Viewing Log: 2016
An on-going list of films I watched for the first time in 2016, arranged in the order in which I saw them.
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51 titles
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMichael DouglasMatt DamonScott BakulaA chronicle of the tempestuous six-year romance between megastar singer Liberace and his young lover Scott Thorson.Impeccable craftsmanship combined with standout performances from the leads. As much as I love Soderbergh's observational aesthetic, he's perhaps too dry, too distant for this type of material. You wonder what a filmmaker more prone to melodrama might've made of this. While it does well to show the seamier side of celebrity & the machinations of an abusive relationship, it needed the punch of someone like Fassbinder.
- 8/10
- DirectorBen KellettStarsBrendan O'CarrollDermot O'NeillEilish O'CarrollA company tries to shut down Mrs Brown's fruit and veg stall. They can feck off.
- 5/10
- DirectorIain ForsythJane PollardStarsNick CaveSusie BickWarren EllisWriter and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.
- 8/10
- DirectorMichael MannStarsJames CaanTuesday WeldWillie NelsonAn ace safe cracker wants to do one last big heist for the mob before going straight.An intense, neon-lit, existential character-study; as much about the psychology of the imprisoned mind as the more obvious crime story theatrics. Frank is a character who finds himself being slowly incarcerated by circumstance; his need for freedom forcing him down a path of almost Samurai-like self-cleansing through violent self-destruction. The first flicker of Mann as American cinema's preeminent modernist master.
- 10/10
- DirectorTed PostStarsClint EastwoodHal HolbrookMitchell RyanInspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan pursues a conspiracy of vigilante cops, who are not above going beyond the law to kill San Francisco's undesirables.
- 9/10
- DirectorJames FargoStarsClint EastwoodTyne DalyHarry GuardinoInspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan reluctantly teams up with rookie Inspector Kate Moore to foil a terrorist organization made up of disgruntled Vietnam veterans.
- 6/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockePat HingleWhen a woman exacts deadly revenge on the aggressors who raped her and her sister ten years earlier, Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan is assigned to the case.
- 9/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockePat HingleA hard but mediocre cop is assigned to escort a prostitute into custody from Las Vegas to Phoenix, so that she can testify in a mob trial. But a lot of people are literally betting that they won't make it into town alive.
- 8/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodFreddie JonesDavid HuffmanA pilot is sent into the Soviet Union on a mission to steal a prototype jet fighter that can be partially controlled by a neuralink.A shaggy dog effort that mixes scenes of suspenseful & often beautifully staged espionage with lengthy special effect sequences of the protagonist sitting in front of a blue screen. While both parts of the film still contain some exceptional moments, Firefox never finds a level of consistency. As actor & director, Eastwood seems to be taking things very seriously, but his co-stars chew the scenery out from under him.
- 6/10
- DirectorRichard TuggleClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGeneviève BujoldDan HedayaNew Orleans single dad and cop Wes Block goes after a serial rapist-killer, but when he gets too close the hunter suddenly becomes the hunted.Eastwood apparently took over directorial duties mid-way through; true enough, several scenes show the mark of the auteur behind Sudden Impact; the silhouetted blackness & red hued degradation carrying across from that particular film into this tale of psychological disintegration. While not as powerful or compelling as his own credited effort, the idea of a character being corrupted by violence is an intriguing one.
- 8/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodCharlie SheenRaul JuliaA veteran detective is assigned a rookie partner after his previous partner is killed by a car theft gang. He is determined to apprehend those responsible for his friend's death but his new partner isn't really up to the task.Too busy watching the way the film was made to be concerned about the content. From the opening dream sequence, with stark silhouettes & fragmented cutting, to the jaw-dropping image of the car erupting from an exploding building, this highlights some of Eastwood's most audacious direction. The casting & characterisations are weak, but lighting, editing, colour & composition are not just excellent but often intrepid.
