Ferrari (2023) A Triumphant Return for Michael Mann B+
Mann shoots the racing sequences with breathtaking panache and urgency aided at every turn by his master cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt and the editing genius of Pietro Scalia.
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Category: Historic Events
Till (2022) Film Review B+
The 2023 Best Actress Oscar Goes To…Danielle Deadwyler in Till. And as she reaches the volta of her magnificent speech she does something extraordinary…
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Amerikatsi (2023) Armenia’s First to Make the Shortlist B-
The result is a film that walks a tightrope but contains some beautiful moments, even if, at times, it threatens to topple over.
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Fremont (2023) The Film’s Nonchalant Charm Wins You Over B-
In the second hour, the movie enters a different realm due to the appearance of Jeremy Allen White and his palpable chemistry with our leading lady.
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Origin (2023) (B-) vs 13th (2016) (A-) Narrative vs Documentary
I felt that the constraints of the narrative feature may not have fully captured the depth and complexity of Wilkerson’s analysis of caste and its impact on society.
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Babylon (2022) Film Review B-
I had no problem sitting through the movie’s bloated 180-minute running because, through all of this nothingness, five actors manage to make lasting impressions
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Blonde (2022) Ana is Sensational as Marilyn B-
Immersing herself completely in the role of Norma Jean/Marilyn Monroe, Ana de Armas is sensational. And exhausting!
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Sebastiane (1976) Derek Jarman’s Flaccid Directorial Debut C-
What seemed revolutionary in 1976 seems pretty mediocre today. More a series of tableaux vivants than an actual narrative feature, it wears out its welcome.
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Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Film Review A+
Pacino is magnificent. With Michael Corleone in The Godfather movies, “Dog Day Afternoon” is his defining role.
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Barry Lyndon (1975) Film Review A
In “Barry Lyndon” there is a moment where Ryan O’Neal finds two soldiers naked and holding hands in a pond as they confess their love for one another.
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Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) Film Review A+
Weir, who showed, like Hitchcock, that horror can be visited upon us on the brightest and most beautiful of summer days.
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Chinatown (1974) Polanski’s Noir Masterpiece A+
Polanski captured the FEEL of LA better than anyone before or sense. Jack Nicholson gives his greatest performance as private dick J. J. ” Jake” Gittes.
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The Day of the Jackal (1973) Film Review A
Another example of a gay character whose sole purpose in the movie is to be killed. Still, Zinnemmann and Rodgers treat his character with a modicum of respect.
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Cabaret (1972) Film Review A+
Based on the 1966 Broadway musical “Cabaret” by Kander and Ebb which was adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s The Berlin Stories” (1945).
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The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971) Film Review A-
“The Garden of the Finzi Continis” is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by gay Italian writer Giorgio Bassani who is played in the film by Helmut Berger.
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The Conformist (1970) Nando, Vittorio and Bernardo’s Masterpiece A+
Using Art Deco as a backdrop to the film’s narrative, the partnership of Bertolucci, Storaro and Scarfiotti changed the look of Cinema forever.
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Z (1969) Film Review B+
Few seem to have noticed that “Z” is a virulently homophobic film in which the main villain is a homosexual and convicted pedophile.
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The Damned (1969) Film Review B-
Luchino Viconti’s “The Damned” centers on the Essenbecks (read Krupp family) on the night of the Reichstag fire in early 1933.
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The Sergeant (1968) Film Review C+
The subject matter, its release during the Christmas season, and a couple of scathing reviews by the major critics sealed its fate.
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The Boston Strangler (1968) Film Review C-
Although not part of Queer Cinema per se, “The Boston Strangler” is filled with “queers” and “faggots” as the police comb the gay demimonde.
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Billy Budd (1962) Film Review C
Many, including gay composer Benjamin Britton and his famous opera, maintain that there is an undercurrent of homoeroticism between the three leads.
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Victim (1961) Film Review B+
They say that this film did more to sway public and political opinion on homosexuality in England than any parliamentary discussion.
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Spartacus (1960) Film Review B
The Kirk Douglas/Stanley Kubrick epic has not aged well but the supporting cast,, particularly Laurence Olivier and Peter Ustinov, make it worth seeing.
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Ben Hur (1959) Film Review B
If you believe Gore Vidal it was all because of a lover’s spat. Wyler and Boyd were in on the ruse, and Boyd played his scenes that way, but Heston was not.
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Some Like it Hot (1959) Film Review A+
“Some Like It Hot“ was only the second (following Otto Preminger’s “The Moon is Blue” in 1953) mainstream Hollywood movie NOT to be submitted to the Hays Office.
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Rope (1948) Film Review A-
The story, which is based on the Leopold and Loeb case is irresistible. Granger and Dall are perfection and Jimmy Stewart is also amazing.
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Casablanca (1942-1943) Here’s Looking at you Kid! A+
Written on the fly by the fabulous Epstein twins and Howard Koch and directed by Michael Curtiz, this is one of the most romantic of all Hollywood movies.
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