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Posted: |
May 29, 2022 - 1:43 AM
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By: |
Tall Guy
(Member)
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Hey guys, I also love GODFATHER CODA! I thought I was the only one. Andy Garcia was great in it too, and I loved Pacino.
Yep, I was remiss in not mentioning Andy Garcia. His rise from relative outsider to Don was a bit too pat, but he managed to channel James Caan’s Santino whist reining back some of the impetuosity that was Sonny’s downfall. Still love his adherence to the old saying “it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission”, arranging the hits during Michael’s illness and then taking the fallout with insolent equanimity.
Unless I’m mistaken (and I haven’t checked), Vincent’s mother is played by the same actress whom Sonny had against the door all those years ago - a nice touch, if so.
The new cut seems also to have clarified the details of the financial shenanigans in the Vatican as well, unless half a bottle of Viognier rendered me particularly clear-minded last night. Which, let’s face it, is unlikely.
And whilst I’m handing out accolades, Eli Wallace was wonderful as the scheming Don Altobello, pouring out the love to all even as his black heart is working on their downfall. And Joe Mantegna as the appallingly self-deluding Joey Zasa deserves a mention as Tuco’s blunt instrument.
There’s been talk of a Part Four for years, following Vincent’s reign and intercutting with events in the 30s, but since Puzo’s death FFC seems not to have had the heart to develop it.
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Posted: |
May 29, 2022 - 2:15 AM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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Biggles (1986) ... 7+/10
One of my main reading interests aged 9-13 approx. was Biggles ... I bought or borrowed many of the novels and enjoyed most of the exploits ranging from the early days (the Flying Corp - WWI) through WWII and into his work as an Air Detective (Special Air Police). With his comrades: Algy, Ginger and sometimes Bertie plus Air Commodore Raymond ... and the recurring nasty, von Stalhein, I was happily entertained (even continuing to read these works after I'd started on the exploits of JB007 ...)
When a film was finally made (it had a much troubled development) I was eager to see it, despite then being aged 28. I could have been disappointed given the approach taken by the filmmakers but wasn't ... indeed I enjoyed it greatly. This takes account of the weak acting of the main stars ... I find their inexperience helps ... and to see Peter Cushing, in what was his last screen role, play such an endearing character added to my enjoyment.
The story is daft, of course, but then with time travel logic usually has to be suspended. There is plenty of humour, some decent action scenes - especially, of course, the flying sequences - and some pathos. Great location photography (spoiled a little by changing weather ... sometimes snow, sometimes green grass ...) and harrowing sets (the old factory, the trenches) evoking the WWI setting all work.
And then there is the music score - Stanislas Syrewicz (I'd never heard of him) - which, by all rights, I should have hated, I liked. Jon Anderson's Do You Want to Be a Hero? is simple but effective and the sound mix works very well. I didn't buy the LP originally but bought a second hand copy a few years later. I think I played side A trs.3-6 once ... never again ... and I didn't mind the dialogue. Ironically, I managed to sell the LP some years later because of one of those 4 rock/pop songs which I detested 
Probably my last viewing - BluRay to be recycled.
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Posted: |
May 29, 2022 - 5:52 AM
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By: |
jenkwombat
(Member)
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Hey guys, I also love GODFATHER CODA! I thought I was the only one. Andy Garcia was great in it too, and I loved Pacino.
Yep, I was remiss in not mentioning Andy Garcia. His rise from relative outsider to Don was a bit too pat, but he managed to channel James Caan’s Santino whist reining back some of the impetuosity that was Sonny’s downfall. Still love his adherence to the old saying “it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission”, arranging the hits during Michael’s illness and then taking the fallout with insolent equanimity.
Unless I’m mistaken (and I haven’t checked), Vincent’s mother is played by the same actress whom Sonny had against the door all those years ago - a nice touch, if so.
