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"'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems in a place perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story you're about to be told began with the holiday worlds of auld. Now you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't I'd say it's time you begun."

Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. Every year he is awarded the prize for most scary citizen in his ghoulish little burg but he feels empty inside. That's when he stumbles upon Christmas Town and is immediately smitten by the bright lights and holiday cheer of Christmas, prompting him to hijack it and giving it a Halloween twist.
Created by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a fun little holiday romp that mixes fantastically executed stop-motion animation with a stellar soundtrack, courtesy of Danny Elfman (who also provides Jack's singing voice).
There's even a love story involving the Pumpkin King and Sally (Catherine O'Hara), a female Frankenstein's monster created by the cranky old Dr. Finkelstein who constantly sneaks away to pine for her beloved.
The film is simply a feast for the eyes, each frame is filled with intricate handcrafted details that fascinate and delight. That's without mentioning the colorful cast of characters that populate Halloween town, including the trio of mischievous little hellions Lock, Shock and Barrel or the delightfully villainous Oogie-Boogie (Ken Page), a boogeyman with a penchant for gambling.
It amazes me on a rewatch just how catchy all of the songs are, with 'This is Halloween', 'What's This' and 'Kidnap the Sandy Claws' sticking in my brain long after the credits roll.

The Nightmare Before Christmas was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the 1994 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a delightful holiday romp with superb production design that oozes and drips with Tim Burton's touch in every nook and cranny. But the most pressing question of all hasn't been decisively answered yet: is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or a Christmas movie? Regardless of the answer, I think we can all agree that the film is a great movie for its interesting character designs, catchy songs and unbelievably fluid animation, especially impressive considered it was all practical effects.

"Just because I cannot see it, doesn't mean I can't believe it!"

This review may contain spoilers.

Zak Penn's Atari: Game Over takes on the challenge of debunking one of the most enduring and longstanding urban legends in gaming history: the dumping of millions of copies of the E.T. the Extraterrestrial in the Alamogordo desert in 1986 by a bankrupt Atari.
Featuring interviews with industry insiders like Howard Scott Warshaw and Nolan Bushnell as well as cameo appearances by geek icons George R. R. Martin and Ernest Cline, Atari: Game Over seeks to demythologize gaming's most enduring urban legend by diving into the history of this now legendary company and the pitfalls that led to its demise.
Penn also meets up with an aficionado that has been working for years cutting through all the red tape with the city of Alamogordo to allow him to dig up the landfill where the E.T. cartridges are supposedly buried. The historic moment was attended by the aforementioned geek celebrities and a smorgasbord of fans from all over the States eager to see wether the legend is true.
Unfortunately the myth turns out to be, well, a myth, as cartridges from the correct time period are indeed dug up but they turn out to be from a local warehouse dump numbering in the dozens rather than the mythical burial of millions of cartridges.
Still, the documentary is entertaining enough at a brisk hour and 15 minute runtime to keep the viewer's attention and it does offer some insights into what went wrong with the eponymous company.

Overall, Atari: Game Over is a fairly entertaining documentary that dives into one of gaming's most enduring myths and proceeds to thoroughly debunk it. While it might a source for disenchantment for some it provides closure to others as the mystery of the million cartridge dump in the New Mexico desert is now finally solved.
A must-watch for gamers.

A documentary about the unglamorous reality behind the modeling industry, Girl Model follows aspiring models Madelyn but especially Nadya as their journey begins in Novosibirsk, Russia, where they get scouted by a shady modeling agency all the way to their trials in Tokyo, Japan.
Girl Model makes it a point to be as unsparing and uncompromising in its portrayal of the exploitative side of the modeling business, not shying away from showing the less dignified moments of Madelyn and Nadya as they struggle to adjust to life in Japan as two 13 year-old country mouses from Russia. The documentary makes no small bones about how predatory the business can be, with draconian contracts that restrict what the girls can do and eat, shady agencies that refuse to be clear with the girls and the creeping realization that the business is more than willing to chew up and spit out girls who have barely had their first period.
we get some insights into the industry from Ashley, an ex-model-turned-talent scout who candidly discloses how tough the modeling world can be. Fortunately the filmmakers have no compunctions about asking the tough questions and hiding nothing, no matter how unflattering it might be, like how Ashley flat out lies to a new batch of girls about their chances of making it big as a model in Japan.

Overall, Girl Model is a great documentary that takes a disturbing look at the more exploitative and unsavory side of the modeling world, unflinchingly depicting the emotional distress and mental toll that it can take on modeling hopefuls as young as 13 and how the industry is more than willing to use and abuse girls who haven't even finished high school. A must-watch for documentary junkies.

Conceived and directed by Mads Brügger, this documentary takes the viewer into the little-known world of African diplomacy as the Danish filmmaker/journalist becomes an ambassador overnight and journeys to the Central African Republic, a poor African country plagued by border skirmishes with rebels over the control of natural resources.
Using hidden cameras Brügger records conversations with figures from the country's political elite as well as making shady deals with local businessmen while pretending to be an entrepreneur interested in opening up a match factory.
These conversations expose the casual corruption and ad hoc nature of Central African politics and business as well as the many headaches associated with cutting through Africa's red tape and byzantine bureaucracy.
Inevitably Brügger runs into problems when his port and application for ambassador status of Liberia aren't approved on time and he potentially gets into legal trouble after g a deal with a local diamond mogul.
Although at times entertaining and overall somewhat informative (in a visceral kind of way), The Ambassador suffers from a lack of structure and a certain aimlessness that will leave audiences scratching their heads wondering what Brügger is exactly trying to accomplish here.

Overall, The Ambassador is an alright documentary that reveals the structural problems plaguing the Central African Republic and presumably other African countries. Unfortunately Brügger isn't charismatic enough to carry the whole film himself and the events depicted are so deeply cynical that they might leave a bad taste in the mouth of viewers. I also got the impression that the documentary only barely scratches the surface of what actually goes on in the corridors of power in Africa but that's as close as Brügger could get to peering behind the curtain. A pretty meh documentary all things considered.

Narrated in a cool, deadpan voice by Encke King, Los Angeles Plays Itself is a documentary about how the eponymous city has been depicted in film.
Taking us through L.A.'s storied past and into its uncertain future, Los Angeles Plays Itself explores various aspects of how the city has been painted by a smorgasbord of filmmakers, from the seedy hotbed of corruption of Roman Polanski's Chinatown to the dystopian nightmare of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.
My favorite part is when the documentary touches upon the city's eclectic architectural heritage, citing landmarks like the Bradbury building, the Ennis and Lovell houses and mentioning how the highway system has changed the city's topography in unimaginable ways.
Then it dwells on what Hollywood opts to leave out of its films, namely the people who don't live in the Hollywood Hills or on Malibu, the racial tensions that have characterized the city's checkered past, the shifting ways in which the police have been portrayed in independent cinema and the struggles of the working class that live next to oil refineries and are invisible to Tinseltown's camera lens.

Overall, Los Angeles Plays Itself is a dense Odyssey that takes the viewer on a journey spanning Los Angeles' past and present and the shifting perceptions of the city as seen through the eyes of multiple beholders. Despite its monumental runtime of almost 3 hours long, it's well worth a rewatch to catch every insight it offers. A must-watch for documentary junkies.

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard."

Composed of a collage of archival footage of the Apollo missions 8 through 11, For All Mankind is a paean to human ingenuity and a celebration of perhaps mankind's greatest technical achievement.
We follow the astronauts of the Apollo missions as they first put on their space suits, we tense up in anticipation as the countdown is recited and we wonder in fascination as they effortlessly float in the negative gravity of outer space.
The documentary is made up of the collected footage and sound clips taken by the astronauts themselves on the various Apollo missions, meaning that what we are seeing and hearing are the images and words those brave men brought back with them from their trips to Earth's only natural satellite.
It's impossible not to get at least a little bit teary eyed watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin hopping around on the moon, taking rock samples and marveling at the lunar landscape.
As someone who is too young to have witnessed the original broadcast back in 1969, seeing one of the most televised events in human history unfolding before my eyes was a transformative experience.

For All Mankind was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 1990 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, For All Mankind is rightfully considered one of the most important documentaries in film history. It perfectly captures what it must have felt like for those brave men to venture out into the final frontier and grasp that wondrous celestial body that has fascinated mankind for eons. With a score by Brian Eno and a wealth of archival footage assembled into a coherent narrative, For All Mankind remains a testament to mankind's tenacity and ingenuity in the face of technical challenges and a record of the human race's biggest triumph.

"We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained and new rights to be won and they must be won and used for the progress of all mankind."

"Sometimes someone has to die so someone else can be born."

Inspired by seven photographs of the Icelandic coast, Godland (Vanskabte land in its original Danish) is the story of Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove), a Lutheran priest who travels to the remote island to oversee the construction of a church there.
He enlists the help of a local man, Ragnar (Ingvar Sigurdsson), as a guide but is soon confronted with the inhospitable nature of Iceland's landscape and a cold reception from its inhabitants.
This about sums up Godland's plot, which unfortunately is wafer-thin, the biggest source of drama being the misunderstandings between Lucas and Ragnar or between Lucas and the inhabitants of Reykjavik due to the language barrier.
Not helping things is the film's glacial pacing, with an exorbitant amount of screentime being dedicated to slow panning shots of the Icelandic landscape which, while beautiful, doesn't move the plot along or serve much purpose beyond being visual eye candy.
Without hyperbole I can confidently say Godland is one of the most boring films I've ever seen, offering very little in of plot or characterization as it trudges along at a snail's pace.

Overall, Godland can and will put viewers to sleep as it is mostly just a formalistic exercise in style that erroneously believes great cinematography can make up for a compelling narrative.
It frankly bored me to tears, I only rate it as high as I do due to the astounding cinematography and visuals of Iceland's foreboding mountains and waterfalls. The film otherwise has little to offer.

"It's alright. You'll become part of the grass and the flowers. It's beautiful."

"The life we enjoy is very much worth the sacrifice."

Debuting a whole decade after his arthouse sci-fi horror piece Under the Skin, Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest offers a glimpse into the mundane reality behind history's biggest atrocity.
Based on the novel of the same name, The Zone of Interest centers on the family of Rudolf (Christian Friedel) and Hedwig Höss (Sandra Hüller), the SS Kommandant in charge of the Auschwitz and his wife who live on a property on the other side of of the extermination camp.
The domestic scenes transpiring in the house and adjacent garden obviously serve as juxtaposition to the inhumane atrocities going on on the other side of the wall, with Glazer focusing on the emotional and psychological disconnect required by the inhabitants to continue living under such conditions.
The film is slow and proceeds at a leisurely pace, with the biggest source of drama being Rudolf's transfer from Auschwitz to Oranienburg threatening the nightmarish idyll the family has built for itself, with Hedwig demonstrating a monstrous callousness and selfishness in not wanting to leave their twisted abode.
The technical expertise of the film is reminiscent of Haneke's work with its cold clinical tone and deliberate pace.
One last sequence I want to discuss is when Rudolf looks down an empty darkened hallway and the film cuts to scenes of present day Auschwitz, now a museum, being cleaned by the janitorial staff. The inclusion of this scene by Glazer is puzzling to put it lightly. Did Rudolf receive a vision of the future? How is one supposed to interpret that sequence? It remains the most mysterious scene in a film that takes pleasure in concealing rather than showing to the audience.

The Zone of Interest was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, winning the Best International Feature Film and Best Sound Oscars at the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, The Zone of Interest is the cinematic expression of Hannah Arendt's treatise on the banality of evil. One will not find the cartoonish depiction of moustache-twirling villainy audiences have come to expect from films about the Nazis here but rather a cold and clinical approach to the machinations of the Holocaust undergirded by the dissonant serenity of the Höss household. The real horror, according to The Zone of Interest, is how humans can commit the most depraved of acts while maintaining a cool detachment from it all and carry on without so much as flinching. Perhaps that's the lesson we are supposed to take away from the film and if so, it's a disturbing lesson indeed.

"I wasn't really paying attention... I was too busy thinking how I would gas everyone in the room."

""It’s a funny feeling, having a picture made about you. I feel sort of grand sitting here carrying on. People are gonna be digging ya, or I’ll be criticized, I’ll be loved or hated — what difference does it make? I am doing what I want to do and it’s a nice feeling that somebody is taking a picture of it."

