Cinema

​Transitional horror/sci-fi new to Blu-ray

August 24th, 2016

A pair of above-average horror/sci-fi films from the fifties debuted on Blu-ray this spring, both dealing with obsessed brain surgeons, each with elements of “Frankenstein.”

Their titles and promotional material make them seem like typical drive-in filler but both are a large step above their more lurid competition. Unlike most horror/sci-fi from that decade, neither giant monsters nor invaders from another planet are to be found in either film.

One of them is a modern-day (1950s)…

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​Legendary movie book comes to life in documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut”

August 24th, 2016

Finally making its way to HBO following a 2015 Cannes premiere and a festival run, Kent Jones’s “Hitchcock/Truffaut” demands attention from cinephiles of all ages. Bringing to life the 1966 book that emerged from a detailed series of face-to-face interviews conducted by Truffaut in Hollywood, Jones and co-scripter Serge Toubiana build a hagiographic monument to the filmmaker least in need of one.

Even so, Jones makes a compelling case for Hitchcock’s lasting appeal as a master…

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​1950s sci-fi and Cold War fears

August 17th, 2016

Last month two new Blu-ray releases featured low-budget sci-fi movies about monsters we cannot see (thus helping keep the budgets low). Neither is a “classic” but both are able to hold attention with their earnest acting that belies their budgets and rapid shooting schedules, as well as their expression of 1950s paranoias, safely and metaphorically dramatized within fictional fantasy. Both incorporate the familiar clash between scientists seeking new knowledge and military experts…

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​Suicide Squad: Ayer’s supervillain blitz messy and unsatisfying

August 17th, 2016

Filmmaker David Ayer’s “Fury” featured muscular action, effective use of screen space, coherent storytelling logic, and — even though we knew they were doomed from the first trailer — a ragtag group of soldiers with distinct personalities.

Not surprisingly given the nonstop tales of creative second-guessing and executive interference, virtually none of these qualities are on hand in the frustrating “Suicide Squad,” a critic-proof franchise rocket launcher affiliated with…

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​More noir: four Bogarts

August 10th, 2016

“The Big Sleep” (1946), Howard Hawks’ mystery-thriller starring Humphrey Bogart, is one of the best movie adaptations of Raymond Chandler’s detective Philip Marlowe, mainly thanks to Lauren Bacall figuring prominently in the cast and her obvious chemistry with Bogart. It’s packed with snappy, witty dialogue, sexual innuendoes with daring implications for the era (like the outrageously clever bookstore sequence), and a mystery so convoluted that the process of the investigation…

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​Mortensen is Captain Fantastic

August 10th, 2016

Filmmaker Matt Ross’s “Captain Fantastic” pursues a multifaceted thematic agenda as it explores the unorthodox off-the-grid lifestyle of a politically energized father of six, played to prickly perfection by Viggo Mortensen.

Despite the film’s “power to the people, stick it to the man” refrain, Ross accomplishes his most satisfying returns by examining the universally recognizable toll of grief on a nuclear family.

While some key moments test the limits of believability, Ross…

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​Westerns beyond formula

August 3rd, 2016

As well as iconic scenery, period settings, costumes and props, the Western genre is noted for its predictable, easy-to-follow morality plays of good vs. evil, even though story subtext might often reflect contemporary concerns. After the success of “Stagecoach” (1939) and especially after World War II, however, major directors at major studios would more frequently use the Western as a framework for psychological drama and social criticism.

A number of memorable westerns produced…

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​Mertens tries not to cross the streams in “Ghostheads” doc

August 3rd, 2016

Following a work-in-progress premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, Brendan Mertens’ “Ghostheads” moves to Netflix to capitalize on the theatrical release of Paul Feig’s “Ghostbusters” reboot.

Pitched to crowdfunders as a “documentary that explores the extreme side of Ghostbusters fandom, and looks back at the impact the franchise has had on the world over the past three decades,” Mertens’ film favors the former, exploring the cosplay subculture that devotes much time,…

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​Personal drama examines life in modern China

July 27th, 2016

“Mountains May Depart” (2015), written and directed by acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhangke, came out on Blu-ray this month from Kino Video.

It’s Zhangke’s first narrative feature since his Cannes Palme d’Or nominee “A Touch of Sin” (2013), which Kino released to Blu-ray in 2014. Both films are effective critiques of social problems and alienation that are by no means limited to modern China.

In “A Touch of Sin” Zhangke looked at the growth of violence in China in…

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​Feig’s “Ghostbusters” fires up the proton packs

July 27th, 2016

The insightful Caity Birmingham recently said, “Someday we'll be able to give ‘Ghostbusters’ an honest B- and cite ten movies that did the female scientist action buddy movie so much better.” You gotta admire the optimism in Ms. Birmingham’s note, since the discourse in the months – even years – leading up to Paul Feig’s parallel universe/remake/reboot/reimagining of the hugely popular 1984 comedy phenomenon has focused on an awful lot of ugly and ignorant outbursts…

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