Last Seen Movie - The Latest Movie You Have Seen; ratings

[Reza]

The Equalizer 2 (Antoine Fuqua, 2018) 5/10

Denzel Washington returns in this sequel as retired CIA black op to clean the "filth" around him â la "Death Wish". This time round his anger is directed at the goons who kill his friend (Melissa Leo) who was investigating a double murder in Brussels. He discovers the mystery behind her death is related to his own past. Derivative action thriller is nevertheless a catharsis of sorts as scum get their comeuppance at the hands of Washington who uses his expertise to efficiently smash, knife and shoot. The star's charismatic badass presence holds this formulaic drama together although a third outing would not be welcome at all.

Alpha (Albert Hughes, 2018) 6/10

A young boy comes of age when he is separated from his tribe during a bison hunt and is forced to survive the elements with only a wild wolf as his companion. Old fashioned adventure story is set in the past - 20,000 years ago to be exact - with beautiful shots of barren pre-historic Europe (the film was shot in British Columbia) of steppes, canyons and volcanos all courtesy of CGI. At the forefront of the plot is how man and "dog" came to form a bond which here is forged through necessity - both need each other to survive as both find themselves abandoned with imminent danger around every corner. The film is a delight for all dog lovers with enough sentimentality imbued to make this a thrilling viewing experience. Kudos to the stunning cinematography of Martin Gschlacht who creates images of great warmth.

Le Notti Bianche / White Nights (Luchino Visconti, 1957) 10/10

Visconti's exquisite film about unrequited love is based on a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky with its setting changed from 19th century St. Petersburg to Italy's modern-day Tuscan city of Livorno. The film is a bridge between the director's neorealist period and his later more elaborate operatic romantic melodramas. It is unusual in that the entire film was shot on a constructed set with small alleys, cafe, an Esso petrol station, houses and a small bridge over a canal which becomes the principle spot where the two lovers meet. A young lonely man (Marcello Mastroianni) encounters a weeping woman (Maria Schell) on a small bridge. He tries to help her but she runs off but later they encounter each other again. Persistent in his pursuit of her she agrees to meet him regularly over the next four days. She tells him that she loves another man (Jean Marais) who left town a year before but promising to return to her. Despite her story the young man falls hopelessly in love with her and they spend time together walking the streets and going to a nightclub where they spend a fun evening dancing together. Just when the shy but slightly hysterical girl are starting to get emotionally close her former lover returns. Heartbreaking film is like a fairy tale with the couple's high emotions reaching a fever pitch before crashing down just as suddenly as it had begun. Sensitively directed film is superbly shot in stunning black and white by Giuseppe Rotunno with a lovely score by Nino Rota. This is one of Mastroianni's most memorable performances with Schell matching him every step of the way as the anguished woman torn between waiting for a lover who may never come and the possibility of new love. A great film and a must-see.

Thugs of Hindostan (Vijay Krishna Acharya, 2018) 8/10

Going into this film I was extremely wary after having earlier watched the film's cheesy premise in the trailer. The film has been torn to shreds by critics and while I made fun of friends who actually enjoyed it there was a nagging feeling deep within that I had to see it for myself. I'm so glad I did and it helped greatly that the cinema screen was ginormous (with a seat that reclined into a bed). This is a fantastic film. Cheesy? Most certainly, but this epic film is what cinema is all about which is to provide entertainment with a capital E. The film not only pays homage to swashbuckling films from Hollywood (the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series comes foremost to mind) but more than that it tugs at one's patriotic nerve bringing back memories of Bollywood films of Manoj Kumar from the 1970s. The film is deeply entrenched in cinema of that decade - the reigning superstar then has the lead role here, the sexy babe who provides two hot item numbers instantly brings back memories of Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi, while the film's main raison d'être was the first time on screen teaming of veteran superstar Amitabh Bachchan with Aamir Khan, who is Bollywood's most versatile and picky actor who makes only one film a year which he chooses with great care. Film critics are aghast at Aamir Khan's choice of this film and wondering if he was blind while reading the script. The answer is so simple once you watch his performance in a role any actor would die to play - a character who balances being outwardly a buffoon but alternatively showing flashes of a heroic nature along with despicable deceit which the actor superbly manages often within the same scene through his facial expressions. It's 1795 and the East India Company has firmly entrenched themselves in India taking over princely states to loot and pillage for their coffers back home in "ye merrie olde England". One state resists but the Prince, his wife and son are killed and their fort taken over by an evil British Commander. Only the Prince's young daughter survives after she is saved by the old family retainer (Amitabh Bachchan). Years pass and the old man and the young woman (Fatima Sana Shaikh) now lead a band of thugs hoping to overthrow the British who use a fawning two-faced small-time crook (Aamir Khan) to infiltrate the gang of thugs to capture their leader. The crook proves difficult to fathom as just when he appears to have become loyal to the thugs' cause he turns reptilian and betrays them. Rousing action-adventure film is a feast for the eyes with jaw dropping stunts, hilariously cheesy interludes with the British cast who speak their entire dialogue in pidgin Hindi (just as they did back in the 1970s), the appearance of stunning Katrina Kaif (with botoxed lips to boot) who performs two sexy dance numbers - "Suraiyya" with Aamir Khan matching her steps, where she brings back strong memories of Zeenat Aman and "Manzoor-e-Khudda" which she performs with both Bachchan and Aamir Khan while wearing what was probably the latest in 1795 fashion - silver sequined hot pants and bra straight out of an old Parveen Babi cabaret production number. The film, produced by Aditiya Chopra, is total 'paisa vasool' with an end that will not only have you cheering but anxiously awaiting the hinted at sequel as Aamir and Katrina sail off towards England to sort out further the bloody Brits, this time on their home soil.