An experimental documentary on the subject of a gay black prostitute, Portrait of Jason seeks to create a character study of the eponymous Jason Holliday, a fascinating and thoroughly unconventional figure.
Née Aaron Payne and born and raised in Alabama, Jason recounts his life story, including working as a manservant for wealthy white patrons, his stint as a giggolo in San Francisco and finally how he became a nightclub owner in New York City.
Filmed over the course of a single night and taking place as an extended interview in Jason's NYC apartment, Portrait of Jason breaks documentarian orthodoxy and sketches out a canvas of a man who has lived an interesting life. It helps that Jason himself has a rather candid and affable personality amenable to this format, being willing to divulge details on his life no matter how uncomfortable they might seem to mainstream audiences.
Nonetheless for all its creative brilliance the documentary runs for too long and could have benefited from trimming the fat. Jason rambles and rants a little too much, the film could have used some better editing.

Overall, Portrait of Jason is not for everyone. It immortalizes the tale of a man who lived on the fringes of society and endured some pretty horrible treatment, which makes his happy-go-lucky demeanor all the more commendable but will probably leave the viewer feeling slightly uncomfortable. Would have worked better in my opinion as a short subject not exceeding 40-50 minutes total but that's just me. Portrait of Jason remains an influential and invaluable piece of queer cinema that distinguishes itself for its tell-all nature and the candor of its subject.

"The end. The end. That's it, it's over. The end."

"People of the earth! This is Dethklok! You don't have to be afraid anymore!"

After the fans had been clamoring for years it finally happened, we finally got a grand finale for Metalocalypse in the form of Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar, a whole decade after Doomstar Requiem originally released.
Serving to cap off the original series, Army of the Doomstar picks up right where the Doomstar Requiem left off as the newly reunited band announces their plans to go on a world tour and release a new album.
Their plans are cut short however as the coming of the Metalocalypse draws ever closer and the band goes into seclusion in order to prepare themselves to compose the "Song of Salvation" and thereby prevent the end of the world.
The first thing one notices upon watching the film is that unlike Doomstar Requiem it is not a rock opera and the characters have normal conversations this time around.
The second thing that grabs our attention is the noticeable bump in animation quality, with character movement being a lot smoother than in Doomstar Requiem or the original series.
Fittingly, Mark Hamill, Brendon Small and Malcolm McDowell reprise their roles along with a few celebrity newcomers like Amy Lee and Jon Hamm providing the voice for a couple of background characters here and there.
Army of the Doomstar is a suitably epic sendoff for the series, with a couple of minor subplots being resolved and a bucketload of special effects providing awe-inspiring spectacle and a satisfying conclusion.
Its biggest flaw is that the soundtrack is weaker than Doomstar Requiem's, with most of the tracks being rather forgettable. It's up to the viewer to decide if the greater emphasis on visuals makes up for the shortcomings in sound quality.

Overall, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar is fitting conclusion to the series, with many nods and references to appease the fans who demanded and finally got it after so many years. The music might not be as good as its prequel but in my opinion the movie is the stronger of the two for its greater focus on action and pure visual spectacle as well as actually wrapping up the series' myth arc.
A must-watch for Metalocapyse fans and although general audiences might not get much from it, I consider it more accessible than Doomstar Requiem just for the sheer entertainment value of the action onscreen. Brutal!

"I want to say... thank you. I mean, you're not just the fans. You're... . My God! YOU'RE the Army of the Doomstar. Holy shit. I'm just putting that together. I mean... you were always the Army of the Doomstar. And you were always right in front of me. And I... just didn't see it. I mean, sure. Our relationship can get tricky. But you were always there for us. I mean... holy fucking shit! And I'm sorry I tried to break up with you! But you came! When we needed you the most! And I just realized something else. Oh boy. My family. My band. ALL OF US! THIS! THIS IS THE GREAT REUNITING!"

I guess these things are inevitable, given the nature of the entertainment industry. Once a show gets big enough, producers feel pressured to release a movie and invariably these films always tend to be a bit samey. I'll explain what I mean further down below.
Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem - A Klok Opera is a rock opera that serves as a an immediate sequel to Metalocalypse.
Picking up where where the show left off, the band are left without their backup guitarist Toki Wartooth after the latter is kindapped by the Metal-Masked Assassin and Magnus Hammersmith.
A priest of a secret cult tells Dethklok about the prophecy involving them and how the must rescue Toki lest one of them should die but they initially brush him off and prefer partying around the world with booze, drugs and women.
Eventually though the guilt of leaving their bandmate to the wolves gets to them and they begin searching for him in earnest, going on a journey that forces them to confront their past.
That's the movie's basic setup and it doesn't do much with it because most of the screen time is taken up with musical number after musical number, befitting for a rock opera I suppose.
The film contains all these little nods to the original show like the deathphones and even a cameo by Dr. Rockso as well as, bizarrely enough, references to real life people like Joseph Kony and Sarah Palin that only serve to horribly date it.
We do get to see some of the band's backstory fleshed out a bit with a sequence depicting how Toki ed the band but a lot of the screen time is dedicated to filler that doesn't move the plot along.
The original cast of Jack Black, Malcolm McDowell, Brendon Small and Mark Hamill all reprise their roles, voicing multiple characters as usual and in true Metalocalypse fashion, it's pretty much mandatory to watch the movie with subtitles on because of how hard it is to understand what the characters are saying.
The musical numbers range from forgettable to great but I wish that not all of the movie was spent singing and there were some segments where the characters talked normally, if only to relay information about the plot without having to strain my ears.

Overall, Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem - A Klok Opera is typical of its "genre", that is, it suffers from the same pitfalls that plague movies based on animated shows. It's essentially an extra long episode stretched over a one hour runtime with a slight bump in animation quality due to having a higher budget but otherwise it plays it rather safe in of what it does with its plot and characters. There's no great revelations here and the ending only serves as a cliffhanger and sequel hook to keep viewers hyped for another sequel.
Strictly for fans of the show, Doomstar Requiem otherwise offers very little for general audiences who will probably be turned off by the over-the-top violence and being locked out of the continuity loop.

"It's showtime folks"

Normally I dislike musicals because they are overly cheery and I dislike their razzle-dazzle. However, I'm willing to make an exception for All That Jazz, widely considered Bob Fosse's magnum opus.
Enter Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), a director/choreographer/editor with a long laundry list of vices. We first meet him performing his morning routine which includes applying eye drops, dropping aspirin, smoking in the shower, popping prescription meds and rehearsing in front of the mirror.
As if that wasn't enough Gideon also suffers from a weakness for booze and women, exemplified by the long string of actresses he sleeps with.
The film is a balancing act on the part of director Bob Fosse, being part musical dramedy, part character study and part autobiographical confession.
Gideon's inner circle is only composed of women: Kate (Ann Reinking), his mistress; Audrey (Leland Palmer) his ex-wife with whom he remains amicable; and Michelle (Erzsebet Foldi), his daughter which he loves very much.
But the lady he is currently courting is Angelique (Jessica Lange), an angel of death that appears to him in highly metaphysical scenes involving his approaching death and which serve as meditations on how he has lived his life up until this point.
But enough about the plot, what about the musical numbers?
Although they are surprisingly few in number they all shine in their own right, all of them featuring snazzy costumes, catchy beats and astounding choreography, as expected from the master himself.
In of performance, Scheider plays Gideon with panache, conveying the director/choreographer's gung-ho attitude towards with natural élan.

All That Jazz was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography, winning for Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score at the 1980 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, All That Jazz is a few musical that not only did I tolerate but grew to love. Characterized by strong performances, an infectious score and fantastic choreography, All That Jazz is undeniably the crowning jewel in Fosse's filmography. It even includes a John Lighgow cameo as a fellow Broadway director! Who knew death could be so much fun?

"Bye bye, my life, goodbye!"

"Here's my rifle to save the poor from starving."

Considered the crowning achievement of the Cinema Novo film movement, Black God, White Devil (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol in its original Portuguese) is Glauber Rocha's magnum opus, a revisionist Western blending the mystical with the revolutionary, the artistic with the political.
After murdering his boss cattle rancher Manuel (Geraldo Del Rey) flees with his wife Rosa (Yoná Magalhães) and s a cult centering on the figure of Sebastião (Lidio Silva), a self-styled saint that promises his followers he'll take them to an island of plenty.
Assassin Antônio das Mortes (Maurício do Valle) is sent after the group and after he slaughters them Manuel and Rosa up with Corisco (Othon Bastos), a cangaceiro who swears veangeance for the killing of populist hero Lampião and plans to launch a revolution.
Shining a light on the plight of the landless poor of the Minas Gerais province of Brazil, Black God, White Devil is an existentialist Western that explores themes of religious mania and the pitfalls of revolutionary fervor.
Manuel and Rosa are essentially leaves in the wind caught in the storm sweeping this arid and impoverished region at the beginning of the 20th century. Referencing real world historical events, Black God, White Devil portrays the social realities of those living in Brazil's northeast during that time period, including the cangaceiro phenomenon sweeping the hinterlands as a result of said conditions.
Taking a page from the rule-breaking spirit of the French Nouvelle Vague as well as Soviet montage, director Glauber Rocha uses a variety of cinematic techniques to emphasize certain moments such as the massacre of Sebastião's followers in a scene homaging the Odessa steps sequence from Battleship Potemkin as well as a particular fondness for the repeat cut demonstrated at multiple points in the film.
These stylistic choices serve to emphasize through art the radicalism of the director's vision of populist uprising while simultaneously serving as a cautionary tale against zealotry and figures that could lead potential revolutionary movements astray.

Overall, Black God, White Devil is a fascinating film emblematic of its home country. A parable for the social struggles that characterize Brazil's history past and present, Black God, White Devil presents a revolutionary message wrapped in an artistic cloak. One of the most thoughtful films to come out of world cinema, it remains a must-watch for the arthouse audience.

"Yee-haw! Going fishing!"

Fly (Jeff Pace) is an ordinary kid with a fishing hobby. One day he decides to go to the shore with his kid sister Stella (Michelle Westerson) and cousin Chuck (voiced by a then-unknown Aaron Paul) but they soon become trapped by the rising tide and stumble into Professor McKrill's (Terry Jones) lab where he has perfected a potion that turns people into fish.
After Stella accidentally takes the potion and a storm thwarts their attempts to rescue her the kids find themselves at the bottom of the ocean transformed into fish.
They have 48 hours to drink the antidote or they'll remain fish forever and further complicating things is Joe (Alan Rickman), a fish that gained human-like intelligence thanks to the antidote planning to establish an underwater empire.
This is the basic plot of Help! I'm a Fish (Hjælp! Jeg er en fisk in its original Danish), an animated comedy adventure film for kids that I mainly watched out of nostalgia and curiosity about how well it holds up today.
In of animation and visuals it looks surprisingly good for an movie made on an 18 million dollar budget, with some inspired character designs and fluid movement although I have to it sometimes it doesn't look like the characters are actually moving underwater but rather floating on air.
The plot and characters are nothing to write home about and the film is a little too fast-paced to really do its narrative justice but the music is simply fantastic, being filled with upbeat pop tracks as well as a couple of sung bits that are decently enjoyable.

Overall, Help! I'm a Fish is not as good or as interesting as I ed. It's actually a rather mediocre film with its saving grace being some decent animation here and there and some catchy music tracks. I'm still glad I watched it again but I can't in all honesty recommend it except to actual kids and perhaps hardcore fans of animation interested in Danish animated films.

"Once, there was only silence, and not a speck of hope in sight. And every tiny bubble burst on its journey towards the light. But the spark of creation will flicker again, it's a brand new era... about to begin."

"Medical science doesn't know everything. We know the symptoms and how things go. If the patient has a chance, we try to help. But that's about all."

A young medical student, Noboru Yasumoto (Yûzô Kayama), has just finished his studies in Nagasaki in Edo period Japan.
Proud and arrogant, he journeys to a shabby clinic where he makes the acquaintance of the inscrutable Dr. Kyojô Niide (Toshirô Mifune) who goes by the nickname "Red Beard", a man of strict principles that teaches him there's more to medicine than what he learnt in his fancy books.
Primarily know for being the final collaboration between legendary director/actor duo Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, Red Beard (Akahige in its original Japanese) represents a return to and a culmination of the filmmaker's deeply humanistic vision in a tale of a young doctor realizing that in order to heal bodies he must also heal souls.
The eponymous Red Beard is naturally at the center of the action but the film boasts of a rich and deeply complex ing cast that serve to exemplify the moral lessons Yasumoto learns from his mentor.
The tales of Sahachi and Otoyo in particular are filled with sorrow and are deeply moving due to a combination of excellent writing and acting ability on the part of the actors who manage to infuse their characters with the appropriate emotional pitch.
Mifune renders a tour de force performance here as well, channeling the inner calm of previous samurai roles while embodying the humanism of character like the protagonist of Ikiru.

