Malcolm1980's 2024 Review Thread

[malcolm1980]

3/31

Love Under The Crucifix (Kinuyo Tanaka) ***1/2 - It's 15th century Japan and a young woman falls in love with her childhood sweetheart, a daimyo who's not only Christian but also married to another woman. This is handsomely mounted tragic drama from one of the few female directors in Japanese cinema, Kinuyo Tanaka. The film is a bit of a slow burn and it took a while to get into its wavelength but the film hits when it hits and it is of course, gorgeous to look at. The color cinematography and designs are impeccable. It's one of the more unusual Holy Week/Easter alternative viewings if you're looking for something to see at this time of year and you're getting sick of the re-watching the usual stuff.

[malcolm1980]

4/1

Accused of Murder (Joseph Kane) **1/2 - A beautiful immigrant lounge singer is suspected of murdering a crooked lawyer. A detective who seems smitten by her is on the case. This in many ways is your standard procedural film noir. Nothing more, nothing less. But the big reveal was a bit of an "Eh?" so it was kind of disappointing. I have to say the relationship between the singer and detective sort of reminds me Clouseau and the girl in A Shot in the Dark but done in a straight-forward manner. I recommend watching that instead. One reason to check this out, if you're so inclined is to see a young Lee Van Cleef as a younger, hothead police officer.

[malcolm1980]

4/3

Microcosmos (Claude Nuridsany/Marie Pérennou) **** - This is a documentary on the lives of insects and other small invertebrates. I have seen my share of nature and animal documentaries throughout my life. This film is one of the most extraordinary I have ever seen. With barely any narration, this is a beautifully shot film that made me see insects in a whole new light that is truly unforgettable. There are lots of moments of me saying in my head and under my breath, "how did they get that shot?" This coupled with both an outstanding score and sound design it is a nature documentary that is truly a unique experience and I saw this on a desktop computer. It must be more extraordinary on the big screen. I would say this is one of the best nature/animal documentaries ever made. Highly recommended.

[malcolm1980]

4/5

Born to Be Bad (Nicholas Ray) *** - A woman visits her cousin then proceeds to steal her rich fiance and claw her way up the social ladder while still having an affair with another man. I have to say, there's a lot of elements that remind me of All About Eve here, only without the showbiz aspect. It's nowhere near as great but it would make for an interesting double feature with it. What does make this film worth seeing is Joan Fontaine's performance. I have only seen her in sympathetic parts and to see her be a really nasty woman in this one and pulling it off with aplomb is truly a pleasure to see. Robert Ryan almost steals the show as her side piece. This is mid-tier Nicholas Ray but still worth a look.

[malcolm1980]

4/6

To Kill a Tiger (Nisha Pahuja) ***1/2 - This is a documentary that follows a man from a rural village in India seeking justice for his 13 year old daughter who was gang-raped. Societal pressures to “compromise” with the perpetrators and the low conviction rate of rape in India make this a challenge. This got a surprise nomination for Best Documentary at the Oscars this year and I can see why. It’s a film that will frustrate and anger you due to the way rape is handled in certain cultures. But ultimately it’s an inspiring film about the courage of both father and daughter to do what’s right. You really root for them here. It’s on Netflix now and it’s well worth seeing.

[malcolm1980]

4/7


The Damned Don't Cry (Vincent Sherman) ***1/2 - After experiencing an immense tragedy in her life, a housewife seeks to try and live a life of luxury and that involves getting herself entangled with the mob. This film stars Joan Crawford and even though this film is not often mentioned when it comes to her filmography, I personally think this is quite possibly one of her very best performances. She shows a lot of range in this one (as the role requires) and she pulls it off quite impressively. She actually lifts what would have been another B-noir into A-status. She's the one that makes the film a must-see and I think everyone especially fans of Crawford and the genre should see it.

Musica (Rudy Mancuso) *** - This is a semi-autobiographical film about a young man who's an aspiring musician/puppeteer and who also has synesthesia which causes him to perceive music and rhythm in his surroundings, as he goes through the typical problems of young adults these days. The plot is your typical romantic-comedy/coming-of-age of young adults who have to grow up trope. But added elements of puppetry and the use of music and rhythm to highlight makes this a bit more special (although some may find it a little too twee and annoying). First-time feature filmmaker Rudy Mancuso acquits himself well here both as a lead actor and director (he even gets a nice performance out of his non-actress real life mother). Overall, it's a pretty solid film that's well worth checking out especially those rhythmic sequences.

