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Night Shyamalan"},{"term":"Marielle Heller"},{"term":"Martin Scorsese"},{"term":"Michael Clayton"},{"term":"Pedro Almodóvar"},{"term":"Persepolis"},{"term":"Pixar"},{"term":"Ratatouille"},{"term":"RiverRun Film Festival"},{"term":"SECCA"},{"term":"Safdie Brothers"},{"term":"Sony Marvel"},{"term":"South Korea"},{"term":"Stephen King"},{"term":"Steven Spielberg"},{"term":"Transformers"},{"term":"Warner Archive"},{"term":"Writers Strike"},{"term":"Yorgos Lanthimos"},{"term":"hugh jackman"},{"term":"jason reitman"},{"term":"jean-luc godard"},{"term":"nicole kidman"},{"term":"predator"},{"term":"zipporah films"},{"term":")"},{"term":"100 years ago"},{"term":"30 Days of Night"},{"term":"300"},{"term":"4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days"},{"term":"ANNIE Awards"},{"term":"Abbas Kiarostami"},{"term":"Alfonso Cuarón"},{"term":"Ang Lee"},{"term":"Apichatpong Weerasethakul"},{"term":"Asghar Farhadi"},{"term":"Barry Jenkins"},{"term":"Ben Affleck"},{"term":"Benicio Del Toro"},{"term":"Casey Affleck"},{"term":"Christian Petzold"},{"term":"Claire Denis"},{"term":"Cloverfield"},{"term":"Craig Zobel"},{"term":"Céline Sciamma"},{"term":"Doris Wishman"},{"term":"Film Movement"},{"term":"Gaspar Noé"},{"term":"Godzilla"},{"term":"Golden Globes"},{"term":"Gone Baby Gone"},{"term":"Great World of Sound"},{"term":"HBO"},{"term":"Halle Berry"},{"term":"Hitchcock"},{"term":"How to Train Your Dragon"},{"term":"Illumination"},{"term":"Independent Spirit Awards"},{"term":"Indiana Jones IV"},{"term":"James Gray"},{"term":"Jamia Simone Nash"},{"term":"Jennifer Kent"},{"term":"Jia Zhangke"},{"term":"John Wick"},{"term":"Jordan Peele"},{"term":"Judd Apatow"},{"term":"Julie Christie"},{"term":"Juno"},{"term":"Karyn Kusama"},{"term":"Kenneth Lonergan"},{"term":"Kevin Smith"},{"term":"La Vie En Rose"},{"term":"Laika"},{"term":"Lars Von Trier"},{"term":"Light Industry"},{"term":"Lions for Lambs"},{"term":"Lust Caution"},{"term":"Lynch:  The Documentary"},{"term":"László Nemes"},{"term":"Makoto Shinkai"},{"term":"Margot at the Wedding"},{"term":"Marion Cotillard"},{"term":"Mark Wahlberg"},{"term":"National Board of Review"},{"term":"Nicholas Winding Refn"},{"term":"Noah Baumbach"},{"term":"Olivier Assayas"},{"term":"Oscilloscope"},{"term":"Patrick Wang"},{"term":"Peter Berg"},{"term":"Private Fears in Public Places"},{"term":"Quentin Tarantino"},{"term":"Raul Ruiz"},{"term":"Ridley Scott"},{"term":"Ryan Gosling"},{"term":"Sam Mendes"},{"term":"Saw"},{"term":"Spider-Man 4"},{"term":"Steve Jablonski"},{"term":"Steve McQueen"},{"term":"Studio Ghibli"},{"term":"Taika Waititi"},{"term":"Terrence Malick"},{"term":"The Bucket List"},{"term":"The Chronicles of Narnia:  Prince Caspian"},{"term":"The Dark Knight"},{"term":"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"},{"term":"The Golden Compass"},{"term":"The Happening"},{"term":"The Kingdom"},{"term":"The Lovely Bones"},{"term":"The Other Boleyn Girl"},{"term":"Things We Lost in the Fire"},{"term":"Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married"},{"term":"Viola Davis"},{"term":"Walk Hard"},{"term":"Wizarding World"},{"term":"Zodiac"},{"term":"amazon prime"},{"term":"bong joon-ho"},{"term":"f.w. murnau"},{"term":"film scores"},{"term":"fritz lang"},{"term":"germany"},{"term":"horror films"},{"term":"james wan"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From the Front Row"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Movie News, Reviews, and Commentary by Matthew Lucas"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default?alt=json-in-script\u0026orderby=published"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=26\u0026max-results=25\u0026orderby=published"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"3096"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-8353344683155512970"},"published":{"$t":"2020-07-17T18:06:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-07-17T18:06:35.893-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | The Cameraman | 1928"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xy274yQXRkg\/XxIfn5snMxI\/AAAAAAAAjdU\/slcusbXJXYsoc2rooTtnJ5-a2chPpSPZQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Camera_2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1436\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xy274yQXRkg\/XxIfn5snMxI\/AAAAAAAAjdU\/slcusbXJXYsoc2rooTtnJ5-a2chPpSPZQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Camera_2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Cameraman\u003C\/i\u003E (1928) marked both the end and the beginning of an era for Buster Keaton. It was the first film Keaton made at MGM after the dissolution of Buster Keaton Studios, the independent studio Keaton had run throughout the 1920s along with producer Joe Schenck, who sold his contract to mega studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1928. As a result, it was the last film over which Keaton was able to exercise complete creative control, and the last film that would involve all the major crew members that had helped him make some of his greatest masterpieces.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ulsp6PiHNx0\/XxIfsQcvkmI\/AAAAAAAAjdY\/_yoIPAlZYzwMsJzgBeax7pMsaSbhRnw8ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1033_BD_stroke.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ulsp6PiHNx0\/XxIfsQcvkmI\/AAAAAAAAjdY\/_yoIPAlZYzwMsJzgBeax7pMsaSbhRnw8ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1033_BD_stroke.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EKeaton would later describe selling out to MGM as \"the worst mistake of my life,\" and while\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Cameraman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is not among the strongest of Keaton's feature films of the 1920s (his final masterpiece, \u003Ci\u003ESteamboat Bill, Jr.\u003C\/i\u003E, was also released in 1928), it's the last film that contained that unique Keaton spark. MGM reportedly saw Keaton more as a star than a creative force, a sad clown to be directed rather than direct, and mostly cannibalized Buster Keaton Studios for scrap, reassigning the crew to other projects, never again giving Keaton creative control over one of his own projects. As a result, one of the greatest comedians of the silent era simply faded away, reduced to glum cameos in MGM projects, never again ascending to the heights of his earlier career.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film centers around Keaton's titular cameraman, a tintype photographer who trades in his still camera for an ancient movie camera in order to become a newsreel cameraman in order to win the heart of the beautiful secretary (Marceline Day) who works in the newsreel office. Hijinx naturally ensue as Keaton attempts to learn his craft on the fly, with predictably disastrous results. But when a local gang war breaks out, Keaton finally finds his opportunity to impress the bigwigs, snag the job, and win the girl. Or so the thinks.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKeaton reportedly had to beg MGM's production head, Irving Thalberg, to allow him to scrap the extraneous plots thrust upon him by the studio's throng of writers, and he eventually won every battle he fought on\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Cameraman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; but one can't help but detect a but of exhaustion in this, the last of Keaton's major silent comedies. Just as the filmmaker's ideas were were bursting at the seams a decade earlier just before he transitioned from shorts to feature filmmaking, one can almost feel Keaton's exhaustion here. There are some lovely moments of inspiration to be found here; Keaton trying to change into his swimsuit in a cramped closet with another bulky swimmer, jumping on a firetruck to go film a fire only for it to pull back into the firehouse, filming a riot while standing on a collapsing platform without ever losing his poise - his flair for comedic timing and sight gags remain unparalleled among the great silent comedians.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYet there's a certain poignancy here - knowing what Keaton sacrificed in order to make this film. He would never again enjoy such creative freedom and as a result his work and career became greatly diminished. It's an important missing piece in Keaton's oeuvre, but it represents a turning point in his career from which he would never recover, one last great hurrah with the gang. Its moments of whimsy and delight land with as much grace as any gag in his earlier work, but it feels very much like an artist working against the grain, finding diamonds in the rough. And although Keaton emerged from his experience making\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Cameraman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;with his dignity mostly intact (it is a fine comedy and did well for MGM), the sacrifices he made to get it done were enormous. The ingredients are all here, but it's not quite the same, and it never would be again.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe new Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection also includes \u003Ci\u003ESpite Marriage \u003C\/i\u003E(1929), the first film made without his usual crew for MGM, which offers a fascinating contrast to \u003Ci\u003EThe Cameraman\u003C\/i\u003E, as well as a host of other extras.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE CAMERAMAN \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EBuster Keaton, Edward Sedgwick | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EBuster Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow available on Blu-Ray and DVD from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/\"\u003EThe Criterion Collection\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/8353344683155512970\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=8353344683155512970","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8353344683155512970"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8353344683155512970"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/07\/blu-ray-review-cameraman-1928.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | The Cameraman | 1928"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Xy274yQXRkg\/XxIfn5snMxI\/AAAAAAAAjdU\/slcusbXJXYsoc2rooTtnJ5-a2chPpSPZQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Camera_2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1418605421154416688"},"published":{"$t":"2020-07-15T17:52:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-07-15T17:53:21.523-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warner Archive"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From the Repertory | July 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-7o2SzGmJIDI\/Xw92uj9VTUI\/AAAAAAAAjcQ\/QWR7jBrn3koUMeqogj4L3iNi9SGUMq40ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/28895id_181.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1473\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-7o2SzGmJIDI\/Xw92uj9VTUI\/AAAAAAAAjcQ\/QWR7jBrn3koUMeqogj4L3iNi9SGUMq40ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/28895id_181.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: x-large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECOME AND SEE\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E(Elem Klimov | USSR | 1985)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe grim visage of young Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko), a 13-year-old Belarusian boy who goes off to defend the Soviet Union from the Nazi invasion of WWII, is one of the most searing images of Elem Klimov's barn-burning 1985 masterpiece, \u003Ci\u003ECome and See\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B1xwdaSWaAA\/Xw92-js_2AI\/AAAAAAAAjcY\/lPemq8_S_NcqHVaP4fIr6a3FN2PHNCFAgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1035_BD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B1xwdaSWaAA\/Xw92-js_2AI\/AAAAAAAAjcY\/lPemq8_S_NcqHVaP4fIr6a3FN2PHNCFAgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1035_BD.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFlyora begins the film as a young, fresh-faced boy whose playful digging in the sand to find buried weapons left by dead soldiers in a seemingly long-forgotten war almost seems like a childhood war game; two boys playing at being soldiers in a fantasy world far removed from reality. But this is no fantasy - and soon Flyora finds himself dragged from his home to join the war effort with other resistance fighters from his tiny village. By the time the film ends, Flyora has gone from boy to man, but not in the typical hero's journey sense. Instead he ends the film a gaunt, hollow shell of the boy we met - his face covered in worry lines and crows feet - as if he's aged decades over the course of two hours.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd what a harrowing two hours it is - watching\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECome and See\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is an unrelenting experience, yet it's filled with a kind of grim, haunting beauty that's hard to shake, recalling Tarkovsky almost religious sense of weight (especially in \u003Ci\u003EIvan's Childhood\u003C\/i\u003E) in its remarkable evocation of horror and utter despair. Flyora's journey from innocence to cold, hardened killer is designed to be a warning - as he eventually devolves into the very thing he's fighting against. There are no winners in Klimov's vivid wartime nightmare - it tears down everyone and everything it touches. Few films can claim such a brutal and indelible impact - but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECome and See\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;has often been overlooked by critics and audiences since its release in 1985. And yet its one of the decade's crowning glories - a war film from the ages that Criterion has helped usher out of its relative obscurity with its recent theatrical re-release and new Blu-Ray edition that places the film squarely in the pantheon in which it belongs. One of the defining masterpieces of the 1980s has finally been given the home video treatment it deserves. Long unavailable, it is now ripe for discovery by a new generation of cinephiles \u0026nbsp;as one of the greatest war films of all time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE - \u003C\/b\u003E★★★\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E★\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E(out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ENow available from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/07\/from-repertory-july-2020.html\"\u003EThe Criterion Collection\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VZmHqWxQT2E\/Xw94hIZiwiI\/AAAAAAAAjc4\/URttC5Q3mG018KqKGoDGy46z8ROOmn5cgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1000764763_f2cdf661-1cc7-4db1-b580-f1913cff2938_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VZmHqWxQT2E\/Xw94hIZiwiI\/AAAAAAAAjc4\/URttC5Q3mG018KqKGoDGy46z8ROOmn5cgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1000764763_f2cdf661-1cc7-4db1-b580-f1913cff2938_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: x-large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E(Michael Curtiz | USA | 1948)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EDoris Day made her screen debut in Michael Crutiz' delightful seafaring musical, \u003Ci\u003ERomance on the High Seas\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E(1948), starring as a young woman hired by a wealthy socialite (Janis Paige) to take her place on a cruise so she can stay behind and spy on her husband (Don DeFore), who she suspects of infidelity. Unbeknownst to her, her husband similarly suspects her of cheating on him, so he hires a private eye (Jack Carson) to trail her onto the ship. Lots of mistaken identities and ensue as Carson's private eye falls for Day's plucky singer, despite thinking she's his employer's wife the whole time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003ERomance on the High Seas\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is an easy-going crowd pleaser, and it's easy to see why Day became such a huge star - her effervescent, folksy charm feels almost effortless, and Curtiz uses it to great effect here, balancing its \u0026nbsp;farcical plot threads with ease. The Busby Berkeley musical numbers aren't really anything to write home about, and are mostly static \u0026nbsp;when compared to his grand scale choreography of the 1930s, but the film isn't the same sort of lavish spectacular, favoring intimate, diagetic \u0026nbsp;scenes of shipboard lounge singing than using music to tell the story.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENow available from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.wbshop.com\/warnerarchive\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWarner Archive\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nBcV_DZvbHg\/Xw94qWpqTbI\/AAAAAAAAjc8\/R4A1fySG0AsGlzb72JfwMdjsXi14JzRQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1000765085_d97745fa-a5ef-43f9-a856-e958844b9ef6_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nBcV_DZvbHg\/Xw94qWpqTbI\/AAAAAAAAjc8\/R4A1fySG0AsGlzb72JfwMdjsXi14JzRQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1000765085_d97745fa-a5ef-43f9-a856-e958844b9ef6_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: x-large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESTRIKE UP THE BAND\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E(Busby Berkeley | USA | 1940)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EBusby Berkeley's\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;High School Musical\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;- a rollicking musical extravaganza featuring Mickey Rooney as a young drummer whose dream of becoming a drummer takes off when he organizes a high school band to compete in a competition, where he is noticed by legendary big band leader, Paul Whiteman. Judy Garland is his faithful best friend, whose unrequited love for him constantly relegates her to second place as he keeps his eye on the prize.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003ERooney and Garland are full of effervescent charm, and Berkeley delivers some of his strongest numbers of his MGM period, from the ingenious dancing fruit number (reportedly conceived by Vincent Minelli) to the grand finale at Whiteman's band competition. An utter delight from start to finish that showcases Rooney as the muti-talented star that he was, and gives star-on-the-rise Garland (fresh off the success of \u003Ci\u003EThe Wizard of Oz\u003C\/i\u003E) a chance to show off her range. It occasionally feels like its two-hour runtime is about 30 minutes too long, but its digressions are so amiable that it's hard to say what should be cut. Garland and Rooney, along with William Tracey (\u003Ci\u003EThe Shop Around the Corner)\u003C\/i\u003E, June Preisser (\u003Ci\u003EBabes in Arms\u003C\/i\u003E), and Larry Nunn (\u003Ci\u003EThe Major and the Minor\u003C\/i\u003E) recreating a turn-of-the-century melodrama at a high school talent show is such an unadulterated joy and one of the funniest set pieces of Berkeley's illustrious career. Don't miss this one.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-size: large;\"\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENow available from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.wbshop.com\/warnerarchive\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWarner Archive\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1418605421154416688\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1418605421154416688","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1418605421154416688"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1418605421154416688"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/07\/from-repertory-july-2020.html","title":"From the Repertory | July 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-7o2SzGmJIDI\/Xw92uj9VTUI\/AAAAAAAAjcQ\/QWR7jBrn3koUMeqogj4L3iNi9SGUMq40ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/28895id_181.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-720208060450831326"},"published":{"$t":"2020-07-10T00:28:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-07-11T11:36:07.061-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture, Vol. 4-5"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HK6hVcNJ3zY\/XwftY3Yy79I\/AAAAAAAAjbo\/-lxAkV87B8w4YuvOBJjoEL3N5TjR5HeQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/ForbiddenFruit_Narcotic_Still_3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"298\" data-original-width=\"555\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HK6hVcNJ3zY\/XwftY3Yy79I\/AAAAAAAAjbo\/-lxAkV87B8w4YuvOBJjoEL3N5TjR5HeQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/ForbiddenFruit_Narcotic_Still_3.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EDwain Esper's NARCOTIC (1933). Courtesy of Kino Lorber.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EContinuing their line of exploitation pictures from the 1930s, Kino Lorber and Something Weird have released two more volumes in their wildly entertaining home video series,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EForbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the\u0026nbsp;Exploitation Picture.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003EWhile the last round included such notorious films as \u003Ci\u003EReefer Madness \u003C\/i\u003Eand \u003Ci\u003EMom and Dad, \u003C\/i\u003Ethese two new discs feature four films that may be lesser known, but are no less lurid - in some cases, perhaps even more so. And while they may not be great cinema, most of them have an irresistible entertainment value that makes these historical curiosities so bad they're actually good.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EVOLUME 4: MARIHUANA\/NARCOTIC\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ucNwvZoIYKE\/Xwfru2nb-sI\/AAAAAAAAjbU\/5DvxJ4oaO8A8b2jmLfu4mVegQ3z5T6ttACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/MARIHUANA%2Bblueband.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"445\" data-original-width=\"363\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ucNwvZoIYKE\/Xwfru2nb-sI\/AAAAAAAAjbU\/5DvxJ4oaO8A8b2jmLfu4mVegQ3z5T6ttACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/MARIHUANA%2Bblueband.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EDwain Esper made multiple \"issue drama\" exploitation films in the 1930s, including \u003Ci\u003EManiac\u003C\/i\u003E (1934), \u003Ci\u003ENarcotic\u003C\/i\u003E (1933), and the short film, \u003Ci\u003EHow to Undress in Front of Your Husband\u003C\/i\u003E (1937). His 1936 film, \u003Ci\u003EMarihuana\u003C\/i\u003E, is as much a takeoff on \u003Ci\u003EReefer Madness\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1936) as Esper's own \u003Ci\u003ESex Madness\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;would be two years later. Essentially a \"slippery slope\" drama,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMarihuana\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(subtitled \u003Ci\u003EWeed with Roots in Hell\u003C\/i\u003E), follows the exploits of a teenage girl who dabbles in marijuana and ends up as a heroin addict who kidnaps her own child. It's as weird and wild as one may expect, and in the best Esper tradition makes little sense - divorcing each of its characters from any logical human behavior in order to push his own particular agenda. It has the distinction of being one of the most unintentionally hilarious of these sanctimonious \"issues of today\" films of the period due to the sheer outlandishness of its plot, but ultimately it's a slog even at 58 minutes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf all of Dwain Esper's moralistic exploitation films of the 1930s, \u003Ci\u003ENarcotic\u003C\/i\u003E is perhaps the \"best,\" although I use that term loosely because you know going in basically what you're going to get here. It follows the journey of a doctor whose fascination with addiction leads him onto the slippery slope of becoming an addict himself, as he \"studies\" drug parties and opium dens under the guise of science, before succumbing to the very vices he's researching. The finger-wagging moralism is still here, although Esper seems to latch onto something vaguely more realistic here, even if the film itself plays on cringe-worthy \u0026nbsp;stereotypes and half-truths to get its point across.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMARIHUANA\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;-★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENARCOTIC\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;-★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EVOLUME 5: TOMORROW'S CHILDREN\/CHILD BRIDE\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FBJm8fZ4rqk\/Xwfr4ki0h_I\/AAAAAAAAjbY\/jE9Djvk_nLMFu-u7iqWl1_WdRLMy97FXwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/TOMORROWS%2BCHILDREN.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"445\" data-original-width=\"363\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FBJm8fZ4rqk\/Xwfr4ki0h_I\/AAAAAAAAjbY\/jE9Djvk_nLMFu-u7iqWl1_WdRLMy97FXwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/TOMORROWS%2BCHILDREN.