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Reviews
Burning Secret (1988)
David Eberts
This film came to mind again the other day when I watched the film "Sredni Vashtar" (1981) by British director/screenwriter Andrew Birkin, whose screenplays already hold a privileged place in my physical media collection.
Undoubtedly, there are few works in recent literary history that have sparked as much controversy as Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice," written in 1912, and this short story, written a year later by Stefan Zweig under the title "Burning Secret." So much so that all the film, theater, and TV adaptations of these works have caused great controversy...
"Burning Secret" was banned and its publication prevented so many times that Adolf Hitler and the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda banned the book separately and the film adapted from it, titled "Das brennende Geheimnis, Mutter, dein Kind ruft!," separately.
This adaptation was quite risky for MGM because they actually wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct the film. They both wanted the project and feared that Kubrick, who had already generated great controversy with his film "Lolita," would take things even further with this script.
Ultimately, the film was written and directed by Andrew Birkin, but according to him, there was never a comfortable working environment on set due to the constant quarrels between Klaus Maria Brandauer and Faye Dunaway.
He even says in an interview that he made the film with David Eberts, which I didn't quite believe, but later, when I saw his videos with Hans Zimmer, I did...
This film and all the adaptations of this book are very underrated because MGM doesn't have the guts to release these films today.
Emporte-moi (1999)
Underrated
"Hanna: My father is Jewish, my mother is Catholic... Judaism is passed down through the mother, so I'm not Jewish... Catholicism is passed down through the father, so I'm not Catholic either.
Teacher: Okay, I'll register you as Catholic for school."
Religion, if not religion, then the state, if not the state, then society... Down to its smallest cell... The molds they try to force us into and the labels given to us without asking our opinion...
The year is 1963 (nothing has changed today), and Hanna is growing up in Montreal. She just had her first period, which makes her life even more complicated than it already is. Also, they have no money at home because her father, the breadwinner, is a penniless writer and a Holocaust survivor. Hanna has a difficult relationship with her father and her mother, who provides the income. Hanna is also an outsider at school, an immigrant. Jean-Luc Godard's film "Vivre sa vie" is her way of escaping the world... Today, people ask me how I watch so many films... That's exactly how; when I was a child, a teenager, I was constantly listening to music and watching films to escape reality...
Despite being made in '99, the greatest success of "Emporte-moi" is that it manages to give the feeling of being a film from the 60s, the time in which its story takes place... Director Léa Pool, herself a stateless person born in Switzerland and teaching film at the Université du Québec à Montréal, has surely added biographical touches to the script.
The film is quite underrated because Roger Ebert, in his usual cantankerous manner, mercilessly criticized the film, and therefore the film was announced as Canada's Academy Award nominee for Best International Feature Film at the 72nd Academy Awards but was not nominated...
I am reminded once again why I don't care about those microorganisms called film critics.
The Rocking Horse Winner (1949)
John Howard Davie... Not Oliver!!!
There are actually a lot of short film adaptations of this short story by D. H. Lawrence, some even featuring legendary actors like Gabriel Byrne. Ironically, the best-known and most respected adaptation of this short story is not a short film.
Although this is the only noteworthy film of his cinematic career, Anthony Pelissier was actually a director who wrote quite "creepy" screenplays. And we can see traces of that here.
In the lead role is John Howard Davies, who made history playing Oliver in the best-known and most beloved version of "Oliver Twist" and later became a director. Davies, presumably because he is British and was introduced to Lawrence's works in school, seems to have understood the story tremendously well and delivered a very good performance.
The Rocking Horse Winner (1997)
Michael Almereyda
''A gambler comes to live with his sister and discovers his young nephew can predict the winner of horse races by riding on his rocking horse.''
Very 90s and more or less keeps the same story beats as the D. H Lawrence short story.
Director Michael Almereyda shot this famous short story by D. H. Lawrence entirely independently with a Fisher-Price PixelVision 2000 camera. That is, with a toy camera... And this short film stars Eric Stoltz, no less... It's mind-boggling. Even stranger is that I came across this film in the extras on the DVD release of the 1949 adaptation of the same short story. I have a bunch of Michael Almereyda DVDs, but it's not on any of them... peculiar.
