versiunea 1.3. redux (incl. ROCKLAND & alinland)
Lee Tamahori , rose to the film industry in New Zeeland, from photohrapher, to boom and sound, to tv director, gritty cult fame with Once Were Warriors in 1994...
They called him to Hollywood where he became the director of the worst James Bond in history, Die Another Day (2002).
Mullholand Falls, his neo-noir was a flop but it's worth rewatching.
`There are two kinds of people in this world, those who know who Shane Black is, and those who don't!. Those can dig ;)
NALD
Well Shane Black is back as a writer/director, this time on Amazon Prime & theirs MGM 100 mill. $ streaming extravaganza.
It's a Parker film named Play Dirty (not to be confused with the 1969 André De TothWW2 actioner, the title comes from Black's unfilmed script for Lethal Weapon 2, unseen til today -Black's most proud and gritty work, or so they say ;).
It's based on the Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake) iconic novels started in the 60's. Not one novel but `novels`. I guess they're trying to build a franchise but this won't happen I guess cos' the film is the weakest of Black's career as a director (and that includes the reshot troubled 2018's The Predator).
Mark Wahlberg is Parker, an obnoxious choice. He can't handle the character dark charisma and dry wit, a dangerous man with a code of its own. Stark's Parker is an Anti Hero, Steve Mc Queen would have done him justice. Or Kris Kristofferson. Even today's Brad Pitt cos' Russell Crowe's too overweight...
Robert Downey Jr. was supposed to play him but he backed off, remaining on board as a producer. Not sure even about Downey but definetly a better choice, Parker's before were Lee Marvin (Point Blank-1967- the most menacing), Jim Brown (The Split-1978, the black one), Robert Duvall (The Outfit-1973, the most aloof), Peter Coyote (Slayground-1983, the most unlikely), Mel Gibson (Payback-1999, the coolest, but meanest to his director-check out only the Director's Cut), Jason Statham (Parker-2013, bleh..). I'm not adding two these the two Frenchie freejazzin', Made in USA (Jean Luc Godard, 1966) and Mise à Sac (Alan Cavalier, 1967).
*** (Here's an article on all the Parker films, and none until 2013 used the name Parker !!!)
Back to Play Dirty. Would've been better to play it cool tho. The film itself is a self indulgent mess, combo of action scenes, comedy and VFX gone awry.
Too many characters, too much useless plot, not a lot of chemistry between the actors. Rapper LaKeith Stanfield shines as Grofield, Stark's character that has his own novels. Would've liked more of the Thomas Jane character, and someone else for Tony Shaloub, the guy plays a caricature of the mob boss of a ridiculous corny and cartoonish Outfit. Think a James Coburn, even in Hudson Hawk or Kris Kristofferson (he was the boss of The Outfit in Payback, but not in the Director's Cut !!!). Also for the Latin country (unanamed but it's Peru), some finer actors, plus Rosa Salazar as Zen is kinda unmemobrable and not at all a Femme Fatale type.
The running time (2h03) is overlong and the film loses steam in midstream.
+++The Plus:
Great score by Alan Silvestri, reminionscent of those he did for Predator and The Long Kiss Goodnight (based on Shane's script), jazzy and funk, dramatic and menacing where it needs to be. For me Silvestri's score is a great comeback to form. A bit of 007 Bond-sist swagger, Lalo Schifrin and The Taking of Pelham 123 by David Shire, the percussion points.
Also the opening credits are very cool, 60's like. They were made by Daniel Kleinman who did all the title sequences for James Bond starting with GoldenEye back in 1995. Amazingly he is not credited with imdb and Anca found this for me, thanx ! Her piece on the art of the opening credits is here.
And here's the whole title sequence.
Production values-high -especially the first action scene at the racing track.
The cinematography (superb 2.39:) by legendary Phillipe Rousselot (he's 80 now!), a lot of shades, shadows, reflections, in a NYC shot this time in Sydney, Australia !!!! Rousselot and Black worked together before in 2026's The Nice Guys.
Some of the wisecracks work better than the plotholes and the action. Also there are many references to Black's scripts and films, from the Christmas setting (Duh !) Lethal Weapon (the fall from the rooftop), The Long Kiss Goodnight (the House of Gretchen Mol, the chase in the snow, the scene by the water), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys, etc. Liked the Mark Cuban pun ;)
When you have a 400 mill. $ budget you can make the best and bigger film ever made.