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003ETomorrow's Children\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1934) is an interesting curio from the \"socially conscious exploitation\" genre from the 1930s, that takes a rather unique look at the horrors of eugenics from a decidedly skewed lens. While most films of this kind used sex and drugs as a way to entice in audiences with a lurid premise wrapped up in a moralistic veneer,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETomorrow's Children\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is something else altogether, putting forced sterilizations in the spotlight from a more religious version of morality than one of bodily autonomy.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film centers around a family of ne're-do-wells who are singled out for sterilization by the state because of rampant mental illness, alcoholism, and criminal behavior that are present in nearly every member of the family - \u0026nbsp;that is except for Alice, the family's bright, well-adjusted daughter, who is engaged to be married. Targeted for sterilization, she sets out to plead her case in court before it's too late.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film essentially takes a stance similar to arguments used by anti-abortionists, arguing against sterilization from the point of view of \"you can't play god and interfere in the reproductive process\" rather than \"the state shouldn't be able to control people's bodies,\" but as a melodrama it's actually one of the most engaging exploitation films of the period. The performances are universally strong, and the film feels less like an amateur production and more like an actual film that just happens to be on a muckraking cause.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPerhaps one of the most notorious exploitation films the 1930s, \u003Ci\u003EChild Bride\u003C\/i\u003E tells the story of a teacher on a crusade in her tiny mountain community to outlaw the practice of child marriage. Most of the story revolves around her, and it takes nearly 42 minutes of the film's 62 minute running time for the film to get around to the \"child bride\" part of its title (a common practice among these lurid \u0026nbsp;exploitation films), but when it finally gets around one of the local hillbillies attempting to marry a 12-year-old girl, things get extremely uncomfortable very quickly. Not just because of the subject matter (clearly the film is against the practice of child marriage), but the young star spends a good 5 minutes skinny-dipping while her suitor leers at her from the cliffs above.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's the most infamous scene in the film, which is already easily the most disturbing of the exploitation films in Kino's Forbidden Fruit series. A great many of the films have become quaint with age, but \u003Ci\u003EChild Bride\u003C\/i\u003E is a different animal altogether, and when the camera begins to leer at young Shirley Mills from the POV of her pedophilic suitor, the film ceases to be a goofy grind house curio and becomes something truly, darkly exploitative. The film was banned in many cities, but enjoyed a kind of cult popularity in grindhouse theaters across the country as its reputation grew. Don't let curiosity get the better of you on this one - avoid it like the plague.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETOMORROW'S CHILDREN\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;-★★½ (out of four)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECHILD BRIDE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- zero stars (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow available on Blu-Ray and DVD from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kinolorber.com\/\"\u003EKino Lorber\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/720208060450831326\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=720208060450831326","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/720208060450831326"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/720208060450831326"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/07\/blu-ray-review-forbidden-fruit-golden.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture, Vol. 4-5"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HK6hVcNJ3zY\/XwftY3Yy79I\/AAAAAAAAjbo\/-lxAkV87B8w4YuvOBJjoEL3N5TjR5HeQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/ForbiddenFruit_Narcotic_Still_3.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6212148932971421025"},"published":{"$t":"2020-06-23T20:47:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-06-23T20:59:37.965-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"cinema guild"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hong sangsoo"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Yourself and Yours | 2016"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gfW6Q6dOJgo\/XvKhUZgQXbI\/AAAAAAAAjaE\/R2W9x0bss88iF9gL63zEvtq9PM5SL8RHQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1069\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gfW6Q6dOJgo\/XvKhUZgQXbI\/AAAAAAAAjaE\/R2W9x0bss88iF9gL63zEvtq9PM5SL8RHQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/3.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EYu Junsang, Lee Youyoung, and Kwon Haehyo in \u003Ci\u003EYourself and Yours\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECourtesy of Cinema Guild.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EOriginally released in 2016 but only now finding its way to the United States, Hong Sangsoo's \u003Ci\u003EYourself and Yours\u003C\/i\u003E takes the filmmaker's fascination with fractured storylines and reshapes it to focus on characters rather than events. The film centers around a painter named Youngsoo (Kim Joo-hyuk) who becomes jealous after hearing that his girlfriend, Minjung (Lee Yoo-young), was seen out having drinks with another man. They break up, but when one of Youngsoo's friends confronts her later in a restaurant, the young woman claims not to be Minjung at all, but her twin sister.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-RuueBC-J2nM\/XvKhmA5yErI\/AAAAAAAAjaM\/EWMFGDydxgAVaK8HXpWyJ_8GgmqnIVFOgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/yourselfandyours.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1094\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-RuueBC-J2nM\/XvKhmA5yErI\/AAAAAAAAjaM\/EWMFGDydxgAVaK8HXpWyJ_8GgmqnIVFOgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/yourselfandyours.jpg\" width=\"272\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThis sets off a series of events in which Minjung and the mysterious young woman are mistaken for each other, leaving the audience to wonder if Minjung really has a twin, or if she is somehow dissociating from her traumatic experiences. Both women genuinely seem to have no recollection of meetings or conversations held by the other. Does Minjung really have a twin? Or is something else going on here?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHong never focuses on the mystery - whether or not Minjung has a twin or if it's actually her all along isn't really the point (although it should be noted that the mysterious twin sister is never given a name), what interests him instead is how the ambiguity around her character affects how she is perceived by the audience. Since we don't know who she is at any given moment (or if she is even two different people at all), we begin to focus on how she is responding to events.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERather than a fractured, elliptical narrative,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYourself and Yours\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;hinges on a fractured, elliptical character; a woman struggling to overcome addiction and alcoholism, who is trying desperately to become a better person. In essence she really is two different people, and Hong deftly explores her attempts to reconcile her past with the future she wants to create. It's one of Hong's most lovingly nuanced works, a film filled with longing and regret that finds great beauty in the in-between moments, the lingering glances and subtle changes in expression that exist between the deceptively mundane dialogue and jaunty score.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EComing on the heels of \u003Ci\u003ERight Now, Wrong Then\u003C\/i\u003E (2015),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EYourself and Yours\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;finds Hong in a transitional period, when the filmmaker was grappling with a very public divorce following his affair with actress Kim Minhee during the filming of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ERight Now, Wrong Then\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(an event that would greatly inform his next three films - \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2017\/11\/review-on-beach-at-night-alone-2017.html\"\u003EOn the Beach at Night Alone\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2018\/12\/blu-ray-review-claires-camera-2018.html\"\u003EClaire's Camera\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, and \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2018\/05\/review-day-after-2018.html\"\u003EThe Day After\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E). There's something deeply wistful about the way in which it deals with being in a relationship with someone you no longer feel like you know - almost as if they're a completely different person. Yet Hong consistently refuses to tip the scales in favor of either Youngsoo or Minjung, instead striving for a palpable sense of empathy for both characters, each attempting to reconcile their own newfound sense of uncertainty with something akin to grace.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EYOURSELF AND YOURS \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EHong Sangsoo | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EKim Joo-hyuk, Lee Yoo-young, Kim Eui-sung, Kwon Hae-hyo | \u003Cb\u003ENot rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Ci style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EIn Korean w\/English subtitles\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;| \u003Cb\u003ENow playing in virtual cinemas from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.cinemaguild.com\/\"\u003ECinema Guild\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6212148932971421025\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6212148932971421025","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6212148932971421025"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6212148932971421025"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/06\/review-yourself-and-yours-2016.html","title":"Review | Yourself and Yours | 2016"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gfW6Q6dOJgo\/XvKhUZgQXbI\/AAAAAAAAjaE\/R2W9x0bss88iF9gL63zEvtq9PM5SL8RHQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/3.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2807536773517101553"},"published":{"$t":"2020-06-23T19:22:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-06-23T20:54:06.344-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"grasshopper film"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hong sangsoo"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Hill of Freedom | 2014"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3fDfkOiTeks\/XvKNLnaNkaI\/AAAAAAAAjZo\/0oSkXlaLt3cYkPemrVi92pNM9jlNMX4CACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Hill-of-Freedom-1-scaled.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1068\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3fDfkOiTeks\/XvKNLnaNkaI\/AAAAAAAAjZo\/0oSkXlaLt3cYkPemrVi92pNM9jlNMX4CACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Hill-of-Freedom-1-scaled.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIt has been nearly a year since the release of a Hong Sang-soo film in the United States - the prolific filmmaker often releasing one or two films a year for the last decade. Hong took a rare year off in 2019 (although two of his films were released in the states last year), and although he only has one new film slated for release in 2020 (\u003Ci\u003EThe Woman Who Ran\u003C\/i\u003E, which does not currently have US distribution), June will see the release of not one, not two, but three Hong films in the US, with Grasshopper Films taking on 2014's \u003Ci\u003EHill of Freedom\u003C\/i\u003E and 2006's \u003Ci\u003EWoman on the Beach\u003C\/i\u003E, and Cinema Guild releasing 2016's \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/06\/review-yourself-and-yours-2016.html\"\u003EYourself and Yours\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E stateside for the first time .\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-RtlRVVQiT5U\/XvKNPlT63rI\/AAAAAAAAjZs\/fHIm31_sXjoB-yGiG0k6RhAjwQrBNW99gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Hill-of-Freedom_poster_goldposter_com_2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1121\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-RtlRVVQiT5U\/XvKNPlT63rI\/AAAAAAAAjZs\/fHIm31_sXjoB-yGiG0k6RhAjwQrBNW99gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/Hill-of-Freedom_poster_goldposter_com_2.jpg\" width=\"280\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThis is, of course, big news for Hong fans, who are currently being treated to an embarrassment of riches; offering up three missing pieces to the puzzle of the filmmaker's expansive filmography. Of course, retroactively seeing how these films fit into the arc of Hong's career is a puzzle box worthy of one of his own elliptical narratives, and both\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHill of Freedom\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and \u003Ci\u003EYourself and Yours\u003C\/i\u003E offer newfound insights into later films that have already been released in the United States.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHill of Freedom\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; for instance, feels like a direct precursor to his most recent film, \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2019\/05\/review-grass-2019.html\"\u003EGrass\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, while sharing similar DNA as 2016's \u003Ci\u003ERight Now, Wrong Then\u003C\/i\u003E, a film that has since proven to be one of the most pivotal of his career.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EHill of Freedom\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;centers around a woman named Kwon (Seo Young-hwa), who has just discovered a stack of letters sent by Mori (Ryo Kase), a Japanese citizen who has returned to Korea to propose to her. But she drops the letters and begins to read them out of order, piecing together a fractured narrative as told by Mori. Hong is a master of manipulating the fluidity of time and crafting new narratives from disjointed storylines. At only an hour long,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHill of Freedom\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;a masterclass in narrative economy, showcasing Hong at his warmest and most experimental. It's also one of his funniest films to date, and Hong uses the broken pieces of Kwon and Mori's story to craft something disarmingly lovely, a kind of hodgepodge of romantic longing and misunderstanding that puts the entire relationship into focus by viewing it through a kaleidoscopic lens. It's one of Hong's shortest films, but it's also one of his most incisive, its gentle ruminations expanding far beyond its seemingly modest scale.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn his 2014 review, Richard Brody compared\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHill of Freedom\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;favorably with the work of Alain Resnais, an observation with which I concur. But to me it most resembled the early work of Eric Rohmer, whose legendary Six Moral Tales took similarly askance views of human relationships in comparatively brief running times, their ideas laced with more conflict and pain than their sometimes lighthearted exteriors suggested. Like Rohmer and Resnais, Hong guides this small-scale wonder with a hint of mischief and a knack for deconstructing narratives and reconstructing them into something new and wonderful, a rearranged puzzle where all the mismatched pieces somehow fit together perfectly to form a new and fascinating whole.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHILL OF FREEDOM \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EHong Sangsoo | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ERyô Kas,e Moon So-ri, Seo Young-hwa, Kim Eui-sung | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;| \u003Ci style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EIn Koren w\/English subtitles \u003C\/i\u003E| \u003Cb\u003ENow playing in virtual cinemas everywhere from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/grasshopperfilm.com\/film\/hill-of-freedom\/\"\u003EGrasshopper Film\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2807536773517101553\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2807536773517101553","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2807536773517101553"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2807536773517101553"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/06\/review-hill-of-freedom-2014.html","title":"Review | Hill of Freedom | 2014"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3fDfkOiTeks\/XvKNLnaNkaI\/AAAAAAAAjZo\/0oSkXlaLt3cYkPemrVi92pNM9jlNMX4CACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Hill-of-Freedom-1-scaled.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1545007574541358067"},"published":{"$t":"2020-06-15T12:32:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-06-15T12:32:03.233-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Spike Lee"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Da 5 Bloods | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4v7qZlLK26s\/XueiMUQsdwI\/AAAAAAAAjY8\/yzZlQCA6EW86-eCBI_a40NHB6TdkCWd9gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/200612-da-5-bloods-1128_583aa9bc99df786adfba4979f13d0761.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"866\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"346\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4v7qZlLK26s\/XueiMUQsdwI\/AAAAAAAAjY8\/yzZlQCA6EW86-eCBI_a40NHB6TdkCWd9gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/200612-da-5-bloods-1128_583aa9bc99df786adfba4979f13d0761.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EPhoto by David Lee. Courtesy of Netflix. © 2020 Netflix, Inc.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThere are few filmmakers whose filmographies feel as tailor made for our moment in history as Spike Lee's. From \u003Ci\u003EDo the Right Thing \u003C\/i\u003Eto \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/blu-ray-review-bamboozled-2000.html\"\u003EBamboozled\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E to \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2018\/08\/review-blackkklansman-2018.html\"\u003EBlacKkKlansman\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, Lee's films are filled with a sense of urgency and righteous anger that continues to be relevant even decades after their release. Take, for instance, his 1989 masterpiece\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDo the Right Thing,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;a slice-of-life look at simmering racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood on a sweltering summer day that culminates in the murder of an unarmed black man by the police. It's a shattering film, one that, tragically, hasn't aged a day, featuring themes so up-to-the-minute it could have been released this week and been every bit as essential and vibrant as it was thirty years ago.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9MohS61cA1I\/Xueie0IG_eI\/AAAAAAAAjZE\/UkJexYuL5bMM5Y60U7fCQUhvgxwl8J_WACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/da_five_bloods_ver3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"755\" data-original-width=\"510\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9MohS61cA1I\/Xueie0IG_eI\/AAAAAAAAjZE\/UkJexYuL5bMM5Y60U7fCQUhvgxwl8J_WACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/da_five_bloods_ver3.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe arrival of a new Spike Lee joint in the midst of massive national upheaval born out of yet another murder of an unarmed black man by police officers seems somehow providential, a necessary artistic reminder of the violence waged against black bodies by the government of the United States of America. \u003Ci\u003EDa 5 Bloods\u003C\/i\u003E, now streaming exclusively on Netflix, is Lee's take on the Vietnam War, centering around four black veterans who return to the Jungles of Vietnam nearly 50 years after their original tour to retrieve the body of a fallen comrade. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut the body of Stormin' Norman (Chadwick Boseman) is ultimately just a pretense - the real reason for the pilgrimage of the surviving five \"bloods\" is a buried treasure of gold bars they were once tasked with retrieving for the US government, but instead made a pact to bury it and return one day to use the gold as reparations for centuries of slavery and institutional oppression. Retrieving their lost gold isn't as easy as they thought, however, as they are forced to reckon with the still-painful legacy of America's intervention in Vietnam, and the use of black soldiers as an arm of American imperialism while the government continues to perpetuate institutional racism against black people at home.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EDa 5 Bloods\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a blistering homage to films like Francis Ford Coppola's \u003Ci\u003EApocalypse Now\u003C\/i\u003E and John Huston's \u003Ci\u003EThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre\u003C\/i\u003E, allowing Lee to use the language of quintessentially American genres like the Vietnam war film and the western as a tool for critique of American sacred cows. Lee cuts through the haze of false patriotism to examine not only the war's legacy in Vietnam but on its legacy of trauma for the black soldiers who were sent to fight in the name of a country that cared little for them, fighting a lost cause for no reward and little gratitude. The mission at the heart of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDa 5 Bloods\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is an attempt to reclaim agency, but it runs afoul of the dark and tangled legacy of American imperialism. The film is ultimately a descent into madness with the corrupting power of money at its center, mirroring mounting paranoia of \u003Ci\u003ESierra Madre\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and the creeping insanity of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EApocalypse Now.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENowhere is this transformation more indelibly realized than in the performance of Delroy Lindo as Paul, a Trump-supporting veteran whose desire to atone for the sins of the past is as strong as his desire for personal gain - his refusal to reckon with the real legacy of the war driving him to a kind of madness that recalls Marlon Brando's searing performance in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EApocalypse Now.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;And yet Lee, despite clearly holding political views that are diametrically opposed to the MAGA positions of Lindo's Paul, refuses to judge the characters. Instead, Paul is another piece of the tragic tapestry woven in the aftermath of the Vietnam war, and you can feel Lee grappling with its calamitous effects both for the black community and for the soul of the nation as a whole. It's not only a powerful, elegiac tribute for the black soldiers who served in Vietnam, but a haunting and complex examination of the war's dark legacy, both for America and for people of Vietnam.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EArriving right now, in this moment, with reparations at long last becoming a mainstream idea, with the legacy of systemic racism and America's complicity in its perpetuation coming to the fore,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDa 5 Bloods\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels like a necessary lightning rod. It may not be the kind of film that changes hearts and minds, but its examination of the Vietnam war (and American cinema) through a modern lens puts the conflict in a fresh perspective that feels fundamental to our current era in time, reminding us all that the current unrest didn't happen in a vacuum - but is part of a greater system of injustice that has been mounting for centuries.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDA 5 BLOODS \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ESpike Lee | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EDelroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Johnny Trí Nguyễn, Lê Y Lan, Jean Reno, Chadwick Boseman | \u003Cb\u003ERated R\u003C\/b\u003E for strong violence, grisly images and pervasive language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow streaming exclusively on Netflix.