Le temps du loup (2003)
Haneke
This is one of Haneke's most masterful works, which I had the opportunity to see in Istanbul thanks to Filmekimi 2003 after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The festival's website at the time described the film as follows: "Setting a slow, unhurried pace, the film allows viewers time to truly absorb the cold and bleak atmosphere. A dark, relentless work that will shake you out of your comfortable seats."
I'm always excited to watch a Haneke film, to await its release, and this one even starred Isabelle Huppert... My excitement was doubled.
At the time, the film failed to please any audience at any festival in the world, including Cannes and Filmekimi. As I recall, a director like Haneke was even booed at Cannes. This time, the characteristic feature inherited from the French New Wave, "take a slice of life and present it to the viewer in a simple way, without excitement, tension, or expense," is presented as an answer to the question, "If the end of the world comes, how can it be told in this way?" Considering how subjects like "the end of the world, the end of everything, doomsday," which are frequently dealt with in Hollywood, are conveyed to the audience, I believe Haneke should be applauded for creating a beautiful alternative with the idea of filming this issue from the perspective of a French filmmaker (although he is actually of Austrian origin).
He is the best narrator of his own stories, and the story of this film has told itself as much as one person can tell another. It is devoid of unnecessary dialogue; dramatic expressions and dialogues play a repulsive role that will prevent the viewer from reaching for the off button, even if they are tempted to. The director, who elaborates on alienation, instinctive animality, the will to exist, and all our inner urges in great detail, has come extremely close to objectivity with elements that contain the contrast of all kinds of emotions with various characters, in order not to glorify himself and his views in the film, and has not burdened the viewer with the trouble of listening to advice. I think it is a very successful film, though it may not be for some. However, while very few aphorisms from other films that you are impressed by remain in your mind, you will remember long nature visuals from this film, facial expressions that show you can understand many things without statements and silly aphorisms, and something that continues within you... A family going from the dirty environment of the city to the clean, safe haven of nature. But Haneke attacks this last refuge of people. O mankind, you have nowhere left to run, it is time to question the system. Now you will either experience disappointments, hopelessness, death, in short, hell, or you will destroy this dirty system and replace it with another. Yes, it is a gray film, yes, there is more hopelessness than hope, but it is a masterfully crafted film that rubs the truth in the viewer's eyes, pulls it out of their ears and sticks it into their hearts.
A film where what is, is.
Simple, unadorned, far from dramatization, just as it is.
Cormac McCarthy's 2006 novel "The Road" has inspired many plays/series/films; even the creators of works like "The Last of Us" / "God of War" say this without mincing words... I think it's impossible that Cormac McCarthy was not influenced by the cold-blooded story of annihilation in which Haneke, who shattered the family with "Funny Games" (1997, of course), this time destroys society in a clear and simple way, when he wrote "The Road."
2003... 2024 I watched this film on October 24th (I still have my Filmekimi ticket, yes, there were still printed tickets back then), it's been 21 years... In the intervening years, like the character played by Lucas Biscombe, I feel exhausted and want to set everything I have on fire and finish myself off, and in this day and age, there is no one left to pull us out of that fire and say "cry, you will be relieved."
Beshkempir (1998)
Khassan Kydyraliev
When the USSR dissolved, the separated countries struggled to find their own identities. Many of them failed to emerge victoriously from this struggle and vanished from the world of art and literature... Kyrgyzstan is in a different position. Kyrgyz filmmakers like Aktan Abdykalykov (also known as Aktan Arym Kubat), who were trying to find their own cinematic language after the USSR, created a Kyrgyz New Wave in the world of cinema. Yes, due to its location and economic strength, Kyrgyzstan does not have a very productive cinema, but they still make themselves known from time to time.
"Beshkempir," a coming-of-age story, tells its tale in a highly engaging language thanks to the tremendous success of its cinematographer, Khassan Kydyraliev.