But instead you make a bloated overbearing part 2 to an enuff bloated Mission: Impossible 7: Dead Reckoning (my review here), film that came out in 2023 and disappointed bigtime performing. Keep in mind that movie cost 300 Mill. $ to make. That film was 2h43, this one is 2h49. Add the running times, 'cos basically it's the same film, and it's an almost 6 hours film which could've easily be told in 2hrs.
so, part 8 it is. No more Dead Reckoning part 2 but A grand finale, as they promised to spare us to do more. The Final Reckoning. hopefully last.
3 out of 5, 6 out of 10 !
*the rating would be even lower if it wouldn't be for the impressive underwater sequence and the plane stunt. Remember, a movie star acts and entertains, we don't go to the movies to see them doing superhuman stunts we don't care about. It's called Moviemagic and movie tricks are doing that, you don't have to sell every film you're in piloting your own, driving fast motorcycles. You're no Steve Mc Queen...
a good review writing what I think also in The Detroit News: Mission Failed.
He was sheriff Bufford Pusser, Walking Tall. He was Bond's enemy (in The Living Daylights), then he was Bond's friend (GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies). He played mostly tough guys. Last time I re-saw him in Charlie Varrick (Don Siegel, 1974), where he played a ruthless psychotic killer.
Joe Don Baker was 89. He died on May 7th 2025.
the Show -my notes:
23 awards to go til 6.10 am ;)
It starts with Somewhere over the Rainbow, it goes into the Wicked songs with the freakish Cynthia and Grande.
Conan O'Brian (hosting for the 1st time), is actually very good, natural with a good sense of pacing. With a little help of Adam Sandler and John Lithgow. Then surprise, he sings s a song, “I won't waste time”, featuring dancers, the sandworm from "Dune" on piano doing “chopsticks” and Deadpool.
Robert Downey jr. presents supporting actor and the least deserving guy gets it, Kieran, who is the same in life as in A Real Pain, as in Succession, kinda same part. Nice speech tho, talking to his wife.
He also looks like a young Kirk Douglas. Glowing eyes.
(commercial break #1)
The short animated category I didn't follow. “In the Shadow of the Cypress” won. The two Iranian directors are great ! They just landed in L.A. Three hours ago, they said.
(commercial break #2)
Costume design, no surprises there, Wicked, the first black person to win for costume design.
Another commercial break, # 3
Original script. Sean Baker wins his 1st Oscar for writing Anora. Adapted, Conclave. No surprises here.
Surely The Brutalist and The Substance and September 5 were better choices but I'm happy for Baker.
Commercial break, # 4, man, there's more breaks than show...
June Squibb and Scarlett Johansson present the makeup and hairstyling award to The obvious The Substance.
Then we get Halle Berry to let us know the Governer Ball's Awards (November 2024), from Quincy Jones (posthumous) to the Bond producers of EON, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (who gave a way bond to the sharks from Amazon :() -Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
and then we get a 007 tribute clip followed by a dance extravaganza with a superb Margaret Qualley (as I said before, on her way in becoming a A-lister, after OUATiH, Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness, The Substance, Drive-Away Dolls), in a red dress, then we get renditions of Live and Let Die with Lisa , Diamonds are Forever with Doja Cat, Skyfall with Raye, all in good taste, channeling the originals.
Commercial break, # 5
Nice joke of Cinemastreams, Conan featuring Marty Scorsese.
And a anniversary of Kill Bill puts Daryl Hannah on stage. She looks great, presents the award for best Editing. Again, Sean Baker rocks (2nd award !), Anora for editing ! Deservingly.
Divine takes the stage for the supporting actress award presentation. Zoe Saldana wins. Emilia Perez was here, will she win for International film too ?
Commercial break, # 6
Ben Stiller on stage with a joke stolen from SNL Vincent Price skit (& Peter Sellers & more), present the Production Design Award. Wicked". May the Biggest budget film win. And a film about architecture, nem...
Then on the sound of Sympathy for the...who ?, Sir Mick Jagger shows up. Best Song award. Making Bob jokes. El Mal from Emilia Perez win. Sorry, I couldn't care less. The nominations this year for song were awful.
Commercial break, # 7
Conan does the second Dune Sandworm joke, playing harp ! Sam Jackson (L.) and Selena Gomez (M.) present short documentary film. The Only Girl in the Orchestra wins. Feature: No Other Land. Political moment speech.
Commercial break, # 8
Conan & the L.A. Firemen Dpt. Firemen jokes.
Miles Teller & Miley Cyrus (in Europe Kilometer & Kilometry). Sound. Dune 2.
Gal Gadot, herself a special FX, in a red dress present the Visual Effects Award. Dune part 2 it is.
VO/announcer (in my heydays it was Peter Coyote ;) -Nick Offerman, who's voice is kinda off (booze?).
Commercial break, # 9
Ana de Armas and Sterling K. Brown present the last short award.
