jodamico
Celluloid Junkie
Member Since: 09 Jun 2010
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Rufus Jones for President (1933) - Rated 14 Sep 2011
"This is an extraordinary cultural document. Like Alice Guy's "The Results of Feminism," it's a jokey send-up of a social "absurdity" that was really a historical inevitability. Little Rufus' campaign is a catalog of racist trash - "free pork chops with each vote" and a "dice president", but then all of a sudden Ethel Waters starts singing a cutting and heartfelt ballad about the American dream. It's a shocking moment of raw passion and hope for the future."
The Hunters (1958) - Rated 10 Sep 2011
"Practically unrecognizable when held against Salter's novel. The gut-wrenching fear of failure which permeates every page is replaced with two-fisted punchin' and killin', and it's a shame because they threw away a lot of good stuff to juvenilize the story. On its own terms, though, it's a pretty routine wartime melodrama marred by embarrassing Anglo-centrism, but buoyed by some stone cold BEAUTIFUL and deeply exciting arial photography, the caliber of which I have never seen matched."
Law of Vengeance (1933) - Rated 22 Apr 2011
"Brooding and impeccably paced. Shot like a silent, with some great camera movements and among the absolute coolest credits sequence I'm aware of - the names appear at the bottom third during the actors' first shots. It's well-written, well-acted (who knew Buster Crabbe had it in him?), and well-shot, and unlike so many of these oaters, it has heart and style."
Shatter Dead (1994) - Rated 03 Jul 2011
"Terribly acted, weakly shot, and unimpressive gore effects even for the standards of no-budget film, but it feels fresh and hypnotic through sheer audacity of premise and commitment to mood. Dirty and inarticulate poetry."
The Horse Soldiers (1959) - Rated 17 Mar 2011
"Ford's mastery over the little things makes up for this movie's failures at the big things. A few indelible images - the drummer boy getting yanked out of ranks by his mom, the conversation shot through reeds, and the Searchers-esque ending."