Models Inc. is one of those films where the premise is incredibly interesting but in the end it doesn’t live up to what it could have been. Essentially it's about a con-artist type femme fatale character Rusty (Coleen Gray), who cons a major Model agency owner into a racket where the young models are used for entertainment and sexual favors. Of course, being a film from the early 50’s Models, Inc. is a moderately tame in its depiection of the invents which transpire involving these women, though it may have been considered taboo for the time, not sure. Anyway, Rusty’s character is without a doubt our main focus. As the film progresses she begins to feel extreme guilt for taking advantage of tje ,pde; agency owner to the point where she even begins to develop feelings for him. One of the more interesting aspects of Models, Inc is that Rusty really isn't positioned as a strong-willed character, ultimately falling victim to her womanly desires. Maybe a product of the times, Rusty is a woman who has no control over her own fate and seems to just be at the mercy of Lennie, her old flame who is the driving force behind the racket scheme, and the owner of the agency, who slowly begins to realize what is going on. In a way she is a tragic character, just with no control over her fate - sorta a woman living in a man's world situation. Model, Inc is an interestring relic, and while it certainitly isn't a bad film, there is nothing that really sticks out; from the cinematography to the script, its all passable but not particularly significant or interesting. 6.25/10
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Leo and Elvis are two employees from a cleaning service that specializes in removing human remains from crime scenes and/or death disposal. The two are childhood friends but Elvis is a novice, whose stomach is not cut out for this type of work, while Leo, a seasoned pro, is the model of calm. The duo are sent to a remote house to clean up the remains of an old man who was apparently attacked by wolves. While at his home, the two men find a hidden door which leads them to a laboratory of sorts where they discover a mysterious woman whose been kept alive for years via feeding tubes and has been the subject of the old man's medical experiments. What at first seems like a damsel in distress situation, quickly turns into something far more sinister as the two men discover this woman may not be human at all. Aleksander Nordaas' Thale is a low-budget horror film that centers around Norwegian Folklore, more specifically the Huldra, a beautiful young woman born and raised in the woods who possesses supernatural powers such as the ability to heal, super-human strength, and psychic abilities. The film is not an action packed horror film, playing more like a mystery that slowly unravels around the details of this young woman's nature. Leo and Elvis are two characters as much in the dark about their situation as the viewer, which makes them instantly relateable. The viewer is kept completely in the dark about this woman's exact intentions, which only makes the climax more thrilling. One of Thale's major problems is its inability to grasp the viewer emotionally. While we learn that many of these beats are necessary to the story, some of the more gentle or emotional moments revolving around Leo and Elvis fall flat, ultimately failing to trigger much emotion from the viewer. Being a film that was shot on a micro-budget level, Thale is impressive from both a style and image standpoint, and while I really enjoyed the blending of reality and folklore, it's a film that is lacking the emotional punch it tries to achieve. 6.25/10 Early one morning, two children are awoken by their parents so they can set out on their family vacation. The family heads from Santiago Chile to the north of Chile for a holiday, but there is a hostile, yet quiet force which is brooding under the surface. As they make their way through barren landscapes and back country roads the children slowly begin to realize that this vacation isn't just another vacation but possibly their father's farewell trip. Dominga Sotomayor Castillo's Thursday Til Sunday is a minimalistic look at the deconstruction of a family unit which is centered around the adults lost love. Entirely from the point of view of two young children, Thursday Til Sunday subtlety shows how these two parents have grown apart from one and other, capturing in detail how they attempt to keep this separation as painless as possible for their two children. The cinematography helps create this subtle sense of dread, with the barren landscapes and claustrophobic feel of the car on a long trip aiding in creating a perfect setting for the slow unraveling of these two young children's parents. While there is no denying the naturalistic quality of Thursday Till Sunday, the film never really engaged me on an emotionally level while showing this slow deconstruction. It's a film that probably tries a little too hard to be