Category: ★★★
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Good, if impersonal, Kurosawa epic about thief (Nakadai Tatsuya) getting recruited to impersonate a warlord (also Nakadai). Complications, obviously, ensue. Kurosawa seems beholden to historical accuracy at the expense of natural drama. The film’s so packed with information, it could even use some more run time (as is, it’s over two and a half hours).…
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Outstanding, high concept comedy about misanthrope weatherman Bill Murray going to a small-town to cover the titular holiday, only to discover he can’t ever leave–he’s repeating the same day over and over and over again. Great Murray performance. Really smart script (by director Ramis and Danny Rubin). DVD, Blu-ray, Streaming.Continue reading →
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Slow-moving (but nothing compared to the W. Somerset Maugham source novel) and quite good adaptation about existentially miserable Paul Henreid, who–despite becoming a medical doctor–can’t get over his club foot, which sets him on a course of self-destruction involving a common waitress, played by Eleanor Parker. Phenomenal performance from Parker, good one from Henreid, great…
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Initially derivative, then good story of Korean teenager Kubozuka Yôsuke growing up in Japan and suffering racism. Lots of good stuff with the family and the friends, with the romance and the comedy coming in a distant third (and fourth). But then all of a sudden the romance gets good. Sometimes rocky–even through the denouement–but…
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The Rainmaker‘s got some beautiful stuff in it. My history with it is somewhat sorted… I discovered it on DVD, then abandoned it–and have now rediscovered it. I can’t remember what my last problem with it was–probably the same as my current one–but I was selling DVDs and needed cash. It’s not perfect and has…
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Delightful comedic thriller has Robert Redford leading a group of high tech security experts who run afoul of Redford’s old hippie pal/nemesis Ben Kingsley. Great performances throughout (from an awesome, varied supporting cast), wonderful direction from Robinson, and a lovely, playful James Horner score. 126 minutes of expertly executed fun. DVD, Blu-ray, Streaming.Continue reading →
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Black comedy about thief Robert Downey Jr. masquerading as an actor and getting wrapped up in a noir-ish L.A. conspiracy. Val Kilmer’s sort of the hard-boiled P.I., Michelle Monaghan’s sort of the femme fatale. Great performance from Downey and phenomenally constructed script from director Black enable the whole thing. Kilmer and Monaghan are both excellent…
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Arizona sheriff’s deputy Clint Eastwood goes to New York in pursuit of fugitive Don Stroud; his macho demeanor causes friction with New York cop Lee J. Cobb as well as sizzles with probation officer Susan Clark. More a character study than an action/thriller, though the Hollywood hippies stuff doesn’t age well. Nice performances from Eastwood…
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Sylvester Stallone’s a small town sheriff taking on dirty New York cops after internal affairs guy Robert De Niro inspires him to be a better cop. Beautifully made, some wonderful performances, but it doesn’t quite come together. The director’s cut adds thirteen minutes of not significant enough to make a difference side plots. DVD.Continue reading…
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The Shadow is not a perfect film, but there’s so much good about it. Besides that its great cast–Jonathan Winters is the only weak link–besides that its beautifully constructed screenplay–the best constructed one I can think of… I haven’t seen this film since the theater, so I was sixteen. I don’t remember liking it. I…
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Woody Allen has written around thirty films, probably thirty-four. Ten of these films are some of the finest in the last thirty years, give or take. But he tries something new in Melinda and Melinda and it doesn’t work. Of his recent work, his post-Miramax period, Melinda is the second strongest–Curse of the Jade Scorpion…
The Stop Button 