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Night Shyamalan"},{"term":"Marielle Heller"},{"term":"Martin Scorsese"},{"term":"Michael Clayton"},{"term":"Monsterverse"},{"term":"Pedro Almodóvar"},{"term":"Persepolis"},{"term":"Ratatouille"},{"term":"RiverRun Film Festival"},{"term":"SECCA"},{"term":"SXSW"},{"term":"Safdie Brothers"},{"term":"Sony Marvel"},{"term":"South Korea"},{"term":"Stephen King"},{"term":"Steven Spielberg"},{"term":"Transformers"},{"term":"Writers Strike"},{"term":"Yorgos Lanthimos"},{"term":"a24"},{"term":"hugh jackman"},{"term":"jason reitman"},{"term":"jean-luc godard"},{"term":"nicole kidman"},{"term":"predator"},{"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":"Apichatpong Weerasethakul"},{"term":"Asghar Farhadi"},{"term":"Barry Jenkins"},{"term":"Ben Affleck"},{"term":"Benicio Del Toro"},{"term":"Best of 2020"},{"term":"Cartoon Saloon"},{"term":"Casey Affleck"},{"term":"Christian Petzold"},{"term":"Christopher Nolan"},{"term":"Claire Denis"},{"term":"Cloverfield"},{"term":"Craig Zobel"},{"term":"Céline Sciamma"},{"term":"David Fincher"},{"term":"Doris Wishman"},{"term":"Film Movement"},{"term":"Gaspar Noé"},{"term":"Godzilla"},{"term":"Golden Globes"},{"term":"Gone Baby Gone"},{"term":"Great World of Sound"},{"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":"Kiyoshi Kurosawa"},{"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":"Searchlight"},{"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":"Tsai Ming-liang"},{"term":"Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married"},{"term":"Viola Davis"},{"term":"Walk Hard"},{"term":"Wizarding World"},{"term":"Zodiac"},{"term":"bong joon-ho"},{"term":"f.w. murnau"},{"term":"film scores"},{"term":"fritz lang"},{"term":"germany"},{"term":"horror films"},{"term":"james wan"},{"term":"sony pictures classics"}],"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":{"$t":"3137"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2238878410245057615"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-13T18:28:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-13T18:29:03.427-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warner Archive"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Spotlight | New From Warner Archive - Crossfire, Damn Yankees, Isle of the Dead"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d2g7CPKHNf8\/YHYZy_Y0XPI\/AAAAAAAAj50\/bYLtLWHQ0dQFKZXrkdpTM4M-V8LZ4jApACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/crossfire1947.71903.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1334\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-d2g7CPKHNf8\/YHYZy_Y0XPI\/AAAAAAAAj50\/bYLtLWHQ0dQFKZXrkdpTM4M-V8LZ4jApACLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/crossfire1947.71903.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003ECROSSFIRE\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E (Edward Dmytryk, 1947)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAntisemitism was not a topic often covered in Hollywood films in 1947. Even in the wake of WWII, the topic of racism was often treated in hushed tones and implications, such as in John Huston's 1942 film, \u003Ci\u003EIn This Our Life\u003C\/i\u003E, in which Bette Davis blames her own hit and run on a black man in order to escape justice, one of the earliest films to illustrate weaponized white privilege, albeit without ever mentioning the word \"racism.\" Ten years earlier, Warner Brothers, wary of distribution in Hitler's Germany, stripped its Oscar winning Best Picture, \u003Ci\u003EThe Life of Emile Zola\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;of any mention of antisemitism in the Dreyfuss Affair, reframing Alfred Dreyfuss as simply a fall guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, rather than a man targeted for being Jewish.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFast forward a decade to 1947, when Warner Bros. released \u003Ci\u003ECrossfire\u003C\/i\u003E, a \u0026nbsp;film noir mystery about the murder of a young soldier who became the target of an intensely antisemitic officer. Adapted from the novel by Richard Brooks,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECrossfire\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;doesn't bury bigotry in the subtext, instead tackling it head-on and acknowledging the officer's hateful motives in no uncertain terms. It begins subtly, with Robert Young's hard boiled detective picking up on phrases such as \"guys like that,\" and snide comments about the soldier's heritage as he searches for his murderer. Director Edward Dmytryk treats antisemitism not unlike the way Spielberg treats the shark in\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Jaws\u003C\/i\u003E, an unseen threat circling the periphery of the film before its big reveal, and the impact feels like an earthquake. It's not a gimmick, it's an incisive portrait of how bigotry is treated with a wink and a smile by those in the know, how its ideology is assumed by those who subscribe to it, weaseling its way almost unnoticed into our most respected institutions. Like the best noirs,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECrossfire\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;makes great use of shadow (filming the opening murder entirely in silhouette to hide the killer's identity), and was ultimately rewarded with five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Robert Ryan), and Best Supporting Actress for Gloria Grahame's sharp turn as a haunted bar girl. The film would ultimately lose Best Picture to \u003Ci\u003EGentleman's Agreement\u003C\/i\u003E, which also tackled antisemitism in a new, post-WWII awareness, but with a glossier Hollywood treatment than Dmytryk's gritty noir.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yxr9quEgkKM\/YHYaAlyJ7mI\/AAAAAAAAj54\/doic2cDom3EX4cO3LJk_MmdX27OWk-5MwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/Damn-Yankees-Still.png\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"560\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yxr9quEgkKM\/YHYaAlyJ7mI\/AAAAAAAAj54\/doic2cDom3EX4cO3LJk_MmdX27OWk-5MwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h358\/Damn-Yankees-Still.png\" 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 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EDAMN YANKEES\u003C\/b\u003E (Stanley Donen, George Abbott, 1957)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhatever Lola wants, Lola gets, and if Lola ordered a pristine new Blu-Ray transfer of her legendary musical, \u003Ci\u003EDamn Yankees\u003C\/i\u003E, then this new release from Warner Archive is just what the doctor ordered. Directed by Staney Donen (\u003Ci\u003ESingin' in the Rain\u003C\/i\u003E) and George Abbott (who helmed the original Broadway stage production),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDamn Yankees\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;tells the story of a middle aged real estate broker who makes a deal with the devil to become the world's greatest baseball player to help his beloved Washington Nationals to victory. The catch? He gets turned into his younger self and must leave his old life, and his beloved wife, behind.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFaithfully adapted from the Broadway musical with much of its original cast intact (save for up and coming Warner star, Tab Hunter), including Gwen Verdon as Lola and Ray Walston as the devilish Mr. Applegate,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EDamn Yankees\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is classic Hollywood entertainment with a toe-tapping score and consistent amiability that makes it hard to resist. While the film's proscenium blocking keeps it from from reaching the heights of Donen's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESingin' in the Rain\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;Bob Fosse's choreography is allowed to unfold organically with minimal directorial interference, making it a kind of Broadway artifact, translated nearly verbatim (minus a couple of songs reportedly out of Hunter's range) to the screen. Fosse himself even makes a rare appearance in the film's signature number, \"Who's Got the Pain,\" alongside is muse and future wife, Verdon. The film's Technicolor cinematography really pops on Warner Archive's new Blu-Ray, and while the disc is pretty bare bones (with no special features), it's the best this film has ever looked, making it a must own for fans of Broadway musicals and classic Hollywood alike.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-v3_zNMLAI7I\/YHYaO18IkLI\/AAAAAAAAj58\/5VTpIjyEwV0SwYJrAWyKKuu7AoedljbaQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1214\/6957791b9a151e14dc22f96cee780e8f.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1214\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-v3_zNMLAI7I\/YHYaO18IkLI\/AAAAAAAAj58\/5VTpIjyEwV0SwYJrAWyKKuu7AoedljbaQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h474\/6957791b9a151e14dc22f96cee780e8f.jpeg\" 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 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EISLE OF THE DEAD\u003C\/b\u003E (Mark Robson, 1945)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVal Lewton is, perhaps, one of the greatest forces in horror cinema, yet he is rarely given his due. Acting as a producer on B pictures throughout the 1940s and 50s, Lewton was given a series of lurid titles and given free reign to crank out whatever product he could. The results were some of the most psychologically astute and beautifully filmed horror pictures of their time, from \u003Ci\u003ECat People\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eto \u003Ci\u003EI Walked with a Zombie\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;to \u003Ci\u003EThe Leopard Man\u003C\/i\u003E, Lewton took material that should have been little more than quota quickies and turned them into eerie meditations on life and death.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of his most indelible work was done with Boris Karloff, including \u003Ci\u003EThe Body Snatcher\u003C\/i\u003E (1945), \u003Ci\u003EBedlam\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1946), and 1945's \u003Ci\u003EIsle of the Dead\u003C\/i\u003E, a supernatural horror film starring Karloff in which, true to Lewton form, the real horror isn't so supernatural after all. Karloff stars as General Pherides, a Greek military man who visits a lonely island to visit the grave of his late wife, only to find it overrun with a mysterious plague, which he attributes to the presence of a kind of vampire, and vows to track her down. What follows is a haunted and shockingly timely exploration of grief that becomes a terrifying descent into madness, grounded by a knockout performance by Karloff at its center, as a man coming unravelled by fear of his own making. It's a moody and riveting piece of psychological horror that has been lovingly restored to near pristine quality. It's a hidden gem from both the career of Karloff and Lewton that, in the age of COVID, stands ripe for rediscovery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ENow available from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/stores\/page\/ED270804-095F-449B-9B69-6CEE46A0B2BF\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWarner Archive\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2238878410245057615\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2238878410245057615","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2238878410245057615"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2238878410245057615"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/04\/blu-ray-spotlight-new-from-warner.html","title":"Blu-Ray Spotlight | New From Warner Archive - Crossfire, Damn Yankees, Isle of the Dead"}],"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\/-d2g7CPKHNf8\/YHYZy_Y0XPI\/AAAAAAAAj50\/bYLtLWHQ0dQFKZXrkdpTM4M-V8LZ4jApACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/crossfire1947.71903.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-17651785473959569"},"published":{"$t":"2021-04-07T17:34:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-04-07T17:34:09.101-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"HBO Max"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Monsterverse"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Godzilla vs. Kong | 2021"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-VmC316ItY\/YG4ih2MvDLI\/AAAAAAAAj5c\/oKb4DtcHUqE2vbm6hj98vFPRyRl_J-_TQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2574\/rev-1-GVK-v010016_R5_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1222\" data-original-width=\"2574\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-VmC316ItY\/YG4ih2MvDLI\/AAAAAAAAj5c\/oKb4DtcHUqE2vbm6hj98vFPRyRl_J-_TQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/rev-1-GVK-v010016_R5_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EGODZILLA battles KONG in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “GODZILLA VS. KONG,” a Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures release.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EIt's somehow fitting that the film that resurrected the box office after a year of being decimated by COVID-19, was the fourth installment of a franchise that had seemingly been written off. Warner Bros. Monsterverse, which began in 2014 with Gareth Edwards' \u003Ci\u003EGodzilla\u003C\/i\u003E, eventually leading to \u003Ci\u003EKong: Skull Island\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EGodzilla: King of the Monsters\u003C\/i\u003E. The latter two were met with less enthusiastic reviews (although I remain a staunch defender of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EKing of the Monsters\u003C\/i\u003E) and ever decreasing box office returns, making Adam Wingard's \u003Ci\u003EGodzilla vs. Kong\u003C\/i\u003E a likely culmination of Warner's attempt to take classic movie monsters like Godzilla, King Kong, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah into their own Marvel-style universe of clashing kaiju.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-40f9IAI-FXc\/YG4i6VyfH7I\/AAAAAAAAj5k\/9NiHoJXd6PwMxQu75s9Yzz0QWFUQzs9bACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/Txtd_Face-Off_Adv_MAX_1sht_GVSK.tif\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1382\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-40f9IAI-FXc\/YG4i6VyfH7I\/AAAAAAAAj5k\/9NiHoJXd6PwMxQu75s9Yzz0QWFUQzs9bACLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/Txtd_Face-Off_Adv_MAX_1sht_GVSK.tif\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWith the the vaccination rollout resulting in theaters reopening their doors,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGodzilla vs. Kong\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;had the fortune of being the first blockbuster release to open theatrically since the darkest days of the pandemic, revitalizing the box office in ways that \u003Ci\u003ETenet\u003C\/i\u003E couldn't quite manage last summer. And it's a good thing too because it's actually quite good, delivering every ounce of bonkers kaiju mayhem one could want in a film that its a giant lizard against a giant ape for a titanic battle royale in downtown Hong Kong. While some will dismiss it as silly, like Michael Dougherty's \u003Ci\u003EKing of the Monsters\u003C\/i\u003E before it,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGodzilla vs. Kong\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;actually seems to understand the DNA of Toho's Godzilla series. While the environmentalism at the heart of Toho's kaiju pictures, which were originally born out of the grief of the twin nuclear disasters of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is less pronounced in their American counterparts,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGodzilla vs. Kong'\u003C\/i\u003Es outrageous sci-fi plot and corporate villains driven by hubris and greed would feel comfortably at home in Toho's Heisei period of the late 80s and 90s.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's hard to believe that in 2021 we're watching the continuation of cinematic ideas first conceived in 1933 and 1954, but it's gratifying to see these two venerable creatures still bringing in crowds. Here you've got King Kong wielding a battle axe facing down Godzilla and his nuclear breath, drenched in neon light and accompanied by a wailing synthetic score by Tom Holkenborg, surrounded by a human plot that involves an evil multinational corporation and a hollow earth (one of the most stunningly realized sequences in a major Hollywood blockbuster in years);\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGodzilla vs. Kong\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is outrageous, over the top, and wholly spectacular. It delivers on its promise to provide bone-crushing kaiju action, while simultaneously delivering one of the most shamelessly dorky, unapologetically weird studio entertainments in recent memory. Everything about it is big, bold, and \u0026nbsp;completely un-subtle, world's away from Edwards' grounded, terrifying take in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGodzilla.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;But this is exactly the same direction the Toho films go - a serious reboot followed by increasingly outrageous sequels, and Warner's Monsterverse is following that model to a T. What it lacks in \u003Ci\u003EGodzilla\u003C\/i\u003E's sense of scale and \u003Ci\u003EKing of the Monsters\u003C\/i\u003E' epic grandiosity, it makes up for in sheer guts, going all-in on the sci-fi oddities to deliver something strangely beautiful and consistently thrilling.\u0026nbsp;Wingard's downtown showdown would feel right at home in films like 1991's \u003Ci\u003EGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah \u003C\/i\u003Eor 1995's \u003Ci\u003EGodzilla vs. Destoroyah\u003C\/i\u003E, and features the return of a classic Godzilla villain that really takes the film to the next level. The movies are back, and with the film's strong box office success, even with its day and date streaming premiere on HBO Max, it's likely we haven't seen the last of Godzilla and King Kong.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGODZILLA VS. KONG \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Adam Wingard | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EAlexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Lance Reddick, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor intense sequences of creature violence\/destruction and brief language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in theaters nationwide and streaming on HBO Now.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/17651785473959569\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=17651785473959569","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/17651785473959569"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/17651785473959569"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/04\/review-godzilla-vs-kong-2021_7.html","title":"Review | Godzilla vs. Kong | 2021"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-c-VmC316ItY\/YG4ih2MvDLI\/AAAAAAAAj5c\/oKb4DtcHUqE2vbm6hj98vFPRyRl_J-_TQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/rev-1-GVK-v010016_R5_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-5644000060978701079"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-31T12:14:00.004-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-31T14:09:57.224-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"criterion collection"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Two Senegalese Classics from Criterion"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-obhTxOYfqjg\/YGSfKXZBMOI\/AAAAAAAAj5E\/nIue6SWvxyU6BOpyYXYOZYJ-TkfvgQuTACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1600\/Mandabi_KarenFG_0006_Layer%2B2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-obhTxOYfqjg\/YGSfKXZBMOI\/AAAAAAAAj5E\/nIue6SWvxyU6BOpyYXYOZYJ-TkfvgQuTACLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/Mandabi_KarenFG_0006_Layer%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EA scene from MANDABI. Courtesy of the Criterion Collection.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMANDABI\u003C\/b\u003E (Ousmane Sembène, 1968)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENotable for being the first film ever to be filmed in an African language, Ousmane Sembène's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMandabi \u003C\/i\u003E(\u003Ci\u003EThe Money Order\u003C\/i\u003E)\u0026nbsp;is part grim satire, part absurdist tragedy; a Sisyphean portrait of a poor man's struggle to exist in a world designed to benefit the wealthy and the elite. Centering around Ibrahima Dieng (Makhouredia Gueye), an unemployed man whose nephew sends him a 25,000 franc money order from Paris to distribute amongst the family, the film not only examines the way in which money changes human behavior, it eviscerates the absurdity of the bureaucratic state. When Dieng's friends and neighbors learn of the money order, the immediately descend on him to ask for money, but he finds himself unable to cash the money order since he doesn't have ID, a record of his birth, or the ability to read the agreements in order to get those documents. By the time he's finished, he's all but spent the entire money order just to cash it, ending up worse off than he was at the beginning of the film when he thought fortune had at last smiled upon him.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESembène was an intensely political filmmaker, and while he pulled his focus away from French colonialism after his previous film, the pointedly anti-colonial \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2017\/01\/from-repertory-12317.html\"\u003EBlack Girl\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, to take aim at, as he put it in a 1969 interview, \"the dictatorship of the bourgeoise over the people.\" In that regard,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMandabi\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps one of the greatest communist films of all time, disguising beneath its absurdist humor a sense of righteous fury at the government roadblocks seemingly set up specifically to keep the poor in their place. Indeed, the very existence of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMandabi\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eis something of a protest. By shooting the film in Wolof, rather than the customary French, Sembène is declaring that this is a Senegalese film made by and for Senegalese people. And although funders demanded that Sembène put together a French language version simultaneously, it is the Wolof version that has endured, giving a voice to African cinema that had not previously been heard. Senegal has an especially rich cinematic tradition, giving rise to Sembène, Djibril Diop Mambéty (\u003Ci\u003ETouki Bouki\u003C\/i\u003E), his niece, Mati Diop (\u003Ci\u003EAtlantics\u003C\/i\u003E), Safi Faye (\u003Ci\u003EKaddu\u003C\/i\u003E \u003Ci\u003EBeykat\u003C\/i\u003E), among many others. While the specter of French colonialism hangs over many of the nation's defining works, there is often a deeply humane political sensibility at play that speaks their filmmakers' leftist worldviews, tackling the universally corrupting influence of money whether it be the promises of riches or how they affect human behavior. One might mistake\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMandabi\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;for a religious parable centering around a modern day Job, but that's what makes Sembène's communist worldview so bracing - the tone may be bitter, but there's a deep and abiding humanity at its core that is at once universally appealing and difficult to forget.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-whMRxyS-35c\/YGSfcat-RsI\/AAAAAAAAj5M\/ekUl9cJryC4K4uUBL6TFf9W5WG7ET03mgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1200\/685_image_02.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"900\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-whMRxyS-35c\/YGSfcat-RsI\/AAAAAAAAj5M\/ekUl9cJryC4K4uUBL6TFf9W5WG7ET03mgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h480\/685_image_02.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 TOUKI BOUKI. Courtesy of the Criterion Collection.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETOUKI BOUKI \u003C\/b\u003E(Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1973)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI was first introduced to Djibril Diop Mambéty's dazzling\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETouki Bouki\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(\u003Ci\u003EJourney of the Hyena\u003C\/i\u003E)\u0026nbsp;through the Criterion Collection's first box set from Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project. Watching Scorsese's introduction (once again included in this new standalone release), it's nearly impossible not to get caught up in his clear love and enthusiasm for this film, and it lives up to his effusive praise in every way. More abstract and perhaps more impressionistic than the socialist realism of the films of his contemporary, Ousmane Sembène, the films of Djibril Diop Mambéty have an almost otherworldly quality to them, fully part of the Senegalese landscape in which they take place, yet existing on a kind of dreamlike plane, alive with the sights and especially the sounds their characters encounter.