#paul hardwick

[sheltiechicago]

Worden Park Maze - Leyland by Paul Hardwick Via Flickr: Worden Park Maze taken at dusk using a DJI Mini 2 Drone.

[holmesxwatson]

Hi everyone —

I just recently came across a real life copy of The Secret of Sherlock Holmes script book, so I scanned it for us. [scan]

I have a whole post about the play [here] with lots of links: to the audio bootlegs, the script, the program, the wonder that is Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke and Jeremy Paul, etc. and I added this scan to that post too. I know someone already transcribed the script book and posted it and I linked to that one too, but I had it in my hands and I couldn’t not scan it for all of us. I ran the OCR text recognition for screen reading capabilities and it made the title page just a bit wonky but other than that it looks good. Also the cover is bright orange lol.

Enjoy!

[i-dont-talk-for-days-on-end]

I can't stop thinking about this moment in "The Secret of Sherlock Holmes" ...

[Sorry for the bad audio quality, as far as I know there's no better recording. The script is under the cut below so you can read along, although it's not verbatim. Also be aware, there's shouting at approx. 0:42 in case you get startled by sudden loud noises (like me).]

Holmes is scared and lives under a feeling of impending doom, beginning to lose his grasp on reality, imagining not only Moriarty's presence but also having conversations with Watson in his thoughts ... And when Watson finally arrives, Holmes of course "can‘t say “Thank you”; he cant say “Good night,” can’t say “Help.”" ...

So he asks Watson for a match to have him close for a moment (they are in Baker Street, Holmes must have his own matches lying around) - I think this is the most logical explanation. He craves Watson's assistance, but he does not know how to ask for it. So he asks for a match instead.

Ahhh, I would sell my soul to travel back in time and see this on stage! (Yes, this is a photo from the play - but I have no idea from which scene.)

Here is the link to the full audio recording of the play on YouTube: Act I - Act II You can find the script via this post by @muchtohope ! I also used it for the text under the cut, thank you OP! :)

The mood changes again: darker, menacing, intensified by sound.

HOLMES becomes aware of another presence: the terrifying image of MORIARTY. His shadow stretches across the stage, street lit, in a London mist. HOLMES is alert, afraid.

HOLMES Professor Moriarty, I presume…? (The shadow remains. Silence) When the time is right, my friend, when the time is right…

The shadow moves away. WATSON's voice is heard.

WATSON Holmes? (HOLMES stays perfectly still) Can I be of assistance?

HOLMES Your presence might be invaluable.

WATSON You speak of danger. You are afraid of something?

HOLMES Well, I am.

WATSON Of what?

HOLMES Of air-guns.

This comes as a terrifying shriek from HOLMES. WATSON's voice has been in HOLMES' mind. Now his voice can be heard off-stage.

WATSON Holmes?

HOLMES (with quiet relief) My friend…

HOLMES rises from chair, as WATSON in outdoor clothes enters in natural light.

WATSON How are you, my dear fellow? I've brought you a cake. Mary baked it especially for you.

WATSON presents a cake tin. HOLMES peers inside, the briefest of glances. He puts in on the desk.

HOLMES How kind. And how is Mrs Watson?

WATSON She is extremely well, and sends you her compliments.

A pause.

HOLMES Watson… I think you know me well enough to understand that I am by no means a nervous man. At the same time it is stupidity, rather than courage, to refuse to recognise danger when it is close upon you. Might I trouble you for a match? (WATSON lights HOLMES' cigarette and sees him staring ahead in a momentary trance before he becomes aware of WATSON's presence again) You have probably never heard of Professor Moriarty?

[cinemaslife]

#140 Normal People

Connell (Paul Mescal) y Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) se conocen en el instituto, pero son de dos universos diferentes. Conell viene de una familia humilde, es popular y tiene un grupo con el que juega al billar, bebe y salen por las tardes. Por otro lado, Marianne es hija de una acaudalada familia, pero siempre está sola.

La madre de Connell trabaja limpiando en la casa de Marianne y la conoce desde hace un año, no puede evitar sentir ternura por la chica y eso es algo que a Conell le genera algo de rechazo.

Un día cualquiera, cuando va a recoger a su madre a casa de los Sheridan, Marianne le confiesa a Connell que le gusta, y esto abre una puerta entre ambos que el chico jamás se hubiera planteado, después de unos días, Connell besa a Marianne, y quedan enganchados el uno del otro. Connell le pide a la chica que lo mantengan en secreto y que no se lo diga a nadie o se terminaran.

La joven pierde la virginidad con él, en una relación muy sexual que llevan en secreto, donde se van dando cuenta de que en el fondo están hechos el uno para el otro, pero al chico le sigue interesando mantenerlo en secreto, aunque esto hiera los sentimientos de Marianne.

A lo largo del último año de instituto, ambos mantienen una relación silenciosa que hace trizas a Marianne, ya que no le dirige la palabra, y deja que sus amigos se metan y rían de ella.

Esta necesidad de afecto nace de la muerte prematura de su padre, de una madre ausente y de un hermano abusivo, donde la chica encuentra amor en los gestos de desdén y en la humillación y el menosprecio, cosa que quedará mucho más clara más adelante.