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1545007574541358067\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1545007574541358067","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1545007574541358067"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1545007574541358067"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/06\/review-da-5-bloods-2020.html","title":"Review | Da 5 Bloods | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4v7qZlLK26s\/XueiMUQsdwI\/AAAAAAAAjY8\/yzZlQCA6EW86-eCBI_a40NHB6TdkCWd9gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/200612-da-5-bloods-1128_583aa9bc99df786adfba4979f13d0761.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6691268788594711397"},"published":{"$t":"2020-06-12T19:18:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-06-12T19:26:26.690-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"flicker alley"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warner Archive"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From the Repertory | June 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bH6P2bag9jY\/XuQN-raSOZI\/AAAAAAAAjYs\/tT_xWUNeevUdoNRZ8OlBTdkwy7njxkUiQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1323810244.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"844\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"336\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bH6P2bag9jY\/XuQN-raSOZI\/AAAAAAAAjYs\/tT_xWUNeevUdoNRZ8OlBTdkwy7njxkUiQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1323810244.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: x-large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESPRING NIGHT, SUMMER NIGHT\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E(J.L. Anderson | USA | 1967)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EFlicker Alley takes a rare foray outside the silent era with their latest Blu-Ray release, J.L. Anderson's rarely seen 1967 film, \u003Ci\u003ESpring Night, Summer Night\u003C\/i\u003E. Originally set to open the 1967 New York Film Festival, the film was instead pulled in favor of John Cassavetes' \u003Ci\u003EFaces\u003C\/i\u003E and recut by its distributer into an exploitation film called \u003Ci\u003EMiss Jessica is Pregnant\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-INVeDOiP674\/XuQNeXcOHvI\/AAAAAAAAjYg\/QPsp1DLIUWsP4YA5UwGeuVrZJP2G3a8pwCK4BGAsYHg\/s1500\/1326887654.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1500\" data-original-width=\"1210\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-INVeDOiP674\/XuQNeXcOHvI\/AAAAAAAAjYg\/QPsp1DLIUWsP4YA5UwGeuVrZJP2G3a8pwCK4BGAsYHg\/w323-h400\/1326887654.jpg\" width=\"323\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe subject matter of the original film is certainly ripe with lurid possibilities - in which half-siblings Carl (Ted Heimerdinger) and Jessie (Larue Hall) navigate the hothouse climate of economic depression in a depressed Ohio mining town, eventually finding themselves drawn to one another in unexpected (and ultimately taboo) ways. Anderson was a film professor working on a budget that would have made a shoestring look extravagant, and as a result\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESpring Night, Summer Night\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is often rough around the edges, its Italian neorealist roots stemming as much from its naturalistic aesthetic as from its nonprofessional actors. And yet there's something inescapably powerful about Anderson's observational style. His characters aren't well-spoken, they come from a poor, economically depressed town with few options and even less hope. That they find this small bit of happiness is a miracle in and of itself, and yet the discovery that Jessie is pregnant threatens to tear everyone apart. The non-professional actors lend a kind of hangdog weariness to their roles. Unable to find a place in the world, they carve out their own, and Anderson treats them with dignity and respect, refusing to judge them for the choices they make.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EI was reminded in part of Dan Sallitt's 2012 film, \u003Ci\u003EThe Unspeakable Act\u003C\/i\u003E, which handles similar subject matter with comparable grace. It's easy to see how the film could be co-opted by producers with much seedier ideas who want to lure in curious audiences, but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESpring Night, Summer Night\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is in fact something much more poetic - a hardscrabble yet deeply empathetic exploration of the seemingly hopeless outlook at the citizens of a small town with few economic prospects or room for personal growth, and the judgment and attacks lobbed at those who seek to carve out their own slice of happiness in order to survive. While I'm not convinced it's a long-lost masterpiece,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESpring Night, Summer Night\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;nevertheless represents the resurrection of an important piece of American independent cinema, a jagged, piercing look at small town life and the ruinous effects of economic depression that feels more relevant than ever.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE - \u003C\/b\u003E★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003ENow available from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.flickeralley.com\/\"\u003EFlicker Alley\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MMFklVtL7do\/XuQMb_qBrKI\/AAAAAAAAjYE\/E0yyxwyRwM03GuOHzW1Ox549sTjGh_mOACK4BGAsYHg\/s620\/Mystery-of-the-Wax-Museum-2-620x400.png\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"400\" data-original-width=\"620\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MMFklVtL7do\/XuQMb_qBrKI\/AAAAAAAAjYE\/E0yyxwyRwM03GuOHzW1Ox549sTjGh_mOACK4BGAsYHg\/w640-h412\/Mystery-of-the-Wax-Museum-2-620x400.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: x-large;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E(Michael Curtiz | USA | 1933)\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EDirected by Michael Curtiz (\u003Ci\u003ECasablanca\u003C\/i\u003E), 1933's \u003Ci\u003EMystery of the Wax Museum\u003C\/i\u003E is an early Technicolor horror film that was later remade by as the arguably more famous \u003Ci\u003EHouse of \u0026nbsp;Wax\u003C\/i\u003E in 1953 starring Vincent Price. \u0026nbsp;The 1933 film featured Lionel Atwill (\u003Ci\u003ESon of Frankenstein\u003C\/i\u003E) in the Price role as a demented sculptor named Ivan Igor whose partner burns down his beloved wax museum in a misguided insurance scam. Determined to rebuild, he is soon at the center of a string of disappearances as he tracks down unwitting victims who bear striking resemblances to his original figures. He becomes obsessed with his assistant's fiancee, Charlotte (Fay Wray), whose uncanny resemblance to his original Marie Antoinette figure leads to a shocking unmasking of the true nature of Igor's house of horrors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EThe early two-strip Technicolor process lends a kind of otherworldliness to the film, bathed in sickly greens and lurid, pre-code horror paranoia. Its pacing is a bit wonky, but Curtiz creates an often intensely unnerving atmosphere through sheer silence. With no musical score to guide the audience, we're often left adrift in Igor's madhouse, conjuring up some truly haunting imagery that has been beautifully restored on the new Blu-Ray from Warner Archive.\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d; font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENow available from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/www.wbshop.com\/warnerarchive\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWarner Archive\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6691268788594711397\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6691268788594711397","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6691268788594711397"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6691268788594711397"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/06\/from-repertory-june-2020.html","title":"From the Repertory | June 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bH6P2bag9jY\/XuQN-raSOZI\/AAAAAAAAjYs\/tT_xWUNeevUdoNRZ8OlBTdkwy7njxkUiQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1323810244.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-516592942783688834"},"published":{"$t":"2020-06-09T13:53:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-06-09T13:53:05.771-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Judd Apatow"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | The King of Staten Island | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ia4q-2AlEdo\/Xt_MTXldRpI\/AAAAAAAAjXQ\/LgC_fN4vUf8i2FIR9ywaF1i43Lw_-bzSgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/share-image.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"800\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ia4q-2AlEdo\/Xt_MTXldRpI\/AAAAAAAAjXQ\/LgC_fN4vUf8i2FIR9ywaF1i43Lw_-bzSgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/share-image.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIn his six years as a cast member on \u003Ci\u003ESaturday Night Live\u003C\/i\u003E, Pete Davidson has often been one of its most divisive figures. His very public struggle with mental illness has shone a light on important issues alongside a few tabloid-fodder romances and controversial jokes. His uneven and often irregular appearances on the show have given the impression that Davidson is somewhat difficult, and yet the producers and the cast have admirably stuck by him through thick and then.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vbG72auVnF8\/Xt_MZq9j15I\/AAAAAAAAjXU\/AQtrBSmQOsczhn_3xhOuFmqayh3G_Mv6ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/the-king-of-staten-island-02_KSI_SCREENER_400X600_PL_F01_042520_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"600\" data-original-width=\"400\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vbG72auVnF8\/Xt_MZq9j15I\/AAAAAAAAjXU\/AQtrBSmQOsczhn_3xhOuFmqayh3G_Mv6ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/the-king-of-staten-island-02_KSI_SCREENER_400X600_PL_F01_042520_rgb.jpg\" width=\"266\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ESo the fact that Davidson is at the center of a new film from Judd Apatow (\u003Ci\u003EThe 40-Year-Old Vigin\u003C\/i\u003E,\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Knocked Up\u003C\/i\u003E) was met with some incredulity from those who were already skeptical of his work. But \u003Ci\u003EThe King of Staten Island\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;bears little resemblance to Davidson's sometimes scattershot appearances on SNL. In fact, it often feels like an exorcism, a semi-autobiographical therapy session designed to put Davidson's checkered past behind him. \"The movie is like my love letter to my mom and trying to end that part of my life.\" Davidson said in a recent interview. And indeed, “The King of Staten Island” imagines an alternate world in which Davidson doesn't discover comedy while paying tribute to those people that shaped his life. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDavidson stars as Scott, a twenty-something aspiring tattoo artist from Staten Island who is drifting through life, a constantly burden to his harried mother (Marisa Tomei), mostly content to sit around, smoke pot, and play video games while the world by without him. His father was a firefighter who died in a fire years earlier (Davidson's real-life father was a firefighter who died on 9\/11), and Scott has grown to resent that he didn't get to grow up with his father present. But when his mother starts dating another firefighter, Scott is forced to confront his demons and the years of pent up anger that have led to his aimless lifestyle, with its broken relationships and fleeting connections, and at long last seek a more fulfilling life. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe King of Staten Island\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps one of Apatow's most mature and accomplished works, more in the vein of \u003Ci\u003EFunny People\u003C\/i\u003E and\u003Ci\u003E This is 40\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;than \u003Ci\u003ETrainwreck\u003C\/i\u003E or \u003Ci\u003EKnocked Up\u003C\/i\u003E. It's funny of course, but there's a sense of wistful melancholy at work here that really sets it apart. Apatow creates a fully realized, lived-in world of slackers and everyday heroes, paying tribute to the unsung working-class heroes like firefighters and nurses who spend every day making a difference without any recognition or reward. In that way,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe King of Staten Island\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;plays like Davidson's tribute to his family and his hometown, a tip of the hat to the people who made him who he is, and an apology of sorts for being so difficult.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film may be a comedy, but there's something deeply moving about its portrait of quiet working-class heroism. Davidson isn't so much overcoming his circumstances as stepping up to them, honoring the regular men and women who gave him opportunities he never appreciated. Apatow adopts an observational, conversational style, crafting a wise and warm comedy that isn't so much full of set-ups and punchlines as it is naturally flowing humor that comes out of its fully drawn characters and realistic situations. Apatow has always been a strong comedic voice, but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe King of Staten Island\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is disarmingly strong; a perceptive and smartly written (by Apatow, Davidson, and Dave Sirus) love letter to Davidson's family that feels like a comedic revelation. It's time to start taking Pete Davidson seriously. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE KING OF STATEN ISLAND \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E Judd Apatow | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EPete Davidson, Bel Powley, Bill Burr, Marisa Tomei, Maude Apatow | \u003Cb\u003ERated R\u003C\/b\u003E for language and drug use throughout, sexual content and some violence\/bloody images | \u003Ci style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EOpens Friday, June 12, On Demand.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/516592942783688834\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=516592942783688834","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/516592942783688834"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/516592942783688834"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/06\/review-king-of-staten-island-2020.html","title":"Review | The King of Staten Island | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ia4q-2AlEdo\/Xt_MTXldRpI\/AAAAAAAAjXQ\/LgC_fN4vUf8i2FIR9ywaF1i43Lw_-bzSgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/share-image.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6962509044859930838"},"published":{"$t":"2020-06-09T13:41:00.004-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-06-09T13:41:58.792-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"grasshopper film"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Fourteen | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zU_vjpp3wzE\/Xt_Il6DvPzI\/AAAAAAAAjW8\/KAy3wxm_zFIQkrTbsEcbKo9Qk-73h5MBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/fourteen_1_talliemedelnormakuhling_christophermessina_1-1-scaled.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zU_vjpp3wzE\/Xt_Il6DvPzI\/AAAAAAAAjW8\/KAy3wxm_zFIQkrTbsEcbKo9Qk-73h5MBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/fourteen_1_talliemedelnormakuhling_christophermessina_1-1-scaled.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIndie filmmaker Dan Sallitt hasn't made a feature film since 2012's \u003Ci\u003EThe Unspeakable Act\u003C\/i\u003E, but the long-awaited arrival of his latest film, \u003Ci\u003EFourteen\u003C\/i\u003E has unfortunately arrived in the middle of a global pandemic that has narrowed the already small audience for his films.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lPSDWfhEdsk\/Xt_JAnRL61I\/AAAAAAAAjXE\/Y347tfbBeJYpxgRgwEawuHPbkLUV5WwpQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Fourteen.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"665\" data-original-width=\"450\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lPSDWfhEdsk\/Xt_JAnRL61I\/AAAAAAAAjXE\/Y347tfbBeJYpxgRgwEawuHPbkLUV5WwpQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/Fourteen.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EA film critic himself, Sallitt is well regarded in the film critic community, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Unspeakable Act\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; was very popular amongst the denizens of Film Twitter, myself included. But\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EFourteen\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a somewhat trickier animal, its somewhat arch rhythms and cold characterizations make it much more difficult to warm up to. It's a film of strong theory, but often somewhat emotionally distant. The film centers around a pair of young women in their late twenties who have been best friends since they were 14 years old. Mara (Tallie Medel) is a teacher's aide constantly seeking work as an elementary school teacher. Jo (Norma Kuhling) has more stable employment as a social worker but is more emotionally troubled. She's irresponsible, unreliable, and often flaky; whereas Mara, less successful by societal standards, seems more well-adjusted to her somewhat unstable millennial lifestyle, constantly fluctuating between jobs and romantic partners. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EFourteen\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;takes an almost neo-realist look at the ebbs and flows of their lives through the years, skipping forward through time in the blink of a single cut, that is nevertheless deeply rooted in the language of American independent cinema. Sallitt is a precise observer of human behavior, and his portrayal of a friendship forged by the forced proximity of middle school put under the pressures of real life, is consistently filled with wise insights into the nature of human connections and the general ennui of millennial life, seeking stability where there is none to be found.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd yet one can't escape the feeling that despite its meticulous construction,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EFourteen\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels more rooted in ideas than in emotions. Its portrayal of two friends on diverging paths who no longer share the same connection they once did often feels painfully accurate, and Sallitt deftly avoids unnecessary dramatic embellishments, but it's difficult to settle in with two characters that feel more like millennial archetypes that living, breathing people. There are some undeniably lovely grace notes here (Mara relating the story of her friendship with Jo to a friend later in the film is an especially devastating moment), but the film's somewhat elliptical nature often holds the audience at arm's length. It's a keenly observational study of human friendships that can't quite stick the landing, its denouement never quite fully conveying the heavy weight of what we've just witnessed. The ideas are there, but without an emotional grounding it feels more like a theoretical exercise than a fully realized film.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E-\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFOURTEEN \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EDan Sallitt | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003ETallie Medel, Norma Kuhling, Evan Davis, Willy McGee | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in virtual cinemas nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6962509044859930838\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6962509044859930838","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6962509044859930838"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6962509044859930838"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/06\/review-fourteen-2020.html","title":"Review | Fourteen | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zU_vjpp3wzE\/Xt_Il6DvPzI\/AAAAAAAAjW8\/KAy3wxm_zFIQkrTbsEcbKo9Qk-73h5MBgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/fourteen_1_talliemedelnormakuhling_christophermessina_1-1-scaled.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3817795382944544853"},"published":{"$t":"2020-05-25T14:50:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-05-25T14:50:36.016-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hulu"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | AKA Jane Roe | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ReCDU3kYgZU\/XswSy3GQ7WI\/AAAAAAAAjWQ\/7Km6jGjhhbAuekPGQT88kGdzCjmjJcreQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/stills17_copy-h_2020.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"730\" data-original-width=\"1296\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ReCDU3kYgZU\/XswSy3GQ7WI\/AAAAAAAAjWQ\/7Km6jGjhhbAuekPGQT88kGdzCjmjJcreQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/stills17_copy-h_2020.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThere have been few more controversial Supreme Court cases in the modern era than 1973's Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States and set off a culture war that has been raging ever since. At this point I'd wager most folks know where they stand on the issue of abortion, but fewer know the real story of Jane Roe (nee Norma McCorvey) and how she unwittingly became one of the most contentious figures in American politics.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-REmImj2bBAA\/XswS8iFJQjI\/AAAAAAAAjWU\/zT3yopaIaC4qKcJjb35cadoeXB2CVGatQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/web_largecoverart_series_aka-jane-roe_540x796.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"796\" data-original-width=\"540\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-REmImj2bBAA\/XswS8iFJQjI\/AAAAAAAAjWU\/zT3yopaIaC4qKcJjb35cadoeXB2CVGatQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/web_largecoverart_series_aka-jane-roe_540x796.jpg\" width=\"271\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn the new documentary,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAKA Jane Roe\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;her story finally takes center stage, away from the glaring lights of the culture war, with its many complicated facets on display. When she was recruited as Jane Roe in the early 70s, McCorvey was working as a prostitute when she became unexpectedly pregnant. Unable to procure a legal abortion, she sought help from underground abortion doctors, but decided against it when she saw the filthy, dangerous conditions of the back alley clinic. She never got the abortion she sought, but her struggle became the flashpoint for the abortion rights movement as the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade, winning the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy for generations of women after her.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film examines McCorvey's early life, growing up gay, sexually abused, and destitute in the rural south. After helping to codify the right to an abortion into American law, she was mostly ignored by the pro-choice movement. She was too unpredictable, too rough around the edges, too crass to be an effective spokesperson, they thought. And so Jane Roe became more of a symbol than a real person. That is until she was recruited by an evangelic anti-abortion group called Operation Rescue, who paid her hundreds of thousands of dollars to renounce Roe v. Wade and become an anti-choice crusader.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAKA Jane Roe\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eserves as McCorvey's own candid \"deathbed confession,\" acknowledging that her conversion to anti-choice zealotry was a scam and that she had, in fact, been manipulated into betraying the very cause that bore her name. It's a portrait of a complex, complicated woman who never asked for the national spotlight in which she found herself. Here was a woman who lived a life of abuse who was neglected by the very movement she helped to victory, manipulated by bad-faith actors on the opposing side, and forced to end a long term relationship with her beloved partner, Connie, by the right-wing evangelists who saw her as little more than a trophy. In that way, the documentary almost plays as a personal tragedy set against the backdrop of national political unrest. \u0026nbsp;And while I wish director Nick Sweeney had asked some harder questions of the dying McCorvey, who dismisses her time advocating against abortion as using the very people who were using her, her troubled life tells a very different story.