Ozu films continue to amaze me with their quiet realism that melts into hypnotic escape. I can completely forget my life and be lost in the rhythms of his characters, and come through to the other side with a sort of calm resolve, a realization that life is simply what we make of it, day to day, hour by hour. While Late Spring remains my favorite for now, Early Summer is great in different ways, having a more lighthearted tone…
Girls are like "I needed this" and it's just a long walk through the untouched English countryside, reading a good book, meeting up with your bestie at the ball, looking like Keira Knightley, and for a handsome, considerate rich man to propose to you in a field at dawn by declaring "you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love--I love--I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on." after secretly arranging favors…
A captivating first foray into Argentine noir for me and I'm happy TCM featured this, it immediately caught my attention and now I'd love to see more from this director. La bestia debe morir is based on a source novel by Daniel Day-Lewis's father, but I enjoyed the flip of story structure they apparently employed for this film, starting off with the murder and bringing everything full circle after a series of flashbacks. The actors' performances were all very emotionally engaging and I didn't find it overly melodramatic aside from maybe a few moments. A gem worth seizing the chance to watch.
A while ago (pre-COVID) my parents and I were visiting my grandfather in the nursing home. His mind is still sharp, but just much slower. So our weekly visits with him, back when we could see him in person, were often just sitting together for a couple hours. Chatting, but slowly. We were in the lobby sitting area, where there are always the same few coffee table books set out. This time, there was inexplicably a new addition, a big…
