My Favorite Wife (1940) *

The film is premised on the audience being complete idiots. Not funny in the least.

2023 In Review: Music

**** Albert Hammond Jr. - Melodies On Hiatus
**** Anna Hillburg - Tired Girls
**** New Pornographers, The - Continue As A Guest
**** Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Council Skies

*** Bar Italia - Tracey Denim
*** Beach House - Become
*** Belle And Sebastian - Late Developers
*** Buddie - Agitator
*** Bully - Lucky For You
*** Clientele, The - I Am Not There Anymore
*** Diners - Domino
*** Frankie Rose - Love As Projection
*** Frankiie - Between Dreams
*** Guided By Voices - Welshpool Frillies
*** Jenny O - Spectra
*** Keeley - Floating Above Everything Else
*** Lightheaded - Good Good Great!
*** Locate S, 1 - Wicked Jaw
*** Marnie Stern - The Comeback Kid
*** No Ones, The - My Best Evil Friend
*** Paula Carino - Thundersnow b-w Fall Preview Issue
*** Pip Blom - Bobbie
*** Ratboys - The Window
*** Rolling Stones, The - Hackney Diamonds
*** Shonen Knife - Our Best Place
*** Tubs, The - Dead Meat

** Barrie - 5K
** Dengue Fever - Ting Mong
** Emma Anderson - Pearlies
** Graham Parker - Last Chance to Learn the Twist
** Guided By Voices - La La Land
** Jenny Lewis - Joy'all
** Ladytron - Times Arrow
** Pretenders - Relentless
** Ringo Starr - Rewind Forward
** Sea Lemon - Stop at Nothing
** Speedy Ortiz - Rabbit Rabbit
** This Is The Kit - Careful of Your Keepers
** We Are Scientists - Lobes

Brightwood (2022) **

I'll allow for the over-reliance on close-ups given the miniscule budget of this absurdist relationship allegory. Good effort.

The Dead (1987) ***

Lovingly crafted adaptation of the Joyce story.

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) *

Has nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with standard rom-com tropes. The performers are good and there are a few laughs.

Marked Woman (1937) **

Ripped from the headlines melo is preachy at times but has a mostly sharp script and two stars in their prime who make up for the annoying direction. Nice to see Bogie as a crusading assistant D.A. instead of a gangster.

The Holdovers (2023) **

Terrific early '70's look and feel and thankfully shot and color balanced without the noticeable, ubiquitous blue or yellow hue, nevertheless disappoints with a lackluster story about 3 characters I found it hard to root for or care about. Kind of a waste of the great Paul Giamatti.

Blast of Silence (1961) ****

Bleak, brutal Christmas-noir has style to burn with crisp b/w shots of gritty, early 60's NYC and a taut sparse script. Director/writer/star Allen Baron (looking for all the world like a poor man's George C.) hits on all 3 cylinders.

Denny Laine, of Paul McCartney's Wings and Moody Blues, Dies at 79

Denny Laine, the British singer-guitarist best known for his work with Paul McCartney & Wings and the Moody Blues, has died after a long battle with interstitial lung disease, according to a social media post from his wife. He was 79.

Remember the Night (1939) **

If you can get past the heavy dose of cornpone, you can enjoy watching Fred and Babs who work so well together and seem to bring out the best in each other.

Priscilla (2023) **

It has Sofia's impeccable soundtrack choices but nearly every interior scene is shot with a glaring backlight, distorting the image so you can't see the actors faces. Disappointing.

Mr. Soft Touch (1949) **

Tonally uneven Christmas-noir is watchable thanks to a surprisingly good Glenn Ford.

The Cockleshell Heroes (1955) *

One dimensional characters in a by-the-numbers Hollywood-style WWII actioner on a suicide mission that never really makes sense.

Moss Rose (1947) **

Hollywood's idea of a Brit noir is watchable thanks to the odd casting and the nice b/w photography. Just don't expect any believable accents even from the real Brits!

