The Newsstand

March 14, 1960

The Marquee (The Art of Film Noir)

FBI Girl

Six Bridges to Cross

The Scar

Criss-Cross

T-Men

Crime Wave

My Week of Movie Watching

I’m Not Scared – Wow. This was a real treat. This Italian thriller from 2004 started out reminding me a bit of the great Dutch film The Vanishing, with the way that it prods the imagination – We almost don’t want to watch, because we fear that our worst thoughts might be correct. It concerns a young boy who makes a horrifying discovery, and comes to the slow realization that his father is involved in it. The opening passages are brilliantly macabre, and even though it shifts gears to a more standard crime movie, it’s a wonderful watch. The locations in Southern Italy are utterly gorgeous. Enthusiastically recommended.

The Burmese Harp – I am a huge admirer of the films of Kon Ichikawa, but I had never seen this, the one that put him on the international map in 1957. It’s the story of a Japanese soldier of the Burma campaign who is traumatized by what he sees, becomes a monk, and takes on the duty of burying his dead comrades. This makes a good companion for Ichikawa’s great anti-war film Fires on the Plain. The films mine similar ground, but they are different in style. Where Fires is sharp and angry, this one is quiet and melancholy. A great film, heartily recommended.

Sex

Dietrich

The Marquee (Bud and Lou Division)

My Week of Movie Watching

In the Valley of Elah - Tommy Lee Jones is a father investigating the death of his serviceman son, and Charlize Theron a detective assisting him. Both face steep odds against bureaucracy that would rather sweep the whole thing under the rug. The title refers to the site of David's battle against Goliath, and it's an apt metaphor. Although I recommend it, I wish just once we could see the US military not portrayed as a shadowy, evil entity.

Trafic - Jacques Tati's meditations on the modern world continue in this, his final film. In this one Mr. Hulot is charged with transporting an ultra-modern new car model to an auto show. The journey, of course is pockmarked with problems. This isn't on the level of Tati's twin masterpieces Mon Oncle and Playtime, but you should check it out anyway.

The Lower Depths - This is the 1936 Jean Renoir version of Maxim Gorky's novel (Kurosawa filmed one, as well). The great Jean Gabin plays a thief struggling to go straight and rescue the woman he loves from her abusive sister and brother-in-law. The real treat here is Louis Jouvet of Quai Des Orfevres fame as a disgraced count reduced to moving into the slums. Recommended.

Sex (Underrated Bond Babe Division)

Part of the Bond 00-7thon at Filmsquish.

Carey Lowell, License to Kill