Connell no la invita al baile de final de curso, ni siquiera cuando su madre descubre que se acuestan juntos, y, por el contrario, invita a otra compañera, para agradar a los demás, la madre del chico le dice que es una decepción y que ha estado usando a la chica, cosa que jamás le ha enseñado.

Esto hace que Marianne dejé de ir al instituto las últimas semanas de clase y se prepare el acceso a la universidad por su cuenta. Cosa que descoloca al chico, ya que se da cuenta de que ella le importa más de lo que creía. Y que está enamorado de Marianne.

En una conversación previa e íntima Connell le dice que no sabe qué hacer con su vida, y aunque, es de las mejores notas de la clase, no sabe que camino elegir en la universidad, Marianne le aconseja que estudie literatura en Trinity College, mientras ella estudia historia y ciencias políticas, así se podrán ver por el campus.

Pero llegado este punto en el que pasa el verano y no vuelven a verse, Connell empieza la universidad solo y algo deprimido, las tornas se giran y ahora es él el desplazado, el que se siente solo, y fuera de lugar. Consigue trabajos poco cualificados y esporádicos para poder pagar su habitación compartida y su vida universitaria.

Connell conoce a Garrett en una de sus clases de literatura, donde Connell destaca en los trabajos, pero tiene muchos problemas a la hora de desarrollar sus ideas con palabras delante de los demás. Garrett le invita a una fiesta para que se suelte, y ahí le presenta a su novia Marianne.

Ambos se reencuentran, y Connell puede observar que ella ha dejado de ser esa especie de patito feo del instituto para convertirse en una persona que atrae la atención de varias personas, ya sean como amigos o como algo más. Connell siempre la ha visto atractiva, y en la intimidad la invitaba a hacerse de valer, pero en público se quedaba a un lado.

La tensión entre ambos es tan fuerte que acaban juntos de nuevo, esta vez de una manera algo más madura, aunque no termina de ir todo bien. Descubrimos que Connell tiene ansiedad y lucha con periodos de depresión, y que para Marianne no es oro todo lo que reluce, sigue teniendo problemas para relacionarse. Y le es fácil terminar su relación con Garrett porque es alguien que no le dedica demasiada atención.

Marianne viene de una familia con recursos, y hasta que no acabe el primer año Connell no puede obtar a una beca completa, por ello, cuando llega el verano, le dice a Marianne que se irá a casa porque no se puede permitir continuar en el campus, lo hace de una manera cruel, queriendo cortar la relación con ella abruptamente, ya que se siente inferior a su estilo de vida, ese verano Marianne empieza a salir con Jamie, un compañero que lleva tiempo detrás de ella.

Jamie es un prepotente con problemas de altura, que se cree mejor que los demás y que encuentra en la joven la pareja perfecta para aparentar, Jamie no respeta a Marianne, la trata despectivamente, y el sexo siempre es rudo y sin mirarla a la cara, usándola más bien como un objeto, en la vida diaria. Esto hace que choquen porque son dos personas con pensamientos muy diferentes.

Ese verano Marianne invita a Connell y a un amigo de este con el que está de Interrail por Europa a su casa en Italia, y ambos aceptan. Connell y Marianne mantienen la promesa de ser amigos pase lo que pase, pero las cosas se complican por los celos de Jamie sobre Connell lo que hace que tenga una discusión muy desagradable con Marianne y esta decida irse a dormir a la habitación junto a Connell. Una vez más ambos no pueden remediar, atraerse, pero Connell le confiesa que no puede ocurrir, está saliendo con una estudiante de medicina llamada Helen.

Este nuevo rechazo hace que Marianne rompa con Jamie y decida irse de Erasmus en el siguiente curso, para intentar centrarse. Tanto Marianne como Connell sacan las mejores notas y ambos consigue la ansiada beca, él para poder subsistir y ella para poder huir de su tóxica familia.

La relación de Connell y Helen se va haciendo cada vez más seria, y encuentra apoyo en ella cuando su amigo del instituto Rob se suicida. Rob no tuvo la oportunidad de ir a la universidad, encontró un trabajo poco cualificado y ahogó sus penas en alcohol, mientras se iba hundiendo en una depresión que hizo que acabara suicidándose.

En la misa por su amigo, Connell y Marianne se reencuentran y la electricidad entre ambos es tan evidente, que Helen su muestra incómoda.

Aquí es cuando Marianne decide que esa es la gota que colma el vaso, el Erasmus es la mejor respuesta para alejarse, y Connell se da cuenta de que tiene que ir a terapia si no quiere llevar el mismo camino que su amigo Rob, en terapia habla de todo ello, de Marianne, del miedo al futuro, de que se siente pobre, perdido y agobiado por la vida.

