Happyend (2024) ***

Director Neo Sora's bildungsroman/dystopian mashup is a great example of how to shoot an effective film without extreme closeups. Good cast and no schmaltz.

The Millionairess (1960) *

Fails to engage despite lustrous cinematography and peak Sophia.

Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965) **

Admirable ambition and weirdness in depicting the often overlooked (in films) gauntlet women have to deal with nearly every day but there's a lot of awkward and amatuerish moments that ruin the vibe. Has an unrelenting need to provide EVERY character with a too pat motivation that's irritating. Still, the divine Juliet Prowse is worth the price of admission to whatever she decides to do.

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2025) **

Essentially a remake of The Way It Is with an added focus on Elvis's POV and showcasing footage not used in that earlier film. It's well done and highly entertaining (how could it not?) but it's impact was fleeting despite the ominous foreshadowing ending. Benefits immensely from the photography by the great Lucien Ballard.

Le Magnifique (1973) **

Over-the-top slapstick aside, an amusing take on pulp spy novelists and their sometimes dreary lives. Belmondo shows a deft hand with comedy and Jackie Bisset was never lovelier.

Winterset (1936) *

Might have worked better as a play. Interesting that to this day, in America, any sympathy with the working class is considered radical, leftist and dangerous.

The Internecine Project (1974) ***

Well produced heist flick masquerading as a political thriller features Jimmy Coburn and the eternally lovely Lee Grant (still kicking at 99!) essentially playing themselves. Nifty 70's London locales, beautifully lit.

Wuthering Heights (2026) **

It's entertaining but the soundtrack is overbearing at times and the lighting and shot selection is terrible, as are so many current films, but it has a nice collage of images at the finale that works well. The casting is strange and it's interesting that Edgar (Shazad Latif) would appear to more closely resemble the features of Heathcliff per the novel than Elordi.

Heat Lightning (1934) **

The two female leads are the attraction in this desert noir. Nifty direction at the climax evokes kaidan films.

The Woman in Green (1945) **

Fairly forgettable Holmes flick watchable for the top cast members.

The Time Travelers (1964) **

Intriguing classic Trek style sci-fi flick could have used a bit more moolah for the spfx, but the cast are all game and the script keeps things fairly straight. Interesting ending.

Light Sleeper (1992) **

Answers the question nobody asked: what if Paul Schrader had directed Taxi Driver? Top notch cast keeps it watchable. Nice soundtrack too.

Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets (1995) *

I think it was supposed to be more of a comedy but not sure that would have helped. Terribly shot, cut and directed. Waste of a good cast.

Peter Hujar's Day (2025) *

Technical prowess of the two leads aside, the premise has already been done and this go round brings nothing more to the table.

Monterey Pop (1968) *

Nice time capsule of The Summer of Love with an eclectic concert in beautiful Monterey. Too bad Pennebaker can't seem to shoot in anything but close-ups. You get no sense of place and no sense of the performances.

Shampoo (1975) ***

Manic day in the life of a swinging LA hairdresser is an entertaining charcter study and subtle critique of late 60's mores and manners. Excellent cast is top notch.

The Oblong Box (1969) *

The photography is the only reason to sit through this mash-up of various horror tropes.

Fremont (2023) **

Indie character study has its moments but the lead is just not a compelling enough actress to handle such an under-written role.

Extract (2009) ***

Hilarious plot driven comedy that is perfectly cast and well played. The production design is top notch and rings true.

Two Minutes Late (1952) **

Nobody's a hero in this sordid Danish noir that was definitely not approved by Bill Hays.

Hidden in the Fog (1953) **

Human behavior takes a back seat to murder mystery tropes in this Swedish noir that has just a few too many twists.

Death Is a Caress (1949) **

I suppose it's a "noir" but really it's a realistic look at a couple who have a very strong physical attraction but little else. Troubles ensue.

Girl with Hyacinths (1950) **

Ulf Palme, a Swedish Alastair Sim, keeps it entertaining enough but it's very difficult to care about the lead. Maybe that was intentional?