Morgan Freeman presents an homage to Gene Hackman. He played together in Unforgiven and Under Suspicion. That introduces the In Memoriam montage I had no clue Fred Roos and Adam Somner. died ..).
Commercial break, # 10
An actor presenter from each film nominated for Cinematography: Joe Alwyn for the Brutalist. Alba Rohrwacher salutes a Ed Lachman in a wheelchair for Maria. Willem Dafoe for Nosferatu, Zoe Saldana for Emilia Perez, Dave Bautista for Dune part 2. Lol Crawley wins for The Brutalist. Fair enuff.
Penelope Cruz presents for Best International Film. I'm Still Here/ Ainda Estou Aqui wins (Walter Salles, Brazil). Another big loss for EP, due to bad PR mostly.
Commercial break, # 10
Conan makes another Russian Joke via Anora. Mark Hamill (!!!) presents the award for best Original SCORE. Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist. Well deserved for a Grand, epic score !
Whoopy and Oprah introduce a Quincy Jones musical tribute. Queen Latifah sings a song from The Wiz.
Commercial break, # 11
Conan: "If you still enjoying this show you have what it's called Stockholm Syndrome".
Cillian Murphy takes the stage for best actor award. He won last year for Oppenheimer. And...Adrian Brody wins his 2nd Oscar (22 years after 2003's The Pianist) for the part of architect László Tóth in The Brutalist !!! The most touching moment of the evening. Brody is entering a cool restricted club. Egészségedre !
Enter QT, Quentin iz in ze house ! Best director -ta-dam, Sean Baker for Anora ! His 3d Oscar, suddenly a small struggling indie director becomes a Monster Superstar in the biz. Phones will be ringing, snakes will be crawling, emails will be flowing, agents will be waltzing around & mirages will be presented to him but I have the feeling he won't sell out. Kudos !
Commercial break, # 12
Emma Stone (who won last year for Poor Things) presents Best Actress award. Aaaand surprise, Mikey Madison (Sadie in OUaTiH) wins !!! Anora's fourth Oscar ! Mikey is 25 !
Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal present Best Film. And Anora wins !!! Five Oscars out of Six ! Sean Baker is also co-producer so he gets his fifth award. Bravo !
And they even finished earlier this year ! Sorry for Demi, that was this edition surprise for me. 62 vs. 25. Baby Jane or All About Eve ? Again the SAG proof that no one guesses is perfect. The acting awards were again different from those of the guild. All in all it was a calm and cool edition with the most indie films in an Oscar race, two foreign directors, and wins for Anora 5, Brutalist 3.
That's it, folks !
Easily the best Danish film in years and a Career Top for Mads Mikkelsen.
Bastarden in original Danish, Promised Land in English, and Bastardul now in Romanian theaters.
It was proposed by Danmark for the Oscars but The Zone of Interest happened...
It opened in Venice last fall in the competition but won only a SIGNUS award.
Nikolaj Arcel's return to filmmaking in his own home after the disastruous Dark Tower (why?..). His previous films in his homeland and Scandinavia were all very good (Royal Affair, Kongsgame and the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
Based on the book "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen. And loosely on a true story. In 1780 and so. In Jutland, the windy wasteland of the Danish kingdom. Captain Ludwig Kahlen is on a mission, to colonize and fertilize the empty fields of Jutland.
It plays like a classic western, epic drama, but done with a very felt naturalism.
Something that got to do with potatos. cartofeln ("decât cartofi" ;). Fistful of potatos. With a cold shiver of Danske cinema realism.
Great atmospheric score by Dan Romer.
Brilliant and exquisite widescreen cinematography by Rasmus Videbaek (Arcel's aquired DOP).
Strong performances all over, esp. by Amanda Collin ('Mother' in Raised by Wolves) as Ann Barbara.
-might be a first year without a Hans Z. score...oh no, he wasn't here last year too, last time for 007 No Time to Die... Last year I didn't even do a soundtracks top.
*****
Killers of the Flower Moon-Robbie Robertson & VA -oh, this would be great to win an Oscar, it's Robbie Robertson's first nomination and it's so posthumous :(
and the greatest and most touching song of the year on a soundtrack, "Still Standing" (this should've been nominated for Best Song but heck...barbisms :()
Indiana Jones 5 aka Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny -ol' ol' John Williams with all of 'em referential Indy Themes
Oppenheimer- Ludwig Goransson -Oscar's favorite.
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The Holdovers-Mark Orton & VO
The Boy and the Heron -Joe Hisaishi-Japan's John Williams returns with a beautiful elegiac score for Hiyao Miyazaki's comeback.
