What's on your Daily Viewing List? (4 Viewers)

[bujaki]

Disobedience (2017): After the death of her father, Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz) returns to the orthodox Jewish London community she abruptly left ten years earlier. Her father was a highly respected Rav, and she has had no contact with him, or anyone from her childhood since her departure. She has spent the last ten years working in New York as a photographer, using the name Ronnie Curtis.

It's probably best to go into a viewing of Disobedience not knowing many more details than that. Like a lot of movies, trailers, reviews and synopses reveal far too much. I didn't know any more than I've already said, so I'll just talk about generalities. I think this could have been a great movie, and it does have a lot of great moments. There are several related themes playing out, but I feel there was a desire to increase the movie's popularity by including scenes that are distractingly salacious. To me, they ground the flow of the movie to a halt and sold the greater concept short. The movie is rated 'R', but I was a little surprised it wasn't 'NC-17' due to that five minutes.

That one (to me, annoying) flaw doesn't erase the rest of the story, which is definitely powerful. It deals with the paradox of Faith, Orthodoxy, Grace, and Free Will, and takes them on head first. In fact, I'd say that the final 25 minutes are as good as drama gets. A wonderful example where everyone sacrifices and nobody gets what they (think they) want, but they all ultimately follow the guidance of their mutual love for each other.

Alessandro Nivola is the real surprise here. He is outstanding.

BTW, it's free on Prime.

My wife and I liked this film. It's a tough one, but your penultimate paragraph explains it quite well.

 

[bujaki]

Oh... Rosalinda!! (Network BD Zone B) 1955. Just released! Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's version of Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus set in 1955 post-war Vienna. In Technicolor and CinemaScope, restored using the original 35mm negative. OK, it's not The Tales of Hoffmann, but it's still created by the team that brought us that marvel and The Red Shoes, so you know you're in for a visual treat. Plus it's been unavailable for decades. It didn't even play at MoMA during their Powell retrospective! For fans of The Archers, this is a must!
Tartarin de Tarascon (Pathe BD Zone Free) 1934. Directed by the great Raymond Bernard (look him up); scripted by Marcel Pagnol and starring the inimitable Raimu, called the greatest actor in the world by Orson Welles, this gentle satire is based on Alphonse Daudet's tales of a fantasist who, like Don Quixote, is brought back to reality with gentler thuds than the Don's. Scored by Darius Milhaud. Restored using various sources but the result is very acceptable. Glad I saw this.

 

[JohnRice]

My wife and I liked this film. It's a tough one, but your penultimate paragraph explains it quite well.

I've found that often my favorite dramatic moments come late in films, without any dialog. That scene at the end, outside the Synagogue, just knocked... me... out.

 

[JohnRice]

A Knight's Tale (2001): I decided to take a break from drama and stroll down the road to Rouen with Brian Helgeland's weirdly awesome medieval satire.

He's blond, he's pissed, you'll seem him in the lists, Lichtenstein!

He's quick, he's funny, he makes me lots of money, Lichtenstein!​

I remember how flummoxed most critics (and viewers) were when this movie came out. Just goes to show that even people whose job it is to appreciate movies often are incapable of doing it. It just gets better with time, in my book. What a great cast, and such amusing word play, especially from Chaucer (Paul Bettany).

Heath Ledger truly was a charismatic actor. It's a real shame.

There's some surprisingly good camera work in this movie, if you pay attention. Ironically, another movie starring Heath Ledger, 10 Things I Hate About You, also has great camera work.

 

[Toronto Argonauts]

I haven't seen this in quite some time. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Dave Moritz]

August 31st, 2019 Saturday

Till The Clouds Roll By
1080p upconverted to 4K
Stereo

 

[Mike Frezon]

I had a feeling I would regret writing that about Jean Arthur.

...especially without checking IMDB first.

Shane is a movie I have to admit I've never seen. The Blu-ray has been sitting on my shelf for at least 5 1/2 years (says DVD Profiler).

It turns out I was wrong. Yup. I've seen her in Mr. Smith...as well as Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and You Can't Take It With You. Just a brain fart on my part.

 

[Matt Hough]

Shane is a movie I have to admit I've never seen. The Blu-ray has been sitting on my shelf for at least 5 1/2 years (says DVD Profiler).

Well then there is an easy solution!

 

[Robert Crawford]

On Warner Archive Blu-ray:

 

[Matt Hough]

After I finish my review item this afternoon, I plan to watch 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea tonight.

