- The Ice Storm
If you watched Yi Yi and asked yourself, "self, i wish this had wayyy more Connecticut vibes in it" Cause open the Swiss Miss packets, grab the Pendleton blankets, and light the fireplace; it's a 2 hour snugglefest where all you want to do is give every character a warm hug. Give the casting director an Oscar, what a collection of talent.The Ice Storm - The Silent Partner
Odd film as 98% of it is driven by the always incredible Elliott Gould; doing his 70's humor and sex vibe thing; while the other 2% is helmed by a sadistic Christopher Plummer plucked straight out of an Italian giallo. This makes for an uneven tone and threatens to derail the whole picture at times. Probably one too many characters and 25 minutes too long. Soundtrack is top tier. Céline Lomez, my goodnessThe Silent Partner - Holiday
Smart, dark, funny, depressing. Ned is such a memorable character. Lew Ayres perfectly captures the nuance required to keep the character from being a caricature. Edward Everett and Jean Dixon's portrayals of the Potters are conducted with such mastery that they feel like friends you've known forever. Part Make Way for Tomorrow and part His Girl FridayHoliday - Spider Baby
While delivered in the style of a Hammer Horror, its substance shares the DNA of Freaks and is a generation prior to the Sawyer Family in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It's also really from 1964 which makes it even more bonkers. Uncle Peter might be the most socially tolerant character ever put to screen.Spider Baby - Hellraiser
The first half builds this highly developed emotional plot, but by the second half, it discards that ambitious story and regresses to a typical horror film. Other than the world building of the demons, Clare Higgins is the star. She channels this unbridled force throughout, reminding me of a lot of characters in Brian de Palma's films. Sags in the middle with one too many murder in the attic scenes and a few sequences that seemed to be included for thrills rather than used to build upon the deeper meaning.Hellraiser - Mad Max: Fury Road
Haven't seen this since its theatrical run, and it's head and shoulders above Furiosa as an action picture. Pretty stark contrast in production quality. Such a wonderful use of contrasting colors that sets the whole thing apart from nearly every modern mono-color graded film. The music sets the tempo from the start, while the direction perfectly matches the pace. Throw in huge action pieces, real locations, real stunts, real vehicles and make it all as metal as possible, and you're left with a mouth agape. Charlize gives too good a performance here for what is required of her character.Mad Max: Fury Road - Blow Out
De Palma masterfully combines audio, lighting, and editing in some of the most stunningly directed sequences you'll ever see; a testament to the art of crafting intrigue, suspense, and thrill. The second half loses its artistic grandeur as Lithgow is given more of the stage, changing the conclusion of the film into a more traditional action thriller. The final sequence of the film nearly knocked me out of my chair. This has better high points and doesn't reach the few cringe points of Dressed to Kill, but both are an absolute treat. Thank god for the film medium. Beautifully restored in 4K HDR. Don't do yourself a disservice and watch this on a sound bar or TV speakers. You only get to watch (or hear) a film for the first time once.Blow Out - The Flowers of St. FrancisIt's really a lovely hangout film with the friars. To create something so elegant and natural without being pretentious is a tremendous achievement. Beautifully shot while never feeling artificial, bravo Roberto. Also feels like a key piece of film that inspired Monty Python and the Holy Grail.The Flowers of St. Francis
- City of the Living Dead
The ultimate unbalanced film experience. Plot... nope Effective smoke/wind machine use... yup Appropriate character reactions... nope Banging soundtrack... yup Well paced... nope Gnarly death sequences... yup I'm definitely more of a Conquest and The Psychic Fulci kinda guyCity of the Living Dead - Ikiru
A cramped little room filled to the brim with people, all formal, all stiff. The rigid statues kneeled in order begin to melt and dissolve into a shapeless tangle of boozed up bodies, active in self reflection and meaningful conversation. A truly unique film experience. The first half is so visually striking, the dialogue almost seems excessive. The rest of the film isn't the same and is very verbose. The flashbacks in the final act were more distracting and broke up the power of the large group sequence rather than aiding itIkiru - Paisan
Unlike Rome, Open City, Paisan is an array of arresting locations, overflowing shots of bystander extras, and countless soul crushing moments. The second, third, and final episodes are real standouts; deeply moving pieces of film. It's the briskly paced editing that heightens the sense that imminent danger could be lurking at any frame. When the dreaded moments finally arrive; it's only briefly shown; then it's quickly off to the next thing. These devastating shell shock moments linger with you while the film continues onward, further amplifying the next inevitable gut punch. Quite a unique film experience.Paisan