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhy did she throw millions of women under the bus after such a sweeping victory? It can't have just been for the money, can it? Sweeney sifts through decades worth of personal reflections, interviews with friends, family, and the anti-abortion leaders who sought to use her for their own ends, to paint a startlingly complex portrait of a woman with a troubled and complicated legacy. As her final statement before her death in 2017, \u003Ci\u003EAKA Jane Roe\u003C\/i\u003E dispels the right-wing myth of her anti-choice conversion once and for all, but it also leaves just as many questions as it answers. Perhaps that's the way McCorvey would have wanted - fiery, flawed, and never quite ready for prime time, she was not a typical activist or a camera-ready symbol of resistance. She was a fully formed human being filled with troubles, pains, and contradictions of her own. In other words, she was perhaps the most indelible symbol of the very women Roe v. Wade ultimately helped; the regular people whose struggles the cameras rarely capture in the ongoing political battles surrounding abortion. In\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAKA Jane Roe,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;McCorvey finally gets to tell her story in her own words and on her own terms, and the results are as fascinating, as frustrating, and as full of life as she was. It's a moving, must-watch experience.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAKA JANE ROE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E Nick Sweeney | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow streaming exclusively on Hulu.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3817795382944544853\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3817795382944544853","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3817795382944544853"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3817795382944544853"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/05\/review-aka-jane-roe-2020.html","title":"Review | AKA Jane Roe | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ReCDU3kYgZU\/XswSy3GQ7WI\/AAAAAAAAjWQ\/7Km6jGjhhbAuekPGQT88kGdzCjmjJcreQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/stills17_copy-h_2020.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6366975843417716690"},"published":{"$t":"2020-05-15T20:45:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-05-15T20:45:51.356-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers - Alice Guy-Blaché"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vbzCWuJyHNE\/Xr8xe7n-IdI\/AAAAAAAAjVE\/Ub4QrKiSwTUmegqs-OxaWz7HFLVmQHXpgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/012233_935x701_909359_036.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"701\" data-original-width=\"935\" height=\"478\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vbzCWuJyHNE\/Xr8xe7n-IdI\/AAAAAAAAjVE\/Ub4QrKiSwTUmegqs-OxaWz7HFLVmQHXpgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/012233_935x701_909359_036.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA still from Alice Guy-Blaché's \u003Ci\u003EThe Cabbage-Patch Fairy\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1896)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhile the Netflix original series, \u003Ci\u003EHollywood\u003C\/i\u003E, is playing revisionist history with the origins of the motion picture industry, other distributors are working hard to get cinema's real overlooked pioneers the spotlight they deserve.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aPZrV56DL1E\/Xr8xEw014AI\/AAAAAAAAjU8\/M36laV7GVL8jw4SeUmhGVRDPFWdaldoMACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/AGB%2B01%2BGaumont%2Bblueband.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1305\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aPZrV56DL1E\/Xr8xEw014AI\/AAAAAAAAjU8\/M36laV7GVL8jw4SeUmhGVRDPFWdaldoMACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/AGB%2B01%2BGaumont%2Bblueband.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ESpinning off from their successful box set, Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers, Kino Lorber has released several new collections focusing on individual filmmakers. First up, Alice Guy-Blaché, the subject of last year's documentary, \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2019\/08\/dvd-review-be-natural-untold-story-of.html\"\u003EBe Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, a true pioneer who became the first woman to direct a film and run her own studio. \u003Cb\u003EVolume 1\u003C\/b\u003E focuses on Guy-Blaché's years at Gaumont, one of France's leading studios in the early days of cinema. Here we are treated to some of Guy-Blaché's earliest films, including several that she has only recently received credit for. Most notably among them is 1896's \u003Ci\u003EThe Cabbage-Patch Fairy\u003C\/i\u003E, in which a\u0026nbsp;fairy checks on a cabbage patch full of babies. At only 1-min long, the film is considered the first narrative film, a departure from the actualities and scenes of daily life that were common in the earliest days of cinema. While there isn't a plot, it does conjure an obviously fictional scenario that sets it apart from other films of the period. Guy-Blaché would revisit the idea with less success in 1902's \u003Ci\u003EMidwife to the Upper Class\u003C\/i\u003E, establishing the idea of cabbage patch babies as an early trademark.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CTpOwfKlCY4\/Xr8z9THA5CI\/AAAAAAAAjVQ\/OktKombjVgQ0x6wOBFEIqpY0ghHBR0VOQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/49607674_101.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"576\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CTpOwfKlCY4\/Xr8z9THA5CI\/AAAAAAAAjVQ\/OktKombjVgQ0x6wOBFEIqpY0ghHBR0VOQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/49607674_101.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA scene from Alice Guy-Blaché's \u003Ci\u003EThe Consequences of Feminism\u003C\/i\u003E (1906)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003EThe set also includes some of her most incisive work in the form of comedies that poked fun at social issues of the day. On the surface, Alice Guy-Blaché's 1906 silent short, \u003Ci\u003EThe Consequences of Feminism\u003C\/i\u003E, seems like a warning about the dangers of feminized men. Guy-Balché \u0026nbsp;creates a world where men inhabit stereotypically feminine roles - doing the laundry, watching the children, gossiping in their hat-making circles; while the women smoke cigars, read the newspapers, and sexually harass the men without consequence. Therein lies the sly genius of this film.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Consequences of Feminism\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;isn't a warning against feminism, as it initially appears to be. \u0026nbsp;By the end of the film, the men have had enough, and stage a revolt to take back their \"rightful\" place. It is, in fact, an argument for the necessity of feminism, a bold choice for 1906. By casting men in the feminine roles, Guy-Balché shows men just what it was like to be a woman in that time. By turning the stereotypes on their head, she cleverly subverts the conventions of the time, arguing that if men wouldn't stand for this sort of treatment, why should women? It's certainly a compelling argument. And even in the more enlightened 21st century, its subversive social criticisms still ring true.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVolume 1 also includes some rare glimpses into the world in which they were created, with \u003Ci\u003EAlice Guy Films a ‘Phonoscène’ in the Studio at Buttes-Chaumont, Paris\u003C\/i\u003E (1905) providing a unique window into the early filmmaking process, and several \"phonoscenes\" of singer Félix Mayol.\u0026nbsp;It's really hard to distinguish between Alice Guy-Blaché's Félix Mayol photoscenes (and she made several) because they're all just a few minutes of him standing on a stage singing, but the chronophone syncing of sound to picture, especially in 1905, is jaw-dropping, and their value as historical record is hard to deny. Guy-Blaché wasn't trying to be a filmmaker here so much as a historian, documenting popular performers of the era for posterity. And not only can we see him, but we can hear him - a voice echoing down through the centuries. It may not sound like much, but in many ways it's truly stunning.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lQljBTMq71o\/Xr806iVAVKI\/AAAAAAAAjVc\/9BM7SXG6yXwvXnUkykpijtI3m__btlU9ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/image-w1280.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lQljBTMq71o\/Xr806iVAVKI\/AAAAAAAAjVc\/9BM7SXG6yXwvXnUkykpijtI3m__btlU9ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/image-w1280.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA scene from Alice Guy-Blaché's \u003Ci\u003EThe Birth, Life, and Death of Christ\u003C\/i\u003E (1906)\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003EVolume 2 focuses on Guy-Blaché's years at Solax, the production company she founded with her husband after moving to America. As head of the studio, she helped establish the house style for all films made there during her tenure. This also shows a period of creative growth for the filmmaker; not only does she excel in domestic comedies, but she begins to branch out into other genres such as westerns (\u003Ci\u003EParson Sue\u003C\/i\u003E) and historical epics like \u003Ci\u003EThe Birth, Life, and Death of Christ\u003C\/i\u003E, with somewhat mixed success.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-hf8TK7ZS1DY\/Xr82q_qP8CI\/AAAAAAAAjVo\/6U650-_yFVovrK6cQJOEWw6jmuG9d_NawCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/AGB%2B02%2BSolax%2Bblueband.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1305\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-hf8TK7ZS1DY\/Xr82q_qP8CI\/AAAAAAAAjVo\/6U650-_yFVovrK6cQJOEWw6jmuG9d_NawCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/AGB%2B02%2BSolax%2Bblueband.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EHer passion play wasn't credited to her until recently, but her attempt at a historical epic is surprisingly dry, taking a \"stations of the cross\" tableau aesthetic that isn't half as interesting as the comedies she was making around the same period. It's impressively mounted and and the sets are well constructed, but it's so strenuously respectful and static that it never really blossoms. She just doesn't feel like she's comfortable with the material, and the results are surprisingly passion-less, handsomely mounted and clearly laying the groundwork for the epic film but otherwise rather cold and distant.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EComedies were the Solax house speciality, and Guy-Blaché proved herself quite adept at them.\u0026nbsp;Liquor gets mistaken for lime juice in her 1911 comedy, \u003Ci\u003EStarting Something\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;in which a series of people accidentally get gassed in quick succession. This early Solax film showcases Guy-Blaché's razor sharp comedic timing, and her use of repetition here make\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EStarting Something\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;a consistently funny short, building up dramatic tension but putting everyone back exactly where they started every few minutes. It just gets funnier and funnier as it goes along, and Guy-Blaché's refusal to switch things up mid-film makes the comedic action all the more potent. She also began to tackle three hankie dramas around this period. Take \u003Ci\u003EThe Coming of Sunbeam\u003C\/i\u003E, for example,\u0026nbsp;a 1913 melodrama that features a grumpy old man suddenly finding out that he has to care for his young granddaughter after the untimely death of her parents. Resistant at first, he soon comes around and the two become inseparable, that is until she falls gravely ill. Reminiscent of Guy-Blaché's \u003Ci\u003EFalling Leaves\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;from the previous year, but without it's more lyrical grace notes,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Coming of Sunbeam\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is still a beguiling little film, and the central pairing of the old man and the little girl is hard to resist.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere are so many gems to discover here, and both discs represent a veritable treasure trove of some of Guy-Blaché's most indelible work. These are must-own discs for any serious student of cinema, not only is Guy-Blaché one of the pioneering women of the art form, she was also one of its principal movers and shakers, starting off as a secretary and becoming one of the most influential figures in early film, helping to steer it away from amusing novelty to serious art form. This is an A+ collection that belongs on every cinema lover's shelf.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPioneers: First Women Filmmakers - Alice Guy-Blaché Volumes 1 and 2\u003C\/b\u003E \u003C\/i\u003Eare now available on Blu-Ray and DVD from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.kinolorber.com\/\"\u003EKino Lorber\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6366975843417716690\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6366975843417716690","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6366975843417716690"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6366975843417716690"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/05\/blu-ray-review-pioneers-first-women.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers - Alice Guy-Blaché"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vbzCWuJyHNE\/Xr8xe7n-IdI\/AAAAAAAAjVE\/Ub4QrKiSwTUmegqs-OxaWz7HFLVmQHXpgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/012233_935x701_909359_036.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1888590288820055226"},"published":{"$t":"2020-05-13T19:14:00.004-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-05-13T19:23:10.731-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Reflections in a Golden Eye + Blood on the Moon"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-34Fkj9OvN1E\/Xrx-D3weVkI\/AAAAAAAAjT8\/G110orTABrw8uzfhBqcg-qDn6Ij0cfqcwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1967_Reflections-in-a-Golden-Eye.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-34Fkj9OvN1E\/Xrx-D3weVkI\/AAAAAAAAjT8\/G110orTABrw8uzfhBqcg-qDn6Ij0cfqcwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1967_Reflections-in-a-Golden-Eye.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EREFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EJohn Huston | USA | 1967\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6r0LBPGcy68\/Xrx-pYKLw2I\/AAAAAAAAjUI\/L5vSNzwBSgEZxvtMFTvMtMzst61aCGwTwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1000759977_ebd5cdcf-8714-4a34-b7b6-d190927faf51_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-6r0LBPGcy68\/Xrx-pYKLw2I\/AAAAAAAAjUI\/L5vSNzwBSgEZxvtMFTvMtMzst61aCGwTwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1000759977_ebd5cdcf-8714-4a34-b7b6-d190927faf51_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EYou have to give John Huston credit for his commitment to making idiosyncratic passion projects, but even in a career as varied as Huston's, the 1967 film\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EReflections in a Golden Eye\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;stands out.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStarring Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor as a cuckolded military commander and his free-spirited wife, \u003Ci\u003EReflections in a Golden Eye\u003C\/i\u003E is a disarmingly horny exploration of sexuality and desire that makes the most of its post-Production Code leniency. Brando, frustrated by his wife's constant infidelity, finds himself drawn to a young private (Robert Forster in his screen debut), who is known for going horseback riding naked in the woods around the base. Forster, in turn, has eyes for his CO's wife, and often lurks outside their house to peep on Taylor's dalliances.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOriginally released in a golden-tinted version (the figurative \"golden eye\" of the title), the film was eventually given a wide release with a more typical color palate to appease mass audiences. Warner Archive's new 2-disc Blu-Ray release gorgeously restores Huston's original vision alongside the general release version. The golden version gives the film a heated, otherworldly quality, as if its characters are wondering around in some sort of erotic dream, lost in a tangled web of their own unexplored desires. You have Brando slowly losing his grip on reality, Taylor flaunting her infidelity while completely dominating her husband - a figure of authority to everyone but her, and Forster as a young enlisted man who has much greater confidence than his commanding officer. It's an odd, dream-like film, and its unusual structure is occasionally uneven, but it's hard not to respect its bold vision. It's almost as if this is the film Huston's character from \u003Ci\u003EThe Other Side of the Wind\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;was making; a troubled, thorny, deeply personal exploration of the darkest recesses of the human psyche, and the results are hard to shake.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QJU7EzARqtA\/Xrx-uD5p0DI\/AAAAAAAAjUM\/ExJTpfBKzwkmvE-pSxobLcWApmzFOXgngCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/bloodonthemoon1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QJU7EzARqtA\/Xrx-uD5p0DI\/AAAAAAAAjUM\/ExJTpfBKzwkmvE-pSxobLcWApmzFOXgngCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/bloodonthemoon1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBLOOD ON THE MOON\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ERobert Wise | USA | 1948\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UoDfd35PkQU\/Xrx-lRJ0_wI\/AAAAAAAAjUE\/aYS522XnsSo7vQ7lcfM9ibh4xhCLARikgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1000758263_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UoDfd35PkQU\/Xrx-lRJ0_wI\/AAAAAAAAjUE\/aYS522XnsSo7vQ7lcfM9ibh4xhCLARikgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1000758263_2028x2048%25402x.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ERobert Mitchum and Barbara Bel Geddes star in Robert Wise's 1948 western, \u003Ci\u003EBlood on the\u0026nbsp;Moon\u003C\/i\u003E, a surprisingly gritty oater that casts Mitchum as a hired gun who slowly begins to realize that he may be on the wrong side of the conflict.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERecruited by an old friend to help run a local cattle baron out of business by preventing him from removing his herd from an Indian reservation by the legal deadline (thus forcing him to sell the cattle for pennies on the dollar), Mitchum unwittingly finds himself falling for the baron's beautiful and headstrong daughter (Bel Geddes). As his relationship with her deepens, begins to understand that he isn't sticking up for the little guy at all, and is in fact the villain in someone else's story. It's an interesting twist on the lone gunslinger archetype, long before the trope would be subverted by the revisionist westerns of the late 1960s and 70s.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWise was an incredibly versatile filmmaker, fitting right in across various genres, from horror (\u003Ci\u003EThe Haunting\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EThe Curse of the Cat People\u003C\/i\u003E), to musicals (\u003Ci\u003EWest Side Story, The\u0026nbsp;Sound of Music\u003C\/i\u003E), to science fiction (\u003Ci\u003EThe Day The Earth Stood Still, Star Trek: The Motion Picture\u003C\/i\u003E), so it should come as no surprise that he was equally adept at westerns as well. It's that workman-like adaptability that made him one of the most accomplished filmmakers of his time, although he is rarely given his due by auteurists. He had a knack for getting under his characters' skin, and in \u003Ci\u003EBlood on the Moon\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;Mitchum manages to find a sense of moral ambiguity to his amoral gunslinger that elevates the film above your typical western B-movie. Wise's commitment to a surprising amount of violence for 1948 gives the film actual stakes, and you can feel the conflict within Mitchum boiling over as the world he thought he knew no longer seems to make sense.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EREFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE and BLOOD ON THE MOON are now available on Blu-Ray from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.wbshop.com\/warnerarchive\"\u003EWarner Archive\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1888590288820055226\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1888590288820055226","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1888590288820055226"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1888590288820055226"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/05\/blu-ray-review-reflections-in-golden.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Reflections in a Golden Eye + Blood on the Moon"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-34Fkj9OvN1E\/Xrx-D3weVkI\/AAAAAAAAjT8\/G110orTABrw8uzfhBqcg-qDn6Ij0cfqcwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1967_Reflections-in-a-Golden-Eye.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2059414596520779234"},"published":{"$t":"2020-05-12T12:08:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-05-25T14:56:27.928-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hulu"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"neon"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Spaceship Earth | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SjojYHovKPA\/XrrJX71heJI\/AAAAAAAAjTc\/Ko4ATmKDPHAUmJ_66ZCyfKQltSBtHFbxACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/SPACESHIP%2BEARTH_Biosphere%2B2%2BPromo%2BShot%2B%25282%2529_Courtesy%2Bof%2BNEON.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SjojYHovKPA\/XrrJX71heJI\/AAAAAAAAjTc\/Ko4ATmKDPHAUmJ_66ZCyfKQltSBtHFbxACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/SPACESHIP%2BEARTH_Biosphere%2B2%2BPromo%2BShot%2B%25282%2529_Courtesy%2Bof%2BNEON.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EBiospherians (left to right): Jane Poynter, Linda Leigh, Mark Van Thillo, Taber MacCallum, Roy Walford (in front), Abigail Alling, SallySilverstone and Bernd Zabelposing inside Biosphere 2 in a 1990. Courtesy of NEON.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIn 1991 a group of enthusiastic dreamers built what would become known as Biosphere 2, a massive internalized ecosystem meant to emulate Earth's atmosphere, in an attempt to study what it would be like to live in an enclosed ecosystem on another planet. Depending on who you ask, the mission was either a spectacular success or an abysmal failure, but regardless of the ultimate outcome it makes for fascinating viewing in Matt Wolf's new documentary, \u003Ci\u003ESpaceship Earth\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--GvquxBpdtQ\/XrrJubueB6I\/AAAAAAAAjTk\/V89lYXLDWaYN4bmSXR6DNEmSAkWma_SQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/SpaceshipEarth_Launching%2BEverywhere.jpeg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--GvquxBpdtQ\/XrrJubueB6I\/AAAAAAAAjTk\/V89lYXLDWaYN4bmSXR6DNEmSAkWma_SQgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/SpaceshipEarth_Launching%2BEverywhere.jpeg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe group started as a commune of hippies in the 1960s who brought their talents together to build their own desert community before branching out by building a ship and going on to build and design everything from hotels to art galleries around the world thanks to the funding of a generous family benefactor. Inspired by works of science fiction, they turned to their most ambitious project yet - a sprawling recreation of Earth's atmosphere where eight intrepid explorers would spend two years sealed into an entirely self-contained environment to simulate life on another planet. The project was met with much anticipation from the public, and ultimately a great deal of controversy as disagreements arose over their methodology, calling into question the legitimacy of the experiment.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWolf doesn't ask too many hard questions - dismissing many accusations leveled against the group out of hand without delving too deeply into them. The suggestion that the group was some sort of cult is mostly laughed off, and the lack of real scientific method that went into the experiment is fairly glossed over in favor of a more awe-struck examination of the participants and the utopian vision that drove them. For those of us who were either too young to remember it or not even born when it happened, there's an undeniable air of discovery to this odd little piece of history, and it's hard not to find their goals admirable, if perhaps a bit naive. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film takes a turn with a bit of modern relevance when the wealthy backers eventually take over the product, led by none other than Steve Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trump and the architect of his unlikely 2016 presidential run. That's the point at which\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESpaceship Earth\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;becomes the most fascinating - a portrait of idealism brought crashing back down to earth by capitalist greed. There are clearly many more avenues to explore here, and Wolf leaves several very big stones mostly unturned, but it's hard to resist the sheer boldness of the project, whose data (especially regarding climate change and greenhouse gasses) has been suppressed for the last two decades by Bannon. It's a mildly diverting documentary that makes for some intriguing quarantine viewing, painting a big picture but ultimately failing to ask big questions. Clearly this is a story worth telling, but the glossing over of the shortcuts taken by the participants ultimately leaves more questions than answers, and leaves us wanting to know the rest of the story. