Tenure (2008) ***

Nicely done comedy about a well meaning prof struggling to make the next level. Plays with cliches, manages to subvert them.

Paper Mask (1990) ***

Suspenseful tale of a Ripley-esque ne'er-do-well posing as a doctor featuring the lovely Amanda Donohoe.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) ****

Miyazaki's breakthrough film and one of his best. Pared down story, focusing mainly on realism and minimal plot enhances the fantasy.

Robin and Marian (1976) ***

Unsentimental look at the Robin Hood legend from the backend with nuanced, realistic characters. Excellent cast, well directed, as usual, by Mr. Lester.

Justin Hayward Talks About Life During and After the Moody Blues – Variety

There was a great lethargy around that album. Tony Clarke, our record producer, had personal disaster during that album [Octave, 1978] and didn’t finish it. And Mike [Pinder] couldn’t make up his mind whether he wanted to stay or not. I missed him terribly. I played a lot of the keyboards on it. It was in the time when nobody was showing any interest in anybody else’s songs [laughs]. It’s weird to be in a group like that. Graeme [Edge] was always sort of enthusiastic. But in the studio, in the Record Plant in Los Angeles where we recorded it — which, curiously enough, burnt down not long after we recorded it — there was this funny old little Farfisa organ. The track was going nowhere, people had lost interest, and so late one night, I asked the engineer to put it up. I just started playing that [sings organ groove], and then I thought, Hang on, I can just do this three chord thing all the way through the song, in this particular kind of syncopated thing.That’s the bit I like about it most.

Hard Eight (1996) ***

Directorial style in spades, a terrific cast, shot so well it makes Reno look good. The story is nearly there, just falling short of satisfying.

Mickey One (1965) **

Silly tonal swings and one or two "symbols" too many frustrate what could have been a fascinating and compelling Kafka-esque tale. Great art direction and casting.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019) **

Very faithful adaptation of the novel, but not even Ms. Blanchett can make this character sympathetic. It's well paced and colorful but feels like a long way to go for not much of a reason.

Francis Ford Coppola | The Talks

Mr. Ford Coppola, do you see your influence in the work of other filmmakers?

You know, that’s a funny subject you bring up. When I was young, I wanted to be Tennessee Williams or Elia Kazan, so I would steal anything I could from them because that was my idea of greatness. And the truth of the matter is that if a young person is influenced by something I do, he’s welcome to it because there’s no way you can steal from another person.

Because ultimately it’s your version of that idea.

Right, you do it in your own way. Even as hard as I tried to steal from Tennessee Williams, it came out some other way. And that’s the purpose of art. It means you live on in somebody else’s work, which is something very pleasant as a thought. So if something I did influenced another film or if I had some small part in encouraging them, then I am pleased.

Art School Confidential (2006) **

Satire is extremely difficult to pull off on film and this one's no different. Comes close with some nice star performances.

Blondie & The Beastly E.C. Tour: 2019-08-08 Concord, CA

Blondie comes out the winner in this battle of the bands, thanks to an excellent sound mix and pleasing song mix. Elvis on the other hand, suffered from a very poor sound mix with massive drum/bass and almost inaudible vocals. This did not help his eclectic set list with some not so familiar tunes. Also, the man is losing his singing ability it is obvious. He can keep it together when he focuses but he was losing the melody quite often and strained in the lower registers. He can still belt out the high notes but not always.

Bay of Angels (1963) ***

Jeanne Moreau and the French Riviera in 1963. Both are spectacular.

Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (2019) **

Another Tarantino exercise in redemptive nostalgia. Enjoyable if you like vintage cars being driven in vintage LA while listening to vintage songs.

The Lion King (2019) **

The realism of the animation makes the talking and singing animals seem strange and surprisingly silly. Still, some impressively done CGI.

Vagabond (1985) **

In the mode of Wanda, a bleak, uncompromising look at an aimless young woman and her misadventures featuring a compelling central performance. Excellent use of non-actors and well composed shots.