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.

Late Spring (1949) ***

Setsuko Hara is radiant in a touching story of a daughter's devotion to her widowed father in post war Japan.

The Bitter Stems (1956) **

Nicely shot noir with maybe too many twists suffers from the poor acting. Nifty dream sequence.

River's Edge (1986) ****

Perfectly cast and well scripted youth noir that often gets to unexpected depths. Keanu actually helps here.

Forbidden Planet (1956) ***

Unfortunately quite dated script mars the overall production which is very well done. Probably the first sci-fi flick that a studio took seriously and produced it seriously. Beautifully made.

Suzanne Vega brings 'Old Songs, New Songs and Other Songs' tour to Ithaca for sold-out show

Q: At this point in your career you have a bunch of songs that could be considered your greatest hits, which you’re sort of obligated to play at your shows. But what are your thoughts on playing some of those older songs, some of which are almost 40 years old? Do you relate to them any differently? Do you still like playing them? Or are you tempted to change them up and do them differently?

SV: Oh, no, I'm not. Who needs to reinterpret the old material? That thing that Bob Dylan does is not for me. I like doing the old ones, and I do them sincerely, each time. A song like “Gypsy,” which I wrote when I was in my teens, I still feel it every time I sing it. It's about young love and first love and that's the reason to keep singing it because it sort of brings you back to that moment in time. So I love it.

Never Open That Door (1952) **

Argentinian portmanteau noir is well made but the effect is like watching a couple of good episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979) **

Hard to watch but well made drama about a one way love affair and its effects. Nice to see Gloria Grahame in one of her final roles.

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) ***

Starts off as almost a parody of an 80's cop actioner but gradually sucks you into its orbit and wallops you in the end. Terrific cast, beautifully shot.

The Outfit (1973) **

Top cast helps this gritty hoods v. hoods 70's revenge noir.

Maria (2024) ***

Angie Jolie is riveting in a riff on Maria Callas' last week alive. Beautifully filmed and produced.

Angel Face (1952) **

Jean Simmons makes a lovely femme fatale but the plot hinges on us believing that Bob Mitchum is a moron and that won't do.

The Princess Comes Across (1936) **

Sharp dialog and a quick pace keep this contrived romcom/whodunnit afloat.

To Die For (1995) ***

Beautifully shot look at one woman's single minded media ambition. Terrific Nic Kidman and always wonderful Illeana Douglas.

The Pied Piper (1986) **

The animation is at times engrossing but more often is too generic and repetitive lessening the impact of the ending. Bleak, dark and not for kiddies.

Night Must Fall (1937) **

Bob Montgomery is very good and there's a witty script but it's a good 30 minutes too long, probably too faithful to its stage origins.

Trans-Europ-Express (1966) **

Satire of art house films and their filmmakers is watchable for the two leads and the snapshot of mid-60's Paris.

Killer's Kiss (1955) ***

Above average noir solely because of Stanley who did just about everything on this picture. The camera work is spectacular and quite remarkable given the budget, the methods and the results.

A Cold Wind in August (1961) **

Pretty good little potboiler with two terrific performances and a sharp script. The wildly variable quality of the direction is the only drawback.

A Complete Unknown (2024) ***

Enjoyable biopic is well photographed and produced with a superb Ed Norton, but Tim Chalamet can't quite dissolve into Dylan. Wonderful soundtrack.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) ***

Another hilarious adventure with the cheese loving inventor and his trusty sidekick. Cracking finale.

The Universal Theory (2023) **

I would have liked it more if the soundtrack wasn't so overbearing and carelessly used. Could have used some trimming as well although it's nicely put together over all.

Tesla data helped police after Las Vegas truck explosion, but experts have wider privacy concerns

The data collected by Musk’s electric car company after the Cybertruck packed with fireworks burst into flames in front of the Trump International Hotel Wednesday proved valuable to police in helping track the driver’s movements.
Wrong! The data was collected BEFORE the truck burst into flames. It was provided to the police after the explosion. Tesla is a surveillance company.

North by Northwest (1959) ****

Hitch at his best. The crop duster sequence may be his best ever.