Next Goal Wins -Michael Giacchino
Wonka-the guys from Crowded House -Neil Hanon & Joby Talbot
VA (compliation) feel-good score of the year: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
a 2hr 47 mins part one new Mission: Impossible, don't you guys overdo it?
Every new Mission film (as every new film) gets a longer running time as opposed to Hitchcock's rule about length of the film according to human bladder...
I didn't like the MacGuffin at all, you don't really have great bad guy here and it seems like a cut together melange of action pieces trying to top those before -as those M:I movies are. This one tries to quote/rip-off the original one with Brian De Palma style red herrings, shot compositions, the train and the return of Kittridge (Henry Czerny). New femme fatale is introduced, Venice party rave style reminds of John Wicks, etc. The plot is mumbojumbo (mambojambo?) and we all know it. It's just pretext so why so serious? Well, Ethan Hunt (Le Cruise) is, 'cos he needs saving the world (Again) on its own. And to top himself with another world record stunt, or I should say the much too much publicised stunt that sells these M:I films since Burj Khalifa in the fourth one.
And Tom Cruise it's not getting any younger...he's gonna be 61 one by the time this one comes out. It's his and his only, his sole production and presenting credit, his director attiree, mr. Christopher McQuarrie who only directed a film of his own (The Way of the Gun), before becoming Cruise's main man...(Jack Reacher, 3 M;I and one coming up), scripts for Valkyrie (where they met), Edge of Tomorrow, The Mummy (!!!), Top Gun deux: Maverick. Maybe you remember, this is the guy who wrote The Usual Suspects back in 1995......Well I guess if he's happy with it, why should we be envious;)? As he works in such problematic enterprises (Covid shutdowns, reshoots, rewrites, studio madness over budgets, you know, the usual drill), this is the true Mission: Impossible, behind-the-scenes.
A 291 mill. $ budget for half of a movie...studios (Paramount) can't say no to the Cruiser especially after he saved the world B.O. with Top Gun 2. I'm afraid Part Two will fare even worst...
Odd coincidences: the train chase like the opening scene of Indy V and a Rome central a car chase like in Spectre and stunts on the Spanish Steps like in Fast X or XI, anyway the one from this summer.
Score by Lorne Balfe, the Scott's second film in the franchise after M:I 6-Fallout in 2018. Liked that movie much better. And the score (see here on my top 2018 soundtracks). See ya next summer for Part Deux! No more reshoots I hope;)
3 out of 5, 6 out 10!
Saw the fifth INDY on premiere day -June 30, on a huuuge screen and liked it (it's already controversial and I don't understand the badmouth, never compare with the original trilogy! That was four decades ago...I was fearful to be dissapointed. After all I am a fan for life of the character and his adventures. Less crystal skulls. The film, after a wait of 15 years since the fourth one, was touching and heartfelt old-fashioned and James Mangold did a great job! There are four screenwriters credited including David Koepp and Mangold himself. Probably more hands and brains there. It's a dignifying end chapter, with old wisdom and even bitterness of a lost era. Also a lost era of filmmaking.
John Williams' score is magnificent and elegant (the Maestro is 91 now and came again out of retirement, as he did it again for The Fablemans, I guess this will be his final score...just when you hear the musical theme you get goosebumps, well, I did), Harrison Ford (81 in 13 days!!!, and he was 78 while filming) is THE INDY (the de-aging at the beginning it's Ok as they said it will be, not grand but works here as opposed to The Irishman and other films) and the girl, Helena (his goddaughter) - brit Phoebe Waller_Bridge (Fleabag series) is a very nice female companion, like a version of Katherine Hepburn on the African Queen days, Mads Mikkelsen is brilliant (as always and he made history as the villain in both Bond (Le Chiffre in Casino Royale) and Indiana Jones franchises!, same as Julian Glover...), Boyd Hollbrook great baddie, plus some nice cameos (no spoliers here!). I liked the new kid, Teddy (Ethann Isidore), Thomas Kretchmann ("Spoils of war go to victors"), Toby Jones (Basil Shaw, Helena's father), Olivier Richters-the tall henchman (2m18”!!!), the nice and touching Antonio Banderas part (Renaldo), Shaunette Rene Wilson (an agent like Cleopatra Jones).
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny it's also the longest film of the series (2h34'min) and the first one without opening credits, plus the Paramount joke on the logo, cos it's the first Disney distributed and so forth...also it's the first to have an underwater sequence (and eels!). If you buy the MacGuffin and gimmick in the final act it's cool, if not bummer, and I have a feeling most of the audience won't :(
Unfortunately BO predix not so good :(, though so...the film cost 295 mill. $ to be made (plus probably another 100 mill $ for marketing and advertising), more than 1000 people worked on it, at Pinewood studios, in Morocco and Sicily, with New York exteriors, tons of special effects, extras plus the Covid problems, a lot of post production but also a lot of set dressing and practical effects.