2025 In Review: Music

**** HAIM - I Quit
**** Stereolab - Fed Up With Your Job (Single)

*** Arthur Buck - Arthur Buck 2
*** Astral Bakers - Vertical Life
*** Automatic - Is It Now
*** Beths, The - Straight Line Was A Lie
*** Buddie - Glass
*** Convenience, The - Like Cartoon Vampires
*** Deep Sea Diver - Billboard Heart
*** Dragon Inn 3 - Full Disclosure
*** Dumb Things - Self Help
*** GHOSTWOMAN - Welcome To The Civilized World
*** Guided By Voices - Thick Rich And Delicious
*** Housewife - Work Song
*** I Was A King - Until The End
*** Ivy - Traces of You
*** Magic Fig - Valerian Tea
*** Miki Berenyi Trio - Tripla
*** Minus 5, The - Oar On, Penelope!
*** Momma - Welcome to My Blue Sky
*** Penfriend - House Of Stories
*** Prism Shores - Out From Underneath
*** Salt Collective, The - A Brief History of Blindness
*** San Gabriel - Nights And Weekends
*** Sloan - Based on the Best Seller
*** Superchunk - Songs in the Key of Yikes
*** Suzanne Vega - Flying with Angels
*** Swervedriver - The Worlds Fair EP
*** Wolf Alice - The Clearing

** Avers - Empty Light
** Beach Bunny - Tunnel Vision
** Cate Le Bon - Michelangelo Dying
** Future Clouds And Radar - Big Weather
** Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On
** Jay Som - Belong
** Liminanas, The - Faded
** Ringo Starr - Look Up
** Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
** Sleigh Bells - Bunky Becky Birthday Boy
** Tubs, The - Cotton Crown
** Waeve, The - Eternal EP
** Wishy - Planet Popstar EP
** Witch Post - Beast EP

2025 In Review: Movies

*** One Battle After Another
** Black Bag
** Megadoc
** The Phoenician Scheme
* The Thursday Murder Club

Black Angel (1946) **

Novel twist on the blackout trope plus strong support help to overcome weak leads.

Blackout (1954) **

Amusing dialogue and the performers are enjoyable just don't expect the plot to make any sense.

Stranger Than Paradise (1984) ****

Minimalist slacker dramedy is expertly shot and directed with a stunning debut performance by Eszter Balint. Transcends its genre.

Megadoc (2025) **

Fascinating look at big budget movie making and how the inherent bloat and Shia Labeouf nearly kill Francis Coppola.

Birth of the Endless Summer: Discovery of Cape St. Francis (2021) **

A doc about the back story to another, better, doc is well done but probably only for fans of the better doc.

The Endless Summer (1966) ****

Enjoyable surf doc is a masterpiece of photography, editing and writing. Impressive. This film was shot on 16mm film and has better visuals than any movie made in the past 20 years. You can keep all your Imax's and VistaVisions, they don't matter if the pic is not lit properly.

Guilty Bystander (1950) **

Zach Scott is strong in this gritty blackout noir nearly stolen by Kay Medford.

Confessions of an Opium Eater (1962) **

Cheap (and cheaply made) exploitation flick is just bonkers enough to be entertaining. Vincent Price as an action star is one thing and the dialogue is a hoot. At least they used Asian actors to play the Asian characters.

Deadline at Dawn (1946) **

Frustrating blackout noir that has some terrific dialogue, a never better Sue Hayward, a couple of great supporting turns but also some crazy plot twists and an awful lead. Entertaining nonetheless.

5 Steps to Danger (1956) **

The great Sterling Hayden fixes a lot about this breakneck paced cold war noir.

The Stars Look Down (1940) **

Mostly dull kitchen sink melodrama about pre-war Scottish miners saved by a gutsy finish.

The Sleeping Cardinal (1931) **

Worthy Holmes mystery is well written and stylishly filmed (for the time). Mr. Wontner sets a high bar for future Sherlocks.

Nightmare (1956) **

Preposterous blackout noir is watchable thanks to Eddie G.

