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Max's Film Suggestions

Created on Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:42 pm with 11 blog posts
Beginning in March (2008), I will be posting one short viewing suggestion per day. For a list of favorites. please visit http://max.frihost.net (should also be up and running by March).

From Dusk Till Dawn in "Other" with 0 comments on Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:11 am
"From Dusk Till Dawn" (USA 1996, 108 min.) [3/2008]
Robert Rodriguez (D), Quentin Tarantino (S), Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino

If nothing else, screenplays by Tarantino promise something "different" and this one certainly makes good on that promise. Actually these are more or less two films with the first half an action film with an "R" rating and a very slight look-and-feel of "Kill Bill Vol. I"; the second half is a B-horror-movie, but with fun dialogs, good acting, no story-line to speak of as well as the "X" rating.

As I haven't caught this film in the original English language, I need to guess at the translation of the final scene dialog:
Marin: (overlooking the scene of an indescribable massacre) "So who were these people, crazies?"
Clooney: "Crazies? Did you see them explode? Crazy people don't explode, it doesn't matter how crazy they are."

- Graded: 7.9 of 10 (possible points)
- Read synopsis / review at IMDb
- Read synopsis / review as Wikipedia
Lana Turner Double Feature in "Drama" with 0 comments on Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:57 pm
Lana Turner Double Feature: [2/2008]
"Imitation of Life" (1959)
Douglas Sirk (D), Lana Turner, John Gavin, Juanita Moore, Robert Alda, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner
"By Love Possessed" (1961)
John Sturges (D), Lana Turner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jason Robards, Susan Kohner

A double-feature will customarily include an A and a B-movie. In this case, "By Love Possessed", though based on a bestseller novel and a successful Broadway play, is certainly the "B", not even cult director John Sturges could salvage it.

Where "Imitation of Life" has all the classic properties needed for a good drama and a subject-matter (race relations) which just barely began to matter in mainstream Hollywood, "By Love Possessed" is a tedious film riddled by cumbersome dialogue and a dreary plot.

"Imitation of Life"
- Graded: 7.1 of 10 (possible points)
- Read synopsis / review at IMDb
- Read synopsis / review as Wikipedia

"By Love Possessed"
- Graded: 2.7 of 10 (possible points)
- Read synopsis / review at IMDb
- Read synopsis / review as Wikipedia (novel)
"Sydney" (USA 1996, 102 min.) [1/2008] in "Film Noir" with 0 comments on Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:03 pm
"Sydney" (USA 1996, 102 min.) [1/2008]
(aka "Hard Eight", aka "Last Exit Reno")
Paul Anderson (W/D), Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson

The director Paul Anderson's first feature length film, has at least the prerequisites of a good, solid independent production. If you value witty dialogue, excellent photography, good acting set in a gambling environment then you should not pass this one up. Only the story line could have offered a few more twists and turns but this might just be the reason why it has gained some cult status.

- Graded: 6.8 of 10 (possible points)
- Read synopsis / review at IMDb
- Read synopsis / review as Wikipedia
"Sydney" (USA 1996, 102 min.) [1/2008] in "Film Noir" with 0 comments on Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:01 pm
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Max's Dozen: Comedies in Personal favorites with 0 comments on Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:30 pm
The following list is alphabetical; all links point to reviews at IMDb:

  1. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
  2. As Good as It Gets (1997)
  3. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
  4. The Court Jester (1955)
  5. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
  6. The Great McGinty (1940)
  7. His Girl Friday (1940)
  8. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
  9. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
  10. Sabrina (1954)
  11. Some Like It Hot (1959)
  12. What's Up, Doc? (1972)
--> All blog posts (11)

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