The new cut seems also to have clarified the details of the financial shenanigans in the Vatican as well, unless half a bottle of Viognier rendered me particularly clear-minded last night. Which, let’s face it, is unlikely.
And whilst I’m handing out accolades, Eli Wallace was wonderful as the scheming Don Altobello, pouring out the love to all even as his black heart is working on their downfall. And Joe Mantegna as the appallingly self-deluding Joey Zasa deserves a mention as Tuco’s blunt instrument.
There’s been talk of a Part Four for years, following Vincent’s reign and intercutting with events in the 30s, but since Puzo’s death FFC seems not to have had the heart to develop it.
This is a small detail, but I love the playfully vicious way Vincent says, "Zaza" --- after just blowing him (Joey Zaza) away in cold blood!!
Regarding a Part IV: It could work, provided the cast and script are right.
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Posted: |
May 30, 2022 - 5:48 AM
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By: |
Rameau
(Member)
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I'm not sure if this counts as a film, but, Val (2021). I saw it on Sky Documentaries & loved it, it's about the life of Val Kilmer, it sounds like it's narrated by him, but it's his son, who sounds exactly like his dad (as a result of throat cancer, Kilmer now breaths through a hole in his throat, & he plugs it with his finger to talk, & the sound that comes out is very strange, I understood around one word in ten). He goes through his whole life, his childhood & a lot of his films, the great thing is that he was a big video fan & loved to video everything, & now has a warehouse full of tapes that he's filmed throughout his life, so instead of a lot of still pictures, it's all video shot by Kilmer (home life & film sets). I was a fan & am even more of one now, I think he could be a bit of a problem with some directors, & there's some video of him being just that on the set of the troubled production of The Island Of Dr. Moreau (with Marlon Brando the size of a house).
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Posted: |
May 30, 2022 - 7:04 AM
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By: |
Solium
(Member)
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I'm not sure if this counts as a film, but, Val (2021). I saw it on Sky Documentaries & loved it, it's about the life of Val Kilmer, it sounds like it's narrated by him, but it's his son, who sounds exactly like his dad (as a result of throat cancer, Kilmer now breaths through a hole in his throat, & he plugs it with his finger to talk, & the sound that comes out is very strange, I understood around one word in ten). He goes through his whole life, his childhood & a lot of his films, the great thing is that he was a big video fan & loved to video everything, & now has a warehouse full of tapes that he's filmed throughout his life, so instead of a lot of still pictures, it's all video shot by Kilmer (home life & film sets). I was a fan & am even more of one now, I think he could be a bit of a problem with some directors, & there's some video of him being just that on the set of the troubled production of The Island Of Dr. Moreau (with Marlon Brando the size of a house).
Wow, I had no idea he has throat cancer. That's very tragic, he had everything going for him.
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Posted: |
Jun 1, 2022 - 1:34 PM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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The Devil Rides Out (1968) ... 7/10
#13 in the box set. This has always been my favourite Hammer film since the first time I saw it. Many years on, my third/fourth viewing, I acknowledge that it's all hokum and apart from a few magnificent houses and classy old cars it's a cheap affair.
But given the limited budget, with its decent cast, the film tells the story well and keeps the interest. Some of the time lines don't seem to work (Rex contacts the Duc after viewing the evening ceremony but the Duc is seen sitting at his desk ... in the daylight), back projection in the car journey is awful and logic re: characters travelling from A to B doesn't exist (e.g. how does Rex get back after his car crash, where does Mocata walk to after returning the Duc's car?) but with a willing point-of-view the 95 minutes delivers a fun ride.
It's nice to see Christopher Lee playing the good guy and there are a number of well-known British actors in support. The special effects are not great (e.g. the spider, the rearing horse which has a 1-2 second time loop) and James Bernard's score, effective as it is, is not my favourite ... it's a little too Dracula flavoured.
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Guns For San Sebastian (1968)7/10
With Anthony Quinn, Charles Bronson, Sam Jaffe, Anjanette Comer and the fat German from Hogan's Heroes.