For reasons unknown, Noé Production has not restored and re-released the films in its possession, and as a result, many films belonging to this production company, despite being magnificent cinematic works, remain underrated.
Je suis le seigneur du château (1989)
Sussan Hill
The presence and success of the French in nearly every field of art and literature cannot be overlooked... Indeed, the history of cinema and literature would be almost nonexistent without France. Yet, the French are nearly absent when it comes to horror/thriller in art and literature...
In this French film, adapted from British author Susan Hill's 1970 novel "I'm the King of the Castle," director Régis Wargnier, with the help of the cinematography and music, manages to capture that characteristic British greyness so often seen in Susan Hill's books. And he does so without sacrificing his French identity.
David Behar and Régis Arpin play a large part in this success.
The Fly (1958)
Masterpiece
James Clavell, who masterfully adapted George Langelaan's short story for the screen, and the brilliant director Kurt Neumann, whose intriguing films leave us wondering to this day what went on in his mind... Add to that cinematographer Karl Struss, who demonstrates his mastery with CinemaScope, which was quite unconventional for its time. He was known for working with filmmakers like Charlie Chaplin, who used unorthodox methods in cinema.
The film is a stroke of genius... Even Karl Struss was surprised by the result of the film's production.
While the studio expected it to flop with its $500,000 budget, it grossed over $4 million and introduced a legend like Vincent Price to the world of horror cinema. Even when watched in 2024, this film is still a delightful cinematic masterpiece.
13 Ghosts (1960)
Robb White and William Castle
It's no surprise that this film, with the biggest names in Hollywood horror/fantasy/thriller films of the era both in front of and behind the camera, has gone down in cinematic history... But still, one must not forget that many ensemble cast films have been forgotten... What makes this film so special?
Is it the fact that the ghost scenes were shot in color in a black and white film to surprise the audience?
Or was it the studio paying the highest fee ever paid to a child actor up to that time because the director insisted on Charles Herbert, who had previously done quite well in horror/fantasy cinema, for the role of Buck?
Or is it the masterpiece of one of the best cinematographers in the history of cinema, Joseph F. Biroc?
Actually, we can say it's the incredible harmony between writer Robb White and director William Castle... All the other reasons we can list come after that...
This duo did such epic work in their time that even 50 years later, remakes of their work with much better technical capabilities could not be imitated...
I love the black and white era, and I love the horror and fantasy films of the black and white era even more.
Saz Dahani (1974)
Lord of the Flies
Amir Naderi, one of the rare directors to show you films with a sea background in Iran, had this 1974 film of his shown to me in Tehran at a cultural center on a 40-inch monitor from a USB stick... The person who showed it to me said, "This film is Iran's 'The Lord of the Flies.'" Years after the film's screening, when it was sold abroad on DVD, they marketed it that way.
This is a relatively accurate analogy, especially the children's fight for the harmonica, which recalls the conch = power allegory in "Lord of the Flies."
"Saz Dahani" is a very good film and one of Amir Naderi's most important works. Everyone interested in Middle Eastern cinema should see it.
Unfortunately, Amir Naderi lost the mastery of the camera, which is evident here, when he settled in the United States. But his pen is still very strong; the screenplays he writes are magnificent.
The Ten Commandments (1956)
DeMille
In 1923, you make a film adaptation of the Book of Exodus - which, in my opinion, was one of the best adaptations in the history of cinema - and people think cinema was invented for this film, or that this film shows how wonderful an invention cinema is... and you don't say "This is enough." Instead, after making many good films in the meantime, you wait 33 years (an ironic length of time) and make a remake that is even better than the original... As someone who has read the story from its primary source, I can say that God Himself did not tell this story as well as Cecil B. DeMille.
I will not repeat myself by praising the people in front of and behind the camera - indeed, it is not my place to praise such great people - but watching this film again, I truly fell in love with the splendor of the sets. For that time, the actors must have really felt like they were in that era in many scenes.
Hndzan (1974)
Hidden Treasure
Imagine taking the protagonist of a Charles Dickens novel and placing him in a Dostoevsky novel, all while speaking Armenian...