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESPACESHIP EARTH \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EMatt Wolf | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow streaming exclusively on Hulu.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2059414596520779234\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2059414596520779234","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2059414596520779234"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2059414596520779234"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/05\/review-spaceship-earth-2020.html","title":"Review | Spaceship Earth | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-SjojYHovKPA\/XrrJX71heJI\/AAAAAAAAjTc\/Ko4ATmKDPHAUmJ_66ZCyfKQltSBtHFbxACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/SPACESHIP%2BEARTH_Biosphere%2B2%2BPromo%2BShot%2B%25282%2529_Courtesy%2Bof%2BNEON.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6774769446423625902"},"published":{"$t":"2020-05-02T13:54:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-05-02T14:44:45.993-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"cinema obscura"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Cinema Obscura | Wonder Bar | 1934"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--wjJC5wyALY\/Xq2_jmIJ0NI\/AAAAAAAAjS8\/HWn2DtC_JX0n9hJLUFaiU7ouVthC9EwEACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/CinemaObscura.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"439\" data-original-width=\"780\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--wjJC5wyALY\/Xq2_jmIJ0NI\/AAAAAAAAjS8\/HWn2DtC_JX0n9hJLUFaiU7ouVthC9EwEACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/CinemaObscura.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWonder Bar\u003C\/i\u003E is an odd entry in Busby Berkeley's impressive run of pre-code musicals for Warner Bros. For one, it's a huge downer, with its murder\/suicide plot ending the film on a strangely sour note for a Depression-era toe-tapper; and it simultaneously manages to combine one of Berkeley's best musical numbers with one of his absolute worst.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FtaKHxDL4ZQ\/Xq2xbzLNsOI\/AAAAAAAAjSg\/4yXnldEEF0YQCQuVqRaTdZG5jIHaNFmyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/MV5BNjAyYTU4YjgtYmQ1MS00MjEyLTk1NzMtZWE0ZWVmMTY4YzU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI3OTIzOA%2540%2540._V1_.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1062\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-FtaKHxDL4ZQ\/Xq2xbzLNsOI\/AAAAAAAAjSg\/4yXnldEEF0YQCQuVqRaTdZG5jIHaNFmyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/MV5BNjAyYTU4YjgtYmQ1MS00MjEyLTk1NzMtZWE0ZWVmMTY4YzU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDI3OTIzOA%2540%2540._V1_.jpg\" width=\"265\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EComing on the heels Berkeley's legendary 1933 run of \u003Ci\u003E42nd Street\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EGold Diggers of 1933\u003C\/i\u003E, and \u003Ci\u003EFootlight Parade\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWonder Bar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(along with his last, and lesser known, film of 1933, \u003Ci\u003ERoman Scandals\u003C\/i\u003E) feels at once tired and inspired, with its typical showbiz plot surrounding the scandals and drama in a Parisian nightclub, making it one of the biggest mixed-bags of the legendary choreographer's career. Al Jolson stars as Al Wonder, night-club owner and entertainer extraordinaire, who presides one the titular nightclub and all its comings and goings. He's in love with one of his Dolores del Río, as is fellow performer Dick Powell, but she's dealing with the fallout of her own relationship with onstage partner, Ricardo Cortez, who's planning on running off with Kay Francis. \u0026nbsp;Warner stalwarts Guy Kibbee and Hugh Herbert provide comedy relief as two henpecked American businessmen attempting to ditch their wives for a night on the town.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOf all the pre-code Warner musicals,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWonder Bar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps the most overtly sexual, with its cheeky double entendres practically jumping right off the screen; not to mention it features the most blatantly queer moment I've seen in a pre-code film, in which a man taps on another man’s shoulder to “cut in” with his dance partner, and instead waltzes off with the man, leaving the woman standing on the dance floor. Jolson then turns to the camera and shrugs “boys will be boys.” It’s a funny moment without being a punchline, and impressive for the way it treats such a thing as normal in gay Paris in a major Hollywood production in 1933. It also features one of Berkeley's most dazzling musical set pieces in \"Don't Say Goodnight,\" a dizzying masterpiece that features hundreds of dancers, 60 massive columns moving independently, and an octagon of mirrors that multiplies the dancers into infinity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut then comes \"Goin' to Heaven on a Mule,\" a cringe-worthy parade of racist stereotypes featuring Al Jolson in blackface as a former slave who goes to heaven with dozens of children as blackface angels. It's racist even by 1933 standards (watch out for the giant dancing watermelon), and even discounting the racial stereotypes it isn't even particularly clever by Berkeley's standards. It lacks the sparkle of his best comedy numbers like \"Hollywood Hotel\" (from \u003Ci\u003EFootlight Parade\u003C\/i\u003E) and \"Pettin' in the Park\" (from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGold Diggers of 1933\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;, and is generally a lackluster climax for a film that summarily wraps up with a murder\/suicide that's supposed to be a happy ending for its characters.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAs it stands,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWonder Bar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a fascinating curio, structured like a high class soap opera in the vein of \u003Ci\u003EGrand Hotel\u003C\/i\u003E sprinkled with a good dose of naughty pre-code humor, but once \"Don't Say Goodnight\" is over, the story doesn't seem to have anywhere to go. The cast is capable, and Berkeley delivers a knockout around the midpoint, but the screenplay can't seem it unravel its tangled romantic subplot, and the climactic 10-minute long blackface number is a hard sit that adds nothing to film. Worth watching for Berkeley aficionados and fans of classic musicals, but it lacks the escapist flair of his best work with its strangely downbeat ending.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ci\u003ECinema Obscura is a regular feature at From the Front Row, highlighting little-known films that I believe need a second look. The mission of Cinema Obscura is to bring attention to hidden gems and forgotten masterpieces from around the world that readers may not otherwise have had a chance to discover.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6774769446423625902\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6774769446423625902","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6774769446423625902"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6774769446423625902"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/05\/cinema-obscura-wonder-bar-1934.html","title":"Cinema Obscura | Wonder Bar | 1934"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--wjJC5wyALY\/Xq2_jmIJ0NI\/AAAAAAAAjS8\/HWn2DtC_JX0n9hJLUFaiU7ouVthC9EwEACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/CinemaObscura.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-4388936089456984752"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-29T18:38:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-29T18:47:15.673-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Two Silent German Classics from Kino Lorber"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5e3vWk5pPk0\/XqoAUR4f16I\/AAAAAAAAjR0\/2Yh-eEaYIscN1-LdCMf0jPoFFRcoEASggCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Der-Golem-Paul-Wegener.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"768\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5e3vWk5pPk0\/XqoAUR4f16I\/AAAAAAAAjR0\/2Yh-eEaYIscN1-LdCMf0jPoFFRcoEASggCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/Der-Golem-Paul-Wegener.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPerhaps one of the most famous of the German Expressionist films, Paul Wegener's \u003Ci\u003EThe Golem: How He Came into the World\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is one of the most visually striking films of the silent era. With its curved architecture and unique set design, it stands alongside \u003Ci\u003EThe Cabinet of Doctor Caligari\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eand \u003Ci\u003EMetropolis\u003C\/i\u003E as one of the quintessential examples of Expressionism in film.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5Yr22Y9lHTs\/XqoAbpPV7nI\/AAAAAAAAjR4\/X0yJv9jbQF8-3XmYzs__2m3ONANOsycDgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/GOLEM%2Bblueband.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1305\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5Yr22Y9lHTs\/XqoAbpPV7nI\/AAAAAAAAjR4\/X0yJv9jbQF8-3XmYzs__2m3ONANOsycDgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/GOLEM%2Bblueband.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFew other films of the era took such a radical approach to its overall design. Nothing in the film is practical or \"realistic,\" from its twisted staircase to the misshapen buildings of the ghetto in which it is set. And yet everything about the film seems based in a kind of recognizable milieu that makes its off-kilter sets seem like something out of a dream, as if we're wandering through the haunted landscapes of our subconscious mind.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe story is inspired by Jewish folklore, in which a rabbi brings to life a monster made of clay in order to defend the Jewish people from persecution. It is believed that the Golem myth provided the basis for Mary Shelley's \"Frankenstein,\" and there are certainly some parallels in Wegener's \u003Ci\u003EGolem\u003C\/i\u003E that foreshadow James Whale's take on \u003Ci\u003EFrankenstein\u003C\/i\u003E 11 years later, especially in the Golem's interactions with children near the film's end. Because the rabbi makes a deal with an evil spirit to bring the Golem (played by Wegener himself) to life, he loses control of the creature and must deal with the personal consequences of summoning a monster to do his bidding, even if his intentions were noble. It's a classic morality play, a warning about fighting evil with more evil, and the personal toll of revenge played out in the increasingly ominous streets of the ghetto.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWegener had previously tacked the Golem myth in 1915's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Golem\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;a film now mostly lost to time, which took place in the 20th century after the ancient creature was reawakened. This 1920 prequel,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Golem: How He Came into the World\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp; explores the original 16th century \u0026nbsp;myth of Rabbi Loew (Albert Steinrück) and the consequences of human arrogance in creating life. As one of the earliest remaining feature length horror films (released not long after seminal \u003Ci\u003ECabinet of Doctor Caligari\u003C\/i\u003E), it holds a special place in film history, and remains one of the most beautifully designed and evocative films of its time, and it hasn't lost any of its eerie luster in the century since its release. Wegener was not a particularly prolific filmmaker (the 1920 \u003Ci\u003EGolem\u003C\/i\u003E is his most widely seen surviving film), but his vision was undeniable, and Kino Lorber's new Blu-Ray breathes new life into the now 100 year old film with a flawless new \u0026nbsp;4K transfer of the German release version, featuring three scores, as well as the shorter US release version and a comparison essay between the two cuts of the film.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ODIdmiY9rjo\/XqoAu1YV4qI\/AAAAAAAAjSA\/ilw_EWb1MMssI42mDLIEsIyy_zeBiVqxgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/60112.large.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"900\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ODIdmiY9rjo\/XqoAu1YV4qI\/AAAAAAAAjSA\/ilw_EWb1MMssI42mDLIEsIyy_zeBiVqxgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/60112.large.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EF.W. Murnau adapts Moliere's classic play of religious hypocrisy in 1925's \u003Ci\u003ETartuffe\u003C\/i\u003E, which\u0026nbsp;frames Moliere's original story as a film-within-a-film inside another narrative. While \u003Ci\u003ETartuffe\u003C\/i\u003E wasn't the first film to conceive of such a device (Buster Keaton's 1924 comedy, \u003Ci\u003ESherlock, Jr\u003C\/i\u003E., is the earliest example I've been able to find), it is somewhat unique for its time - making it a rare film in which most of action takes place in a film that other characters are watching.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vXY5OdiqyLI\/XqoBANdHn6I\/AAAAAAAAjSI\/iX_FQPge0h4Zqk-rd9fCtCVO5HgSGIUCwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/TARTUFFE%2Bblueband.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1305\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vXY5OdiqyLI\/XqoBANdHn6I\/AAAAAAAAjSI\/iX_FQPge0h4Zqk-rd9fCtCVO5HgSGIUCwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/TARTUFFE%2Bblueband.jpg\" width=\"326\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe modern day framing device centers around an unscrupulous housekeeper (Rosa Valetti) trying to convince her wealthy master (Hermann Picha) to cut his grandson (André Mattoni) out of his will and leave everything to her, because the young man has chosen to become an actor. Upon learning of the housekeeper's scheme, the grandson disguises himself as the leader of a traveling film troupe on tour with a film version of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETartuffe\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; bringing the film to his grandfather's home in order to open his eyes to the housekeeper's scheme.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe resulting version of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETartuffe\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is heavily abridged from Moliere's classic text. The basic idea is the same - Tartuffe (Emil Jannings) is a \u0026nbsp;religious zealot who uses his piety to control others and drain them of their wealth. When he arrives at the home of his latest victim, Orgon (Werner Krauss), Orgon's wife (Lil Dagover) immediately recognizes Tartuff for the charlatan he is, and sets out to expose him to her brainwashed husband. The story mostly focuses on her attempts to reveal Tartuffe's true nature, leaving the meat of Moliere's text cut down to a sort of Cliff's Notes summary. The essential thematic content remains the same, but Jannings' choice to play Tartuffe as a gruff, boorish brute rather than a charismatic, manipulative cad seems to undercut the story's essential message about being wary of charming hypocrites who disguise their true nature in false piety.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMurnau is, of course, an incredible visual stylist, and the golden-tinted hues of Karl Freund's cinematography are often breathtaking. But\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETartuffe\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is ultimately one of Murnau's minor works - its all-too-brief 74 minute running time barely giving the story time to breathe, and the normally terrific Jannings seems miscast here, his penchant for overacting smothering the legendary character. The framing device also seems unnecessary - its attempt to connect Moliere's themes to modern times feels redundant, taking precious minutes away from the already truncated story it sets out to tell.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THE WORLD -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★★½ (out of four)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETARTUFFE -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow\u0026nbsp;available on Blu-Ray and DVD from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.kinolorber.com\/\"\u003EKino Lorber\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/4388936089456984752\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=4388936089456984752","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4388936089456984752"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4388936089456984752"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/blu-ray-review-two-silent-german.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Two Silent German Classics from Kino Lorber"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5e3vWk5pPk0\/XqoAUR4f16I\/AAAAAAAAjR0\/2Yh-eEaYIscN1-LdCMf0jPoFFRcoEASggCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Der-Golem-Paul-Wegener.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-9148434114361403587"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-28T11:26:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-28T11:32:20.913-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"HBO"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Bad Education | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Vu879qRQIXI\/XqhLACcZ_5I\/AAAAAAAAjRA\/DqfB7MWsvQ8fqYH0of6DpvJnAfgCRa5DwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/2IJZBFUEV4I6VLRGTCOPZYOHY4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"960\" data-original-width=\"1440\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Vu879qRQIXI\/XqhLACcZ_5I\/AAAAAAAAjRA\/DqfB7MWsvQ8fqYH0of6DpvJnAfgCRa5DwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/2IJZBFUEV4I6VLRGTCOPZYOHY4.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIn 2002, a student reporter working for her high school newspaper, The Hilltop Beacon, inadvertently uncovered a massive embezzlement scheme while working on a puff piece about a new construction project at her high school in Long Island.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mqRydDAW2tw\/XqhLDh7YSCI\/AAAAAAAAjRE\/FJ8j_D1Wf6EIv3JqN20abNmaYLfKfziHgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/MV5BYmE2NDNlMDktOTA5YS00ZmYyLWE1ZjUtN2QzZGIzNzI1MGVmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE%2540._V1_.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mqRydDAW2tw\/XqhLDh7YSCI\/AAAAAAAAjRE\/FJ8j_D1Wf6EIv3JqN20abNmaYLfKfziHgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/MV5BYmE2NDNlMDktOTA5YS00ZmYyLWE1ZjUtN2QzZGIzNzI1MGVmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODE5NzE3OTE%2540._V1_.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThat embezzlement scheme ended up being the largest public school fraud in American history, with over $11 million stolen from the school system's budget to fund luxury homes, lavish vacations, and other extravagant expenses for administrators and their families. The scheme reached the highest levels of the school district's administration, and serves as the inspiration for HBO's new film, \u003Ci\u003EBad Education\u003C\/i\u003E, starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, and directed by Cory Finley (\u003Ci\u003EThoroughbreds\u003C\/i\u003E). \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film originally debuted at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival before being picked up by HBO for distribution. Yet despite skipping theaters for a television premiere this past weekend, \u003Ci\u003EBad Education \u003C\/i\u003E(not to be confused with Pedro Almodovar's 2004 film of the same name) is an engaging tale of corruption, vanity, and hubris that gives Jackman one of his meatiest roles to date. Jackman stars as Frank Tassone, beloved educator and school superintendent, whose penchant for taking a personal interest in the wellbeing of his district's students put his schools on the map and fueled a surge in early acceptance decisions to some of the nation's top universities.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter discovering some discrepancies in the school's expense accounts, the school board comes to realize that Assistance Superintendent Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) has been cooking the books in order to fund her lavish lifestyle. But Tassone steps in to cover for Gluckin in order to keep the situation out of the press, ostensibly to preserve the school system's reputation and maintain their budget for the next school year. That's when \u003Ci\u003EBad Education\u003C\/i\u003E really starts to get interesting - slowly revealing its protagonist's motivations as it delves deeper into this wide-ranging scandal. At first, Finley plays his cards close to the vest, but as the true depth of the fraud becomes clear, he turns the film into a fascinating character study of people who do very bad things for the \"right\" reasons.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EEveryone involved here seems to think they have the best interests of the students and their community in mind, deluding themselves into thinking that they're good people who aren't really doing anything wrong, as if their professional strengths somehow offset their personal failures. In the film's greatest twist of irony, it is that very encouragement of student involvement that the young reporter (Geraldine Viswanathan) to dig deeper into the district's spending and discovering millions of dollars worth of hidden expenses buried in a seemingly innocuous breezeway expansion for the high school. While the film is stylistically more straightforward than Finley's last film, his slow-burn portrait of a man whose flaws as an administrator are uncovered by his own strengths as an educator, is deeply engrossing. Jackman has never been better than he is here, portraying Tassone's slow unravelling barely masked by his vain obsession with appearance - a man hiding who is truly is on many levels. \u003Ci\u003EBad Education\u003C\/i\u003E is worth watching for Jackman's performance alone, but he anchors a ripped-from-the-headlines story of true crime with an emotional center that is hard to shake. The road to hell is truly paved with good intentions, and Jackman's multi-faceted performance reveals the conflict of a deeply troubled man undone by his own success. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBAD EDUCATION\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E Cory Finley | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u003C\/b\u003E Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano, Geraldine Viswanathan, Annaleigh Ashford | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENow streaming exclusively on HBO.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/9148434114361403587\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=9148434114361403587","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/9148434114361403587"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/9148434114361403587"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/review-bad-education-2020.html","title":"Review | Bad Education | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Vu879qRQIXI\/XqhLACcZ_5I\/AAAAAAAAjRA\/DqfB7MWsvQ8fqYH0of6DpvJnAfgCRa5DwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/2IJZBFUEV4I6VLRGTCOPZYOHY4.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2344927170743144645"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-27T18:07:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-28T11:26:57.671-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Jia Zhangke"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | I Wish I Knew | 2010"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wKCF2EAhEO8\/XqdXefEnsyI\/AAAAAAAAjQs\/ByS14yxGBH8rp7L0n7-5cHmfd4Di33xJQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/I%2BWish%2BI%2BKnew%2B-%2BActress%2B-%2BZhao%2BTao%2B05%2BCopyright%2BXstream%2BPictures.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"683\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wKCF2EAhEO8\/XqdXefEnsyI\/AAAAAAAAjQs\/ByS14yxGBH8rp7L0n7-5cHmfd4Di33xJQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/I%2BWish%2BI%2BKnew%2B-%2BActress%2B-%2BZhao%2BTao%2B05%2BCopyright%2BXstream%2BPictures.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ECommissioned by Shanghai's Expo 2010, Jia Zhangke's \u003Ci\u003EI Wish I Knew\u003C\/i\u003E is a bracing blend of documentary and narrative styles that weaves a fascinating tapestry of Shanghai's rich and troubled history; from its glory days as an international shipping port to the second Sino-Japanese War at the outset of WWII, to the Chinese civil war in the 1940s, to the Cultural Revolution at the hands of Mao Zedong's Communist Party.