Wanted man, Quinn is saved by Jaffe's priest. They travel to titular village. Priest is soon killed. The villagers think Quinn is a priest( despite his saying not). He helps them to defend the village against Charlie, who's in cahoots with th'indians.
Not your usually spaghetti, coz it isn't one, really. Filmed in Mexico, so there were more of the local types than the norm. And directed by une Frenchie. This had a better story than a lot but as a result the first half was a bit on the slow , talkative side. Which helps the plot but if you are after a shoot 'email up don't bother. Blu ray looked good, nice colours and scenery, be it a bit parched. No need to say how good the music was by EM. Has anyone noticed that, at the end of the film ( where Quinn escapes the soldiers) when the Bishop is saying mass. The choir sings a church like melody- the gregorian(?)counter melody is the same one that Basil P quotes in flesh and blood!
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Posted: |
Jun 2, 2022 - 11:12 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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TIGERLAND (2000) – 7/10
This film follows a group of recruits who go through Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana's infamous Tigerland--the last stop before Vietnam for tens of thousands of young men in 1971. The film focuses on two recruits in particular. “Jim Paxton” (Matthew Davis) is one of them, hoping the experience will give him fodder for a book. “Roland Bozz” (Colin Farrell), on the other hand, was drafted and uses every opportunity he can find to subvert the training. Bozz tries to keep his distance from everybody else, but Paxton is too intrigued by him to stay away. And he is not the only one paying close attention to everything Bozz does as the military machine tries its best to whittle him down to size.
Director Joel Schumacher shot the picture with 16mm film to give it a gritty, documentary-like feel. Colin Farrell, in his first major film role, holds one’s attention, and his character has more dimension to it than you first suspect. Good support is provided by Nick Searcy as the Army Captain with whom Farrell goes head-to-head. The film is probably best compared to the first half of FULL METAL JACKET, but still offers some new twists on the “basic training’ film genre.
Films about the Viet Nam War had fallen out of popularity by 2000, and TIGERLAND’s widest theatrical release was only five theaters. The $10 million production grossed a paltry $150,000. One track from Nathan Larson’s score appeared on the compilation CD “Nathan Larson: Filmusik,” released by Commotion Records in 2005.
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Guns For San Sebastian (1968)7/10
With Anthony Quinn, Charles Bronson, Sam Jaffe, Anjanette Comer and the fat German from Hogan's Heroes.
Wanted man, Quinn is saved by Jaffe's priest. They travel to titular village. Priest is soon killed. The villagers think Quinn is a priest( despite his saying not). He helps them to defend the village against Charlie, who's in cahoots with th'indians.
Not your usually spaghetti, coz it isn't one, really. Filmed in Mexico, so there were more of the local types than the norm. And directed by une Frenchie. This had a better story than a lot but as a result the first half was a bit on the slow , talkative side. Which helps the plot but if you are after a shoot 'email up don't bother. Blu ray looked good, nice colours and scenery, be it a bit parched. No need to say how good the music was by EM. Has anyone noticed that, at the end of the film ( where Quinn escapes the soldiers) when the Bishop is saying mass. The choir sings a church like melody- the gregorian(?)counter melody is the same one that Basil P quotes in flesh and blood!
Best part of Guns for san sebastian - altho decent "western" of sorts, is the brilliant opening credits of soldiers chasing Quinn to ennio's superb theme with the freeze frames. Very stylish. Still works today.
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Yup. When it first came on with with the opening crawl, it had a slight orange/brown hue to it. I thought someone had f**ck*d it up. However, it was just an effect, for the intro, phew! It wasn't perfect by far. Quinn was his usual, watchable self. What was odd here, was,that there were no quick draw shoot outs- no revolvers in 1746.I also read it was originally going to be Gregory Peck!