[malcolm1980]

4/9

My Little Loves (Jean Eustache) ***1/2 - A young boy on the cusp of adolescence moves from his grandmother's house in the country to his mom's house in the city and gets involved with an older, more experienced crowd. This is director Jean Eustache's second and, sadly, last feature film. It is far less famous than the first one, The Mother and The Whore, and at least in my personal opinion, it's the better one. It's a lovely coming of age film that is raw, honest and relatable. Sure, there are a lot of similar-ish films, even within French cinema and the French New Wave (like with Truffaut, for example) so it's understandable that this probably got lost in the shuffle. But it is truly an excellent film and should be seen more. Highly recommended.

Arrowsmith (John Ford) *** - This film follows the life and career of a young idealistic doctor from his marriage to a nurse, his time working in the rural area and his work as a researcher of infectious diseases. This is an early pre-Code drama from director John Ford. While it does have the elements that would be present in his non-Western, more humanist dramas, it is still a bit clunky and also being made in 1931, have some dated and now problematic elements. It takes a little while to get going but once it does, it has moments of actual brilliance in it that is vintage John Ford. Ronald Colman and Helen Hayes give excellent performances and holds the film together. I would rank this as one of John Ford's best but it was still an interesting watch.

[malcolm1980]

4/12

Phase IV (Saul Bass) *** - Scientists stationed at a desert monitor a colony of unusually intelligent, highly evolved and deadly killer ants and try to find ways to stop them. This is the first and only film from Saul Bass, who's best known for designing opening credit sequences for film. It's too bad because he really demonstrates an excellent grasp of the visual cinematic language here. From the great designs, visuals and beautiful cinematography to creatively, seamlessly and cleverly incorporating actual ant/insect footage to make the ants scary, he really made something special here. While overall the film is far from perfect (it is a bit clunkily paced and personally I don't know about that ending), I think there were sparks of greatness that shows what could have been. It's still worth seeing.

[malcolm1980]

4/13

Late Night with The Devil (Colin Cairnes/Cameron Cairnes) ***1/2 - It’s Halloween 1977. A late night TV show who has always trailed in the ratings behind Johnny Carson decides to put on the most daring ratings stunt yet: to summon and communicate with the devil. This is a real solid horror film which features great period detail (it really does feel this is from the 1970’s) as well as excellent performances. Character actor David Dasmatchlian finally gets to be the lead in this one and he truly runs with it as a talk show host in over his head. There are some genuine scares here and thankfully some sprinklings of satire and humor. Overall, it’s worth checking out.

[malcolm1980]

4/14

The Woman Next Door (Francois Truffaut) ***1/2 - A happily married family man's life is turned upside down when his ex-lover and her husband move in next door. They rekindle their passionate affair. You can say this could be director Francois Truffaut's entry to the erotic thriller sub-genre that proliferated in the 1980's through the 1990's even though there's hardly any violence and the sex isn't graphic and mostly off-screen. The tension and the spirit are present in this film but without the Hollywood gloss and grounded in reality. Gerard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant are the lovers in question and you totally get why they would get horny for each other yet also get why that would be a disastrous idea. This is a late Truffaut but still manages to be upper-tier and essential viewing. Highly recommended.

Sisu (Jelmari Helander) ***1/2 - It's 1944, near the end of World War II. A Finnish gold prospector decides to ignore the war and go about looking for gold. When finds his forture, a group of Nazis steal it. Then the fun begins. You know, I just realized if there's one group of people you'd love to see get mowed down by bullets, it's Nazis. This film does that for you and a more. Sure, it's simple, pulpy fun but sometimes that's all you need. The man wants his gold back so he's gonna kick Nazi ass. What else is there? It doesn't break new ground but it's very entertaining if you're in the mood for a good war/action film that's style over substance. Currently streaming on Netflix, so there are worse things you can watch.