After having been drawn in by the first 15 minutes, I was disappointed to find that the rest of the film was a banal, bland, sans-erotic orgy. It's worth watching for about 45 minutes as the filming techniques are compelling; Serra captures the feeling of midnight cruising like no one else. I constantly found myself challenged by the play of shadows and body. 5 stars for technique.
Reviews
3 Reviews
A Star Is Born
(2018)
Lackluster. Go watch Judy!
13 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The film is fine. The acting is fine. Gaga can sing, we know that already. Cooper can act, we know that already. We get more of a "backstory" on the guy in this remake, which is not surprising, given that Cooper directed it himself. A quarter of the acting is borderline growled instead of spoken. Less focus is given on Gaga's character, which is perhaps a good thing, given this is her first staring roll. Not enough chemistry is there between making it hard to care what happens to either of them in the end, because, after two hours of no passion, death does seem like the only way out. The film is shot almost entering in closeup (and not in a Bergman way), so I hope you like their faces. Watch it if you have movie pass and have nothing else to do. If you want to see this film done right. Go watch Judy's '54 version or even Streisand's version, as both demonstrate the talent of their leading lady, unlike this dud.
Farewell, My Lovely
(1975)
Who knew film noirs could be comedies?
8 October 2018
A tired and ragged looking Robert Mitchum puts on his fedora once more for another Philip Marlowe noir. However, it doesn't fit so well this time. His line readings span from from dreadfully boring to laugh-out-loud hysterical. Where is the actor from Out of the Past or The Night of the Hunter?
Charlotte Rampling does her best Lauren Bacall impression with decent results. However, after Faye Dunaway's performance in Chinatown (a noir done right), a Bacall drag act seems tired and dated. Syliva Miles steals the few scenes she's in by not acting as if she was in a noir, and instead, just acting.
Overall, I would watch this film for camp value, hence my 6 star rating (one comedy star for the drug sequence alone). It's certainly not terrible but after the 40th noir trope they pull out, you get tired. Not as tired as Mitchum, but still tired.
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