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Posted: |
Jun 4, 2022 - 12:39 AM
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By: |
Tall Guy
(Member)
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Sátántangó - 10/10
Probably not for everyone, this 435 minute-long film (around seven-and-a-half hours) shot in sometimes murky, sometimes incredibly detailed black and white by Béla Tarr and set on a decaying Hungarian collective farm in the mid-90s achieves beautifully what it sets out to do, hence the maximum score.
If you’ve seen Tarr’s other masterpiece Werckmeister Harmonies you’ll know pretty much what to expect. Close-ups held beyond the completion of dialogue, endless tracking shots of people walking,a static camera capturing circular activities of the actors, somehow both removed and intrusive. Estimates differ about how many shots there are in the film, but 150 to 160 seems about right, giving an average length of say three minutes. At least two of them are ten minutes plus. Compare that with your latest superhero film, car advert or music video and it’s no wonder that Sátántangó isn’t the most popular way to spend a bank holiday. Yet the longer cuts seem to pace the film so well that it doesn’t seem that long. Not a boring moment, not an indulgent shot, in the whole enterprise.
It comprises 12 segments, some of them showing, Rashomon-like, the same scene from different POVs. The “action” follows a group of workers on the eve of their annual payment, and the return of two of their number, long-thought dead, who may or may not be trying to relieve them of their very hard-earned cash.
The cast is relatively small, with some characters extraneous to the main story popping up for one scene (the secret police writing up reports on the group while navigating their packed lunches are comically sinister) but you get to know the main people largely through Tarr’s masterful direction, both by seeing them behave and by inference - there is hardly any exposition although there is an occasional narration, but the minimum necessary, some of it pretty obscure anyway.
The lead actor, Mihály Vig, also wrote the haunting score, part ethereal drone, part lilting but incessantly repetitive accordion music to accompany the drunken (and hilarious revels of the farmers). It’s fascinating and beautiful and I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
Apparently, Tarr suggested two sittings, and the Blu-ray is conveniently split over two discs. I managed it in four. It’s only the length of your average Scandi-police series, which you could binge in two days, so don’t let the length of Sátantángo put you off. Just about every shot has something arresting about it.
And if you’ve heard anything about it, it’s probably the infamous girl-and-cat scene. The director swears that the antics were rehearsed repeatedly until the cat got used to them, and some clever angles and faux kitty stand-ins rob it of much of the cruelty on display. The cat clearly isn’t having a great time if you know what to look for, however (ears pinned back, eyes wide-open) but as a cat lover I’d honestly say it was mild discomfort rather than the abuse which it’s intended to portray. There are far worse animal cruelty scenes in Argento and Godard, for example, not that I’d condone any of them in any degree. But when you’re an omnivore you have to not think too hard where some of your food comes from, and it’s the same with this.
I’ve ordered the director’s Turin Horse to explore further the work of this auteur, who manages to make the depressing into an immersive and important work of real value. Like I said, it’s not for everyone. You have to be prepared to surrender to it, and for me it was rewarding enoUgh to anticipate repeat viewings; but not every month!
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Posted: |
Jun 4, 2022 - 5:04 AM
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By: |
Les Jepson
(Member)
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Sátántangó - 10/10
Probably not for everyone, this 435 minute-long film (around seven-and-a-half hours) shot in sometimes murky, sometimes incredibly detailed black and white by Béla Tarr and set on a decaying Hungarian collective farm in the mid-90s achieves beautifully what it sets out to do, hence the maximum score.
If you’ve seen Tarr’s other masterpiece Werckmeister Harmonies you’ll know pretty much what to expect. Close-ups held beyond the completion of dialogue, endless tracking shots of people walking,a static camera capturing circular activities of the actors, somehow both removed and intrusive. Estimates differ about how many shots there are in the film, but 150 to 160 seems about right, giving an average length of say three minutes. At least two of them are ten minutes plus. Compare that with your latest superhero film, car advert or music video and it’s no wonder that Sátántangó isn’t the most popular way to spend a bank holiday. Yet the longer cuts seem to pace the film so well that it doesn’t seem that long. Not a boring moment, not an indulgent shot, in the whole enterprise.
