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cabrelli9
Reviews
Phase IV (1974)
Replace your brain
This is one of the greatest movies ever made. Saul Bass has created, out of the blue, one of the most terrifying fictions ever conceived. Bass' genius is usually confined to the miniature. What better way to explore this than extensive ant photography. I could not believe the character injected into what, in the hands of some hack director, might be just nature shots.
The film begins media res and there is a sense that the world is off kilter somehow. The voice over that caps the movie is some of the most literate, enigmatic film monologue i have experienced. See this as a parent of PI and you'll be on the right track.
the sun bleached photography and the atmosphere of menace conspire to such a degree that the movie has the feeling of a Beach Boys nightmare.
I will not spoil the ending. It is enough to say that there may very well never be anything like it again. Bass directed a short called Quest, produced by Robert Redford (probably shot in Utah!), which has the same vibe. It is like the invasion of some other reality, into our own.
10/10. This movie made me want to explode.
Hickey & Boggs (1972)
WOW
A real treat. Cosby is straight as an arrow. Reminds me of Lee Marvin, here. Culp uses very simple but arresting technique in this directorial debut. His style may look limited but it is hard to imagine a film edited and paced in such a style today except maybe Soderberg's THE LIMEY. This is a key film in the PI genre. It should be seen. Very intelligent, very enjoyable and marvelously put together. It has the pitfalls of the era, the 'heavies' are like lumbering monsters and there is probably one chilli dog too many. But these are quibbles. It's a pity Cosby wasn't in more movies like this. And a damn shame that Culp never picked up the camera again. 8/10