What exactly is wrong with the 58 year-old María Corina Machado, who ran in absentia (i.e., by proxy) against Nicholas Maduro in a 2024 president election and won by a landslide….what is wrong with her assuming the presidency in Maduro’s absence? She’s obviously a smart, canny, enterprising, pugnacious, rough-and-tumble politician, and the country gave her … Read more
Yes, darting video of Trump’s military attack upon Caracas a few hours ago and reports of the capture and arrest of Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro, a hulking moustachioed figure who reportedly stands 6’3″, and his elfin wife Cilia Flores…wee-hour videos of this Apocalypse Now-influenced invasion (rat-a-tat choppers overhead, smoke plumes rising hundreds of feet, sounds … Read more
I’ve just ordered Warner Home Video’s 24–year–old DVD of the R–rated boxy version…1.37:1 aspect ratio all the way and no Larry Smith teal infestation.
The ghost of Stanley Kubrick is choking, hissing and sputtering over the apparent teal-tinting in portions of Criterion’s 4K Eyes Wide Shut disc, which pops on 11.25.25. I’ve seen Eyes Wide Shut at least eight or nine times (twice theatrically, once or twice on DVD, the rest via WHE’s unrated 2008 Bluray), and the blue-and-amber … Read more
Posted on 10.10.25, “Elvis on The Titanic” is from “AI in Euphoria“, who’s also (and very recently) given us “The King & Kong“,”The King of Steel” and “Blue Suede Aliens“.
Tomorrow’s most highly anticipated viewing is David Kittredge‘s Boorman and the Devil, which screens at the Sala Corrinto at 9 am. The reputation of John Boorman‘s The Exorcist II: The Heretic was so bad in ’77 that I not only ducked it theatrically, but have avoided even the various video versions. I haven’t even streamed … Read more
Ron Howard‘s Eden (Vertical, 8.22) is a total flop, of course. Nobody wants to hang with a few headstrong German contrarians living hand-to-mouth on a remote island in the 1930s. I would have seen it nonetheless, but with all the packing and preparation I couldn’t find the time. There’s something generally dull and flatliney about … Read more
Bring your own pre-popped Jiffy Pop in a pear-cake bag, and then use their liquid butter machine. And bring your own drinks. Simple. AMC trailer reels run between 17 and 20 minutes. Okay, I’ll allow for the possibility of 22 or 23 if you count Nicole Kidman. They certainly don’t run a half-hour. @cledevon My … Read more
Robert Eggers‘ The Witch (’15) and The Lighthouse were films of enormous haunting power and riveting integrity. I didn’t much care for The Northman (’22…Nicole Kidman‘s excellent performance aside) and I pretty much hated Eggers’ Nosferatu and now fecking Ebenezer Scrooge? What the hell is going on?
My understanding is that the first motion-picture camera sound blimps (i.e., foam-filled housing attached to a camera which reduces shutter sounds, designed with holes for the lens and viewfinder) began to be used with noisy three-strip Technicolor cameras back in the late ’30s. Imagine having to work with a blimp of this bulk…it’s nearly the … Read more
I’ve been saying from the get-go that Joseph Quinn‘s performance as George Harrison in Sam Mendes‘ quartet of Beatles films…I’ve said right from the start that Quinn is the Wrong Guy…a terrible fit in a physical-biological way, starting with his pale freckly complexion and reddish-auburn hair. Ginger or copper-haired actresses have never had the slightest … Read more
Recently arrived Venice Film Festival advice from a veteran journo… “The festival adds two special vaporetto lines — Line 20 and Line MC — that you can use to get from the city to the Lido Casino. They will give you a card when you collect your press badge. This festival card allows you to … Read more