Today’s Post by Joe Farace
There appears to be some consensus among many cinema lovers that there are not many great films being released these days. Factoid: Of 2021’s top ten box office hits only one was not a sequel or an IP project. (Intellectual property is pre-existing property that sees a film studio hire screenwriters, actors and producers to adapt into a film.) The exception was Free Guy and as much a fun movie as that is, the film had many elements and references to IP. I got the Blu-ray of Free Guy from the library mainly because my wife loves Ryan Reynolds. The standout of the film however was Jodie Comer, who was also wonderful in the otherwise unwatchable The Last Duel—no link, you do not want to see that movie no matter how much you might love Matt Damon.
I was surprised to see that Dune finished 13th in the box office sweepstakes. Dune is an interesting film to watch but afterward and after reading the book for the first time I was left feeling blah. The movie looked marvelous in 4K video but I have a sinking feeling this is a beautifully, hollow film. Just because it’s better than the 1984’s David Lynch version doesn’t make it a masterpiece. I really enjoyed aybe I need to watch Dune again
I haven’t liked, really like, many contemporary films in some time although I did find The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent to be a hoot in a kind of Being John Malkovich sort of way. The year that sticks in my head as having several films that I really loved is 2011 and here are my picks from that year. If you haven’t seen them and I strongly suspect that many people haven’t seen two of them, you might want to seek out a Blu-ray and given them a watch.
Lu Chuan wrote and directed City of Life and Death
a 2009 Chinese film that I didn’t get to see it until 2011. While Spielberg’s excellent Empire of the Sun shows what it was like for English and America citizens living in China during the Japanese invasion, City of Life and Death shows what it was like for the Chinese people during that same time and it was brutal. The film unflinchingly and breathtakingly deals with the Battle of Nanjing and the massacre committed by the Japanese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. This is a powerfully, gut wrenching film told in black and white that might open the eyes of American viewers not familiar with China’s history. There are several scenes, even those without violent war images, that are so powerful and even incredible that even after all these years they stay with me. No Spoilers. This amazing film is available from Amazon and Kino Lorber directly, who (only) has the DVD currently on sale.
Moneyball is a 2011 American sports drama film that was directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. The film is based on the 2003 nonfiction book by Michael Lewis and is an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane’s attempts to assemble a competitive team. In the film, Beane portrayed by Brad Pitt and assistant general manager Peter Brand (not the real guy’s name) portrayed by Jonah Hill faced with the franchise’s limited budget for players, build a team of undervalued talent by taking a unique approach to scouting and analyzing players. This is a perfectly executed Hollywood sports film that is truly “inside baseball” and raises the bar for any future movie about sports—particularly baseball. In Moneyball, Brad Pitt delivers his best performance since 1995’s Seven, which sadly seems out of print on DVD or Blu-ray. Maybe Criterion will issue a restored copy of this truly mind-bending film, fingers crossed.
The Conspirator is a 2010 American historical drama that was directed by Robert Redford and is based on an original screenplay by James D. Solomon. It was the debut film of the American Film Company, whose goal was to make historically accurate films. I think they made one other movie or maybe not. The film mostly tells the story of Mary Surratt, the landlady at a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth stayed and mother of an admitted conspirator, Surratt is portrayed by Robin Wright who gives a hauntingly subdued performance as the only female conspirator that was charged in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Not just Lincoln conspiracy theorists but anyone interested in American history will be engaged by this close up look as what happens after the assassination and how justice was served but maybe not as evidenced by the film’s heart-rending ending. The Conspirator has a standout cast including James McAvoy, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Danny Houston and others
Seek these movies out, on disc or streaming. You will not be disappointed.
My review of The Batman was anything but complimentary. While writing today’s post I made myself a promise only to write positive reviews about films that I liked. If the film is junk, I just wont; write about it.
You can send me movies—DVD, Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray— to review that can be used in these videos to: Joe Farace PO BOX 2081 PARKER, CO 80134