Also in the film can be heard The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour and David Bowie's Space Oddity, cos' it's all happening in 1969...there's a small nod to The Godfather and Nino Rota (1st Sicilian shot, done on a crane I think)...
Anyway, I will go and see it again on that huuuge screen! see if it gets better or not, or holds on to my fearful first but now enthusiastic encounter with a dear dear old friend. Well, we've been friends for 40 years...
T B Concluded...
Finnish director (& writer) Jalmari Helander did Rare Exports (2010, on my top of 2011 & here), based on his 2003 short film and the high-concept action Big Game (2014). Took him a while to do his third feature, Sisu (2022), his best to date. Sisu means in Finnish a form of crazy courage & determination against all odds.
The main character is inspired by a real sniper from the "Winter War" in WW2, Simo Häyhä, aka The White Death. It's set in Lapland in 1944, and what better villains than the Nazis? It starts with a lonely man discovering the mother lode into the wilderness (the Ecstasy of Gold), like in the vignette of Coen's bros. 2018's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs with the Gold prospector played by a scrubby Tom Waits. Then he starts a journey western style until he meets the Nazis, here a convoy of bad, bad Nazis retreating (Sven Hassel's style). Nazis in Nordic cultish films were seen in Dead Snow and its sequel by Tommy Wirkola, but those were (Norwegian) Nazi zombies, and in Anders Banke's Frostbitten (Sweedish vampires nazis).
Sisu premiered in Toronto Film Festival last Fall on Midnight Madness and picked by Lionsgate -US/ Sony (intl.) for distribution (Intercomfilm in Romania). Even though the film can now be found on the torrent sites I strongly advice those in for the ride to go and watch it on the BIG screen, it's absolutely worthy, due to the great cinematic compositions in widescreen by Kjell Lagerroos (2.39.1), glorious colors, the sound design, music (could've gone with a song on the End Credits-a bit of Morricone/Leone homage done a la Hans Zimmer in Broken Arrow) and spellbinding landscapes.
Finn Jorma Tomilla is Aatami Korpi, surnamed by the Russians Koschei-"the immortal" . Tomilla was in Rare Exports the father hunter alongside his son, Onni Tomilla, who was in Big Game and here is the tank driver, Schutze. Norwegian actor Aksel Hennie (Headhunters, Max Manus, The Trip) is the very bad baddie, SS officer Bruno Helldorf, he reminded me of a cool younger Mads Mikkelsen, but he probably fares better than MM in the upcoming Indiana Jones V-th chapter.
Korpi is like Rambo in the 1st film, First Blood, and like Mad Max ( a subplot is similar to Mad Max: Fury Road) and The Man with No Name. Surely a lot of spaghetti westerns went into the mix. Helander brings also John Woo into the inspiration for the film.
The action sequences could be from Raiders and Indy 3 (the tank and under the car stunts) up to James Bond-esqe exploits (mostly the plane sequence).
People compare this with John Wick but there is no resemblances, the dog thing was part of Mad Max 2 and so many films way before the Keanu franchise. First Blood is the main ingredient here. Also Inglorious Basterds comes to mind, especially for the structure and lettering of the Seven Chapters (which are in fact classic 60's-70's film lettering).
But most of all the coolness comes from the fact it's Finnish (though I would've loved the nazis to speak German and not English...:( and to cut to the last scene before any lines...much better than any recent fare of this type. I hope Helander will keep on making his films and not become some gun-for-hire in the Hollywood up-and-down hills...So far it looks like it might be another Sisu film or maybe announced and postponed Jerry and Ms. Universe.
The Red band trailer!Check it out and see first if it's your kind of film ride, cos it's hyperviolent and kinda doomy/gloomy in its whole pulpy construction. With a lot of Finnish black humor. Perkele!
Found out after a few days, that Hugh Hudson, the director of Chariots of Fire and Greystoke had passed away at 86. Oh, and Revolution (1985), which was a flop as big as they got those days. It was David Puttnam, the golden British producer who put Hudson on the map. He's kind of the only debuting director (at 50 years of age!!!) to have a a film with SEVEN Oscar nods (and four wins), took home the BEST film of the year (1981 that is), well, Hudson didn't win an Oscar (Warren Beatty won for Reds!), but the movie is legendary and immortal! It was one of my father's favorite films, as he did get to meet the original Harold Abrahams -played by Ben Cross in the film-in London in 1967 part of the first Romanian Olympic delegation there). He was super impressed by that meet and I grew up with that story, then later when I had a film show at the local television station P+ I went with my dad on a show in which he told that story live. Well, the film is famous for the Vangelis score (Vangelis won an Oscar in absentia) and the slow-motion montage, all imitated and parodied, but very original then. All the other projects Hudson was involved afterwards went astray, though I loved Greystoke -The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes-then (1984) it was a mixed bag, but Revolution was the one that iced the cake.
