During last May’s Cannes Film Festival I paid no attention to Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson‘s Rumours, and I didn’t hear zip about it from anyone who attended…sorry. Not that this signifies anything in particular.
If You Can’t Deliver a Noticable Bump, What’s The Point?
“Serious NXNW Letdown at Village East,” posted on 6.13.24:
I’ve been waiting a long time to see the much-promoted 4K restoration of North by Northwest, and so I couldn’t resist attending yesterday’s Tribeca Film Festival screening at the Village East Angelika.
I had a reasonable expectation that the restorationists had enhanced Alfred Hitchock’s 1959 classic with a distinct visual bump effect (as in “whoa, this looks better than ever before!”).
This would have been due, I figured, to their having sourced the original 8-perf 35mm VistaVision camera negative with all restoration work completed in 6.5k, and then overseeing the creation of a 65mm negative and finally having Fotokem create a 70mm film print.
That 70mm print was what was shown at the Village East last night, and I have to be honest — it looked very nice but it didn’t blow me away, and it certainly didn’t make my eyeballs go “boinnnggg!” There was absolutely no “bump” effect, and I was sitting there going “what the fuck?” and “why am I not looking at the very best NXNW ever created or projected…not since the waning days of the Eisenhower administration but ever, especially given the 8K VistaVision negative scan?”
What I saw yesterday evening was just…very nice. Approvable. Agreeable but nothing to bounce up and down about on a trampoline.
Vengeance-Driven Mescal vs. Charging Rhino, Baboons
Denzel Washington hasn’t really looked what most of us would call “slender” or “svelte” in a good 30 years or thereabouts, or roughly since his costarring performance in Tony Scott‘s Crimson Tide (’95).
But now he suddenly looks like he’s been cutting out the carbs.
Magnificent digital recreations of ancient Rome…love ’em all.
Farrell’s Penguin Immersion Is Amazing
That’s all I can muster so far. It’s a fascinating, highly watchable performance. I’ve only seen one episode so whaddaya want?
Mum’s The Word
Last Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher contained two mildly startling statements, one from Maher and the other from guest Bret Stephens. They both said that Kamala Harris is probably going to beat Donald Trump. Which nobody on any news network, of course, is allowed to say or consider as a possibility or vaguely fiddle with.
Scorsese’s Exploitation Detour
Martin Scorsese has been directing for roughly 57 years. Everyone has passionate opinions about which films are his finest**, but I’ve never heard a single opinion from anyone about Boxcar Bertha (’72), a 1930s outlaw crime film that Scorsese directed for Roger Corman.
It was basically an exploitation flick with a veneer of something extra.
I’ve only seen it once, and I mainly recall (a) the sex and violence footage, particularly the couplings between costars Barbara Hershey and David Carradine (Hershey told People‘s Karen Jackovich they were filmed “without having to be fake anything”), and (b) the fact that it felt personal and passionate.
Until this morning I had no recollection of the crucifixion finale.
John Cassevetes to Scorcese after catching an early rough cut: “Marty, you’ve just spent a whole year of your life making a piece of shit. It’s a good picture, but you’re better than the people who make this kind of movie. Don’t get hooked into the exploitation market. Just try and do something different.”
Nightmare Maroon
We are truly living through a dark age in men’s fashion. IMHO maroon suits and tuxedoes are almost as bad are those ugly-ass dark blue tuxedoes. Both colors are felonies. There can only be classic black tuxedoes…no variations.
Maestro in the Making
A decent-sounding 32-key piano that runs on double-A batteries. Figuring out how to screw the legs on was mute nostril agony. Verging on tears.
That’s It For “The Substance”
Somebody needs to put this guy into a Substance debate with David Ehrlich.
@bobbydotube Substance starring Demi Moore possibly the worst movie I’ve ever seen in my life! It made absolutely no sense whats so ever! Waste of money and time on top of that? Nobody knew who Debbie Moore was and after this movie, I wish I didn’t know her either you should be ashamed of yourself, Demi Moore.! ##substance##demimoore##worstmovieever ♬ original sound – Bobby DoTube
Ruhle to Stephens: “When You Move to Nirvana…”
“…give me your real estate broker’s number…we don’t live there.”
Real clarity here from @SRuhle
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) September 21, 2024
Weakest Oscar Year in Decades?
I haven’t yet seen The Brutalist or Joker: Folie a Deux, and my fingers are crossed for A Complete Unknown…go, James Mangold and Timothee Chalamet!
But there’s no question that Anora, Conclave, All We Imagine As Light and A Real Pain are first-rate knockouts and likely Best Picture nominees.
So if you want to think hopefully or liberally that’s seven that appear likely to make the cut early next year. Okay, eight if you include the better-than-decent Emilia Perez, which has nonetheless been overpraised by the whoo-whoo brigade.
I’ve no faith in Gladiator II, certainly not with the dreaded Paul Mescal in the lead. It’s my humble opinion that Ridley Scott’s peak years are behind him.
Yes, I admired Dune: Part Two but let’s not get carried away.
A formidable cinema year always has at least 15 if not 20 films that qualify as very good to excellent. As I’ve just indicated, it’s a push to name more than ten 2024 films that make the grade.
Forget The Substance. It’s a passable Cronenbergian social-satire horror flick, but guys like David Ehrlich need to calm down.
2007 boasted 25 top-of-the-liners. 1971 saw the release of 27 grade-A releases, and 55 if you want to be gracious about it. Face it — ‘24 has proved to be a weak sister.
