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Dig a Hole: Ben Gazzara
With all due credit to Ben and Sammy and a tremendous cast, the great scene-stealer of Convicts Four was (as always) the indescribably weird Timothy Carey. He has a swell scene with a slab of cake.— February 6, 2012 12:40 p.m.
This Week in Movies: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Albert Nobbs, A Separation
Javajoe, My review does not say that A Separation is a good movie simply because it has a realistic base. The stresses and loyalties of the people are wonderfully expressed, the layering is complex, and no one is turned into a stark villain, even the macho hothead who hides behind Islamic piety. You need to see some of those Iranian films, among the best in the world during the last 15 or so years. Enjoy. DE— January 26, 2012 11:48 p.m.
This Week in Movies: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Albert Nobbs, A Separation
Scott: you're welcome. Javajoe: In picking apart A Separation, you somehow missed the movie. It is grounded closely on real Iranian life, though with some credible short-cuts for dramatic effect. The movie is not unique. It carries forward a great modern tradition of factually rooted but inspired, low-budget Iranian films, some brave enough to make the director (notably Jafar Panahi) a victim of official repression. Go to Kensington Video and ask Guy to rent you some of the fine Iranian works (I'd recommend Offside, The Apple, Taste of Cherry, to name only a few). Joaquin: Man-faced? Is that in the exalted hip tradition of "man whore" and "manimal"? At this rate of progress, we may soon be back to referring to gay men as nancy boys. DE— January 26, 2012 1:17 p.m.
David Elliott on The Big Screen: A Review of The Iron Lady
Scott, Thank you for making the B.S. connection. If only Proust had had it, well, 'In Search of Lost Time' would be much shorter. DE.— January 12, 2012 5:02 p.m.
A Dozen Roses: The Best Movies of 2011
Nan. "War Horse" made it into my weed patch at column's end, and was the lead review of the Dec. 29 column, still posted. I can only underline my disappointment that Spielberg should use his populist talent as a filmmaker to tell the horrors of World War I through a horse story. It's the sort of confusion of categories you get when a huge budget and epic ego combine with a naive desire to reach a mass public sentimentally. You should rent or buy a copy of "The Black Stallion."— January 6, 2012 10:48 a.m.
A Dozen Roses: The Best Movies of 2011
Monaghan, Thanks for responding. Any such year-end list reflects personal taste (to what Bureau of Standards could one go for other criteria?). I don't know or much care if Buck Brannaman is a swell guy in person, but in Cindy Meehl's beautifully shaped and unhyped portrait he shows real feeling for people (after having survived a painful childhood), and the devotion of his daughter is quite a testimonial. "Blackthorn"is as real a Western as I have seen for many years, and a great visit to the Andes. Too bad you snoozed through "The Artist" and missed a fine movie. Was it the lack of chat that sank you? Having grown up in the South of the '50s and early '60s I can testify that "The Help" is, despite some sitcom devices, essentially accurate about the old racial divide. Since racism is sadly still alive in America (and in current politics), it was good to see a hit entertainment that reminded people of the hard history. And what a terrific group of women. Finally, "Le Quattro Volte" played downtown at the Gaslamp and "Le Havre" had a Landmark screen, but for any such imports viewers had better move fast. They are not likely to storm the boxoffice charts, and often get little mainstream attention. I shine a spotlight where I can, to help the good ones.— January 5, 2012 12:48 a.m.
Reviews of War Horse, We Bought a Zoo, Pariah
Blakely, Thanks for reading and writing. No, "War Horse" is not a good movie, and it goes flat even pictorially, and it short-changes the actual carnage of WWI, and no child should have to watch the horse in pain and panic. Of course, the movie never mentions that most of the British horses that survived awful service in the military were then shipped off to French meat packers and glue factories. The commercial piety of a feel-good finish is respected. Spielberg helped define those pieties.— December 28, 2011 4:47 p.m.
Movie Reviews: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Adventures of Tintin, A Dangerous Method
dwbat: The creepiness comes from a sense of the technology overriding all other values. And what charms in a comic-book frame can seem coldly overblown on the big screen, as in 'Tintin.' I prefer 'motion-capture' and 'blue-screen' tactics when they are allied with clever ideas, like the dream games anchored in familiar actors in 'Waking Life,' by Richard Linklater and Robert Sabiston. Or the glorious excess of nostalgia so beautifully stylized by Kerry Conran in 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,' a retro feast despite its reliance on very generic story elements. Thanks for reading.— December 22, 2011 6:16 p.m.
Before They Were Critics: David Elliott
Scott, Thank you for spotlighting me rather than Leyland Hodgson as Boggs or the great Clarence Muse as Butler (Rhett's brother). And for reminding readers what I once looked like with a pencil moustache. I used to wax it twice a day with glycerine, yearning to look like my hero Douglas Dumbrille. And thank you for the last photo, of a tragic Stooge. Did you know that Dorothy Comingore, better known as Mrs. Susan Alexander Kane (who by the way found my moustache adorable), appeared in two Stooges shorts under the name Linda Winters?— October 12, 2011 3:11 p.m.