Mientas en su Erasmus de Dinamarca, Marianne conoce a Lukas, un joven con el que no tiene demasiado en común y del que se aburre pronto, pero cuando intenta dejarle, Lukas le dice que eso no es lo que ella quiere, y que él le va a enseñar lo que realmente quiere. Lukas practica el sadomasoquismo, le gusta usar y utilizar a Marianne como si fuera una muñeca, y la joven, ya rota por dentro, encuentra en el papel de sumisa una manera de aguantar la vida. Marianne se deja hacer mientras pasan los meses y está más lejos de todo lo que creía conocer, complaciendo a un hombre que no le importa.

Connell y Helen se encuentra a una antigua amiga de Marianne que se llama Peggy, y que le cuenta, pese a que él no quiere, que Marianne ha entrado en una espiral autodestructiva en el mundo del sado, donde se deja hacer, y que los rumores corren deprisa pese a que está en otro país. Y que Jamie le ha confirmado que eso es lo que le gusta.

Connell está incómodo con esa información y Helen se molesta con él porque le importe lo que digan de Marianne cuando siempre le ha asegurado que no le importa y que son solo amigos. Connell recuerda que en el entierro de Rob sus amigos le confiesan que siempre supieron que se acostaba con Marianne y que por eso le molestaban con el tema y se metían con ella. Esto hace que el chico se sienta como la mierda, siendo consciente de que le es lo único que se ha interpuesto entre una relación real con ella, cuando sabe que nunca va a ser así con nadie.

Conell siente responsabilidad por el tipo de relaciones que ha tenido Marianne, ya que está convencido de que tiene que ver con la forma en la que él la trató en el instituto, como si fuera algo de lo que avergonzarse, y que no era suficiente ni querida. Por eso cuando Marianne vuelve a casa unas vacaciones deja que las cosas entre los dos fluyan, tanto que ella le ofrece pegarle si es lo que él quiere. Aquí es cuando el chico se da cuenta del horror que ella ha tenido que pasar, siempre han hecho el amor, pero ahora parece más una cuestión de poder y sumisión y esto hace que Connell la rechace aunque quiera hacerlo de buena manera, pero ella se viste y se va corriendo a casa. Sintiéndose todavía más sucia y menos deseable que siempre.

Más tarde Marianne le llama, se ha roto la nariz intentando meterse en su habitación para que su hermano no le pegue y la humille, este mismo se burla de Connell por buscar ayuda psicológica y lo llama loco, cabe destacar que el chico abusa del alcohol y le encanta atemorizar a su hermana.

Connell llega y le pide a Marianne que suba al coche, se espera a que ella este dentro para amenazar a su hermano, y de vuelta al coche le promete a Marianne que no va a volver a permitir que nadie se porte mal con ella ni se aproveche de ella. Cosa que hace que ella al fin pueda descansar, lleva años esperando a que Connell entienda que siempre ha estado enamorada de él.

Al fin, Marianne y Connell hacen vida de pareja, la familia de él la invita en Navidad para que no esté sola, pasa los días en la casa de Connell, son la pareja que siempre debieron ser, y ahora que ambos han acabado la universidad es el momento de saber que van a hacer con su vida. Gracias a esta relación, Connell se abre y escribe con asiduidad buscando trabajo de editor, donde al fin lo contactan de Nueva York para que se incorpore como editor junior allí. La noticia alegra a Marianne, pero le confiesa que ahora ha encontrado su sitio y no quiere irse a otra parte.

Ahora que ambos habian encontraod el equilibrio y la felicidad, se dan cuenta de que sus caminos se tienen que separar y entre lágrimas aceptan el destino, son conscientes de que manteniendo su amistad estarán siempre undiso y que cuando la vida lo decida volveran a cruzarse de la manera más profunda posible, quizás la proxima vez si sea la definitiva.

[camyfilms]

NORMAL PEOPLE 2020

I think I’m just a fundamentally cold, unfeeling person. I feel absolutely fine.

[moviemosaics]

The Mother

directed by Niki Caro, 2023

[ratleyland]

I was getting serious cliché 90s action movie vibes from this.

A simple plot/storyline

High speed chases

Lots of guns and action

...but it was still very enjoyable to watch.

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Mother (2023)

The best thing about The Mother is that it gives Jennifer Lopez the chance to play a diffent character than we're used to seeing from her. Turns out she can handle the action thriller stuff pretty well. The film itself is unfortunately more or less what we’ve come to expect from a streaming platform original. It’s well made but ultimately, generic and unmemorable. More content than passion project.

An unnamed U.S. military operative (Jennifer Lopez, whose character is only credited as “The Mother”) gives up her newborn daughter after becoming an informant for the FBI. Initially she was happy to work - and become romantically engaged with - Ex-SAS Captain Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes) and arms dealer Hector Álvarez (Gael García Bernal) but once she found out they were involved in child trafficking, she double-crossed them. Now, they want her dead and no one is safe. Twelve years later, “The Mother” is a recluse living in Alaska when Special agent William Cruise (Omari Hardwick) approaches her. Zoe (Lucy Paez) has been captured by Álvarez's men to draw out their real target. It's a trap, but "The Mother" has no choice.