Birth (2004) ****

Nic Kidman gives the female equivalent of George C.'s Patton performance in this beautifully filmed and produced examination of grief that cannot be overcome. Fine cast including the always welcome Betty Bacall.

2024 In Review: Movies

** Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
* Nosferatu

(Ripley was the best filmed fiction I saw this year.)

2024 In Review: Music

**** Asteroid No. 4, The - Several Shapes of Solar Flares
**** Linda Lindas, The - No Obligation
**** Mary Timony - Untame The Tiger
**** Nada Surf - Moon Mirror

*** Astral Bakers - The Whole Story
*** Elephant Stone - Back Into the Dream
*** Gift - Illuminator
*** Hinds - Viva Hinds
*** IDestroy - IDestroy
*** Katy J Pearson - Someday, Now
*** Keeley - Beautiful Mysterious
*** Laughing Chimes, The - Tomorrow's 87
*** Lemon Twigs, The - A Dream Is All We Know
*** Mediavolo - Away Within
*** Middle Kids - Faith Crisis Pt 1
*** Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets - Indoor Safari
*** Real Estate - Daniel
*** Richard Thompson - Ship To Shore
*** Ride - Interplay
*** Sixpence None The Richer - Rosemary Hill
*** Still Corners - Dream Talk
*** Umbrellas, The - Fairweather Friend
*** Waeve, The - City Lights
*** Wilco - Hot Sun Cool Shroud
*** X - Smoke & Fiction

** Bad Bad Hats - Bad Bad Hats
** Blue Oyster Cult - Ghost Stories
** Crumbs - You're Just Jealous
** Everything Everything - Mountainhead
** Finom - Not God
** Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More
** La Luz - News of the Universe
** Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs - Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits
** Modern English - 1 2 3 4
** Omni - Souvenir
** Pernice Brothers - Who Will You Believe
** Torres - What An Enormous Room
** Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
** Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
** Wild Pink - Dulling The Horns
** Wishy - Triple Seven

Nosferatu (2024) *

Possibly the worst lit movie I have ever seen. And what is with the porn 'stache? Don't waste your time, try Herzog's far, far superior version.

'A Complete Unknown' Director James Mangold on Making Bob Dylan Biopic

But the biggest kind of truth test for me is just that you’re trying to kind of carve out how much all of these people are wonderful. I love them all. I hope the movie conveys that I adore this world — not just Bob — and that the fracture that happens isn’t because I picked a side, but that it’s just like a Tennessee Williams play or anything else. It’s just a fracture that happens among people who love each other when they all are growing in different directions. And it happens to be on a public stage, because that’s where they live. But it’s analogous to all our lives.

The Big Clock (1948) **

Terrific cast but preposterous, contrived situation is too much to accept.

Widow Clicquot (2023) *

Bland, uninformative biopic of an exceptional woman. Mercifully short.

On Dangerous Ground (1951) ***

Nifty melo-noir that manages to exceed its tropes with a terrific Bob Ryan performance and some edgy direction from Nick Ray. Bernie Herrmann's score is a little too NNW but effective.

Peter Ibbetson (1935) **

Oddball melo-fantasy almost pulls it off with fine photography and a fine Coop.

Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948) *

Hard to follow all the extraneous sub plots or care about any of the characters.

The Face Behind the Mask (1941) **

Pete Lorre is marvelous in this wildly preposterous melo. Quick pace helps.

Onibaba (1964) ***

Boffo ending elevates this fable of human desires.

Psycho II (1983) **

Prime Meg Tilly is the star here despite Tony Perkins' mugging. Fun to see the old sets back in action.

L'Eclisse (1962) **

If you have to attend a film class in order to understand a film that film has failed. Still, I could watch Mlle. Vitti and M. Delon walk around Rome's construction sites all day. Some beautiful images.

Separate Tables (1983) ***

Enjoyable Brit version of the stasge play emphasizes acting over star power.

Romeo and Juliet (1954) ***

Beautifully produced and the cast is good. It's a little too faithful to the play and could have used some trimming. Well composed, interesting shots for the most part, many with the actors turned away from the camera as they speak.