"Hndzan" is an Armenian film from the Soviet era, with Andrei Tarkovsky as its creative director and co-writer.
A train, the unspoken dreams of a child, poverty-and I mean real poverty-a railroad track, and grapes that must be crushed for wine.
In my opinion, Armenian cinema lost its cinematic language after the collapse of the USSR. I wish they would put aside the jingoistic works they are currently producing and return to their factory settings... though there are no artists left who are Armenian and living in Armenia.
It is very difficult to find a decent copy of the film. The version uploaded to YouTube is 3 minutes short and has been redubbed. They also ruined the image of the DVD release by doing an Auto Pan Scan.
Most likely, the original records in the state archives were damaged after the collapse of the USSR. That's why the film was redubbed in Armenian, and this renewal is very evident when watching it.
The way war/politics causes such deep destruction in works of art and literature has always saddened me.
Vegas: Based on a True Story (2008)
65th Venice Film Festival... Really?
Amir Naderi is a filmmaker I admire, especially his screenplays and the films he made while living in Iran... However, this film, in the truest sense of the word, is a failure. No matter where you try to grasp it, it falls apart in your hands. The camerawork is dreadful, the editing, color management, and sound design are atrocious, and the acting is simply abysmal... not amateurish, just plain bad...
The film is classified as a drama/comedy, but neither the comedic nor the dramatic aspects are handled effectively.
That such a subpar film was entered into the main competition at the 65th Venice Film Festival is a real farce. I believe a film about that would be a proper dramedy.
The Haunting of Helen Walker (1995)
The Turn of the Screw
Just when I thought I had seen every adaptation of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," the IMDb algorithm suggested this film to me...
Commissioned by CBS and given to Tom McLoughlin, who was always known for his middling yet distinctive work, the project, while appearing to be a rather loose adaptation of Henry James' work, is actually a rather intriguing and watchable TV movie with a few minor changes.
When it aired, the film was practically buried by ABC's remake of the 1960s musical "Bye Bye Birdie" starring Jason Alexander, which drew 13.6 million viewers, and despite this, it has taken its place among forgotten productions.
Being an American adaptation of a British production, I did experience a bit of a problem with the emotional transition, but this has been mentioned in the comments made about the work since its release... despite CBS and the BBC collaborating on quite a few projects.
Potato Dreams of America (2021)
beautiful cinematic experience
Not since the film version of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" have we had such a theatrical, naive, and heartwarming look at the story of a queer character wanting to escape from Iron Curtain Russia to the United States.
The film is directed by Wes Hurley, who previously spoke about his own life, his escape to the US, and his mother's new partner in his autobiographical and award-winning short documentary, "Little Potato." Hurley was born in Vladivostok and knew he was gay while still living in the Soviet Union. He came out to his mother when he was 16. After immigrating to the US with her, he studied theater, art, and film at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Apart from immigrating with his mother, what a similar life story to "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"...
The fact that the first half of the film, in which the young actor Hersh Powers works wonders, is staged in a highly stylized theatrical production stems from the film's budget, but it also proves my thesis that "a low budget whips up creativity"...
Although the second half of the film does not lack in paying homage to Gregg Araki, it is not as courageous as him and the film's tempo suffers...
Despite everything, "Potato Dreams of America" is a beautiful cinematic experience.
Skyggenes dal (2017)
Scandinavian Gothic Fable
It was Spotify, oddly enough, that suggested this film to me. This is because eighty percent of the music I listen to is instrumental film scores, and Zbigniew Preisner, who composed the music for this film, is one of my favorite composers.
The funny thing is that last year in Istanbul, at Aksanat, I saw a video art exhibition that included two short films by this film's director, Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen. I didn't even bother to research the director's name, thinking he only directed short films.
Norway, and indeed all of Northern Europe, has always intrigued me. As if their isolation from the world wasn't enough, the climatic conditions force them to live in individual isolation, and the result of this, spanning thousands of years, is their imagination... their storytelling ability.