Mile 22 (Peter Berg, 2018) 5/10

The Berg/Wahlberg team come up with yet another generic action thriller in what is now beginning to feel like sheer paranoia on part of the United States by way of stupid Hollywood flicks. Why is it that this country is always under threat by....fill in the blanks....the Russians, Koreans, Mexicans, Chinese, South American drug cartels and Muslims from the Middle East, Africa, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan? Has the world gone mad and countries have made it their aim to bring down the United States? Or could it be karma and/or the biblical idiom "as you sow, so shall you reap"? Here we have the old "get-the-witness-to-the-court-to-testify" plot as mayhem breaks loose all around with factions trying to do him in while a group of elite operatives risk their lives to save him. The "witness" here is a South-East Asian cop (Iko Uwais) with vital information about a terrorist attack and who has to be transported 22 miles from the American Embassy to a remote airfield so he can be flown out and given asylum in exchange for what he knows. Leading the rescue team is a group headed by Mark Wahlberg and his team of killing machines who are moved like chess pieces from a control room in the USA by "Mother" (John Malkovich having a field day calmly barking orders dripping with sarcasm). The journey is fraught with danger as goons keep crawling out of the woodwork and the collateral damage keeps rising at a horrifically alarming rate. Berg films all of this using rapid editing, shaky cam, cross cutting between different characters and overlapping dialogue spoken at breakneck speed. The death count is appalling with scenes of grisly violence of every possible sort. It's like a brainless video game where you numbly kill with no sense of feeling whatsoever. The star of the film is Indonesian actor Iko Uwais who is trained in the traditional martial art of silat. The action scenes that revolve around him are superbly choreographed and shot while the gung-ho American patriotism of Wahlberg and team tastes of extremely sour wine especially in this day and age when the world knows far too much about the United States and its so called foreign policy.

The Little Stranger (Lenny Abrahamson, 2018) 8/10

Slow-burn horror film is low on scares and high on atmosphere. It also touches on the British class system, guilt and intense envy as a group of people come together under the roof of a once grand 18th-century country mansion now facing shabby ruin. Based on the gothic novel by Sarah Waters the story is set in post-war austerity driven Britain. A doctor (Domhnall Gleason), whose mother once worked as a maid at the grand "Hundreds Hall", reaquaints himself with the family who reside there and whom he looked up to with envy as a child. The elegant matriarch (Charlotte Rampling) lives with her son (Will Poulter), facially and mentally scarred during the War, and spinster daughter (Ruth Wilson). Another daughter died as a child and the present mysterious goings on - strange noises, bells ringing - are attributed to her ghostly presence. Subtle, deliberately paced film simmers along with a feeling of dread and menace leading up to a twist ending.

Tous les matins du monde / All the Mornings of the World (Alain Corneau, 1991) 8/10

Stately historical drama is a celebration of music, the bitter pain of losing a perfect love and stifling one's feelings in remembrance of that which was lost. A famous court musician (Gerard Depardieu) who sold his talent to gain fame playing for royalty thinks back to his youth when he as a young man (Guillaume Depardieu) first encountered the master viola player, Sainte Colombe (Jean-Pierre Marielle), whom he begged to learn from. Once a great court musician the old man has gone into seclusion after the death of his wife. The old man at first refuses to tutor the young musician because he feels that although he has great talent his music lacks feeling. But he relents only to have the man betray him by having an affair with his daughter (Anne Brochet). Banished from the house he continues to learn the master's secrets hiding under the rehearsal shed. He abandons the young woman after she gets pregnant and choses a life of privilge at court leaving her devastated and eventually bedridden and a suicide. This is a sad film with a heavy air of melancholia hanging over the characters punctuated by soaring musical interludes which lift the spirit. Winner of 7 Cesar awards for best picture, Corneau's sublime direction, Anne Brochet's heartrending performance, the music score, cinematography, costumes and for sound design. Marielle was nominated for his outstanding lead performance as was young Depardieu in his film debut who here worked for the first time on screen with his legendary father with both actors playing the same character but at different time spans in the film.