Overall, Red Beard is an odd entry in Kurosawa's filmography. After his slew of cynical films set in the then-present day he stunned the world with this deeply idealistic tale of a doctor that embodies the good in humanity teaching his student proper bedside manners.
It's a tad bit overlong but then again Red Beard wouldn't be the film it is if it didn't take its time to tell its story the way it was meant to be told.
It's also I believe the perfect note to end this year's Golden Week on.
With stellar performances all around, painstakingly constructed sets that breathe authenticity and a screenplay that has its director's mark written all over it, Red Beard is a certified must-watch.

"The pain and loneliness of death frighten me. But Dr. Niide looks at it differently. He looks into their hearts as well as their bodies."

"That morning was just like any other. No love. No luck. No ride. Nothing changes."

I decided it was a good idea to take a break from Golden Week in order to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by watching a beloved Mexican classic.
Considered something of a cult classic, El Mariachi is Robert Rodriguez's debut film, a Western-inspired ballad about a down on his luck mariachi blowing into a dusty little town and getting caught in the crossfire of a deadly cartel grudge.
Produced on a shoe-string budget of $7000 and cast with non-actors, El Mariachi tells the story of the eponymous guitar player (Carlos Gallardo) rolling into town looking for work, falling in love with a bar owner named Domino (Consuelo Gómez) and being confused for a sicario named Azul (Reinol Martinez) who is on the warpath against his former parter-in-crime Mauricio (Peter Marquardt).
The story is nothing to write home about, being close in spirit to pulpy westerns and dime-store novels but what really elevates it to a cult masterpiece is the style which Rodriguez imbues into every frame.
An amateurish charm permeates every shot of the film as Rodriguez uses every camera trick he undoubtedly learned in film school to give each scene some visual flair and it becomes impossible not to be swept up into its contrived yet entertaining narrative.
The acting, music and production values are about what you'd expect from a film with such a small budget but its shot with such authenticity and ion that it ends up being a very enjoyable ride if one is willing to suspend their disbelief and tolerate a few pointless dream sequences.

Overall, El Mariachi is a triumph of low-budget filmmaking. Rodriguez manages to tell an entertaining story despite all the amateurish flaws and cinematic faux-pas he commits, aided by all the stylistic flourishes and raw ion he infuses the film with. Not a film for everyone but if you're looking for something different and unconventional this might just be the movie for you. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

"All I wanted was to be a mariachi, like my ancestors. But the city I thought would bring me luck brought only a curse. I lost my guitar, my hand, and her. With this injury, I may never play the guitar again. Without her, I have no love. But with the dog and the weapons, I'm prepared for the future."

This review may contain spoilers.

"Save the child first, then catch the kidnapper."

Based on a pulpy police procedural by the title of King's Ransom, Akira Kurosawa's High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku in its original Japanese) can only be described as a gripping crime thriller centering on Kingo Gondô (Toshirô Mifune), a self-made shoe industrialist being bribed by a mysterious kidnapper who accidentally abducted his chauffeur's son but decides to make him pay the ransom anyways.
Chief Detective Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai) is in charge of finding out the kidnapper's identity and arresting him, employing the entire district's police form in order to catch the perp.
A fascinating game of cat and mouse begins as the task force begins closing in on Ginjirô Takeuchi (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a poor medical student who frequents Tokyo's seedy underbelly.
High and Low can be separated into two halves, the first serving to establish the character of Kingo and also presenting him with an incredibly difficult moral quandary between giving in to the kidnapper's demands and losing everything he has worked his whole life for or preserving his fortune at the risk of public outrage.
The second half is devoted to overseeing how the Tokura's task force employ every technique and lead available to them in order to catch the criminal.
On a surface level the film works wonderfully as a gripping crime thriller that manages to capture and retain the audience's attention due to Kurosawa's masterful direction and airtight storytelling.
On another level High and Low serves as biting social satire on postwar Japan, sparing nothing in its depiction of cutthroat corporate culture and the inequalities that persist despite the economic miracle.
In the end I think Takeuchi having no motive for his actions was the right stylistic choice to go with. It leaves the door open for open-ended speculation. Did Takeuchi target Kingo out of some misplaced feeling of revenge? Did he resent Kingo living on a mansion perched atop the slums where he dwelt? Or is there no deeper connection here?

Overall, High and Low is one of Kurosawa's best non-jidai geki films, combining gripping drama with knife-sharp social commentary.
It isn't as pessimistic as The Bad Sleep Well but rather nihilistic in leaving some questions unanswered, letting the viewer come to their own conclusions on what exactly would push a young man to such extremes. With a powerful performance from Mifune as the proud yet in-touch-with-his-roots Kingo, High and Low is a must-watch.

"Besides, it's amusing to make fortunate men taste the same misery as the unfortunate."

This review may contain spoilers.

"It's not easy hating evil. You have to stoke your own fury until you become evil yourself."

Rumor has it that top executives of Public Corp Iwabuchi (Masayuki Mori), Moriyama (Takashi Shimura) and Shirai (Kô Nishimura) have been receiving kickbacks from Dairyu after the latter won a construction contract for a ministry building.
Enter Kôichi Nishi (Toshirô Mifune), Iwabuchi's right-hand man and husband to his daughter Yoshiko (Kyôko Kagawa) who harbors a deep hatred of the Public Corp suits for having driven his father Furuya to suicide 5 years ago.
This is the basic setup for The Bad Sleep Well (Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru in its original Japanese), Akira Kurosawa's take of the conspiracy thriller genre that tells a tale of revenge and corporate corruption.
This is Kurosawa at his most cynical as The Bad Sleep Well pulls no punches in depicting its moral crusader protagonist stooping to some pretty unethical actions in order to expose the crooks with the narrative making it clear that they are necessary if the conspiracy is to see the light of day.
Compare and contrast Scandal where ultimately the truth is revealed and the bad guy gets his comeuppance. Here the hero is killed and the villains get away scot-free, all because of one moment of hesitation on the part of Mifune's character. The Bad Sleep Well reflects Kurosawa's growing disillusionment with postwar Japan, a disappointment that would grow to and find full expression in the King Lear-inspired Ran two decades later. Here however there are still vestiges of the old Kurosawa as the protagonist is at least driven by a fierce sense of justice and Iwabuchi doesn't get emerge completely unscathed from his battle with Koichi since he loses the love and iration of his children.

Overall, The Bad Sleep Well is one of Kurosawa's less popular films but an important one nonetheless for it signals a change in the director's vision from an uncompromising humanism to a more bitter and cynical view of postwar Japan. As usual Mifune is a force of nature onscreen and he is accompanied by a ing cast that play their roles well, creating an oppressive atmosphere of moral decay. Well-worth watching for Kurosawa aficionados.

"I guess I don't hate them enough."

"Hide a stone among stones and a man among men."

Best known for serving as the inspiration for A New Hope, Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (Kakushi-toride no san-akunin in its original Japanese) stands as a film all its own for embodying something of the platonic ideal of the action-adventure genre with its grand, engrossing narrative of a general, a princess and two peasants making their way through hostile territory.
It also marks a watershed moment in Japanese cinema for making use of the Cinemascope which Kurosawa takes full advantage of with plenty of wide shots of human figures nestled amongst towns, dry mountains and grassy fields.
General Rokurota Makabe (Toshirô Mifune) is in charge of leading Princess Yuki (Misa Uehara) to safety across enemy territory together with her clan's gold hoard while avoiding capture which would spell death for the heiress.
He manages to rope two peasants he finds near a waterfall, Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara), into helping him by appealing to their greed.
The film proves to be greater than the sum of its parts as it's the amalgamation of The Hidden Fortress' various disparate elements that make it a cinematic masterpiece.
Mifune acts as the leading man bringing it all together but the two peasants serve as comedy relief and provide the film's POV as well. Uehara's Princess Yuki is a pioneer in the character type of the strong heroine that would become a fixture of Japanese pop culture, standing out from the shrinking violets and evil temptresses that came before her.
The film's sound design is nothing short of magnificent as every time swords clang or a branch is cracked open revealing gold is accompanied by a satisfying sound effect that enhances the experience and draws the audience's attention to the detail the movie wants them to focus on.
The action sequences, wether they be chase scenes or the iconic spear duel between Rokurota and Tadakoro, are dynamic and well-choreographed, capable of maintaining the viewer of the edge of their seat in rapt anticipation of what comes next.
Kurosawa even manages to include some social critique in between the high octane action and the general "movieness" of the plot.
At first I thought that Matashichi and Tahei's subplot involving them becoming slaves searching for gold amongst the ruins of a breached castle served no function but on second thought I realized it serves to set them up as characters and to portray the plight of the common peasant in the film's time period.
Regardless, it serves as an unassuming prelude for the adventure of epic proportions that is about to follow as Kurosawa takes us from the eponymous fortress obscured by mountains through forests, villages and garrisons in action set pieces that were, for their time, incredibly visually impressive.

Overall, The Hidden Fortress is one of Kurosawa's most popular films in the West for a reason. Yes, it served as inspiration for George Lucas' Star Wars, from its overall plot structure down to details like the iconic wipes serving as transitions between scenes but beyond that the film stands on its own as one of the crowning achievements of Japanese cinema, a bombastic epic that perfectly expresses Kurosawa's style.
A must-watch.

"I have enjoyed the journey. The happiness of these days, I would have never known living in the castle. I've seen people as they are, without pretense. I've seen their beauty and their ugliness with my own eyes."

This review may contain spoilers.

"What warrior would not want to be lord of a mighty castle?"

Kurosawa goes Shakespeare in Throne of Blood (Kumonosu-jô in its original Japanese), an adaptation of the Scottish play set in feudal Japan.
Commander of the First Fortress Taketoki Washizu (Toshirô Mifune) is set to return victorious to his lord after routing the enemy when he receives a vision from an evil forest spirit prophesizing that one day he will be lord of Spider Web Castle.
Egged on by Lady Asaji (Isuzu Yamada), Washizu is overcome with ambition and plots the murder of his lord, framing fellow general Noriyasu (Takashi Shimura) for the crime.
Seemingly triumphant, Fate has something else in store for Washizu and through a series of tragic decisions the ambitions of the paranoid lord crumble to dust.
As far as adaptations go Throne of Blood might not be the most faithful but it does follow the basic story beats of the play close enough and adds unique flavor of its own.
Kurosawa's direction takes full advantage of the medium to create striking images such as a castle enshrouded in fog, the eerie apparition of the weaving hag and the barrage of arrows that end Washizu's life.
The interior sets were deliberately created to be oppressive and the effect can definitely be felt throughout the film as the metaphorical walls begin closing in on Washizu and the sense of claustrophobia intensifies until it becomes unbearable.
Mifune interprets the character with elan as he grows from a proud and loyal general to a power-hungry lord, later a paranoid tyrant and finally a pathetic wreck of a man through the course of the film.
One of the weaknesses of the film is just how much focus is placed on the Macbeth stand-in with the Lady Macbeth and MacDuff characters being pretty self-effacing despite being played by more than competent actors. Some of the scenes drag just a tad bit too long but these are minor gripes in what is otherwise a fantastic film.

Overall, Throne of Blood is one of the more creative and unique interpretations of Macbeth out there. Kurosawa takes the classic play and infuses it with a uniquely Japanese sensibility, borrowing from Noh theater to create visually striking images that complement the storytelling excellently. Lacking in action, Throne of Blood stands as one of the most unconventional but by no means bad entries in the jidai geki genre, with excellent direction and cinematography, fantastic sets and an outstanding performance from its male lead. A must-watch.

"If you choose ambition, lord, then choose it honestly, with cruelty."
"If you would make a mountain of the dead, pile it so it reaches the sky."
"If you would shed blood, then let it run as a river."

"Man is an extremely tragic creature. And so weak. Because he's weak, he pretends to be strong. That's our trouble. When I read about Aoye, I felt sorry for the man. I felt like someone had struck my own son. It's true. That much is true."