The Razor's Edge (1984) **

Superbly produced with exceptional location shooting but Bill Murray in 1983 was just not up to the task. To be fair, Ty Power wasn't either. Theresa Russell is terrific.

Track 29 (1988) *

You have to work way too hard to stay involved and that's no good even with the lovely Ms. Russell and Nic Roeg's way with a camera.

Every Man for Himself and God Against All by Werner Herzog: Books

I’d rather die than go to an analyst, because it’s my view that something fundamentally wrong happens there. If you harshly light every last corner of a house, the house will be uninhabitable. It’s like that with your soul; if you light it up, shadows and darkness and all, people will become “uninhabitable.” I am convinced that it’s psychoanalysis—along with quite a few other mistakes—that has made the twentieth century so terrible. As far as I’m concerned, the twentieth century, in its entirety, was a mistake.

A Study in Scarlet (1933) **

I liked Reg Owen as Holmes and Ms. Wong is always a welcome treat. Decent mystery.

Lady from Chungking (1942) **

Nifty script and the great Ms. Wong elevate this WWII propaganda flick which might have been something special with a little more care and effort.

Daughter of the Dragon (1931) *

Third rate production wastes two legendary Asian actors.

Baby Face (1933) **

Babs Stanwyck takes Nietsche to heart and nearly wins it all, but in the end sees the light and opts for love. Just like in real life.

The Divorcee (1930) **

Hollywood morality play (barely connected to reality in other words) is watchable with an above average performance by Ms. Shearer.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) **

Despite superbly cast supporting players and the usual top notch production there is a huge glaring problem named Leo. He just cannot pull it off for a minute.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) **

Fred March is quite good here, as well as Ms. Hopkins, but the "experimental" direction is extremely annoying save for the transformation scenes which are well done.

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) ****

Superb production design, a terrific trio of leads and striking visuals make for an interesting riff on the vampire genre. Perhaps Herzog's best film.

The Lodger (1944) **

Jack The Ripper tale elevated by the marvelous Mr. Cregar.

Corridor of Mirrors (1948) ***

Handsomely produced Brit melo with an above average and offbeat screenplay, excellently played by the lovely Ms. Romney.

Jigsaw (1962) **

Brit police procedural is a slow burn but worth the wait. A little disappointed with the photography.

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) *

Only Ms. Balk survives with her professional reputation intact from this misguided remake of a much better film.

Patricia Highsmith: Notebooks: 10/29/1949

On the insane: they are only trying to find a reality. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to find a reality in existence. The greatest philosophers have never found a satisfactory reality, or its explanation. Going under gas, for instance, the world is quite different, more overwhelmingly convincing than the so-called normal world, as to its reality. There is really no reality, perhaps, only writing a system of expedient behavior, action and reaction, by which people have come to live. That is, most people, who live like this for the same reason most peas fall into the center compartment when dropped from a central point above.

No One Ever Said It: On the Long History of “Ye Olde” in English

But that’s not to say it has no roots in the past. Once there was a letter called thorn that made a “th” sound. It looked like this: þ. Over the centuries, þ was written increasingly like the letter y with some scribes using them interchangeably. Early printers even substituted y for þ, so the word “þe” (the) ended up looking like “ye.” Eventually þ fell out of use, but people continued using “ye” to abbreviate the word “the” in print during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and in handwriting until the nineteenth century. English speakers’ memory of the origin of “ye” faded over time, until people began reading the word anew, pronouncing it wrong, and eventually creating the habit in English of saying “ye” to sound old.

The Drum (1938) **

Colorful actioner takes a bit to get going but has a rousing second half. Sabu steals it.

All in a Night's Work (1961) *

Dino tries hard and we have peak Shirley but even allowing for the typical old Hollywood rom-com tropes, this script is just too much to take.

The Years Between (1946) **

The great Ms. Robson is in it, but not enough, and it takes forever to get Mike Redgrave in the picture.