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike Sembène, however, Mambéty's films are also deeply political, often informed by the effects of French colonialism on his native Senegal.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETouki Bouki\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;follows the misadventures of a young couple who long to leave their impoverished existence in Senegal for the promise of a better life in France, a journey that is increasingly thwarted by seemingly cosmic circumstances. Their journey across Senegal on the back of a motorcycle mounted with cattle horns becomes a kind of modern day Odyssey, often accompanied by the cheery strains of Josephine Baker's \"Paris, Paris,\" whose stark dichotomy with the events portrayed on screen strikes an absurdly comical commentary on the promise of riches that await them in France. Sound often played an key role in Mambéty's work, reportedly because his youthful trips to the cinema were made outside the gates where he could only hear the films, because he could not afford the cost of a ticket, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETouki Bouki\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;s use of music is perhaps some of the most indelible in cinema history. It's so rich, so memorable, and so perfectly in tune with the film's thematic content - actively deepening the absurdity of the French promise in contrast with the poverty left behind by French influence in post-colonial Senegal. Mambéty made precious few films in his long career, directing only two features and five shorts between 1969 and 1999, but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETouki Bouki\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;remains his masterpiece - a mischievous yet haunted exploration of post-independence Senegal that deftly evokes the futility placing ones dreams in the the ideal of their formal colonizers. Where Sembène sought cold, hard truth, Mambéty sought emotional honesty, crafting a visceral experience striking visuals and daring aural soundscapes that sought to make sense of a world that no longer did.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EMANDABI and TOUKI BOUKI are now available on Blu-Ray and DVD from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.criterion.com\"\u003EThe Criterion Collection\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/5644000060978701079\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=5644000060978701079","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5644000060978701079"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5644000060978701079"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/blu-ray-review-two-senegalese-classics.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Two Senegalese Classics from Criterion"}],"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\/-obhTxOYfqjg\/YGSfKXZBMOI\/AAAAAAAAj5E\/nIue6SWvxyU6BOpyYXYOZYJ-TkfvgQuTACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Mandabi_KarenFG_0006_Layer%2B2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3664336148381387712"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-24T16:34:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-25T11:25:22.765-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warner Archive"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Spotlight | New Releases From Warner Archive"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cdku4sPwF2E\/YFuhvQ7tSAI\/AAAAAAAAj4s\/B2NqdcCpbKoarT5DADbj27B2VLyLbizagCLcBGAsYHQ\/s660\/The-Pirate-Judy-Garland-Gene-Kelly-7.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"400\" data-original-width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cdku4sPwF2E\/YFuhvQ7tSAI\/AAAAAAAAj4s\/B2NqdcCpbKoarT5DADbj27B2VLyLbizagCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/The-Pirate-Judy-Garland-Gene-Kelly-7.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE PIRATE\u003C\/b\u003E (Vincente Minelli, 1948)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOft overlooked in the oeuvres of both Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, Vincente Minnelli's \u003Ci\u003EThe Pirate\u003C\/i\u003E is perhaps one of the most unique musicals of its era. The film was \u0026nbsp;considered a major bomb at the time, losing over $2 million at the box office despite its bankable stars. And indeed, it features a considerably more convoluted plot than the average MGM musical extravaganza, switching back and forth between reality and fantasy with ease. Garland stars as Manuela, who is engaged to a wealth man she doesn't love, while fantasizing about marrying the pirate, Macoco. Kelly plays a traveling actor who fits the bill, and becomes Macoco's avatar in Garland's reveries, although the film purposefully doesn't do much to distinguish between what's real and what's not.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPerhaps that's why the film didn't go over well with audiences in 1948, because it's almost too smart for its own good. But its metatheatrical musical stylings border on the avant-garde under Minelli's nimble direction, and while the film certainly has some cringe-worthy sexual politics in hindsight, it's also a much better film than its reputation suggests - sending up swashbuckling epics with a wink and a splash of glorious Technicolor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xgMXYLiTWcs\/YFuh85gOREI\/AAAAAAAAj4w\/C3fmENv6RPATJ8iPUFacBm471or9UWRAQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1280\/image-w1280.jpg.webp\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"720\" data-original-width=\"1280\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-xgMXYLiTWcs\/YFuh85gOREI\/AAAAAAAAj4w\/C3fmENv6RPATJ8iPUFacBm471or9UWRAQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/image-w1280.jpg.webp\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESHOW BOAT\u003C\/b\u003E (George Sidney, 1951)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis colorful Golden Age musical hasn't aged particularly well, and not just because of its cringe-worthy racial stereotypes and idealistic view of the antebellum South. There are some glorious moments here, to be sure, William Warfield's stirring rendition of \"Ol' Man River\" chief among them, but the film is poorly plotted between its lavish musical numbers. It all but buries a plot about a black showgirl \u0026nbsp;(played by the very white Ava Gardner) passing for white in sundown towns along the river where her romance with a white man is criminalized, and its central romance between the captain's daughter and a swarthy river gambler never really takes off.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt piles on the Technicolor spectacle, with each number feeling like a finale (at least until the actual, rather anti-climactic ending), making for an experience that feels bloated and over-stuffed, full of flash and visual pizazz but lacking any real stakes or sense of emotion. The same cannot be said, however, of the new Warner Archive Blu-Ray release, which is an absolutely stunning improvement over the old DVD release which came from a faded, damaged print. The new Blu-Ray is absolutely pristine, showcasing the dynamic colors present in Sidney's dazzling Golden Age musical. The film itself is still not great, but the gorgeous Blu-Ray transfer is enough to recommend taking a trip on this old show boat - it's a feast for the eyes and ears if nothing else.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-u1PtlvyM6v8\/YFuiJ_uDiLI\/AAAAAAAAj40\/3fu344gpEkImR2ZEYq6NtDZF6SfNMPT4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1024\/v1.bjsxODg1NzA7ajsxODcyMjsxMjAwOzEwMjQ7NzY4.jpeg\" 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\/-u1PtlvyM6v8\/YFuiJ_uDiLI\/AAAAAAAAj40\/3fu344gpEkImR2ZEYq6NtDZF6SfNMPT4QCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h480\/v1.bjsxODg1NzA7ajsxODcyMjsxMjAwOzEwMjQ7NzY4.jpeg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EA TALE OF TWO CITIES\u003C\/b\u003E (Jack Conway, 1935)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Academy loved Charles Dickens adaptations during this time, nominating \u003Ci\u003EA Tale of Two Cities\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;for two Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Film Editing, just a year after showering love on \u003Ci\u003EDavid Copperfield\u003C\/i\u003E. And while Jack Conway's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EA Tale of Two Cities\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;remains, perhaps, the most well regarded (along with 1938's \u003Ci\u003EA Christmas Carol\u003C\/i\u003E starring Reginald Owen), it has an air of stuffiness so common in studio prestige pics. It's certainly a sumptuous production - Conway pulled out all the stops in his big budget recreation of the storming of the Bastille for his French Revolution drama, but the human drama feels staid and somewhat inert.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's a spectacle at heart, about French aristocrat Charles Darnay (Donald Woods), who renounces his rank and heads to England to study, where he falls in love with Lucie Manette (Elizabeth Allan) who is also being courted by Sydney Carton (Ronald Colman). When Darnay is imprisoned by revolutionaries upon his return to France, Carton devises a plan to rescue him, even if it means going to the guillotine in his stead. Produced by David O. Selznick, \u003Ci\u003EA Tale of Two Cities \u003C\/i\u003Eis\u0026nbsp;a grand melodrama, filled with big emotions and stirring set pieces, but it's also incredibly dry, which holds it back from standing alongside many other classic Hollywood spectacles of the day. The Blu-Ray transfer from Warner Archive is crisp and beautifully rendered (the storming of the Bastille remains an all time great set piece), but the film itself feels terribly dated.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ENow available from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.wbshop.com\/warnerarchive\"\u003EWarner Archive\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3664336148381387712\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3664336148381387712","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3664336148381387712"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3664336148381387712"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/blu-ray-spotlight-new-releases-from.html","title":"Blu-Ray Spotlight | New Releases From Warner Archive"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Cdku4sPwF2E\/YFuhvQ7tSAI\/AAAAAAAAj4s\/B2NqdcCpbKoarT5DADbj27B2VLyLbizagCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/The-Pirate-Judy-Garland-Gene-Kelly-7.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3636044984912663023"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-23T21:22:00.006-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-23T21:30:48.990-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SXSW"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Festival Report | SXSW Part 2 | 2021"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LOlc1I-QIno\/YFqTLwAVqeI\/AAAAAAAAj4M\/7IT9LNJXBJQg_ATijUBl8HmgOggwA48AgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/the-fallout-sxsw.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"563\" data-original-width=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LOlc1I-QIno\/YFqTLwAVqeI\/AAAAAAAAj4M\/7IT9LNJXBJQg_ATijUBl8HmgOggwA48AgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/the-fallout-sxsw.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE FALLOUT\u003C\/b\u003E (Megan Park, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's become almost cliche to refer to films about mass shootings as \"timely,\" but with new ones happening in America seemingly every week (a routine we're sadly settling back into after a COVID-induced break in the violence), it seems these films will somehow always feel ripped from the headlines. To its credit, Megan Park's \u003Ci\u003EThe Fallout\u003C\/i\u003E is one of the few films I've seen about the aftermath of a traumatic event that really deals with the fact that people grieve in different ways - and that there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Exploring the ways in which a teenage girl's life changes in the aftermath of a school shooting,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Fallout\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is naturally a tough watch - in equal turns raw, warm, bittersweet, and even funny. It really nails the rollercoaster emotions in the aftermath of tragedy - the PTSD, the sadness, the anger, and the ever-present nagging fear, Park navigates them \u0026nbsp;all with great wisdom and grace.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJenna Ortega gives an incredible performance in the lead role - her character constantly trying to hide her grief beneath humor and ironic detachment, but the pain shows through the cracks, and it's a marvel to behold. What really struck me, though, is that the scattershot ways she tries to cope with the trauma - drugs, sex, humor, lethargy - are never judged. While others channel their grief into activism and judge her for not following that path, the film allows her space to grieve in her own way. It also acknowledges the lingering affects of trauma - hidden but always present, always ready to re-emerge through unexpected triggers. It's teen drama sheen belie a disarming emotional complexity. There have now been two mass shootings in America in the span of a few days since I saw this film, and I've returned to it several times in my mind - especially its haunting denouement that derails a seemingly happy ending with the idea that this is a problem that will continue in perpetuity, the wounds never fully healed. Never has a film so indelibly captured the \u0026nbsp;sheer primal terror of a school shooting, coupled with such a realistically uneven path of grief for its young protagonists. It lets kids be kids - volatile, irreverent, \u0026nbsp;finding love and even humor in the midst of the fallout - but it's that razor sharp exploration of the fickle messiness of trauma, told with such heart, that really makes the film standout. It will be a tough watch for many, and there will doubtless be more shootings before the film is finally released, but it's an essential, cathartic watch nevertheless.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DkmuUCMLkVg\/YFqTwX7XmwI\/AAAAAAAAj4U\/xCMKmf_rhoQC3DpFrnZXrXIyX_-RJVSwQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1200\/here-before-post-cover.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DkmuUCMLkVg\/YFqTwX7XmwI\/AAAAAAAAj4U\/xCMKmf_rhoQC3DpFrnZXrXIyX_-RJVSwQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h320\/here-before-post-cover.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHERE BEFORE\u003C\/b\u003E (Stacy Gregg, Ireland)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAndrea Riseborough delivers a stellar performance in the otherwise middling sort-of supernatural thriller, \u003Ci\u003EHere Before\u003C\/i\u003E, that casts Riseborough as a grieving mother who comes to suspect that her next door neighbor's daughter is actually her own deceased child who passed away in a car accident years before. As she sinks deeper into paranoia, tensions rise at home with her exasperated husband and her terrified son, and as she grows ever closer to the little girl, her relationship with her neighbors begins to deteriorate, revealing damaging secrets that threaten to destroy them all.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe film is a little too clever for its own good, so the twists it telegraphs never quite land, but it's an eerie mood piece with a firecracker performance by Riseborough at the center. Riseborough is truly best in show here, and while\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EHere Before\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;goes through the routines of turning a mother's grief into horror, Riseborough's powder keg of suppressed anguish is something to behold. The film's screenplay cuts too many corners and hinges on too many contrivances, but under Stacey Gregg's elegant direction it manages to sustain itself through its melancholic atmosphere and Riseborough's wrenching performance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE -\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4bPIa8dOSxg\/YFqT8vN3ikI\/AAAAAAAAj4Y\/xNLKFPhEf50AKHMeqo6kSMX6wSgI2_HAgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1024\/15-Lucy-Lawless-as-Tzod_Main-1024x574-1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"574\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4bPIa8dOSxg\/YFqT8vN3ikI\/AAAAAAAAj4Y\/xNLKFPhEf50AKHMeqo6kSMX6wSgI2_HAgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h358\/15-Lucy-Lawless-as-Tzod_Main-1024x574-1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE SPINE OF NIGHT\u003C\/b\u003E (Philip Gelatt, Morgan Galen King, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Spine of Night\u003C\/i\u003E is one of those love-it-or-hate-it films, a go-for-broke animated fantasy epic that swings for the fences with its bold ambition. It's also one of the biggest WTF films in years, featuring graphic, over-the-top violence, and explicit, almost constant nudity, coupled with an incredibly dense, time jumping plot about a primal world where rival clans vie for the power contained in a mysterious flower,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Spine of Night\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is, to put it mildly...a lot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's certainly a wild ride, often playing like an epic conceived by a bunch of high schoolers who were stoned out of their minds and were like \"you know what would be EPIC!?\" And, frankly, it kind of is in a weird way. The mythology is convoluted as hell but the craft is incredible. The rotoscoped, hand drawn animation is awesome to behold. There's just such a singularity of vision here that it's impossible to ignore, even though I'm not sure that makes it \"good.\" It's certainly unique and deeply earnest - featuring sometimes sincere and sometimes oddball turns by Lucy Lawless, Richard E. Grant, and Patton Oswalt.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Spine of Night\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is almost like a teen boy's ultra violent fever dream come to life on a grand scale. It's beautiful, edgy, incomprehensible, and mesmerizing all at once - a singular achievement, if an oppressive one, consumed by the vastness of its vision but so full of complex lore than it will likely lose all but the most die-hard fantasy fans. Is it worth the journey? Absolutely. But beware, it's a test of endurance destined to be one of those \"I was there moments,\" for better or for worse.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NIEc0Xw90ik\/YFqUNaOKo_I\/AAAAAAAAj4k\/CoUOXE5PtXsieHheebHzqETKb7jYFifqwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/Swan-Song_jazzie_Photo-Credit-Chris-Stephens-min-scaled-1-189043755-1616348623473.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1152\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NIEc0Xw90ik\/YFqUNaOKo_I\/AAAAAAAAj4k\/CoUOXE5PtXsieHheebHzqETKb7jYFifqwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/Swan-Song_jazzie_Photo-Credit-Chris-Stephens-min-scaled-1-189043755-1616348623473.jpeg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESWAN SONG\u003C\/b\u003E (Todd Stephens, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBased on a true story, Todd Stephens'\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESwan Song\u003C\/i\u003E is a warm, big-hearted paean to gay elders and pioneers that casts Udo Kier as a flamboyant hairdresser who escapes from his nursing home for one final job - styling his one time favorite client for her funeral. Like a queer version of \u003Ci\u003EThe Straight Story\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(ironic, I know), Kier wanders a landscape filled with ghosts - memories of the partner he lost to AIDS, ramshackle gay bars on the verge of gentrification, reliving his traumas and his glory days as the \"Liberace of Sandusky\" Ohio.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe film features a powerhouse performance by Kier, along with a strong supporting turn by Jennifer Coolidge as a one time rival, and pitch perfect needle drops of Robyn's \"Dancing on My Own\" and RuPaul's \"Sissy that Walk.\"\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESwan Song\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a gloriously, unashamedly queer film, a hilarious and bittersweet ode to gay pioneers who came before, and the modern queer landscape they helped create. It's a rare thing to see a film deal so directly with gay elders, and when they do, it tends to look at them when they were young. But Stephens gives this elderly diva the send off he deserves; a film filled with joy, heart, and hope, that finds life where there was once only despair.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESwan Song\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is one of this year's best films to date, and the queer crowd pleaser we deserve.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3636044984912663023\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3636044984912663023","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3636044984912663023"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3636044984912663023"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/festival-report-sxsw-part-2-2021.html","title":"Festival Report | SXSW Part 2 | 2021"}],"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\/-LOlc1I-QIno\/YFqTLwAVqeI\/AAAAAAAAj4M\/7IT9LNJXBJQg_ATijUBl8HmgOggwA48AgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/the-fallout-sxsw.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6413302958908646477"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-17T14:43:00.007-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-18T23:03:54.608-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"SXSW"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Festival Report | SXSW Day 1 | 2021"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m7ST_IvShEg\/YFJNbe0yPcI\/AAAAAAAAj3g\/BChykJpTJCAWxuPqUkHaRVG5pZ_F47CsACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/EOU_Still_02.15-6.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1152\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m7ST_IvShEg\/YFJNbe0yPcI\/AAAAAAAAj3g\/BChykJpTJCAWxuPqUkHaRVG5pZ_F47CsACLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/EOU_Still_02.15-6.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE END OF US\u003C\/b\u003E (Henry Loevner, Steven Kanter, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe lockdown romantic comedy you didn't know you needed and definitely didn't ask for is better than it has any right to be. Starting out in March 2020, Nick (Ben Coleman) and Leah (Alison G. Vingiano) are coming to the end of a four year relationship, until the COVID lockdown scuttles Nick's plans to move out and forces the two to become roommates on the outs. Their relationship is tenuous at best for a few weeks, but they soon find a way to rekindle their friendship and make the most of things - that is until Leah starts Zoom dating which causes Nick to realize that he still has feelings for her, setting up yet another make or break conflict within the confines of their quarantine.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf that description made you roll your eyes, you're definitely not alone. \u003Ci\u003EThe End of Us\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;definitely feels \"too soon\" but benefits from the freshness of the memories of the early days of COVID. We're essentially locked down with the characters so they're thankfully not insufferable. Some real human moments here courtesy of a likable and capable cast that finds plenty of honest moments from all-too-familiar COVID angst. It's a unique breakup comedy whose beats mostly feel truthful and earned, never feeling forced or overly cutesy in its application of recent history, and ultimately leading to an unexpectedly wise exploration of relationships, and how even failed romances can help us grow as human beings. It's a laid back and agreeable romantic comedy that, like its characters, manages to make the best out of a terrible situation. One only hopes this doesn't become a trend.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uy6KKQnUWi0\/YFQUjfHAKoI\/AAAAAAAAj30\/uapJ2gt0CJUpzxn78pbnRK8zwOIznpnmQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/gaia.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"562\" data-original-width=\"1000\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uy6KKQnUWi0\/YFQUjfHAKoI\/AAAAAAAAj30\/uapJ2gt0CJUpzxn78pbnRK8zwOIznpnmQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/gaia.