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rs2_fFPmezA\/XqdXld9MRGI\/AAAAAAAAjQw\/3O-WNp1sPHcvqnZIQVp-LfSeHBYqYosJQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/IWishIKnew_Cover_BR.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1500\" data-original-width=\"1236\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Rs2_fFPmezA\/XqdXld9MRGI\/AAAAAAAAjQw\/3O-WNp1sPHcvqnZIQVp-LfSeHBYqYosJQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/IWishIKnew_Cover_BR.jpg\" width=\"328\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt is, perhaps, not exactly the bright and sunny portrait of a modern cosmopolitan city that the Shanghai Expo hoped for, because as Adam Nayman points out in his essay \"The Name of this Film is Talking Heads: Jia Zhangke's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Wish I Knew\"\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(included in the liner notes in Kino Lorber's new Blu-Ray release), nearly all of the stories featured in the film's 18 interviews are about exodus, people fleeing the city in times of upheaval and strife.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat the film does instead is paint a portrait of a nation in flux, using Shanghai as a prism through which to view the radical cultural shifts that have occurred in China over the last century. There are few more prominent chroniclers of modern China than Jia - his films have covered everything from the building of the Three Gorges Dam in \u003Ci\u003EStill Life\u003C\/i\u003E (2006) to the evolution of industry in \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2009\/09\/review-24-city.html\"\u003E24 City\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E (2008) to his more personal chronicle of a Chinese family coping with generational change in \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2016\/08\/blu-ray-review-mountains-may-depart.html\"\u003EMountains May Depart\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E (2015), Jia has keenly observed the shifting sands of life in modern China with the eye of an anthropologist and the hear of a poet. Of all his films,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Wish I Knew\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;most closely resembles \u003Ci\u003E24 City\u003C\/i\u003E with its deft combination of documentary and narrative styles, juxtaposing Jia stalwart Zhao Tao (\u003Ci\u003EAsh is\u0026nbsp;Purest White\u003C\/i\u003E) wandering amongst the foggy gray vistas of Shanghai's World Expo Park with the childhood recollections of Shanghai expatriates. Politicians, soldiers, former revolutionaries, criminals, and citizens from all walks of life reflect back on their lives and the circumstances that lead them away from Shanghai.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn one particularly memorable segment, we are introduced to a woman named Huang Baomei who came face-to-face with Chairman Mao himself after being selected to participate in a propaganda piece as a \"model Communist worker,\" and was invited to attend the opera with him. Jia also interviews fellow Chinese auteur, Hou Hsiao-hsien, about his 1998 film, \u003Ci\u003EFlowers of Shanghai\u003C\/i\u003E. The art inspired by Shanghai plays a key role in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Wish I Knew\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;as Jia uses clips of Hou's film as well as propaganda works like \u003Ci\u003ETo Liberate Shanghai\u003C\/i\u003E (1959) and Fei Mu's \u003Ci\u003ESpring in a Small Town\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1948) to paint a picture of the city's evolution over time through art.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's something quite subversive in the way that Jia illustrates the city's ever-changing culture through the eyes of those who lived it, bearing witness to a nation's struggle through the shifting identities of one of its most famous cities. Even the title is something of a shrug, attesting to the city's ephemeral impenetrability. For a film meant to celebrate Shanghai,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Wish I Knew\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;instead mourns the city it could have been, a potential constantly undercut by social unrest. By focusing on dissidents and underworld figures of Shanghai's shadowy past, Jia refuses to toe the party line of the city's \"glorious\" history without ever running afoul of the Chinese \u0026nbsp;censors. The result is something nebulous and melancholy, cagey about its true intentions but nonetheless direct in its depiction of the social unrest of the 20th century through one city's shared experiences. It's a vital, vibrant work, densely layered with memories of a not-so-distant past, full of disquieting revelations and warnings for the future.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Wish I Knew\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a city symphony in a minor key, reminiscent of Pennebaker and Ruttman, that searches for the soul of a people and finds a microcosm of a century of upheaval and uncertainty.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E-\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EI WISH I KNEW \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EJia Zhangke | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EZhao Tao | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EIn Mandarin w\/English subtitles\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ci style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAvailable Blu-Ray and DVD from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.kinolorber.com\/product\/i-wish-i-knew-blu-ray\"\u003EKino Lorber\u003C\/a\u003E on April 28.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2344927170743144645\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2344927170743144645","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2344927170743144645"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2344927170743144645"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/review-i-wish-i-knew-2010.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | I Wish I Knew | 2010"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wKCF2EAhEO8\/XqdXefEnsyI\/AAAAAAAAjQs\/ByS14yxGBH8rp7L0n7-5cHmfd4Di33xJQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/I%2BWish%2BI%2BKnew%2B-%2BActress%2B-%2BZhao%2BTao%2B05%2BCopyright%2BXstream%2BPictures.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3439354346448319502"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-21T11:40:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-21T11:46:13.278-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Wendy | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a7VA5VVbbC0\/Xp8TdIFOXvI\/AAAAAAAAjQQ\/NbRGVFzqW_Y8CbnY1ZKEjK7w_hTCVjywwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/wendy-005_WE_SG_16611_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"875\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"348\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a7VA5VVbbC0\/Xp8TdIFOXvI\/AAAAAAAAjQQ\/NbRGVFzqW_Y8CbnY1ZKEjK7w_hTCVjywwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/wendy-005_WE_SG_16611_rgb.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EDevin France, Gavin Naquin, Gage Naquin, Romyri Ross and Yashua Mack in the film WENDY. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved \u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAfter receiving four Oscar nominations in 2012 for his directorial debut, \u003Ci\u003EBeasts of the Southern Wild\u003C\/i\u003E, including Best Picture and Best Director, Benh Zeitlin seemingly disappeared from filmmaking, only surfacing a few times to produce or compose scores for a few indie films that never saw wide releases. Now eight years later he has returned to directing with his sophomore feature,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWendy\u003C\/i\u003E, a modern re-imagining of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPeter Pan\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that puts young Wendy Darling (Devin France) at the center of the narrative.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-26df_btjK0Y\/Xp8ThAk3GsI\/AAAAAAAAjQU\/YXM2U8_0RgkQ9IWyrrOYdHG72C5mKz_GgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/wendy-Final%2BPoster_rgb.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1160\" data-original-width=\"783\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-26df_btjK0Y\/Xp8ThAk3GsI\/AAAAAAAAjQU\/YXM2U8_0RgkQ9IWyrrOYdHG72C5mKz_GgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/wendy-Final%2BPoster_rgb.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EHere, Wendy is the daughter of a rural train station waitress who dreams of hopping on a passing train and exploring the world beyond. She spins tales of fantastical worlds reached by lost boys who ride the rails to freedom, never growing up, existing in a kind of limbo of eternal childhood in the memory of those they left behind. Inspired by her stories, Wendy and her brothers James (Gavin Naquin) and Douglas (Gage Naquin) hop on a freight train bound for nowhere, and encounter Peter Pan (Yashua Mack) and his gang of lost boys, who take them to a deserted island far away, where their days are filled with magic and adventure.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat is until one day they discover the island is also populated with adults, children who lost their sense of hope and wonder and grew old, forgetting what it was like to be young. A series of tragedies and setbacks puts them on a collision course with the Neverland adults, leading to the rise of Captain Hook and the creation of a myth that will inspire them to stay young at heart even as their bodies grow old.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's something inherently appealing about this reworking of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPeter Pan\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;myth, but coming eight years after the sensational\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBeasts of the Southern Wild,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWendy\u003C\/i\u003E feels like a regression, a half-drawn sketch of a much deeper exploration of a familiar tale. Not only is it visually unappealing and sloppy in its execution, it often feels like a retread of the ideas and themes already explored in \u003Ci\u003EBeasts\u003C\/i\u003E. Wendy even delivers a near beat-for-beat recap of the famous “Once there was a hushpuppy” monologue. The whole thing just feels torpid and uninspired, a germ of an idea that never made it past the development stage.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYoung Devin France is a strong lead and a great discovery, but she’s cast adrift in a film that doesn’t know what to do with her. It brings nothing new to the story to justify its reframing, and its new mythology feels half-baked.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWendy'\u003C\/i\u003Es musings on growing up and adulthood are underlined and written in bold, but the story is lifeless and broadly drawn, taking vague inspiration from the legendary pages of J.M. Barrie's novel and removing all its sense of wonder and cohesion. Moments clearly designed to be moving and profound fall flat because they haven’t been given the proper context to be earned, as if it's forcing the Pan myth to fit its own story rather than radically reimagining it. Even the score by Zeitlin and Dan Romer feels like an almost note-for-note reprise of their thrilling musical themes from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBeasts of the Southern Wild\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt's a film of muddled mythology and listless characterization, burying its sense of childhood magic in drab new trappings that feel bland and uninspired. It's certainly disappointing as a belated follow-up to Zeitlin's incredible debut, but by bringing nothing new to the table or having anything else to say in its reworking of \u003Ci\u003EPeter Pan,\u003C\/i\u003E it feels like an incomplete concept in search of a heart that it never quite finds. Just as the lost boys desperately search for a mother, so too does\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWendy\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;fruitlessly search for a point of view that it never manages to find.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWENDY \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EBenh Zeitlin | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EDevin France, Yashua Mack, Gavin Naquin, Gage Naquin | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for brief violent\/bloody images | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow available to download or\u0026nbsp;stream on\u0026nbsp;demand.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3439354346448319502\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3439354346448319502","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3439354346448319502"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3439354346448319502"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/review-wendy-2020.html","title":"Review | Wendy | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-a7VA5VVbbC0\/Xp8TdIFOXvI\/AAAAAAAAjQQ\/NbRGVFzqW_Y8CbnY1ZKEjK7w_hTCVjywwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/wendy-005_WE_SG_16611_rgb.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7518270889490319372"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-16T18:30:00.008-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-16T18:35:29.441-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Me and You and Everyone We Know | 2005"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gVBYUV1QUI8\/XpjazRdmk9I\/AAAAAAAAjPs\/MUPw9P3iW98xRQw8kj-sILy6YQvv4geIwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/MaYaEWK_grabsforannounce_0002_Layer%2B5.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gVBYUV1QUI8\/XpjazRdmk9I\/AAAAAAAAjPs\/MUPw9P3iW98xRQw8kj-sILy6YQvv4geIwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/MaYaEWK_grabsforannounce_0002_Layer%2B5.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIn some ways, Miranda July’s \u003Ci\u003EMe and You and Everyone We Know\u003C\/i\u003E represents a very particular time in movie history. Released in 2005, the film has come to seem emblematic of a certain type of quirky Sundance indie that became so ubiquitous in the early 2000s. July, an unclassifiable performance artist who dabbled in something akin to multimedia art installations and \"video chain letters\" before turning to filmmaking, may come across on the surface as an insufferably twee figure, filling her films with oddball characters making seemingly random philosophical musings about the nature of life, love, and death. But there's an authenticity to her work that sets it apart from many of her contemporaries.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LtVfx1AJDKE\/Xpja58opYnI\/AAAAAAAAjPw\/Mh7nnlZfGfATP6k3HDSFISKERdy97PsyACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1026_BD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LtVfx1AJDKE\/Xpja58opYnI\/AAAAAAAAjPw\/Mh7nnlZfGfATP6k3HDSFISKERdy97PsyACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1026_BD.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETaken at face value,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMe and You and Everyone We Know\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels representative of \"Sundance quirk,\" its performance art aesthetic at once self-consciously strange and even pretentious in its cornball new age reflections on a world that doesn't come close to resembling any recognizable reality. And yet beneath the film's veneer of melancholy, candy-colored weirdness, July conjures something deeply and disarmingly human, instantly recognizable and yet wholly indescribable. All of her characters seem stunted somehow; emotionally, socially, lost and adrift in a world that doesn't quite seem to have the answers they seek. But through art, technology, \u0026nbsp;sex, or a simple gesture of kindness, each finds a kind of kinship and connection in the most unexpected of places.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJuly herself stars as Christine Jesperson, a lonely performance artist who moonlights as a cab driver for a company called Eldercab, where she drives elderly customers around for their daily errands. One day she meets Richard (John Hawkes) a single father who works as a shoe salesman at a generic mall department store, and strikes up a casual friendship that constantly threatens to become something more. His children, teenage Peter (Miles Thompson) and seven year old Robby (Brandon Ratcliff) are facing issues of their own. Peter is grappling with a budding sexuality and a sense of social awkwardness, while Robby has begun an online relationship with a middle aged woman who has no idea she been chatting via online messenger with a child. Their young neighbor, Sylvie (Carlie Westerman), spends her time collecting kitchen appliances in a hope chest for a dowery for her future husband husband, while Peter's school friends, Heather (Natasha Slayton) and Rebecca (Najarra Townsend), get their first brush with adulthood through a flirtation with an older man.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-o-0z4pui0a8\/XpjbbeFXtoI\/AAAAAAAAjP8\/8bB6KRoiV5MGGgS_Sf9G8g3kcygdDXNwACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/MaYaEWK_grabsforannounce_0000_Layer%2B7.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-o-0z4pui0a8\/XpjbbeFXtoI\/AAAAAAAAjP8\/8bB6KRoiV5MGGgS_Sf9G8g3kcygdDXNwACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/MaYaEWK_grabsforannounce_0000_Layer%2B7.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJuly has a unique way of handling salacious material in such a way that makes it feel at once innocent and beautiful. Young Robby's online conversations regarding the sharing of poop should make us feel queasy, and yet there's something almost naïve about it that doesn't feel dirty at all. Everyone in the film has a kind of childlike guilelessness about them, a group of lost souls floating through life desperately searching for some kind of human connection, platonic, romantic, sexual, or otherwise. Yet its unique sense of innocence don't come off as cloying, striking a delicate balance between emotional honesty and eccentricity. July’s observations never feel like manufactured oddities - rather they feel like splintered reveries of a strange and beguiling world of small-scale wonders. Here, lost souls tumbling through space briefly bump up against one another, guided by July's singular vision and performance art aesthetic that feels at once off-kilter and incisive.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECriterion's new Blu-Ray release is truly stunning, rescuing the film from early aughts DVD bleariness and giving it new life, its brightly colored palate more vibrant than ever. Also included are two of July's early short films, \u003Ci\u003EThe Amateurist\u003C\/i\u003E (1998) and \u003Ci\u003ENest of Tens\u003C\/i\u003E (2000), along with selections from her video chain letter, \u003Ci\u003EJoanie 4 Jackie\u003C\/i\u003E. There's simply nothing else out there quite like\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMe and You and Everyone We Know\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp; a film both timeless and yet distinctly of its time, transcendent and yet familiar, at once emblematic of cutesy Sundance indie treacle and an utter subversion of its vapidness. But perhaps most of all, it's a film that feels weirdly out of time, empathetic and kind, adrift in its own singular sense of sadness and hope, obsessed with death and yet completely accepting of its inevitability. And now its back, ripe and ready for the reevaluation it so richly deserves as one of the very best debut films of the new millennium.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EMiranda July | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EMiranda July, John Hawkes, Brandon Ratcliff, Miles Thompson, Carlie Westerman, Brad William Henke | \u003Cb\u003ERated R\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for disturbing sexual content involving children, and for language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAvailable on Blu-Ray and DVD from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.criterion.com\/films\/29112-me-and-you-and-everyone-we-know\"\u003EThe Criterion Collection\u003C\/a\u003E on April 28.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESpecial  Features:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EHigh-definition digital master, approved by director Miranda July, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENew documentary featuring a conversation between July and filmmaker Lena Dunham about July’s artistic beginnings and the development of her debut feature\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOpen to the World, a new documentary about the 2017 interfaith charity shop and participatory artwork July created in collaboration with Artangel\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EJuly Interviews July: Deauville, 2005, a discovery from July’s archives, newly edited Footage from the 2003 Sundance Directors Lab, where July workshopped the film, with commentary by July\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe Amateurist (1998) and Nest of Tens (2000), short films by July\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFour films from July’s Joanie 4 Jackie video chain letter, and a documentary about the project\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDeleted scenes\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETrailer\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPLUS: Essays by artist Sara Magenheimer and novelist Lauren Groff\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7518270889490319372\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7518270889490319372","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7518270889490319372"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7518270889490319372"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/blu-ray-review-me-and-you-and-everyone.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Me and You and Everyone We Know | 2005"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gVBYUV1QUI8\/XpjazRdmk9I\/AAAAAAAAjPs\/MUPw9P3iW98xRQw8kj-sILy6YQvv4geIwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/MaYaEWK_grabsforannounce_0002_Layer%2B5.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-4470001622915707239"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-14T11:30:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-14T16:03:49.881-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Film Movement"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | The Wild Goose Lake | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B88VY1KuvqU\/XpXWLO38KYI\/AAAAAAAAjPQ\/9kRR4e7j72QydL89WB1564KSuMgIkq3RQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/wild-goose-lake_gallery-2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1068\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B88VY1KuvqU\/XpXWLO38KYI\/AAAAAAAAjPQ\/9kRR4e7j72QydL89WB1564KSuMgIkq3RQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/wild-goose-lake_gallery-2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIt's no secret that theaters are struggling right now. With movie screens darkened across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, independent theaters are especially feeling the negative effects of the nationwide lockdown. This has put many arthouse theaters in an increasingly dire position, but thanks to the ingenuity of some of the nation's independent distributors, you can still support your local indie theaters through \"virtual cinemas.\" Essentially a pay-per-play streaming service, these online theaters allow independent theaters to bring first-run arthouse films into your living room, sharing a cut of the profits with the distributors, in order to stay afloat during this unprecedented crisis.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--yfGTgCg65U\/XpXWO03dICI\/AAAAAAAAjPU\/yojPV4kV9uYNq66EPJCl_4slFobQG1mRACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/the-wild-goose-lake_poster.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1080\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--yfGTgCg65U\/XpXWO03dICI\/AAAAAAAAjPU\/yojPV4kV9uYNq66EPJCl_4slFobQG1mRACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/the-wild-goose-lake_poster.