The Oxford Murders (2008) *

Abysmal cinematography and overall weak production. Too bad because Leonor Watling is stunning.

Dark City (1998) **

Literally a noir, borrows heavily from the Coens, Lynch, Gilliam and German expressionism, is a bit too long and unfortunately influenced too many cinematographers with its darkness. Nice role for Riff-Raff, but Kiefer does a terrible Peter Lorre imitation.

Hangover Square (1945) ***

Bizarre noir about a fugue state homicidal pyromaniac who happens to be a devoted and gifted composer. Complications ensue. Terrific score and terrific performance by Laird Cregar.

The Hughes-Nixon-Lansky Connection

President Nixon’s immediate answer to news of the Watergate burglary arrests was simple: The CIA, he told Haldeman (as recorded by the White House tapes) would close off the investigation because **if it gets out that this is ail involved, the Cuba thing would be a fiasco — it would make the CIA look bad — and it is likely to blow the whole Bay of Pigs thing...” Watergate, the Bay of Pigs, indeed a change of government in the Bahamas and a paint company going into real estate and gambling ail were woven together, all rooted in a World War II alliance.

Ivy (1947) **

Impeccably produced star vehicle for the lovely Ms. Fontaine. Nicely shot.

Remorques (1941) **

So-so melo à la française with a hot pair of leads.

Maigret Sets A Trap (1958) ***

Best adaptation of the venerable French inspector thanks to the great Jean Gabin and a no-nonsense directorial approach.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) ***

A sort of Budapest Dispatch, jam packed with detail and some amazing performances.

The Admirable Crichton (1957) ***

Well done social satire thanks to a witty script and taut direction. Ms. Howes helps immensely as does a nice turn by Ken Moore.

Night Ambush (1957) *

The Archers try hard but this is a tedious WWII procedural. The South of France stands in admirably for Crete.

Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972) **

Incredible cast acts the heck out of a pretty lame screenplay and makes this watchable and often amusing.

The Mirror Crack'd (1980) *

Glacially paced so each guest star can have the same screen time ruins the picture and a nice turn by the lovely Ms. Novak.

Scream of Fear (1961) ***

Brilliantly directed and photographed, this Brit-noir on the French Riviera features a lovely Ms. Strasberg and a Chris Lee with a passable French accent.

Sherlock Holmes: Incident at Victoria Falls (1992) **

Way too long, but nicely paced take on Holmes. Not the best photography and there's too many single closeups but the cast tries their best and it's a decent script.

Suspiria (1977) *

The promise of the first 30 minutes or so turns into tedium the rest of the way despite the lurid scenes.

The Bank Shot (1974) **

Wasted opportunity given the cast and the script. The director couldn't stop veering wildly into cartoon territory.

So Long at the Fair (1950) **

Gets a little repetitious in the middle, but nice little mystery story with appealing leads.

Curacao (1993) *

A better director might have made something of this lifeless espionage thriller. Gorgeous Curaçao location shots.

Bottoms (2023) **

A bevy of fine young character actors propels this queer POV fable of high school life. Too bad it looks like it was shot with a flip phone.

swissmiss | 50 Short Rules for a Better Life (From the Stoics)

