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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 17, 2018 22:29:41 GMT
Hi all,along with the 4 Moreau movies mentioned in the French thread,I've also seen: A Perfect Day (2015) 9 Remarkably having the Granada, Malaga and Cuenca locations in Spain stand in for the Balkans, the rugged terrain tightly captures the rough-edge atmosphere of co-writer/(with Paula Farias) director Fernando León de Aranoa’s adaptation of Farias’s novella Dejarse llover. Taking place at the end of the Yugoslav Wars, the writers intelligently use earthy humour to bring a touch of warmth to the grim setting, from the bickering on the radio between Mambrú and “B”, to Mambrú’s attempts to build a bond with a boy in the war zone. Travelling round before the UN peace troops arrive, the writers give the film a road movie rhythm, as the aid workers travel round various bombed-out villages and bureaucratic dead-ends to try and help the surviving locals, whilst the friendships in their team tighten. Backed by ill-fitting Rock songs, director Aranoa & cinematographer Alex Catalán sweep along the landscape in vast crane shots that view from the horizon the aftermath of war. Landing on earth with a corpse in a well and a mass suicide in a back garden,Aranoa grates a raw, grubby atmosphere, with the aid workers and the survivors having to pull what little remains of their livelihoods out of the ground. Joined by a gruff Tim Robbins as “T” and a heart-felt Olga Kurylenko as Katya,Benicio Del Toro gives an outstanding performance as Mambrú, with Del Toro bringing extra weight to the horrific situations with a thick gravitas and heaviness over this less than perfect day.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 17, 2018 22:32:10 GMT
Hi Aussie,I was wondering how you found Valkyrie. Knowing about the real events before seeing it at the cinema,I remember finding it not as tense as the trailer made it look.
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Post by OldAussie on Sept 17, 2018 23:04:51 GMT
I knew a fair bit of the history too. And this was my 3rd viewing of the film.
Very good movie, and I think it was a good idea to make it a thriller of sorts as I'm pretty sure most people are unaware of the real events. Alas, history seems to be very much a secondary subject these days. And people wonder why we keep repeating the mistakes of the past.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Sept 22, 2018 18:47:12 GMT
Hustle is a personal favourite of mine Aussie, top line neo-noir, how you get on with it? My review > Every man's in search of a white whale. And when you find him he usually kills you. Hustle is directed by Robert Aldrich and written by Steve Shagan. It stars Burt Reynolds, Catherine Deneuve, Ben Johnson, Paul Winfield, Ernest Borgnine, Eddie Albert and Eileen Brennan. Music is by Frank De Vol and cinematography by Joseph Biroc. A dead girl on the beach, that creates heat. When the body of a young hooker and drug user is found on the beach, the weary LAPD detectives wrap it all up quickly as a suicide. But the father is having none of it and sets about doing his own investigation. All parties involved with the woman, known or presently unknown, are heading for a collision course. You are doing it for a nobody. It's a bleak and seamy L.A. that forms the setting for Aldrich's sadly undervalued neo-noir. A place where the police are often corrupt, turning a blind eye to illegal activities perpetrated by high profile suits, where pimps, pushers and prostitutes thrive. Unfaithful wives, a shoe fetish and rebuilt asses also mark the land! Our central cop is Lt. Gaines (Reynolds), a cynical classic movie buff yearning for the European world of harmony depicted in the movies he so enjoys. He's in a relationship with a French call girl (Deneuve), it's a strained relationship, but there is love there if the two of them could just unshackle their hang-ups and vulnerabilities. And then there's the tortured father of the dead girl (Johnson), an ex-serviceman of the Korean War, he's highly strung, volatile, he carries deep emotional baggage that will become heavier the more he learns about his baby girl's existence. I'm starting to draw dirty pictures of what you do. The case of the dead girl is merely a backdrop to the unravelling of the primary characters' make ups. This is very much a character driven piece, a slow burn, complex and cynical picture. All characters mean something, adding much to the near depressing tone that Aldrich, Shagan and Biroc have (rightly) favoured. These characters give the film many layers, rendering all dialogue to be of interest, while ensuring the narrative is not linear. It failed at the box office on release, it's perhaps not hard to see why. On the surface, via plot summary and marketing, the film lovers of 75 thought they were getting a murder mystery-cops and villains-crime story, with Reynolds leading the machismo fight for justice. But this is far better than your run of the mill crime picture, it's dark, brooding, and even allows itself some moments of humour to nestle in nicely with the uneasy nature of the beast. While the finale is pitch perfect noir, it's not apologia, it brings the film to a cruelly ironic close. Patiently crafted by the brilliant Aldrich, and performed with considerable skill and emotion by the cast, Hustle is top line neo-noir and deserves a more appreciative audience. 9/10
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Post by OldAussie on Sept 22, 2018 23:42:50 GMT
hitchcockthelegend
Welcome Mr new member. Hustle might just be my 3rd favourite Burt movie - after everyone's top 2, Deliverance and Boogie Nights. Nice review.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Sept 23, 2018 15:27:06 GMT
hitchcockthelegend Welcome Mr new member. Hustle might just be my 3rd favourite Burt movie - after everyone's top 2, Deliverance and Boogie Nights. Nice review. My Burt top 5 > 1. Deliverance 2. The Longest Yard 3. Hustle 4. Sharky's Machine 5. Boogie Nights Funny though, desert island choice would have to be Smokey And The Bandit!
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