subtle to the point that it doesn't have that much to say. The pacing is just too slow and outside of its naturalistic approach in depicting a family unit on the brink of separation, it really feels empty. Dominga Sotomayor's debut feature Thursday til Sunday provides a natural portrait of divorce through the eyes of the children, but its tepid pace and tedious detail wares thin on the viewer, despite Sotomayor's visual eye. 7.25/10 Swanson's father is dying a slow death but you would never know based off of Swanson's attitude as he spends his days aimlessly screwing around with his like-minded friends. His father is an incredibly wealthy man, and while Swanson certainly doesn't lavishly spend his fathers' money, he's essentially a grown man-child whose never had to deal with any real responsibility. Extremely crude, and unapologetic in its approach, Rick Alverson's The Comedy is a film that is bound to be incredibly divisive. While watching The Comedy I wondered if this was a film which set out to depict a generation of privileged children, or maybe a cautionary tale for the successful on how to raise their children but ultimately I think The Comedy is simply a detailed character study of a man-child, that successfully captures the nuances and subtleties of the character. Some won't find the movie funny, as the humor is very vulgar and abrasive, but the film understands the character of Swanson and completely fits this man-child. Most of the film we simply follow Swanson throughout his various antics which make up his day. There are a few scenes throughout the film that are meant to evoke an emotional response, and they do, for the viewer, but not from Swanson, a man who appears to not have a compassionate bone in his body. The last scene is the perfect conclusion for The Comedy, showing Swanson playing on the beach with a 5 year old boy, someone who he can relate too. Rick Alverson's The Comedy is the type of film which most people will proclaim "is about nothing", and it's certainly an acquired taste, but I found it to be a comical, interesting character piece. 7.5/10 Peter Jackson returns to Middle Earth in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which follows Bilbo Baggins, an "ordinary" hobbit, who is swept up into an epic adventure revolving around the Dwarf clan reclaiming their lost Kindgom of Erebor. The film begins with Gandalf the Grey approaching Bilbo out of the blue to join him on this quest. Bilbo is incredibly reluctant, though he eventually agrees to go, in which he is accompanied by thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, the heir to the Kindgom of Erebory. Without question, Peter Jackson's The Hobbit will always draw comparisons to the LOTRs trilogy and while the comparison is obvious, I'm not entirely sure it is a fair comparison. At the beginning of the film Jackson even seems to want to remind the viewer of the LOTR trilogy, showing Frodo (Elijah Wood with a cameo) at home with the elderly Bilbo before the viewer is transported 60 years into the past to tell the tale. It's a nice, simply way to grab the viewer and throw them back into this world but it certainly invokes more comparisons and criticism because of it. The Hobbit is simply a much smaller story than the LOTR, though Jackson infuses this film with tons of spectacle. For me the biggest problem with The Hobbit was simply that I didn't feel as invested in the characters. Thorin Oakenshield is by far the most interesting character in the film, a headstrong man who wants revenge against his father's killer, yet deep down feels he has been a complete failure to his people, who have no home. While the LOTR films had Aragon, Frodo, Sam, etc, I personally didn't feel very invested in the characters outside of Thorin. The Hobbit is also far more playful and lighthearted than the LOTR films, and while it certainty was entertaining in stretches, it ultimately made the dramatic beats far less compelling. This film just seems to lack the emotional weight and danger which the LOTR films did and I'm not sure why. It could be simply that Jackson is going through the motions this time around, but it's really hard to say without seeing the next two pieces of The Hobbit. That all being said, The Hobbit is no slouch in epic adventure sequences either, and there are quite a few beautifully realized sequences of CGI playtime, particularly the sequence involving the "rock giants" and the Goblin escape towards the end of the film. Peter Jackson's The Hobbit is an epic adventure that certainly lacks the emotional weight and stakes of the LOTR films, but it is getting far more negative buzz then it deserves. 