Focus on what you can control.
You control how you respond to things.
Ask yourself, “Is this essential?”
Meditate on your mortality every day.
Value time more than money/possessions.
You are the product of your habits.
Remember you have the power to have no opinion.
Own the morning.
Put yourself up for review (Interrogate yourself).
Don’t suffer imagined troubles.
Try to see the good in people.
Never be overheard complaining…even to yourself.
Two ears, one mouth…for a reason (Zeno)
There is always something you can do.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
Live as if you’ve died and come back (every minute is bonus time).
“The best revenge is not to be like that.” Marcus Aurelius
Be strict with yourself and tolerant with others.
Put every impression, emotion, to the test before acting on it.
Learn something from everyone.
Focus on process, not outcomes.
Define what success means to you.
Find a way to love everything that happens (Amor fati).
Seek out challenges.
Don’t follow the mob.
Grab the “smooth handle.”
Every person is an opportunity for kindness (Seneca)
Say no (a lot).
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Find one thing that makes you wiser every day.
What’s bad for the hive is bad for the bee (Marcus Aurelius)
Don’t judge other people.
Study the lives of the greats.
Forgive, forgive, forgive.
Make a little progress each day.
Journal.
Prepare for life’s inevitable setbacks (premeditatio malorum)
Look for the poetry in ordinary things.
To do wrong to one, is to do wrong to yourself. (sympatheia)
Always choose “Alive Time.”
Associate only with people that make you better.
If someone offends you, realize you are complicit in taking offense.
Fate behaves as she pleases…do not forget this.
Possessions are yours only in trust.
Don’t make your problems worse by bemoaning them.
Accept success without arrogance, handle failure with indifference.
Courage. Temperance. Justice. Wisdom. (Always).
The obstacle is the way.
Ego is the enemy.
Stillness is the key.

Ginger Snaps (2000) **

A terrific first hour slows to a crawl in the next 50 minutes and loses the plot. A well photographed and produced horror flick could have been something more.

It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) **

Slice of post-war East End London life meets noir thriller. Above average Ealing effort.

The Last Run (1971) ***

Nicely shot road trip + mob + car chase + character study doesn't quite mesh completely but George C. makes it enjoyable.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986) **

All star cast and decent production, but this just isn't a very compelling tale.

Model Shop (1969) ***

A day in the life of a lost young man who loves L.A. but has 'Nam looming ahead. Honest slice of '60's life in SoCal when gasoline was 31 cents per gallon.

Brainstorm (1965) **

The script is pretty hokey but the performers are good and watchable.

MK Ultra (2022) *

Being based on a true story does not mean it's worth seeing. Takes sordid to a new level.

Sahara (1943) ***

Nifty actioner condenses WWII (Hollywood style) down to its essentials with a solid Bogie in control.

A Study in Terror (1965) **

Watchable, thanks to Mr. Neville and some decent photography. Interestingly, it doesn't have anything of a '65 vibe to it.

The Naked Dawn (1955) **

Art Kennedy does a good job in brown face as a Mexican Robin Hood type in a low budget but effective morality play.

3-Iron (2004) ***

Enigmatic fable about a golfer who wants to be a ghost and seems to succeed? Interesting cinematic koan.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1982) **

Stellar cast and a good looking production.

Catchfire (1990) **

Goofy hitman-with-a-heart-of-gold flick fails to figure out a consistent tone. All star cast including Ms. Foster who was never photographed better. Disappointing but interesting.

Curse of the Demon (1957) **

Tourneur was right: it would have been best not to show the demon. Despite that he made a well paced decent little horror flick.

The Deadly Affair (1967) **

Superbly photographed and a top notch cast marred by curiously prosaic direction.

The Happy Thieves (1961) *

It's a good script but the direction is way off course. Should have been a tight heist flick instead of a not funny comedy.

Insignificance (1985) **

Interesting historical fiction with a few thought provoking bits of dialogue. Doesn't always work.

Cold Heaven (1991) **

Nic Roeg tries the faith based route with some success since he's a skilled director and smart enough to cast the terrific Ms. Russell.

The Haunted Palace (1963) *

It's nicely produced and photographed but the story takes way too long to get going and isn't very compelling. Watchable.

Heart of Stone (2023) *

Lame spy v. spy actioner has a few nifty set pieces but is mostly forgettable.

The Premature Burial (1962) **

Lushly photographed creepy tale of obsessive, though not unfounded, fear and its consequences.

A Quiet Place in the Country (1968) *

It's watchable because the leads are two of the most attractive people on the planet at the time and decent actors, but the story is incoherent.