An Englishman Abroad (1983) **

Well played two hander, sort of a sequel to Blunt. Strong script.

Ladybug Ladybug (1963) **

Efficient anti-nuke flick touches almost all the bases in less than 90 minutes, with maybe just a tad too heavy of a hand. Good work by the mostly kiddie cast.

Blunt (1987) **

Spy v. spy chamber drama shines whenever Sir Anthony shows up. Otherwise fairly pedestrian quality Brit flick.

Down by Law (1986) ****

Superbly photographed and directed buddy pic with a trio of stellar performances. Goes from artsy to fine art.

The Night Heaven Fell (1958) ***

Unusual French flick sticks to the Hollywood formula with Steve Boyd and Brigitte as doomed lovers on the run through some gorgeous Spanish countryside. Well shot in CinemaScope (which means no extreme close-ups) and briskly paced. Touching finale.

Eyes Without a Face (1960) ***

French shocker goes there and has several iconic scenes. Well made, very creepy.

The Depths (1963) **

Out there flick that's not sure if it's some kind of Marxist allegory or true crime reenactment, features two mesmerizing performances, some hilarity and some horror. Nicely shot and composed.

One Battle After Another (2025) ***

Thrilling, and often hilarious, actioner has a fistful of superb sequences. Not a fan of the cinematography nor shot selection however.

Florida Man Arrested For 'Maliciously' Starting Palisades Fire In LA

As the LA Times reports, among the evidence collected by invesitgators was an image that Rinderknecht allegedly used ChatGPT to generate depicting a city on fire. He also allegedly asked ChatGPT, while calling 911, "Are you at fault if a fire is lift because of your cigarettes?"

Theater of Blood (1973) **

The dream of all actors to get revenge on the critics is played out in this grand guignol flick enhanced by top notch actors including the lovely Dame Diana.

The Gun Runners (1958) **

Another go at that Hemingway story, this time with the miscast Audie Murphy and the terrific Eddie Albert as the heavy. Tight script, a brisk pace and Gita Hall also helps.

The Sentinel (1977) *

The movie looks good and has a stellar cast but is so ridiculous and not believable for a minute.

The Tomb of Ligeia (1964) **

Typically well produced/shot Roger Corman spooky feature is kind of silly and suffers from a miscast Vinnie. And I say this as a huge Vinnie fan! He's just too old for the lovely Liz Shepherd.

Invaders from Mars (1953) **

Terrific first half hour then there's too much footage of tanks and the finale goes off the rails. Along the way it's well filmed and for the time fairly provocative.

Chess of the Wind (1976) **

Nice to look at but the story is not compelling and the characters one dimensional.

The Killer Is Loose (1956) **

Boffo finale and a terrific Wendell Corey performance saves this police procedural that sorely lags in the middle.

“Megadoc” Shows Francis Ford Coppola Going for Broke on “Megalopolis”

A revelatory sequence in “Megadoc” shows Coppola arguing with the cinematographer, Mihai Mălaimare, Jr., about the lighting of a shot, which Mălaimare wants to keep consistent with other shots in the scene, for the sake of a conventionally smooth edit. Coppola says that Mălaimare has no business anticipating how the film will be edited, and the director lays down the law: “To me, your job is not to match all the light. Your job is to get beautiful images of the scenes that we have.”

Modern cinematographers need to learn this.

Possession (1981) ****

A film that never condescends, featuring a trio of superb performances. It's often harsh but always true to the story and the point.

The Thursday Murder Club (2025) *

The gracefully ageing stars make it watchable...to a point.

To the Devil a Daughter (1976) **

Handsomely produced and lushly filmed with a top notch cast, ultimately silly but always watchable. Nice to see Dick Widmark as the hero for a change.

The Green Cockatoo (1937) ***

Nifty early Brit noir with a Cagney-esuqe turn by a young John Mills. Looks great, breakneck pace, witty script.

Coup de Chance (2023) **

It's Woody in Paris with his long takes, colorful lighting and philosophical musings on the role of luck in all our lives. A pleasant 90 minutes.