7.25/10 Ruby, an openly homosexual man, works as a drag queen at a gay bar to pay his bills One night he meets Paul, a district attorney, and is instantly drawn to him. While Ruby is not ashamed of who he is, Paul keeps his homosexuality behind closed doors, yet the two quickly fall head-over-heels for each other. When Ruby's junkie neighbor is arrested for drug possession, Rudy is drawn to her teenage son Marco, who suffers from down syndrome. With the neighbor in jail, Rudy and Paul take Marco in as their own, and provide a loving, unconventional unit. However, when this living arrangement is discovered by the authorities, Ruby and Paul start a legal battle with a biased legal system, intent on retaining custody of the child, whom they have grown to love. Travis Fine's Any Day Now is a film that waves its message quite clear about a society engulfed in discrimination against homosexuals, and while the film surely has an agenda, it's a powerful piece of filmmaking that left me feeling sick to my stomach. Any Day Now spends a lot of time showing how much Paul and Ruby care for Marco, and when the court battle begins it really does a great job at capturing how the biases of individuals corrupt their judgement about what is best for Marco. The prosecutor, judge, etc. all view homosexuality as this evil disease, and this discrimination blinds them from the truth of how much better Marco is with Ruby and Paul than even his own mother. This is a film that really should have been longer, spending more time early on establishing this growing love and affection which Paul and Ruby share. That isn't to say that their love doesn't feel genuine, it does, but if the film would have spent more time with them early on, the custody battle would have been even more emotionally impactful. Alan Cumming gives an all encompassing performance as Rudy, capturing the nuances of this type of character. Everything Rudy does throughout the entire film fits this character which Cumming has created and he really deserves accolades for such a brave performance. Any Day Now is film that is very clear about its intentions and while I do think a few moments came off as manipulative, this is one of the most powerful films I have seen in recent memory 8/10 Harry and Eve Graham are a loving couple whom have decided they want to adopt a baby. Harry works as a travelling salesman, spending much of his time on the road, so the two of them go to the adoption agency to start the process. Mr. Jordan, the man responsible for determining if the Graham's are responsible enough for an adoption, begins to investigate the Grahams, ultimately discovering that Harry has been living a double life in which he is married to two woman in Eve and Phyllis, a woman who lives in Los Angeles. These days much has been made about the lack of female directors in Hollywood and while the argument isn't without merit, its funny how seldem Ida Lupino is mentioned as a pioneer. Ida Lupino is one of the most criminally underrated filmmakers of her time, regardless of her sex, and while The Bigamist isn't as groundbreaking as some of her other work, it once again shows Lupino's desire to tackle the social taboos which existed in society. The Bigamist is told mostly via flashback, as Harry attempts to explain his unique situation to Mr. Jordan after he is caught red-handed. While the flashback narrative device is pretty standard practice, the approach does give the viewer some nice insight into the character as he tries to explain his point-of-view. Harry lives the lonely life of a salesman who spends most of his time on the road, alone looking for something to do with his life. We learn that his second marriage is more out of man's lack of companionship than carnal pleasures. The Bigamist certaintly doesn't advocate this type of dual-lifestyle nor make excuses for Harry Graham but it still manages to be sympathetic to Harry Graham as a man. Lupino also seems to suggest that Eve is the type of woman who emasculates Harry to some degree with her steadfast, career-driven attitude, the "brain-to-his-brawn" as Harry himself describes it in the film. We are given a few small but important scenes subtlely showing this lack of affection in their relationship, due both to her attitude and his profession which puts him constantly on the road and away from her. The Bigamist makes a rather signficant point about Harry, in that while there is no doubt that what he did is wrong, he didn't simply treat Phyllis as some misteress, but a woman whom he clearly cared about. Lupino closes the film perfectly, with a final shot showing that Eve still loves Harry - how she stands at the back of the courtroom, unable to merely walk away like Phyliss, watching Harry being taken away by the authorities. Ida Lupino was never afraid to challenge the social norms of the society around her, and The Bigamist is another solid example of that. 7.25/10 Living in Padre Cruze, a slum on the outskirts of Lisbon, a family struggles through life, living in a culture of poverty and violence. Maria lives in a cramped home with her two teenage children and her sister Ivete. While her son Joca is a delinquent who is an integral part in the drug trade, Maria has hope for her daughter, Claudia, who is in nursing school. Claudia is Marcia's beacon of hope, who Marcia