Because "Skyggenes dal" is so far removed from the narrative language that Western audiences are accustomed to, it has generally received poor reviews and low ratings from Western viewers, but it is one of the most successful works of the Scandinavian Gothic fable genre in recent times. Especially the music (not forgetting Lisa Gerrard), and of course, the young actor Adam Ekeli, who carries such a slow-moving film on his back at the age of six or so...
I am experiencing the joy of having discovered a bedside film after a long time...
Strasek, der Vampir (1983)
underrated
This is madness! For 30 years of my 40-odd years of life, I've been immersed in horror cinema and literature. I have dedicated corners in my home and even mentions of my love for horror in my social media profiles, yet I only discovered this film today... Despite it being dedicated to Carl Theodor Dreyer, no less.
The cinematography is styled to mimic the overexposed film stock used for Dreyer's masterpiece. It begins with a narrator stating his conviction that Stefan Strasek is alive. The narrator went to Serbia in 1910 to do research and learned that Stefan had moved... and events unfold.
Stefan's mother, Milena, met and married Count Strasek in 1898. The marriage lasted only a few months; the Count left when she gave birth to Stefan. He vanished, but a messenger regularly arrived with money for him. What I noticed about the shooting style here was that we were locked into a static camera, looking at a very limited set, as though it were a painting that the character was merely moving within (and sometimes remaining still). It was an interesting directorial choice. Indeed, the cinematography was very well done throughout the film.
The film jumps forward in time but doesn't give us a timeframe. Despite having "Vampire" in the title, we don't see a vampire. The cinematography is reminiscent of Dreyer, but as an older character, Stefan reminded me most of Cesare from "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." There are also moments that recall "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens" for the viewer, especially when he's sleeping as an adult and as a child climbing the attic stairs and when his mother is on her deathbed. The acting, as with Dreyer, relies on the actors looking the part rather than reflecting the personalities of their characters.
Despite being a film made in 1982, it hasn't been watched much. From what I've seen in Letterboxd and IMDb reviews, the few people who have seen it haven't understood it at all, their brains being accustomed to the Hollywood narrative.
I hope an organization/foundation or at least the European Union restores this film and its value is recognized.
Nowhere to Run (1993)
Happy B'day Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg
Happy B'day Jean-Claude Camille François van Varenberg a.k.a Jean-Claude Van Damme
-What do Jean-Claude Van Damme and Hercules Poirot have in common?
+Despite both being Belgian and saying so at every opportunity, people stubbornly think they are French or Canadian.
He once said, "I am the Fred Astaire of karate." Watching this DVD again, I understand this very well because Jean-Claude Van Damme doesn't fight, he practically dances ballet... Like Astaire, he glides across the stage like a swan, despite his large physique.
The most important feature that distinguishes Jean-Claude Van Damme from his rival colleagues is that despite being a "non-American", he conquered the USA from the outside and, due to his professional meticulousness in the scripts he accepts, almost all of his films, including this one, receive high ratings from the audience, pass marks from critics, and make a profit at the box office.
Van Damme, who caught a very good tempo with two names like Rosanna Arquette and Kieran Culkin, actually discovered this film himself because the project had been on the shelf for years due to the death of the first producer. As I said, the man is very good at his profession and he also knows treasure hunting well... He practically had a fight with screenwriter Eszterhas about this, Eszterhas even today says "Van Damme ruined my script", but Van Damme said "The script wasn't that good"... The audience, with a box office gross of $64 million on a budget of $15 million, shows that they are on Van Damme's side... Even film critics who are hard to please gave the film a "B+" at the time.
Tomka dhe shokët e tij (1977)
Xhanfise Keko
Despite the fact that many people in my country (Turkey), including myself, have relatives who have married people of Albanian origin, that Albania is not very far from my country, and that there are many common words between Albanian and Turkish, I should be inclined towards Albanian art and literature, but I have no idea about it... The internet and technology should be removing borders and bringing us closer together, but it has made us all Anglo-Saxon. This is very sad.
Abbas Kiarostami is as important to Iranian cinema as Xhanfise Keko is to Albanian cinema. Of course, Keko comes before Kiarostami because of her age.