I can see why the film chose not to give Lopez’s character a name. “The Mother” cares about Zoe but she has no idea how to show it; she’s cold and the only parenting she manages to do is teach the girl extreme survival skills like shooting, trapping, and carving up game once it becomes clear Zoe will have to defend herself from the bad men. "The Mother" was the kind of person who pursued romance once upon a time but now, that’s all gone. Even to her friends, she’s distant. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure what's the cause. Giving up her daughter, maybe? Anyway, in execution, the choice not to give her a name makes for some clunky, carefully phrased dialogue. It’s not the only awkward choice. Omari Hardwick’s character is critical to the plot, until about halfway through when he gets dropped and essentially replaced by Zoe. While it’s an unpredictable turn, it minimizes the human connections between our protagonist who, unfortunately, you have a hard time becoming endeared towards. She came to the authorities and said something when she found a shipping container full of children. Cool. Before then, she was selling mines and guns to the kind of people that would round up said children though, so it’s not like she's fully redeemed yourself in our eyes. Even when “The Mother” goes after the men who kidnapped Zoe, it feels like she’s doing it for selfish reasons because she is so unemotional during the whole thing.

On the upside, you hate the villains and seeing them get taken out is satisfying. The “boss battles” are fun - in a nasty sort of way - and varied enough so that seeing "The Mother" and Special agent Cruise take baddies out never gets old. There’s plenty of tension throughout, particularly during the climax. The story moves at a good pace and it's never boring.

The price you're paying for admission to see The Mother - which is essentially nothing since you're already subscribed to the streaming service - is perfect. It's not a bad movie. It's just not memorable. As an action thriller you can throw on the TV to pass some time, it will keep you entertained. I mean that in a good way. (June 10, 2023)

[vintagewarhol]

[oceanusborealis]

The Mother - Movie Review

TL;DR – A straightforward action film that is elevated by a strong bond. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit sceneDisclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film The Mother Review – In recent years, it has been nice to see many actors have a resurgent cinema career. One of those has been Jennifer Lopez, who jumped back with Hustlers, then…

[rookie-critic]

Rookie-Critic's Film Review Weekend Wrap-Up - Week of 4/10-4/16/2023

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006, dir. Justin Lin) The franchise wouldn't really skyrocket into success for another couple films, but Tokyo Drift is the beginning of that change. For starters, it introduced the character that I most often hear as people's favorites, Han Lue (if we're not counting director Justin Lin's great 2002 character study Better Luck Tomorrow), played brilliantly by Sung Kang. It's also the first film in the series to be directed by Justin Lin, who would go on to direct the following three FF films. Lin's style fits the Fast films like a glove, and you really see the identity of what these movies start to shape itself in Tokyo Drift. The aesthetic of this one, while still of that "hyper-color" sensibility as the first film, seem to fit the streets of Tokyo better than it did for LA. The acting is good, for the most part, Lucas Black's southern accent can be a bit much sometimes, and I'm not sure Bow Wow should be acting in anything, but in a way, it almost fits the B-movie vibe that these early Fast & Furious films have. It's not the greatest this franchise has to offer, but Tokyo Drift is a very entertaining entry that has the best races I've seen in any of the films so far.

Score: 7/10

Currently available for rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD through Universal Studios.

Fast & Furious (2009, dir. Justin Lin) This has been easily my least favorite of the Fast films so far. The Toretto clan is back, but without any of the good 'ole schlock-y fun that we had in the original. We meet a few major players that would return to better effect in future installments, including Gal Gadot's Gisele Yashar as well as the dynamic duo of Leo and Santos (the oft forgotten, but effortlessly funny twosome played by rapper Tego Calderon and reggaeton singer Don Omar), and the villain in this one is one of the better-played and interesting ones in the franchise so far, but the film is so self-serious you even kind of gloss over all of the good things about it because for most of the first half of the film you're just, kind of, bored. I think the thing the creative crew for this one forgot when they were making is that the thing that makes these movies work is that it is, inherently, goofy, and they work better when that is leaned into. The think that saves Fast & Furious from being completely without merit in the franchise is that, like almost all of these early entries, once you get into the second half of the film, the set pieces and action sequences involving the cars are incredibly entertaining. The cave sequence in this movie is really cool, and even though this is one of the weaker entries, that sequence is still one of the most memorable. It's been the weakest film so far, but not all is lost, and it's still required viewing if you want to binge the franchise like I'm currently doing.

Score: 5/10

Currently available for rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD through Universal Studios.

Paint (2023, dir. Brit McAdams) I'm not sure why director/writer Brit McAdams felt the need to invoke the image of Bob Ross in his quirky script for Paint, but he did, and here we are. I mean, I know why, the story is centered around a middle-aged painter hosting a painting show on public broadcasting... and he has an afro. He might be soft-spoken like Ross, but Owen Wilson's Carl Nargle has very little in common with beloved PBS painter: he's selfish, fairly uncaring towards those around him (especially the many women that are fawning about him), a womanizer, and hasn't painted anything other than the same mountain for what I believe the film said was around a decade. I think the thing that frustrated me the most with it was that it didn't seem interested in making Mr. Nargle confront any of these wrongdoings in any meaningful way. If anything, it seems like we're meant to sympathize with him when all of his misdeeds and character faults start to catch up with him. That being said, I think I enjoyed Paint more than I thought I would after it was all over because, for all of its faults, it is absolutely hilarious. It's shockingly well-written as a comedy, and it's a brand of comedy that you don't really see often anymore; almost like a film that was made off of a recurring SNL character (something I've seen many other reviewers say, I just happen to completely agree). I found myself laughing quite a bit at the one-off gags and oddball humor the film dishes out throughout its 1 hour and 36 minutes. It's not gonna be for everyone, and I think as a society we might be past this kind of comedy (not necessarily this style of humor, but a film that seems content to not analyze the actions of its characters), but sometimes it's nice to drop in for a 90-minute sketch every now and then.