His debut feature was at the age of 50, but Hudson was a well known and respected director, top of the advertising world. He is part of the so-called "rennaissance gang", the Brits that made Hollywood look cool, Alan Parker, Ridley and Tony Scott, and Adrian Lyne. All had their background in Advertising, in the late 60's and the '70's. Here's a TV profile on Hudson, entitled King of Ads, which features one of the legendary Guinness commercials with Rutger Hauer ('Pure Genius').
He directed also Lost Angels (1989), which was in the Cannes official competition, and I Dreamed of Africa (2000, in competition in Un Certain Regard in Cannes). His last film was Finding Altamira (2016), with Antonio Banderas.
In his personal life Hudson was blessed with a special encounter, Maryam d'Abo, the beautiful Bond cellist Kara Milovy from The Living Daylights (1987), became his second wife in 1993. Interestingly enough, he met d'Abo 20 years before, while casting Greystoke for the part of Jane.
Raindrops Keep Falling...Burt Bacharach is no more, he was 94... Three-times Oscar winner, six-times Grammy winner and One-time Emmy winner, he is considered the most perfect Pop composer of the XXth Century.
What's New Pussycat (Tom Jones)?, The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield) from Casino Royale, and his cameo in Austin Powers, together with Elvis Costello...
His partner lyricist Hal David died in 2012...
Multe filme bune la Oscar 94!
am scris despre ele, despre cine cred eu ca sa cistige (si nu cine merita sa cistige) pentru Golan aici.
sau aici.
https://revistagolan.com/oscar-94-2022-nominalizarile/?fbclid=IwAR0pYWDrDBnSqk9gCS2UH4iUXCo6j2tk3OTzqMd6pPVHXjjH3M0wwqy1pEc
The Power of The Dog conduce cu 12 nominalizari. Campion o sa ia. Cumberbatch nu se stie ca e Will Smith cu King Richard. Dune are 10 nominalizari. O sa ia Hans Zimmer ? The Lost Daughter-ar merita Olivia Colman inca un Oscar, poate ia Jessie Buckley...Dan Lautsen la imagine pentru Nightmare Alley? Noul Macbeth? c'mon....Drive My Car la film strain. Sper ca la piesa anului sa ia Billie Ellish pentru No Time To Die.
Topul meu de filme pe 2021 aici.
Toate nominalizarile aici
Premiile se dau pe 27 martie 2022 la Los Angeles. Sa vedem unde le si vedem...
Top filme 2021 (still work in progress...)
***Am văzut 375 de filme (inclusiv seriale, scurtmetraje, documentare, fime revăzute), mult prea puține în sala de cinema.
Nu pot să îmi închei topul fără să fi văzut Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro) și Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson). Poate si japonezul Drive My Car. (vazut both:)
Licorice m-a dezamagit, nu am rezonat cu povestea si personajele. Mi-au placut vignetele William Holden (Sean Penn) si John Huston sau sam Peckinpah ?? (Tom Waits), si cea cu Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), dar prea scurte, soundtrackul, muzica si culorile, dar nu e printre filmele mele preferate ale lui PTA.
Drive My Car e cel mai vorbaret film japonez ever :) si are 3 ore.
UPDATE 2 febr: am vazut Nightmare Alley si da, yes it is !!! Poate in primele trei locuri. In cinema in Ro, din 25 februarie.way toooo late, dudes...Incercati sa vedeti versiunea din 1947!!!
March update: Am vazut si Licorice Pizza si Drive My Car. Ramin cu Nightmare Alley pe locul 1, vazut si in cinema, chef d”oeuvre de film noir (sa vedem si varianta alb-negru) , cel mai ambitios film al lui Del Toro ca cineast! Clasic care va ramine timeless...