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGAIA\u003C\/b\u003E (Jaco Bouwer, South Africa)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMother Earth takes her revenge in this South African body horror film that plays out like \u003Ci\u003EThe Happening\u003C\/i\u003E by way of \u003Ci\u003EThe Descent\u003C\/i\u003E. Two park rangers head into a primordial forest planning to study the trees, and instead find a father and son living in a kind of primitive, post-apocalyptic state. At first they appear to be doomsday preppers living off the grid and away from the prying eyes of modern technology, but it soon becomes apparent that their elaborate traps are not meant for the rangers, and that a darker, more ancient evil lurks within the forest, one that is preparing to assert itself on a much larger scale and is merely waiting on the right vessel to carry it out into the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFeaturing grotesque creature design that feels like something out of \u003Ci\u003EHannibal\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EGaia\u003C\/i\u003E is a psychedelic eco-horror fantasia that works its way under your skin and stays there. It's a kind of environmental morality play writ larger, in which earth is essentially taking its revenge on humanity, but it keeps its focus small scale and intimate, mixing pagan and Biblical lore into something deeply unsettling. It often feels like the film \u003Ci\u003EAnnihilation\u003C\/i\u003E wanted to be but never quite was, an often abstract but less thematically nebulous film that seems to tremble with both awe and horror at the awesome power of nature, at once ancient, omnipresent, and all-powerful.\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;Gaia\u003C\/i\u003E is\u0026nbsp;an unnerving yet beautifully filmed descent into madness, signaling director Jaco Bouwer is a thrilling new voice in modern horror,\u0026nbsp;having crafted one of the most unique horror films to come along in quite some time. It's a primal and terrifying work of art.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZmM8YPAveAg\/YFJNAOf2NWI\/AAAAAAAAj3Y\/k6EYp06XpMAeUFbmOb5nv2rFF26NofVcgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/Lena%2Band%2BPotato%2Bfilling%2Bout%2Bthe%2Bmail%2Border%2Bbride%2Bapplication.png\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1149\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-ZmM8YPAveAg\/YFJNAOf2NWI\/AAAAAAAAj3Y\/k6EYp06XpMAeUFbmOb5nv2rFF26NofVcgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/Lena%2Band%2BPotato%2Bfilling%2Bout%2Bthe%2Bmail%2Border%2Bbride%2Bapplication.png\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPOTATO DREAMS OF AMERICA\u003C\/b\u003E (Wes Hurley, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBased on director Wes Hurley's own experiences growing up gay in Russia during the fall of the Soviet Union, \u003Ci\u003EPotato Dreams of America\u003C\/i\u003E is a beguilingly idiosyncratic queer coming-of-age tale that may be a little rough around the edges, but it's so full of heart that it's difficult to resist. From his days as a young lad in Russia where he was bullied at school for being different, to his flight to America after his mother signs up to be a mail order bride, landing them in a conservative American home that's as oppressive as anything he experienced behind the Iron Curtain, Potato longed for a place where he could simply be himself. He finds religion as a young boy, and conjures up an effeminate Jesus as an imaginary best friend, and watches American movies every night, viewing America as a land of happy endings (and attractive men).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile his dreams of a better life in America don't exactly come true the way he imagined as a young, film-obsessed gay boy in Russia, but he finds acceptance in unusual and unexpected places. Troublingly, it begins with an anti-communist bent that feels a bit misplaced, but rhymes well with the eventual anti-gay sentiment he encounters in America. Just as Russia's problem wasn't communism itself, neither are the problems he encounters with Christianity representative of the entire faith - and his new puritanical step-father has one of the most satisfying arcs for a bigoted character I've seen in a while, even if the change seems a bit abrupt, and the meta ending mirrors Almodovar's \u003Ci\u003EPain and Glory\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;without the dramatic heft, but the film is such a singular and unusual vision that its odd pacing and oddball energy quickly become positives rather than negatives, as if Hurley simply decided to toss out the classical Hollywood rulebook and make a film that was true to him (the transition from the characters' lack of Russian accents in Russia to their conspicuous Russian accents in America, for example, is jarring - but makes thematic sense as it highlights their cultural alienation). It's just so full of joy - the joy of self-discovery, the joy of filmmaking, the joy of queerness itself, that it deftly overcomes its occasional tonal bumps to provide a warm and lasting impression.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPotato Dreams of America \u003C\/i\u003Eis\u0026nbsp;an utter delight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Aw_I4XSP9Ak\/YFJMHBLE01I\/AAAAAAAAj3I\/XUkIjrcavbgzXU47jEE7sI5o-G300q06wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/SYT%2BFilm%2BStill%2B01.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1365\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Aw_I4XSP9Ak\/YFJMHBLE01I\/AAAAAAAAj3I\/XUkIjrcavbgzXU47jEE7sI5o-G300q06wCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h426\/SYT%2BFilm%2BStill%2B01.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESEE YOU THEN\u003C\/b\u003E (Mari Walker, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETwo exes agree to meet after nearly 13 years apart in an attempt to smooth over the past. Only one of them has since come out as transgender, a wrinkle that suddenly puts their incompatibility into sharper focus. Such is the premise of Mari Walker's \u003Ci\u003ESee You Then\u003C\/i\u003E, a haunting trans spin on Richard Linklater's BEFORE films, featuring the guileless sense of possibility of \u003Ci\u003EBefore Sunrise\u003C\/i\u003E coupled with the world weary sense of unexamined pain of \u003Ci\u003EBefore Midnight\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat begins as an evening of warm reminiscence and understanding about why their relationship abruptly ended ultimately devolves into the two women peeling a scab off an old wound, as Walker beautifully explores femininity, trans womanhood, and motherhood through the eyes of her two broken characters - cisgender artist Naomi (Lynn Chen) living a life that transgender Kris (Pooya Mohseni) longs for, without appreciating it or understanding the unique hurdles Kris must face to get there. By its very nature, the film is talky and often meandering, but the emotional impact it builds to is shattering. Chen is remarkable (didn't realize how much I'd missed her since \u003Ci\u003ESaving Face\u003C\/i\u003E almost 17 years ago) and relative newcomer Mohseni brings a quiet dignity to the film. \u003Ci\u003ESee You Then\u003C\/i\u003E deals with a lot in a short time frame, but it makes the most of it of its brief running time. The years of regret and loss shared by these two women is palpable, no longer romantically compatible but inexorably linked by their pasts, they offer a deep emotional well for Walker to explore what it means to be a trans woman in America, and how even the most routine relationships can have lasting effects. It's a lovely and perceptive debut film for Walker.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sf32h213PXk\/YFJMurjufoI\/AAAAAAAAj3U\/yCi0erIuglMG2EFBZMBCK_AyPIZ5lqimQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/146862329_111756254240443_5433136556397481626_o.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1152\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-sf32h213PXk\/YFJMurjufoI\/AAAAAAAAj3U\/yCi0erIuglMG2EFBZMBCK_AyPIZ5lqimQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/146862329_111756254240443_5433136556397481626_o.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETRADE CENTER\u003C\/b\u003E (Adam Baran, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe tragedy of 9\/11 has never really been examined through such a uniquely queer lens as it is in Adam Baran's documentary short, \u003Ci\u003ETrade Center\u003C\/i\u003E, a haunting reverie on New York's hidden gay past as told by the men who once frequented the popular cruising spots that dotted the old World Trade Center campus. \u003Ci\u003ETrade Center\u003C\/i\u003E paints an utterly enrapturing queer portrait of old New York now lost to time, forever changed by the surveillance state and the newly sanitized modern architecture of the Freedom Tower that now stands in place of the fallen Twin Towers. There's something wistful and bittersweet about the tales of anonymous sex that once took place in the bathrooms and secluded stairwells of the Trade Center, examining a once thriving underground queer culture that only exists in memory, wiped away by George Bush and Rudy Giuliani in the name of fighting terrorism and \"cleaning up\" the city. It may only be 9 minutes long - but it carries with a lifetime of memories - \u003Ci\u003ETrade Center\u003C\/i\u003E is powerful, essential viewing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;- ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThe SXSW Film Festival continues through March 18, 2021.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6413302958908646477\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6413302958908646477","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6413302958908646477"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6413302958908646477"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/festival-report-sxsw-day-1-2021.html","title":"Festival Report | SXSW Day 1 | 2021"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m7ST_IvShEg\/YFJNbe0yPcI\/AAAAAAAAj3g\/BChykJpTJCAWxuPqUkHaRVG5pZ_F47CsACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/EOU_Still_02.15-6.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1000407338023146495"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-16T00:04:00.010-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-16T15:44:49.408-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"flicker alley"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Laurel OR Hardy | Flicker Alley"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cuSlDya4iiw\/YFAtWz7BJNI\/AAAAAAAAj2s\/iZdo6tQqmFQF74U9gM5ehpYlGndEzWh3gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1920\/1783109541.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-cuSlDya4iiw\/YFAtWz7BJNI\/AAAAAAAAj2s\/iZdo6tQqmFQF74U9gM5ehpYlGndEzWh3gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/1783109541.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EOliver Hardy and Mae Hotely in 1915's LUCKY STRIKE\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ESome of my fondest memories of my grandfather involve watching Laurel \u0026amp; Hardy shorts on his couch on Saturday mornings. Other kids looked forward to Saturday morning cartoons, but I looked forward to Saturday morning Laurel \u0026amp; Hardy on AMC, back when AMC stood for (and actually meant) American Movie Classics. When I wasn't with my grandparents on Saturdays, he would tape them for me to watch later, and I still have VHS copies of these old AMC programs with some of Laurel \u0026amp; Hardy's most iconic films - the Oscar-winning \u003Ci\u003EThe Music Box\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EBlock-Heads\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EBerth-Marks\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EMen-o-War\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ECounty Hospital\u0026nbsp;- \u003C\/i\u003EI loved watching the two legendary comedians get themselves into another nice mess, and then try (usually unsuccessfully) to get out of it again. Whether they were trying to sneak away from their wives to go to the lodge, or trying to convince a vengeful husband that they weren't actually flirting with their wives, or trying to fix something around the house only to make the problem ten times worse, Laurel \u0026amp; Hardy created templates that would be followed by filmmakers, comedians, and sitcom writers for decades to come.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L8MccopwWSM\/YFAt_7pSifI\/AAAAAAAAj20\/I9rbWqN_1A8gVSPqg95xgjurAJKIch2EACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1500\/1783146251.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1500\" data-original-width=\"1211\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-L8MccopwWSM\/YFAt_7pSifI\/AAAAAAAAj20\/I9rbWqN_1A8gVSPqg95xgjurAJKIch2EACLcBGAsYHQ\/w323-h400\/1783146251.jpg\" width=\"323\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EYet one rarely thinks of Laurel without Hardy, or Hardy without Laurel. It's always \"Laurel and Hardy,\" and never just Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy. However, the two actors weren't always a comic duo. Both men cut their teeth on silent films, before eventually being teamed up by Hal Roach just before the dawn of the sound era, resulting in some two decades of classic comedy. The films the two men made separately are not nearly as well known as the films they made together, and many of those early solo shorts have been long unavailable. But now thanks to the remarkable new Blu-Ray collection from Flicker Alley, fans and newcomers alike can discover the origins of Laurel and Hardy through their solo works dating all the way back to 1914.\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe two disc set devotes an entire disc to each actor, showcasing their growth as individual performers from supporting players to solo artists, tracing them from their somewhat inauspicious beginnings all the way through 1926, one year prior to the official beginning of their partnership with 1927's \u003Ci\u003EDuck Soup\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(the pair had previously appeared in films together, but never as a comedy duo). The earliest film included in the set is 1914's \u003Ci\u003EMother's Baby Boy\u003C\/i\u003E, which stars Babe Hardy (as he was billed early in his career) as a spoiled mama's boy who enlists the help of his family to deal with some rather persistent bullies who interrupt his fumbling attempts at courting. Many of Hardy's early films involve mistaken identities and lower class characters who fall in love before striking it rich - bringing other suitors to their door before ultimately deciding to stick with the ones who loved them when they were poor (\u003Ci\u003EThe Servant Girl's Legacy\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELucky Strike\u003C\/i\u003E). While Hardy hadn't yet developed the fussy pomposity that would define his Laurel and Hardy persona, these earlier films often came with much happier endings than the fates that befell his characters in later years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KrEiDsweFJ8\/YFAuFxAHRcI\/AAAAAAAAj24\/3OF_No4jHuAZfb9ZPe8zy51uko13XAwfQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1920\/1783099766.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KrEiDsweFJ8\/YFAuFxAHRcI\/AAAAAAAAj24\/3OF_No4jHuAZfb9ZPe8zy51uko13XAwfQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/1783099766.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EStan Laurel in 1923's WHEN KNIGHTS WERE COLD\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELaurel's disc begins with 1918's \u003Ci\u003EBears and Bad Men\u003C\/i\u003E, in which Stan plays a bit part as a village idiot. This straight-faced, dim-witted persona carries through many of his films, on into the Laurel and Hardy era, but it's fascinating to watch that develop as producers pushed him as a kind of Buster Keaton knock-off. While Laurel's solo films don't quite have the same visionary comedic prowess that Keaton was working with at the time, sharp-eyed Laurel and Hardy fans will notice the seeds of ideas that would later be explored in some of the duo's classic comedies taking root here. Pay attention to Stan's workplace hijinx in 1922's \u003Ci\u003EThe Egg\u003C\/i\u003E,\u003Ci\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Eand how they presage the sawmill antics of 1933's L \u0026amp; H classic,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBusy Bodies. \u003C\/i\u003ELaurel was often considered the creative brains behind the operation, while Hardy was more of an affable actor-for-hire, which is perhaps why Laurel's films feel more like a staging ground for better things down the road.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet neither Laurel or Hardy would find the success on their own that they would ultimately find together, and there often seems to be something missing from this collection of curios, and that's each other. Laurel needed Hardy as much as Hardy needed Laurel, a fact that becomes abundantly clear when watching them perform solo. These aren't bad films by any stretch of the imagination, but they lack the spark that the two found when working as a team. Flicker Alley's beautifully restored Blu-Ray set is a must-have for fans of Laurel and Hardy, if for know other reason than to discover why they worked so well together by understanding what they lacked apart. Laurel and Hardy films have a special kind of magic, that rare spark of two performers who each brought to the table something the other lacked, and managed to achieve greatness together. Laurel and Hardy were lighting in a bottle, and here we get to see their humble beginnings in one fantastic package.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ELaurel Or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy \u003C\/i\u003Eis now available from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.flickeralley.com\/classic-movies-2\/#!\/Laurel-or-Hardy-Early-Films-of-Stan-Laurel-and-Oliver-Hardy\/p\/256746838\/category=20414531\"\u003EFlicker Alley\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1000407338023146495\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1000407338023146495","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1000407338023146495"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1000407338023146495"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/blu-ray-review-laurel-or-hardy-flicker.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Laurel OR Hardy | Flicker Alley"}],"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\/-cuSlDya4iiw\/YFAtWz7BJNI\/AAAAAAAAj2s\/iZdo6tQqmFQF74U9gM5ehpYlGndEzWh3gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/1783109541.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1062163993982165077"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-11T16:21:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-11T16:27:26.836-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ang Lee"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | Lust, Caution | 2007"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-V7hlI_eB1p0\/YEqJfTxVreI\/AAAAAAAAj2Q\/oUA3Tq5LAx0EhdkN28h2IuJTgu7NmGs-QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1200\/lustcaution04.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"675\" data-original-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-V7hlI_eB1p0\/YEqJfTxVreI\/AAAAAAAAj2Q\/oUA3Tq5LAx0EhdkN28h2IuJTgu7NmGs-QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/lustcaution04.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ESet in Hong Kong and Shanghai during the Japanese occupation of China during WWII, Ang Lee's \u003Ci\u003ELust, Caution\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is based on the 1979 novel of espionage and romance by Eileen Chang. Coming on the heels of Lee's Oscar success \u003Ci\u003EBrokeback Mountain\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELust, Caution\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;marked a return to his home country of Taiwan for the filmmaker, but this time the response was much more muted than the major accolades that were showered upon his previous Taiwanese film, the Oscar-winning \u003Ci\u003ECrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5eq7vsLs6k4\/YEqJk2pCGWI\/AAAAAAAAj2U\/okXdXD5vnV4wB1hVjktNJzIFyBA5FhTnwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1841\/738329251932%2B%25281%2529.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1841\" data-original-width=\"1514\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5eq7vsLs6k4\/YEqJk2pCGWI\/AAAAAAAAj2U\/okXdXD5vnV4wB1hVjktNJzIFyBA5FhTnwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w329-h400\/738329251932%2B%25281%2529.jpg\" width=\"329\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe film was ultimately disqualified by the Oscars from contending as Taiwan's official submission to the Best International Film category for not being \"sufficiently Taiwanese,\" and failed to garner any other Oscar nominations outside of that category. Maybe it was the more restrictive NC-17 rating and its graphic sex scenes that kept it from gaining traction with the Academy, but revisiting it now nearly 14 years after its original release, it's clear that the film was robbed. There are so many artists who worked on\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELust, Caution\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that were working at the very top of their game; from Rodrigo Prieto's rich cinematography, to the impeccable costume design by Lai Pan, to Alexandre Desplat's haunting score (perhaps his finest work to date) the film is a constant feast for the senses.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet it's the work of the principal cast that give the film its heart. Tang Wei (who beautifully navigates er character's journey from guilelessness to world-weariness) stars as Wong Chia Chi, a university student whose theatre troupe hatches a plot to assassinate local police chief, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung). Using Wong as bait in an extended undercover operation, her job is to seduce the married man and lure him into a trap. After their initial plot in Hong Kong fails and the students disperse, Wong Chia Chi encounters Mr. Yee once again in Shanghai. Enlisted by the resistance for a much more sophisticated undercover operation, Wong finds herself drawn into an intense affair with Mr. Yee, one that ranges from rape to unbridled passion, and the two begin to meet for regular rendezvous . Mr. Yee's caution soon gives way to lust, threatening to evolve their relationship in to something much deeper, putting the entire operation in jeopardy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe sex scenes in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELust, Caution\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;are often as sensual as they are disturbing, with Wong's relationship with Mr. Yee walking a tightrope between manipulation and genuine affection. But therein lies the underlying critique of fascism, as Wong's flirtation with authoritarianism in the form of Mr. Yee, a man both terrifying and alluring, ultimately leads to ruin. It's a delicate dance, and Lee navigates it beautifully, never blaming Wong for her choices as Mr. Yee has an undeniable appeal. Lee has consistently demonstrated a certain talent for exploring human relationships, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELust, Caution\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps one of his thorniest, most complex works, the central relationship feeling at once exploitative and yet undeniably sexy, real and yet rife with unspoken danger. At last getting its rightful due with the gorgeous new Kino Lorber Blu-Ray,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ELust, Caution\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a film that feels ripe for re-discovery. In a world where fascism is once again appealing to so many, there are disturbing lessons to be learned here among the film's sensuous pleasures. It emerges now as one of the most accomplished, and consistently overlooked, films of Lee's illustrious career.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELUST, CAUTION \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EAng Lee | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ETony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Leehom Wang | \u003Cb\u003ERated NC-17 \u003C\/b\u003Efor some explicit sexuality | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EAvailable on Blu-Ray from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.kinolorber.com\"\u003EKino Lorber\u003C\/a\u003E on March 30!\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1062163993982165077\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1062163993982165077","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1062163993982165077"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1062163993982165077"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/blu-ray-review-lust-caution-2007_11.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | Lust, Caution | 2007"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-V7hlI_eB1p0\/YEqJfTxVreI\/AAAAAAAAj2Q\/oUA3Tq5LAx0EhdkN28h2IuJTgu7NmGs-QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/lustcaution04.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-926637492552225825"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-04T18:56:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-04T19:49:59.314-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warner Archive"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Blu-Ray Review | San Francisco | 1936"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pvr5q9CxCY4\/YEFy0ORqSFI\/AAAAAAAAj14\/oDAgeIHii7olubD03OEPho1pnRLtW9PAACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/sanfrancisco1936.3173.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1334\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Pvr5q9CxCY4\/YEFy0ORqSFI\/AAAAAAAAj14\/oDAgeIHii7olubD03OEPho1pnRLtW9PAACLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/sanfrancisco1936.3173.