Archive | June 2014
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The Lynch Ledger-Entry Four: Blue Velvet (1986)
Still THE ONE, for so many, and in such a variety of ways. This was Lynch’s true “coming out” party as an artistic master. “Eraserhead” was just a warm-up. “The Elephant Man” provided mainstream acceptance. “Dune” was the ambitious misfire. But with “Blue Velvet”, David Lynch had arrived. For some, he would never surpass it(for […]
Omar
And this wraps up the Best Foreign Language Oscar nominee crop from this past Academy Awards ceremony. You’ll find all five films reviewed here on the blog, of course. I believe the riveting “The Missing Picture”, from Cambodia, should have been the winner, but the victorious “The Great Beauty”, out of Italy, was quite fine […]
“Lucy” & Luc
Can Scarlett carry one by herself? I guess now would be the time to find out, after a quintet of critically and/or financially successful releases in the last 10 months. That’s some work rate. They were, in order of North American release, “Don Jon”, “Her”, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, “Under the Skin” and “Chef”. […]
Flashback: on 1955’s East of Eden
It’s impossible to un-see it. You can try, but I don’t believe it can be accomplished. As many know, the iconic James Dean only managed 3 major film roles in his tragically cut short life. But “East of Eden” was his debut…and he burns up the screen. I first experienced this film on broadcast television, […]
Rohmer’s “A Summer’s Tale” ushers in the solstice!
Eric Rohmer, the intelligent, contemplative, French filmmaker, passed away in January in 2010 at the age of 89. Renowned for works like 1969’s “My Night at Maud’s”, 1970’s “Claire’s Knee” and 1983’s “Pauline at the Beach”, among many others, made Rohmer a staple of the late 20th century’s art film scene. An elegant director with […]
Ernest & Celestine
An utterly charming, animated creation, that stood against the titanic force of “Frozen” for this year’s Best Animated Feature Oscar—and failed to conquer. But you know what…it’s better. In fact, having reviewed 4 of the 5 nominees for that category at this point(this film, the winner, “The Croods” and “Despicable Me 2″…with just “The Wind […]
“The Boxtrolls” is coming!
I’ve been pretty excited for “The Boxtrolls”, solely because it’s from the fledgling Laika studios. The animation company’s track record is darn good, with two stop-motion feature releases—and two Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature. I’m digging those odds. Plus, Laika obviously has a taste for the macabre—and the spooky stuff is where I […]
Edge of Tomorrow 3D
It’s fantastic. And I mean, absolutely, summer-blockbuster exciting, marvelous. It’s action-driven, the plot is smart and understandable, and the creatures are original and really cool. It takes all of the best aspects of James Cameron’s superb “Aliens” from 1986(including a very strong female lead), and then combines it with the “do-over” aspects of 1993’s terrific […]
“Venus in Fur”…does Polanski still have “it”?
Roman Polanski has been directing feature films for over 50 years, and his renowned resume is that of a true master. 1962’s “Knife in the Water”. “Repulsion” in 1965. In 1968, came the iconic “Rosemary’s Baby”, followed in 1971 by a violent version of “Macbeth” that screamed of the horrors of Roman’s own life(this Shakespeare […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 