The Maltese Falcon (1941) ****

Classic noir, superbly made.

Cold Turkey (1971) ****

Possibly the best satire on film thanks to a nonpareil ensemble cast of comedy legends, character actors and non-actors, sharp as nails script and superb editing, production design, you name it. One of the greats.

Viy (1967) **

Superb visuals are the attraction in this well done Russian folk tale.

Night Shift (1982) **

Wildly uneven attempt at screwball succeeds only when Mike Keaton is on screen.

What Price Hollywood? (1932) **

Some clever dialog keeps this behind the scenes melo afloat but the denouement is a bit too pat.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) **

Disappointing to see Tim Burton succumb to the same photographic sins as other contemporary flicks (too dark, backlit) in a mainly underwhelming sequel save for the inspired extended musical sequence that uses almost the entire 7.5 minute original Macarthur Park intact.

The Tenth Man (1988) **

Strong cast and nice production values keep this strained fable afloat.

Midnight Mary (1933) **

Loretta Young, all of 20, shines in this hyper-paced melo.

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947) ***

Delightful, streamlined adaptation of the Dickens epic with a terrific cast, expertly produced, photographed and directed. The casting is superb with one glaring exception.

The Verdict (1982) **

Well-made courtroom drama that adheres a little too strictly to the Hollywood sports movie tropes.

Hold Your Man (1933) *

Dated pre-code melo just seems silly nowadays but there's some snappy banter.

Inferno (1953) ***

Bob Ryan is terrific in this gorgeously shot survival yarn slash noir featuring a lovely Rhonda Fleming. Breakneck pace helps.

Woman in Chains (1968) *

Ham fisted pop psych goes nowhere.

Blow-Up (1966) ***

Iconic take on the swingin' London 60's scene has some great moments but the mimes are a real drag man.

Seven Days from Now (1957) ***

Gripping survival at sea yarn well played by all concerned.

Victims of Sin (1951) **

Overwrought Mexican melo has a few sequences that are exceptionally well done. Too few.

Alan Cumming Says Stanley Kubrick Restored His Faith in Movies

“Now when I do a film or something and the director says, ‘Oh, that was perfect, let’s do one more,’ I think, A) Why do one more if it was perfect? And B) You’re not going to say anything? You’re not going to say why we’re doing it again? “Other people say, ‘Oh, just try another one.’ Stanley would be like, ‘OK, look at the monitor here and see the way your lip moves there. When you say that word, look in this direction…’ Every time you did a take, you were so excited to try and get it right for him.”

Lifeboat (1944) ***

Slightly stagy but still engrossing tale of survival at sea in WWII all inside a large lifeboat.

The Beast (2023) *

2.5 hours, nearly every frame with the stupendous Ms. Seydoux, and this is the best you can do? Shameful.

Aftersun (2022) **

Well constructed melo makes you do some work (a good thing) but something is missing as the payoff is not that cathartic. In real life it seldom is but this is the movies.

A Woman's Tale (1991) ***

It's a bit over-written but has many scenes of bracing honesty about facing the inevitable. Splendid lead performance.

Amanda (2022) **

The art direction, photography and future star Benedetta Porcaroli are the standouts in this (probably) allegorical fable.

Anyone But You (2023) *

It's a well lit film. That's the best I can say about it.

Out of Sight (1998) ****

Superbly photographed heist/romcom elevated by the top notch cast and Soderbergh's editing.

God Told Me To (1976) ***

Well made thriller has a lot of influences but uses them in an original and intriguing way. Pretty sharp script and the cast goes all in.

Robert Towne Dead: 'Chinatown' Screenwriter Was 89

Prior to his death, Towne had collaborated with David Fincher on a “Chinatown” prequel series for Netflix, which would explore the police days of Jack Nicholson’s character Jake Gittes. In an interview with Variety one month before his death, Towne confirmed that all episodes of the project had been written.

Twentieth Century (1934) **

The leads try hard and there are enough sharp laughs in the script to make it watchable but I wish they had gone for a tiny bit of realism instead of amping up the screwball.