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EWhile there's an argument to be made that \u003Ci\u003EAirport\u003C\/i\u003E and its imitators like \u003Ci\u003EThe Poseidon Adventure\u003C\/i\u003E and \u003Ci\u003EThe Towering Inferno\u003C\/i\u003E are the templates of the modern disaster film, you'd have to go all the way back to 1936 with W.S. Van Dyke's lavish MGM disaster spectacle,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESan Francisco\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;to see the formula's cinematic origins. Setting a love story in front of the impending San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the film was such a runaway success that 20th Century Fox nearly lifted the storyline wholesale for \u003Ci\u003EIn Old Chicago\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;the very next ear, with both films getting nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XmgbFS5EUcs\/YEFy5l49JqI\/AAAAAAAAj18\/HZbfxGB0WC0skAQSe3EqAc99PgguPxKYgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s888\/883929738328.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"888\" data-original-width=\"680\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XmgbFS5EUcs\/YEFy5l49JqI\/AAAAAAAAj18\/HZbfxGB0WC0skAQSe3EqAc99PgguPxKYgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w306-h400\/883929738328.jpg\" width=\"306\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIn all, \u003Ci\u003ESan Francisco\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Ewas nominated for six Oscars; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Spencer Tracy), Best Original Story, Best Assistant Director, and won the Oscar for Best Sound Recording. It's certainly a handsome production, with the dashing Clark Gable in the leading role as Blackie Norton, an unscrupulous nightclub owner vying for the affections of singer Mary Blake (Jeanette MacDonald) with a rival theatre producer. Tracy co-stars as Father Mullin, an old friend of Blackie's who is perhaps the only person who sees the good in him. The great San Francisco earthquake ultimately tears them apart and forces them together, but it doesn't happen until the last 15 minutes or so of the nearly two hour film, which means much of the runtime is spent with these characters' petty dramas, which would become the hallmark of so many disaster films that are long on build up and light on payoff. Thankfully, the earthquake and resulting fire are impressive achievements, even if the denouement feels rushed and overly saccharine, with lots of hymn-singing and a last minute religious conversion for the atheistic Blackie. It's the kind of tacked on bit of self-importance that often characterized lavish studio pictures of the early Production Code period, and it feels like the writers simply didn't know how to end the film and chose to do it as quickly as possible.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESan Francisco\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels like something of a relic now. \u0026nbsp;Gable's character is such an abusive cad (an element that received some pushback from the screenwriters after seeing how Van Dyke was directing the film) that it's difficult to become invested in the love story, and Gable reportedly hated his leading lady so much that he would often eat garlic before having to kiss her on camera, which explains their overall lack of chemistry. Gable was a born movie star, but it's pretty clear none of the actors were particularly invested (Gable is said to have only done the film because he was in debt to Louis B. Mayer after the studio head paid off one of his many mistresses). It's really only of interest now due to its influence on the disaster genre, combining turgid melodrama with the grand backdrop of a natural disaster. Mark this one as \"for Oscar completists only.\"\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESAN FRANCISCO \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EW.S. Van Dyke | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EClark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow available on Blu-Ray from \u003Ca href=\" www.wbshop.com\/warnerarchive\"\u003EWarner Archive\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\/926637492552225825\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=926637492552225825","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/926637492552225825"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/926637492552225825"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/blu-ray-review-san-francisco-1936.html","title":"Blu-Ray Review | San Francisco | 1936"}],"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\/-Pvr5q9CxCY4\/YEFy0ORqSFI\/AAAAAAAAj14\/oDAgeIHii7olubD03OEPho1pnRLtW9PAACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/sanfrancisco1936.3173.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-786952047381386759"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-03T18:53:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-03T18:56:49.735-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Netflix"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | I Care a Lot | 2021"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-98pG-fRXrt4\/YEAhR1OkFLI\/AAAAAAAAj1k\/QiGmEJ6HG_MEXa_EeTjaqJ8gwB9TdVr5gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2740\/I_Care_A_lot_00_10_55_07.png\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1147\" data-original-width=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-98pG-fRXrt4\/YEAhR1OkFLI\/AAAAAAAAj1k\/QiGmEJ6HG_MEXa_EeTjaqJ8gwB9TdVr5gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/I_Care_A_lot_00_10_55_07.png\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ERosamund Pike as Marla. Courtesy of Netflix.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThere has been a lot of debate amongst film critics lately about the difference between depiction and endorsement, and where the line is drawn between glorifying evil characters and condemning them. Thanks to moral outrage from pearl clutching prudes aghast at the amorality of Hollywood, the Production Code once dictated that all characters who did bad deeds get their comeuppance in the end, and no film could portray bad people in such a way that could potentially make them look good. That's how gangster movies like 1933's \u003Ci\u003EThe Public Enemy\u003C\/i\u003E fell out of style. And even though the charismatic but brutal James Cagney got what was coming to him in the end, the film was barred from be re-released after the Production Code was enforced, and the heyday of the gangster picture was replaced with films that focused on cops and \"G-Men\" whose job was to catch the baddies those pre-code films had turned into heroes.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nSI8zlUfczw\/YEAhcDP_90I\/AAAAAAAAj1o\/kgUhaI3HpZ4TzxEaXKf8QIhSBtDiSP-_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/ICareALot_Vertical_Main_RGB_PRE.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1383\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-nSI8zlUfczw\/YEAhcDP_90I\/AAAAAAAAj1o\/kgUhaI3HpZ4TzxEaXKf8QIhSBtDiSP-_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/ICareALot_Vertical_Main_RGB_PRE.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EIt's something we still wrestle with today - are movies merely morality plays in disguise? Or should films be allowed to put amoral people im the spotlight? It's a gray area, of course, and one that J Blakeson's \u003Ci\u003EI Care a Lot\u003C\/i\u003E explores gleefully. But this is a reminder that just because someone is the protagonist of a piece does not make them the \"good guy,\" and that depicting their evil doesn't mean that the film is endorsing their actions. In\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Care a Lot\u003C\/i\u003E, Rosamund Pike stars as Marla Grayson (a role for which she recently won a surprise Golden Globe for Best Actress) \u0026nbsp;who makes a living by railroading unsuspecting senior citizens and having herself appointed as their legal guardian, dumping them in nursing homes while she liquidates their estates for her own gain. She messes with the wrong person, however, when she Jennifer Peterson (Diane Wiest), who is not the sweet old lady she appears to be, and finds herself the target of Peterson's mob boss son, Roman (Peter Dinklage). Not intending to be beaten at her own game, Marla goes toe to toe with Roman, resulting in a truly wild battle of wits and ruthless cunning that threatens to destroy them both and everything they love.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESometimes \"deliciously evil\" is just what we need out of a movie, and that is exactly what \u003Ci\u003EI Care a Lot\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;delivers - a nasty shot in the arm of bad people doing bad things to each other that is enormously satisfying, where people whose success depends on the misfortune of others ultimately find their own undoing. Pike has created such an indelible, fully realized character, and Wiest does so much with her limited screen time that it reminds us of what a creative force she truly is. There's a certain amoral vim and verve to the proceedings that is at once horrifying and thrilling, allowing us to revel in the characters' evil while also recoiling from their monstrous deeds.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Care a Lot\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;exists in a fascinating moral gray area that pulls no punches. Clearly we're not supposed to \"like\" these characters, but it's an undeniably fun ride watching what level of cruelty the characters escalate to next. Movies are not necessarily meant to reflect our morality back to us, sometimes they allow us to enter the world of wholly immoral characters and engage with them on their own terms. That's what makes\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EI Care a Lot\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;such a wildly entertaining film, because we're not really rooting for anyone, we can really focus on the journey. With a vivid color palate, Pike's ice cold demeanor, Wiest's mischievous twinkle, and Dinklage's unbridled rage, the audience is transported into a world where terrible people are terrible to each other, trapped in the zero sum game of human exploitation, where the only winners are those who decide to take the ride with them. This is one hell of a movie.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EI CARE A LOT\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E J Blakeson |\u003Cb\u003E Stars \u003C\/b\u003ERosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Dianne Wiest | \u003Cb\u003ERated\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003ER\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for language throughout and some violence | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow streaming exclusively on\u0026nbsp;Netflix.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/786952047381386759\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=786952047381386759","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/786952047381386759"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/786952047381386759"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/review-i-care-lot-2021.html","title":"Review | I Care a Lot | 2021"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-98pG-fRXrt4\/YEAhR1OkFLI\/AAAAAAAAj1k\/QiGmEJ6HG_MEXa_EeTjaqJ8gwB9TdVr5gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/I_Care_A_lot_00_10_55_07.png","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7908325133919446445"},"published":{"$t":"2021-03-01T12:00:00.126-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-01T12:00:00.167-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Disney"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Raya and the Last Dragon | 2021"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UrFyKZrzbF0\/YDwby3kGJeI\/AAAAAAAAj1M\/4eQ-7u610HwvMULB6X23Aib3fieODaiIwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1920\/RAYA-ONLINE-USE-217.0_074.00_0112.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"804\" data-original-width=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UrFyKZrzbF0\/YDwby3kGJeI\/AAAAAAAAj1M\/4eQ-7u610HwvMULB6X23Aib3fieODaiIwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/RAYA-ONLINE-USE-217.0_074.00_0112.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EDisney's latest animated feature, \u003Ci\u003ERaya and the Last Dragon\u003C\/i\u003E, somehow feels like both a fresh new direction for the Mouse House, and a nostalgic throwback to their more action-oriented output from the early 2000s like \u003Ci\u003EAtlantis: The Lost Empire \u003C\/i\u003Eand \u003Ci\u003ETreasure Planet.\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;And not just because composer James Newton Howard has returned to provide the score - the\u003Cbr \/\u003Ere's something decidedly more grown-up feeling about \u003Ci\u003ERaya \u003C\/i\u003Ethat targets a slightly older demographic than Disney's animated musicals.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NJmmOueo9YE\/YDwd1zalBXI\/AAAAAAAAj1U\/Kt4FFR1XruAvwtdGvj0EDd7qMNJ2Pq8kQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1596\/LARE_BS_75.10_v3.0_BusShelter_Mech9.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1596\" data-original-width=\"1094\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NJmmOueo9YE\/YDwd1zalBXI\/AAAAAAAAj1U\/Kt4FFR1XruAvwtdGvj0EDd7qMNJ2Pq8kQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w274-h400\/LARE_BS_75.10_v3.0_BusShelter_Mech9.jpg\" width=\"274\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EThe story centers around a young woman in a mythical kingdom of Kumandra that has been torn apart by warring factions vying for control over a magical stone once created by a race of dragons to protect the world from an evil force known as the Druun, that turns every living thing it encounters into stone. Tasked with protecting the stone along with her father, Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) is betrayed by a newfound friend, leading to the warring kingdoms breaking the stone and dividing it amongst themselves, destroying the barrier that kept the Druun at bay and unleashing them upon the world and turning her father to stone. Determined to set things right, Raya now wonders the wastelands of Kumandra searching for the various pieces of the stone to put them together and reunite her kingdom. Along the way she encounters Sisu (Awkwafina), the last surviving dragon whose goofiness is only matched by her incredible magic powers, who accompanies Raya on her journey.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the animation is often jaw-dropping, there's a lot going on in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ERaya and the Last Dragon\u003C\/i\u003E, often to its own detriment. The film spends a lot of time laboriously explaining its mythology and the world in which it is set, resulting in an often convoluted plot that is leaden with expository dialogue. The cast is terrific, with Tran and Awkwafina providing equal amounts of humor and pathos that make their characters easy to root for and give the film its heart. And the action, courtesy of directors Don Hall (\u003Ci\u003EBig Hero 6\u003C\/i\u003E) and Carlos López Estrada (\u003Ci\u003EBlindspotting\u003C\/i\u003E), is often quite thrilling. But the narrative is so overstuffed that none these moments land with the gravity that they should. The way Hal and López Estrada combine animation styles offers a glimpse into what the film could have been, but these moments are too few and far between to have any real impact. It also delves into some timely but extremely bland themes of unity, in which the only way for the evil to be defeated is if rivals put aside their differences and trust one another, even if they have proven themselves to be untrustworthy multiple times. It makes sense for a Disney movie, but there's something frustratingly centrist about its messaging. And while it may sound aspirational coming from a children's fantasy, arriving at time when people are extremely divided along political and ideological lines on existential issues, to say that the only way to survive is to trust this person who has tried to kill you and destroy everything you've worked for multiple times seems to veer into some uneasy \"both sides\" territory.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the other hand, \u003Ci\u003ERaya and the Last Dragon \u003C\/i\u003Ewill be accompanied both in theaters and on Disney+ by the animated short, \u003Ci\u003EUs Again\u003C\/i\u003E, which manages to pack more emotional resonance into 6 minutes than \u003Ci\u003ERaya\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003Emanages with 100. Centering around an elderly couple rekindling their love of dancing with the help of some magical rain that transforms them into their younger selves, \u003Ci\u003EUs Again \u003C\/i\u003Eplays out like the epilogue that Carl and Ellie from \u003Ci\u003EUp \u003C\/i\u003Enever got. It's a tearjerker about reclaiming life and rekindling passions in the \u0026nbsp;tradition of the best Disney shorts, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see it show up in the Best Animated Short category at next year's Academy Awards. \u003Ci\u003ERaya \u003C\/i\u003Ewill also likely be a Best Animated Feature player, and it's certainly not the worst film to come out of Disney Animation. But it almost feels like too much of a good thing, a fascinating concept with some strong vocal talent in dire need of streamlining and script editing. And it's especially good to see Tran getting a starring role to show off her talents after getting shafted by Disney in \u003Ci\u003EThe Rise of Skywalker\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;thanks to racist backlash against her character in \u003Ci\u003EThe Last Jedi\u003C\/i\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Young audiences will likely be dazzled by the often jaw-dropping animated action on display, but its overly-complicated world building doesn't give it a firm enough foundation to rise above the much stronger players in Disney's recent canon.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ERAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EDon Hall, Carlos López Estrada | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EKelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh, Alan Tudyk | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG \u003C\/b\u003Efor some violence, action and thematic elements | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOpens in theaters and exclusively on Disney+ on March 5\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7908325133919446445\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7908325133919446445","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7908325133919446445"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7908325133919446445"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/03\/review-raya-and-last-dragon-2021.html","title":"Review | Raya and the Last Dragon | 2021"}],"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\/-UrFyKZrzbF0\/YDwby3kGJeI\/AAAAAAAAj1M\/4eQ-7u610HwvMULB6X23Aib3fieODaiIwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/RAYA-ONLINE-USE-217.0_074.00_0112.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2124635245981781653"},"published":{"$t":"2021-02-27T10:39:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-02-27T10:44:24.764-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"GKIDS"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"HBO Max"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Netflix"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Streaming Spotlight | Earwig and the Witch, The Little Things, and Malcolm \u0026 Marie"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m4wcUQvgfo4\/YDpmp1us0OI\/AAAAAAAAj04\/cqj6BzfGvg8Bj7q-bbRU7b3n_lLXKybyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1024\/EATW_Select_08-1024x554.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"554\" data-original-width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m4wcUQvgfo4\/YDpmp1us0OI\/AAAAAAAAj04\/cqj6BzfGvg8Bj7q-bbRU7b3n_lLXKybyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/EATW_Select_08-1024x554.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EEarwig from EARWIG AND THE WITCH. Courtesy of GKIDS.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EEARWIG AND THE WITCH\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E (Goro Miyazaki, HBO Max)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudio Ghibli's first computer animated film, \u003Ci\u003EEarwig and the Witch\u003C\/i\u003E, arrives courtesy of none other than Goro Miyazaki, son of legendary anime filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki. By all reports, the younger Miyazaki's embracing of CGI over traditional hand-drawn animation, a major departure for Ghibli, was something of an intentional repudiation of his father's style, even inspiring the elder Miyazaki to come out of retirement to make a new film. But if\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EEarwig and the Witch\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is any indication, he has nothing to worry about, because it's easily one of the worst films in Ghibli's storied history.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBased on a novel by Diana Wynne Jones (whose novel, \"Howl's Moving Castle,\" once inspired one of the elder Miyazaki's films),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EEarwig and the Witch\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;finds a young girl plucked from an orphanage to become a witch's apprentice, only to discover her own magical history. It's an intriguing enough premise, but the film spends so much time in the witch's lab that the movie spins its wheels for its entire second act. The animation itself is deeply unattractive, as if Miyazaki simply tried to copy the traditional 2-D hand drawn style into 3-D, and the result is blocky and bland and best, wholly off-putting at worst. Without the heart and soul that defined his father's films, the younger Miyazaki is left with an empty product that has all the ingredients of a successful Ghibli film with seemingly no idea how to put them together.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DNr3njF-WnY\/YDpmxdKjjUI\/AAAAAAAAj08\/MyIxppSzYCIOn2Dd9rpEciGdCgYdgcPqQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/rev-1-TLT-01406r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1394\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"436\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-DNr3njF-WnY\/YDpmxdKjjUI\/AAAAAAAAj08\/MyIxppSzYCIOn2Dd9rpEciGdCgYdgcPqQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h436\/rev-1-TLT-01406r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EDENZEL WASHINGTON as Joe “Deke” Deacon and JARED LETO as Albert Sparma and in Warner Bros. Pictures’ psychological thriller “THE LITTLE THINGS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE LITTLE THINGS\u003C\/b\u003E (John Lee Hancock, HBO Max)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJohn Lee Hancock's serial killer drama, \u003Ci\u003EThe Little Things\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E, was written in the 1990s, and it shows in all the worst ways. It owes a lot to \u003Ci\u003EThe Silence of the Lambs\u003C\/i\u003E, perhaps the decade's quintessential serial killer text, but lacks that film's elegance and psychological depth. Denzel Washington stars as a former detective turned beat cop who is haunted by an unsolved murder from his past. But a new string of killings brings back painful memories as he begins to sense a connection, and his obsession threatens to spill over to the new detective (Rami Malek) who sets his sights on a new suspect (Jared Leto), and seeks to take him down at all costs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWashington is solid in a world-weary performance, while Leto is Leto and Malek is entirely miscast as a hard-boiled detective with rage issues. The whole thing has the sheen of a prestige drama (the cast, the cinematography, the Thomas Newman score), but it can never escape its potboiler roots. AAnd by the time it throws in the twist ending with its thematic undercurrents of police misconduct making them their own worst enemies, (a refreshing but awkwardly executed idea) it's difficult to muster up the energy to care about any of it. Leto has gotten a lot of the flak for this film (probably because his performance has somehow been elevated to an awards contender due to the skewed eligibility calendar this year), but it's Malek who sticks out the most. He's all wrong for the character, his bouts of rage coming off more like childish hissy fits, but he's so over-the-top at the end that the film loses what little credibility it had left.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E -\u0026nbsp;★½ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_1fgs4T3f1k\/YDpm4fx8fPI\/AAAAAAAAj1A\/4mwsPSLCObIJxPM_UNiVDR1MgCAQ9tKgwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/Malcolm_Marie_00_22_43_17_R.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1107\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"346\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-_1fgs4T3f1k\/YDpm4fx8fPI\/AAAAAAAAj1A\/4mwsPSLCObIJxPM_UNiVDR1MgCAQ9tKgwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h346\/Malcolm_Marie_00_22_43_17_R.