Kimi

Kimi is a 2022 thriller film directed by Stephen Soderbergh. I'm not sure how I came across this one, but I'm so glad I did. One of my current irritations with movies is how long they are, with scenes that drag out and plots that progress sooo slowly. Not here. Taut and efficient with wonderfully realized characters and a thrilling plot, I'd watch this one again. I watched it on HBO Max.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site gives it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars and calls it "a timely commentary on isolation and intrusion." NPR calls it "a pandemic-era thriller that's eerily keyed into our current moment". The Guardian praises it and says it "keeps things refreshingly simple and stringently devoid of any extraneous padding." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 92%.

Godzilla vs Megaguirus

Godzilla vs Megaguirus is a 2000 Japanese Toho kaiju monster movie. This is a direct sequel to the 1954 original Godzilla movie, ignoring everything that's happened in the other movies since then. Obviously not the first Godzilla movie you should see, it's definitely worth watching if yuo're doing a chronological viewing of them all. Which we have been doing. We have the DVD; it doesn't appear to be available on any of the services we subscribe to.

Japanese trailer:

Reviews were mixed.

Désirée’s Baby

Désirée’s Baby is an 1893 short story by Kate Chopin. You can read it online here or here or have it read to you at the bottom of this post. It begins,

As the day was pleasant, Madame Valmondé drove over to L’Abri to see Désirée and the baby.

It made her laugh to think of Désirée with a baby. Why, it seemed but yesterday that Désirée was little more than a baby herself; when Monsieur in riding through the gateway of Valmondé had found her lying asleep in the shadow of the big stone pillar.

The little one awoke in his arms and began to cry for “Dada.” That was as much as she could do or say. Some people thought she might have strayed there of her own accord, for she was of the toddling age. The prevailing belief was that she had been purposely left by a party of Texans, whose canvas-covered wagon, late in the day, had crossed the ferry that Coton Maïs kept, just below the plantation. In time Madame Valmondé abandoned every speculation but the one that Désirée had been sent to her by a beneficent Providence to be the child of her affection, seeing that she was without child of the flesh. For the girl grew to be beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere, —the idol of Valmondé.

*******

The Killing (1956)

The Killing is a 1956 film noir directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Sterling Hayden and Elisha Cook, Jr. Cook is a favorite with us. Rodney Dangerfield has an uncredited role in this, his first film. A lesser known noir, it deserves more attention and is well worth watching.

free via YouTube, but it's "age-restricted" for some reason so you'll have to click through to YouTube to watch it:

Roger Ebert has it on his list of Great Movies. Filmsite calls it "a stylish but stark film noir crime drama, and the definitive heist-caper movie". The Criterion Collection calls it "one of Hollywood’s tautest, twistiest noirs". Turner Classic Movies has an overview. Rotten Tomatoes has a 96% critics concensus score.

I'm drinking my usual cuppa coffee (no whitener, no sugar):

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Wildhood

Wildhood is a 2021 Canadian coming-of-age romantic drama film about a young man in his late teens who was raised disconnected from his mother's native Mi'kmaq heritage by his abusive white father. Following the discovery that his mother, whom he had long been told was dead, is in fact still alive, he takes his younger half-brother on a journey to find her. A fascinating film and a touching story. I watched it on Hulu.

trailer:

The Guardian says, "Set in Nova Scotia, Bretten Hannam’s tremendously shot film follows two boys as they flee their abusive dad and embark upon a quest". The Hollywood Reporter says, "Wildhood combines the foundation of heartrending coming-of-age narratives with the feel-good elements of road trip flicks to create a delicate, not to mention visually appealing, [second] film [for this director]." Rotten Tomatoes has a 100% critics consensus score.

Funny Girl

Funny Girl is an award-winning 1968 musical comedy film loosely based on the life of Fanny Brice. The movie is directed by William Wyler and stars Barbara Steisand in her film debut and Omar Sharif. Anne Francis and Walter Pidgeon co-star. I had seen this before but it had been decades since the last time. It's fun to see the songs in context. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

trailer:

Roger Ebert has a full 4-star review, calling Steisand "magnificent". There's a 94% positive reviewer consensus at Rotten Tomatoes.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a 1941 fantasy romantic comedy film starring Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains, and Edward Everett Horton. Not my usual fare as I don't favor comedies and especially try to avoid romantic comedies, but this was a fine little film. I'll watch anything with Claude Rains in it. It's on Tubi. I watched it on my computer via YouTube (embedded below), but you can get the free Tubi app through Roku and watch it on your TV if you prefer that.

via YouTube:

DVD Talk opens with this:

Here Comes Mr. Jordan is one of those rare Hollywood classics that hasn't dated and never fails to raise one's spirits. It's one of the first and best of the Films Blanc, the splinter genre of light comedy-dramas that imagine the universe to be governed by a fanciful Hereafter. Screenwriters Sidney Buchman and Seton I. Miller put Robert Montgomery into a no man's land between heaven and earth, while sympathetic angels work to correct a cosmic error. Nominated for seven Oscars, the film won two, for Original Story and Screenplay.