I don't thin there's a better way to start Golden Week than watching some of the Kurosawa classics I've skipped, starring with this heartfelt courtroom drama.
After a chance meeting at a mountain retreat is spun into a ionate love affair by a greedy tabloid magazine hoping to make a quick buck, artist Ichirô Aoye (Toshirô Mifune) and celebrity singer Miyako Saijo (Shirley Yamaguchi) sue the slimy chief editor Hori (Eitarô Ozawa) in Akira Kurosawa's Scandal (Shûbun in its original Japanese).
They enlist the help of the shabby lawyer Otokichi Hiruta (Takashi Shimura) to help their case, unbeknown to them that Hiruta is reluctantly batting for both teams in order to help his ill daughter Masako (Yôko Katsuragi).
In stark contrast to the jidai geki samurai fare that would catapult him into worldwide fame, Kurosawa here opts for a fiery indictment of media vultures balanced by the heartwarming tale of a wimpy man finding redemption in the courthouse.
Although Mifune and Yamaguchi are the star players and headliners, the emotional center of the film rests squarely on Shimura and his internal grappling with his conscience. His character arc as a conflicted legal advisor unfurls slowly as he struggles with the ethical implications of cheating his clients in a bid to help his ailing daughter, culminating in a satisfying emotional climax during the film's third act.
This is helped by wonderful performances from its main players, including a surprisingly understated showing by Mifune in contrast to the bombastic roles he would later be known for.
Shimura takes the cake though with his role as Hiruta resembling and presaging his performance in Kurosawa's Ikiru, cranking up the emotional pitch as needed scene by scene.

Overall, Scandal might not be one of Kurosawa's most well-known films but it stands as a solid entry in his filmography for its direction, simple yet effective cinematography and emotional denouement that manages to tug at our heartstrings, all while providing timeless satire on the contemptible nature of paparazzi. A must-watch.

"Next year will be my year too. This year I've been a worm. Next year I'll be a man. This year I was a scoundrel, but next year..."

"Be sure to include tranquilizers to ease the strain and monotony of life in a fallout shelter. A bottle of 100 should be sufficient for a family of four. Tranquilizers are not a narcotic, and are not habit-forming."

Created out of old archival footage and official propaganda films, The Atomic Cafe is a bit of an unconventional documentary, opting to show rather than tell it's audience about the nuclear holocaust hysteria that griped America in the early years of the Cold War.
The film begins by showing footage of the devastating power of the bomb during the Trinity Test in Los Alamos, Fat Man and Little Boy dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Bikini Atoll experiment that displaced the Pacific Islanders living in the immediate vicinity.
Next we see president Truman and Eisenhower lecturing us on the importance of using the bomb responsibly, albeit itting that the US might use it in the Korean War to "wipe out the Chinese hordes".
Following this we get to see footage of the Rosenberg trial, US Army propaganda films trying to educate the public on the effects of radiation poisoning and extended sequences of people constructing fallout shelters and trying to prepare in the case of a nuclear attack by the Soviets.
It's impossible not to bristle at least a little bit at the chauvinism on display here but it's equally commendable on the part of the filmmakers to not whitewash the attitudes and beliefs that prevailed over that particular period of history, however appalling they might seem to us today.
The overall takeaway from The Atomic Cafe is a grim reminder of the terrifying power that was unleashed upon the world by the Manhattan Project and just how woefully unprepared and helpless we and our governments would be in the case of actual total nuclear warfare.

Overall, The Atomic Cafe can be a little bit repetitive, especially in its quite unsubtle critique of the "duck and cover" tactics that were peddled as the key to survival to a clueless populace unaware of how largely ineffective such methods would be in protecting themselves against nuclear Armageddon.
The film can be a bit dull at times, especially when compared to narrative films in the same "genre" such as The War Game, Threads or When the Wind Blows that play on the audiences emotional responses.
But as a document depicting the general mood of an era The Atomic Cafe is unmatched, showcasing the prevailing attitudes and fears of the American public back in the 50s.
Not the best documentary but certainly not the worst, The Atomic Cafe is best seen as a time capsule of the 50s and the accompanying hysteria surrounding the atom bomb, forever enshrined in rescued archival footage and propaganda films.

"When not close enough to be killed, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the world."

"We're all prisoner of ourselves, and from that, escape is impossible."

The Platform 2 (El hoyo 2 in its Spanish original) is the sequel to the sleeper hit The Platform that proved to be a treat for horror fans during the pandemic and lockdowns that ensued.
Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia's return to this universe promises much but delivers little in the way of fleshing out the previous film's premise, feeling more like a retread of familiar ground with a few gimmicks thrown in in a half-hearted attempt to things up.
This time we follow Perempuán (Milena Smit) and Zamiatin (Hovik Keuchkerian), two prisoners that find themselves sharing a floor in the eponymous hellhole prison.
Another character tells them that a system has been set in place where every prisoner is only allowed to eat their favorite dish in order to ensure everyone gets a bite. This system is enforced by the anointed ones, a group of Messianic figures around which a cult has formed, in particular the ruthless and absolutist Dagin Babi (Óscar Jaenada).
The first half of the film is spent developing the dynamic between Perempuan and Zamiatin until the plot shifts gears in favor of Perempuan inciting a rebellion against the system as a smokescreen for a jailbreak attempt with Sahabat (Natalia Tena).
At first it seems like we the audience will be in for a fresh take on the same premise but it quickly becomes apparent that The Platform 2 has nothing new to say.
A couple of vague and cryptic "revelations" are made about the nature of the prison and the whole idea of a cult forming organically on the inside in order to feed everyone is worthy of exploration but the film has an unfortunate tendency to ditch potentially interesting plot threads and offers a muddled and convoluted execution instead.
Nothing is truly explained about how the prison actually works and the cult of the anointed ones serves more as a physical obstacle for Perempuan to overcome than actually compelling characters/villains.
Another thing The Platform 2 fails to execute properly is character development. This means that the relationship between Perempuan and Zamiatin remains underdeveloped and consequently the audience will have a hard time becoming emotionally invested in either of their fates.
On the plus side it features plenty of violence and gore which is sure to please the gorehounds in the audience looking for some bloody action to feast their eyes on. It's a shame that the grizzly proceedings aren't accompanied by a more robust story or characters.

Overall, The Platform 2 is a step down from the first film and fails to stand on its own two legs. The direction is sloppy, the pacing is rushed, the characters are clumsily handled and the themes are hamfistedly conveyed, not to mention that things like character motivation and lore are poorly explained. The acting is okay and there is certainly enough gruesome violence to keep horror fans satiated but otherwise The Platform 2 has little to offer to other demographics.

"Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome, im cabaret, au cabaret, to cabaret!"

Based on a play of the same name, Bob Fosse's Cabaret centers on 4 friends who meet in the Kit-Kat Club in Berlin, 1931.
Amateur dancer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) from America, English professor Brian Roberts (Michael York) from the UK and native Germans Fritz Wendel (Fritz Wepper) and Natalia Landauer (Marisa Berenson) are the central characters in this musical about the "divine decadence" that characterized the Weimar era.
The plot isn't much to write home about, what audiences are really here for are the musical numbers and they don't disappoint.
Bob Fosse takes full advantage the cabaret setting affords him to go all out, flexing his choreographic muscles with spectacular performances delivered by Minelli and the outrageously costumed backup dancers onstage.
The real star however is Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies, who with his mime-like makeup and jovial demeanor steals the show in the film's many musical ditties.

Cabaret was nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, winning for Best Director, Best Actress, Best ing Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score at the 1973 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Cabaret has been called "a musical for people that don't like musicals" and I'd say that's a fair descriptor for it. It eschews the traditionally saccharine tone associated with the genre and tackles some pretty dark themes, what with the looming shadow of fascism hanging heavy over the proceedings and all. With solid all-around performances from its cast, Cabaret is one of the more tolerable musicals out there.

"I'm going to be a great film star! That is, if booze and sex don't get me first."

"Try to . It's a very old story. Thousands of years ago, Orpheus was sad and melancholic, like this little bird trapped in its cage. But one day, from the strings of his guitar that sought only one true love, a voice spoke to him of lost kisses from the lips of Eurydice. Eurydice's lips trembled anxiously, and her mouth opened slightly like a fragrant flower"

A modern take on the classic Greek myth set against the backdrop of mid-century Rio de Janeiro, Black Orpheus (Orfeu negro in its original Portuguese) updates the timeless tale and infuses it with new life in this delightful visual extravaganza.
In this reimagining Orpheus (Breno Mello) is a streetcar conductor and part-time musician living and working on the streets of Rio de Janeiro while Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) is a simple country mouse coming to the big city for the first time.
They have a fateful encounter when Eurydice seeks guidance to find her cousin Serafina while Orpheus tries to keep his pesky fiancée at bay.
The real action of the film however takes place during Carnaval as the city's rich and poor alike take to the streets to dance and party like wild, donning ornate costumes and swinging to the swanky rhythms of the film's bossa nova soundtrack.
Amidst this smorgasbord of color and movement comes Death in the form of a masked man to take Eurydice away. Orpheus manages to drive the maniac off but in the process loses track of Eurydice and thus begins the film's climax that sees Orpheus "descending" into the underworld represented by the Ministry of Missing Persons in search for his soulmate.
Much like in the original myth, Black Orpheus ends on a tragic note as both lovers are united in death as the sun rises over the city of Rio for one final time before the credits drop.
Black Orpheus caused a sensation when it first released back in 1959, bringing the sounds and colors of Brazilian Carnival to international audiences the world over.
Bossa Nova saw a spike in popularity after the film's released thanks to featuring heavily in the movie's soundtrack.
Although produced on a shoestring budget with a cast of nonprofessional actors Black Orpheus bring such vibrant energy to the screen that one can't help but be mesmerized by the sights and sound it has to offer.
The one flaw in the film is the romantic triangle between Orpheus and Eurydice and the subplot between Serafina and Chico. The former because Orpheus and Eurydice getting together is a foregone conclusion and the latter because it adds nothing to the plot, only serving as filler and possibly comedy relief.

Black Orpheus won for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1960 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Black Orpheus is a feast for the eyes that doesn't disappoint. The elaborate costumes, infectious music and fantastic choreography take center stage in this adaptation of the classic tale of star-crossed lovers united in death. A must-watch.

"Everything's beautiful, Eurydice. My heart's like a bird whose thirst is quenched by a single dewdrop. Thank you, Eurydice. Thank you for this new day."

"But you see in dealing with me, the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a staunch character and I tell you if there's anything worse than dealing with a staunch woman... S-T-A-U-N-C-H. There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. They don't weaken, no matter what."

It's disappointing to see that the Maysles brothers, who produced the phenomenal Salesman and Gimme Shelter, settle for such a mundane subject as two biddies living in isolation in their dilapidated East Hampton mansion in Grey Gardens.
Character studies are great provided that their focus is on interesting subjects themselves. Unfortunately for the Maysles brothers the subject they chose, Edith Bouvier Beale and Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale, are not.
Cousins to the tragic figure of Jackie Onassis, the Beales are exiles from New York high society that now reside in their overgrown and crumbling mansion surrounded by the abodes of the wealthy.
The two women live together with a family of cats and raccoons, seemingly ing their days away reminiscing about better times.
They are remarkably chipper about their predicament thought.
Considering their circumstances, they are quite forthcoming in sharing their past with the filmmakers who patiently listen to their yarns about their time as amateur singers, dancers and models.
To some critics Grey Gardens is a thoughtful and novel exploration of the psyches of two peculiar old women who in their own way rebel against the dictates of social conformity but to me it was a terribly boring film about two unremarkable cat ladies. I even fell asleep halfway through the film I found the subject matter so unengaging.

Overall, Grey Gardens is not my cup of tea. To some it is a fascinating portrait of the lives of two women forgotten by society but personally I found the documentary dull and flat. To each his own I guess.

"It's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present... Do you know what I mean...?

"If a man's not a success, he's got no one to blame but himself."

Far away from the tumultuous social upheaval that was rocking the country in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Summer of Love is another America, a vision of lower-middle class suburbia that serve as the hunting grounds for Bible salesmen.
The Maysles brothers introduce us to a motley cast of hucksters working for the Mid-American Bible Company in the form of James "The Rabbit" Baker, Charlie "The Gipper" McDevitt, Raymond "The Bull" Martos and the ambiguous star of the film, Paul "The Badger" Brennan.
These men are almost single-mindedly focused on their next big score, discussing strategies for their pitches in smoke-choked motel rooms just off the highway.
Despite the dismal picture presented by such smarmy figures a narratives emerges centering on Paul, the most unsuccessful of the quartet.
Disappointed by his lack of success and seemingly disillusioned by his line of work, the film follows Brennan as he fruitlessly tries to sell Bibles in "tough neighborhoods", his fortunes not improving much when the group takes a trip to Florida looking for new territory.
Many critics have noticed the parallels between Paul's predicament with Willy Loman's from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, pointing out the similar disillusionment with the American Dream that plagues both men.
There's also an undercurrent of social commentary running throughout the film, poignantly showcasing the contrast between the offer of commercialized salvation the salesmen offer and their own vice-filled lifestyles. The Maysles brothers cast an unsympathetic eye on the work of these men while simultaneously expressing sympathy for the crestfallen Paul, making Salesman one of the most engaging examples of Direct Cinema for its it's marriage of the documentary feature with narrative filmmaking.