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EMALCOLM \u0026amp; MARIE (L-R): ZENDAYA as MARIE, JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON as MALCOLM. NETFLIX © 2021\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMALCOLM \u0026amp; MARIE\u003C\/b\u003E (Sam Levinson, Netflix)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMade during COVID-19 lockdowns, Sam Levinson's \u003Ci\u003EMalcolm \u0026amp; Marie\u003C\/i\u003E has all the makings of a directorial vanity project, following a young filmmaker named Malcolm (John David Washington) and his girlfriend, Marie (Zendaya), as they emotionally brutalize each other after returning home from a film premiere in which Malcolm heavily borrowed from Marie's life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAesthetically, it's beautiful. Shot in grainy black and white,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMalcolm \u0026amp; Marie\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;often feels like a much deeper film than it really is. Washington and Zendaya are aces, but the fine performances can't mask the fact this doesn't really have much to say. The actors are trapped in an insular, often self-indulgent conceit that plays like a college theater acting exercise, filled with lots of yelling and high emotions that feel fabricated and, yes, inauthentic. The much-ballyhooed anti-critic rant that caused so many waves on Film Twitter isn't as bad as reported, since as Washington's character is very clearly written as a self-absorbed blowhard, but the musings on what it means to be a black filmmaker and dismissal of the concept of the male gaze seem misplaced coming from a white male writer. Levinson is doing his best Cassavetes impersonation here, but the characters' self-sabotaging conflict goes from 0-60 back to 0-60 again so frequently that there's no arc. There are striking moments here but they're hampered by the erratic rhythms. The emotional whiplash completely undercuts the drama and never really allows us to settle into the characters or their relationships. In short, it feels rushed - often betraying its own quarantine roots as the first draft of a concept in desperate need of some revision and finesse.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2124635245981781653\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2124635245981781653","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2124635245981781653"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2124635245981781653"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/02\/streaming-spotlight-earwig-and-witch.html","title":"Streaming Spotlight | Earwig and the Witch, The Little Things, and Malcolm \u0026 Marie"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-m4wcUQvgfo4\/YDpmp1us0OI\/AAAAAAAAj04\/cqj6BzfGvg8Bj7q-bbRU7b3n_lLXKybyQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/EATW_Select_08-1024x554.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1367309068231961476"},"published":{"$t":"2021-02-13T23:07:00.009-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-02-13T23:10:38.517-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"a24"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Minari | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uFnQ3ZexnDI\/YCifyE0OZJI\/AAAAAAAAj0I\/MAoH9Z56Yf4apNhFQo366cJt6fCl6Pe_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/MINARI_00195_R.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1362\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-uFnQ3ZexnDI\/YCifyE0OZJI\/AAAAAAAAj0I\/MAoH9Z56Yf4apNhFQo366cJt6fCl6Pe_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/MINARI_00195_R.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EAlan S. Kim, Steven Yeun Photo by Melissa Lukenbaugh, Courtesy of A24\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ELee Isaac Chung is one of those under-the-radar filmmakers who has yet to be receive the recognition he deserves. His debut film, \u003Ci\u003EMunyurangabo\u003C\/i\u003E (2009), was one of the best films of the 2000s, but received little attention, so it is gratifying to see his latest film, \u003Ci\u003EMinari\u003C\/i\u003E, receive widespread praise from critics and even a great deal of awards buzz to go along with it, so far racking up nominations from the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lB2E1m4HqYk\/YCigxik2uDI\/AAAAAAAAj0U\/hltruEpLYRkejEDFaYsw95RqjstU2H5QgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/MINARI_Poster_Payoff.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1414\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-lB2E1m4HqYk\/YCigxik2uDI\/AAAAAAAAj0U\/hltruEpLYRkejEDFaYsw95RqjstU2H5QgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w276-h400\/MINARI_Poster_Payoff.jpg\" width=\"276\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ci\u003EMinari\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is certainly the most mainstream film Chung has directed, but that's a testament to the universally recognizable story that it tells. Focusing on a family of Korean immigrants who move to Arkansas establish their own farm and make their own way in the world, the film turns Chung's own childhood experiences into a uniquely American tale of hardship and personal triumph that is the very picture of the ideal of the \"American dream.\" Steven Yeun stars as Jacob, the pater familias who is plucking away at someone else's chicken farm, dreaming of running his own some day, so he purchases a piece of land in the middle of nowhere with a ramshackle mobile home, and uproots his family to make the dream a reality. His wife, Monica (Han Ye-ri) is unhappy with the move and misses their own home, and 7-year-old David (Alan Kim) and his little sister Anne (Noel Kate Cho) are bored, which gets David into trouble.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut David also has a series of health problems, leading the family to invite grandmother Soonja (regular Hong Sangsoo collaborator Youn Yuh-jung) to move from Korea to come help raise the family. While Jacob takes on the Sisyphean task of turning his barren land into the farm of his dreams (with the aid of Will Patton's holy roller neighbor) causing rifts in his marriage, David butts heads with Soonja, whose old style of parenting soon reveals a deep and unexpected connection between American David and his more traditional Korean grandmother.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EMinari\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a film about family connections, and Chung weaves them slowly, almost effortlessly, over the course of the film, creating a seemingly organic narrative whose emotional undercurrents hit unexpectedly. It's languidly paced, and almost defiantly plotless, but that's precisely what makes it so special. Chung has crafted a deeply personal ode to his family and his roots, and in the process delivered a film about the immigrant experience that feels profoundly universal. Buoyed by Emile Mosseri's delicate score (who is quickly becoming one of the most interesting up and coming film composers after his stellar work on 2019's \u003Ci\u003EThe Last Black Man in San Francisco\u003C\/i\u003E),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMinari\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;sometimes feels like the hazy recollections of a dream, made up of memories of childhood floating back in a kind of nostalgic reverie. Yet Chung doesn't shy away from the challenges and hardships of the American immigrant experience, and that makes the small victories feel all the more profound. While this may not be representative of the experience of all immigrants, Chung finds common ground in the bonds of family and uses it as a window into collective hopes and dreams. It's the kind of film whose emotional power only grows in retrospect, its most indelible moments springing from the seemingly mundane moments of life that you didn't realize were so important until they were in the past. That is the unique and subtle power of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EMinari\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;an altogether lovely film whose grace notes linger in the air long after the music has stopped playing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EMINARI \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003ELee Isaac Chung | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ESteven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Youn Yuh-jung, Will Patton, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor some thematic elements and a rude gesture | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in select theaters.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1367309068231961476\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1367309068231961476","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1367309068231961476"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1367309068231961476"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/02\/review-minari-2020.html","title":"Review | Minari | 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\/-uFnQ3ZexnDI\/YCifyE0OZJI\/AAAAAAAAj0I\/MAoH9Z56Yf4apNhFQo366cJt6fCl6Pe_gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/MINARI_00195_R.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6907372738915228451"},"published":{"$t":"2021-02-13T00:08:00.007-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-02-13T00:11:10.318-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"HBO Max"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Judas and the Black Messiah | 2021"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3ZJuk6010H8\/YCddwn6yqaI\/AAAAAAAAjzw\/v1tUGXw_dX87v7E5AtfQYTJmLXijmWx6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/rev-1-JATBM-FP-065cv2_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1075\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3ZJuk6010H8\/YCddwn6yqaI\/AAAAAAAAjzw\/v1tUGXw_dX87v7E5AtfQYTJmLXijmWx6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/rev-1-JATBM-FP-065cv2_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EARRELL BRITT-GIBSON as Bobby Rush, DANIEL KALUUYA as Chairman Fred Hampton and ASHTON SANDERS as Jimmy Palmer in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EOne of the most high profile casualties of the Civil Rights movement, Black Panther and radical socialist Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) was assassinated in 1969 in a raid conducted by the FBI and Chicago PD. His death remains a touchstone for the black liberation movement, and yet another in a litany of examples of police conspiring and using violence against black people. Shaka King's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJudas and the Black Messiah\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;chronicles Hampton's rise and fall through the eyes of Bill O'Neill (Lakeith Stanfield), a petty criminal turned FBI informant who helped infiltrate the Black Panthers in order to keep himself out of jail for Grand Theft Auto. The film is simultaneously about Hampton's rise as a major force in black America, and the emotional and psychological toll on O'Neill by selling his soul to the police, becoming the Judas to Hampton's black messiah.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GESM0yTKTls\/YCdeyf3qQXI\/AAAAAAAAjz8\/zy8JSDZ1DF8f8meiTcKEsO_-sgeFPZLdgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/JATBM_VERT_Revolution_RED_DOM_2764x4096.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1382\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-GESM0yTKTls\/YCdeyf3qQXI\/AAAAAAAAjz8\/zy8JSDZ1DF8f8meiTcKEsO_-sgeFPZLdgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/JATBM_VERT_Revolution_RED_DOM_2764x4096.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EKing, who previously only had one feature film credit to his name (2013's little-seen \u003Ci\u003ENewlyweeds\u003C\/i\u003E), directs with the kind of verve that occasionally recalls early Spike Lee.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EJudas and the Black Messiah\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is raw, energetic; a ferocious howl of rage, filled with the fire of revolution and the pain of betrayal, and progress undercut by weaponized whiteness. It's rare for a major studio film to deal so frankly with radical socialism, especially in such a positive light, that one almost wishes King had delved deeper into what Hampton was fighting for on a more macro scale. It's thrilling to see the Black Panther party portrayed as the leftist organization that it truly was, focusing on mutual aid and creating a better world for black people, rather than the violent, terrorist organization it was made out to be by the American government.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENaturally, past is present, to paraphrase an old saying, and like many historical dramas, it positions its story as a commentary on current events, specifically the ongoing struggle for black liberation through the Black Lives Matter movement, and the film makes clear that the police are the militarized guardians of the status quo, dividing and conquering rather than serving and protecting. Kaluuya is as incredible as you've likely heard, but Stanfield is quietly heartbreaking as a man who sold his soul and gained nothing. The toll of upholding white supremacy hangs like a heavy weight on his shoulders, and it shows constantly behind his eyes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet the film falls victim to an issue that plagued the similarly themed \u003Ci\u003EThe Trial of the Chicago 7\u003C\/i\u003E in that it takes a radical subject and places it within the confines of a typical Hollywood narrative. While \u003Ci\u003EJudas and the Black Messiah\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is certainly a stronger film than Aaron Sorkin's Oscar hopeful, it's difficult not to wish this was bolder and more uncompromising. It's certainly bruising, and brimming with a righteous fury, but that fury has nowhere to go within the confines of its classical Hollywood formalism. You can feel it wanting to break free, to scream at the heavens and unleash its howl of anger at the injustice on display, but it seems to hold back and pull its punches; confined, like O'Neill, by a mold placed upon it by the establishment. But despite the dichotomy between form and content, it's difficult to shake the story the film tells, and the conviction with which it is told. Rather than simply recounting a historical event in a Hollywood vacuum, it offers a tantalizing (if imperfect) window into what the path forward from our current injustices might actually look like.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EJUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003ELakeith Stanfield, Daniel Kaluuya, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith | \u003Cb\u003ERated R\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;for violence and pervasive language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in select theaters and streaming on HBO Max.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6907372738915228451\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6907372738915228451","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6907372738915228451"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6907372738915228451"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/02\/review-judas-and-black-messiah-2021.html","title":"Review | Judas and the Black Messiah | 2021"}],"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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3ZJuk6010H8\/YCddwn6yqaI\/AAAAAAAAjzw\/v1tUGXw_dX87v7E5AtfQYTJmLXijmWx6gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/rev-1-JATBM-FP-065cv2_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-4734513043437471627"},"published":{"$t":"2021-02-01T17:08:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-02-01T17:12:54.902-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"kino lorber"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Identifying Features | 2021"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LuzIU5Lk7SQ\/YBh7D-eYeJI\/AAAAAAAAjyQ\/v1q-DmEcMyY76hmp_6gHFMfljpKE3L-WACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2664\/IdentifyingFeatures5.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1180\" data-original-width=\"2664\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-LuzIU5Lk7SQ\/YBh7D-eYeJI\/AAAAAAAAjyQ\/v1q-DmEcMyY76hmp_6gHFMfljpKE3L-WACLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/IdentifyingFeatures5.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EThe harrowing border crossing from Mexico into the United States has been the subject of much debate for years, a controversy escalated by Donald Trump's \"build the wall\" campaign platform during the 2016 election and beyond. Yet for all the talk radio bloviating and xenophobic panics about \"migrant caravans\" that have highlighted the issue from the American side, we in the States rarely get to see things from the Mexican point of view.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VbtG9GKkvHo\/YBh7J3N_q1I\/AAAAAAAAjyU\/Hz_xa52FcPgVPqPKP0hF21zEYfvM0vb1ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/IdentifyingFeatures_poster_675x1000%2B%25281%2529.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1000\" data-original-width=\"675\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VbtG9GKkvHo\/YBh7J3N_q1I\/AAAAAAAAjyU\/Hz_xa52FcPgVPqPKP0hF21zEYfvM0vb1ACLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/IdentifyingFeatures_poster_675x1000%2B%25281%2529.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EEnter Fernanda Valadez's savage \u003Ci\u003EIdentifying Features\u003C\/i\u003E, a gut-wrenching examination of the dangers of illegal border crossings that's framed almost as a horror movie. The film traces the journey of Magdalena (Mercedes Hernández), a woman searching desperately for her teenage son who attempted to make the crossing into the US with a friend to find work, only to vanish along the way. Working with the police becomes a nightmare - so many are lost along the crossing, leaving only small items behind, lost to hunger, bandits, or murderous gangs, that local authorities are left with few clues and even fewer resources to track down the leads. So Magdalena takes it upon herself to find her beloved Jesús (Juan Jesús Varela); her journey will lead her into the heart of darkness, accompanied by a young migrant worker named Miguel (David Illescas), searching \u0026nbsp;for his mother after being deported from the US. They become something akin to surrogate family for each other on their journey, but the answers they find may ultimately be more terrifying than the pain of not knowing the fates of their loved ones.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe picture\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EIdentifying Features\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;paints is almost unrelentingly bleak, but it's nothing if not consistently compelling. Valadez's border is a vast, unknowable wasteland, where the risk of a crossing isn't worth the \"reward\" to be found on the other side. Valadez offers no solutions or musings on the politics of immigration, and instead focused on the tragedy of those lost in an attempt to find a better life, chasing a promise of prosperity that ultimately turns out to be in vain. Its austerity achieves almost abstract levels, with Valadez finding a kind of grim beauty in the barren landscape that recalls Alejandro Landes' \u003Ci\u003EMonos\u003C\/i\u003E. Magdalena remains something of a blank slate throughout the film, but this allows the audience to place itself in her situation, and she becomes a kind of avatar for the viewer, guiding us into hell without ever bringing us back. The film's \"twist\" doesn't quite land with the impact that it should because it all happens so quickly, but it nevertheless leaves us shaken in its terrifying suddenness. There's an air of hopelessness to the entire affair, its characters trapped in a never-ending cycle of death and despair. If it sounds like a downer, that's because it is. But there's a fearsome power to Valadez's artistry that is hard to shake. It's a holy terror of a film, a raw, fiery modern \"Heart of Darkness\" that is an unforgettable exploration of what is being fled, and the cruel joke of what is being run towards.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EIDENTIFYING FEATURES \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EFernanda Valadez | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EMercedes Hernández, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003EIn Spanish w\/English subtitles\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ci style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003E \u003C\/i\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in virtual\u0026nbsp;cinemas nationwide.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/4734513043437471627\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=4734513043437471627","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4734513043437471627"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/4734513043437471627"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/02\/review-identifying-features-2021.html","title":"Review | Identifying Features | 2021"}],"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\/-LuzIU5Lk7SQ\/YBh7D-eYeJI\/AAAAAAAAjyQ\/v1q-DmEcMyY76hmp_6gHFMfljpKE3L-WACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/IdentifyingFeatures5.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-6890374043012644431"},"published":{"$t":"2021-01-19T18:11:00.006-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-01-19T18:21:33.102-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"amazon prime"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Sound of Metal | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mMM-11tbafQ\/YAdmOeJL6QI\/AAAAAAAAjw8\/LObXz6HutS0JC62wrf70tbRIt5LVshWNgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1200\/SOM_TIFF.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"600\" data-original-width=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mMM-11tbafQ\/YAdmOeJL6QI\/AAAAAAAAjw8\/LObXz6HutS0JC62wrf70tbRIt5LVshWNgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/SOM_TIFF.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ERiz Ahmed in SOUND OF METAL.  Courtesy of Amazon Studios.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EDespite being one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 2020, there's something about Darius Marder's \u003Ci\u003ESound of Metal\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that just doesn't quite sit right. It's certainly a unique spin on \"triumph over adversity\" tropes, in which its protagonist learns to stop seeing the \"adversity\" as a burden, but its point of view leaves much to be desired in its quest for acceptance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-li9QoZgjNt4\/YAdm8sNWUNI\/AAAAAAAAjxE\/wcp6gkpLPjQamGYCq3ihytDUCPhZNsm2QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1438\/SMT_KEY_KA_27x40_AmazonFilms_COMING_SOON_C1.png\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1438\" data-original-width=\"970\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-li9QoZgjNt4\/YAdm8sNWUNI\/AAAAAAAAjxE\/wcp6gkpLPjQamGYCq3ihytDUCPhZNsm2QCLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/SMT_KEY_KA_27x40_AmazonFilms_COMING_SOON_C1.png\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ERiz Ahmed stars as Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who loses the majority of his hearing. Facing a life without music, Ruben desperately seeks any way of regaining his hearing so he can continue with his career. He ends up at a support group for deaf people lead by Joe (Paul Raci), where he becomes a mentor to deaf children and begins to learn how to accept the silence of his newfound life. But the siren song of the drums is too strong, and he embarks upon an experimental treatment in order to get his hearing back, no matter the cost.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESound of Metal\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;treats Ruben like an addict chasing the next high; except instead of drugs, the addiction is hearing. While there is certainly something refreshing about seeing a film in which a disability isn't seen as a negative, the film's quest to counteract ableism feels somewhat misguided. Ruben's decision to undergo surgery to regain his hearing is seen as a betrayal by his newfound friends in the support group, and the film judges him harshly for it. But of course he wants to hear - music is his life. Yet the film frames his decision as a relapse. It almost feels like a galaxy-brained, very online Twitter hot take, because while there's nothing wrong with accepting his disability, there's also nothing wrong with him wanting to return to his passion. The film's lack of ambiguity in this area is its biggest downfall, because it fails to give an emotional justification for its central thesis.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe film has received a lot of praise for its sound design, which is admittedly impressive in the way it reflects Ruben's own journey of self- acceptance. Yet the way in which in transitions from full audio, to muffled, to silent, and back again is inconsistently applied, which is symptomatic of the film's overall lack of point of view. It wants to be all things at once without ever fully committing to any of them. Its moments of silence or audio distortion offer tantalizing glimpses into what the film could have been, but it never embraces the silence in the same way it expects of its protagonist.