Bad Boy Bubby (1993) **

It's a wild, meandering trip that often hits some high marks. Funny, horrifying, macabre but always interesting.

Teorema (1968) **

Just this side of heavy-handed, a well acted fable about a rich family destroyed by the all too alluring Terry Stamp.

Alexander Payne on What's Wrong With Modern Films

You’re planning on making a Western as a possible future project.

I’m moving to Denmark in the Fall. I’m going to make a proper European art film. I got European citizenship about four years ago. I’m Greek. I don’t care that much about Greek citizenship, per se, but I got it with a very practical goal in mind, which was to make films in Europe and qualify for state funding, and the Film Gods brought me this project in Danish [“Somewhere Out There”]. Renate Reinsve is going to be in it. When I finish that, then I’m going to start work on a sequel to my film “Election,” that I made 25 years ago, and then I’ll get to the Western. The one I’m really most interested in doing. And I’m about 30 or 40 bad pages into it.

Italian Studies (2021) ***

Resoundingly answers the question "Can Vanessa Kirby carry a film?" in the affirmative. Nicely photographed essay about a writer in a fugue state or is she just lost inside her own stories?

Cassandra's Dream (2007) ***

At times the seams are showing in this neo-noir but the two leads are terrific and worth watching.

Caught by the Tides (2024) **

Cleverly constructed, well paced study of life and love in modern China. Almost a silent film with some startling images particularly at the finale.

The Plot Against Harry (1971) ***

This peek into late 60's NYC Jewry and the city itself is a low budget gem that proves talent is better than dollars. Top notch production. Funnier and more insightful than other big budget films of the day.

After Dark, My Sweet (1990) ***

Terrific neo-noir has a taut script and a stellar cast. Some slight directorial missteps but beautifully shot and produced. Peak Rachel Ward.

Time After Time (1979) **

Interesting concept and McDowell and Warner provide strong turns but it could have used some trimming. Nice 1970's SF location shots.

Return from the Ashes (1965) ***

Nifty thriller with a sharp script, three superb leads and lovely b/w shooting by the reliable Chris Challis.

The Sandpiper (1965) **

Gorgeous Big Sur locations and Liz & Dick undone by glacial pacing and an extremely wordy, not to mention ham-fisted, screenplay. Eva Marie stands out.

The Split (1968) **

A terrific cast in a brutal heist flick hampered by subpar direction and an awkward Jim Brown in his first lead role.

The Marseille Contract (1974) **

Terrific 70's France location shooting and Sir Mike make this otherwise hokey bad cops with good intentions murder for hire thriller watchable. Liked this exchange: SHE: I can read you like a book. HE: Don't tell me how it ends.

Misericordia (2024) ***

Beautifully shot and designed with fine performances, it plays like a Highsmith novel adapted by Lanthimos. Very offbeat and bizarre picture.

The Phoenician Scheme (2025) **

Gorgeously designed (of course) and Wes has slowed the pace a bit which helps. But it's very difficult to follow and care about what happens on first viewing. Del Toro seems miscast.

Il Grido (1957) **

I'm sure film critics and students consider it a masterpiece and it is certainly well made and acted. As a movie going experience however it is soporific.

Ten Little Indians (1974) *

Watchable for the unusual and well photographed settings and Ms. Sommer and Ms. Audran. Ineptly directed otherwise.

The Satan Bug (1965) **

A gorgeously filmed "B" thriller has an astounding pedigree from writers Alistair Maclean/James Clavell to director/dp the greats John Sturges/Robert Surtees and a capable cast of character actors. It needs to be trimmed to 90 minutes and it sure could have used a star in the lead role. The title is terrible.

Gun Crazy (1950) ***

Outstanding direction lifts this low-rent lovers-on-a-crime-spree flick to cinematic heights it might not deserve. A number of long POV takes are stunning.

Hugh Grant - The Talks

What did you like about playing the baddies?