Top 5:
Bond 25-No Time to Die-Cary Ioji Fukanoga (desi tehnic trebuia să fie 2020) -cronica mea aici
The Lost Daughter-Maggie Gylllenhaal
The Power of the Dog-Jane Campion (cronica mea aici)
Annette-Leos Carax
The French Dispatch -Wes Anderson
&
French Exit-Azael Jacobs, technically 2020
The Persian Lesson -Vadim Perelman technically 2020
Martin Eden- Pietro Marcello-technically 2019
***
Nicolas Cage award: Pig-Michael Sarnoski
Guilty pleasure of the year: Benedetta de Paul Verhoeven
Fellini & co: ..Era la mano di dio/The Hand of God-Paulo Sorrentino
Horror: The Deep House-Alexandre Boustillo & Julien Meury
action thriller: Wrath of Man -Guy Ritchie
comedie: Suicide Squad -James Gunn
neplacut: Nitram -Jed Kurzel -premiul de actorie Cannes 2021, Caleb Jones)
porn star of the year (has been:): Simon Rex in Red Rocket (Sean Baker)
mențiune pentru accente :): House of Gucci (Ridley Scott)
dezamagire: The Tragedy of Macbeth (Joel Coen)
*
Filmul românesc al anului: Neidentificat -Bogdan George Apetri (cronica mea aici)
si satira anului: Porno balamuc sau Babardeală cu bucluc -Radu Jude
seriale:
Ted Lasso (sez 2-2021)
Goliath sezonul 4 -cel mai cinematografic sezon
Mayor of Kingstown -Taylor Sheridan -paramount+
Godfather of Harlem (sez 2-2021) f/x
The Outlaws (BBC)
Only Murders in the Building (hulu)
The White Lotus (HBO GO)
Diatlov: The Dead Mountain (TIFF Unlimited) cronica mea aici
Halston (miniseries Netflix)
Wandavision (disney+)
Landscapers (HBO GO)
Yellowstone -sezonul 4--Taylor Sheridan -paramount+
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Documentare:
Val
S is for Stanley (cronica mea aici)
Filmworker -Leon Vitali
The Sparks Brothers
Dean Martin King of Cool
My Octopus Teacher
What She Said (Pauline Kael)
Bond 25 e finalmente in cinema !!! L-am vazut si am scris cronica pentru revista Golan aici.
E o continurae directa la Spectre asa ca daca nu l-ati vazut, brush up (in Ro e pe HBO si HBOGO).
Directed by Cary Ioji Fukunaga (SIn Nombre, Beasts of No Nation, True Detective season 1)
si aici:
https://www.revistagolan.com/post/no-time-to-die-last-action-hero
Recomandat de vazut in sala de cinema si in 2D (nu e facut 3D, ppl si aud ca si la IMAX in Bucuresti ruleaza asa dar are si un spectacol 2D, recomand acolo!), mai multe despre formate (e primul Bond care are secvente intregi filmate cu camera IMAX , aici ).
cronicile mele la Bond-urile anterioare cu Daniel Craig:
Mr. Big is no more ! Or should I say Kananga ? Alonzo Mosely from FBI ? Or Parker from Alien ?
Yaphet Kotto was a versatile actor and one of the proeminent black actors in movies in the 70's, like James Earl Jones and Louis Gossett jr. He was also a star in the Tv series Homicide. He died at 81.
His breathrough came after his part in Across 110th Street when he was offered the part of the villain of the 1st Roger Moore James Bond movie, Live and Let Die (1973), Kananga alias Mr. Big. He was also a part of th ensemble of the space crew of Alien (1979) together with brits like Ian Holm and John Hurt.
For some of us, Alonzo Mosely from FBI, his character from the film Midnight Run(1988) was the closest to the heart.
Article and obituary in The New York Times
“One day, when I was about 16, I walked into this theater showing ‘On the Waterfront’ and I saw Marlon Brando for the first time, I couldn’t speak. It was like somebody had punched me in the stomach. It was like someone had crashed cymbals in both ears. I was blasted out of the theater. I knew from that moment that I wanted to be an actor.”
Yaphet Kotto (1939-2021)
The Bond to rule all James Bonds is no more :(
Sean Connery died today at 90. He was one of the most iconic figures in cinema starting, as 007, starting with Doctor No in 1962. The image of Bond continued to pursue him all his life, no matter how much he tried to change or avoid it (as early as 1964 Hitchcock cast him in Marnie with uneven results). His last Bond film was You Only Live Twice in 1967 and George Lazenby came for one shot to take his place in On Her Majesty Secret Service. But the world didn't much care for Lazenby (now his film is considered among one of the best of not the best for some), so Connery came back for one more film, Diamonds are Forever, in 1971. Then in 1983 he was Bond again, the star of the unofficial remake of Thunderball, aptly named, Never Say Never Again. He was absolutely my favourite James Bond, the 1st I saw as Bond in Dr. NO, as it happened that I saw the 1st Bond as my first 007 film.
