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In This Dispatch:
- What's New: Cherry Blossoms, Last Holiday and more.
- What We're Watching: Skins Vol. 2, Scott Walker, Spring Breakdown.
- Explore: 70s cinema: Pelham and Death Wish.
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Doris Dorrie, one of our favorite filmmakers, returned with this most touching film set in Germany and Japan. It's a "stunning reminder of the omnipresence of mortality," wrote the LA Times. "Unpredictable and compelling, this draws parallels between Japanese and German cultures in interesting and moving ways," adds Empire Magazine. Adds the SF Chronicle: "The movie is an ideal blend of character study, deceptively simple plot twists, inspired acting, and travelogue." |
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Criterion gives this British gem its first-ever DVD release. "In Henry Cass’s delicate yet irony-laden dramedy Last Holiday, [Alec] Guinness offered a nuanced portrait of a pleasantly drab thirtysomething salesman who’s told he has no more than a few months to live," writes Michael Koresky. "Quiet and interior where his Kind Hearts roles had been cheekily broad, Guinness’s George Bird is one of his most winning creations, a subtle showcase for an actor whose talents naturally tended to self-effacement... Though not successful in England, [the film] was well received by critics and art-house audiences in the United States. Perhaps it was too self-critical for the Brits." |
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Despite the tonality shift, Skins remains dedicated to its characters. These kids are all bratty, self-indulgent and spoiled but each are provided enough context to make their choices seem if not reasonable, at least understandable. The melodrama is that much more effective because we see a much greater depth in the relationships between friends, with parents as well as the funhouse mirror of insecurity each of the teenagers inevitably views themselves through.... read review >> |
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Stephen Kijack's doc provides intimate insight into the world that surrounds a charismatic but elusive artist. Even to people who don't quite understand the appeal of Walker's music, it's quite fascinating that he can compel people to follow him despite having an overall vision that is never abundantly clear -- sometimes even in the final product. .. read review >>
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New GC reviewer Amy "Cinetrix" Monaghan's review is worth reading, even if this film is a disappointment: Originally slated for a 2008 release, “broad” “comedy” Spring Breakdown deservedly sat on the shelf, screened only once (Sundance 2009), and then went straight to DVD. Breakdown is a letdown because it’s a missed opportunity. The spring-break genre flick remains ripe for the type of surgical skewering this cast is capable of. Christopher Guest regular/indie It girl Parker Posey, Amy Poehler, and cowriter (with director Ryan Shiraki) Rachel Dratch play three dowdy single gals who’ve been pals since college... read review >> |
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Released three months apart, Death Wish and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three are twinned images of the subway as a microcosm of 1974 New York City: Death Wish the urban hell variant, Pelham a dystopian playground. Both focus on people with guns infesting the transport system and start a general acceptance of the city being as violent and out-of-control as could be. Vadim Rizov looks at both these films, on the heels of the new, "ill-advised remake of Pelham." More >> |
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Dad's Day.
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