a record of consumption, part five (being a new film journal)

3.14.2022
Denis Villeneuve Polytechnique 2009

Based on the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, a mass murder where misogynist Marc Lépine murdered fourteen women, and wounded ten women and four men.

Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger The Red Shoes 1948
(rewatch)

Have had The Red Shoes on LaserDisc, DVD, never on blu ray, and now on 4k, and not seen a Technicolor print, and this feels pretty close to that magic. Was really looking forward to seeing the reds on this, but the yellows, blues and blacks just unreal to see.....

3.15.2022
Joachim Trier The Worst Person in the World 2021

Shot on 35mm (saw a nice hair in the gate). Wonderful film, read it was like a romcom made by Bergman. Good stuff.

3.17.2022
Martin Campbell Casino Royale 2006
(rewatch)

Adrian Lyne Unfaithful 2002
(rewatch)
Diane Lane gets it on with a French bookseller in Soho when she gets bored of Richard Gere.

3.18.2022
Adrian Lyne Deep Water 2022
Garbage.

3.19.2022
William Lustig Maniac Cop 2 1990
(rewatch)

Strange, received the 4K of Maniac Cop 2 and The Accused in the mail, both films with crazed performance by Leo Rossi.

Dario Argento Phenomena 1985
(rewatch)
Jennifer Connelly Giallo style in 4K via Arrow Films.

Goliath Season 4

Goliath season 4 gets into bringing down Big Pharma. Dreamscapes and Chinatown San Francisco dominate the season. Great cast in addition to Billy Bob Thornton include: William Hurt, J.K. Simmons, Elias Koteas, Bruce Dern, Griffin Dunne, Robert Patrick, Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense), Jena Malone, Beth Grant (Donnie Darko, No Country for Old Men)

James L. Brooks Broadcast News 1987
(rewatch)

Criterion Collection purchase as my wife and I are very much wanting to dig into the William Hurt filmography. Strange role for Hurt as sort of sham news broadcaster inspired by the "anchormania”of Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings and Dan Rather.

3.20.2022
John Landis An American Werewolf in London 1981
(rewatch)

4K rewatch, via Arrow Films. Can't go wrong with a film with Jenny Agutter. Cinematography by Robert Paynter (Superman II & III, Trading Places, National Lampoon's European Vacation) which has a very pleasant feel especially when the travelers go out to "the moors". Score by Elmer Bernstein, with the song Blue Moon in various versions by Sam Cooke + Bobby Vinton + The Marcels, and Moondance by Van Morrison, plus Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Siân Heder CODA 2021

Very good "feel good" film. Dig the kid's King Crimson Discipline t-shirt. Great performances, especially by the father Troy Kotsur.

Jonathan Kaplan The Accused 1988
(rewatch)
Essential late 80s film.

3.21.2022
William Lusting Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence 1993
(rewatch)
4k rewatch, as with other Maniac Cop films; co-produced and written by Larry Cohen. Robert Davi is great in these films, in MC 3 we find Robert Forster as a smooth talking self-as·sured Doctor Powell. Excellent score by Joel Goldsmith.

Joanna Hogg The Souvenir: Part II 2021
Very nice film!

3.22.2022
Wes Craven The Hills Have Eyes 1977
Visually beautiful film, shot in the Mojave Desert by cinematography Eric Saarinen, who's father was the great architect Eero Saarinen, and grandfather Eliel Saarinen.

Jon Watts Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017
My friend described this as an homage to the more edgy 80s high school films. Good stuff.

Kathryn Bigelow Near Dark 1987
(rewatch)
One of the best vampire films. Music by Tangerine Dream. Beautiful dark stuff, shot by Adam Greenberg (Terminator, Terminator 2, Ghost). Essential 80s film.

3.23.2022
Billy Wilder Some Like It Hot 1959
(rewatch)
Essential 4K rewatch.

3.24.2022
John Huston The Maltese Falcon 1941
(rewatch)

One only need meditate on the names involved: John Huston, Dashiell Hammett, Humphrey Bogart, Elisha Cook Jr., Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, Arthur Edeson (director of photography), Adolph Deutsch (music), Hal B. Wallis.

3.25.2022
Chad Stahelski John Wick 2014
(rewatch)
Essential 4K rewatch.

3.26.2022
Richard Tuggle Tightrope 1984
(rewatch)
Very strange Clint Eastwood film, prostitute obsessed detective in New Orleans after a serial killer.

3.27.2022
Jane Campion The Water Diary 2006
Children reacting to drought.

Thomas Vinterberg Last Round 1993
Stunning early film by Vinterberg, starring Thomas Bo Larsen.

Thomas Vinterberg The Boy Who Walked Backwards 1994
Another beaut by Vinterberg.

Jesper Jargil The Purified 2003
Dogma 95 documentary.

Douglas Sirk Written on the Wind 1956
(rewatch)
Manhattan to Texas with Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, and Dorothy Malone. Stunning photography by Russell Metty. Perhaps Sirk's best.

3.28.2022
Jon Watts Spider-Man: Far From Home 2019
High school film with kids going on a cultural tour through Europe, with some trouble from water and fire.

Nicolas Winding Refn Pusher 1996
First Refn film, stunning performance by Kim Bodnia as Frank. Also early film for Mads Mikkelsen.

3.29.2022
John Huston The Misfits 1961
(rewatch)

Serious grown up movie with stunning performances by Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Eli Wallach, Montgomery Clift, and Thelma Ritter. Heavy themes. Screenplay by Arthur Miller, Cinematography Russell Metty whom also shot Written on the Wind a few films up.

3.30.2022
Liu Chia-Liang The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter 1984
Brand new Arrow Films release of Shaw Brothers classic.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz All About Eve 1950
(rewatch)
Eve = Evil.

Katt Shea Poison Ivy 1992

3.31.2022
Michael Steinberg, Neal Jimenez The Waterdance 1992
Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, and William Forsythe play paraplegics in a rehabilitation home. Pretty good film, Snipes and Forsythe are stunning. Grace Zabriskie plays Forsythe's mother.

Todd Haynes Far from Heaven 2002
(rewatch)
Haynes on Sirk. Great film.

Peter Tscherkassky Train Again 2021
(rewatch)
Noticed clips from Spirit of the Beehive and The Shining this time around. Great film.

Peter Tscherkassky Dream Work 2001
(rewatch)
Great stuff.

4.1.2022
Goliath Season 1 & 2
Watching these the last couple of weeks. Again good cast, with more Billy Bob Thornton and John Hurt plus Maria Bello, Molly Parker, Lou Diamond Phillips, Paul Williams and many more.

Grace Lee Barrier Device 2002
Short film on Criterion Channel with Sandra Oh.

Michael Anderson Logan’s Run 1976
(rewatch)
Not a fan of the film but love Jenny Agutter & Richard Jordan in it.

Neil Burger Limitless 2011
I call this too fried on friday night to watch criterion....