Malcolm1980's 2024 Review Thread

[malcolm1980]

4/15

Fantomas I: In the Shadow of the Guillotine (Louis Feuillade) ***1/2 - This is the first part of a five-part silent movie serial from director Louis Feuillade, this time focusing on an infamous criminal who is a master of disguise. I debated whether or not to review this episode-by-episode or as one big five-hour movie so as you can see, I decided on the former since they're designed to be seen in segments anyway. In the first film, a mysterious criminal has kidnapped a wealthy aristocrat and could be colluding with his wife. This is a very good start to the series. Frankly, I marvel at how modern and twisty these crime plots are and there are less inter-titles than expected so director Feuillade actually tells a lot of the story visually with some inventive cinematography and editing. Suffice to say, I will be watching all five (and they are available for free on YouTube).

[malcolm1980]

4/16

Fantomas II: Juve vs. Fantomas (Louis Feuillade) ***1/2 - Police inspector Juve and his, I believe, his deputy Fandor pursue the ever elusive criminal Fantomas as he makes his getaway. This is the second part of the part film serial by director Louis Feuillade. It is insane how this 1913 silent film has so many of the familiar tropes of spy thrillers, procedurals and other genre films. It is almost like witnessing these things being written and perfected before your eyes because Feuillade already has the shooting and the editing of these scenes almost down pat. While the groundbreaking and historical nature of the film already makes it worth watching, the film itself is also quite a thrill since it is essentially a chase movie. Again, highly recommended.

[malcolm1980]

4/19

Fantomas III: The Murderous Corpse (Louis Feuillade) ***1/2 - The third part of the serial featuring master criminal Fantomas has him framing his murders and crimes to a dead man who he also had murdered. It's really extraordinary to find that early silent films are still capable of having outrageous, unpredictable plots such as this one. It is also the longest of the entries at ninety-seven minutes yet still manages to be just as tightly plotted and paced as the others. It's really impressive that these films manage to be both their own thing and a continuation of a series.

Fantomas IV: Fantomas vs. Fantomas (Louis Feuillade) *** - The infamous criminal Fantomas is now spreading a rumor that the man trying to capture him, Inspector Juve is actually Fantomas and gets him in prison. This is the fourth part of director Louis Feuillade's five-part film crime serial featuring the character of Fantomas. I have to say his one is probably my least favorite of the five. It's still an impressive piece of a whole but this one drags the most in plotting and pacing. But of course it's still worth watching. Let me use this review to say that Rene Navarre who plays Fantomas and his various alter-egos and disguises is one of the best silent film performances out there. He ties together this series quite well.

Fantomas V: The Fake Magistrate (Louis Feuillade) *** - The final part of the Fantomas serial has Fantomas imprisoned in Belgium. As Belgium commuted his sentence to life in prison and refuses to extradite him, Juve hatches a plot to have him escape and brought to France. I have to say this serial ends kind of disappointingly probably because this part has the most missing footage and it felt like it just ends. Since this is the final film of the series, let me give my overall thoughts on the entire series: This is not my favorite film/s from Louis Feuillade. I much prefer his other serials. But I do recognize this series as the one that would define film genres and tropes. And for that they're absolutely worth watching. It's like watching it being written in front of you.

[malcolm1980]

4/20

Abigail (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin/Tyler Gillett) *** - A group of would-be criminals are hired to kidnap the young daughter of certain nameless billionaire only to find out this little girl is actually a vampire. This is from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, collectively known as Radio Silence. It is a highly enjoyable vampire movie which may not break new ground but works because of the terrific ensemble and the sprinklings of dark humor in the script. Melissa Barrera is the lead but Dan Stevens is once doing some interesting character work while Alisha Weir is quite effective as the little girl vampire. The film could be a little tighter but as it is, it is a nice, pulpy enjoyable horror film.

Arcadian (Benjamin Brewer) *** - A father and his two teenage sons try to survive a post-apocalyptic world where monsters that hunt humans come out at night. Yes, this is pretty much A Quiet Place without the sound aspect to it (they are nocturnal monsters instead) and it even has some of the same narrative beats. But what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in some decent thrills and scares and the excellent performances by the cast (and an interesting creature design). Nicolas Cage might be top-billed but it's Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins who actually shine for a more significant amount of the film. This is a highly enjoyable entry to the monster creature-feature genre.

[malcolm1980]

4/21

What Jennifer Did (Jenny Popplewell) **1/2 - This is a true crime documentary on Jennifer Pan, a young Vietnamese-Canadian woman whose mother was murdered and her father was put in a coma by three mysterious intruders. I won't spoil those who want to watch it and don't know anything about the case. But you could guess where it's going by the half hour mark. While initially intriguing, once I realize what was happening I was like, "Oh, okay". There's potential here to examine the pressures given by immigrant parents to their children to succeed in their new country but they only touch upon it barely. It could've made this documentary better. But as it is, it's pretty standard. This is an okay Netflix time-killer.

