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)

Ripley (TV Mini Series 2024) ****

I could quibble about casting, but the production design, photography, script and performances are so spectacular. Terrific adaptation, really captures the feel of the novel.

Master Gardener (2022) **

Starts off great but too much facile plot intervenes and ruins what was a nice character study.

The Trial (1962) **

Sensational production design, photography, cast but too long and too slavish to the source material. Orson's usually tight pacing is missing.

Not Fade Away (2012) ***

Avoids most of the cliches about coming of age flicks and particularly 60's flicks with a smart script, tight direction and terrific cast.

Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog passes away at 92

Whitey Herzog, whose keen eye for talent evaluation and unique creativity in building baseball rosters led to a Hall of Fame MLB managing career, died on Tuesday. He was 92 years old. Herzog won World Series titles in 1969 and 1982 -- first, with the Mets as a farm system director and, later, as the dynamic manager of the speed-driven Cardinals. Like with the Mets, when his fingerprints were all over the franchise’s first crown in 1969, Herzog reimagined the Cardinals into a team built around speed, defense and a strong bullpen with a series of player acquisitions. A roster recreated by Herzog’s moves -- his deals involved 22 players during the 1980 Winter Meetings -- would ultimately win the World Series in 1982 and capture two more pennants for the Cardinals in ’85 and ’87.

Mississippi Mermaid (1969) **

Overlong, meandering flick starts off as a Vertigo-like mystery and ends up as a fable about how love hurts. Cat Deneuve is always watchable.

Gideon's Day (1958) ***

Well photographed by the great Freddie Young, this is a preposterous but entertaining look at a particularly busy day for a Brit detective.

The Two-Headed Spy (1958) ***

Top-notch spy thriller with an intelligent, taut script and perfect casting. Jack Hawkins shows he can carry a film.