- 7/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeGeoffrey LewisAn idealistic, modern-day cowboy struggles to keep his Wild West show afloat in the face of hard luck and waning interest.Is the big top a microcosm of the American heartland or a stand-in for the cinema itself? Arguably Eastwood's most personal film, 'Bronco' takes some of the same wacky comedy & good ol' boy archetypes of his earlier orangutan movies, but punctuates them with something more reflective & yearning. It's a film about the end of the West; about performers & performing; the business of show; about Eastwood & his audience.
- 8/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodMeryl StreepAnnie CorleyPhotographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson for four days in the 1960s.
- 9/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodKyle EastwoodJohn McIntireA boy with a music talent goes on a journey with his uncle for a stage concert.
- 9/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGene HackmanEd HarrisCareer thief Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood) witnesses a horrific crime involving U.S. President Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman).Fails to connect. Pacing is sluggish, set-pieces lack confidence & plot falls apart under scrutiny. If there's interest to be had it's in the heft of the film's rich thematic subtext; the air of political corruption & the disillusionment with modern justice exploiting those without power capture the (pre-Clinton scandal) zeitgeist. Early scenes establish a theme of voyeurism & objectification, but this goes nowhere.
- 5/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodIsaiah WashingtonLisaGay HamiltonCan an over-the-hill journalist uncover the evidence that can prove a death row inmate's innocence just hours before his execution?
- 8/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodTommy Lee JonesDonald SutherlandWhen retired engineer Frank Corvin is called upon to rescue a failing satellite, he insists that his equally old teammates accompany him into space.
- 5/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodJeff DanielsAnjelica HustonStill recovering from a heart transplant, retired F.B.I. profiler Terry McCaleb returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.
- 6/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsKevin CostnerClint EastwoodLaura DernA kidnapped boy strikes up a friendship with his captor, an escaped convict on the run from the law, while the search for him continues.
- 9/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodSondra LockeChief Dan GeorgeMissouri farmer Josey Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.
- 10/10
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsMaria SchneiderJoe DallesandroDanièle GégauffElizabeth sends telegrams to her old boyfriend Ben in NYC and to her younger sister Leo in Rome to join her in Paris, where she is selling her dead father's estate. When Ben and Leo arrive, a mysterious adventure begins.
- 7/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodMarsha MasonEverett McGillHard-nosed, hard-living Marine Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway clashes with his superiors and his ex-wife as he takes command of a spoiled recon platoon with a bad attitude.
- 7/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodJeff FaheyCharlotte CornwellA thinly fictionalized account of a legendary movie director, whose desire to hunt down an animal turns into a grim situation with his movie crew in Africa.
- 8/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsJohn CusackKevin SpaceyJack ThompsonA visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.The promise of Eastwood approaching the worlds of the Southern Gothic, magical realism & black comedy seems incredibly enticing, but the film disappoints. It's directionless; the story meanders; the comedy isn't funny & the drama isn't engaging. While the first act captures a sense of atmosphere & picaresque wonder, it soon gets lost in the flow of an uninteresting assemblage of plot with its weak characterisations.
- 5/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodJessica WalterDonna MillsThe life of a disc jockey is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan.
- 7/10
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodLee J. CobbSusan ClarkArizona Deputy Sheriff Coogan is sent to New York City to escort an escaped fugitive back for trial.
- 5/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodGeorge KennedyVonetta McGeeClassical art professor and collector Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.
- 7/10
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsClint EastwoodRobert DuvallJohn SaxonAn ex-bounty hunter reluctantly helps a wealthy landowner and his henchmen track down a Mexican revolutionary leader.
- 6/10
- DirectorGiulio ParadisiStarsMel FerrerGlenn FordLance HenriksenThe soul of a young girl with telekinetic powers and her mother become the prize in a battle between good ETs and evil ETs.
