Recent Viewings, Part 2

[Rev. Powell]

RESURRECTION (2025): We watch five illicit dreams of a "deliriant" rebel who continues to dream despite a futuristic ban on the practice. Bi Gan's epic anthology flows stylistically through the history of cinema, from silent expressionism through film noir all the way to millennial terror; some sections are dreamlike and others are straight dramas or magical realist parables, but all are enacted with luminous poetry and visual flair (including one of Gan's trademark ridiculously complex tracking shots). An event of a movie aimed squarely at deep cinephiles. 4.5/5.

[M.10rda]

L'ARGENT (1928):
Recently I mentioned that Dreyer's PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC was probably the greatest silent film, using the qualifier "probably" as of course I haven't seen every silent film and a vast number of such films are lost/unwatchable anyway, but I haven't seen one as good as POJOA and most I've seen don't come remotely close. However I remain open-minded thanks to occasional discoveries like 1928's L'ARGENT, a 3+ hour epic that easily laps most other silents in terms of cinematic storytelling and (if it had sound!) would rank respectably w/ the Best Picture nominees of any subsequent year. It's basically just like watching any movie from the 70s or 90s or the 21st century... only quieter.

In Italian "argent" means "silver" (hence the origin of Argentina) and in French it means "money". L'ARGENT is a French film and it's all about the filthy lucre. Nearly the entire long film takes place in an office or boardroom or on the floor of the French stock exchange - just one offer, deal, sale, trade, takeover, and double-cross after another. If you're a fan of "Succession" or "Industry" or WALL STREET, you will be able to keep up, more or less. Money has never made much sense to me (hence perhaps I don't have much of it) but I could still follow the broad strokes of the plot... but even more importantly (and like "Succession" and "Industry") L'ARGENT still works as Suspense Melodrama because it focuses vividly and thrillingly on a small handful of characters, and even if I didn't understand exactly what they were doing or exactly why, I still understood that they cared and they were excited and infuriated and devastated from twist to twist. The French intertitles do have English subtitles, though one's precise comprehension will still depend a bit on one's literacy of modern corporate markets, which (fortunately for less savvy viewers like me) seem to function today just like they did in 1928.

Two major factors make L'ARGENT succeed. One is the direction by Marcel L'Herbier. He shoots and edits everything like... well, like Scorsese would today (maybe a little better!). There are frequent short tracking shots that emphasize the action but also help underline the emotions of the characters. There are shot/reverse shots on close-ups of characters having long dialogues with only occasional dialogue intertitles. I can't read lips in French so I don't know what those characters are saying - and yet I know what those characters are saying, 'cause L'Herbier directs his actors and shoots his actors to capture all the intentions in their faces and in their physical gestures. The second factor is lead actor Pierre Alcover, who is onscreen about 90% of the time and thus is  indispensable to keeping the viewer focused and motivated. Alcover is decades ahead of his craft, giving a performance that would be less unusual in the late 20th century or today, but he's kind of breathtaking in the late 1920s. Alcover's monstrous "Saccard" is DeNiro as Al Capone, he's DeVito in OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY, he's James Gandolfini. The guy's amazing.

Brigitte Helm, who was figuratively and literally objectified in METROPOLIS, often complained that she only got to play hot young thing/damsel in distress roles. Although her character here is alluring to male characters and quite distressed, L'ARGENT gives her a lot to work with and she delivers a strong multi-dimensional performance. Antonin Artaud, playwright and creator of "Theatre of Cruelty" (the arts movement which paved the way for torture porn, alas), plays a supporting role here. (He is better showcased in POJOA, incidentally.) L'Herbier was considered an early master of Cinema by the likes of Renoir, Zulawski, and Jodorowsky. I haven't seen any of his other films...

4.5/5    ...But you bet I'm a-gonna' rectify that!

Oh PS the (brilliant) final scene is an indictment of global justice systems even today. Indeed some things never change.