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHad this simply been a film about a man learning to accept his newfound inability to hear, or the story of a man coming to terms with his drug \u0026nbsp;addiction, it would perhaps have been more interesting, but by combining the two, and equating them with each other,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESound of Metal\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;severely stumbles, casting unnecessarily harsh judgment on a character who simply wants to play music again. Rather than simply letting go, the film seems to flagellate him for wanting to hear, and its grim tone and stylistic flourishes can't make up for a rather maudlin script. While the performances are certainly strong (especially by Paul Raci as Ruben's mentor), the film's muddled politics undercut its emotional impact by refusing to embrace the ambiguity of its protagonist's plight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESOUND OF METAL\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E Darius Marder | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u003C\/b\u003E Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric | \u003Cb\u003ERated R \u003C\/b\u003Efor language throughout and brief nude images | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/6890374043012644431\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=6890374043012644431","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6890374043012644431"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/6890374043012644431"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/01\/review-sound-of-metal-2020.html","title":"Review | Sound of Metal | 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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-mMM-11tbafQ\/YAdmOeJL6QI\/AAAAAAAAjw8\/LObXz6HutS0JC62wrf70tbRIt5LVshWNgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/SOM_TIFF.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-5020259289053478113"},"published":{"$t":"2021-01-08T16:58:00.003-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-01-08T16:59:10.372-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Warner Archive"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"New from Warner Archive | December 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CrqHn8qHz1g\/X_jT3jRyUDI\/AAAAAAAAjwA\/dj5kCnb6JFELKyl2Slw4ThVGaCUrORwfwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1108\/the-shop-around-the-corner-1108x0-c-default.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"831\" data-original-width=\"1108\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-CrqHn8qHz1g\/X_jT3jRyUDI\/AAAAAAAAjwA\/dj5kCnb6JFELKyl2Slw4ThVGaCUrORwfwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/the-shop-around-the-corner-1108x0-c-default.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EJames Steward and Margaret Sullavan in THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-7PehMKzPSvg\/X_jVEBkP-JI\/AAAAAAAAjwM\/4IrEplAGiYY2bD4vU_WYG8e_DChr9XehgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/1000783612_2028x2048%25402x.jpg.webp\" 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\/-7PehMKzPSvg\/X_jVEBkP-JI\/AAAAAAAAjwM\/4IrEplAGiYY2bD4vU_WYG8e_DChr9XehgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w400-h400\/1000783612_2028x2048%25402x.jpg.webp\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETHE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN \u003C\/b\u003E(1957)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe first Hammer horror film, \u003Ci\u003EThe Curse of Frankenstein\u003C\/i\u003E ushered in a new era of horror in 1957, spawning a series of legendary films starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee that would run for nearly twenty years. Here Cushing is mad doctor Victor Frankenstein and Lee is his monstrous creation, bringing a different shade of tragedy to the character from Karloff's immortal interpretation of the character from the Universal monster series from nearly two decades prior.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHammer's take on the classic monster characters is decidedly more gruesome than Universal's, and Cushing's Frankenstein is a more deranged figure, drunk on his own power to create life. Lee's monster is more deliberately murderous, but also clearly more upset by the fact of his own existence. Director Terence Fisher creates an indelible gothic atmosphere, lighting the film for black and white but shooting in color, creating haunting elongated shadows that contrast beautifully with the vibrant Eastmancolour cinematography. Now on Blu-Ray for the first time (and in 3 different aspect ratios),\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Curse of Frankenstein\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is an essential piece of horror history beautifully preserved and restored by Warner Archive.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QImTmRUhB-Q\/X_jVI5oibrI\/AAAAAAAAjwQ\/YPp3lH2uD4Yd0xP8HAms3YEA2OWNwT_PgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/1000753636_2028x2048%25402x.jpg.webp\" 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\/-QImTmRUhB-Q\/X_jVI5oibrI\/AAAAAAAAjwQ\/YPp3lH2uD4Yd0xP8HAms3YEA2OWNwT_PgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w400-h400\/1000753636_2028x2048%25402x.jpg.webp\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETHE HARVEY GIRLS\u003C\/b\u003E (1946)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStrangely one of Judy Garland's lesser-known musicals, \u003Ci\u003EThe Harvey Girls\u003C\/i\u003E finds Garland traveling west for an arranged marriage to a man she met in the personal ads, where she meets a band of \"Harvey girls,\" waitresses headed to the same frontier town to establish a restaurant and bring a hint of civilization to the Wild West. Once there, however, she discovers that her erstwhile fiancé is not what she expected, and joins the Harvey girls to work in the new restaurant. But a rivalry with a local brothel, led by stern madame Em (Angela Lansbury) and her entrepreneur lover, Ned (John Hodiak) threatens to destroy the entire town as Garland begins to fall in love with Ned, and competition with the brothel begins to threaten a crooked judge's financial interests.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe film traffics in some questionable politics regarding the meaning of \"civilization,\" but handles the brothel with surprising sensitivity, mostly due to Lansbury's incredible performance. Garland shines as always, but it's Lansbury who steals the show, bringing emotional shading to a character that could have easily been one dimensional, and the film ends on a note that refuses to judge her for her choices. Add to that a toe-tapping score by Lennie Hayton with songs by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer (who won an Oscar for \"On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe\") and you have a solid period musical characterized by strong performances and beautiful rendered Technicolor cinematography.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-EwIV45yuRt4\/X_jVOBuDdzI\/AAAAAAAAjwU\/jxGf59vzAGEaTfYiijSkpgXndEE3zgGxwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1000\/1000797497_2028x2048%25402x.jpg.webp\" 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\/-EwIV45yuRt4\/X_jVOBuDdzI\/AAAAAAAAjwU\/jxGf59vzAGEaTfYiijSkpgXndEE3zgGxwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w400-h400\/1000797497_2028x2048%25402x.jpg.webp\" width=\"400\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETHE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER\u003C\/b\u003E (1940)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's difficult to refer to any film, even the very greatest, as a \"perfect film,\" but few fit the bill so beautifully as Ernst Lubitsch's sparkling romantic comedy, \u003Ci\u003EThe Shop Around the Corner\u003C\/i\u003E. Every element seems to be working at peak quality, from the performances to the script to the cinematography, it's one of the all-time great comedies. Remade nearly 60 years later as \u003Ci\u003EYou've Got Mail\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Shop Around the Corner\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;tells the story of two pen pen pals who fall deeply in love, completely unaware that they are actually each other's arch rivals as co-workers at the same department store in Budapest, Hungary.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan are sublime as the hapless lovers, competing for the attention of store owner Mr. Matuschek (the incomparable Frank Morgan) and longing for each other through their romantic letters at night. It's such an effervescent, easily lovable film, full of memorable characters and witty dialogue. But like its fellow Stewart-led Christmas classic, \u003Ci\u003EIt's a Wonderful Life\u003C\/i\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Shop Around the Corner\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;goes to some dark places, which make its emotional highs feel all the more earned. It is perhaps the most indelible example of the legendary \"Lubitsch touch,\" a testament to the simple magic that the filmmaker was able to conjure in his films. Its arrival on Blu-Ray from Warner Archive should be a cause for celebration for film fans, and the presentation preserves its lovely black and white tones.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★★ (out of four)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EAll films now available on Blu-Ray from \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.wbshop.com\/warnerarchive\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EWarner Archive\u003C\/a\u003E!\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/5020259289053478113\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=5020259289053478113","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5020259289053478113"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/5020259289053478113"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2021\/01\/new-from-warner-archive-december-2020.html","title":"New from Warner Archive | December 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\/-CrqHn8qHz1g\/X_jT3jRyUDI\/AAAAAAAAjwA\/dj5kCnb6JFELKyl2Slw4ThVGaCUrORwfwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/the-shop-around-the-corner-1108x0-c-default.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-3075106290438465598"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-31T00:20:00.010-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2021-03-09T21:48:42.685-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"a24"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"amazon prime"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Best of 2020"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"cinema guild"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Disney"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"grasshopper film"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"KimStim"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"neon"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Netflix"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Searchlight"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"sony pictures classics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"zipporah films"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Best Films of 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-V2jlNkE1CbA\/X-zyiZ5ugDI\/AAAAAAAAjvY\/zMEq7kyZA9YQGqtCWQJ72wENvfqHKHxogCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1702\/Bestof2020-2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"630\" data-original-width=\"1702\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-V2jlNkE1CbA\/X-zyiZ5ugDI\/AAAAAAAAjvY\/zMEq7kyZA9YQGqtCWQJ72wENvfqHKHxogCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/Bestof2020-2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's safe to say that 2020 will be a year few will miss. It was an especially unusual year for film, with theaters shut down for most of the year, many films were either delayed or released directly to streaming, or via special \"virtual cinemas.\" While this year has doubtlessly been hard for many, the future of cinema remains in doubt. But despite the troubles facing exhibitors and distributors alike, 2020 was actually quite a rich year for cinema, with barriers between what constitutes a film being broken down and leveling the playing field with the major studios often sitting on the sidelines. For those stuck at home, there was plenty to love on the small screen, and even though many of us long for the the theatrical experience to return, these are the films that I most want to carry with me from a year I'd prefer to leave behind.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HBCWC4WznhI\/X-zsoCe5_JI\/AAAAAAAAjt8\/EEtpgcNlznYANTpraZG65zoL7jLhvBnRACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1417\/kids.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1417\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HBCWC4WznhI\/X-zsoCe5_JI\/AAAAAAAAjt8\/EEtpgcNlznYANTpraZG65zoL7jLhvBnRACLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h488\/kids.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 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E1. FREE TIME (Manfred Kirchheimer, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EManfred Kirchheimer's city symphony, shot in 16mm between 1958 and 1960, recalls Ivens' \u003Ci\u003ERegen\u003C\/i\u003E(1929), Sheeler and Strand's \u003Ci\u003EManhatta\u003C\/i\u003E (1921), and Ruttman's\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EBerlin: Symphony of a Great City\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(1927) in equal measure, beautifully capturing the electrifying immediacy of the great silent avant-garde artists that brought their cities to life in a very specific time and place. At once vibrant and melancholy, \u003Ci\u003EFree Time\u003C\/i\u003E is teeming with life, every frame crackles with energy, capturing small moments of spontaneous humanity that feel like a window into a bygone era. This thing is a stone cold masterpiece.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-O23Gq1vVssw\/X-ztRKuy3SI\/AAAAAAAAjuE\/X57LnQpiJIw0ZtjrhmbGM6EFPYsyo4LWQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1024\/tee_still1-1024x576.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"576\" data-original-width=\"1024\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-O23Gq1vVssw\/X-ztRKuy3SI\/AAAAAAAAjuE\/X57LnQpiJIw0ZtjrhmbGM6EFPYsyo4LWQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/tee_still1-1024x576.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E2. TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKurosawa has woven a deeply incisive tale of a woman who would supposedly go to the ends of the earth for a story, but is never allowed to probe the depths of her own dreams. Constantly second-guessed, patronized, and marginalized, surrounded by men who we always suspect of talking about her in Uzbek behind her back, Yoko reclaims her voice and her agency in one of the most cathartic denouements of 2020; beautifully meditating on femininity, patriarchal power structures, and finding your joy in a world that is constantly trying to put you in a box. Part fish-out-of-water comedy, part media satire, part feminist manifesto, \u003Ci\u003ETo the Ends of the Earth\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a quiet wonder of a film, a perceptive and lyrical interrogation of alienation and loneliness that lands like a depth charge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3Nv8KWHguT0\/X-ztvBzlaHI\/AAAAAAAAjuM\/L1Iy6C3wgaYzmY55Nb5G5g7DDj6WEdZ-ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/35mm_AM_RAN%2Bstudio_DAY28-000047400030.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1358\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-3Nv8KWHguT0\/X-ztvBzlaHI\/AAAAAAAAjuM\/L1Iy6C3wgaYzmY55Nb5G5g7DDj6WEdZ-ACLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h424\/35mm_AM_RAN%2Bstudio_DAY28-000047400030.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E3. AMMONITE (Francis Lee, UK)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELee has a nearly unparalleled eye for finding beauty and pain in the spaces between words. There's something achingly liminal about his cinema, where the emotions exist in in the in between spaces, between words and glances, never fully expressed in words but keenly felt just the same. AMMONITE is a deeply beautiful film, economical in its storytelling and yet filled with a boundless sense of emotional depth. It explores so much with so little, where two lovers manage to plug small holes in each other's hearts but can't quite stop the bleeding on their own. It's an altogether astonishing achievement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UfXM4NVGmcw\/X-zuj2pIJtI\/AAAAAAAAjuc\/CTi3HflUgwQp-8GNbuHK_MewBcjPrl9-QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/02anomadland_rec709_100nits_239FF_still_02_20200723_R2.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1152\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-UfXM4NVGmcw\/X-zuj2pIJtI\/AAAAAAAAjuc\/CTi3HflUgwQp-8GNbuHK_MewBcjPrl9-QCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/02anomadland_rec709_100nits_239FF_still_02_20200723_R2.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E4. NOMADLAND (Chloé Zhao, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBased on the book \"Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century\" by Jessica Bruder, which examined the phenomenon of elderly Americans who lost everything spending their twilight years wandering across the country looking for work in lieu of retirement, \u003Ci\u003ENomadland\u003C\/i\u003E is at once loving and heartbreaking, an aching portrait of Trump-era malaise that centers some of the truly forgotten men and women who live in the margins of the most prosperous nation on earth. That Zhao captures it all with such quiet dignity, never descending into miserablism or exploitation, is a testament to the assuredness of her craft. She's quickly established herself as one of the foremost ethnographers of life in the American west, and \u003Ci\u003ENomadland\u003C\/i\u003E is an astonishing experience that demands our attention at every turn; often playing less like a narrative film and more like an elegy for a lost and wounded nation trying to find its soul.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NfQZdJRE590\/X-zueVqxQEI\/AAAAAAAAjuY\/s_clOPRZNBUqPQoE7TBCpDpqi-0kgHx9wCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/ITOET_Unit_00096_R.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1368\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-NfQZdJRE590\/X-zueVqxQEI\/AAAAAAAAjuY\/s_clOPRZNBUqPQoE7TBCpDpqi-0kgHx9wCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h428\/ITOET_Unit_00096_R.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E5. I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (Charlie Kaufman, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECharlie Kaufman's confounding whatsit in a snowglobe is as insular and obfuscating as anything he's ever made, but \u003Ci\u003EI'm Thinking of Ending Things\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is perhaps one of his most personal and prismatic works yet. Ostensibly a film about a woman pondering breaking up with her boyfriend over a weekend visit with his parent, the film slowly begins to reveal itself as something much deeper and more sinister, slowly pulling back the layers of the facade of not only the relationship, but of her very existence. Where does she end and the idealized vision of her in her partner's head end? It's a tantalizing question, one that Kaufman doggedly refuses to answer, but the result is one of his most mind-bending trips inside the human psyche, but also one of his most painfully heartfelt. Do we ever really know who we are in the mind of someone else?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-r3rkzWNvXrQ\/X-zvOUJZuTI\/AAAAAAAAjus\/ViUNwa8HT0oXq8w2tkhbtsQtXXrGzytEgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/DSC_6602.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1365\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-r3rkzWNvXrQ\/X-zvOUJZuTI\/AAAAAAAAjus\/ViUNwa8HT0oXq8w2tkhbtsQtXXrGzytEgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h426\/DSC_6602.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E6. LOVERS ROCK (Steve McQueen, UK)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe second installment of Steve McQueen's \u003Ci\u003ESmall Axe\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;anthology for Amazon, \u003Ci\u003ELovers Rock \u003C\/i\u003Etakes place at a reggae party in 1970s London. Deeply rooted in a very specific time and place, featuring a style of music very specific to London's black culture, \u003Ci\u003ELovers Rock \u003C\/i\u003Efeels like beat poetry come to life. While it follows the meeting of two lovers who begin a tentative relationship over the course of one night, the film is consistently kinetic, moving, teeming with energy and life. It's a swirling smorgasbord of sensual energy and - sweat, music, smoke, heat, bodies moving in unison and to their own rhythm, as if McQueen took the opening dance scene of \u003Ci\u003EClimax\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;and stretched it out into a feature all its own. No other film this year was so rich or intoxicating.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bMSOakwOmPM\/X-zvwgFhrlI\/AAAAAAAAju0\/FDVzTC7mO1suyb7jm39vmlBH8aQi1Mc6ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1152\/City%252BHall_web_Mayor%252Band%252Bpolice%252Bat%252Bpres%252Bconf.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"648\" data-original-width=\"1152\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-bMSOakwOmPM\/X-zvwgFhrlI\/AAAAAAAAju0\/FDVzTC7mO1suyb7jm39vmlBH8aQi1Mc6ACLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h360\/City%252BHall_web_Mayor%252Band%252Bpolice%252Bat%252Bpres%252Bconf.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E7. CITY HALL (Frederick Wiseman, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrederick Wiseman has a way of using his subjects as a microcosm of something bigger, but his latest film, \u003Ci\u003ECity Hall\u003C\/i\u003E, is one of his most indelible works in years. Focusing on the inner workings of Boston's city hall, the film is a sprawling, 4.5 hour examination of the turning wheels of American government as it grapples with the seemingly humdrum day-to-day business of running a city. It's one of the year's most strangely intoxicating, satisfying, and even moving experiences, as city official tackle big issues of racial and economic justice while overseeing the minutiae of governance. In a year like 2020, there's something strangely hopeful about \u003Ci\u003ECity Hall\u003C\/i\u003E, where the government may not always be efficient, but is nevertheless a comforting paragon of competence. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, \"the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.\" Our government may be in disarray, but Wiseman, ever the curious optimist, finds something beautiful in its evolution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z3FPKbmUEL4\/X-zwDTASmLI\/AAAAAAAAju8\/U7lblVP7sO4I4ZcySvYeoKU2AOS9KvgfACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/First%2BCow%2B02.%2BCourtesy%2Bof%2BA24.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1365\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Z3FPKbmUEL4\/X-zwDTASmLI\/AAAAAAAAju8\/U7lblVP7sO4I4ZcySvYeoKU2AOS9KvgfACLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h426\/First%2BCow%2B02.%2BCourtesy%2Bof%2BA24.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E8. FIRST COW (Kelly Reichardt, USA)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA buddy movie, a western, an interrogation of capitalism, Kelly Reichardt's haunted tale of the American west is many things at once, but it is always extraordinary. Hushed and observant as her films usually are, \u003Ci\u003EFirst Cow \u003C\/i\u003Eexplores manufactured scarcity through the eyes of two men, a migrant worker and an immigrant, whose secret ingredient to their wildly popular treats is milk from a local baron's prized cow (the first in the region). The premise almost seems laughable, but Reichardt uses it as a jumping off point for a disarmingly tragic deconstruction of the American dream, and the exploitation upon which it is built.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0VtOf83yguk\/X-zwUGmI6wI\/AAAAAAAAjvE\/boanA1T_zpAYIj3BmbsJgRWgF2P8vU_SgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/1.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1366\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-0VtOf83yguk\/X-zwUGmI6wI\/AAAAAAAAjvE\/boanA1T_zpAYIj3BmbsJgRWgF2P8vU_SgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h426\/1.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E9. THE FATHER (Florian Zeller, UK)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnthony Hopkins has delivered so many performances that could be referred to as \"career best\" that it seems almost redundant to speak in those terms here, but Florian Zeller's \u003Ci\u003EThe Father \u003C\/i\u003E(adapted from Zeller's own play) has to rank very near the top. A haunting, fractured narrative that treats Alzheimer's almost as a horror film as much as a tragedy, \u003Ci\u003EThe Father \u003C\/i\u003Eputs us directly into its protagonist's shoes, unable to discern reality from fantasy. Zeller transposes characters, mixes up situations, casts the same role with multiple actors, and combines disparate pieces of Hopkins life, allowing us to experience his mental decline first hand, to the point that we begin to question whether or not our own memories are failing us. The changes from scene to scene are often subtle but extremely effective in consistently muddying the waters so we never really know what the truth is from moment to moment. \u0026nbsp;It's a haunting, heartbreaking film, made even more so by the towering performances of its two leads.