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.aperturecinema.com\/\"\u003Ea\/perture cinema\u003C\/a\u003E in Winston-Salem, North Carolina is one such locally owned, independent movie theater that needs the community's support. They're currently showing an array of independent and foreign films for you to enjoy from the comfort of home, including Diao Yinan's riveting new gangster drama, \u003Ci\u003EThe Wild Goose Lake\u003C\/i\u003E, which was a hit at last year's Cannes Film Festival where it played in competition (ultimately losing the Palme D'Or to eventual Oscar winner, \u003Ci\u003EParasite\u003C\/i\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESet in China's Wuhan province,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Wild Goose Lake\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;tells the story of Zhou Zenong (Hu Ge), a two-bit mobster who accidentally shoots a cop during a territory dispute with a rival gang. Now hunted by both the police and unscrupulous mobsters out to collect the handsome \"dead or alive\" bounty on his head, Zhou is forced to go on the run. His guide into the Chinese underworld is the mysterious Liu Aiai (Gwei Lun-mei), a woman whose motives remain unclear, but that doesn't stop the two of them from forging a strange kind of relationship as they navigate their newfound world of uncertainty and betrayal.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe film has all the trappings of a classic Hollywood film noir, complete with dark underworld intrigue, a mysterious femme fatale, and a propensity for violence (a man gets impaled by an umbrella at one point, and if that isn't a resounding recommendation I don't know what is). One thing I find particularly satisfying about contemporary Chinese cinema is that filmmakers aren't afraid to use color in creative ways (see also last year's similarly dazzling neo-noir, \u003Ci\u003ELong Day's Journey into Night\u003C\/i\u003E). Whereas much of American cinema equates monochrome grays with gritty drama, Diao instead bathes\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Wild Goose Lake\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;in a striking palate of neon, its vibrant pinks and greens bleeding off the screen in a haunting evocation of the seedy underbelly of the world it depicts.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-s4YM9WFm7zY\/XpXWfTB0wxI\/AAAAAAAAjPg\/_hKqfckD9JM6fxpxh2VmmJjL_S5AAiOIQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/wild-goose-lake_gallery-4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1067\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-s4YM9WFm7zY\/XpXWfTB0wxI\/AAAAAAAAjPg\/_hKqfckD9JM6fxpxh2VmmJjL_S5AAiOIQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/wild-goose-lake_gallery-4.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EYet despite its stylistic cues from American film noir, I couldn't help but be reminded of German filmmaker Fritz Lang's 1931 film, \u003Ci\u003EM\u003C\/i\u003E. That film, which featured Peter Lorre as a murderer being hunted by both police and criminals alike, helped lay the groundwork for film noir as we know it, taking inspiration from the work of the German Expressionists and their striking use of light and shadow. But Diao takes the moral ambiguities at the heart of noir one step further - turning his crime drama into a sociopolitical critique of the Chinese police state. Here, the cops are often incompetent at best, sadistic at worst, using their manhunt as an excuse to curb civil rights and even posing for pictures with the bodies of men they've killed, bringing down the full weight of the state for an accidental shooting in ways they never would had Zhou's bullet hit its intended criminal target.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis is a world of moral criminals and amoral police, snitches and backstabbers, where the line between criminal enterprise and legitimate businesses is often indistinguishable. Diao wraps his scathing indictment of Chinese state capitalism in a package of sensationally choreographed action and nearly operatic violence that may have helped its underlying themes go unnoticed by the Chinese censors, but make no mistake;\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Wild Goose Lake\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is not just a bone-crunching action film, it uses its criminal underworld setting as a way to juxtapose \"legitimate\" businesses and institutions with gang activity, exposing their inherent illegitimacy and throwing the entire system into question. And in a world turned upside down by a pandemic, at long last exposing our system's glaring flaws for all to see, I can't think of any message more timely.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE WILD GOOSE LAKE \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EDiao Yinan | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EHu Ge, Gwei Lun-mei, Liao Fan, Wan Qian, Qi Dao | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EIn Mandarin w\/English subtitles\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in virtual cinemas nationwide from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.filmmovement.com\/the-wild-goose-lake\"\u003EFilm Movement\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/4470001622915707239\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=4470001622915707239","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4470001622915707239"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4470001622915707239"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/review-wild-goose-lake-2020.html","title":"Review | The Wild Goose Lake | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-B88VY1KuvqU\/XpXWLO38KYI\/AAAAAAAAjPQ\/9kRR4e7j72QydL89WB1564KSuMgIkq3RQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/wild-goose-lake_gallery-2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-8575194386319375337"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-10T16:06:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-10T16:17:26.409-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Radical Humanity of \"Jesus Christ Superstar\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AeN0GwOD7e0\/XpDQjc9HUxI\/AAAAAAAAjOs\/1TofLyH_YYcLhaGKC1XM9oo4OsmQM-iWgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/MV5BMTExYjhlNDAtMWRlNi00NzJlLWI0MTItN2E2MTc3MmE0MGMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C755_AL_.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"680\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"272\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AeN0GwOD7e0\/XpDQjc9HUxI\/AAAAAAAAjOs\/1TofLyH_YYcLhaGKC1XM9oo4OsmQM-iWgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/MV5BMTExYjhlNDAtMWRlNi00NzJlLWI0MTItN2E2MTc3MmE0MGMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C755_AL_.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFor years, \u003Ci\u003EJesus Christ Superstar\u003C\/i\u003E was a Holy Thursday tradition for my family growing up. It's been a few years since I've been able to continue that tradition, but this week I decided to resurrect the tradition and revisit the film. It has always been my favorite screen adaptation of the story of Jesus, but this time it struck me differently than it ever had before; it felt somehow more radical, more subversive, and ultimately more hopeful.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QljTyQZxLR8\/XpDQqwTAYHI\/AAAAAAAAjOw\/TQEZIEUGN4ghUjKrTPN8LXIQTkvtWYZSwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/jesus_christ_superstar_ver1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"755\" data-original-width=\"498\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QljTyQZxLR8\/XpDQqwTAYHI\/AAAAAAAAjOw\/TQEZIEUGN4ghUjKrTPN8LXIQTkvtWYZSwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/jesus_christ_superstar_ver1.jpg\" width=\"263\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe story of Jesus has often been plagued by a strenuous sense of reverence in the Biblical epics of old, the notable exceptions being Scorsese's controversial \u003Ci\u003EThe Last Temptation of Christ\u003C\/i\u003E (1988) and Nicholas Ray's more politically minded \u003Ci\u003EKing of Kings\u003C\/i\u003E (1961). But\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJesus Christ Superstar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a different animal altogether, a metatextual meditation on Jesus' humanity as told by a group of hippies putting on a play in the Israeli desert. \u0026nbsp;Like\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELast Temptation\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJesus Christ Superstar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;explores the inherent conflict between Jesus' divinity and his humanity, with Jesus' signature number \"Gethsemane\/I Only Want to Say\" becoming an impassioned argument between Christ and his Heavenly Father about the necessity of his sacrifice. The juxtaposition of Jesus as both divine savior and simple man from Galilee struggling with his own human frailty and the burden of such a massive responsibility thrust upon him. Here, he questions if he even wants to be the savior of humanity, because the humanity on display almost seems beyond all hope.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd that's what really sets\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJesus Christ Superstar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;apart. The thing that struck me the most watching the film this time was the way it illustrates the inherent selfishness of the movement that sprung up around him. Even amongst his disciples, the constant refrain is “what can you do for me Jesus?” - almost as if they had missed the point of his message entirely. Nearly every number has Jesus preaching a message that his followers immediately spin into “won’t you do THIS for ME Jesus?” The radical service, the message of the the triumph of the meek and marginalized against the authorities and the elites, ultimately becomes much smaller and insular in the hands of flawed humans - the potential for massive change centered around the least of these becomes a message simply of personal salvation without looking beyond what it can do for them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GtCWtoO7-Og\/XpDRVDSNcEI\/AAAAAAAAjPA\/EQrOcHfsPHUU8fWVZkNQ4B4Gznu9uHcbwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/jesus-christ-superstar-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GtCWtoO7-Og\/XpDRVDSNcEI\/AAAAAAAAjPA\/EQrOcHfsPHUU8fWVZkNQ4B4Gznu9uHcbwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/jesus-christ-superstar-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWith so much of modern Christianity centered around the idea of simply believing in Jesus above all else, I found this particularly haunting. \"I believe in you and God so tell me that I'm saved\" Simon pleads in \"Simon Zealotes,\" as if his whole reason for being there is to save his own skin. Evangelists often ask \"do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?\" But what that really means often gets lost in the quest to win converts rather than actually spreading Jesus' radical, anti-establishment message, one that constantly advocates for \"the least of these\" and stood against powerful elites who used faith to make money off the backs of the poor and marginalized. This Jesus feels tired, weary from not only the expectations placed upon him by his followers, but from having to explain himself over and over again on seemingly deaf ears. While his disciples vie to be the most loyal and the most believing, Jesus is laying out a roadmap for a better world, and the reaction seems to consistently be \"yeah but what can you do for me?\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI think somewhere among the desert ruins, sparse sets, and anachronistic costumes, director Norman Jewison and the songwriting team of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice arrived at a profound truth about Christianity. It may not be a \"Christian\" film in that it adheres strictly to religious doctrine, or seeks to convert its audience, but hidden amongst the catchy tunes is something at once painful and deeply moving, a portrait of a broken humanity, selfish and self-aggrandizing, interested only in how the savior can save them. And he makes the choice to die for us anyway. Therein lies the heart of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJesus Christ Superstar\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;a rock opera with a distinctly 70s aesthetic that nevertheless has more to say about the nature of Jesus than any number of ponderous Biblical epics or sanctimonious faith-based films that are so prevalent today. It holds a mirror up to the audience - and for those of us who are Christian dares to ask us why? Do we believe out of fear for what we are told could happen if we don't? Are we asking what Jesus can do for us? Or what we can do for Jesus? Are our prayers selfish or selfless? In the film it is only Mary Magdalene, here portrayed as a prostitute, an outcast, looked down upon even by the disciples, who gives Jesus what he needs here and now - washing his feet while his followers preen and posture about what battle to fight next, completely unable to see the savior's message of simple service and humanity. They don't seem to understand that Jesus has already won the war, and given them a blueprint for a more hopeful future - \"Sing me your songs, but not for me alone. Sing out for yourselves, for you are blessed.\" And yet rather than get to work building it themselves they wait for him to do it for them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"I believe in you and God so tell me that I'm saved!\" They exclaim. It doesn't register that they already are. What the Jesus of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJesus Christ Superstar\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;asks is \"what next?\""},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/8575194386319375337\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=8575194386319375337","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8575194386319375337"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/8575194386319375337"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/the-radical-humanity-of-jesus-christ.html","title":"The Radical Humanity of \"Jesus Christ Superstar\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AeN0GwOD7e0\/XpDQjc9HUxI\/AAAAAAAAjOs\/1TofLyH_YYcLhaGKC1XM9oo4OsmQM-iWgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/MV5BMTExYjhlNDAtMWRlNi00NzJlLWI0MTItN2E2MTc3MmE0MGMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc%2540._V1_SX1777_CR0%252C0%252C1777%252C755_AL_.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6838898207211185011"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-09T19:18:00.005-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-06-15T12:24:50.392-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Spike Lee"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Bamboozled | 2000"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iyooKhtRwSA\/Xo-rmyG6S2I\/AAAAAAAAjOM\/A4guQZTVQ3gDeN-KH2Voy_l260p6M0koQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1019_image_03.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iyooKhtRwSA\/Xo-rmyG6S2I\/AAAAAAAAjOM\/A4guQZTVQ3gDeN-KH2Voy_l260p6M0koQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1019_image_03.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EI was a young teenager just becoming aware of the world of cinema outside my local multiplex in the year 2000 when Spike Lee's \u003Ci\u003EBamboozled\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;was released. I remember picking up my copy of Entertainment Weekly, then my weekly Bible and window into films I could only read about, and reading Lisa Schwartzbaum's negative review of Lee's latest film. \"it’s also his own angrier, less persuasive version of the revolutionary TV series 'In Living Color,'\" she sniffed, \"which redefined modern, racially charged satire a decade ago.\" While Schwartzbaum was my favorite critic at the time, her pan of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBamboozled\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;seemed to reflect the prevailing critical winds of the time, that the film was somehow an outdated satire of racial stereotypes that were no longer an issue, its depiction of blackface in popular culture lashing out in empty provocation many years too late.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MOlKHjQN1Lw\/Xo-rqtvcQjI\/AAAAAAAAjOQ\/H5YGm0wrhJ8B0WkiPjdwbweDJDaupwYXwCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoCx4_RfKCCzGiRZ7oDe1Nrv-Tg38wQxId_091Lf8bv8N8g5BckRFOa_ez2C3YInudDm0zsfVbBAszpc9eDcksYdjyJbwraIh-ydkYzj5YT9Tn4foZ0oFuoBP8rXEOS6kJEtIbS-FG-4FXXzdScT-tcYn0hRXhAe2MLH_l-V1ARJ2hJhDoU6Mqz2RTLMlM1WDMzAdQIedNQqr9xv_ERlPGsi0VaAjezk7JXoVFk2gcBAnMyIcOsTP4YyrK-i2UvrJpTGpM0xBzmMy_9b2NVGHL9y5faMQlokE-pIvsX-RcmcZavWs6tJ0u6QSy5I7g8kC_7mlP3G2HcbBpjU9zCRUmAF8AO0Wu21_LAwfw_M4CvTuStLsjvvf7ftbt8aoL7W37HdpfvFrTO4AardoJXrDFCIqc7lf6Bjjbau-M9EO8KgeOr1YDLbigbmAlPrhrBEZXfCn6sMoZHVlwFH4HMXNRToAwwwakmsq9PHwjlTXOwe4F6WtZy4yqnAupfgliQe05mcnyMGgu2eZcsMIDe7GnXt5sUBumbg5XzPfUmjxQTC3-tmcf1j1A31aYlvgaGyjUdsfroiJ_1gZ-crxe7tSSWwl0-TeQgxtUswk9y-9AU\/s1600\/1019_BD.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1288\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MOlKHjQN1Lw\/Xo-rqtvcQjI\/AAAAAAAAjOQ\/H5YGm0wrhJ8B0WkiPjdwbweDJDaupwYXwCEwYBhgLKs0DAMBZVoCx4_RfKCCzGiRZ7oDe1Nrv-Tg38wQxId_091Lf8bv8N8g5BckRFOa_ez2C3YInudDm0zsfVbBAszpc9eDcksYdjyJbwraIh-ydkYzj5YT9Tn4foZ0oFuoBP8rXEOS6kJEtIbS-FG-4FXXzdScT-tcYn0hRXhAe2MLH_l-V1ARJ2hJhDoU6Mqz2RTLMlM1WDMzAdQIedNQqr9xv_ERlPGsi0VaAjezk7JXoVFk2gcBAnMyIcOsTP4YyrK-i2UvrJpTGpM0xBzmMy_9b2NVGHL9y5faMQlokE-pIvsX-RcmcZavWs6tJ0u6QSy5I7g8kC_7mlP3G2HcbBpjU9zCRUmAF8AO0Wu21_LAwfw_M4CvTuStLsjvvf7ftbt8aoL7W37HdpfvFrTO4AardoJXrDFCIqc7lf6Bjjbau-M9EO8KgeOr1YDLbigbmAlPrhrBEZXfCn6sMoZHVlwFH4HMXNRToAwwwakmsq9PHwjlTXOwe4F6WtZy4yqnAupfgliQe05mcnyMGgu2eZcsMIDe7GnXt5sUBumbg5XzPfUmjxQTC3-tmcf1j1A31aYlvgaGyjUdsfroiJ_1gZ-crxe7tSSWwl0-TeQgxtUswk9y-9AU\/s400\/1019_BD.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EYet history has proven \u003Ci\u003EBamboozled\u003C\/i\u003E to not be regressive, but prescient. And in the 20 years it took me to finally see Lee's film after first reading that review as a high school freshman, it seems that Lee's blistering critique of the racism embedded in American culture has been more than vindicated.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere's a kind of broad comedic tone to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EBamboozled\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that is at once wildly funny and deeply uncomfortable. Its plot recalls \u003Ci\u003EThe Producers\u003C\/i\u003E, in which black TV writer Delacroix (Damon Wayans) is tasked with making his show pitch \"more black,\" and responds by sarcastically delivering an outrageously offensive modern day minstrel show complete with black actors in blackface. The problem is the producers love it, and it isn't long before the network has a bonafide hit on its hands, with white audiences embracing the stereotypes of shiftless Mantan (Savion Glover) and his lazy sidekick, Sleep ‘N’ Eat (Tommy Davidson). Soon Americans are wearing blackface again and critics have embraced the show as harmless satire, seemingly missing the point of its deliberately cruel racist tropes. But Lee isn't here to make us laugh in the vein of a Mel Brooks comedy. The jokes here hurt, and they sting on multiple levels.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt seems that message went over the heads of many critics back in 2000, because a quick glance at the film's Rotten Tomatoes page reveals a 51% rotten rating and an array of negative reviews from mostly white critics who turned up their noses at Lee's confrontational style. And indeed,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EBamboozled\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is not an easy film to watch. Its grainy, digital video style is off-putting and occasionally quite ugly (with the exception of the blackface scenes, all slickly produced, a haunting irony all its own), and Wayans' stiff performance as Delacroix, a black man trying desperately to fit into a white world, seems almost too ridiculous to be believed. It's as if Lee wants to knock us off our feet, to make us uncomfortable, to rub our faces in the vast evil of American racism and the legacy of its original sin.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ez6dzcUFc74\/Xo-sQ9r8nwI\/AAAAAAAAjOg\/uje7pm9qDREGrowb1nF4jUBzUpOwxO_zACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1019_image_10.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1042\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ez6dzcUFc74\/Xo-sQ9r8nwI\/AAAAAAAAjOg\/uje7pm9qDREGrowb1nF4jUBzUpOwxO_zACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1019_image_10.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd that is, of course, entirely the point. There's nothing pleasant about\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EBamboozled.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;It works overtime to throw the audience off balance, to alienate us in almost Brechtian fashion, holding us at arm's length but demanding our attention as if saying \"don't look away, you need to see this.\" This is easily Lee's angriest film, every frame nearly trembling with barely controlled rage at a system that continues to ignore its racist past. That Lee's film was dismissed in its time because of that anger speaks volumes, the stereotype of the angry black man causing white critics and audiences to dismiss a message made all the more essential by their indifference.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ci style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EBamboozled\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;does not a pleasant evening at the movies make, but in the wake of the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and countless others in the ensuing two decades, not to mention the seemingly never-ending parade of politicians who have dressed up in blackface since the film was released, it feels more necessary than ever. Its inclusion in the Criterion Collection may not widen its reach beyond the cinephiles already predisposed to accepting Lee's message, but its arrival on Blu-Ray feels especially timely; a film widely ignored in its time returning at a time when its message feels even more urgent, its ferocious satire now carrying an even more mischievous glint as if to say \"I told you so.\" Ignore its warnings now at your own peril.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EBAMBOOZLED \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ESpike Lee | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EDamon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson, Michael Rapaport, Thomas Jefferson Byrd | \u003Cb\u003ERated R\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for strong language and some violence | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow\u0026nbsp;available on Blu-Ray and DVD from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.criterion.com\/\"\u003EThe Criterion Collection\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ESpecial Features Include:\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENew 2K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Ellen Kuras and approved by director Spike Lee, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAudio commentary from 2001 featuring Lee\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENew conversation between Lee and film programmer and critic Ashley Clark\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ENew interviews with choreographer and actor Savion Glover, actor Tommy Davidson, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter  \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOn Blackface and the Minstrel Show, a new interview program featuring film and media scholar Racquel Gates  \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThe Making of “Bamboozled” (2001), a documentary featuring Lee; Glover; Davidson; actors Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Rapaport, and Damon Wayans; and other members of the cast and crew\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDeleted scenes, music videos for the Mau Maus’ “Blak Iz Blak” and Gerald Levert’s “Dream with No Love,” and alternate parody commercials created for the film\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPoster gallery and trailer\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPLUS: An essay by Clark\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6838898207211185011\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6838898207211185011","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6838898207211185011"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6838898207211185011"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/blu-ray-review-bamboozled-2000.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Bamboozled | 2000"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-iyooKhtRwSA\/Xo-rmyG6S2I\/AAAAAAAAjOM\/A4guQZTVQ3gDeN-KH2Voy_l260p6M0koQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1019_image_03.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6623538256106761423"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-08T19:10:00.004-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-09T09:23:18.478-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"flicker alley"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | The Bolshevik Trilogy "},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GklQT_DM1Ls\/Xo5B1GggY5I\/AAAAAAAAjNc\/9HurSbE64MMDVdVTFxvvfjuqXIKK16TUwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1227201243.