Malcolm1980's 2024 Review Thread

[malcolm1980]

2/19



American Fiction (Cord Jefferson) ***1/2 - An African-American writer is having getting his works published and decides to write a stereotypical "black" book then experiences unexpected success. I have to say there are two very good movies going on here: A family comedy-drama focusing on an upper-middle class black family and a sharp and funny satire of liberal attitudes towards not only African American literature but the arts in general. I'm not sure if it entirely works but this film says things that needed to be said. Writer-director Cord Jefferson shows a lot of promise as a filmmaker and the cast is excellent especially Jeffrey Wright who shines in a rare lead role. It's not one of my favorites of the year but it's a solid effort and there's lots to admire about it.

[malcolm1980]

2/22

Woman in Hiding (Michael Gordon) *** - A woman decides to fake her death in order to try to escape her husband who is trying to kill her. This is yet another entry on the film noir "my spouse is trying to kill me" sub-genre and it's a damn entertaining one. Sure, there are some parts of the script that doesn't make sense and the film doesn't reinvent the genre in any way, shape or form. But Ida Lupino plays the lead and she always makes everything better. This film is no exception. She lifts the material and makes this more gripping and exciting. So it may not be a masterpiece but a solid watch for both fans and non-fans of the genre. It's now streaming in Criterion Channel.

[malcolm1980]

2/23


The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer) ***1/2 - A Nazi commandant's family live in relative comfort and peace in Auschwitz as the horrors of the Holocaust is happening just next door. It is as if we are watching two films at the same time. We see the mundane, privileged life of the family of a high-ranking Nazi but we hear just next door: a scream, a gunshot, a train pulling in, a few more gunshots, etc. The sounds of death is but white noise to these people. The effect is quite chilling. But I must say, I was not as blown away by this like other people. But I do like it and respect it a lot and acknowledge its brilliant artistry. Director Jonathan Glazer has created a portrait of the banality of evil in cinema like no other. It didn't crack my Top 10 but it's a great piece of work.

[malcolm1980]

2/24

Undercurrent (Vincente Minnelli) *** - A woman suspects her new husband may have murdered his brother and then she becomes obsessed with the brother. There are lots of great moments in this film noir. Katharine Hepburn is of course fantastic and really holds the film together (Robert Mitchum also shines in a small part despite being third billed). The third act is also terrific and quite twisty and suspenseful. But unfortunately, I have to say film noir/crime thrillers are not really director Vincente Minnelli's forte and even though there are well-directed moments in here, it's all wrapped up in a film that feels overlong and bloated....even though it's only a few minutes under two hours. So overall, it's an excellent eighty minute film in a 114 minute movie.

[malcolm1980]

2/25

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (Yuen Chor) ***1/2 - A young woman is kidnapped from her village and sold to a brothel where she is orced into prostitution. She then hatches a plan of bloody revenge to those who have wronged her. In many ways, this is your standard revenge action picture with your wronged protagonist with the cathartic violent action sequences in which you see them get their revenge. But this film actually goes into some surprising directions, particularly the ending which I will not spoil which actually gives some character, depth and nuance to what is essentially a pulpy martial arts revenge thriller. This is a Shaw Brothers martial arts film but it does feel almost like an atypical one so it's an essential watch.

Gunman in the Streets (Frank Tuttle) ***1/2 - An American army deserter turned criminal is on the lam in the streets of Paris after a violent shoot-out made him a wanted man. He tries to plan his escape but inconveniently falls for a woman. This is a pretty solid crime thriller and since it was made in Europe, it's a bit more explicit than your typical American ones. Despite the protagonist being largely unlikable, he is made compelling by the character of the woman he falls for, who is played magnificently by Simone Signoret. She is the one who makes this movie, as far as I'm concerned. So it's not quite a masterpiece but overall, a nice solid European-flavored film noir that is sure to satisfy both devoted and casual fans of the genre.