Overall, Salesman has earned its place as one of the most engaging documentaries out there, regularly appearing on "Best Documentaries" lists by critics. It's endlessly fascinating for its unsentimental portrayal of life on the road and the dismal picture it paints for a certain class of American living on the fringe. A must-watch.

It's not every day that one gets to see such a profoundly fascinating and simultaneously disturbing documentary. Frederick Wiseman's Primate is an exposé of what goes on inside the halls and cages of a primatology research center.
We meet a group of scientists making observations on great ape and monkey behavior as well performing a variety of tests on their subjects, some of them quite gruesome to watch.
The documentary start relatively tame with some researchers observing the gorilla's mating habits as well as the orangutan's grooming and nursing behaviors with its young. There are even some quite adorable scenes with baby chimps and orangutans being handled delicately by female scientists that almost make you forget the cold and sterile feel of the research center.
The documentary takes a turn towards the disturbing when it shows us scenes of animal experimentation performed on the hapless prisoners of the institute.
Rhesus monkeys being stimulated into ejaculation with electrodes and macaques being confined in sensory deprivation chambers are some of the gruesome sights on display in Primate, but surely what takes the cake is an agonizingly prolonged and graphic dissection of a capuchin monkey being cut open, its organs exposed to the sterile air of the lab, its head cut off and its brain finally preserved in a jar of formaldehyde.
I doubt that by the end any audience member will walk away without a healthy distaste for animal experimentation.

Overall, Primate is one of Wiseman's best documentaries, at once fascinating and horrifying in equal measure in its power to convey its silent yet deafening message condemning inhumane animal experimentation. I'm unaware how influential Primate was in galvanizing the animal rights movement but without a doubt it left an impact on all those who saw it back in the day. A must-watch.

" Do you know, uh, what the Department of Labor says should be the comfort level of a family of four? A man, a wife, and two children, what they should earn to be comfortable? Not! Moderately comfortable, not you know affluent, but just moderately comfortable in our society. You know what the figure is? Any idea what it is, Christine?"
"How much? It's a little over 9,000 dollars. So you can imagine-- you know what percent of the American population earns 9,000 dollars? It's not the majority."

Another Wiseman documentary feature, this time tackling the institution of, appropriately enough, high school.
Filmed at Northeast High School in Philadelphia, High School examines what happens in a fairly typical day in a generic and conventional American high school in the late 60s.
Students are seen being reprimanded by their teachers, some are seen taking music class yet still others perform exercise during phys ed.
We the audience get the sense that this is a highly regimented world where order and obedience to authority are the paramount virtues.
And yet there are glimmers of youthful rebellion here and there such as when a female teacher decides to bring Simon & Garfunkel to poetry class or when a student calls out another teacher for not tackling issues of the day (this being the 60s, a time of great social upheaval).

Overall, High School is one of Wiseman's best, a fascinating look into the dynamics that defined student-teacher relations back in the 60s, exploring what the high school experience was for millions of Americans back in those days. A must-watch for documentary fans.

"It's nice to be individualistic, but there are certain places to be individualistic."

"I need help, I just don't know where I can get it."
"Well, you'll get it here, I guess."

Taking place at the Massachusetts Bridgewater Correctional Institution, Titicut Follies offers a look into what goes on in a mental asylum, and the picture isn't pretty.
Scenes of inmates being forced to strip naked, forcibly shaved and harassed by the guards abound. The asylum seems to be so underfunded that the inmates are herded into empty cells devoid of any furniture, even beds to sleep in, with only small, barred windows serving as the sole portal to the outside world.
The only reprieve to this dismal situation is when the inmates are allowed time in the courtyard where they are seeing pacing around aimlessly, with one humorously providing diegetic music with his trombone.
The patients housed in Bridgewater range from the truly disturbed to a seemingly normal person who insists that the asylum is harming his mental health instead. One is inclined to believe him and cringe at the possibility that perfectly normal people are housed in such institutions, especially if the staff is so undisposed to believe patients are cured.
There's also a scene where one of the patients seemingly has a moment of lucidity where he launches into an anti-nuclear tirade but it becomes clearer as he continues that he's spewing schizophrenic drivel. One of the documentary's most poignant scenes, highlighting the thin line that separates normality from madness and how easily society can confuse the two.

Overall, Titicut Follies is one of the most depressing exposés of America's mental asylums that undoubtedly helped foment change before they were shut down for good during the Reagan era.
The unflinching look at the naked and abused inmates is a sight that will undountedly forever be etched into the minds of all those who see this groundbreaking piece of cinéma vérité. A must-watch for documentary fans.

"The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has ordered that "A brief explanation shall be included in the film that changes and improvements have taken place at Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater since 1966"."

"There's a simple doctrine: outside of a person's love, the most sacred thing that they can give is their labor. And somehow or another along the way, we tend to forget that. Labor is a very precious thing that you have. Anytime that you can combine labor with love, you've made a good merger. I think that we're gonna win tomorrow, and I think the governor's going to fulfill his promise and change America. And I think many of you are going to go on and help him. I'm a political professional, that's what I do for a living, and I'm proud of it."

People say politics are boring, and they'd be right. So how do you make them engaging to the public?
D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus answered with The War Room a documentary covering Clinton's 1992 campaign for president. More specifically, The War Room is about the people behind the campaign, a team headed by the personable James "Ragin' Cajun" Carville and the quietly charming George Stephanopoulos.
Seeing the two deploy their media and organizational skills is a sight to behold, the duo coming up with memorable slogans ("It's the economy, stupid!") and calibrating their message just right for the press and the public.
Pennebaker and Hegedus manage to do more than just film the interior workings of the campaign, they also capture the social dynamics and the human element that is often obfuscated by the professionalism.
Seeing Carville and Stephanopoulos goofing off and cracking jokes in the eponymous "war room" in Little Rock, Arkansas is pretty heartwarming, it reminds one that behind the commitment to get Clinton elected there are real flesh and blood human beings with their own personal idiosyncrasies and senses of humor.

The War Room was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 1994 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, The War Room is a landmark documentary for its behind-the-scenes look into the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign, showcasing how campaigning has fundamentally changed and entered a new era in the Information Age. It's also about the efforts of individuals, particularly Carville and Stephanopoulos', coming together and pulling off the impossible. However, for as groundbreaking as it is it simply didn't connect with me and I felt it less engrossing than either Dont Look Back or Monterey Pop but that's just my personal opinion.

"We change the way campaigns are run. It used to be, there was a hierarchy. If you were on one floor, get to another floor. Everybody was compartmentalized. You people showed that you can be trusted. Everybody in this room, everybody. People are gonna tell you you're lucky. You're not. Ben Hogan said 'Golf is a game of luck. The more practice, the luckier I get.' The harder you work, the luckier you are. I was thirty-three years old before I went to Washington or New York. Forty-two before I won my first campaign. And I'm happy for all y'all. You've been part of something special in my life... and I'll never forget what y'all have done. Thank you."

"I think its gonna be like Easter and Christmas and New Year's and your Birthday all together, you know! Hearing all the different bands, you know. It's just, like, I've heard a lot of them; but, all at the same time - it's going to be too much. I mean, the vibrations are just going to be floating everywhere!"

If Woodstock (1970) chronicles the zenith of the counterculture movement and Gimme Shelter documents its downfall then it can be fairly said Monterey Pop captures its beginning.
Filmed during the Summer of Love, D. A. Pennebaker's Monterey Pop casts its lens on the performers and audience at the eponymous music festival held over a weekend in California in 1967.
Featuring such legendary acts like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jefferson Airplane, The Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, The Who and many more, Monterey Pop's fly-on-the-wall camera immortalizes an iconic chapter in the hippie mythos.
Unlike Pennebaker's previous documentary Dont Look Back Monterey Pop is less of a character study and more of a mosaic that seeks to take a snapshot of a cultural moment in America, capturing in crisp color photography the peace and love atmosphere that characterized the festival as well as the music that would come to define a generation.
Pete Townshend smashing his guitar, Hendrix putting his on fire and Ravi Shankar mesmerizing the entire audience in attendance with unbelievable finger dexterity are just some of the moments forever etched in celluloid that feature in Monterey Pop.
Pennebaker's camera takes everything in, focusing variously on either the artists performing onstage or the spectators tapping and head banging to the potpourri of blues, rock, pop and classical Indian music blasting from the speakers or on the psychedelia-inspired visuals shown on silver screens.
The Direct Cinema approach of the film allows Pennebaker to put on display a wide of range of human behavior, from couples flirting with each other to artists pouring their hearts and souls in their performances. It truly is breathtaking to see such a microcosm of humanity contained within an hour and 20 minute documentary and yet, there it is.

Overall, Monterey Pop serves as a great companion piece to the more well-known Woodstock and Gimme Shelter, being a superb documentary that in essence gave birth to the concert film subgenre that went on to influence later classics such as the paean to punk rock The Decline of Western Civilization and the deeply satirical This is Spinal Tap. As far as rock documentaries go, Monterey Pop stands as one of the first and best among them. A must-watch for documentary and Pennebaker fans.

"All across the nation, Such a strange vibration, People in motion. There's a whole generation, With a new explanation, People in motion, People in motion..."

"What is your real message?"
"My real message? Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb"

D. A. Pennebaker's Dont Look Back is a rocumentary focusing on Bob Dylan's 1965 UK tour, offering intimate footage of the folk legend at his concerts and during his downtime as well.
Pennebaker's camera zooms in on Dylan while performing onstage, giving interviews, escaping from rabid fans and even while goofing off with the rest of his entourage at the hotel rooms he was staying at.
Dont Look Back is revolutionary for the level of intimacy it captures on camera, filming its subject during candid moments that reveal things lurking beneath Dylan's public persona.
Pennbaker's camera isn't shy about showing to the whole world Dylan's less flattering moments such as when he cruelly mocks an amateur journalist in his hotel room or when he acts like an immature punk when speaking to a Time magazine interviewer. Perhaps the moment that best puts his pettiness on display is when Dylan insists on knowing who threw a glass in the street, harassing almost everyone around him in search of an answer.
So who is the real Bob Dylan? The voice of a generation that captured the zeitgeist of the 60s or a self-important buffoon with his head up his ass? Is he both?
Dont Look Back also features Joan Baez and Donovan who drop in and out of Dylan's life seemingly at random, sometimes singing and sometimes just hanging out with the folk legend in his hotel suites.
The documentary doesn't miss the opportunity to film Dylan's stern manager Albert Grossman, candidly capturing his backroom scheming in a brilliant scene in the middle of the film.

Overall, Dont Look Back is a revolutionary concert film that discards most of the music to focus with laser-like focus on the artist himself, offering an intimate portrait of one of the most important musicians and songwriters of the 20th century, warts and all. For that alone Dont Look Back is a must-watch for any documentary fan worth their salt.

"Do you think that anybody that comes to see me is coming for any other reason except for entertainment? Really?"

Primary is director Robert Drew's documentary on the 1960 presidential election, focusing on Democrat candidates Hubert H. Humphrey and John F. Kennedy trying to win the rural vote in the state of Wisconsin.
Widely considered a pioneer of cinéma vérité and direct cinema filmmaking, Primary's cinematography is notable for focusing on multiple subjects, making widespread use of closeups to capture the subtle mannerisms of the presidential candidates, their wives and the townspeople and media personalities they interact with.
In a sense all the politicking fades into the background and we are left with a documentary that casts its lens on a more humanistic subject, that of body language and subtle facial cues.
Seeing senators Humphrey and Kennedy up close gives us an insight into why the people chose the later over the former. Kennedy in general acts more agreeably than Humphrey and tends to flash his winning smile at every opportunity, a fact that surely must have ingratiated him with the voters.
By contrast Humphrey exudes a smarmy aura despite his best attempts to seem friendly and crucially his speech given in an auditorium full of farmers leans exclusively on economic issues and fails to establish an emotional connection with the electorate.
Beyond that just the fact that the camera gets up that close to the candidates is itself an impressive achievement, a truly revolutionary moment in documentary filmmaking history that paved the way for later films in the same genre.

