/10
(A.G. Inarritu, 2010)
Very good film, but a bit sad. All of Inarritu s films are biutiful one way or another, and this may be Bardem s best role.
Out for Justice (1991) > Marked for Death (1990)
Edit: this film must have one of the best introductions for an action hero. Especifically, I'm referring to the part where Seagal's credit appears on the screen. Awesome!
---
I also saw The Golem: How He Came into the World (1921), with live music created and performed by one person, who played keyboard using piano, organ and synth patches, before moving to percussion for the climactic scenes. A memorable experience.
Before the film I was subjected to 20 minutes of trailers for what can only be described as CGI live-action cartoons edited with a mixmaster. By contrast, The Northman gives its story some breathing room, and although there's a list of CGI artists in the credits, the film never feels airless. My only quibble was that some of the Scandinavian accents reminded me of Toki and Skwisgaar from Metalocalypse.
No, Maverick can be treated as a stand-alone film. There's only a couple of references to the first movie, which can be easily ignored.
By the way, Maverick is a most entertaining film; if you're in the slightest bit interested, do see it while it's in cinemas.
When you need the best Sniper in the US Army, and he turns out to be a mumbling landmass. #-o From using a body double to descend a flight of stairs, to lightly touching a fallen colleague on the elbow to drag them to safety*, Seagals lack of effort in this film is both unbelievable and hilarious.
*The way it's done, makes Seagal's character look like he has Psychokinesis. =))
---The Good
1. Under Siege (1992)
2. Nico (1988)
3. Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
4. Exit Wounds (2001)
5. Pistol Whipped (2008)
6. Fire Down Below (1997)
---The Bad
7. Out Of Reach (2004)
8. The Keeper (2009)
9. Into The Sun (2005)
10. Against The Dark (2009)
11. Flight Of Fury (2007)
12. Submerged (2005)
---The Ugly
13. Born To Raise Hell (2010)
***14. Sniper: Special Ops (2016)***
I like that the story of this movie has several moving parts (the senator, the mob, the corrupt cop(s), the TV reporter, the wife, the son and the cop buddy), even if some of them are only briefly explored. By comparison, I felt Marked for Death was a little unsubstantial in that sense, even if it offered the fun sight of prime Seagal wielding a sniper rifle, and some cool horror leanings.
Back to Hard to Kill, the convenience store hold up scene is classic. Another interesting aspect is that after the opening of the film, there is a substantial amount of time without much action, the only exception being the hospital escape. To dedicate that much time to Seagal's recovery and training (by means of acupuncture and herbs) does create a certain exciting build-up to the moment when violence starts again. The house shootout and car escape was the best action scene from this later part of the film, though the death by broken pool cue was also memorable, and the victim was the most hateable henchman of the bunch. Seagal does some of his best and most expressive acting in this film. Colonel Stuart aka Brayker aka William Sadler isn't in it for too long, but he properly fills his role as a slimy, corrupt politician.
I still think Out for Justice might be slightly better.
It was a decent blockbuster, and a great sequel to the first movie in many aspects. It surpasses the original in emotional scope and technical stunts, and it doesn't do anything too obvious in the third act, which is rare these days.
I was honestly bored for most of it though, as it maneuvered through old characters I don't share the nostalgia for, as some others do (I have similar "mostly bored" feelings to the original, having seen it a few times). All of the new characters are underdeveloped and have little to do, even the one that's clearly supposed to be THE main newbie.
I found it cowardly in not naming an enemy outright, nor coming up with a clever baddie to make up for it. It also fails its opening conceit: that drones can't always replace human pilots; the final mission does not do anything to argue that, actually the opposite.
Like McQuarrie's Mission films: don't pay too much attention and it's a better ride. You can see it going through the motions to get to the next stunt, but it's a thrill when you get there.
(S. Sommers, 2013)
Mediocre movie based on a Dean Koontz novel which isn t his best.
(M. Williams, 2020)
Typical Neeson movie, and pretty exciting.
Original title: Per un pugno di dollari
10/10
A barrel of fun movie............
Not the best Seagal film (though still Golden Age Seagal)*, but i's the one with the most famous Seagal scene.
* No dubbing, no doubling, he was actually capable of this stuff back then.
---The Good
1. Under Siege (1992)
2. Nico (1988)
***3. Out For Justice (1991)***
4. Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
5. Exit Wounds (2001)
6. Pistol Whipped (2008)
7. Fire Down Below (1997)
---The Bad
8. Out Of Reach (2004)
9. The Keeper (2009)
10. Into The Sun (2005)
11. Against The Dark (2009)
12. Flight Of Fury (2007)
13. Submerged (2005)
---The Ugly
14. Born To Raise Hell (2010)
15. Sniper: Special Ops (2016)
Seagal doesn't get much screentime in this one, but what little of the film that he is in, he is sat down for most of it. Now there's a surprise. And what was with that final.... fight (I use the word in the loosest way possible)? A few flash cuts, and then the other fella falls to the floor.
---The Good
1. Under Siege (1992)
2. Nico (1988)
3. Out For Justice (1991)
4. Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
5. Exit Wounds (2001)
6. Pistol Whipped (2008)
7. Fire Down Below (1997)
---The Bad
8. Out Of Reach (2004)
9. The Keeper (2009)
10. Into The Sun (2005)
11. Against The Dark (2009)
12. Flight Of Fury (2007)
13. Submerged (2005)
---The Ugly
***14. Beyond The Law (2019)***
15 Born To Raise Hell (2010)
16. Sniper: Special Ops (2016)
The other 2 DTV Seagal films I plan on watching are The Foreigner and the one where a massive CGI explosion happens. I don't remember the name offhand.
Edit: Oh, and I want to watch Ticker. And yes, I know what that film is like.