Score: 6/10

Currently only in theaters.

Fast Five (2011, dir. Justin Lin) Now this is what I'm fucking talking about. I'm not sure what revelation Justin Lin & Vin Diesel had between 2009's Fast & Furious and this, but I'm forever grateful for it. This one sees most of the franchise's major players coming together for the first time (Michelle Rodriguez's Letty was absent from this entry) and sees the introduction of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Luke Hobbs. I was almost in total bewilderment at just how much better this was in every conceivable way from the first four films. You've got the Torettos and Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner bringing the heart, you've got 2 Fast 2 Furious' Roman Pierce & Tej Parker bringing the humor (as well as Fast & Furious' Leo & Santos in that department), and rounding everything out, you've got Tokyo Drift's Han and FF4's Gisele bringing the level-headedness and cool-factor. This crew together is what makes this work. The action and the crazy car stunts are always going to be entertaining, they've never not been entertaining, and a good FF film is going to be a little schlock-y, but Fast five knew how to incorporate all of the best pieces from the previous four films and inject just the right amount of new stuff in there to make it one of the more entertaining action films of modern memory. The script is solid, every cast member is at the absolute top of their game, and the film just works. I don't think I was uninterested or critical of a single aspect of this, and think that making your way through the more lackluster aspects of the first four films (five if you count Lin's 2002 film Better Luck Tomorrow, which I whole-heartedly think you should) is absolutely worth the payoff this entry brings.

Score: 10/10

Currently available to rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD through Universal Studios.

The Innocent (2022, dir. Louis Garrel) The best comedies have great dramatic weight to their stories, and the duo at the heart of this French comedy/heist film are two characters coping with the death of a shared loved one in two very different ways that often puts them at odds with one another. The main plot centers around Abel, our protagonist, and his obsession with his mom's relationship to an ex-con that he believes may not be as "ex" of a con as he says he is. The back and forth and endless bumbling by Able during these pieces of the film work decently well, but I really think the heart of the film belongs with the relationship between the two friends, Able and Clemence (who is played by the wonderful Noémie Merlant). I normally don't go for the obvious "person falls in love with the best friend of their former partner" trope, especially in the case of this film when the former partner is deceased, but I found Abel and Clemence's relationship to be very naturally and sweet. They bring out the best in each other and they're written in a way that doesn't cheapen their romance or ignore the dead best friend/wife-sized elephant in the room. The comedy has its place and it works well, but it never sacrifices a beautiful dramatic moment for a joke. There is a diner scene between the central duo in which they "act out" a scene as a couple fighting that occurs during the film's climax that is almost more rewarding to the audience than the actual "climax" of the film that happens immediately after it. I've said this in the past, but I will always make time for the smaller, less-advertised, indie and foreign-language films that come out, because often I am rewarded with a satisfying film experience such as this.

Score: 8/10

Currently only in theaters.

Renfield (2023, dir. Chris McKay) How could this not be at least good, right? Nicolas Cage as Dracula, Nicolas Hoult as Renfield, Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz? All signs point to hilarious, and it is. Cage is the true highlight here, and he delivers a fantastic performance as the Count. Not just from a zany, Nicolas Cage-y performance, but from an actual, genuinely, intentionally funny place. Hoult, Awkwafina, and Schwartz all deliver on their strengths (although Awkwafina's performance is surprisingly restrained when compared to her other comedic roles) and turn in fantastic performances of their own, but Cage is the scene stealer. So much so that I think the film could have benefitted from way more of him. The entire film is decently funny, but Cage is just delightful. Another thing to note is that, while the digital effects are laughably sub-par, the practical effects, specifically the makeup done on Cage, is exquisitely executed. There's a ton of good here, and while I genuinely enjoyed it, I think it didn't quite reach the highs that I wanted it to. It's sad, because I feel like the same thing happened in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It's a very enjoyable viewing experience, but I feel like they could have pushed the Cage of it further, although in Unbearable Weight I did want more of that zany Cage, and in Renfield I just wanted him on screen more because he was making an already decent film into a fantastic one.