Dance with a Stranger (1985) **

It's a well made film, and I understand it is based on real facts, but it feels contrived and illogical.

The Visitor (1979) *

Probably the greatest cast of a truly awful film. A handful of decent scenes, but the rest is ineptly directed.

Nothing But the Night (1973) *

Boffo finale fails to redeem the 85 minutes of tedium which precedes it. Terrible waste of Chris Lee and Pete Cushing who are playing the good guys for once.

White Noise (2022) **

Unsuccessful attempt at surrealism is nevertheless watchable with a few nifty scenes and an appealing cast.

Lost in Translation (2003) ****

Superb cinematic exploration of ennui, dislocation and melancholy. A triumph for Sofia, Scarlett and Bill.

Rancho Notorious (1952) **

You gotta suspend a lot of disbelief, but it's rewarded with an entertaining Hollywood Western with star power and sure handed direction.

The Barefoot Contessa (1954) *

It's a great screenplay...to read. Joe Mank is too in love with his words to make it into a decent picture however. Waste of a good cast and a great cinematographer.

The Spanish Gardener (1956) **

At least the Brits cast as Spaniards don't even bother affecting an accent in this heavy handed melodrama. The kid steals the picture.

Barbie (2023) ***

Entertaining fluff with exceptional design and cinematography doesn't quite hit the ambitious heights it aspires to.

Jeannie (1941) **

Brit romcom about a sheltered Scots lass traveling to (a curiously Nazi free) Vienna to hear the Blue Danube. Charmingly done.

Pool of London (1951) **

Stalwart supporting actors get their chance to lead in this Brit-noir about a heist gone wrong. Nicely done.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) **

The oft-told tale gets the Hammer treatment with its trademark lush photography and penny pinching but effective production design. Pete Cushing is an admirable Holmes. Nice to see Chris Lee play a romantic lead for a change.

Puppet on a Chain (1970) **

Gritty, groovy '70's Amsterdam and a nifty speedboat chase are the highlights of this mostly tedious narc procedural.

The Pajama Game (1957) **

Most of the songs presage the execrable work of Sparks except for "Hey There" and the legit show stopper "Steam Heat" which is worth the price of admission.

Noam Chomsky on Language, Left Libertarianism, and Progress | Conversations with Tyler

Like all organisms, we have innate capacities. There’s something about our genetic endowment that determines that the embryo grows arms not wings, and there’s something about the genetic endowment that says that a newborn infant can instantly pick out parts of the noise that surrounds it and say to itself, “Those parts are language. I’m going to” — not consciously, of course; it’s all totally reflexive — “These parts are language. I’m going to pursue a course of maturation, a well-determined course of maturation, which means that by about two or three years old, I’ve basically absorbed the fundamentals of language.” Now, you can take the smartest chimpanzee or the dogs under my desk — they can listen to this noise forever. They have no idea there’s anything there but noise. Well, that’s a fundamental property of humans built in. It’s the reason why you and I can be having this discussion now, but a troop of chimpanzees can’t be.

Zardoz (1974) ****

Imagination, talent and conviction are evident in this crazy dystopian fable. Beautifully shot and designed.

One-Eyed Jacks (1961) **

Lushly photographed with some wonderful scenery but it's about an hour too much for a western melodrama.

The Day After Trinity (1981) ***

Thought provoking and disturbing doc about the making of the first atomic bomb and the immediate aftermath. Too many extreme closeups.

Asteroid City (2023) ***

Return to form for Wes after the last hyperkinetic misfire, stumbles at the end rather awkwardly.

Kubrick by Kubrick (2020) ***

Enjoyable visualization of interviews the great director gave to French critic Michel Ciment.

Pendulum (1969) ***

Solid cops and lawyers procedural with plenty of quirky detail, excellently shot and a brisk pace. Always nice to see Ms. Seberg.

The Sunday Woman (1975) **

It's a bit too long and the whodunnit is kind of muddled, but it's a watchable time capsule of 1970's Italy and if nothing else, Jackie Bisset looks marvelous.