Overall, Primary serves as a both a pioneering documentary and a time capsule capturing a moment of great historical importance in American politics, focusing its lens on and immortalizing the face of America's most tragic president. Primary would prove to be influential with documentarians like D.A. Pennebaker who worked on the film in the capacity of cinematographer in developing the direct cinema sensibility. As such, Primary is well worth watching for avid fans of the documentary format of filmmaking.

"It's at the beginning and end of war that we have to watch out. In between, it's like a country club."

When one thinks of the name "Steven Spielberg" the first word that comes to mind is whimsical, perhaps with an air of danger.
The description certainly fits titles like E.T. the Extraterrestrial and Raiders of the Lost Ark but such a label is harder to apply to Empire of the Sun, Spielberg's attempt at a coming-of-age tale with the Second Sino-Japanese War serving as a backdrop.
Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by J.G. Ballard, Empire of the Sun is the story of one James Graham (a young Christian Bale in his big screen debut), the son of a wealthy taipan living in Shanghai on the eve of WWII.
When the war breaks out and the IJA invades the port city James becomes separated from his parents and after meeting Basie (John Malkovich), a former American stoker, ends up in a Japanese labor camp.
The bulk of the film is spent in this labor camp where James, now rechristened Jim, makes a life for himself scrounging whatever he can find and exploiting the barter economy that forms part of camp life while finding reluctant protection in the form of Basie and developing a growing iration for the Japanese pilots at the nearby military runway.
Jim is sustained during his hardships by the dream of flight, growing excited each time he spots planes in the sky, unaware what a deadly omen they represent in his childish candor.
Rounding out the cast we have a young Joe Pantoliano and Ben Stiller as American POWs at the camp and the stern Sgt. Nagata played by Masatô Ibu.
Empire of the Sun is scored by John Williams, whose compositions adequately convey the emotional tone the film is going for, although the music is conspicuously absent during the film's darker moments but one can be sure that a heavenly chorus accompanies the movie's more triumphant scenes.
Empire of the Sun is a bit of an oddity in Spielberg's cinematography, at least compared to what came before. It's a distinctly dramatic effort that eschews the genre trappings that characterized the director's prior body of work, to mixed results.
Maybe the subject matter was a bit too dark, the material really doesn't gel well with Spielberg's style, resulting in some cringeworthy moments that fall flat on their face. As the late Roger Ebert said, Empire of the Sun lacks a narrative thrust so although Jim has effectively gone through substantial character development by the end of it, some of the scenes in the middle can feel a bit wavering.
The film is ultimately carried by the strong performances from Bale and Malkovich, the former in particular showing a lot of promise for a child actor, promise that would eventually bear fruit in a distinguished acting career that produced such modern classics as American Psycho, Nolan's Batman trilogy, the Prestige, Ford v Ferrari, etc.

Empire of the Sun was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score

Overall, Empire of the Sun's subject matter makes for an interesting film premise but it was unfortunately handled by the wrong director chosen to cover the material. Spielberg's whimsical style reaches quasi-transcendental highs at times but is ultimately limited by the grim setting it takes place in, leading to some implausible and frankly narmy situations. The performances from its actors are definitely the highlight of the film, in particular seeing a young Christian Bale flexing his acting chops is a sight to behold. Ultimately Empire of the Sun is one of the lesser entries in its director's filmography, overshadowed by the likes of the Indiana Jones films and crowd-pleasing blockbusters like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Saving Private Ryan.
Not Spielberg's best, but definitely not as bad as Hook.

"P-51! Cadillac of the sky!"

"April the 4th, 1984. To the past, or to the future. To an age when thought is free. From the Age of Big Brother, from the Age of the Thought Police, from a dead man... greetings."

George Orwell's vision of a dystopian future is brought to the big screen in Michael Radford's adaptation of the novel starring John Hurt as Winston, Suzanna Hamilton as Julia and Robert Burton as O'Brien.
The film is incredibly faithful to the novel, following its structure and story beats almost to the letter, right down to incorporating newspeak in the actors' dialogue.
The art direction and set design are possibly the most striking features of the film as they have come to define the look and feel of the novel in the popular consciousness. Every locale, from Winston's one room apartment to the cubicle he works in at Minirec exudes griminess and decay, the color palette rarely straying from different shades of brown, black and gray. Everything looks broken and/or worn down, with entire bombed out streets serving as the in-between spaces that separate places like the antique shop and cafe Winston frequents.
The film notably focuses more on Winston's psyche more than the book, returning again and again to a vision of rolling hills representing Winston's desire for freedom.
The performances from its small cast are what make the film so memorable. John Hurt as the scrawny, unassuming Winston has become the defining image in the popular consciousness and Robert Burton's inhumanly cold and quietly terrifying final performance as O'Brien perfectly encapsulates his character, even if he doesn't posses the imposing stature and constitution from his book counterpart.

Overall, Nineteen Eighty-Four is the definitive adaptation of Orwell's bleak vision of the future. It perfectly captures the hopeless tone and nightmarish situation the citizens of Oceania are trapped in, combined with superb art direction and set design that conveys the grimy aesthetic of the setting. The performances from Hurt, Hamilton and Burton fit their characters like a glove and have to come to define the image of these characters in the public's mind. The imagery has also proven highly influential, inspiring Ridley Scott's Apple commercial and even later dystopian sci-fi films like Equilibrium. All in all, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a fantastic adaptation and one of the best British sci-fi films in cinematic history. A must-watch, especially in our day and age of ubiquitous surveillance and overbearing governments.

"If you want a vision of the future, Winston, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever."

Considered a shining example of Third Cinema despite its obscurity, Blood of the Condor (Yawar mallku in its original Quechua) is part documentary, part narrative film that focuses on the effects a Peace Corps-like organization's efforts at sterilizing the natives has on a peasant community in the Bolivian highlands.
Told in anachronistic fashion, Blood of the Condor follows two narrative threads, one focusing on a community's response to the unconsensual sterilization of their women by an American nonprofit and the fruitless efforts by Sixto (Vicente Verneros Salinas) and Paulina (Benedicta Mendoza) to save the life of Ignacio (Marcelino Yanahuaya) after the later is shot for leading an assault on said nonprofit.
The film's director, Jorge Sanjines used all the tricks of guerrilla filmmaking in order to produce Blood of the Condor. Making use of non-professional actors and having almost no production values, the film depicts the plight of Bolivia's peasant communities in contrast to the small, educated middle-class that inhabits La Paz's country clubs and the subtle classism and indifference they hold towards the people.
This is best illustrated in the subplot involving Sixto trying to obtain blood for Ignacio's operation, being sent on a wild goose chase by the doctor and ultimately failing to obtain it, resulting in Ignacio's untimely demise.
The other half of the film focuses on the condescending attitudes the American volunteer workers take towards the natives and the explicit deception in sterilizing their women non-consensually, leading to the film concluding that armed revolt is necessary if the natives are to protect their way of life against outsiders.
The film wound up being influential enough by some s to lead to the expulsion of the Peace Corps in Bolivia after it was showed to native audiences around the country.

Overall, Blood of the Condor now serves as a historical and cultural oddity, a film with a loud and clear message that seems so remote to us now in an age where NGOs are more heavily scrutinized for ethics violations. Nonetheless it serves as a powerful reminder to the horrifying abuses inflicted on Latin America's indigenous populations and a warning to remain ever vigilant.

"You take the trouble to construct a civilization, to build a society based on the principles of... of principle. You make government and art and realize that they are, must be, both the same. You bring things to the saddest of all points, to the point where there is something to lose. Then, all at once, through all the music, through all the sensible sounds of men building, attempting, comes the Dies Irae. And what is it? What does the trumpet sound? Up yours."

Widely considered THE big screen depiction of a marriage on the rocks, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, based on the play of the same name, is a film about the acrimonious marriage between Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) and George (Richard Burton), a middle-aged, college-educated couple who begin airing their dirty laundry in front of their guests Nick (George Segal) and Honey (Sandy Dennis) in the early hours of a Sunday morning.
Taking place almost entirely in George and Martha's household, the film is essentially an extended dialogue between the characters, exchanging sharp verbal jabs and sardonic barbs at each other, recriminating their spouse for personal failings in front of their flabbergasted guests.
Eventually Nick and Honey in too as the night wears on, the exchanges becoming increasingly bitter and venomous as deep-seated resentments bubble up to the surface.
Consider the film came out in 1966, a mere decade after The Honeymooners. It's depiction of a deeply dysfunctional marriage would have been inconceivable and impossible to portray on the big screen just a decade prior thanks to the Hays Production Code, it's release proving to be a watershed moment for American cinema heralding the arrival of New Hollywood just a year prior to Bonnie & Clyde.
The performances from its minimalist cast are nothing short of a triumph, with Richard Burton playing the ive-aggressive, henpecked George and Elizabeth Taylor as the sharp-tongued yet secretly wounded Martha with great panache. Although their roles demanded less of them George Segal and Sandy Dennis portray Nick and Honey convincingly.

Who's Afraid of Viriginia Woolf? was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best ing Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score, winning for Best Actress, Best ing Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design at the 1967 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a landmark of American cinema that paved the road for the New Hollywood movement by boldly depicting a highly dysfunctional marital relationship unlike any the big screen had ever seen before. Nichols' pioneering effort would be followed up by The Graduate, widely considered to be one of the earliest examples of New Hollywood cinema but the roots of the movement find expression in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and just for that the film is a must-watch.

"I swear, if you existed, I'd divorce you."

"It seems it always happens. Whenever we get too high-hat and too sophisticated for flag-waving, some thug nation decides we're a push-over all ready to be blackjacked. And it isn't long before we're looking up, mighty anxiously, to be sure the flag's still waving over us."

Best known for his roles in gangster flicks like Scarface, James Cagney plays the piano, sings and tap-dances his way from vaudeville theater to Broadway stage in Yankee Doodle Dandy, the story of America's most patriotic playwright/actor/performer.
From humble beginnings as part of a 4-man vaudeville act to Broadway darling, Yankee Doodle Dandy follows the narrative arc of George M. Cohan. Born on the Fourth of July to Irish immigrant parents Jerry (Walter Huston) and Nellie Cohan (Rosemary DeCamp), it seemed like little Georgie was always destined to be an actor, being born into a family of thespians and all.
Already boisterous at the tender age of 10, little George makes an initial splash as the star of Peck's Bad Boy. Touring the US as part of the Four Cohans along with his parents and sister Josie George picks up the tricks of the trade in his travels and eventually meets his future wife Mary (Joan Leslie) one fateful night in his dressing room.
The film then fast forwards to George's big break with the eponymous Yankee Doodle Dandy, a patriotic play about an American jockey racing the English derby that proves a phenomenal success with audiences.
We see George partner up with Sam Harris (Richard Whorf) to open up his own theater company, a collaboration with celebrated stage actress Fay Templeton (Irene Manning) in 45 Minutes from Broadway that cements his status as a master of the craft, a failed attempt at drama, George volunteering to serve during WWI and a smorgasbord of hits shown in montage.
Finally, aged and happily retired, George puts on one last show as FDR in I'd Rather Be Right when he suddenly receives a summons from the POTUS himself and we arrive where we left off at the beginning of the film before George's extended flashback.
The film's main draw of course is the music, which is suitably patriotic and even catchy to some extent. Seeing Cagney bust out some moves is a sight to behold, doubly so since those who knew him said he couldn't dance yet he acts so convincingly that one barely notes the stiffness of his spine during his patented "walks" onstage.
Despite the film showing its age, being released right in the middle of WWII and wearing its patriotism on its sleeve, Yankee Doodle Dandy remains entertaining enough to stand on its own more than 80 years after its release.

Yankee Doodle Dandy was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best ing Actor and Best Film Editing, winning for Best Actor, Best Sound and Best Original Score at the 1943 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Yankee Doodle Dandy is a peppy and upbeat musical "biopic" that covers in broad strokes the life and times of a notable turn-of-the-century playwright with panache and good humor. Cagney puts on an impressive if highly atypical performance as the man himself and seeing him dance his way across the stage isn't half bad either. A classic from the 40s.

"I wouldn't worry about this country, if I were you. We got this thing licked. Where else in the world can a plain guy like me come in and talk things over with the head man?"
"That's about as good a definition of America that I ever heard."

"And what do you do in the Grand Hotel? Eat. Sleep. Loaf around. Flirt a little, dance a little. A hundred doors leading to one hall. No one knows anything about the person next to them. And when you leave, someone occupies your room, lies in your bed... that's the end."

