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Reviews
Modesty Blaise (1966)
One of my favorites!
I saw this film in the 60s and loved it. Parts of it have remained imprinted in my memory for over 50 years. I just saw it again and found it just as wonderful. I realize I'm in the minority here, as the consensus seems to be that the film is pretty much a failure. Viewers find the plot confusing or non-existent, the tone inconsistent, Monica Vitti miscast, the humor unfunny, and the character of Modesty not at all like the character in the comic strip or books. But it seems to me those criticisms have a lot to do with expectations. I can't account for other people's tastes, but I do think the film is a lot subtler than it might appear.
The plot is there, but you have to pay attention to figure out what's going on, and maybe that's not too important anyway because the best thing about the plot is you never know what's coming next: it leaps from one thing to another in a way that can feel disjointed but actually has its own logic. And whatever you think of Monica Vitti in the role, you can't take your eyes off her when she's on the screen (even as her hair color and style changes as often as her wardrobe!). That says a lot. She has some good lines too, even considering her accent ("Then I will take your diamonds...") The fact is that director Losey is working out his own loopy vision here with lots of humor in the background even when grisly things are going on in the foreground. (Consider the fate of Mrs. Fothergill.) Dirk Bogarde plays the part of the slimy villain perfectly. (Those glasses that he and McWhirter drink from!...and the quick shot of the fish in Bogarde's at the end of that sequence!) The rescue by the Arabs at the end is over-the-top whacky and quite wonderful. And how can you not like a film when the heroine and hero sing a duet to each other as destruction seems imminent?
Okay, it's obviously not for all tastes, but in a lot of respects the film feels quite modern. It's pleasures aren't always in-your-face obvious, but if you watch carefully you may find a lot to like here. The film hasn't always been easy to find, but there's a decent copy on YouTube now. Take a look and see what you think.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (2023)
Disappointing
I can't understand all the glowing reviews. I found this thing self-consciously arty, pretentious, overlong, and with all the insight of a third-rate novel or a LIfetime movie in slightly more expensive clothes. I'll concede that it has some nice scenery and a decent cast, but I'm no fan of the technique of teasing the audience with information withheld and muddying the story line with enigmatic flashbacks. It's all supposed to be taken terribly seriously because it's about abuse (and we're dutifully warned before each episode), but it struck me as much more interested in using the abuse theme as a way to generate an emotional response in the audience than to say anything meaningful about it. Apparently that succeeded, judging by the reviews. Further, I don't see how all the (improbable?) flower stuff adds much to the story, other than as an excuse to pretend to be arty. Others have commented on the slow pace, and while slow pacing ordinarily doesn't bother me much, this one had me yawning, maybe because I didn't see much of a payoff coming that would make the wait worthwhile. I'm obviously in the minority here (and even the critics seemed mostly to like it), but frankly I didn't believe in any of these characters for one second. I'll admit that I watched the whole thing, but afterward I wondered why. All I got at the end was a strident lecture that, even if it contains some truth, is a lazy and unsatisfactory way to wrap up a 7-hour movie.
With Love (2021)
Mediocre at best
I don't know what show all the gushing reviewers here saw, but it wasn't the one I saw. I thought the first episode was mediocre: no plot to speak of, too many characters to allow time for any significant development, dialogue trying painfully hard to sound hip and clever and not really succeeding, acting at times embarrassing and awkward. The second episode was even worse.
I give it points for trying to showcase Latino culture and perhaps some for treating gay love as love to be taken seriously, but otherwise this doesn't rise much above bad TV. It was quite clear to me after the second episode that it was going nowhere, and I was unwilling to invest more time. Others seem to have found more to like here than I did. You take your chances.