Score: 7/10

Currently only in theaters. Be on the lookout for a full review of this one later this week.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013, dir. Justin Lin) As a follow up to the actually perfect Fast Five, of course it's not as good. As the sixth installment in a franchise that has no right having even 3 installments it's great. Justin Lin and Vin Diesel really just said "What if we took everything great about Fast Five and... just... did it again?" Except this time Michelle Rodriguez's Letty Ortiz is back and Leo and Santos are M.I.A., also they switched out Elsa Pataky for Gina Carano (though Pataky is still in the film). The car stunts and the espionage are cool as always, and the twists and turns of the story never felt contrived or boring, it was just missing that X-factor that Five had. I'm not sure I can even describe it, it just felt like there was an element missing that kept this one from being as beautifully, effortlessly perfect as Five. I will say this, though, this was the first time I've really gotten sad watching these movies and thinking about the inevitability of Brian's absence from the franchise. Paul Walker was such phenomenal actor and screen presence, and I don't care what anybody says, I am of the full opinion that Brian O'Conner is the heart of this franchise. I know that from the fourth film forward Dominic Toretto is kind of the figurehead and face of the franchise, but to me, Brian is the heart and soul of it. I know Fate and F9 are considered good, but it's going to be a hard sell without Brian there.

Score: 8/10

Currently available to rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD through Universal Studios.

Suzume (2022, dir. Makoto Shinkai) Director Makoto Shinkai is probably the most popular name in modern anime filmmaking (or, at the very least, in the top three with Mamoru Hosoda and Masaaki Yuasa) after the smash success of his 2016 film, Your Name. While his follow up, Weathering with You, was quite beautiful, it couldn't recapture the same magic that made Your Name. so special. Suzume, while still not quite as beautiful as Your Name. is (sorry about the period, that's how the title is stylized), is a step better than Weathering. The animation is gorgeous, as always, the voice cast does an amazing job (I saw it in the original Japanese-language version), and the story is very moving and has a great second act climactic fakeout that leads into an adventurous third act. It hits a lot of the same story beats as Weathering with You did, but here everything feels a lot cleaner, like some of the kinks had been worked out and Shinkai was giving this story format another try. I think the biggest pitfall for Suzume, which isn't necessarily a horrible thing, just something that might just not be my speed, is that there are times when he dips a little too far into the melodramatic. Your Name. does this, too, but the story and the whole vibe of that film kind of lends itself to that melodrama and Shinkai works it in the film's favor. To me, Suzume didn't need it, and the film would have slightly benefited from those really melodramatic moments being reworked as a little more subdued. It doesn't take too much away from the film though, and Suzume ends up being yet another plus in the director's filmography, with yet another amazing soundtrack by frequent Shinkai collaborators RADWIMPS. It's a great time, and I feel like everyone should go see it if they can. Anime films can be more than just a niche cinematic experience, and Suzume is a pretty good entry point for families looking to see what the artform is capable of.

Score: 8/10

Currently only in theaters.

Mafia Mamma (2023, dir. Catherine Hardwicke) [tw: attempted rape] I really wanted to like this. I think Toni Collette is a fantastic and highly underutilized actress in Hollywood and, from the trailer, it looked like it would be pretty funny. Sadly, this wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, Collette was great in it and there were a handful of gags that got a laugh out of me, but overall the film just felt like a mix between a comedy that was trying to hard and a female-empowerment film that felt a tad too insensitive at times for its own good. I acknowledge fully that this could be a case of me not being in the target audience, I take full ownership of that, and I won't argue with anyone that did enjoy it. There is a scene where there is an attempted rape on Collette's character that the men on her Zoom meeting can't hear because they've muted her. While Collette's character in the film does get out of this situation without the help of any male character (which I appreciated), and had a callback to one of the film's funnier scenes from the first act, I felt that the rape aspect of it was excessive and unnecessary. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be played for laughs, but it really felt like that's what they were going for, and personally I can't find the humor in a situation like that. I think the space is wide open for a comedy of this temperament, we need more like it, but there was just something about Mafia Mamma that ultimately didn't sit right with me, Collette and Monica Bellucci aside.

Score: 4/10

Currently only in theaters.

[cinemedios]

'La Madre' con Jennifer Lopez | Tráiler oficial

Mira el tráiler oficial de 'La Madre' con Jennifer Lopez y Gael García Bernal. Estreno en mayo.

[geekcavepodcast]

The Mother Trailer

After 12 years of hiding in the Alaskan wilderness, an assassin has to come out of hiding to protect the daughter she’s never met from vengeful criminals.

The Mother stars Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci, and Gael Garcia Bernal. Niki Caro directs from a screenplay by Misha Green, Andrea Berloff, and Peter Craig. The story is by Green.

The Mother hits Netflix on May 12, 2023.

[spryfilm]

Blu-ray review: “Commandos Strike at Dawn” (1942)

[dweemeister]

On Borrowed Time (1939)

As time marches on, certain names that were once synonymous with American drama lose their weight, even among film buffs. In the early twentieth century, the Barrymore siblings – Ethel, John, and Lionel – were celebrated on both Broadway and in Hollywood, each one making a successful transition from the silent era to synchronized sound. The eldest, Lionel, was born in 1878 and was a Hollywood elder statesman when he made 1939’s On Borrowed Time. Directed by Harold S. Bucquet and based on a 1938 play of the same name by Paul Osborn (itself based on a 1937 Lawrence Edward Watkin novel of the same name), On Borrowed Time is a star vehicle for the eldest Barrymore. By the late 1930s, Barrymore had broken his hip twice – never healing properly. As such, he remained wheelchair-bound for the remainder of his life. Physical disablement, even in modern Hollywood, often curtails acting careers. But Barrymore’s home studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), often had their screenwriters find ways to incorporate Barrymore’s disability.

