Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Terry Gilliam Developed a Movie From a Lost Stanley Kubrick Idea – /Film

According to Cinergie, that abandoned Kubrick project was a film adaptation of Lunatic at Large, a 70-page treatment based on a Kubrick idea that Kubrick’s then-producing partner James B. Harris commissioned from acclaimed crime writer Jim Thompson in the 1950s. Thompson, who is probably best known for writing The Killer Inside Me, had teamed up with Kubrick to write the script for the 1956 Sterling Hayden movie The Killing, but Harris hoped Thompson’s fleshing out of Lunatic at Large might also catch Kubrick’s eye and result in his next movie. The project fell by the wayside and was never made, but the treatment was re-discovered in 1999; in 2010, Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson were attached to star in a movie version, but that never happened...

This wouldn’t be the first time that Gilliam entered into Kubrick’s orbit. In 2013, Gilliam explained that he learned Kubrick had once wanted him to direct a sequel to Dr. Strangelove called Son of Strangelove, but Kubrick died before that that could come to fruition.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Palm Springs (2020) ***

Nice blend of genres is perfectly paced, well written and cast.

Monday, July 20, 2020

Wuthering Heights (1939) ***

Despite the overbearing soundtrack and a hokey final scene an entertaining rendition of the oft filmed gothic romance.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

The Hidden Fortress (1958) **

Too long and repetitive, but some masterful scenes and images.

An Autumn Afternoon (1962) **

Beautifully shot and composed and the glimpse into Japanese life in 1962 is interesting but it fails to engage.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

The Human Factor (1979) **

Otto's films always have some interesting quirks and this one is well scripted with a top cast but the overall effect seems flat.

Thursday, July 09, 2020

Day of the Outlaw (1959) **

Western noir has enough weirdness to recommend even though it falters in the third act.

Tuesday, July 07, 2020

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) ****

Anti-Bond spy thriller with a stellar script and top performances all around.

Friday, July 03, 2020

My Blueberry Nights (2007) **

Well made though hardly credible road-trip-to-find-myself flick features a good A-list cast.