[malcolm1980]

2/26

Robot Dreams (Pablo Berger) ***1/2 - In an alternate reality New York populated by anthropomorphic animals, a lonely dog orders a robot and the two become best friends and the story of their friendship is told entirely without dialogue. When I was watching this, I thought how are they going to keep this story going to feature length? Couldn't have this worked better as a short? But they did and it is an utter delight. I found myself smiling all throughout. The ending in particular is just pitch perfect and unexpectedly moving. For them to pull it off without dialogue makes it even more special. I will also give it extra points for the numerous film references they sprinkled here and there. The Oscars definitely made a good choice nominating this for Best Animated Feature. It is a film not to be missed.

[malcolm1980]

2/27

The Unbelievable Truth (Hal Hartley) ***1/2 - A young woman who's constantly in fear of the end of the world through a nuclear holocaust, falls in love with a mechanic who just got out of prison for possibly being a mass murderer. As a huge cinephile/film geek, one of the biggest blind spot I have are the films of director Hal Hartley. This is my first foray into his brand of cinema and I liked this enough to know that it will not be my last. This is a comedy-drama in the very sense of the word: When it's a comedy, it's quite funny but when it tackles its more serious themes, it manages to nail it too. It features nice performances from Adrienne Shelley (in her first movie) and Robert John Burke in the leads. Finally scratched that Hal Hartley itch. Even at my age, it's nice to know I still have things to discover in cinema.

[malcolm1980]

2/29

La roue (Abel Gance) ***1/2 - A French train engineer finds a lost little English girl and decides to adopt her and raise her alongside his son and then we follow the path their lives take in this epic seven hour film (but divided into four chunks) from director Abel Gance. Is it too long? Yes, I think so. Did it need to be this long? I personally don't think so. Is the film simply a friggin' masterful work of art? Hell, yes. It is Abel Gance after all. This film is a simply wall-to-wall demonstration of what great filmmaking is. No lie, there are moments here where I mouthed the word "wow". Yes, it's a bit a chore to get to in parts but there's no denying it's a stunning work of art that's absolutely worth making time for even if you think it's too long. Highly recommended.

[malcolm1980]

3/1

Hitchcock/Truffaut (Kent Jones) ***1/2 - Back in the late 1960's, Francois Truffaut interviewed Alfred Hitchcock and published the interview in a book which was instrumental in the re-branding of Hitchcock's image from a simple entertainer to a major artist. This documentary interviews various filmmakers on the effect of that. This film does not break any ground. As a longtime student of cinema, this is simply a reminder on how great both Hitchcock and Truffaut are and Hitchcock's major imprint on the medium. But if you're a young or budding cinephile who wants to get a crash course, this is not a bad film to start with. Even though for me, at least, who has read and watched a lot of stuff between the two directors, this film does not hold that much new information or insight, I thought it was still an entertaining watch.

[malcolm1980]

3/2


Dune Part II (Denis Villenueve) **** - The continuation of the story of Paul Atreides and his rise to power as he leads the Fremen to rise up against the Harkonnens. Is this the first great film of 2024? I think so. Director Denis Villeneuve proves once again he can craft a smart, entertaining, visually striking science-fiction epics like no other. Having read the book, he managed to successful translate cinematically the complex story that an audience can understand without sacrificing the substance and actually gives the audience something to think about but yet is still a splendidly entertaining spectacle. The ensemble cast is uniformly great. Every technical aspect of this is firing in all cylinders and I do think it made me like the first part even more. An excellent piece of work all around.

The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (Raoul Ruiz) ***1/2 - Two narrators discuss the connections between a series of paintings as one of them walks through a live tableau recreation of the said painting. I have to admit, it took me a while to get into the wavelength of this strange little film. It's a mockumentary of sorts but I don't know if any of it is based on fact. But once I did catch on its wavelength, I thought it was a really unique piece of narrative that's oddly compelling and dream-like (which is actually very typical of Raoul Ruiz's films). It may not be for all tastes but more open-minded and adventurous cinephiles will find something to appreciate here.