Time Bandits (1981) ***

Made for kids but adults can also appreciate. Well produced and shot it looks lavish and colorful. Subtly subversive.

21 Days Together (1940) **

The 72 minute runtime seems interminable, but Larry and Viv are watchable.

The Innocent (2022) *

It's competently made but nothing compelling about the story or characters to maintain interest.

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) **

Terrific art deco sets, well composed and shot scenes, Vinny Price tearing up the screen without moving his lips and the lovely Ms.Kemp in dazzling costumes. Forget logic for a while and enjoy.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) **

Burstyn is great and the flick is well made but the characters are not likable which mitigates the payoff some.

Morgan (2016) *

It's not that this update of Frankenstein by way of Ex Machina is awful, it's just that it squanders such an elite cast on a half baked script which has nothing to say.

The Story of Adele H (1975) **

Even with a strong performance from the lovely Ms. Adjani, this tale of a young woman obsessed grows tiresome even at a runtime of 90 minutes.

The Train (1964) **

Talky actioner is more of a spy procedural with too much detail. Some great train wrecks.

My Dinner with Andre (1981) **

Interesting experiment that largely succeeds. Could have been trimmed a bit in the middle third.

Arrowsmith (1931) **

There are many interesting aspects to this film (the photography, minimal soundtrack, shots with one actor's back to the camera in dialogue) but not enough to overcome the glorification of The Scientist as something above us normal slobs. Nice Ron Colman performance.

Eureka (1983) **

Seems like there's a big chunk of narrative that is missing. Aside from the first third, what's left is not very engaging. A waste of the divine Ms. Russell.

Zola (2020) **

Directed with style and featuring a couple of terrific leads it's undermined by a slight script which doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Legend of the Lost (1957) **

Boilerplate Hollywood actioner is beautifully shot and well paced.

Ten Nights, 250 Songs, Only One Elvis Costello

In the end, Costello played 250 songs. Many were reinterpretations and most were a revelation; the scope of the project took me back through so many periods of my life. I asked him whether he regarded the stint as a sort of reappraisal, a consideration of his legacy.

EC: I’m probably the least nostalgic person in the room. I don’t know what an adventure like this suggests about the future, but I don’t ponder that place any more than I do the past. The road ahead can’t possibly be as long as that behind us. Pete Thomas is three weeks older than me and I told him when we were approaching our UK retirement age, “OK pal, you’re on ‘Route 66’ now, and you’d better enjoy it, because there are less theme songs up ahead. Just ‘76 Trombones’ and ‘77 Sunset Strip’ and then it is a clear and silent road until we get to ‘99½ Won’t Do’.”

But any reminiscences should not be taken for a longing to return. Legacy is the last thing on my mind. I know it sounds idiotic, but I wasn’t much more than 30 when people started kindly asking me how I might be regarded by posterity. Posterity, my arse. Posterior more like it. I won’t be here, why the hell should I care? We live now, whenever the songs were written. Onward.

Mother Night (1996) ***

Nick Nolte is terrific in this bleak, uncompromising adaptation of the Vonnegut novel.

White Mischief (1987) **

Top cast, lushly photographed, well produced but really needed a much stronger, surer directorial touch.

Chan Is Missing (1982) **

Admirable indie needs just a bit more polish to be something more than that.

Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985) ***

Touching look at Chinese-American lives in mid-80's SF Chinatown. Might be director Wayne Wang's best.

Deep End (1970) **

Snapshot of early 70's London is well shot and Ms. Asher is stunning but the lead can't pull it off.

The Big Mouth (1967) *

Jerry's films are often not very funny, but just as often they are impeccably shot, lit and produced. This fits that mold.

Thunder on the Hill (1951) **

Weird whodunit set in an English country convent/hospital maintains interest despite some hammy performances and Hollywood clichés.