It’s more fun. Actors prefer being baddies! Audiences prefer the baddies, and it's a very interesting question of why that is so. My personal belief is that it's the antagonist, the bad guy, who represents our true selves. And that is thrilling. I think it's thrilling to experience our true selves through that character. I think we are vicious, violent, selfish, unpleasant. And that's why good characters are quite difficult, because the good characters are the superficial, civilized veneer that we put on our true brutish self. It's less interesting.

...

Is that how you’d like to be remembered as an actor? Through the myriad of different kinds of roles you’ve played?

Oh, man. Well, I hope when we die, it's the same as before we were born. No one's really frightened of that enormous, infinite blackness before we were born. No one sits there thinking, “Oh, God, how awful. I was nothing.” So I don't really see why we should be frightened of that after we die, as long as it is black. I really don’t want to be up there on a cloud playing a harp, meeting some of the people I’ve hated in my life. I can’t imagine a greater nightmare. That would be hell, in fact.

Only the River Flows (2023) **

Atmospheric modern Chinese police procedural/whodunnit maintains interest but a little too ambiguous for the genre.

Dutchman (1966) **

The two leads are terrific, but allegories don't do well in film unless there's some basis in reality viewers can grab onto. This one is too out there.

Johnny Got His Gun (1971) **

Well intentioned and nicely put together but full of Symbols and not emotionally engaging. We get the point.

Middle of the Night (1959) ****

Superb kitchen sink drama is tops all around but especially Fred March, a stunning Kim Novak and a marvelous Chayefsky screenplay.

Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) **

Nifty noir soley due to a terrific Eddie G.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) ***

Admirable adaptation of the novel is perhaps too literal at times but on a shoestring budget it's a beautifully shot and well acted experiment.

Breakfast of Champions (1999) **

Good effort in adapting an unfilmable novel. Great, game cast unfortunately saddled with a protagonist you can't root for.

Official Competition (2021) *

It's well made and looks pretty but aside from one laugh out loud moment it's not funny. Satires about movie making are much more difficult to pull off than other satires which are already extremely difficult. This is no exception.

The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) ****

Gorgeously shot by the great Freddie Francis with an intelligent, poetic script by Harold Pinter, the typical excellent Brit supporting cast and two award worthy turns by Ms. Streep and Mr. Irons. Top notch entertainment.

The Running Man (1963) **

Could have been a nifty caper/thriller along the Spanish Riviera with three top actors but it's ineptly paced and scripted so it's a slog.

The Hill (1965) ****

Terrific existential drama about the complicity of the powerful and the powerless. Top notch direction, lighting, acting and a sharp script. Tough to watch but rewarding.

Damn the Defiant! (1962) ***

Better than that other mutiny flick from 1962. Beautifully filmed, produced, acted and efficiently directed.

Black Bag (2025) **

Loved everything about this sleek, stylish spy-vs-spy flick except the unfathomable way Soderbergh chose to film the interiors.

The Last Waltz (1978) **

Unfortunately not as much of a lasting influence on how to film a live rock concert as one would have hoped. Scorsese deftly directs but it helps to be a fan of "classic rock".

Dead Ringer (1963) ***

A large amount of disbelief must be suspended in watching this convoluted flick but the rewards are the iconic Ms Davis and some fine b/w cinematography. Pete Lawford is a hoot.

Crossing Delancey (1988) ***

Peak Amy Irving in a mostly sensible rom-com. Well cast and smartly shot.

Murder by Contract (1958) ***

Vince Edwards is terrific as the enigmatic assassin in this stylish low budget noir. Unusual, interesting script.

Port of Shadows (1938) ***

Boffo last third saves the picture from becoming a parody of itself. Michelle Morgan and Jean Gabin make an iconic screen pairing.

Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) ****

Bob Wise directs yet another top notch flick, this time a tough, gritty, hard-hitting heist-noir. Stellar cast and superb script.

Rumble Fish (1983) ****

Francis directs the heck out of a terrific cast. Beautifully shot and composed with inventive in camera effects. Stylish, clever production design.