After the Sunset (Brett Ratner, 2004) 5/10

While this is nowhere near Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" it tries to channel that classic film's breezy charm. The location here is equally solid - Bahamas as a substitute for the South of France - and a cast that seems game going through the motions. A relentless FBI agent (Woody Harrelson) is in hot pursuit of a jewel thief (Pierce Brosnan) and his sexy girlfriend (Salma Hayak) who have time and again eluded capture. Now retired on an exotic island the thief is persuaded by the local Bahamian gangster (Don Cheadle) to go into partnership with him and steal a large diamond which is currently on exhibit on a highly guarded yacht out on the ocean. The agent teams up with a local cop (Naomie Harris) to try and foil the robbery. This is absolute fluff and a pleasant time pass with beautiful people - Hayak and her plunging neckline, exposing her ample décolletage, is one of the consistently exotic highlights on view - along with sun drenched beaches and a plug in for the Atlantis Resort Hotel on the island where most of the action takes place. This was Brosnan's first film right after being booted off the Bond franchise. Notwithstanding the clichés and potholes in the plot think of it as a two-hour vacation involving scuba diving and a jewel robbery while sipping alcohol tinged fruity drinks from an umbrella-adorned martini glass.

Outlaw King (David Mackenzie, 2018) 6/10

More than its historical lesson this film celebrates the spectacular Scottish scenery as the camera takes in the majesterial landscape where the drama takes place. In 1304 Scottish rebel leader, Robert Bruce (Chris Pines), crowns himself king and takes on the mighty English army under King Edward I (Stephen Dillane) and his hot headed son, Edward, the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle). At first badly routed by the English and forced to go on the run with a small group of Scots, the rebel King manages to raise an army and during the decisive battle of Loudoun Hill badly defeat the mighty english army. His english Queen (Florence Pugh) and daughter are both captured and imprisoned. The screenplay condenses the time frame of the story for dramatic effect instead focusing on a couple of skirmishes and the final battle which is shot with remarkable ferocity keeping the audience in the thick of the action. Mighty swords clash, mud-splattered soldiers die in brutal and agonizing ways as blood flies in every direction. This is the first time ever I have seen a battle depicted on screen where horses are speared and stabbed to bring down the riders - an act which makes perfect logical sense but previously never shown in Hollywood films. The screenplay makes Pine a rather dull but politically correct hero who not only radiates goodness but does not force himself on his wife on their wedding night which downplays brutal myths about not only the man but also about the lack of chivalry during that era. Their romance plays out like a Mills and Boon novel complete with romantic foreplay under rose tinted candle light as the King and Queen finally consumate their marriage. Apparently the film's original cut was 4 hours which would have made more sense of the story if presented as a mini series.

[Reza]

Dishonored (Josef von Sternberg, 1931) 9/10

When MGM announced that "Mata Hari" was going to be Garbo's next film Paramount counter-acted by also casting Dietrich as a spy (here called X27) in this her third collaboraration (and second American film) under the "guidance' of her mentor von Sternberg. This creaky early sound film borders on camp but the director, helped in great part by the shimmering cinematography of Lee Garmes, manages to create a baroque melodrama which allows Dietrich to use her dizzying sensuality to make this seem like high art. The widow (Marlene Dietrich) of an army officer, now a Viennese prostitute, is hired by the head of the Austrian secret service (Gustav von Seyffertitz) to spy on the Russians. She exposes a traitor (Warner Oland) and plays cat-and-mouse with a Russian agent (a very debonair Victor McLaglen) with whom she falls in love. Slinking across the screen dressed in furs and provocative outfits (courtesy of Travis Banton) she creates an alluring femme fatale. The film has a justifiably famous ending. Condemned to death for helping her lover escape she calmly fixes her veil looking at her face reflected in an officer's sabre followed by adjusting her stocking and applying lipstick one last time before calmly facing the firing squad. The film was her third of seven films for von Sternberg and they would continue creating more magic on screen in projects that would continue to be audacious in their outrageousness.