An Almost Perfect Affair (1979) **

Mediocre rom-com made watchable by the Cannes location shots and the wonderful Ms. Vitti.

Small Time Crooks (2000) **

Woody miscast himself here and he just can't pull off the lovable low class loser role and it really needs someone else (Hoskins?) because the jokes are not that funny by themselves.

Autumn Tale (1998) ****

Rohmer's best, a gorgeously filmed adult rom-com with a marvel of a performance from Alain Libolt. The film is charm itself.

Charade (1963) ***

Audrey, Cary and Paris would be more than enough for any flick but this one also has a sharp script and a deft directorial touch.

The Whistle Blower (1986) **

Paranoid spy procedural is well made but gets a bit heavy handed in the final act.

Dream Lover (1993) **

Not so successful noir but it's beautifully shot and has the spectacular Ms. Amick as the femme fatale.

The Suspect (1944) **

Top notch cast in a tight, well directed noir that leans more toward character study. The great Henry Daniell shines in support.

Filming 'Othello' (1978) ***

80 minutes listening to Orson Welles is 80 minutes well spent.

The Bedroom Window (1987) **

For the first two thirds it's a well shot and well designed Hitchcock homage. Unfortunately it goes off the rails in that last third and that is where Hitch would have worked his magic.

Three in the Attic (1968) *

Nicely shot but this slice of late 60's pseudo counter culture doesn't hold up even as satire.

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) **

Heavy handed satire is lushly photographed, the leads are terrific and the script has some nifty dialogue and genuine laughs. That heavy hand becomes oppressive as the flick wears on however and ends up being insufferable.

The Misfits (1961) **

Star power to burn here but only Marilyn comes out shining. But I guess if you can buy Monty Clift and Clark Gable as cowboys, well then you'll get what you deserve.

Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time (2020) ***

An obsessive love affair from a brain surgeon's POV. Beautifully shot with a magnificent performance by Natasa Stork. Ambitious but doesn't quite get there.

Before I Go (2021) *

The first 20 minutes are terrific but the script can't sustain it and descends into drivel. What's worse is it wastes a fearless Ms. Sciorra and a criminally underused Robert Klein. Major sins.

Donkey Skin (1970) **

Stunning cinematography and production design but the songs are mediocre at best and it's dragged out for too long.

La Cérémonie (1995) ***

Isabelle, Sandrine, Jacqueline and Virginie shine in a bizarre chracter study turned thriller, a la Highsmith.

Welcome to Collinwood (2002) **

Top cast and a brisk pace help a lot but not enough. This reboot of an Italian neo-realist dramedy just doesn't translate well.

Mighty Aphrodite (1995) **

Well deserved accolades for Ms. Sorvino in this intermittently hilarious send up of Greek tragedies.

Sour Grapes (1998) **

Just a tad too far-fetched, but a pretty good little comedy with a terrific performance by Mr. Bierko.

Orpheus (1950) ****

Imagination and creativity on abundant display. So many audacious scenes that work. A masterpiece of cinema.

Everyone Says I Love You (1996) **

The musical numbers are worth the price of admission which is fortunate because the script isn't.

Runaway Train (1985) **

Brutal actioner with mythical aspirations doesn't quite make it. The effort and enthusiasm are laudable for the most part, laughable in other parts.

Seduced and Abandoned (2013) ***

Top-notch doc in the manner of Welles about movies and how to get the money to make them. Entertaining and surprisingly poignant.

Anything Else (2003) *

Woody and the leads are badly miscast and the script has not much to say. Disappointing.

Stephen Wolfram - Computational Foundations for the Second Law of Thermodynamics

So how does this relate to the Second Law? It’s what makes it possible for a system like rule 30 to operate according to a simple underlying rule, yet to intrinsically generate what seems like random behavior. If we could do all the necessary computationally irreducible work then we could in principle “see through” to the simple rules underneath. But the key point (emphasized by our Physics Project) is that observers like us are computationally bounded in our capabilities. And this means that we’re not able to “see through the computational irreducibility”—with the result that the behavior we see “looks random to us”.