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1460\" height=\"472\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GklQT_DM1Ls\/Xo5B1GggY5I\/AAAAAAAAjNc\/9HurSbE64MMDVdVTFxvvfjuqXIKK16TUwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1227201243.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA scene from Vsevolod Pudovkin's MOTHER, courtesy of Flicker Alley.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EVsevolod Pudovkin is perhaps one of the lesser known of the great Soviet filmmakers of the 1920s. Not as lauded in cinephile circles as Sergei Eisenstein nor as prominent in film history as Lev Kuleshov or Dziga Vertov, Pudovkin was nevertheless one of the most poetic of the Communist filmmakers of the early 20th century whose work sought to laud both socialism and the glories of the Bolshevik revolution when its victory was still fresh.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--Qeu_z-5Xfs\/Xo5CAoepThI\/AAAAAAAAjNg\/SVudbh22OY4NnMY2CjHdkrl2FjPKf-bYACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1263860529.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1600\" data-original-width=\"1293\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/--Qeu_z-5Xfs\/Xo5CAoepThI\/AAAAAAAAjNg\/SVudbh22OY4NnMY2CjHdkrl2FjPKf-bYACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/1263860529.jpg\" width=\"322\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EPudovkin, much like Eisenstein, was heavily influenced by the films of D.W. Griffith, but aimed to expand beyond Griffith's achievements in order to reach a new, heightened level of cinema. In his essay, \"Griffith, Dickens, and the Film Today,\" Eisenstein writes: \"This was the montage whose \u0026nbsp;foundations had been laid by American film-culture, but whose full, completed, conscious use and world recognition was established by our films. Montage, the rise of which will be forever linked with the name of Griffith.\" For Eisenstein, Soviet film culture began with Griffith and was built upon, and even perfected, by himself and his contemporaries; among them, Pudovkin, whose adherence to the Soviet ideals of montage elevated his films to a unique level of cinematic poetry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhereas Eisenstein's films often focused on the plight of the working class and how their struggles both glorified and justified the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Pudovkin's films feel much more revolutionary, focusing on how workers and peasants became radicalized by working conditions under the Czar. Pudovkin is less concerned with the results of the revolution than he is in the circumstances that gave rise to it. For him, the political was also deeply personal, and he often foregrounded individuals to be representative of the collective rather than focusing on the collective as a whole. In his debut feature, \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EMother\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E(1926), Pudovkin adapts a novel by Maxim Gorky about an idealistic young man whose efforts to organize a workers' strike against oppressive conditions in a factory runs him afoul of the authorities. His mother, at first discouraging of his political organizing, eventually becomes radicalized by the deeply unfair treatment of her son by the Czarist state, and eventually joins the 1905 Russian Revolution.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhat sets \u003Ci\u003EMother \u003C\/i\u003Eapart from, say, Eisenstein's \u003Ci\u003EBattleship Potemkin\u003C\/i\u003E, which depicts the same 1905 Revolution from a different perspective, is that by centering the action on one character Pudovkin achieves a much more powerful emotional catharsis. The climactic scene, in which the mother stands alone against charging Czarist forces, her flag held high and defiant, is one of the most deeply moving images in all Soviet cinema. It makes the Revolution not only feel viscerally present, but deeply personal, an act of defiance against tyranny borne out of heartbreak caused by an unjust system. \u003Ci\u003EMother \u003C\/i\u003Eisn't simply cut from a revolutionary cloth because those were the politics of the day, there's a real passion here for the cause of socialism, one that still resonates today. The familiar techniques of Soviet montage are here - the quick, rhythmic cuts, the opposing close-ups, the use of editing to create emotional juxtaposition and suggestion of simultaneous action in a visual cacophony of action (pay close attention to the thematic significance of the thawing ice floes in spring intercut with images of marching workers), but Pudovkin consistently employs these techniques for something more lyrical. He brings the full weight of capitalist oppression to bear and examines its ravages on not just all striking workers, but on one particular family (although the use of a mother as a stand-in for Mother Russia is not an accident), building their struggle up to an emotional crescendo that rams home the importance of not only the 1905 Revolution, but of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution as a whole. \"This is what we're fighting for,\" Pudovkin seems to be saying, \"and this is how far we've come.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DVAOBuiUz34\/Xo5IsJTm8BI\/AAAAAAAAjNw\/6V5jTuq77YUXtbBvhoLbGZyz6B5a7QLQwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1227201233.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1304\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DVAOBuiUz34\/Xo5IsJTm8BI\/AAAAAAAAjNw\/6V5jTuq77YUXtbBvhoLbGZyz6B5a7QLQwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1227201233.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA scene from THE END OF ST. PETERSBURG. Courtesy of Flicker Alley.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPudovkin's second feature, \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;End of St. Petersburg\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1927), widens the scope somewhat. Commissioned to honor the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution (see also Esfir Shub's \u003Ci\u003EThe Fall of\u0026nbsp;the Romanov Dynasty\u003C\/i\u003E, also available from Flicker Alley, and Eisenstein's \u003Ci\u003EOctober: Ten Days that Shook the World\u003C\/i\u003E), \u003Ci\u003EThe End of St.\u0026nbsp;Petersburg \u003C\/i\u003Estill takes an on-the-ground approach to depicting the events of October 1917, giving us a portrait of spontaneous peasant rebellion rising up against the Czarist government, an event that changed St. Petersburg from Petrograd, and eventually to Leningrad in honor of Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Less intimate perhaps than \u003Ci\u003EMother\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EThe End of St. Petersburg \u003C\/i\u003Estill depicts much of the action from the perspective of one peasant family who is forced to move into the city when their farm life is no longer enough to support themselves. There, amidst the ghastly luxury of the elites (constantly juxtaposed with the dire conditions of the poor and working class) they are swept up in the Revolution and help to reclaim St. Petersburg for the people.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy focusing just on the events in St. Petersburg, rather than taking a wider look at the Revolution as a whole (specifically what was going on in Moscow) Pudovkin is once again able to take a bottom-up look at how these events affected the common people, and how much they drove events that benefitted their own position, rather than the top-down approach of focusing on military action and leadership. While this is hardly unique to Pudovkin (Eisenstein took a similar approach in \u003Ci\u003EStrike \u003C\/i\u003Eand \u003Ci\u003EOld \u0026amp; New)\u003C\/i\u003E, his films display a real passion for the plight of the proletariat, feeling less like propaganda and more like communist apologia, focusing less on the politics of the Bolsheviks and more on the basis for the Revolution in the first place. It is also in \u003Ci\u003EThe End of St. Petersburg\u003C\/i\u003E, perhaps more so than any of Pudovkin's films, where the idea of class solidarity comes most into play - working class soldiers refusing to fire on striking workers despite the orders of their superiors.\u0026nbsp;While we all know now how the great Bolshevik experiment would turn out in the hands of bad faith actors like Josef Stalin, the idealism at work in Pudovkin's films is inspiring in ways that reach beyond mere adulation of communist ideology.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Bcy55hvx8lw\/Xo5RNbUNbXI\/AAAAAAAAjN8\/WRwa8WRAfYwyLNgxqhelUu__UWd9LUdvwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/1227201228.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1481\" height=\"466\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Bcy55hvx8lw\/Xo5RNbUNbXI\/AAAAAAAAjN8\/WRwa8WRAfYwyLNgxqhelUu__UWd9LUdvwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/1227201228.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe third film in Pudovkin's \"Bolshevik Trilogy,\" \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EStorm Over Asia\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E(aka \u003Ci\u003EHeir to Genghis Khan\u003C\/i\u003E) was released in 1928 and is arguably the director's most well-known film. It was criticized at the time for its focus on ethnographic study of Mongolian nomads in the first half, in which Pudovkin spends a good chunk of the film's two hour running time exploring the day-to-day life of indigenous Mongolians under British occupation. And yet it is that very attention to detail and adherence to a certain kind of realism that makes \u003Ci\u003EStorm Over Asia \u003C\/i\u003Eso special. It is first and foremost an anti-imperialist film, examining the fight for Mongolian independence that was occurring simultaneously with the Russian Revolution.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is also the film in which the influence of Griffith is most keenly felt, in the thundering climax in which the Mongolian forces face off against the agents of imperialism, juxtaposed against scenes of an actual storm, with gale-force winds bowing the trees to their will. Its ethnography, almost documentary-like realism does not blunt its revolutionary fervor. In fact it is Pudovkin's depiction of Mongolian life, less exoticism than kitchen-sink drama, that makes its climax so powerful; where imperialists attempt to use a young man they believe to be a descendant of Genghis Khan in order to quell a peasant uprising. It's the least directly tied to the Communist cause of the three films, instead focusing on anti-Imperial solidarity against oppression around the globe. By focusing on non-white characters, Pudovkin also dismisses the inherent racism with which such cultures were viewed at the time, a move that seems revolutionary in and of itself, equating Mongolians' struggle with the struggle of working class people everywhere. This is class solidarity in action, and the whirlwind finale is as emotionally overwhelming as anything in Griffith's filmography.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe new Blu-Ray release by Flicker Alley includes all three films in the \"Bolshevik Trilogy,\" as well as Pudovkin's 1925 short film, \u003Ci\u003EChess Fever\u003C\/i\u003E, a satirical piece about the Russian chess fad that was going on at the time. The transfers of all three films is impressive, but it is perhaps \u003Ci\u003EStorm Over Asia \u003C\/i\u003Ethat has benefitted the most, with its new 2K master and evocative score by Timothy Brock. Perhaps most impressive, however, is discovering these films in our own troubled times, and seeing just how relevant their message of working class struggle still is today. The struggles faced by workers in Czarist Russia, fought against by the Bolsheviks, isn't all that removed from the modern world as we may think. The revolutionary spirit of the Bolsheviks lives on, embodied here by three nearly hundred-year-old films, that remind us that the political is always personal, and that while the oppressive spirit of capitalism and imperialism endure today, so too do the ideas of class solidarity that Pudovkin championed. Perhaps the world hasn't changed quite as much as we think.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMOTHER\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE END OF ST. PETERSBURG\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESTORM OVER ASIA\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Bolshevik\u0026nbsp;Trilogy \u003C\/i\u003Eis now\u0026nbsp;available on Blu-Ray from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.flickeralley.com\/\"\u003EFlicker Alley\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6623538256106761423\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6623538256106761423","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6623538256106761423"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6623538256106761423"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/blu-ray-review-bolshevik-trilogy.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | The Bolshevik Trilogy "}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GklQT_DM1Ls\/Xo5B1GggY5I\/AAAAAAAAjNc\/9HurSbE64MMDVdVTFxvvfjuqXIKK16TUwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1227201243.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-5117005545371544619"},"published":{"$t":"2020-04-07T17:12:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-04-07T17:12:03.582-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Disney"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Onward | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0feG0plNX0s\/XozrxGEtEyI\/AAAAAAAAjNE\/8afDnF7tLCsHWxkNPAD3B0WULEbpq08twCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/d6eef29e-348c-43de-ac7b-a318ed19ccd7-ONWARD-ONLINE-USE-t261_20c_pub.pub16.405.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"554\" data-original-width=\"1320\" height=\"268\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0feG0plNX0s\/XozrxGEtEyI\/AAAAAAAAjNE\/8afDnF7tLCsHWxkNPAD3B0WULEbpq08twCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/d6eef29e-348c-43de-ac7b-a318ed19ccd7-ONWARD-ONLINE-USE-t261_20c_pub.pub16.405.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EOriginally released in theaters on March 6, Disney\/Pixar's \u003Ci\u003EOnward\u003C\/i\u003E had the unusual misfortune of having its theatrical run interrupted by a global pandemic. It was still at the top of the box office when most theaters shut down around March 19, making it Pixar's lowest grossing film to date. It's unfortunate because\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EOnward\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is quite a lovely film, even if it doesn't quite measure up to the studio's greatest triumphs like \u003Ci\u003EWALL-E\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EFinding Nemo\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EUp\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EToy Story 3\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EInside Out\u003C\/i\u003E, and \u003Ci\u003ECoco\u003C\/i\u003E.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0jS3kN9KBrU\/Xozr0Dbt1iI\/AAAAAAAAjNI\/4yFfLU60EpcEq5Vv5hb1eFcBRe3S8ZQUwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/onward.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"755\" data-original-width=\"510\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0jS3kN9KBrU\/Xozr0Dbt1iI\/AAAAAAAAjNI\/4yFfLU60EpcEq5Vv5hb1eFcBRe3S8ZQUwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/onward.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EAs a result of the pandemic, Disney ultimately decided to cut their losses and debut the film on its streaming service, Disney+, months ahead of schedule, which means its now available for free to anyone with a subscription at a time when it should have still been in theaters. This is an unprecedented move for a major studio, but it's also an opportunity for people who are sheltering in place, especially those with children, to enjoy the film sooner rather than later from the comfort of their own homes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESet in a world of mythological creatures where magic has all but been forgotten amongst the more immediate magic of modern technology,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EOnward\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;tells the story of two brothers, Ian (Tom Holland) and older brother Barley (Chris Pratt), who couldn't be more different. Ian is a shy bookworm, Barley is a boisterous adventurer with a love of fantasy and lore. On Ian's 16th birthday, their mother gives them a final gift left by their late father: a magic staff that will allow their father to come visit them one last time for 24 hours only. Thrilled to finally meet the father who died before he was born, Ian activates the staff but botches the spell, only managing to resurrect his father's legs before the magic crystal is depleted. So Ian and Barley set off on a quest to find a new crystal, their father's legs in tow, with only 24 hours before he disappears forever.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENaturally, the journey ends up being much more important than the destination, and Ian learns that despite years of longing for the dad he never had, he missed the dad who was right in front of him all along.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EOnward\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a charming adventure about brotherly bonding, family ties, and searching for magic in a world that seems to have forgotten what magic really is, which is an interesting message coming from a studio that has spent the past few years shamelessly recycling its own past through nostalgic remakes of beloved films. Still, there's something strangely comforting in this time of national uncertainty to be found in this film about rediscovering simple magic in a world governed by technology.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStylistically, the film often feels more like a Dreamworks film than anything Pixar has ever made, the character design and more pop culture oriented humor doesn't quite feel as timeless as the very best Pixar films, but it's a pleasant and consistently entertaining film that has that \"comfort food\" sheen that's hard to resist; and in such a dark time it often feels like just the balm we nee to take our minds off our troubles if only for a couple of hours.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003EONWARD\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E Dan Scanlon Stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Octavia Spencer | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG\u003C\/b\u003E for action\/peril and some mild thematic elements | \u003Ci\u003E\u003Cb\u003ENow available on digital download and streaming on Disney+. \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/5117005545371544619\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=5117005545371544619","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5117005545371544619"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5117005545371544619"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/04\/review-onward-2020.html","title":"Review | Onward | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0feG0plNX0s\/XozrxGEtEyI\/AAAAAAAAjNE\/8afDnF7tLCsHWxkNPAD3B0WULEbpq08twCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/d6eef29e-348c-43de-ac7b-a318ed19ccd7-ONWARD-ONLINE-USE-t261_20c_pub.pub16.405.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-5115155943405006018"},"published":{"$t":"2020-03-31T12:13:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-03-31T12:21:50.448-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Disney"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Stargirl | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PWp9FdOWBE0\/XoNrfRiQcwI\/AAAAAAAAjMY\/4g3TiT120vsmmABuxF2-nTWgILuNGc2LACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/stargirl-1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PWp9FdOWBE0\/XoNrfRiQcwI\/AAAAAAAAjMY\/4g3TiT120vsmmABuxF2-nTWgILuNGc2LACLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/stargirl-1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way most of us are living our lives. With many either working from home or otherwise stuck inside in an attempt to \"flatten the curve,\" a lot of folks are turning to their trusty streaming services to stay entertained while in self-imposed quarantine. Thankfully, many streaming services have plenty of new content ready to be released in the next few months (if you haven't started \u003Ci\u003ETiger King\u003C\/i\u003E on Netflix yet...you're missing out), and there are few wells of content quite as deep as Disney's.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5SOu8wklv1w\/XoNrqwmxtDI\/AAAAAAAAjMc\/yXeuUil14nQBtuiWydzSsaFKSjXzFwSzACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/stargirl.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"755\" data-original-width=\"607\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5SOu8wklv1w\/XoNrqwmxtDI\/AAAAAAAAjMc\/yXeuUil14nQBtuiWydzSsaFKSjXzFwSzACLcBGAsYHQ\/s400\/stargirl.jpg\" width=\"321\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe latest original film on Disney's streaming service, Disney+, is \u003Ci\u003EStargirl\u003C\/i\u003E, an adaptation of Jerry Spinelli's popular young adult novel of the same name. It was a novel I was quite taken with when I was younger, its message of embracing your idiosyncrasies and celebrating the things that made you different resonating deeply with my teenage self. Watching the film adaptation some 15 years laters lands a little differently, but perhaps not in the way you might expect. In fact what fascinates me about films aimed at teenagers that celebrate non-conformity is, well, how conformist they ultimately are.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDirector Julia Hart (\u003Ci\u003EFast Color\u003C\/i\u003E) brings some lovely grace notes to this story of an unusual girl that calls herself Stargirl (Grace VanderWaal) who moves into a boring town and shakes up the lives of the students of Mica High School. She leaves a special imprint on Leo (Graham Verchere), who has spent his entire life trying not to stand out. The two couldn't be more opposite, but soon Stargirl helps Leo embrace his own unique spirit, and inspires the entire school to look at the world in new ways, revitalizing the tiny town and leaving an indelible imprint that none of them will ever forget.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn other words, Stargirl is absolutely the prototypical \"manic pixie dream girl\" who's more of a device than an actual person. She's \"strange\" simply because she wears mismatching colors and plays the ukulele. And catalyst that eventually causes the school to turn on her is that she tried to do something nice for someone. Perhaps it's the rose-colored glasses through which I view the novel and its effect on my 18-year-old self, but \u003Ci\u003EStargirl\u003C\/i\u003E the film lacks the aching melancholy that made the book such a lovely and elusive thing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn the other hand, the two young leads are appealing, and Hart does manage to find some lovingly grounded moments between the two of them that eschews the more manic sensibilities of your typical Disney teen drama. Yet it's hard to shake the familiarity of it all, its generic design and construction sitting very comfortably alongside the multitude of similar films currently streaming on Disney+. It's a mildly charming way to pass the time, but it feels like empty calories, a film light on real drama or conflict whose central premise doesn't really stand up to a lot of scrutiny. Was the book like this? Or was I just younger and less discerning? After seeing the film adaptation, my nostalgic side is afraid to go back and find out. It may be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon stuck inside, but its themes of being unique and true to yourself feel lost in a film that's trying so desperately to fit in.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESTARGIRL\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EJulia Hart | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EGrace VanderWaal, Graham Verchere, Giancarlo Esposito, Maximiliano Hernández, Karan Brar, Annacheska Brown | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG\u003C\/b\u003E for mild thematic elements | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow streaming exclusively on Disney+\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/5115155943405006018\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=5115155943405006018","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5115155943405006018"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5115155943405006018"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/03\/review-stargirl-2020.html","title":"Review | Stargirl | 2020"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Matthew Lucas"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/04031967293313685427"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-PWp9FdOWBE0\/XoNrfRiQcwI\/AAAAAAAAjMY\/4g3TiT120vsmmABuxF2-nTWgILuNGc2LACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/stargirl-1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});