It hurts to see our romantic idols in the throes of marital resentment. But the acting and arguing are so. Damn. Good. Greece is lovely. And few films grapples so deeply with perceptions of time.
Author: Dan Stalcup
Rarely do sequels do so much to deepen the original and the characters. A mesmerizing, almost real-time depiction of a lovely Parisian cityscape with electric romantic and philosophical energy.
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Within Our Gates (1920)
For the first hour or so of its 75 minutes, Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates is far more compelling as a historical artifact than as cinema.
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Godzilla (1954)
A rapturous romantic duet that’s almost entirely dialogue and character development. Brilliantly performed by Hawke and Delpy, and lovely direction too. Makes me want to travel and soak in culture.
Quite possibly the most accomplished B&W photography I’ve ever seen. Airtight script and acting — noirish, but not too wild. Welles is magentic for all 5 minutes. The ending is unexpectedly kinetic but absolutely visual mastery.
Trashy, gratuitous, overstuffed with gore and nudity and crappy one-liners. But an overflowing sense of fun amidst the filth (though the blood was a bit much for me).
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Broken Blossoms (1919)
DW Griffith, the premier American epic filmmaker of the 1910s, had his biggest financial stumble in the hugely ambitious, 3.5-hour Intolerance.
Famed for its raunch (and the script is certainly filthy), this is also surprisingly sweet and insecure. A few gags are ludicrous (re: pie), and one in particular is vile (spycam), but most of it is… almost tender?
Dazzling and touching by turns, with an evocative maturity. The ending is daring but I’m not sure sufficiently earned. Wants so hard to be Toy Story 3, but definitely isn’t.