Sir Connery, grand scotsman, won an Oscar (best supporting) for Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, as the stubborn Irish cop Malone. He was William de Baskerville in The Name of he Rose, played against type in Zardoz (one of my favourite curios which we played at Cinemateca Patria along with The Name...and on his birthday, August 25), The Hill, Robin and Marian (an aging Robin Hood!), The Man Who Would Be King, Murder in the Orient Express, The Wind and the Lion. He was Indiana Jones father in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, one dream made true for Spielberg and George Lucas, and he was the Russian nuclear submarine captain (with a Scottish accent :) in The Hunt for the Red October ! In the 90's he was great in The Rock and his last film was The League of the Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003, as Allan Quatermain. I loved him as Ramirez, the Spanish mentor of MacLeud in Highlander (1986) and he came back for Highlander 2, and his introduction there was great too (in the theatre where they played Hamlet). There can be only one... Sean Connery ! RIP :(
Cel mai asteptat film al anului ? Time Inversion ? Tenet ? Cronica mea la noul film al lui Christopher Nolan pe Cinemap aici !!! Sau textul meu in josul posterului !
*** la Brasov Tenet ruleaza la Cinema One !
Titlul e un palindrom care se referă la tenet ca la un principiu.
ENG--a principle or belief, especially one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy.
Eroul este ”Protagonistul” (John David Washington), un agent secret trebuie să se adapteze și să devină un călător în timp pentru a preveni Sfârșitul lumii !
Cel mai așteptat film al anului ? Și cu cel mai mult secret în jurul său. Mai ales legat de subiect. Care oricum nu se poate povesti din cauza paradoxului temporal, care se explică foarte simplu într-unul din dialoguri, ”e un paradox”. În Tenet, noul opus al lui Christopher Nolan (Memento, Prestige, trilogia Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar), el (scenarist, regizor, producător) crează un meta film de acțiune (și SF) în jurului unui nou concept vizual și filosofic, -Time inversion-inversiunea timpului, prezentat într-un mod virtuoz și ambițios cinematografic. Posibil să fie și să rămînă ca cel mai scump film de autor finanțat de vreun studio (Warner Bros.) vreodată.
Este (aproape) integral filmat în IMAX și 70 mm pe peliculă (din fericire fără 3D), cu nota pe două culori predominate, albastru și roșu. Este un pas (pas de deux) peste Inception (2010), cu care se aseamănă cel mai mult, dar acolo era acțiune în vis, aici e acțiune în 2 unități de timp, la o durată extrem de indulgentă (2 ore și jumătate), dar Tenet nu stă pe loc o clipă și acțiunea se mișcă din Ucraina în Anglia, Norvegia, Mumbai, Italia, Vietnam, în stilul filmelor cu acțiune-caleidoscop pe întreg mapamondul care l-au inspirat pe Nolan. Pentru că Tenet este un soi de James Bond temporal, cu un twist de science fiction. Efectele sunt fizice și nu CGI și asta îi crește ritmul și tensiunea, bătălia finală, reminiscentă de cea din Inception și de On Her majesty Secret Service (James Bond-ul din 1969 și unul din filmele preferate ale regizorului) durează prea mult și devine anti-climatică.
Elementele forte ca de obicei într-un film de Christopher Nolan sunt imaginea (de elvețianul Hoyte Van Hoytema -colaboratorul regizorului de la Interstellar și Dunkirk), montajul, un sound design exploziv și muzica, paroxistică, de data asta compusă de Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Creed) și nu de Hans Zimmer (deși e destul de zimmerească :).
Distribuția e interesantă, eclectică, cu John David Washington în rolul Protagonistului -e fiul lui Denzel Washington, și a jucat în BlackKKlansman. Robert Pattison este partenerul său, Kenneth Branagh este oligarhul rus Andrei Sator, mega negativul cu accent dur, Elisabeth Debicki (Widows) este frumusețea rece și elegantă, iar Michael Caine, la a 8-a colaborare cu Nolan, are din păcate o singură scenă.
Tenet se vede la cinema, pentru că SE POATE. Și pentru că acolo trebuie și merită văzut (amînat din iulie, a ieșit finalmente în septembrie, primul blockbuster de după pandemic). Și cred că trebuie văzut de 2 ori, pentru ca să înțelegi țesătura inversiunii temporale. Asta dacă pretențiile grave narative și mambo jumbo-ul nu te pierd de prima dată. Nu este lovitura proaspătă din Inception, e o senzație undeva de deja vu, dar probabail ca asta ține de paradoxul acela temporal....în orice caz cred că e mai James Bond ca No Time To Die....
*** 1/2/ 3 1/2 stele din 5 / 7 out of 10 !!!