Slant Magazine describes it as a "Hollywood gem". Criterion calls it "A sophisticated supernatural Hollywood comedy whose influence continues to be felt". TCM has information. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf is a 2021 adult animated dark fantasy film focusing on the origin story of Geralt's mentor and fellow witcher Vesemir, the witcher featured in The Witcher televsion series. This is a wonderful origin story which stands on its own even if you're unfamiliar with the other witcher stories. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 100%.

The Curse of Humpty Dumpty

The Curse of Humpty Dumpty is a 2021 horror film. It's one of those evil doll films, which I tend to avoid, but I'm glad I watched this one. The main character is a woman recently diagnosed with dementia. I saw it on Tubi.

trailer:

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance is a 1972 Japanese sword-fighting film, the first in a series of six films in the Lone Wolf and Cub series based on the manga. This is interesting, and I'm glad The Younger Son introduced me to the series. The father/son pair is sweet. Right now it looks like it's available on Internet Archive. I watched it on HBO Max.

trailer:

Criterion opens its description with this: "The inaugural film in the Lone Wolf and Cub series immediately thrust Itto Ogami into the ranks of the all-time great samurai movie icons." Rotten Tomatoes has an audience consensus score of 90%.

Pinetop's Boogie Woogie

Pinetop's Boogie Woogie:

This is a live version. The song was recorded at Sun Studio by Pinetop Perkins, who died on this date in 2011 at 97 years of age.

Pull up a chair and join me in a cuppa (mine's chamomile) while you listen:

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Wanda

Wanda is a 1970 award-winning American independent drama film written and directed by Barbara Loden, who also stars. Set in the anthracite coal region of eastern Pennsylvania, the film focuses on an apathetic woman with limited options who inadvertently goes on the run with a bank robber. This is definitely re-watchable.

The director died of breast cancer in 1980 at age 48. Wanda is her only feature-length film as director.

I watched it on HBO Max.

via YouTube:

NPR concludes, "Unable to find backing for another film — [the director] wanted to adapt Kate Chopin's The Awakening — Loden died of cancer at age 48. But her legend continues to grow. On the basis of a single movie, posterity has made her a symbol of all the women filmmakers who might have had great careers but never really got the chance." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 92%.

A Million Ways to Die in the West

A Million Ways to Die in the West is a 2014 American Western black comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and starring Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman, and Liam Neeson. This movie is funny, and I liked it well enough as long as you're not expecting much. Critics weren't kind. I watched it on HBO Max.

trailer:

Death in Paradise 42

This 42 locker key makes an appearance as a key piece of evidence in episode 1 (Murder on the Honoré Express) of the 8th season of the tv series Death in Paradise.

The Scorpion King (2002)

The Scorpion King is a 2002 sword and sorcery action adventure film. Both a prequel and spin-off of The Mummy franchise, it launched The Scorpion King film series. The film marks Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's first lead role. This is another in the category of movies that are great splashy fun to watch but that will never appear on "Great Film" lists. I watched it on Amazon Prime this time, but I had seen it before years ago on one of the kids' DVDs.

trailer:

Blood Vessel

Blood Vessel (get it? *wink wink*) is a 2019 Australian horror film that takes place in 1945 on a ship. Clever. I enjoyed this one even though there's nothing new here. Don't make it one of the first vampire movies you see, as there are so many better ones out there, but once you've plowed that ground this is a fun addition. I watched it on the Tubi app on Roku, but it's also available free on Tubi online, on Plex, on Vudu, and via multiple other free sources.

trailer:

Mr. Arkadin

Mr. Arkadin is a 1955 film directed by and starring Orson Welles. The main character is also the main character in the classic film The Third Man, but the movies aren't dependent on each other so can be viewed separately. That there are multiple versions of this film out there is an interesting story. HBO Max has the Corinth version. You can also see it here at PBS. It's not hard to find free.

Via Daily Motion:

TCM has information. Rotten Tomatoes has an audience score of 80%.

Indiscreet

Indiscreet is a 1958 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. I don't tend to like romantic comedies, but we shouldn't let those kinds of prejudices rule us. I'm always willing to try a film in order to broaden my horizons. This is delightful fluff. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

via YouTube:

Here's a screenshot from the movie:

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Robbing Mussolini

Robbing Mussolini is a 2022 Italian historical comedy-drama film. It was fine enough but no better than that. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

 

 

Paris, Texas

Paris, Texas is an award-winning 1984 road movie directed by Wim Wenders and starring Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, and Nastassja Kinski. I like these actors when I find them and enjoyed this movie. from Wikipedia:

The plot focuses on a traumatized man named Travis (Stanton) who, after mysteriously wandering out of the desert in a dissociative fugue, attempts to reunite with his brother (Stockwell) and seven-year-old son (Carson). After reconnecting with his son, Travis and the boy end up embarking on a voyage through the American Southwest to track down Travis' long-missing wife (Kinski).

I watched it on HBO Max.

trailer:

Roger Ebert has it on his list of Great Movies. Rotten Tomatoes has a 94% critics consensus score.