Blonde Venus (Josef von Sternberg, 1932) 8/10

Dietrich had played a series of exotic women in exotic settings but here von Sternberg presented her in a new avatar as a devoted mother. She is a former cabaret performer turned hausfrau (a role the bi-sexual Dietrich actually relished offscreen while cooking and keeping house for all her lovers) complete with a cherubic kid (Dickie Moore) and a husband (Herbert Marshall) on the verge of dying from radium poisoning. Needing money for his cure she goes back to work on stage. The plot takes only a few minutes to put Dietrich back on familiar ground as her husband is packed off for a cure thanks to money received from a rich and eager playboy (the impossibly youthful Cary Grant) to whom she returns the favour by becoming his mistress. What would a Dietrich film be without an exotic wardrobe and jewels? And she gets to perform the spectacular "Hot Voodoo" number, dressed in a gorilla suit and surrounded by a group of African women (white women in black face) gyrating to drums. She peels off the ape mask and suit, dons a blonde afro wig and charms the pants off Cary Grant. The plot then goes the route of many films from that era with the husband discovering her new life while he was away, wanting his kid back while she goes on the run suffering through one maudlin hardship after another. But all is not lost because Grant comes back into her life allowing her to dress in drag - top hat and tails, a spectacular vision in all-white - as she once again delights in singing for her supper. The Dietrich magic carries the film helped yet again by the lavish Travis Banton outfits although her close-ups are lit this time by Bert Glennon who manages to make her look exotic even when her face is scrubbed clean as the hausfrau at the start. The magic of the star-director duo continues as von Sternberg puts her through the paces whether she is skinny dipping in the film's opening moments, acting noble and concerned with Herbert Marshall, saintly with the kid or having a fiendishly good time on stage and in the arms of the dashing Cary Grant.

The Song of Songs (Rouben Mamoulian, 1933) 8/10

Paramount tried to ween Dietrich away from von Sternberg and she made this film in between films for her mentor. Although directed by Mamoulian the film appears to have the stamp of von Sternberg all over it. She again has two men who humiliate her, is stranded in baroque surroundings alternating between poverty and extraordinary riches. A naive German peasant girl (Marlene Dietrich), armed with her late father's Bible, arrives in Berlin to live with her garrulous tipsy aunt (Alison Skipworth) and soon finds her life changing with a jolt. A sculptor (Brian Aherne) convinces her to pose nude for him and the aunt pimps her to a rich Baron (Lionel Atwill) who has commissioned the nude statue of her from the sculptor. She is jilted by the sculptor and gets married to the lecherous Baron who transforms her into a lady. The melodramatic plot is full of sexual innuendos starting with her nude statue with erect nipples, images of which Mamoulian incorporates into the plot in inventive ways signifying various moments in her life involving sex - from her innocent frolics with the sculptor to her wedding night with the Baron who twirls his moustache before entering the conjugal bedroom where she is heard weeping with fright. Hans Drier's oppulent sets have an overpowering effect adding to the woman's misery which will also include almost getting killed in a fire and in danger of getting shot by her jealous husband. Dietrich's mask-like face finally comes alive when she gets to sing at a nightclub and when in a fit of fury destroys the nude statue which signifies her innocence and virginity. Victor Milner's swooning camera movements create a giddying effect signifying the turmoil Dietrich goes through from beginning to end. It remains one of her best performances and the film's dazzling visuals are due to the expert direction of Mamoulian who keeps the tension flowing throughout.