A Clockwork Orange (1971) ****

One of the finest films ever made. Superbly crafted with stand out performances from the entire cast. Noticed this time around the ubiquity of backlit shots only unlike contemporary films you can still see the actors. 136 minutes that go by like 70.

Love Is Love Is Love (2020) **

Portmanteau chick flick d'un certain âge showcases a plethora of terrific actresses including the always welcome Polly Draper. It's a shame the material is not up to the performers' high caliber. Still, it's well shot and there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) ***

Well done uber-80's rom-com with a top cast including peak Madonna.

Bullitt (1968) ***

Steve is perfect as the good cop standing up to sleazy politicos in a surprisingly slow and, except for the acclaimed car chase, dull procedural. Beautifully shot and makes superb use of the SF location.

The Strange Monsieur Victor (1938) **

Interesting French noir meller has a little too much going on to be compelling. Well made though.

Nights and Weekends (2008) *

This is worse than a waste of Ms. Gerwig, it's exploitation.

The Chase (1946) ***

Strange noir has many oddball touches that make it feel modern along with a couple of terrific supporting turns. Fizzles out in the third act.

The Canyons (2013) **

Disappointing because it could have been a lot better but not the complete train wreck a lot of critics saw. The acting is fine and it is beautifully shot for the most part. The script and direction are just too pedestrian to make something resonant.

Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) *

Non-scripted exercise is watchable only because of Greta.

Tenet (2020) ****

Terrific mind-bending actioner answers the question what if you combined Memento with Inception?

Daliland (2022) **

Yet another constantly, annoyingly backlit flick which really hampers some good performances. Also unfortunate that the lead does not seem up to it.

Coherence (2013) ****

Starts off extremely annoying but give it until the comet arrives. Terrific ensemble acting and sharp, tight writing that explains but does not condescend.

The Straight Story (1999) ***

Commanding performance from Richard Farnsworth makes this flick which could have used a little tightening. The lead is so good the film's weaknesses stand out.

Gambit (1966) **

Heist flick with a nifty twist and a nifty Shirley scene where she proves her dancer's flexibility. No chemistry between the leads so the romantic turn is abrupt to say the least.

Willem Dafoe on Kinds of Kindness, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone

When in my most sentimental mode, I always feel like we’re put on this earth to walk each other home. That’s what I always think, and if you really believe in that, you really practice that – and I don’t all the time, nobody does, it’s really hard – I think that that’s a good life. So that’s my response to making movies. I look for those opportunities. Hopefully, movies change, I change, the world changes. It’s new every time because of what I just said, not because of me.

‘Has this guy ever made a movie before?’ Francis Ford Coppola’s 40-year battle to film Megalopolis

As if that wasn’t enough, Coppola made life even harder for himself: “When he arrived in Atlanta, he was looking for accommodation for his extended family and he wasn’t finding anything he particularly liked. So he bought a drive-in motel which had just closed, and decided to renovate it. So all the way through the shoot, he lived there. The construction noise started at six in the morning.” When Figgis (who opted to stay in a different hotel) asked Coppola how he handled it all, “He said, ‘Look, it’s all the same thing. Movie business, construction business: it’s telling people what you want, and making sure they do it.’”

Bringing Out the Dead (1999) ***

A primer on how to shoot a "dark" movie and still be able to always see the actors faces even when backlit! Terrific, typical Scorsese flick in all the best ways. Only quibble is it could have been trimmed a bit.

What a Way to Go! (1964) *

I remember liking this film when I first saw it. At age 10. And that's about the age limit they're aiming for. A waste of Shirley at her loveliest and the great Margaret Dumont.

Vengeance Is Mine (1984) ****

Two powerhouse performances drive this odd, brilliantly understated family drama. Powerful, thrilling film.

Pretty Poison (1968) **

Terrific leads keeps this rather ridiculous tale afloat.

Past Lives (2023) **

Nicely shot K-weepie featuring a marvelous Greta Lee. Could have been a little tighter.

For Clara

What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
    -- last words of Crowfoot (Blackfoot warrior and orator, 1890)