[malcolm1980]

4/22

It Always Rains on Sundays (Robert Hamer) *** - An escaped convict hides out in his ex-lover's apartment where she has married another man and has a family with him. This is a British film noir from Ealing Studios which surprised me since I know them primarily for their comedies. Though there is some sprinklings of humor here and then, it is primarily a crime drama but it actually feels more like a Mike Leigh/kitchen sink drama through most of the running time because the characters and the atmosphere in the community take precedent to the main plot. However, no matter how you feel about this approach, the climax in the railway is worth sitting through alll that. So it's different kind of noir but it's still pretty darn good.

[malcolm1980]

4/24

The Boxer from Shantung (Chang Cheh/Pao Hsueh-Li) ***1/2 - A impoverished young man from the provinces goes to Shanghai for a better life. He ends up using his martial arts skills to climb atop the ladder of the criminal underground but his sense of decency clash with the more unscrupulous big bosses. This is a martial arts film from the Shaw Brothers studios. While there is still some bad-ass fight sequences as we come to expect from this, this film is darker, bloodier and more brutal than some of the martial arts films of this era. And it is pretty amazing. There is a bit of a pacing issue and it could be tighter but when the film delivers, it really delivers. The climax of this film reminds me Scarface. It is truly an unforgettable piece of work and I highly recommend more people, not just fans of the genre, should check it out.

[malcolm1980]

4/25

Year of the Dragon (Michael Cimino) *** - A New York City cop and Vietnam veteran discover and decides to take on the entire underground criminal organization in Chinatown. It seems appropriate that would see this in the actual Year of the Dragon. It's one of director Michael Cimino's few post-Heaven's Gate films and this one was met with mixed reviews and racism controversy when it first came out. While I don't think it's 100% politically correct by our current standards and while I do think the film is far from perfect, I found this to be a solid enough cop thriller, elevated by very good performances from Mickey Rourke and John Lone. It's worth watching for the climactic train track scene alone. So overall, it's a good, entertaining film that has some interesting elements in it.

[malcolm1980]

4/27


Challengers (Luca Guadagnino) ***1/2- This film explores the love triangle both on and off the court, between three tennis players. One who had to give up a tennis career to being a coach and two best friends who are both in love with her. There are a lot of words that came into my mind when trying to describe this movie: funny, sexy, exhilarating, compelling is among them. It is all that and it's also one of the year's best films so far. I'm not a tennis fan or a sports fan in general but the film managed to find a way to make it interesting. Casting three excellent (and beautiful) actors is a start. Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist all give fantastic performances as the main love threesome. The way they shot and edited the tennis sequences are pretty exciting too. I have to say director Luca Guadagnino has done it again and he continues his streak of pretty darn excellent films. That Trent Reznor-Atticus Ross score is fantastic too.

Short Cut To Hell (James Cagney) **1/2 - After a hit man finishes a job, he finds himself on the lam with the girlfriend of a police officer as hostage after he finds out that the money he was paid with traceable stolen money. This is the first and only directorial effort of James Cagney (yes, that James Cagney). While it is a well-made and put together film, I found myself not caring about the hit man character. I mean, villainous and unpleasant lead characters can be compelling but there was nothing else to the character. So while I see there are good and interesting elements in this film (I think James Cagney should've given it another try), the aforementioned fact about the lead character prevented me from really getting into the rest of it. So, yeah, recommended but with reservations.

[malcolm1980]

4/28

Legends of the Fall (Edward Zwick) *** - After their youngest brother tragically dies in war, two brothers compete for the love of his beautiful fiancee in a family drama that spans decades. This film has a lot of merit. James Horner's score is quite lovely and John Toll's Oscar-winning cinematography is lovely to look at. Plus the cast which includes Brad Pitt in his most beautiful (this is a '90s film after all) is quite excellent. Unfortunately, the script, based on a novella, doesn't quite transcend its melodramatic/soap opera elements until maybe the final minutes but by then it's too little, too late. I wouldn't call this essential cinema but if you're a fan of the cast, it could be worth a look.

The Shield of Honor (Emory Johnson) *** - A young cop whose father is also a cop gets himself in the middle of a jewel robbery due to the fact he has a romance with the daughter of the owner of the jewelry store. This is a silent film from the 1920's which would be referred to today as "copganda". It's pretty much a film which aims to glamorize the American Police, it explicitLy says so right in the opening. But the film is so well-crafted, you pretty much get swept up in the narrative. It's pretty much a cop action-thriller movie. The special effects are also quite excellent. Oh, Neil Hamilton plays the lead and he's Commissioner Gordon in the 1960's Batman if that entices you.