The Scarlet Empress (Josef von Sternberg, 1934) 9/10

There are many urban legends about the flamboyant Empress Catherine II of Russia. She was a nymphomaniac and had 22 male lovers, liked to collect erotic furniture and died copulating with a horse. Actually she died of a stroke. How can you resist not making a movie about such a character and of course Hollywood jumped at it even though the censors had their claws ready. That didn't deter von Sternberg from creating this film for Dietrich with his usual over-the-top stylish flourishes. Using Hans Dreier's gigantic sets of palaces, ornamental staircases, gargoyles jutting out of walls and twisty gothic furniture he manages to create a film that not only looks bizarre but does so in a sexually depraved way. He intentionally shoots scenes in tight close-ups or medium shots with actors surrounded by overpowering paraphernalia making them look either frightened or menacing in an exaggerated manner. Dietrich starts off in innocent mode as she first merely reacts to her surroundings and the people she comes into contact with - the young princess from Prussia is carted off to become the bride of Grand Duke Peter of Russia. A series of rude shocks await the hopelessly naive and romantic woman - enroute she is seduced by the Count (John Lodge) ordered to escort her to the Russian court, her name is changed upon her arrival by the haughty Empress Elizabeth (a no-nonsense Louise Dresser hilariously speaking in a flat Midwestern accent) who bids her to produce a male heir and is horrified to discover that her intended husband (Sam Jaffe) is an imbecile with a goofy grin, a mistress in tow and a strange fascination for toy soldiers. They get married but hate each other. Soon Catherine is inspecting the soldiers mouthing dialogue dripping with sexual innuendo and ensuring what she doesn't get from her husband she gets from the men in uniform all around her. Pregnant by one of her guards she thrills the Empress by producing a male heir. The campy goings on keep getting campier - with the death of the old Empress her husband, who is now Czar, orders that his wife be put to death. Having slept through the soldier ranks the army is on her side and gets the Czar assassinated. Dressed in male attire she leads her soldiers and gallops on horseback into the Imperial Palace up the massive staircase straight upto the gigantic throne which she claims. The screenplay is an odd mixture of Marx brothers lunacy and menacing drama built on violence and fear. Through it all the camera gazes lovingly at Dietrich's extraordinary face which commands every scene which von Sternberg carefully designed ensuring his star shone bright in this glorious cinematic kitsch that ultimately becomes a fetishistic ode to his glamourous star.

Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song (David Riva, 2002) 7/10

The life of an iconic star is lovingly narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis and directed by the star's grandson. All the career highlights - the movies, the concerts, her triumphant role during WWII - are discussed and analyzed by people who knew, lived and worked with her. Interviews with her daughter Maria Riva, musician Burt Bacharach, singer Rosemary Clooney, actress Hildegard Knef, Nazi hunter Beate Klarsfeld and director Volker Schlöndorff all of whom pay tribute to a fascinating woman.

The Devil is a Woman (Josef von Sternberg, 1935) 5/10

This was Dietrich's last collaboration on screen with von Sternberg which she agreed to do after initially having a fall-out with him after the disastrous boxoffice results of their previous outing. She plays a Spanish femme fatale in Seville allowing the director to drape her in exotic costumes and head dresses as she flirts, pouts, seduces and extorts money from an elderly government official (Lionel Atwill) who she turns into a quivering mess. She is the proverbial "cock teaser" for want of a better phrase. He warns a young revolutionary (Cesar Romero) who is smitten with her but in vain as the young man also discovers the woman's deadly charms. Dietrich flounces all over the place - there is one great musical sequence in a cantiña - batting her eyelashes and over-acting seductively. Out of all her films she said this was her most favourite because she looked the most beautiful in it. Unfortunately she looks like a drag queen gone to town with too much makeup all over her face giving her a clown-like visage. Both Atwill and Romero act circles around her while she provides a superficial performance made up of facial posturings although this is the first time she plays a character in total control of her emotions with complete sexual power over her male "victims" just like a deadly tarantula. This is a rather weak entry amongst their seven films even though von Sternberg tries to liven up the proceedings by creating a festive mood amongst the extras with masks and a lot of confetti being thrown during the boistrous party sequences. However, the story is too trite and there is little bite to it.

[Reza]

Barton Fink (Joel Coen, 1991) 6/10
Il deserto rosso / Red Desert (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1964) 8/10
By Sidney Lumet (Nancy Buirsky, 2015) 7/10
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (Michael Hazanavicius, 2006) 3/10
OSS 117: Lost in Rio (Michael Hazanavicius, 2009) 4/10

[Reza]

Caravan to Vaccarès (Geoffrey Reeve, 1974) 4/10

Dull cat-and-mouse yarn, based on a novel by Alistair Maclean, is set in Provence. An American drifter (David Birney), wandering around Europe, meets up with a British photographer (Charlotte Rampling) and both are persuaded by a French nobleman (Michel Lonsdale) to smuggle a scientist holding a secret formula to New York. The duo are chased all over the place by a sinister gypsy (Marcel Bozzuffi) and his gang of thugs on horseback in a bid to kill the scientist. Low budget film has a dull leading man and the only thing going for this boring film is a nude scene performed by a magnetic Charlotte Rampling who looks stunning throughout although has nothing much to do. Also there are no caravans in sight anywhere in this film.

The Kid Stays in the Picture (Nanette Burstein & Brett Morgen, 2002) 7/10

Vanity thy name is Robert Evans as this documentary charts his rise from failed actor to head of Paramount studios where he supervised the productions of "Rosemary's Baby", "Love Story", "The Godfather 1 & 2" and "Chinatown" among many other hit films. Evans' skewed narration is a hilarious mixture of love and loathing for himself as he describes winning Ali MacGraw as his wife (star of "Love Story") treating her like a prized possession only to lose her when she runs off with Steve McQueen a couple years later. His fall from grace is equally spectacular involving cocaine binges, flop movies and the mysterious murder of one of his film's financiers to which he was linked via gossip resulting in a stay at a mental hospital. A sharply drawn portrait of what the real Hollywood is all about - a mixture of success, broads, booze, drugs and failure.