It comprises 12 segments, some of them showing, Rashomon-like, the same scene from different POVs. The “action” follows a group of workers on the eve of their annual payment, and the return of two of their number, long-thought dead, who may or may not be trying to relieve them of their very hard-earned cash.
The cast is relatively small, with some characters extraneous to the main story popping up for one scene (the secret police writing up reports on the group while navigating their packed lunches are comically sinister) but you get to know the main people largely through Tarr’s masterful direction, both by seeing them behave and by inference - there is hardly any exposition although there is an occasional narration, but the minimum necessary, some of it pretty obscure anyway.
The lead actor, Mihály Vig, also wrote the haunting score, part ethereal drone, part lilting but incessantly repetitive accordion music to accompany the drunken (and hilarious revels of the farmers). It’s fascinating and beautiful and I’d buy it in a heartbeat.
Apparently, Tarr suggested two sittings, and the Blu-ray is conveniently split over two discs. I managed it in four. It’s only the length of your average Scandi-police series, which you could binge in two days, so don’t let the length of Sátantángo put you off. Just about every shot has something arresting about it.
And if you’ve heard anything about it, it’s probably the infamous girl-and-cat scene. The director swears that the antics were rehearsed repeatedly until the cat got used to them, and some clever angles and faux kitty stand-ins rob it of much of the cruelty on display. The cat clearly isn’t having a great time if you know what to look for, however (ears pinned back, eyes wide-open) but as a cat lover I’d honestly say it was mild discomfort rather than the abuse which it’s intended to portray. There are far worse animal cruelty scenes in Argento and Godard, for example, not that I’d condone any of them in any degree. But when you’re an omnivore you have to not think too hard where some of your food comes from, and it’s the same with this.
I’ve ordered the director’s Turin Horse to explore further the work of this auteur, who manages to make the depressing into an immersive and important work of real value. Like I said, it’s not for everyone. You have to be prepared to surrender to it, and for me it was rewarding enoUgh to anticipate repeat viewings; but not every month!
I'm not here to award scores -- not my thing -- just to say that I've seen THE TURIN HORSE. Although the film has nothing to do with the actual "Turin Horse" incident, it really affected me. The opening sequence with the horse and cart is mesmerising, and must have been a hell of a job to film. Ultimately, I was left with a considerable sense of desolation, which I'll never forget. To pull that off marks the film as top-notch in my view.
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MERRY WIVES (2021) – 8/10
Set in Harlem, in a vibrant and eclectic community of West African immigrants, MERRY WIVES is a New York story about tricks of the heart, performed and taped by The Public Theater in the heart of the City, Central Park's magical Delacorte Theater. The production, featuring an all-Black cast, is a raucous spin-off of Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” featuring the Bard's most beloved comic characters. This farce tells the story of the trickster “Falstaff” (Jacob Ming-Trent) and the wily wives (Pascale Armand and Jennifer Mogbock) who outwit him as he seeks to romance the neighborhood women.
Since, prior to this, I’ve neither read nor seen a production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” I wasn’t bothered by the fact that writer/adapter Jocelyn Bioh has reduced the number of characters in the piece by half and cut the running time of the play by a third. And the Shakespearean dialogue has almost been totally eliminated, in favor of a West African patois. The story itself doesn’t resonate any deeper than your average sitcom, and if it wasn’t for setting the action in a Black neighborhood, it wouldn’t carry any social significance at all.
Still, the production is well-acted, if (purposely) broadly played, and well-directed by Saheem Ali and Oskar Eustis. Taping the production outdoors must have presented unique challenges, but they pulled it off, aided by some creative set design. I saw the production when it was re-run recently on the PBS “Great Performances” series, and it is available for streaming from various services. It’s fun to watch, but I suppose I shouldn’t fool myself into thinking that I’ve seen Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor.”
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