 

[Robert Crawford]

On "The Criterion Channel":

 

[bujaki]

Les misérables (Masters of Cinema Zone B BD) 1934. Directed by Raymond Bernard, scored by Arthur Honegger, and lit by Jules Kruger. This film runs 288 minutes but was shot as 3 distinct films to be shown separately when it premiered in Paris. The MoC version runs longer than the one released on an Eclipse disc by Criterion.
From its unforgettable opening shot of a caryatid, the camera panning down to show a massive figure of a man holding it and blending with it, becoming one with it; to the snuffing of the flames on the bishop's candlesticks at Valjean's death; this film is filled with expressionistic imagery and lighting, deft editing, unusual framing and angles, amazing sets and costumes. But most of all, it is well served by the acting of Harry Baur as Valjean and Charles Vanel as Javert, among many others.
I've read the novel; seen the 1935 and 1952 American versions; a miniseries; the oversimplified musical on stage; the dreadful film version of said musical; but nothing, save the novel tops this 1934 monumental achievement.
It begs to be seen and savored.
This year I've seen 3 Raymond Bernard films: Les misérables, Wooden Crosses, and Tartarin de Tarascon. The first two are masterpieces of the first order, and the third is not far behind.
Remember his name: Raymond Bernard.

 

[Dave Moritz]

September 1st, 2019 Sunday

Ghost Rider
1080p Blu-ray upconverted to 4K
5.1 Uncompressed PCM Audio upmixed to 7.1 Auro 2D

 

[Robert Crawford]

On the TCM app:

 

[Robin9]

Yesterday I watched Kind Hearts And Coronets on the new Blu-ray disc. It's been a long time since I'd last watched the film and I'd forgotten the casual use of the N-word. What I hadn't forgotten was the wry mood of the film, the very dry wit and the dazzling series of cameos from Alec Guinness.

Today I'll watch the Hitchcock version of The Lady Vanishes, another film I haven't seen for ages.

 

[Matt Hough]

I'll be helping myself to some Harold Lloyd today: The Kid Brother from Criterion. Looking forward to it.

 

[JohnRice]

Divergent (2014): I like this series, and I regret it won't be completed. I think I've only seen #2 & #3 once each, but I'll be watching them again over the next few days. Maybe my opinion will change. I don't understand why these movies are so poorly regraded. It's not like they're life changing, but I do think they're a worthwhile addition to the dystopian YA genre. There seems to be a tendency to believe they condone the segmenting of society, or that they express a distrust of intelligence. I don't come away with that. They strike me as a clear denunciation of tribalism, which seems like a pretty topical and valid subject.

A Vigilante (2018): This popped up in my Prime suggested list, so I gave it a shot. Olivia Wilde stars as a woman who escaped her abusive (murderous) husband to become a vigilante for other abused individuals. This is a low key, slow burn movie. Not what you might expect considering the subject matter. There's also a lot of "acting" going on here, and Wilde has received accolades for her performance. For me, it was just a little too much about performing and not enough about story. It's very highly rated on RT, but I wonder if that has more to do with the topic than the movie itself. It felt heavy handed in it's attempt to be "arthouse". I preferred Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, for an alternative movie with a similar theme. But they're aimed at completely different audiences, I suppose.

 

[bujaki]

Girls on Probation (TCM) 1938. A WB programmer starring Jane Bryan (who retired much too soon), and Susan Hayward in a 5-minute part. She's hardly recognizable, not even her voice.
April Folly (Kickstarter DVD-R) 1920. Restored by the Library of Congress. Missing the first reel. A Marion Davies vehicle. Mistaken identity plot, attempted theft of a huge diamond, a compromised damsel, will true love triumph and the villain pay for his sins?
Scent of a Woman (Profumo di donna) (TCM HD) 1974. Restored and scanned in 4K, the Italian original directed by Dino Risi and starring Vittorio Gassman showing Pacino how it should be done. The film was nominated for 2 AAs: Best Foreign Fim and Best Adapted Screenplay. It's part of the Criterion/Janus library, so it will be more readily available.
Buried Treasure (Kickstarter DVD-R) 1921. Not the silent porno cartoon but another Marion Davies vehicle. This one deals with previous incarnations and how they affect our present lives. Restored by the Library of Congress, this romantic adventure is missing the final reel.
Marion Davies looks quite different in her early years. One is used to her looks after the advent of the talkies, but these movies are ten years before then and she has more baby fat maybe... I like Davies.

 

[Mike Frezon]

 

[Robert Crawford]

Oh my! You had to watch that without your wife present, not with all that profanity.