[Reza]

BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, 2018) 8/10

Poor Spike Lee has spent his entire career trying to bring awareness (as if the world was ever blind) about rampant racism in the United States. This timely and topical film coincides with the virulent resurgence of white supremacy during President Trump's Administration. The wicked screenplay, dripping with black humour and unbridled anger, takes a sharp dig at the white vs black phenomena in the country. This bizarre, but true story, revolves around a black Colorado Springs cop (John David Washington) who, posing as a white guy, infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan via telephone by pretending to hate blacks and jews. Once invited to visit them he asks fellow cop (Adam Driver), a jew, to take his place using a wire to spy on their activities. Savage satire which doesn't wince from using vicious derogatory words to hit home its point along with a history lesson using cinema as a metaphor - Lee intercuts scenes of the Klan watching with sheer joy D.W. Griffith's silent film, "The Birth of a Nation", with its racist scenes of violence towards blacks alternating with scenes where an aged black activist (Harry Belafonte) explains to a horrified group of young black activists how that film was a catalyst for the Klan to incite violence a year after the film came out in 1915, describing in horrific detail the vicious way people were killed. Although the film has a tendency to preach the story is brought into sharp focus thanks to the superb chemistry and witty interaction between Washington (Denzel's son) and Driver. An important film and a return to form on the big screen for director Lee who proves once again that racism against blacks continues unabated as witnessed during a clip from last year's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia when a car mowed down a group of counter-protesters at a white-supremist rally with Trump openly defending the perpetrators on national television.

Befikre / Carefree (Aditya Chopra, 2016) 5/10

Silly trite screenplay full of clichés is somewhat saved by the sparkling chemistry between the two leads. Delhi boy and standup comic (Ranveer Singh) arrives in Paris and instantly falls in love with French-Indian girl (Vaani Kapoor). The film begins with their breakup and we see in flashback how they met, moved in together, had constant wild passionate sex and then parted. The plot has them then hooked to others but its obvious where the ending will lead to. Ranveer Singh plays an over-the-top brash character (quite like his real self) who has sex on the brain and quickly starts to grate as the film goes on and on and his silly antics just won't stop. In contrast Vaani Kapoor gives an assured performance as the hip Parisienne who tries to help the hick Indian find some level of maturity. Slickly shot film on lovely locations has both stars in superb form on the dance floor but the silly screenplay (with an over emphasis on people constantly smooching and at the drop of a hat stripping and jumping between the sheets) lets it down. This is a major misfire from the usually reliable Aditya Chopra.

[Reza]

Liv & Ingmar: Painfully Connected (Dheeraj Akolkar, 2012) 9/10

Beautifully realised lyrical documentary about the intense relationship between a muse and her mentor. The film takes on the form of a memory piece as Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann reminisces about her time spent with the great Swedish director Ingmar Bergman whom she first met on the island of Fårö in Sweden during the film shoot of "Persona" in 1966. She was 25 and he was 46. They fell in love and it was the start of their five years together as a couple. The relationship began with a sense of awe and fear on her part leading to intense love. She left her husband after becoming pregnant with Bergman's child and began living with the director. As she continued acting in his films she started to realise that his insecurities led him to start totally controlling her which were followed by jealous rages and mental cruelty which she endured. She left him in 1970 but their bond was so strong that their relationship contined as a deep close friendship until the day he died. They made 10 films together. The documentary does not name any of their films but as she narrates the ups and downs of their relationship we get to see scenes of their films which hauntingly (and autobiographically) seem to depict what had transpired in their lives together. Also interspersed are home movies of Bergman, Ullmann and their daughter shot on the desolate island that was their home and to which Ullmann is shown returning to shoot this documentary. This is not a film for people who have no knowledge of their careers. It is about these two extraordinary artists who came together as a couple. Fans, ofcourse, will recognise the film clips and relate those scenes to what Ullmann is describing about their intense relationship which resulted in one of the most unique actress-director collaborations on film.

Altman (Ron Mann, 2014) 6/10

By the numbers documentary on the career of maverick film director Robert Altman. The film chronologically covers all his work starting in television and followed by the ups and downs of his movie career including many classics. The interesting aspect of the film is Altman himself who describes his work ethics and gives fascinating insights into the shooting of each of his films.