Lionel Barrymore was also in physical pain and depended on cocaine injections to work and sleep. However, this never affected his acting, as he delivers a wonderful lead performance in On Borrowed Time. Those less knowledgeable about this period in Hollywood history will probably only recognize his surname and the acting family he came from. Nowadays, most cinephiles probably only know of Lionel Barrymore through It’s a Wonderful Life (1946; Barrymore played the villainous Mr. Potter). Lionel Barrymore's role as the somewhat foul-mouthed but caring grandfather here offers something completely different.

Mr. Brink (Cedric Hardwicke) is hitchhiking somewhere near a small town in contemporary America. But he is not interested in riding with just anyone:

MAN IN CONVERTIBLE: May I give you a lift, sir? MR. BRINK: Thank you, no. I have an appointment – a lady and gentleman. MAN IN CONVERTIBLE: Oh, I’m sorry. [coughs] I thought you signaled me. MR. BRINK: No. Not yet...

As you may have guessed, Mr. Brink is a personification of death. A few minutes later, he flags down that lady and gentleman and takes their lives in a car accident. That couple are the parents of John “Pud” Northrup (Bobs Watson; best known as Pee Wee in 1938’s Boys Town), who will now live solely under the care of Gramps and Granny (Barrymore and Beulah Bondi) and their housemaid Marcia (Una Merkel). At the memorial service for Pud’s parents, Gramps donates a substantial sum to the church. After learning of Gramps’ generosity, Pud exclaims that his grandfather doing such a good deed should allow him a wish. Gramps’ wish: as a deterrence local children stealing his apples, he wishes that anyone who climbs up his apple tree will be stuck there until he permits them down. Some time later, Mr. Brink arrives at Northrup grandparent homestead for an appointment with Gramps. Gramps tricks Mr. Brink up the apple tree, trapping him there – setting off a series of developments that put Gramps in a moral bind.

In a cast already headlined by character actors, how about some more? On Borrowed Time also features Henry Travers (the guardian angel Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life) and Nat Pendleton as neighbors, Grant Mitchell as Gramps’ lawyer, James Burke as the sheriff, Charles Waldron as the reverend, and an uncredited Hans Conried (Captain Hook and Mr. Darling in 1953’s Peter Pan) as the man in the convertible.

Elsewhere, away from the camera, one can’t find much of composer Franz Waxman’s (1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, 1951’s A Place in the Sun) string-dominated score anywhere, but this is one of Waxman’s finest scores of his early career.

The opening half-hour of On Borrowed Time are its weakest. Hardwicke’s Mr. Brink has an eerily charismatic first impression that the scenes immediately following it cannot hope to match. Instead of learning more about the nature of Mr. Brink, the film instead shows us some of Pud’s misadventures and his relationship with his grandparents. Strangely, the loss of his parents seems to have had little effect on Pud at all, although his sadness seems to emerge in his contentious relationships with the other local boys and Aunt Demetria (Eily Malyon). Aunt Demetria, shortly after the Northrup parents’ deaths, hatches a scheme to assume guardianship of Pud and attain access to his considerable inheritance. Her designs are so obvious to all that when Gramps and Pud start calling her a “pismire” (literally, a pissing ant), Granny looks the other way when she might otherwise correct their boorish behavior. All of this takes longer to develop than it should (it does not help that Bobs Watson’s performance as Pud feels disjointed, but more on that shortly), even if the opening act primarily serves to show us how close Pud is to his grandparents. Even though we sense where the dramatic stakes are headed, On Borrowed Time almost seems to splinter into another film before we see Mr. Brink again.

In addition, contemporary reviews of On Borrowed Time lambasted screenwriters Alice D.G. Miller (1929’s The Bridge of San Luis Rey) and Frank O’Neill (no other film credits) for sanitizing the language from the original stage play due to the demands of the Hays Code (the self-censorship code that applied to major Hollywood studios from 1934-1968, repealed in favor of the current MPA ratings system). For the record, the text of the stage play was not freely available as I was writing this piece, so I have no means of comparison. Paul Osborn’s On Borrowed Time has only appeared on Broadway thrice: the 1938 original production and short-lived revivals in 1953 and 1991. The play had also been adapted for radio and television.

Compared to those film reviewers during the film’s 1939 release and many modern writers, I tend to be more forgiving if the Hays Code-enforced changes to a film do not significantly alter the spirit of the text. Sure, it would be funnier to hear disparaging language stronger than “pismire” in a 1939 film, but Pud’s and Gramps’ feelings towards Aunt Demetria, the apple-stealing boys, and Mr. Brink are comprehensible in this movie.