has sacrificed for heavily just so Claudia can have a chance at a better life. When Marcia learns that Claudia is wrapped up in an affair with her married professor, her life is shattered, fearing that her daughter may destroy her one chance at a better life. Joao Canijo's Blood of My Blood is an sprawling story of class struggle in Lisbon that has elements of a greek tragedy. Joao Marcia is an incredibly strong female character who simply wants her children to have a chance in an unfair world. Her daughter Claudia reminds her of herself, and this naive, innocent attitude is what Marcia will do anything to protect. With a film touching on class struggle and the barriers which exist, Blood of My Blood is certainly not a film for the faint of heart and while there are many films which attempt this commentary, what separates Blood of my Blood is its attention to detail, particularly with its characters. Joao Canijo spends a lot of time capturing the family dynamics which exist is Marcia's household, giving the viewer plenty of time to learn and understand the emotions of these characters. This attention to detail ultimately pays dividends towards the end of the film when the major drama transpires. The visual style of the film is impressive, with the camera almost like an observant bystander, floating from room to room, capturing the various family dynamics which exist in Marcia's household. I wouldn't describe the cinematography as flashy per say, but more surgical in its approach. Joao Canijo's Blood of My Blood is an emotionally affecting piece of filmmaking which ultimately succeeds in it's story of the barriers which exist in social classes of society. 8.25/10 The Undying Monster is a well-crafted variation of the 'Wolf Man' films which combines a supernatural family curse into a murder mystery plot-line. The story is rather on-par with many of the B movies of the time period, but is without question elevated by the direction and cinematography. Early on the film builds a nice atmosphere between the wide shot compositions of the old, creepy mansion to the shadow soaked lighting, which help to establish this form of isolation and foreboding doom. While this is definitely not on the same level as some of John Brahm's other films like Hangover Square, The Lodger, or Guest in the House, this film showcases Brahms ability to really use sound and visuals to create tension and mood. Whether it's the camera movements in the beginning of the film which are perfectly succint with the tolling of a clock or the scene in front of a fire place where smoke distorts the entire image, Brahm was really underrated as a visual filmmaker, and having Lucien Ballard as your cinematographer for this film obviously doesn't hurt either. The other interesting aspect about The Undying Monster is this dissection of the supernatural world vs. an old fashioned murder mystery in which the film plays the viewers perception but it's not a centeral theme of the story. In the end, John Brahm's The Undying Monster is a solid if unspectacular film that is elevated by Brahm and Ballard, who showcase their visual chops. 7.25/10 Iowa's reigning butter sculpting champ, Bob, has been winning the annual butter sculpture event for over a decade running. In an attempt to give someone else a chance, Bob is asked to step down, in which he reluctantly agrees. His wife, Laura, an ambitious and uptight woman, takes this as an insult to the name in which her husband has built and decides to enter the contest herself to keep the trophy in the family. Laura figures she is a shoo-in to win the competition but when Destiny, a young, adopted African-American girl enters the race, the competition is neck and neck. Jason Field Smith's Butter is a not so subtle, scathing satire of Mid-west culture in which it sets its sights on the conservative and/or rural types. The film is rather smug in its satire, and I found its generalizations to be a little too over-the-top and meandering for my taste. Laura is like the manifestation of every conservative stereotype, and Jenniffer Garner plays her with reckless abandonment which is huge factor in elevating Buttler above the smug, assured direction into ultimately a pretty fun, little experience. At times Butter seems unsure as to what it wants to be, featuring this scathing commentary yet consisting of a cute, light-hearted conclusion. This indecision on the part of the filmmakers leads to the film suffering a bit because of this uneven tone. At one point Butter even touches on the idea behind artistic expression, another interesting theme which is not explored to the extent it should have been. Butter is certainly an entertaining film that features quite a few funny moments mostly courtesy of Garner's performance, but its lack of focus in terms of overall theme leaves it merely serviceable instead of extraordinary. 6.5/10 |
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June 2023
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