[Reza]

Crazy Rich Asians (Jon M. Chu, 2018) 8/10

Charming old fashioned romantic comedy is a fairy tale set amongst the rich Chinese community of Singapore. Poor but intelligent Economics professor, a native New Yorker (Constance Wu), is invited by her boyfriend (Henry Golding), an Oxford graduate and also a professor, to accompany him to Singapore to attend a friend's wedding and also meet his family. She is shocked to learn that his family is filthy rich and one of the first families to migrate from China to Singapore. Her biggest stumbling block is not only his friends looking down at her but she is also immediately rejected by his intimidating mother (Michelle Yeoh) and grandmother (Lisa Lu) who suspect her of being a golddigger and not good enough for their family. The plot is entwined around a lavish family wedding (with a scenic tour of Singapore and a mouth watering montage depicting the street food scene in the city) introducing assorted aunts, cousins and friends with various issues of their own. The amusing (and catty) screenplay makes jabs at old and new money, at American culture and shows old Asian family values and how they can sometimes cause cracks in relationships. The film pays sharp attention to cutural nuances which are familiar to most Asian countries in sharp contrast to Western society. Well acted by a delightful all-Asian cast with Michelle Yeoh outstanding as the haughty and elegant matriarch who has a few secrets of her own. Lavish production is a feast for the eyes and despite characters that reek of stereotype this is incredibly crowd pleasing material and is a great sassy fun-time at the movies.

[Precious Doll]

Senso is high on my want to watch again list. I haven't seen it for over 30 years. Others I what to revisit are Ophelia, Spider's Strategy (rumoured to be coming out restored in 2019), Oedipus Rex and Il Grido. Would also like to see how We the Living holds up. It was restored in the early 1980's and seems to have disappeared to fingers crossed with that one.

[ITALIANO]

Showing my ignorance here. I always think of Valli in The Third Man and Suspiria and oddly don't recall her in anything else. A quick look through her filmography shows an impressive line-up of films but oddly aside from 1900 she doesn't standout in my memory in any of them.

I really should have said that I prefer Winkler over Valli and I suppose the difference for me is that I do remember all of Winkler's performances.

Oh then please do yourself a favor and check some of the movies (and performances) of this sublime actress, one of the best of Italian cinema. The films she made in English - except of course The Third Man - aren't especially memorable, though she is good in those too, and for example she was quite well-used by Hitchcock in The Paradine Case, and was impressive even in her worst American movie, a bizarre mess called The Miracle of the Bells.
But in the movies she made in Italy, France and even in Spanish-speaking countries (she was fluent in several languages) she is indeed magnetic, and in case you haven't seen it already, watch her at least in Visconti's Senso, in which she is at her best.
There's a bad movie she made in Spain (the English title is bad, too: The Night Heaven Fell) in which she supported (!) Brigitte Bardot, who was the big new star of that time, directed by Vadim, where Valli played Bardot's ageing jealous aunt. It's a thankless role, needless to say: a sexually repressed villainess always unfavouably compared with the young, beautiful, free-spirited Bardot. Still, in every scene the two actresses share, Bardot literally disappears - and this obviously wasn't intentional, as the director was not only Bardot's creator and mentor but also her boyfriend back then. Valli's face, eyes, close-ups are so powerful that you really focus your attention on her, and wish the movie would do that, too.

[Precious Doll]

Angela Winkler is a far superior actress than Alida Valli

Angela Winkler a better actress than Alida Valli? Ok, Winkler is certainly a talented actress, but Valli had both talent and charisma - and beauty, too... a rare combination.

As for Suspiria, I actually think that the original isn't crap at all, but one of the best horror movies of the 70s, not a work of art maybe but a daring (for its tima) visual experience. The problem is maybe (it hasn't come out in Italy yet) that Guadagnino has taken it too seriously - trying to turn it into Art, into something meaningful rather than just scary (which Argento's movie still is, in some scenes).

Showing my ignorance here. I always think of Valli in The Third Man and Suspiria and oddly don't recall her in anything else. A quick look through her filmography shows an impressive line-up of films but oddly aside from 1900 she doesn't standout in my memory in any of them.

I really should have said that I prefer Winkler over Valli and I suppose the difference for me is that I do remember all of Winkler's performances.

[ITALIANO]

Angela Winkler is a far superior actress than Alida Valli

Angela Winkler a better actress than Alida Valli? Ok, Winkler is certainly a talented actress, but Valli had both talent and charisma - and beauty, too... a rare combination.