The closing two acts of On Borrowed Time draw its strengths from the performances and the narrative’s adoption of fairy tale logic (any film beginning with death flagging down folks he has an “appointment” with is almost always operating under the terms of the fantasy genre). In tandem, Lionel Barrymore and Bobs Watson’s good-humored and loving rapport lift the film above its structural flaws. Barrymore’s Gramps – an American Civil War and Spanish-American War veteran* – is a classic small town curmudgeon, only allowing his bitter exterior to crumble when Granny and Pud are around. Looking to protect Pud from Aunt Demetria, Gramps remains defiant towards the wills of Mr. Brink and the insistent neighbors. Perhaps it is not the greatest Lionel Barrymore performance, but he is always effective.

Bobs Watson, as Pud, is inconsistent anytime he does not share the scene with Barrymore. The explanation for his performance comes from Watson himself: “My dad was the one that really directed me, and I think some of the directors resented it a little bit… I trusted my dad implicitly, so I read the dialogue the way he told me.” His father’s influence results in occasionally overcooked line readings against director Harold S. Bucquet’s vision (MGM’s Dr. Kildare series, 1943’s The Adventures of Tartu), more theatrical than what the scene calls for. But when the scene calls for crying, by golly can Watson (who had a reputation for crying on cue) deliver. And his scenes with Barrymore are beautifully acted, convincingly showing the audience the love between grandson and grandfather.

Sir Cedric Hardwicke, a noted Shakespearean actor, cuts no corners as Mr. Brink. Mr. Brink is aware that, in time, he will keep all his appointments. Hardwicke plays Brink as slightly menacing, always dignified (no one expects that perfect an English accent in rural America), and somewhat aloof to what he probably thinks are childish trivialities and life’s mundane moments. He is the antagonist, but in no way is he the villain of this movie. That belongs to Eily Malyon as Aunt Demetria, a character some compare to Margaret Hamilton’s Mrs. Gulch/Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz (1939; released a little more than a month after On Borrowed Time) due to her temperament and unbending nature. One wishes the film made more use of the always-underappreciated Beulah Bondi as Granny (Bondi very often played elderly mothers and grandmothers, almost always appearing much older than she actually was), too.

Death and loss are two themes currently popular in modern cinema (see: a vast bulk of Pixar’s filmography, 2016’s Manchester by the Sea, 2019’s The Farewell, and a large selection of pieces from any film festival worldwide), but in the early decades of talkies in Hollywood, you would be hard-pressed to find films in which those themes were truly central, not secondary, to the narrative. And when those themes do appear, they appear in the context of fantasy films, like Death Takes a Holiday (1934) and On Borrowed Time. Anecdotally, I suspect the scarcity of major Hollywood movies revolving around death and loss is partly due to the realities of the 1930s and 1940s. Audiences, concerned with a worldwide Great Depression and soon a Second World War, did not seek films ruminating about death and loss and sought escapist fare instead. There was enough despair to go around.

The film that emerges on the back of these performances is thanks to its ability not to concentrate on the fantastical situation the Gramps and Pud find themselves in, but to raise the moral questions that Mr. Brink’s presence – and eventual entrapment – poses. Mr. Brink’s time in the tree results in consequences that Gramps and Pud could not imagine. Gramps’ decision to delay his death for the love of his grandson is concurrently noble and selfish. It is noble in respect to wanting the best for Pud, so that he may live life away from his aunt’s icy attitude and pernicious designs regarding her nephew’s inheritance. But it is selfish in that, as Gramps learns, that Brink’s inability to make any appointments unless he comes down from the apple tree means that almost no living being can die (for spoiler reasons, I am not listing the exceptions here) – even the ones in physical pain. How is Gramps supposed to navigate this situation, in addition to the communal and legal pressures from his neighbors and the police?

A resolution comes abruptly, in a way that devastates Gramps (but would probably make the Brothers Grimm nod in appreciation). On Borrowed Time’s bittersweet ending is deserved, and – as long as the viewer accepts the film’s fantastical premise and rules – will play quite differently for audiences of different ages.

Lionel Barrymore had two daughters with Doris Rankin, his first wife. Barrymore and Rankin lost both daughters in their infancies; neither ever truly recovered from their losses. One wonders what Barrymore thought while making On Borrowed Time, a film that argues for one coming to terms with death, however unfair or untimely its arrival. For a 1939 release (a legendarily glorious year for American cinema), positioning such ideas as the film’s narrative keystone ensures On Borrowed Time a unique spot in the early years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

My rating: 8/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

* Gramps describes himself as having fought for the Union. This might make Gramps close to ninety years old, give or take, if we are to believe the film’s self-professed setting!

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

NOTE: This is the 800th full-length Movie Odyssey review I have published on tumblr.

[boomgers]

Hará hasta lo imposible para proteger a su hija… “La Madre”

Basada en una historia de Misha Green, la película gira en torno a Jennifer Lopez, quien interpreta a una asesina profesional que se vio obligada a alejarse de su bebé para protegerla. Ahora, después de pasar años en los bosques de Alaska, saldrá de su escondite para rescatarla.

Estreno: 12 de mayo de 2023 en Netflix.

La película está dirigida por Niki Caro, guionizada por Misha Green, Andrea Berloff y Peter Craig, y protagonizada por Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci y Gael García Bernal.