And in thermodynamics that “random-looking” behavior is what we associate with heat. And the Second Law assertion that energy associated with systematic mechanical work tends to “degrade into heat” then corresponds to the fact that when there’s computational irreducibility the behavior that’s generated is something we can’t readily “computationally see through”—so that it appears random to us.

Play Misty for Me (1971) **

Nice to see the Carmel-Big Sur area in all its early '70's glory, when a DJ at a tiny jazz station could afford a cliff house right on the ocean. The script has a few gaping holes and Clint's direction meanders quite a bit but it's a charming stalker flick, if there is such a thing.

La fille de Monaco (2008) **

A jarring third act sinks what was an hilarious comédie romantique. Stunning debut for the lovely Ms. Bourgoin.

Judy (2019) **

Well photographed and Ms. Zellweger is superb. Too bad the script and direction are awful.

The Remarkable Mr. Kipps (1941) *

Too literal adaptation of a Wells story fails to make cinematic impact wasting a fine Mike Redgrave.

Helena Bonham Carter: ‘​I’ve got so many issues, but as you get older you go: whatever’

What’s yours [complex]?
I’ve got so many issues, but as you get older you go: “Whatever.” The curse of being young is you take your complex too seriously. Or you take your opinion of yourself too seriously. As soon as you’re a bit older, you tell the demons to shut up because they’re boring.
Does that make you happier?
There’s no doubt that I’m happier now with my 56-year-old envelope than I was any time before that.

King Lear (2018) **

For the first two thirds of the film it is beautifully produced and colorfully shot, then the director makes the foolish decision to start desaturating the color until it ends up looking like your run-of-the-mill Marvel flick. Superb cast nonetheless.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) **

Would have been better without Josh who is glaringly miscast.

Man Hunt (1941) *

Talky actioner is too long and too heavy-handed.

Billion Dollar Brain (1967) *

Makes Moonraker look like Hamlet. Mike Caine, Françoise Dorléac and the great Oskar Homolka are the only reasons to sit through this.

The Minus Man (1999) **

Another flick with excellent parts but lacks the sure handed direction to bring it all together.

Beat the Devil (1953) **

An example of a film with many exceptional parts that just doesn't add up to much. Shot by the great Oswald Morris, and featuring the lovely Ms. Lollobrigida.

Variety (1983) **

Loved the snapshot of early '80's NYC but the third rate script and direction is a let down.

Florence Pugh called John le Carré an “old f*cking fart,” which… inspired him?

The new friendship turned out to be a very good one, at least for Le Carré, who would lament to Pugh a year later that he was suffering from a serious case of writer’s block, to which Pugh replied, “What do you mean your writing days are over? Just keep writing. Keep stretching your brain. Do it.” And it worked.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022) *

Deadly dull and shot in perpetual shade and darkness. Half the time you can't see the actors' complete faces but when you can, you see they're struggling to say the lines. Complete waste of Ms. Gainsbourg.

Moonlighting (1982) **

Clever socio-political allegory is wonderfully made on a shoestring, but Jeremy Irons just seems lost from start to finish. Not sure if it is him, his performance or the character poorly written.

The Shout (1978) ****

Lots to chew on here or maybe nothing at all. Expertly directed puzzle picture offers spectacular scenery, beautiful images and a top cast.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) ***

Episodic look at the addictive pull of war-time journalism succeeds with a top-notch cast, solid script and direction.

Tangerines (2013) ***

Effective anti-war fable told with restraint and humanity.

2022 In Review: Movies

** All The Old Knives
** Hustle
** The Menu

* Bullet Train
* Glass Onion
* Interceptor

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) *

Apparently we're still working out how to light a digitally shot flick, so there's not even beautiful images to watch as the completely un-engrossing "story" unfolds. Is it just me or is Dan Craig completely miscast?