As for Suspiria, I actually think that the original isn't crap at all, but one of the best horror movies of the 70s, not a work of art maybe but a daring (for its tima) visual experience. The problem is maybe (it hasn't come out in Italy yet) that Guadagnino has taken it too seriously - trying to turn it into Art, into something meaningful rather than just scary (which Argento's movie still is, in some scenes).

[Reza]

Suspiria (2018) Luca Guadegnino 3/10

Haha so even the remake is crap.

Yeah, though its a very loose remake at best. David Kajhanich who wrote it keeps the story in 1977, maintains some of the characters and scenario's but adds in a lot more stuff. We end up with a bloated two and a half a film with a climax that pays homage not only to the original film but to De Palma's Carrie (prom scene massacre through a red lens) & Ken Russell's The Devils via a number of characters withering about in some sort of ecstasy similar to those crazed nude nuns from the Russell film.

One of Tilda Swinton's roles is the best thing about the film but her other role is nothing more than a gimmick and unnecessary padding. Jessica Harper is wasted in just a couple of scenes and veteran European actresses Ingrid Caven, Sylvie Testud, Renee Soutendijk & Angela Winkler have little to do though at least Winkler has a decent amount of screen time. It's funny, Angela Winkler is a far superior actress than Alida Valli from the original film but Valli's Miss Tanner is so much more sinister and overbearing whilst Winkler's Miss Tanner comes across as rather weak.

The other aspect of the film that doesn't work is all the references to the terrorism in Germany at the time and in particular to the Baader Meinhof. It's all rather twee as Germany itself during the 1970's and early 1980's made numerous films about these very issues, some of the ironically starring Angela Winkler, and nothing in this film captures or matches the mood of those films during the period. The constant shot of the Berlin Wall added nothing either and likewise contemporary German films from that era used the wall to better effect.

Luca Guadegnino is capable of making some beautiful original films (I Am Love, Call Me By Your Name) he is not doing himself any favours with half baked stuff like this. Of interest is that a couple of year ago David Gordon Green was going to direct this with Isabelle Huppert.

Lucky for Huppert the Gordon Green version didn't go through. She saved herself the embarrassment of seeing such unnecessary clutter amongst her filmography.

[Precious Doll]

Suspiria (2018) Luca Guadegnino 3/10

Haha so even the remake is crap.

Yeah, though its a very loose remake at best. David Kajhanich who wrote it keeps the story in 1977, maintains some of the characters and scenario's but adds in a lot more stuff. We end up with a bloated two and a half a film with a climax that pays homage not only to the original film but to De Palma's Carrie (prom scene massacre through a red lens) & Ken Russell's The Devils via a number of characters withering about in some sort of ecstasy similar to those crazed nude nuns from the Russell film.

One of Tilda Swinton's roles is the best thing about the film but her other role is nothing more than a gimmick and unnecessary padding. Jessica Harper is wasted in just a couple of scenes and veteran European actresses Ingrid Caven, Sylvie Testud, Renee Soutendijk & Angela Winkler have little to do though at least Winkler has a decent amount of screen time. It's funny, Angela Winkler is a far superior actress than Alida Valli from the original film but Valli's Miss Tanner is so much more sinister and overbearing whilst Winkler's Miss Tanner comes across as rather weak.

The other aspect of the film that doesn't work is all the references to the terrorism in Germany at the time and in particular to the Baader Meinhof. It's all rather twee as Germany itself during the 1970's and early 1980's made numerous films about these very issues, some of the ironically starring Angela Winkler, and nothing in this film captures or matches the mood of those films during the period. The constant shot of the Berlin Wall added nothing either and likewise contemporary German films from that era used the wall to better effect.

Luca Guadegnino is capable of making some beautiful original films (I Am Love, Call Me By Your Name) he is not doing himself any favours with half baked stuff like this. Of interest is that a couple of year ago David Gordon Green was going to direct this with Isabelle Huppert.

[Precious Doll]

The Old Man and the Gun (2018) David Lowery 8/10

Do you think Redford has any chance of getting nominated?

Outside chance, but you never know. He certainly deserves a nomination, its his best performance ever, but given it hasn't taken off box office wise isn't going to help and that he has two Oscars already I doubt the Academy will feel the need to even consider him for a third. The film, though slight, was an utter delight and one of the many pleasures I got from the film was that it was shot on 16mm. Though its screening digitally it looked like film, all that wonderful grain on the big screen. Such a nostalgic piece of a bygone era I'd be surprised if anyone over 50 isn't seduced by it.

[Reza]

The Old Man and the Gun (2018) David Lowery 8/10

Do you think Redford has any chance of getting nominated?