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KIYZbpMtsO4\/X-zwkR4ZBEI\/AAAAAAAAjvM\/unc7IMFWgDUwCfB5mGRvGA1nCFdKMxEHACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/5.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1368\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KIYZbpMtsO4\/X-zwkR4ZBEI\/AAAAAAAAjvM\/unc7IMFWgDUwCfB5mGRvGA1nCFdKMxEHACLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h428\/5.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E10. YOURSELF AND YOURS (Hong Sangsoo, South Korea)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERather than a fractured, elliptical narrative, as is typical with Hong Sangsoo's usual interrogations of time and space between people, \u003Ci\u003EYourself and Yours\u003C\/i\u003E 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 beautifully 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.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E11. SOUL (Pete Docter, USA)\u003Cbr \/\u003E12. THE GRAND BIZARRE (Jodie Mack, USA)\u003Cbr \/\u003E13. DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD (Kirsten Johnson, USA)\u003Cbr \/\u003E14. DA 5 BLOODS (Spike Lee, USA)\u003Cbr \/\u003E15. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS (Eliza Hittmann, USA)\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EHONORABLE MENTIONS:\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWOLFWALKERS (Tomm More, Ireland)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003E76 DAYS (Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, China)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETIME (Garrett Bradley, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMINARI (Lee Isaac Chung, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cul style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETHE INVISIBLE MAN (Leigh Whannell, USA)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/3075106290438465598\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=3075106290438465598","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3075106290438465598"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/3075106290438465598"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/the-best-films-of-2020.html","title":"The Best Films of 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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-V2jlNkE1CbA\/X-zyiZ5ugDI\/AAAAAAAAjvY\/zMEq7kyZA9YQGqtCWQJ72wENvfqHKHxogCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Bestof2020-2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-2227986488724979006"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-24T14:54:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-24T14:54:18.434-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"DC"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Wonder Woman 1984 | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5d4yi5yr9jA\/X-TwZPGRNWI\/AAAAAAAAjtg\/fcn2CEnNeus3LJxnbzmmH6PkkBbpaaDNwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/rev-1-WW84-35004r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1365\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-5d4yi5yr9jA\/X-TwZPGRNWI\/AAAAAAAAjtg\/fcn2CEnNeus3LJxnbzmmH6PkkBbpaaDNwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/rev-1-WW84-35004r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EGAL GADOT as Wonder Woman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “WONDER WOMAN 1984,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EIf 2020 had anything going for it, it was the first year over a decade without a major release from Marvel or DC, but Warner Brothers opted for a last minute theatrical\/streaming hybrid Christmas Day release for Patty Jenkins' \u003Ci\u003EWonder Woman 1984\u003C\/i\u003E, the long awaited follow up to her 2017 hit starring Gal Gadot in the title role. But in true 2020 fashion, it's more akin to a lump of coal in our collective stocking than a shiny new Christmas gift.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dhUw4gAJTl0\/X-Tww74TJ-I\/AAAAAAAAjto\/Rj5bO-1ZFbsvPXja3yCotXbDTLrvEmopgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/WDWMN2_VERT_TSR1_HBO_DOM_2764x4096.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1382\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dhUw4gAJTl0\/X-Tww74TJ-I\/AAAAAAAAjto\/Rj5bO-1ZFbsvPXja3yCotXbDTLrvEmopgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/WDWMN2_VERT_TSR1_HBO_DOM_2764x4096.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EDespite its somewhat weak ending (a popular sentiment echoed by Jenkins herself), the original\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWonder Woman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;remains one of the strongest films in the new post-\u003Ci\u003EDark \u0026nbsp;Knight\u003C\/i\u003E DC lineup, so it should come as no surprise that like Icarus, the inevitable sequel flies too close to the sun.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWonder Woman 1984\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is an odd bird indeed, somehow too ambitious for its own good and yet remarkably low stakes, despite the usual world-ending premise. The film finds Diana Prince (Gadot) alone, decades after the original, WWI-set film, working at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. It is there where she encounters a strange stone, brought in by the FBI for identification after an attempted jewelry heist foiled by Wonder Woman at a local mall (it's the 80s - mall scenes are obligatory).\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe stone, it turns out, is some sort of ancient wishing stone (are we really still doing magic stones?) that grants any wish made while touching it - but for a price. Diana wishes to have her lover, Steve (Chris Pine), back; and he returns in someone else's body. Her nerdy coworker, Barbara (Kristen Wiig) wishes to be like Diana, and suddenly finds herself with superpowers. But a ne'er do well wannabe oil magnate (Pedro Pascal), whose image of wealth and success isn't what it appears, is desperately searching for the stone, and he will do anything to get it and make all his dreams come true, by taking what he wants from everyone else.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's a rather convoluted premise, and the weak script does it no favors by pool explaining the logistics and mythology behind it, none of which are particularly clear or consistent. This has the unfortunate side-effect of making the entire conflict borderline incomprehensible, with the motivations of the villains frustratingly amorphous. At 151 minutes, the already thin plot is stretched past its breaking point with seemingly endless action set pieces that add little to the story and almost seem half-heartedly constructed, featuring lots of quick cuts but very little stakes or suspense.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's not a total loss; Hans Zimmer's score fires on all cylinders, expanding beyond the now famous Wonder Woman theme form his \u003Ci\u003EBatman v. Superman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;score in ways the film never really earns. Wiig is also terrific as the mousy scientist turned sultry villain, even if the role is painfully underwritten. That's really the film's biggest weakness, with so much going on, the script simply just does not step yup the plate, falling back on lackluster dialogue that's filled with lame platitudes about truth and love that resolves everything far too easily. They really expect us to believe, after the last four years, that all it takes to stop someone from making selfish and destructive decisions is to...ask them not to? Jenkins is a strong filmmaker, but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EWonder Woman 1984\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a mess, a muddled and ponderous blockbuster that is somehow both overstuffed and undercooked that leaves the audience wanting more because it never really got anything in the first place.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EWONDER WOMAN \u0026nbsp;1984 \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;Patty Jenkins | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EGal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor sequences of action and violence | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOpens in theaters and on HBO Max on December 25.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/2227986488724979006\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=2227986488724979006","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2227986488724979006"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/2227986488724979006"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/review-wonder-woman-1984-2020.html","title":"Review | Wonder Woman 1984 | 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\/-5d4yi5yr9jA\/X-TwZPGRNWI\/AAAAAAAAjtg\/fcn2CEnNeus3LJxnbzmmH6PkkBbpaaDNwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/rev-1-WW84-35004r_High_Res_JPEG.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7598289190095828736"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-22T20:22:00.006-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-23T12:57:02.735-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Disney"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Pixar"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Soul | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-pjDghDkaAxY\/X-KaHkXHwHI\/AAAAAAAAjs4\/jBG59_KSOfIlYvAlzgQPqMWjzorbYnoZgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2740\/72775b407192b21eed14a430ce2c4c95_4096x1716_52a62062-2.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1148\" data-original-width=\"2740\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-pjDghDkaAxY\/X-KaHkXHwHI\/AAAAAAAAjs4\/jBG59_KSOfIlYvAlzgQPqMWjzorbYnoZgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/72775b407192b21eed14a430ce2c4c95_4096x1716_52a62062-2.jpeg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EPixar has been around long enough that they've had a few valleys between some of their highest peaks, but there are few studios with quite such a sterling track record. And while their formula has been established for quite sometime, its good to know that they can still surprise and delight so that their films feel as much like acts of discovery as they do familiar comfort food.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vwXB-o2ttqY\/X-Kainrc5sI\/AAAAAAAAjtA\/zt_oHZwind0v4cBi5V5W_0XIjFbYGztmwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/hop_payoff_1s_d8_019_v9_086a46e0.jpeg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1386\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-vwXB-o2ttqY\/X-Kainrc5sI\/AAAAAAAAjtA\/zt_oHZwind0v4cBi5V5W_0XIjFbYGztmwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w271-h400\/hop_payoff_1s_d8_019_v9_086a46e0.jpeg\" width=\"271\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ETheir latest effort,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESoul\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; directed by Pete Docter, was originally planned as a theatrical release before being relegated to a Disney+ streaming premiere due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And it's a shame that it will never get the theatrical release it deserves, but it is quite frankly one of Pixar's finest achievements, and its most bracingly original offering since 2008's \u003Ci\u003EWALL-E\u003C\/i\u003E. The film centers around a musician named Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) who dreams of touring with the biggest names in jazz, but instead finds himself picking up part-time work as a middle school band teacher in between gigs. When the chance of a lifetime finally comes knocking, Joe's life is suddenly cut short, and he finds himself whisked away to the afterlife before he gets his chance to fulfill his dream. Determined to get back into his body, he gets mistaken as a guide by the caretakers of the great beyond, and is assigned a young soul to help them develop the passions that will guide their lives once they're born.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJoe is assigned 22 (Tina Fey), a consistent drop-out whose lack of a spark has flummoxed everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Albert Einstein. With 22 refusing to be born and Joe desperate to return to life, the two form a pact to find a spark for 22 that will be his ticket back to earth. But a mixup leads them both back to earth - with 22 in Joe's body and Joe's soul in the body of a cat, leaving them to find a way to switch back so that Joe can at last achieve his dream of playing on stage with his idol, Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AziPTZ2ltz0\/X-KcESK_9eI\/AAAAAAAAjtM\/dEopgp5h0UwWbbMp3sfKm45D0o5zIWoHwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/soul-online-use-s460_210c_851b4dd5.jpeg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"858\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-AziPTZ2ltz0\/X-KcESK_9eI\/AAAAAAAAjtM\/dEopgp5h0UwWbbMp3sfKm45D0o5zIWoHwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/soul-online-use-s460_210c_851b4dd5.jpeg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003ESoul\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;has been criticized in some circles for its lack of a strong story, but its lightness of plot actually works to its advantage. This isn't Pixar's first foray into the afterlife (\u003Ci\u003ECoco\u003C\/i\u003E went there in 2017) or its first brush with mortality (\u003Ci\u003EUp\u003C\/i\u003E confronted it head on in 2009), but it is perhaps the most existential film they animation house has yet produced. As 22 seeks her spark, and Joe clings to something that he thinks is the meaning of his life, the film examines the simple beauty of life itself. That may be a hard pill to swallow in a year like 2020, but SOUL feels like a balm at the end of a year of almost unending tragedy and pain. It finds beauty in life's smallest moments - in the wind rustling through the trees, in sunlight streaming onto a city sidewalk, in leaves soaring through the air; and it does so in almost avant-garde fashion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe film's post-modern evocation of the afterlife, set to a nearly transcendent score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and the wistful jazz stylings of Jon Batiste, is unlike anything Pixar has done before - at once clever and subversive, eschewing trappings of specific faiths for something more cosmic and unknowable. But what really sets\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESoul\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;apart is its dedication to finding beauty, indeed the real spark of life, in life's in-between moments. A more complicated plot would have distracted from its message - and the message here is that one doesn't necessarily have to have a set purpose in order to live a fulfilling life. While most of Pixar's films have had elements meant to appeal to both children and adults,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESoul\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;feels like their most grown effort, a bittersweet and contemplative tale of finding one's place in a world that expects you to have everything laid out advance. In that way, it makes an interesting companion piece to Tyler Taormina's \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/capsule-review-ham-on-rye-2020.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EHam on Rye\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, a film that satirizes society's arbitrary milestones designed to govern the direction of the rest of our lives. And while \u003Ci\u003ESoul\u003C\/i\u003E isn't quite so cynical, it finds a sense of hope, community, and even peace in the unknown, both in this life and the next. Docter has helmed some of Pixar's most emotional and incisive works (\u003Ci\u003EUp\u003C\/i\u003E, \u003Ci\u003EMonsters, Inc\u003C\/i\u003E., \u003Ci\u003EInside Out\u003C\/i\u003E), and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ESoul\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;just might be his most penetrating and deeply felt film yet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★½ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ESOUL \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EPete Docter | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EJamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, Phylicia Rashād, Daveed Diggs, John Ratzenberger, Richard Ayoade, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Angela Bassett | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG\u003C\/b\u003E for\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Ethematic elements and some language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EStreaming exclusively on Disney+ on Dec. 25\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7598289190095828736\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7598289190095828736","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7598289190095828736"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7598289190095828736"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/review-soul-2020.html","title":"Review | Soul | 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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-pjDghDkaAxY\/X-KaHkXHwHI\/AAAAAAAAjs4\/jBG59_KSOfIlYvAlzgQPqMWjzorbYnoZgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/72775b407192b21eed14a430ce2c4c95_4096x1716_52a62062-2.jpeg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7885229544138378931"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-21T18:02:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-21T18:02:15.564-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Capsule Review | Ham on Rye | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-y1zhEDmc9vo\/X-EnDVRQ7rI\/AAAAAAAAjss\/hwoy06YKwsoDJ5ir5YQZeN573NLv3Nf2gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s1800\/HAMONRYE_STILL01_0117c.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1200\" data-original-width=\"1800\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-y1zhEDmc9vo\/X-EnDVRQ7rI\/AAAAAAAAjss\/hwoy06YKwsoDJ5ir5YQZeN573NLv3Nf2gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/HAMONRYE_STILL01_0117c.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ETyler Taormina's curious feature debut is a coming of age story unlike anything I've ever seen.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ECentering around a strange ritual at a small town deli where local teenagers gather to partner up and decide their fates - whether they will escape their small town and find happiness or remain behind forever, \u003Ci\u003EHam on Rye \u003C\/i\u003Eslyly satirizes society's arbitrary measures of success and the psychological toll on those who don't meet them, creating a fully realized world of accepted idiosyncrasy. It meanders a bit in the back half once the ritual is over and the humdrum existence of those left behind sets in, but it's just so bracingly original and beautifully shot by Carson Lund that it's hard not to be enthralled by its peculiar rhythms and droll observations on the absurdity of life's milestones.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EIts peculiar starkness is reminiscent of Ricky D'Ambrose's tales of urban alienation, but there's an unusual warmth here, even as the film grapples with some difficult subject matter. Taormina has a keen eye for the bizarre and unusual, and so fully commits to the unusual concept, that it takes on a kind of life of its own, ebbing and flowing through the unique cadences of the world it creates. It begins with such a sense of hope and possibility, only to end with such a sense of melancholy and loss, tweaking American society's concepts of success and self-fulfillment with a real sense of empathy for those who don't quite fit the mold, but feel the pressure from all sides to live up to standards they never signed up for anyway.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EHAM ON RYE\u003C\/b\u003E | \u003Cb\u003EDirected by\u003C\/b\u003E Tyler Taormina | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u003C\/b\u003E Haley Bodell, Cole Devine, Audrey Boos, Gabriella Herrera, Luke Darga | \u003Cb\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in select virtual cinemas.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7885229544138378931\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7885229544138378931","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7885229544138378931"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7885229544138378931"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/capsule-review-ham-on-rye-2020.html","title":"Capsule Review | Ham on Rye | 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\/-y1zhEDmc9vo\/X-EnDVRQ7rI\/AAAAAAAAjss\/hwoy06YKwsoDJ5ir5YQZeN573NLv3Nf2gCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/HAMONRYE_STILL01_0117c.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7683993098893275394"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-19T15:11:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-19T15:18:18.596-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Francis Lee"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"neon"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Ammonite | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HLFamB-2CSc\/X95cxwueFaI\/AAAAAAAAjsI\/RVJYI-n4Enc7yz-MoGiXpItne8BLlOk0QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/Kate%2BWinslet%2BSaoirse%2BRonan%2B%25282%2529_Ammonite_courtesyNEON.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1365\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HLFamB-2CSc\/X95cxwueFaI\/AAAAAAAAjsI\/RVJYI-n4Enc7yz-MoGiXpItne8BLlOk0QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/Kate%2BWinslet%2BSaoirse%2BRonan%2B%25282%2529_Ammonite_courtesyNEON.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EKate Winslet and Saorise Ronan in AMMOTIE. Courtesy of NEON.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ENot content with delivering one of the best queer love stories of the 21st century in \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2017\/10\/review-gods-own-country-2017.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003EGod's Own Country\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;(2017), actor\/writer\/director Francis Lee has returned with another haunting tale of gay lovers in \u003Ci\u003EAmmonite\u003C\/i\u003E, starring Kate Winslet and Saorise Ronan as 19th century women whose love for each other awakens a spark within them they didn't know they had.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rU6ibHSKiwc\/X95dKLPE48I\/AAAAAAAAjsQ\/_9tsUglDkxc0ohRL6ISr3kMTHCblBq_KwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/Ammonite_Coming%2BSoon.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1381\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rU6ibHSKiwc\/X95dKLPE48I\/AAAAAAAAjsQ\/_9tsUglDkxc0ohRL6ISr3kMTHCblBq_KwCLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/Ammonite_Coming%2BSoon.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EWinslet stars as Mary Anning, a real life paleontologist who was considered by many scholars to be one of the finest fossil collectors who ever lived - spending her days on the beaches of Lyme, England collecting remnants of ancient sea creatures who lived in the area millions of years before, her incredible discoveries often credited to her male contemporaries. Winslet's Mary is insular, quiet, and often stand-offish, far more comfortable amongst the fossils than among the living. Ronan plays Charlotte Murchison, the wife of a wealthy amateur fossil collector who comes to Lyme on doctor's orders to cure her \"melancholia.\" The cure, it turns out, isn't the sea water but Mary; and the two forge a tentative but passionate connection - bridging Charlotte's depression and Mary's anti-social isolation. But the two are ultimately on different paths - rather than be torn apart by societal convention as one may expect in a lesbian romance set in the 1840s, the divide between them is their disparate life goals. Mary's true love is her work, the ancient creatures buried in the mud by the sea, while Mary desperately seeks a lifelong companion in London to rescue her from her lobeless marriage, and even their passion may not be strong enough to bridge the gap. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile \u003Ci\u003EGod's Own Country\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;was notable for being a rare gay romance that doesn't end in tragedy and heartbreak,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAmmonite\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is somewhat more ambiguous.