- 7/10
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.An absolute masterpiece from John Woo. The greatest synthesis of his preferred themes (outsiders, nobility, redemption, brothers on opposite sides of the law) with that ultra stylish, ultra violent approach to screen action. Drawing on the obvious influences of Peckinpah, Scorsese & Melville, the real innovation was in approaching gun battles with the same stylistic abandon as the sword-fights in old Wuxia films.
- 9/10
- DirectorEmilio MiragliaStarsBarbara BouchetUgo PagliaiMarina MalfattiTwo sisters inherit their family castle, which is said to be haunted by their ancestor, a dark-haired, red-robed woman who is said to take seven lives every hundred years.
- 7/10
- DirectorLuciano ErcoliStarsFrank WolffNieves NavarroSimón AndreuAfter a French stripper is harassed by a man who wants a cache of diamonds stolen by her late father, she flees to England in the company of a doctor, but danger follows.
- 8/10
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsRyan GoslingKristin Scott ThomasVithaya PansringarmJulian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death.
- 5/10
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsSamuel L. JacksonKurt RussellJennifer Jason LeighIn the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.Tarantino's most Godardian film. A grotesque, blackly comic study on violence & morality, which seems to be using fiction to draw disquieting parallels to situations occurring in the modern world. Full of lengthy political discussion, digressions & deconstructions, even the decision to shoot 70mm, despite taking place almost entirely in a log-cabin, evokes Godard's practice of shooting domestic drama in Cinemascope.
- 9/10
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodVerna BloomMarianna HillA gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.
- 9/10
- DirectorJerry ParisJames SignorelliStarsSteve GuttenbergBubba SmithDavid GrafWhen a new gang moves into town it's up to the screwball police team to stop them.
- 2/10
- DirectorTony ScottStarsChristian SlaterPatricia ArquetteDennis HopperIn Detroit, a pop-culture nerd steals cocaine from his new wife's pimp and tries to sell it in Hollywood, prompting the mobsters who own the drugs to pursue the couple.I think Scott gets it wrong. Tarantino's original text was a characteristic jumble of scenes & chronologies. It had a Chinese whispers quality, where the narrative is refracted through a movie geek protagonist trying to see his life in terms of Charles Bronson/Sonny Chiba movies. Scott reduces this to a mere surface, turning the story into a straightforward account; sentimentality soaked in 80s action cinema gloss.
- 5/10
- DirectorKen RussellStarsRobert PowellGeorgina HaleLee MontagueComposer Gustav Mahler's (Robert Powell) life, told in a series of flashbacks as he and his wife (Georgina Hale) discuss their failing marriage during a train journey.
- 8/10
- DirectorKevin SmithStarsJustin LongMichael ParksHaley Joel OsmentA brash and arrogant podcaster gets more than he bargained for when he travels to Canada to interview a mysterious recluse... who has a rather disturbing fondness for walruses.A shade too long, tonally confused & distracted, Tusk is nonetheless Kevin Smith at his zaniest & most creative; a fully-baked spoof of The Human Centipede that reminds the audience of his one-of-a-kind approach to character-based storytelling & perhaps his most sophisticated work of cinema to date. The villain in particular is brilliantly-realised; his dialog at once darkly comic, insightful, anguished, sympathetic.
- 7/10
- DirectorDerek JarmanStarsSteven WaddingtonKevin CollinsAndrew TiernanIn this Derek Jarman version of Christopher Marlowe's Elizabethan drama, in modern costumes and settings, Plantagenet king Edward II hands the power-craving nobility the perfect excuse by taking as lover besides his diplomatic wife, the French princess Isabel, not an acceptable lady at court but the ambitious Piers Gaveston, who uses his favor in bed even to wield political influence - the stage is set for a palace revolt which sends the gay pair from the throne to a terminal torture dungeon.Jarman's masterwork is a marvel of low-budget ingenuity & defiant personal vision. Setting Marlowe's text in what appears to be an underground bunker (extending the post-apocalyptic reveries of his previous work) we have the sense of an imprisoning world of stone & shadow where no true love can grow. Modern iconography crashes into archaic speech, as Jarman once against shows the cyclical nature of human experience.