The film, an elegy dedicated to the resistance of communist partisans against fascists and Nazis in World War II, was produced by the "Shqipëria e Re" film studio and is a very important film in Albania. Xhanfise Keko, the country's only female director, often referred to as "Aunt Keko", has produced a number of youth films that are very popular in Albania. After Tomka, Keko made two more films centered on children: Pas gjurmëve (1978) and Partizani i vogël Velo (1980). She later worked with Enea Zhegu, who passed away two years ago.
The music, composed by Aleksandër Lalo, was played by the Radio Televizioni Shqiptar Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ferdinand Deda, and in two scenes the children sing these songs, which were quite impressive scenes anyway.
Long story short; there are cinemas other than EU and US cinemas, and they contain magnificent treasures like this film.
By the way; I am sad to say that the version of the film that was restored in the US in 2012 and is available on YouTube is 7 minutes short...
Avaliha (1984)
Masterpiece
"First Graders" is a masterpiece. It is a master's thesis that answers the question "Does cinema imitate life, or does life imitate cinema?" with "The two are not so far apart."
Abbas Kiarostami is a genius, this is not up for debate. Although this work is classified as a "documentary", in my opinion it is a complete cinematic masterpiece. A school, a group of first grade elementary school students, and hidden cameras...
Akira Kurosawa did not speak in vain when he said, "Words cannot describe my feelings about them... I was very depressed when Satyajit Ray died. But after seeing Kiarostami's films, I thanked God for giving us the right person to replace him."
Death on the Nile (1978)
Today is Angela Lansbury's birthday
Today is Angela Lansbury's birthday... Actually, it was the anniversary of her death 5 days ago, but I, for one, am one of those fans who cannot accept her death. She was an important figure, especially for those of us who were born in the 80s.
Sometimes the Cosmos mobilizes all its power to make some films good.
This film is one of the Cosmos' great efforts...
EMI Films had achieved great success with the film version of Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and naturally wanted to continue this with a series of films. EMI Films' doing very well at the box office with The Deer Hunter, along with director John Guillermin having just finished two box-office record-breaking films, The Towering Inferno and King Kong, caused Barry Spikings to be generous with the money. Not only was the film shot on location with 1939 Egyptian décor, but no expense was spared in casting, and the biggest names in Hollywood, Broadway and the National Theatre were cast. Promotional efforts didn't stop there, and Death on the Nile premiered in New York on September 29, 1978, to coincide with the sale of tickets for the exhibition The Treasures of Tutankhamun, featuring Egyptian artifacts, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's opening on December 15, 1978. All the press wrote about this in big headlines... Artist Richard Amsel changed the original British poster design for the US market by adding the profile of King Tutankhamun surrounded by the cast with his ceremonial dagger... And it wasn't even an American film...
On the other side of the ocean, in London, a Royal Charity Gala was held at the ABC Shaftesbury Avenue on October 23, 1978, attended by the Queen, Prince Philip and Earl Mountbatten.
Yes, that's exactly what cinema used to be like.
Now, what saddens me the most when I watch this DVD is that almost all of this cast, all of whom I love, have passed away.
The memories of our childhood, the memories of our adolescence are slowly starting to turn into a graveyard...
The Sheltering Sky (1990)
Masterpiece
This here picture show, based on the 1949 novel by Paul Bowles (who even makes a cameo appearance!), sticks to the main themes of the book, but it takes its own path when it comes to the story. Now, this picture's a real litmus test for me. If someone doesn't take a liking to it, well, I can't say I put much stock in their opinions.
The book, it's mostly about a fella and his allegorical connection to the Sahara. But the picture, it's about two folks who give themselves to each other physically, but keep their souls hidden away, and how that ties into the whole desert allegory.
Of all of Bertolucci's "Oriental" trilogy, this here's my favorite, I reckon. Unlike the book, the film was released in Turkey with the title "Tea in the Desert," taken from a chapter in the book, and it even inspired some folks to write songs about it.
Debra Winger and John Malkovich, they give top-notch performances, and Vittorio Storaro's cinematography is a masterpiece. And Ryuichi Sakamoto's score, it just adds to the whole atmosphere.