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAmmonite\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;certainly hasn't enjoyed the same rapturous critical reception as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EGod's Own Country,\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;but I found it to be just as aching a tale of love between two people who can't quiet articulate their own feelings. This is about a fleeting connection, a brief and powerful spark, that you can't make work. The gulf is too wide, two people who want different things heading in opposite directions who are what each other needs for a very limited time. Mary and Charlotte are not not soulmates, at least not in the conventional \"meant to be\" sense. Maybe they could have been in another time if circumstances were different; and therein lies the film's inherent tragedy. This isn't about two women torn apart by society, they're torn apart by their own inability to communicate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KRuxLQqxGZ8\/X95eTE55isI\/AAAAAAAAjsc\/jnlY2sIiyIAIVIG-teGb--ed9gelyq3TQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/35mm_AM_RAN%2Bstudio_DAY28-000047400030.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1358\" data-original-width=\"2048\" height=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-KRuxLQqxGZ8\/X95eTE55isI\/AAAAAAAAjsc\/jnlY2sIiyIAIVIG-teGb--ed9gelyq3TQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h424\/35mm_AM_RAN%2Bstudio_DAY28-000047400030.jpg\" width=\"640\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ESaorise Ronan and Kate Winslet in AMMONITE. Courtesy of NEON.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe film has received many comparisons to Céline Sciamma's \u003Ci\u003EPortrait of a Lady on Fire\u003C\/i\u003E, due to being a period romance about two women falling in love by the sea. But it's almost not fair to compare them, because they're very different films with only surface level similarities, and there's something about the unspoken pain lingering beneath the surface of\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAmmonite\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;that hits even harder than Sciamma's critical darling. \u0026nbsp;Much of this is due to Winslet's searing performance. She's a woman who could never really be herself, spending years pursuing a singular passion for which she isn't given credit because of her gender. There's so much bottled up inside and you can see it in her eyes. It's one of the finest performances of her career; insular, thorny, wholly unglamorous and yet poignantly realized at every turn. The score by Dustin O'Halloran and Volker Bertelmann is also one of the year's most heartfelt works. You don't hear the first hesitant notes until the first time Winslet and Ronan are alone and then it's just so heartbreaking, two women unseen by those around them who at last see something in each other that no one else can. Yet what makes the film so powerful is that it acknowledges that even that may not be enough with which to build a life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELee has a nearly unparalleled eye for finding beauty and pain in the spaces between words. There's something achingly liminal about his cinema, where the emotions exist in the in-between spaces, between words and glances, never fully expressed in words but keenly felt just the same.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EAmmonite\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a deeply beautiful film, economical in its storytelling and yet filled with a boundless sense of emotional depth. It explores so much with so little, where two lovers manage to plug small holes in each other's hearts but can't quite stop the bleeding on their own. It's an altogether astonishing achievement.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EAMMONITE \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EFrancis Lee | \u003Cb\u003EStars \u003C\/b\u003EKate Winslet, Saorise Ronan, Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones | \u003Cb\u003ERated R for\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003Egraphic sexuality, some graphic nudity and brief language | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003ENow playing in select theaters.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7683993098893275394\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7683993098893275394","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7683993098893275394"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7683993098893275394"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/review-ammonite-2020.html","title":"Review | Ammonite | 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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-HLFamB-2CSc\/X95cxwueFaI\/AAAAAAAAjsI\/RVJYI-n4Enc7yz-MoGiXpItne8BLlOk0QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/Kate%2BWinslet%2BSaoirse%2BRonan%2B%25282%2529_Ammonite_courtesyNEON.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-1198762877873143123"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-19T10:14:00.006-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-19T10:14:56.584-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Netflix"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | The Midnight Sky | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XpTCV0u0jMY\/X94XYQ0f4WI\/AAAAAAAAjr0\/TlVD5NSPFb8aktiDwZdYZaSI88WedsKxQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/MS_20191212_10012-rt_f.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1365\" data-original-width=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XpTCV0u0jMY\/X94XYQ0f4WI\/AAAAAAAAjr0\/TlVD5NSPFb8aktiDwZdYZaSI88WedsKxQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/MS_20191212_10012-rt_f.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003EGeorge Clooney (“Augustine” - Director - Producer), Caoilinn Springall (“Iris”) in THE MIDNIGHT SKY. Courtesy of Netflix.\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ESet in the not-too-distant future in the wake of a never-named disaster, George Clooney's \u003Ci\u003EThe Midnight Sky\u003C\/i\u003E stars Clooney himself as a scientist tasked with remaining behind at an arctic research station in order to warn a crew of astronauts returning from deep space not to come home. Out of communication range for weeks, the spacecraft is returning to earth from a mission to Jupiter's moon Titan, where they were scouting for locations for a potential new safe haven for refugees from our own dying planet.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yoefgusME-g\/X94X-6WC0UI\/AAAAAAAAjr8\/cONedSdl_y8JbxqPvpgLpPJ6MWXijTkeQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/EN-US_TMS_Main_NorthernLights_Vertical_27x40_RGB_Pre.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1383\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yoefgusME-g\/X94X-6WC0UI\/AAAAAAAAjr8\/cONedSdl_y8JbxqPvpgLpPJ6MWXijTkeQCLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/EN-US_TMS_Main_NorthernLights_Vertical_27x40_RGB_Pre.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EClooney, the scientist who originally proposed Titan as a potential \"new earth,\" finds himself as the last human remaining on earth's surface after the rest of the survivors have moved underground in a vain attempt to escape the planet's now poisonous atmosphere. Or so he thinks - on one of his many trips around the abandoned base, he discovers a young girl named Iris (Caoilinn Springall) who doesn't speak, but keeps him company on his seemingly doomed mission to save the human race.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ci\u003EThe Midnight Sky\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;has a promising and intriguing premise, but it very much wears its inspirations on its sleeve, almost playing like a \"greatest hits\" of recent science fiction films, channelling everything from \u003Ci\u003EGravity\u003C\/i\u003E, to \u003Ci\u003EHigh Life\u003C\/i\u003E, to \u003Ci\u003EArrival\u003C\/i\u003E, to \u003Ci\u003EPassengers\u003C\/i\u003E, to \u003Ci\u003EAd Astra\u003C\/i\u003E, to \u003Ci\u003EInterstellar\u003C\/i\u003E, and even \u003Ci\u003EThe Cloverfield Paradox\u003C\/i\u003E. The film features some impressive special effects, and a truly lovely score by Alexandre Desplat, but it never shakes the feeling that we've seen all of this done better before. Clooney is a strong lead, completely eschewing his star persona for a weary, haggard performance as a man who feels as though he's done everything he can to save humanity and \u0026nbsp;has nothing left to give. But the film splits so much of its time between Clooney and the returning space crew that Clooney's story often gets lost, especially in the film's final act which focuses almost exclusively on the space shuttle. Their story is far less interesting, and Clooney's absence in the final stretch leaves a pronounced void.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EClooney tends to be a stronger performer than a filmmaker - and while his insular performance here puts aside his natural charisma in favor of something more insular, his particular star magnetism is the glue that holds the film together. So when he cedes the spotlight to his supporting cast, the film just isn't as interesting. One can't help but wonder if the film would have been a much more unique experience if it had focused solely on Clooney and his young companion rather than splitting its time with the drama on board the returning spacecraft, which feels more like standard sci-fi fare rather than the feature-length \"Twilight Zone\" vibe given off by Clooney's half of the story. Therein lies the film's biggest issue: its overall lack of cohesion. Its split storyline (on top of flashbacks) make for a somewhat disjointed viewing experience. There are some lovely grace notes, but it never quite rises to the next level. It's certainly an ambitious work as it explores the end of humanity by its own carelessness, but by using its influences as a crutch,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EThe Midnight Sky\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;coasts along through familiar territory without ever really distinguishing itself on its own merits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE \u003C\/b\u003E- ★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETHE MIDNIGHT SKY\u003C\/b\u003E\u0026nbsp;| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EGeorge Clooney | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EGeorge Clooney, Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir, David Oyelowo, Tiffany Boone, Caoilinn Springall | \u003Cb\u003ERated PG-13 \u003C\/b\u003Efor  some bloody images and brief strong language\u003Cb\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EStreaming exclusively on Netflix on December 23.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/1198762877873143123\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=1198762877873143123","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1198762877873143123"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/1198762877873143123"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/review-midnight-sky-2020.html","title":"Review | The Midnight Sky | 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\/-XpTCV0u0jMY\/X94XYQ0f4WI\/AAAAAAAAjr0\/TlVD5NSPFb8aktiDwZdYZaSI88WedsKxQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/MS_20191212_10012-rt_f.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-7158675815623713838"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-15T17:21:00.004-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-15T17:21:36.247-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"KimStim"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Kiyoshi Kurosawa"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | To the Ends of the Earth | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qdDONBbFUxk\/X9k1kxbs67I\/AAAAAAAAjrY\/qVt0XcdK9woFk9765PPh945M_rm06i24ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s1024\/tee_still1-1024x576.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"576\" data-original-width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qdDONBbFUxk\/X9k1kxbs67I\/AAAAAAAAjrY\/qVt0XcdK9woFk9765PPh945M_rm06i24ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/tee_still1-1024x576.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EOften pigeonholed as a director of horror films, Kiyoshi Kurosawa has also delivered some of the most finely tuned and emotionally astute dramas of the past 15 years. From \u003Ci\u003ETokyo Sonata\u003C\/i\u003E (2009) to \u003Ci\u003ETo the Ends of the Earth\u003C\/i\u003E (2020), Kurosawa, far from being a master of only one genre, is a deeply empathetic and curious filmmaker with a knack for exploring the liminal spaces between the said and the unsaid.\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XXHmHzv_9Io\/X9k1o96LtZI\/AAAAAAAAjrc\/N-D2i-1B7gs8_-Wan_PlQiM7MmnUYnfeACLcBGAsYHQ\/s749\/to-the-ends_poster_new.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"749\" data-original-width=\"500\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-XXHmHzv_9Io\/X9k1o96LtZI\/AAAAAAAAjrc\/N-D2i-1B7gs8_-Wan_PlQiM7MmnUYnfeACLcBGAsYHQ\/w268-h400\/to-the-ends_poster_new.jpg\" width=\"268\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EKurosawa's penchant for burrowing beneath the surface of his characters makes him an ideal horror filmmaker, but there's something almost transcendent about his dramatic work. The way in which he invites the audience to inhabit the character, creates a unique empathetic bond between the audience and his protagonists. In\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETo the Ends of the Earth\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp; Kurosawa introduces us to Yoko (Japanese pop star Atsuko Maeda), a reporter traveling abroad in Uzbekistan for a series of puff-pieces for tourists. These pieces, for which she regularly gets bumped for more heavy-hitting news, turn out to be so much more than mere filler for the Instagram set, often putting her in harm's way or at the center of local ridicule.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlone in a foreign country whose language she does not speak, Yoko is unable to advocate for herself, and is often at the mercy of her translators, who are all men. Because Kurosawa does not translate the Uzbek dialogue, only the Japanese, much of the audience is left just as adrift as Yoko. With only her translators for guides, we are left with potentially unreliable narrators, unable to be sure if we truly understood what was being said. She is constantly expected to be agreeable, not rock the boat. When presented with options she doesn't like, she feels forced to choose one so as not to be seen as difficult. And while these expectations are never spoken aloud, you can see the anxiety in Maeda's performance. Kurosawa consistently otherizes her, putting her in difficult situations that she could theoretically get out of at any time, but outside expectations keep her from standing up for herself. \"It's her choice, so it's no problem\" says one of the producers when debating on whether or not a certain task was too dangerous. But was it really? Saying no would shut down the production and invite the judgment of the crew. If she feels like she can't say no, does she really have a choice?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe eventually discover that Yoko didn't always dream of being a travel journalist; she wanted to be a singer. In one of the film's most astonishing sequences, Kurosawa takes us inside her head, creating an entire musical number that somehow feels like it's from another film entirely. But that's the whole point, of course. Yoko wants to escape, to go anywhere other than where she is, just like the goat she conspires to liberate for the cameras, only to discover it's yet another stunt for the cameras. Nothing she does is real, it's a constant and frustrating illusion. Her mental escapes to a world on the stage are more tangible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt's something quite disarming and lovely; Kurosawa has woven a deeply incisive tale of a woman who would supposedly go to the ends of the earth for a story, but is never allowed to probe the depths of her own dreams. Constantly second-guessed, patronized, and marginalized, surrounded by men who we always suspect of talking about her in Uzbek behind her back, Yoko reclaims her voice and her agency in one of the most cathartic denouements of 2020; beautifully meditating on femininity, patriarchal power structures, and finding your joy in a world that is constantly trying to put you in a box. Part fish-out-of-water comedy, part media satire, part feminist manifesto,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003ETo the Ends of the Earth\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a quiet wonder of a film, a perceptive and lyrical interrogation of alienation and loneliness that lands like a depth charge.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH \u003C\/b\u003E|\u0026nbsp;\u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EKiyoshi Kurosawa | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/b\u003EAtsuko Maeda, Shota Sometani, Tokio Emoto, Ryô Kase | \u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003ENot Rated \u003C\/span\u003E| \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EIn Japanese and Uzbek w\/English subtitles \u003C\/i\u003E| Now playing in select theaters.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/7158675815623713838\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=7158675815623713838","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7158675815623713838"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/7158675815623713838"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/review-to-ends-of-earth-2020.html","title":"Review | To the Ends of the 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$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-qdDONBbFUxk\/X9k1kxbs67I\/AAAAAAAAjrY\/qVt0XcdK9woFk9765PPh945M_rm06i24ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/tee_still1-1024x576.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36921766.post-673071451457186307"},"published":{"$t":"2020-12-14T21:04:00.005-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-12-14T21:12:19.481-05:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review | Promising Young Woman | 2020"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable align=\"center\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"tr-caption-container\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QhGEI_tP6WQ\/X9gXfdMxWQI\/AAAAAAAAjrE\/WWwxmKBAnHQ4GIHvc7C47OwsHvGVrHo2ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s2747\/065_PYW_FP_0021604941450.jpg\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1145\" data-original-width=\"2747\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QhGEI_tP6WQ\/X9gXfdMxWQI\/AAAAAAAAjrE\/WWwxmKBAnHQ4GIHvc7C47OwsHvGVrHo2ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s16000\/065_PYW_FP_0021604941450.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd class=\"tr-caption\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ECarey Mulligan stars as 'Cassandra' in director Emerald Fennell’s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, a Focus Features release. \u003Cbr \/\u003ECourtesy of Focus Features\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003EWARNING: This review contains spoilers.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003EIn the wake of the #MeToo movement, women everywhere have felt empowered to tell their stories of abuse in ways that signal to other survivors of sexual harassment and abuse that they are not alone. While this has doubtlessly been a difficult process for many survivors, it would be difficult to argue that the #MeToo movement hasn't been a net positive for the country, as abusers everywhere are finally being confronted and facing justice.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MRSgARXpn5c\/X9gXlM0OHiI\/AAAAAAAAjrI\/yMQsidhEEwcuoMAArtk6GIERydkkroGzgCLcBGAsYHQ\/s2048\/PYW_FinalOneSheet1602230532.jpg\" style=\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"2048\" data-original-width=\"1382\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-MRSgARXpn5c\/X9gXlM0OHiI\/AAAAAAAAjrI\/yMQsidhEEwcuoMAArtk6GIERydkkroGzgCLcBGAsYHQ\/w270-h400\/PYW_FinalOneSheet1602230532.jpg\" width=\"270\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003EFilmmakers have been grappling with the movement in their own ways as well, and 2020 has been an especially strong year for women filmmakers to tell their stories. Kitty Green's \u003Ci\u003EThe Assistant\u003C\/i\u003E, Eliza Hittman's \u003Ci\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/a-tale-of-two-abortions-never-rarely.html\"\u003ENever Rarely Sometimes Always\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/i\u003E, Maïmouna Doucouré's \u003Ci\u003ECuties\u003C\/i\u003E, and now Emerald Fennell's \u003Ci\u003EPromising Young Woman\u003C\/i\u003E, have all dealt with what it means and how it feels to be a woman in their own unique ways.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPromising Young Woman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;stands out by using the trappings of a genre film to tell the story of a woman named Cassie (Carrie Mulligan) seeking revenge on the men who once sexually assaulted her friend at a party in college many years ago. She has weaponized her trauma by pretending to be drunk at bars where she is picked up by strange men with the intention of taking advantage of her, only to \"snap out of it\" right before they do the deed in order to teach them a lesson they won't soon forget. It's an ingenious concept, made even more so by Mulligan's barnstorming, multi-layered performance, which casts her as a lone warrior taking on rape culture almost singlehandedly.\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is so much to like here - the way in which Fennell carefully avoids turning Cassie into an abuser herself - even as she delivers devastating blows, often targeting bystanders who \u0026nbsp;did nothing or looked the other way, but never actually allowing them to become victims themselves. She just wants to give them a taste of their trauma her friend endured. In that regard, she's as much a teacher as she is a warrior, brilliantly illustrating the pain and uncertainty felt by victims of rape and sexual assault. It's an often deeply uncomfortable film, dealing frankly with incredibly dark emotional material, and Fennell pulls no punches in her depiction of repressed trauma made manifest, creating an almost unbearable sense of dread where any character is a potential source of abuse, whether it be sexual, physical, emotional, or mental.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhere the film falters is in its ending, which has been the subject of much online debate even among the film's most ardent fans, which seemingly upends everything we've seen running up to it. Fennell does such a fantastic job of illustrating how even those who were not directly involved with the rape were still complicit in their silence, their laughter, or their obstruction of justice in order to protect the reputation and careers of the men involved, but the film undercuts some of its own power by suggesting that the only way to defeat rape culture is to become a victim yourself. That the film's hero also becomes a victim in the end feels somehow incongruous to what we've seen leading up to it. Sure, she reclaims her power and agency even in victimhood, which is an important thing to note, but there's something strangely contrived about the final scene, which is satisfying on a surface-level if not necessarily a narrative one. It leaves the audience with some extremely uncomfortable questions - as great filmmaking often does. But after such a thorny film, its \"happy\" conclusion seems somehow hollow. Perhaps that's how the MeToo movement feels in the wake of centuries worth of unchallenged Rape culture, but it's too neat a bow on an otherwise prickly, rage filled film.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003EPromising Young Woman\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;is a jagged little pill, to be sure, and while I'm not convinced it adds up to a fully cohesive thesis, it\u0026nbsp;\u003Ci\u003Eis\u003C\/i\u003E\u0026nbsp;clear is that Emerald Fennell is an extremely promising young talent.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e87a9d;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EGRADE\u003C\/b\u003E - ★★★ (out of four)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPROMISING YOUNG WOMAN \u003C\/b\u003E| \u003Cb\u003EDirected by \u003C\/b\u003EEmerald Fennell | \u003Cb\u003EStars\u003C\/b\u003E Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Alison Brie, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Molly Shannon, Connie Britton | \u003Cb\u003ERated R \u003C\/b\u003Efor strong violence including sexual assault, language throughout, some sexual material and drug use | \u003Cb\u003E\u003Ci\u003EOpens in theaters on Dec. 25.\u003C\/i\u003E\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/feeds\/673071451457186307\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/comment.g?blogID=36921766\u0026postID=673071451457186307","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/673071451457186307"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/36921766\/posts\/default\/673071451457186307"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.fromthefrontrow.net\/2020\/12\/review-promising-young-woman-2020.html","title":"Review | Promising Young Woman | 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\/-QhGEI_tP6WQ\/X9gXfdMxWQI\/AAAAAAAAjrE\/WWwxmKBAnHQ4GIHvc7C47OwsHvGVrHo2ACLcBGAsYHQ\/s72-c\/065_PYW_FP_0021604941450.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});