Category Archives: Movies

“Mado”

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Fenster

Fenster writes: You can forget a lot about a film in 35+ years, and I forgot a good deal about Claude Sautet’s Mado, which I saw when it came out in 1976 and only saw again recently. In fact, I … Continue reading →

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Notes on Recent Action: “Taken 2” and “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning”

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Many of the reviews featured on Rotten Tomatoes brand “Taken 2” with words like “sloppy” and “lazy.” I thought it was about as lean and mean and intelligent as the other recent action movies from Chez … Continue reading →

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“Wonderland”

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: While browsing through the clearance table at my local Barnes & Noble, I came across this Michael Winterbottom movie for $2. Probably my favorite movie last year was Winterbottom’s “The Trip,” and given that two bucks is … Continue reading →

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“A Bloody Spear on Mount Fuji”

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Tomu Uchida is one of those great Japanese filmmakers who remains virtually unknown in the West. This 1955 work of his is a road movie; it deals with the transient relationships forged among a group of … Continue reading →

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More L.A. Noir

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Via the Facebook group Vintage Los Angeles, I came across this old video of a trip through downtown L.A. According to comments, it’s process footage shot in 1948 for the movie Shockproof, directed by Douglas Sirk and co-written by … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Movies, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Trapped . . . a Desperate Man and a Strange Half Animal Girl!

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Fenster

Fenster writes: . . . . is the tagline for Fear and Desire (1953), Stanley Kubrick’s first feature. The poster makes Kubrick’s first out to be some sort of hot noir.  In fact, it is Kubrick’s attempt at making some sort … Continue reading →

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Trapped . . . a Desperate Man and a Strange Half Animal Girl!

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Fenster

Fenster writes: The above blog title title is the tagline of an early film directed by . . . 1.  Claude Chabrol (“piégés. . . un homme désespéré et un étrange, mi-animal fille!”) 2. Sam Raimi 3. Stanley Kubrick 4. Alfred … Continue reading →

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“Wake In Fright,” aka “Outback”

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Movies aimed at revealing the essential brutishness of man are pretty hard to pull off. Attempting to scrape through the moral shell — to, in effect, reveal the rottenness of existence — they often end up feeling, well, pretty rotten. … Continue reading →

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“Cinema Verite”

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Despite the name, Cinema Verite (2011) is not a straight-up documentary like those of Frederick Wiseman.  Nor is is a documentary about a the making of a feature film, like Lost in La Mancha.  It is the rarer bird: … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | 2 Comments

Luxury Moviegoing

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The most interesting thing about my latest outing to see Zero Dark Thirty wasn’t the film, it was the theater. I saw it at the iPic Theater, an upscale chain that combines moviegoing with a posh restaurant and … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Photography, The Good Life | Tagged , , | 7 Comments