It's a real thrill to revisit a picture after all these years and notice things you missed the first time around. For instance, I plumb forgot that Campbell Scott and Timothy Spall were in this film. They were both so young and full of talent back then.
Daddy's Head (2024)
Rupert Turnbull
Now, I always say, it ain't about a picture show havin' a story that's been told before. What matters is how they tell it. Pictures, they're all about spinning a yarn, see? It's a tradition passed down from our ancestors, gatherin' 'round a fire in them caves, tellin' tales and paintin' on the walls.
And that's where director/writer Benjamin Barfoot, he shows his stuff. "Daddy's Head," it ain't the first picture to tell this kind of story, and it don't pretend to be. But the way Barfoot handles it, with his camerawork and set design and sound, it's like he's pieced together a masterpiece outta bits and pieces. And the result, it's a picture that keeps you hooked from the first flicker to the last.
Now, gotta give credit where credit's due. Young Rupert Turnbull, he's a real find. Been trainin' himself since he was five years old, they say, on TV, in pictures, even on the stage at the National Theatre. There's scenes in this picture where he carries the whole thing on his shoulders.
This film, it follows in the footsteps of "The Babadook" and "Under the Skin," and does a mighty fine job of it. It's proof that SHUDDER, they're still churnin' out quality pictures to keep us entertained this year.
One of these days, I'm gonna buy myself an island and call it SHUDDER Island, and I'm gonna have SHUDDER pictures playin' there 24/7.
Hold Your Breath (2024)
Hulu...
The picture starts off by telling us, plain as day, "This here story takes place in 1930s Oklahoma." That's the heart of it, see?
The Great Depression, dust storms so bad they got the government to set up a whole department for 'em, a mother and her daughters left high and dry in a place that's more dustbowl than anything else, and to top it all off, Sarah Catharine Paulson herself.
Now, Karrie Crouse, she wrote this psychological horror-thriller script over at the Sundance Institute Writers Lab, but the directing, done by Crouse and Will Joines, it's as slapdash and out of touch as can be. Why, even that "Interstellar" picture from 2014 did a better job of showing how these dust storms mess with folks' minds. (And yessir, Nolan, he drew inspiration from those times for his screenplay.) But even in Nolan's picture, that wasn't the main focus.
This here film, it somehow managed to get itself shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, but the reviews were so scathing that Searchlight Pictures decided to dump it on Hulu. And frankly, that's where it belongs. No one wants to pay good money to see this in a picture house.
It pains me to say it, but this is Sarah Paulson's worst film yet.
I Don't Love You Anymore (2023)
Daniel Zeman & Zdenek Jiráský
"Juz cie nie kocham" is a right powerful coming-of-age story, a joint effort between three fine countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania. Writer/director Zdenek Jiráský has a knack for letting the pictures do the talking, with long stretches where nary a word is spoken. And the way he uses them phonograph recordings to show how the youngsters communicate, that's a clever touch. We're all glued to our screens these days, that's a fact, and we've come to expect it. But this picture, it makes you think about how we're always itching to record everything, even when we're right there in the thick of it. The film paints a vivid picture of two teenagers, two misfits finding harmony in their imperfections. It's a sight to behold.
Young Daniel Zeman, he's a real talent, and the director knows it. He uses Zeman's star power to take this tale from Ustecky kraj in the Czech Republic and give it a universal appeal.
Now, this picture was made with the help of Sony, they provided their Alpha 7a camera and D-Cinema sound equipment. And the filmmakers, they were smart enough to weave that into the story itself. Daniel Zeman, he's always toting around that Sony Xperia phone, and the film, it's shot in that widescreen 2:40 format, same as what we see on our own picture boxes. And those Sony Alpha cameras, they capture colors like you wouldn't believe, even in the dust and grime of the city, it's like a rainbow caught on film. It's like we're seeing the whole thing through young Daniel's eyes, the way he sees the world with that camera of his, always recording.
Zdenek Jiráský, he's a filmmaker with a bright future, mark my words. Hope to see Hollywood snap him up so he can bring us more stories worth watching.