A dashing baron-turned-jewel-thief, a lonely Russian ballet dancer, a stuffy industrialist trying to seal a merger, a peppy stenographer looking for her next paycheck and a factory worker living it up during his final days.
These colorful characters form the core cast of Grand Hotel, Edmund Goulding's film about the intersecting lives and relationships between mutual strangers in Berlin's most luxurious and expensive hotel.
Grand Hotel weaves multiple storylines that criss-cross each other at multiple times during its runtime, focusing on the romance between
ballet dancer Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo) and Baron Felix von Geigern (John Barrymore), the enmity between factory worker Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) and his boss General Director Preysing (Wallace Beery) and a job offer that the latter offers to Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford), the young stenographer looking for her next paycheck.
Goulding cleverly introduces us to the characters by having them state their motivations outright during the first act as they talk to acquaintances on the phone. In general the film does a good job of helping the audience keep track of who is who and what their relationship to each other is so that the ensemble cast never feels overwhelming.
The performances and the emotional tone of the film run the full gamut, seamlessly switching between the comic, the romantic and the tragic mode.
I won't spoil any plot developments but suffice to say, the old army doctor that seems to be a perpetual guest is wrong, there's never a dull moment at Berlin's Grand Hotel.

Grand Hotel won for Best Film at the 1933 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Grand Hotel is a decently entertaining dramedy about the intersecting lives of strangers in a luxurious setting. The performances are on point and some of the moments can be genuinely touching or delightfully humorous, depending on which mode the film is going for at the time. A 1930s classic.

"Grand Hotel... always the same. People come, people go. Nothing ever happens."

"I was, uh, sent down from Washington D.C. to see about these murders."
"See what about em?"
"See who's doin' it."

Based on a book about a real-life string of murders in early 20th century Fairfax, Killers of the Flower Moon weaves an epic narrative about a conspiracy orchestrated by William "King" Hale (Robert De Niro) to acquire the head rights to oil wealth of a local Indian family with the help of his nephew, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio).
As part of the scheme Ernest marries Mollie (Lily Gladstone) but he falls genuinely in love with her and with a heavy heart agrees to cooperate in his uncle's machinations, including poisoning his own wife.
They would have almost succeeded if it wasn't for the work of an FBI Agent (played by Jesse Plemons) who comes to investigate the murders after the Indian council appeals to president Calvin Coolidge.
During its colossal 3 and a half hour runtime Killers of the Flower Moon manages to condense years of real life history, from the cold-blooded assassination of Mollie's sister Anna to the walls closing in on Hale and Ernest as the FBI gets closer and closer to the truth.
The performances from DeNiro and DiCaprio are nothing short of astounding and seeing them playing off of each other in the same Scorsese film is a sight to behold but the cake has to go to Gladstone who manages to almost wordlessly convey the grief of a woman that has been put through far more pain than anyone should have to.
Rounding out the cast are John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser who serve as dueling attorneys during the film's closing trial who sadly get little screen time but make the most of their line readings.
The cinematography is a sight to behold as interiors are portrayed as claustrophobic spaces where a thick fog of tension hangs in perpetuity while exterior shots capture the magnificence of the American Midwest's natural landscape.

Killers of the Flower Moon was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Actress, Best ing Actor, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)" at the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Killers of the Flower Moon is a triumph, one of Scorsese's most unconventional yet astounding works for its portrayal of the plight of the Osage people. A crime drama with elements of a Western, Killers of the Flower Moon transcends genre trappings to tell a story of corruption, evil hiding in plain sight and ultimately a not-quite redemption arc for DiCaprio's Ernest Burkhart. Scorsese masterful use of symbolism expresses itself in the metaphor between Mollie's illness and the encroaching evil of Hale and his cronies, likening the exploitation of the Osage with a worsening infection. The performances and the cinematography alone make it worth seeing, thanks to a well-chosen cast that lend an almost preternatural naturalism to their roles. A must-watch.

"After Mollie divorced Ernest, she lived with her new husband John Cobb on the reservation. She died of diabetes on June 16th, 1937. Her obituary in the local paper said simply: "Mrs. Mollie Cobb, 50 years of age, ed away at eleven o'clock Wednesday night in her home. She was a full blood Osage. She was buried in the old cemetery in Gray Horse beside her father, her mother, her sisters, and her daughter." There was no mention of the murders."

"Nothing happens by chance."

Young love and coming-of-age films seem to go hand in hand but rarely do they tackle these themes in a lesbian relationship.
Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 & 2 in its original French) is Abdellatif Kechiche's adaptation of a graphic novel by Jul Maroh that depicts the life of wide-eyed high school student Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and her romance and exploration of her sexual identity with an older art student, Emma (Léa Seydoux).
The film takes us through Adèle's flirtation with straight sex, love at first sight with Emma, a nervous trip to a lesbian bar, her budding romance with Emma and its full flowering with a bold 6 minute long sex scene and their romance's eventual dissipation as professional life and petty jealousies impose themselves on the couple.
Much has already been written on the extended sex scene(s) between Emma and Adèle, not all positive. While I'll it that they are suitably ionate and the actresses must be applauded for their commitment, they do in fact border on the exploitative and the male gaze is certainly involved here as several LGBTQ+ critics have already noted.
I respect Kechiche's decision to show not just the start and zenith of Adèle and Emma's romance but also its downfall and its suitably realistic portrayal. A rift forms and grows between the two leads as Adèle realizes that Emma, surrounded as she is by her bohemian milieu, exists in a different world, one in which Adèle feels at ease.
Eventually professional commitments get in the way of their relationship and the two grow inevitably apart.
While I praise the verisimilitude involved in the script the film's glacial pacing works against it, with a shaky third act that contains several pointless scenes of Adèle teaching kindergarteners that contribute to the film's bloated runtime.
Blue is the Warmest Color, despite all its remarkable qualities, could have trimmed the fat.

Overall, Blue is the Warmest Color is a controversial addition to LGBT cinema that presents a vision of young love scarcely seen on the big screen. It's carried by the monumental performances of its two female leads who play their characters with uncanny realism. Not for nothing did this film serve as Exarchopoulos' star-making role and launched her career in both later French and international productions while cementing Seydoux's status as one of the finest actresses working in the industry today. Despite its flaws, Blue is the Warmest Color remains one of the best romance films to come out of the 2010s.

"But I have infinite tenderness for you. I always will. My whole life."

"If you let him testify at that hearing, the whole world will see what he's become. They should him for what he was."

In an era where business moguls like Musk regularly embarrass themselves publicly on social media it can be hard to a time where eccentric billionaires were rarer and were shrouded in an aura of mystique.
Martin Scorsese's The Aviator is the epic biopic chronicling the life and times of one such billionaire, playboy and aviation fanatic Howard Hughes.
Played with considerable panache by Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator takes the audience through the troubled production of Hell's Angels, the acquisition of TWA by an airplane obsessed Hughes, his various romantic stints with Hollywood actress like Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) and finally his downward spiral as he fights a losing battle against Panam's founder Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin) and corrupt senator Ralph Owen Brewster (Alan Alda) as well as his own demons.
Boasting an all-star cast including Adam Scott as Hughes' friend Johnny Meyer, John C. Reilly as Hughes' ant Noah Dietrich, Ian Holm as a reserved meteorologist, Jude Law as Errol Flynn and Willem Dafoe as a private detective, the film offers unique delights in the form of gorgeous cinematography, period-accurate costumes and sets recreating Hughes' usual haunts like his house in Los Angeles, the Coconut Grove or the various hangars where the billionaire stored his fleet of airplanes.
Perhaps the single flaw in this otherwise superb movie is it's length, clocking in at almost 3 hours, The Aviator drags at times, especially during its second act focusing on Hughes' romantic entanglements with Hepburn and other actresses that don't mesh as well with the rest of the narrative and slow the film's pacing. I suppose it's a necessary evil when covering so many years of a person's life. Some of the CGI and green screen effects are also showing their age but thankfully Scorsese manages to film around the more dodgy shots quite skillfully.

The Aviator was nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Actor and Best ing Actor, winning for Best ing Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design at the 2005 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, The Aviator is one of the best films to come out the 2000s, boasting of great performances from a star-studded cast, wonderfully recreated sets and costumes and a strong narrative thread that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the more curious mid-20th century figures in American history. A must-watch for Scorsese and DiCaprio fans.

"The way of the future..."

"The feeling begins. Very tender, very loving. Then the pain starts. Claws slip underneath the skin and tear their way up. Just before they reach my eyes, they dig in. And I . First I fasted for three months. I even whipped myself before I went to sleep. At first it worked. Then the pain came back. And the voices. They call me by name. Jesus."

Based on Nikos Kazantzakis' novel of the same name, Martin Scorsese's and Paul Schrader's The Last Temptation of Christ is a highly unconventional take on the ion of the Christ, casting in a highly controversial move Willem Dafoe as a Jesus that feels doubt and hesitation about his status as the Messiah.
The Last Temptation of the Christ begins with Jesus getting accosted by Judas (Harvey Keitel) for helping the Romans crucify his kinsmen, we are then introduced to Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey) as she squabbles with Jesus over their relationship.
It isn't until he s a monastery and meditates in the desert that Jesus even begins suspecting his own divine nature and then Scorsese takes us through the familiar beats of the ion like the gathering of his disciples, the meeting with John The Baptist (Andre Gregory) and Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
Throughout the entire film Jesus exhibits doubt and hesitation about his own divine status, calling into question teachings and even itting some deep character flaws.
The film's third act is entirely devoted to an extended dying hallucination where Satan tempts Jesus into abandoning his role as the Messiah by showing him visions of a normal life, wedding and bedding Mary Magdalene, fathering children and living as an ordinary man.
Such a depiction of Christ angered many fundamentalist groups all over the world, leading to a now infamous boycotting campaign that tried to get the film out of theater and even threatened the burning of the negatives.
Thankfully we are now distanced from the whole controversy and audiences can appreciate the film for what it is, a bold masterpiece that depicts the central mystery behind Jesus' dual nature as a man and God, with all his flaws and doubts making the figure approachable and even relatable.
The cinematography is superb, with wide shots of the Moroccan desert substituting for the barren hills of 1st century Jerusalem and the close-ups and zoom-ins emphasizing some action or detail.
The performances, especially that of Dafoe as the Christ, are nothing short of stellar, portraying these Biblical characters as people with their own personal failings rather than plot devices. Props going to Harry Dean Stanton for his portrayal of Saul / Paul and especially to David Bowie for an unusually restrained performance as Pontius Pilate.

The Last Temptation of Christ was nominated for Best Director at the 1989 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, The Last Temptation of Christ was and is a controversial film for its unorthodox and unconventional approach to its subject matter.
But for those that appreciate Scorsese's vision it's nothing short of a masterpiece that portrays Jesus as the son of God yes, but also as a conflicted and three-dimensional character, a man with more than his fair share of inner demons that he struggles against on his journey of self-discovery as the savior of mankind. For that, The Last Temptation of Christ is a must-watch.

"The dual substance of Christ - the yearning, so human, so superhuman, of man to attain God... has always been a deep inscrutable mystery to me. My principle anguish and source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onward has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh... And my soul is the arena where these two armies have clashed and met."

"You have read in the press the reasons for the Watergate affair. Today, my client is going to reveal to you the reasons behind the reasons."

Based on a play and structured as one continuous monologue, Robert Altman's Secret Honor casts Philip Baker Hall as a fictionalized version of Richard Nixon that has sequestered himself in his office to record one last tape to defend himself against an imagined judge like a lawyer defending his client.
For the entire hour and a half of the film's run time Philip Baker Hall gesticulates, raises his voice, mouths expletives and whispers into the mike, rambling about topics like Watergate, the Kennedy assassination or the Kissinger's collusion with the Shah of Iran.
I must confess that while Philip Baker Hall's performance as Nixon is the high point (even if it borders on the cartoon-like at times), accurately conveying the former president's neurotic, paranoid persona, the novelty wears off and the film becomes boring after a certain point.
Seeing as Secret Honor is essentially one long rant, it was bound to lose some steam along the way and by the time it ends, I was glad it was over.

Overall, Secret Honor is an interesting experiment, being made for a film school class at the University of Michigan, it is perhaps the least Altmanesque film in his filmography, lacking the usual trademarks like overlapping dialogue and a large cast. I can't escape the feeling that it would have worked much better as a short film, lasting 40 minutes tops, preventing the audience from growing tired of seeing Hall wildly articulating Nixon's stream-of-consciousness' spiel. As it stands though, I can't recommend it, even it to Altman fans due to how sharply it contrasts with his usual style. Definitely one to skip.