[lester1/2jr]

The Woman In Black (1989) - Watched this based on Trevor's intriguing review. I usually watch movies with subtitles just so I don't miss anything, but I definitely needed them for this one. It's British and very "not for export" so it was challenging to follow some of the dialogue.

An insurance guy is sent out to assess a property way out on the marshes in England. When he gets there, it's clearly a haunted house situation. He struggles to do his mundane job while being subject to insane ghostly marsh yelling, paranormal pranks, and of course, the titular lady.

It kind of felt like a metaphor for serving in a war, like when he says to his boss "You sent me there because you were afraid". The ending, which is what I think inspired Trevor's avant garde looking review, is a wild and memorable one for sure. This was remade a while ago with Daniel Radcliffe in the main role. I might check that out.

4.5 /5 It's not a modern fancy horror thing with cute girls and gore and plot holes perfectly cleaned up, but for a TV movie from the 80's, it's pretty on point.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Rock N Roll High School" (1979)
Rock n' roller Riff Randell (P.J. Soles) leads a rebellion against her high school's new, music hating principal (Mary Woronov) with a little help from the Ramones -- and some high explosives.
Allan Arkush's cult classic, punk-rock update of 1950s "teens gone wild" movies has been one of my favorites since I was a teen. I've completely lost count of how many times I've seen it, but I never get tired of it.

[M.10rda]

In a just world, Principal Togar would be a Camp Icon the stature of Frank N. Furter.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Ava" (2020)
A female black-ops assassin (Jessica Chastain) is targeted for elimination by her employers after an assignment goes wrong. Lots of ultra violence ensues.
This action/drama has its fair share of butt kicking and an impressive supporting cast that includes Colin Farrell, Geena Davis, and John Malkovich, but the flick is saddled with an overly familiar plot and a lead character who's not very likable, so it's hard to root for her. If you're in the mood for a girl-powered action flick, skip this and re-watch "Atomic Blonde" instead.

[lester1/2jr]

Straight To VHS (2021) - This isn't a documentary about straight to video horror and action movies from the 80's, so stop salivating. It's about ONE movie in particular that's from Uruguay, so you probably haven't seen it. It's a thing where they try and find the guy and talk about how the movie affected people who watched it and they eventually meet some people who knew him. He told one guy that a man doesn't understand life unless he goes to bed with two women every night or something like that, so you know he was kind of on one/ a wacky creative type.

There's some sort of odd attempts at avant gard ness towards the end, but it mostly just makes you want to see this movie, which I am halfway through right now. It's called "Act of Violence in a Young Journalist" and so far is fairly enjoyable, but I have no other Uruguayan movies to compare it to, so not sure why it was so influential.

3/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Predator" (1987)
Deep in the jungles of South America, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his elite commando team are stalked and picked off by an otherworldly big game hunter. This sci-fi/horror/action mix is one of my favorite Arnold flicks, because for just a little while, it looks like he might actually lose. As "Predator" approaches its 40th (!) anniversary, it still holds up pretty well.

[indianasmith]

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE  (2025)

   This was a brilliant conclusion (?) to the 28 series; it picks up directly after 28 YEARS LATER.  A young boy named Spike, rescued from a horde of infected by a brutal gang called "The Jimmies," has to fight for his life to earn his place in their ranks, and then reluctantly gets dragged into their evil mayhem.  Meanwhile, the doctor from 28 YEARS LATER is working with an Alpha infected zombie, trying to find a way to still the homicidal rage and recover the person within the monster.  an interesting premise with a powerful conclusion!  Loved this one  5/5

RESTORATION (1998) - A great historical drama about King Charles II and a young physician named Marivel, who gets caught up in the corruption and decadence of the royal court, only to fall from the King's favor and return to his medical roots just in time for the great plague of 1664.  Solid performances all around, and the costumes and sets are absolutely gorgeous!  If you like 1600's costume dramas, this is a must watch!  5/5