- 9/10
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsDonald PleasenceGary BondChips RaffertyAfter a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.
- 7/10
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMarcello MastroianniAnna PrucnalBernice StegersA businessman finds himself trapped at a hotel and threatened by women en masse.Even at his worst Fellini seems worth the effort. Whole sequences in City of Women are dazzling in their scale & presentation. Images, ideas & scenarios that are incomparable in their vision & unrestrained in their imagination. Unfortunately such sequences are at the service of an empty dream-narrative about a middle-aged man's inability to grasp the necessities of feminism or the role of women in a changing world.
- 6/10
- DirectorLuciano ErcoliStarsNieves NavarroSimón AndreuPeter MartellDuring a drug-fuelled photoshoot, a model witnesses a brutal murder in the apartment opposite hers, and is forced to become an amateur sleuth to unravel the mystery.
- 6/10
- DirectorLiliana CavaniStarsDirk BogardeCharlotte RamplingPhilippe LeroyA concentration camp survivor rekindles her sadomasochistic relationship with her lover, a former SS officer - now working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel - but his former Nazi associates begin stalking them.Fascinating but not always successful. A provocative examination into the power-struggles that exist between couples, given added weight by its emphasis on the sadomasochistic relationship between a former Nazi officer & a young Jewish woman still captivated by him. Several sequences remain iconic & genuinely unforgettable, but the third act shift into symbolism abstracts rather than clarifies Cavani's point of view.
- 7/10
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMartin PotterHiram KellerMax BornA series of disjointed mythical tales set in first-century Rome.Fellini called it a science fiction film, but one set in the distant past. Certainly it's a work that transports its audience to a world beyond imagination; casting us in the role of alien anthropologist; here to excavate the ruins of human experience to find the stories within. It's Fellini at the peak of his abilities; filling every inch of the frame with dazzling sequences, grotesque images, humor, horror, poetry.
- 10/10
- DirectorLamberto BavaStarsAndrea OcchipintiAnny PapaFabiola ToledoA killer stalks a composer staying at a posh Tuscany villa while writing the score to a horror film which has an incriminating clue to the killer's identity.
- 8/10
- DirectorMario BavaStarsCameron MitchellEva BartokThomas ReinerA masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.
- 8/10
- DirectorWilliam Brent BellStarsLauren CohanRupert EvansJames RussellAn American nanny is shocked that her new English family's boy is actually a life-sized doll. After she violates a list of strict rules, disturbing events make her believe that the doll is really alive.
- 6/10
- DirectorMario BavaStarsClaudine AugerLuigi PistilliClaudio CamasoThe murder of a wealthy countess triggers a chain reaction of brutal killings in the surrounding bay area, as several unscrupulous characters try to seize her large estate.
- 5/10
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsFelicity JonesDiego LunaAlan TudykIn a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction.Glorified fan-fiction. A brazen repackaging of scenes, characters & events recycled from previous movies & a rejection of originality in favour of complete & total reverence to the brand. The few attempts to cast off the influence of Lucas merely offer a calculated effort to appeal to the populist demographic of The Hunger Games series; where wholesome underdogs are made to fight against an evil authoritarian regime.
- 5/10
- DirectorPhilip RidleyStarsViggo MortensenLindsay DuncanJeremy CooperIn the 1950s, a young boy living with his troublesome family in rural USA fantasizes that a neighboring widow is actually a vampire, responsible for a number of disappearances in the area.Ridley weaves a bold tapestry of iconography. From the desolate dreamscapes of Andrew Wyeth to the relics of 50s Americana & its A-bomb paranoia, the artist creates a startling & often strangely funny evocation of a damaged youth. The cut, from the image of a child blowing away the burning embers of immolation, to a shot of the golden wheat field dancing on the breeze, is perhaps the greatest moment in film editing.
- 9/10