Icarus
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| 80 58% | Marketa Lazarová (1967) - Mar 15, 2023
"The visuals are exquisite, sharply rendered, with thoughtful use of depth of field and mise en scene. Choral pieces throughout were outstanding as a counterpoint to what we see. I also appreciated the overall flow of the action, seeing as it narrates the coming of Christianity into a pagan region--the Christians suffer while the pagans (at least some of them) are humanized. All that said, the film is so ponderously slow, so I have for it more of an appreciation than a genuine enthusiasm."
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| 60 27% | The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - Mar 10, 2023
"A mixed bag. There are some *very* funny moments in this--laugh out loud moments that Lubitsch cuts and plays just right. Also, Colbert's character arc is fantastic, especially because it plays out in an unexpected way. Lubitsch holds her last shot for a few extra beats--magnificent. It's the other side of the movie, the arcs of Chevalier and Hopkins, that struggles in its conception. At best, this element of the film is terribly dated. At worst, it's flat out degrading."
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| 50 14% | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - Mar 10, 2023
"There is just so much wrong with this entire project. With Bilbo as the story's protagonist, I find it startling how little he has to do here. So much bluster and connecting to LOTR and orcs and please tell me how one makes the barrel sequence as feeble as this is. Also, the majority of the dwarves lack all personality, which I cannot understand after six hours and so little Bilbo."
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| 40 8% | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) - Mar 07, 2023
"It took me 11 years for a reason, I guess. The film is bloated, cliche-ridden, and, honestly, just boring. I liked a few things--the songs (!), riddles in the dark, Cate Blanchett, and the design of the goblin kingdom. But just about everything else felt uninspired and ho hum. I'll probably finish the series at this point, as my kids are watching."
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| 60 27% | The Social Dilemma (2020) - Mar 05, 2023
"It's fine. Not much new here that I didn't already know. And I really didn't like the "end of civilization" escalation at the end of this. But I do agree that social media is a major problem."
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| 85 79% | The Goat (1921) - Mar 05, 2023
"Good times--some pretty good action beginning to end. Love the mannequin gag, nice action as well (trapping the cops in the van)."
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| 70 41% | Hard Luck (1921) - Mar 05, 2023
"Some funny setups--loved the fish gag--but is overall a mishmash of oddities that don't really fit together."
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| 75 49% | Twentieth Century (1934) - Feb 25, 2023
"I can appreciate what Hawks is going for here--these people are insufferable. He portrays them well, but I also struggle to find any joy in it. I do find the supporting characters more interesting as they try to navigate the world of the two self-absorbed leads. It's probably best that the two leads don't really advance, but it's hard not to tire of their infantile antics."
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| 84 75% | Ball of Fire (1941) - Feb 23, 2023
"Great stuff from Hawks. Stanwyck is playing a version of her better-known character from The Lady Eve (Pottsy-Hopsy, anyone?), but she is delightful throughout. Loved the matchbox number, as well as the emotional Sweet Genevieve. And I appreciate the way the group of professors hang together, as the ostensible star in Cooper ends up blending into the group. Some might see that as a fault (maybe it is) but it works so well to undergird the community that forms the foundation of this story."
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| 80 58% | The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) - Feb 19, 2023
"Pretty great atmospheric thriller that handles its material with an impressive directness. The streets and alleys present Edinburgh as a maze from which no one escapes, even as death closes in. Dr. Knox's scientific materialism seems above it all, even as the film clearly parallels him with the body snatchers. One works on principles, the others for money, but both operate on a fundamental greed that ignores the humanity of their neighbors."
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