"I am America. I'm a winner who lost every battle, up to and including the war. I am not the American nightmare. I am the American Dream. Period. That's why the system works. Because I am the system. Period."

"Now, if we don't -- we don't live peaceful, there's gonna be nothin' left in our graves except Clorox bottles and plastic fly swatters with red dots on 'em."

Nashville is one of those films that is difficult to describe because it doesn't have much in the way of a traditional plot structure. It's a movie about many things, or rather, about many people.
It's about country singers like Barbara Jean (Ronee Blakley) and Haven Hamilton (Henry Gibson) but also about neglected housewives like Linnea Reese (Lily Tomlin), organizers like her husband Delbert Reese (Ned Beatty), rockstars like Tom Frank (Keith Carradine) and eccentrics oddballs like L. A. Joan (Shelley Duvall) and Jeff Goldblum as the Tricycle Man.
Altman places his rotating cast of characters amidst the background of a presidential election and the celebration of America's bicentennial not so much to tell a story but to convey a feeling.
Patriotism pulses throughout the film like electricity, being only secondary to its more important and pressing subject: music.
Featuring many, many scenes of various artists performing songs in a variety of styles, it could be said that
Nonetheless, despite Altman's impressive mastery in juggling such a large cast of characters there is a point where the exercise becomes trite.
The obvious problem that rears its ugly head here is that not every character gets the same amount of screen time and many of the ongoing storylines end up unresolved. Characters are seen for one last time without any sort of satisfying conclusion to their arcs as they exit stage left. Not to mention that some of the interactions between them are inane and serve seemingly no purpose. Did we really need cameos of Elliot Gould and Julie Christie as themselves? No, and that is the film's biggest flaw: it's overindulgent, maximalist excess.

Nashville was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best ing Actress for Ronee Blakley's and Lily Tomlin's performances, winning for Best Original Song for "I'm Easy" at the 1976 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Nashville is an overambitious experiment that is dragged down by its bloated runtime and the necessity of keeping track of so many characters and storylines at once.
While the casts and plots of previous Altman films like McCabe & Mrs. Miller or The Long Goodbye were manageable, here they become too much and end up being to the film's detriment. The idea of painting in broad strokes the times and lives of a colorful and varied cast of characters might have sounded good on paper but in practice the script is stretched too thin between 24 major characters with their own overlapping arcs. Still, the technical mastery is a sight to behold and some of the songs are well-performed and memorable, for this reason Nashville remains a must-watch for Altman fans.

"Now, if we don't -- we don't live peaceful, there's gonna be nothin' left in our graves except Clorox bottles and plastic fly swatters with red dots on 'em."

This review may contain spoilers.

"Your friend was a murderer and a thief."
"That's a lie. I know he didn't kill her."
"Let me tell you something else. It's a minor crime, to kill your wife. The major crime is that he stole my money. Your friend stole my money, and the penalty for that is capital punishment."

A chain-smoking P.I., an author suffering from writer's block and his aggrieved wife, a creepy psychiatrist, a Jewish gangster with a penchant for violence and a friend dying under suspicious circumstances in Mexico.
What ties together all these disparate characters? This is the central mystery of The Long Goodbye, Robert Altman's unorthodox take on the noir genre.
Based on a Raymond Chandler novel, The Long Goodbye is about private detective Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) who finds himself at the center of a web of intrigue involving the alcoholic writer Roger Wade (Sterling Hayden) and his wife Eileen (Nina van Pallandt), his friend Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton) who mysteriously asks him to take him to Tijuana and is later accused of murdering his wife and a thug by the name of Marty Augustine (Mark Rydell) who rudely tells him Lennox owes him a ludicrous amount of money.
The pieces of the puzzle don't exactly fit together all that well and the reveal at the finale will leave more than one audience member confused but that doesn't concern Altman so much as the journey and the execution.
Because The Long Goodbye is very much a deconstruction of film noir, more concerned with subverting tropes and audience expectations than telling a straightforward story about hardboiled detectives and femme fatales.
The main theme (which serves as the only bit of non-diegetic music in the film) is composed by John Williams, a cool, slow track that serves essentially as Marlowe's leitmotif.
All of the Altman trademarks are there, including the large cast, overlapping dialogue and use of zoom-ins to focus attention on some background event, wether its important to the plot like Wade's suicide by sea or comedic like two dogs getting awkwardly amorous in a scene set in Mexico.
The performance by all the players are spot-on and the film even includes an uncredited cameo role from a young Arnold Schwarzenegger as one of Marty's bodyguards before he was famous.

Overall, The Long Goodbye is a film that seems more interested in playing around with genre conventions than it is with telling a coherent plot. The central mystery doesn't have a satisfying conclusion and I argue that it would have been better left unsolved but it's impossible not to feel captivated by Gould's clueless Marlowe or Hayden's suicidal Wade or even Rydell's unpredictable Augustine. For Altman it's all about the journey and not the destination. A must-watch for Altman fans.

"Nobody cares but me."
"Well that's you, Marlowe. You'll never learn, you're a born loser."
"Yeah, I even lost my cat."

This review may contain spoilers.

"If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass so much, follow me?"

After the surprise success of M*A*S*H, Robert Altman dazzled the world again with McCabe & Mrs. Miller, an adaptation of an obscure little book that serves as the platonic idea of the anti-Western.
Set in the small frontier town of Presbyterian Church, McCabe and Mrs. Miller centers on the lives of the eponymous John McCabe (Warren Beatty) and Constance Miller (Julie Christie) that form a partnership to run a whorehouse and bathhouse to serve the town.
Everything seems to mostly hum along smoothly until representatives from a big mining company offer to buy up McCabe's property.
He refuses and this prompts the company to hire goons to kill McCabe, which serves as the main source of conflict in the film.
Boasting of naturalistic dialogue and lighting, McCabe and Mrs. Miller thoroughly deconstructs the Western.
Initially feared as a ruthless gunslinger and seen as a confident braggart, McCabe is soon revealed to be a man full of insecurities and a bit of a mumbler. He doesn't defend the honor of respectable maidens but rather associates himself heavily with soiled doves in the capacity of a businessman. Leading lady Julie Christie plays not a respectable woman of high society but the shrewd and savvy madame in charge of running the whorehouse in the form of Constance Miller.
The town isn't composed of innocent souls terrorized by bandits but instead populated by grungy workers who indulge in all sorts of vice.
Much like in Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, it is savagery and not civilization that wins out in the end as McCabe unceremoniously dies in the snow after having "won" his fight against the bounty hunters while Constance indulges in a drug-induced reverie at the local opium den, a thorough evisceration of the mandatory happy ending that is endemic to the genre.
Other noteworthy aspects of the film include Shelley Duvall's standout performance as the bit player Ida Coyle, the tight-quarters cinematography of Vilmos Zsigmond that serves to create a sense of claustrophobia, especially as the walls start closing in on McCabe and the soundtrack provided by Leonard Cohen.
The film's only flaw in my opinion is its glacial pacing which, while effective to create a sense of dread and suspense in the climax, does the film no favors in its first and second acts.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller was nominated for Best Actress at the 1972 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, McCabe & Mrs. Miller is one of the most notable neo-westerns for its utter deconstruction of genre conventions and for showcasing Altman's distinct style as a director. The large ensemble cast never gets in the way of the central story, complementing rather than drowning it out like it would have in the hands of a less competent director.
Beatty's and Christie's performances as the main players are on-point, the cinematography breaks the mold by being mostly shot in interiors and the direction is phenomenal. A must-watch.

"So far you've cost me nothing but money. Money and pain. Pain, pain, pain."

"The English say, they are fighting for honor and the French are fighting for money."
"So they are both fighting for what they don't have!"

After the sleeper hit that was 2021's The Last Duel, it's disappointing to see director Ridley Scott take one step forward, two steps back with Napoleon (2023).
Portrayed by the otherwise superb Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon's characterization suffers tremendously as Scott apparently insisted on portraying him at times as an overemotional, petulant manchild with mommy issues and at times as almost inhumanly cold and stoic.
It doesn't help that the bulk of the film's focus is on Napoleon and Josephine's (Vanessa Kirby) romance, with the unfortunate fact that there is no chemistry between the actors.
The sex scenes are dry and ionless and I was left wondering at times what Napoleon even sees in Josephine and why the two are together.
The highlights of the film have to be the costume and set design as well as the battle sequences, short as they are.
The costumes and sets look suitably period accurate and the cinematography during the battle sequences pulse with chaotic energy. Which is why its a shame that they occupy such a relatively small portion of the screen time in favor of Napoleon and Josephine's romance.
Quite a lot of key events in Napoleon's life also didn't make the cut, such as the Peninsular War or the Egypt campaign which only gets a couple of scenes. Other historical inaccuracies also serve to drag down the film even further.
While technically impressive, the performances from its two leads leave more than a little to be desired although the ing players are competent enough, given their limited screen time.

Napoleon was nominated for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Napoleon is a rather disappointing film from a director that seemed to be on the cusp of a major comeback. It's glacial pacing isn't helped by the fact that it focuses on the comparatively uninteresting love story between Napoleon and Josephine and leaves out quite a lot of material that could have made for a more fascinating film. The battle sequences and costumes are the film's only redeeming elements but I hoped we had seen more of the former. Regrettably, this is one Ridley Scott film I'd advise skipping.

"You think you're so great because you have boats!"

"Louise, no matter what happens, I'm glad I came with you."

It's astonishing how in an age of rampant and nigh-unavoidable Internet spoilers I was able to go into Thelma & Louise mostly blind.
For the longest time I assumed that it was a chick flick played straight and was puzzled why a director like Ridley Scott known for his sci-fi classics like Alien and Blade Runner was at the helm, struggling to understand the enormous praise heaped on it by critics. So I was pleasantly surprised when I realized Thelma & Louise is actually one of the great entries in that most hallowed of American genres, the road trip film.
Louise (Susan Sarandon) is a waitress working at a diner while Thelma (Geena Davis) is a put-upon housewife. The two girl friends have organized a weekend getaway at a friend's cabin to go fishing when they make a fateful stop at a roadside bar that ends with both on the run from the law.
While they cruise around in their 1966 Thunderbird on their way to Mexico they are pursued by Hal Scolumb (Harvey Keitel), a Arkansas PD detective highly sympathetic to the two women who just wants to talk.
On their journey they cross paths with colorful characters like Louise's nice guy of a boyfriend Jimmy (Michael Madsen) and the dashing thief J.D. (Brad Pitt), all while avoiding the authorities in hot pursuit.
Despite my initial misgivings the film turned out to be more enjoyable than I though, thanks to Scott's masterful direction, the beautiful and awe-inspiring cinematography of the American Southwest, the score composed by Hans Zimmer and the strong performances from its two female leads. There's a strong feminist undercurrent to the proceedings but it's not as man-hating as some detractors have argued, with most of the bile reserved for a despicable rapist and Thelma's neglectful husband Darryl (Christopher McDonald), a buffonish man-child that deserves it.
The biggest flaw of the film is that it's a tad long and the second act breaks up the pacing and drags a little, but these are minor gripes compared to the experience taken as a whole.

Thelma & Louise was nominated for Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Actress for both Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon's performances, winning for Best Original Screenplay at the 1992 Academy Awards ceremony.

Overall, Thelma & Louise is a well acted, superbly scored and competently directed road trip movie that subverted my expectations and delivered a memorable experience. It lets Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon flex their acting chops and demonstrate their range as they seamlessly switch from comedic to dramatic as the script the demands. The ing players also bring their A-game and Zimmer's country-inspired soundtrack fits the film's tone and mood like a glove. A must-watch.

"You've always been crazy. This is just the first chance you've ever had to really express yourself."

ULTIMATE DEFINITE KINO LIST

THE GREATEST, MOST COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER, CHRONOLOGICALLY

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD, NATIONAL CINEMA, NEW WAVE(S), CULT CLASSICS, VIDEO NASTIES, GENRE FILMS, EXTREMITY, VULGAR AUTEURISM, CINEMA VERITE, DOCUMENTARIES, ANIMATION, ANIME

ITS ALL HERE

(WIP)

• Sallie Gardner at a Gallop

  England

• The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

• A Trip to the Moon

• The Great Train Robbery

  America

• Gertie the Dinosaur

  America

• The Birth of a Nation

  America

• Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages

  America

• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

• The Kid

  America

• The Phantom Carriage

  Sweden

...plus 1341 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.