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onehipdad
Reviews
Le concert (2009)
You will not be disappointed
I've wanted to see this ever since the Oscar nominations came out and I browsed the entries for BFF over breakfast - it caught my eye then as an appealing premise. I was rewarded finally on a transatlantic flight to the UK last Sunday. Though the screen was small, the noise suppression headset provided an audio banquet of delight and yes, I had several moments of laugh-out-loud appreciation for this highly-entertaining film. I've always been a sucker for Russian literature & music; I've long been amazed that some of the most powerfully impressive art has come from one of the harshest environments and span of history (indeed, I'm a third of the way thru The Brothers Karamazov right now and I haven't touched Dostoyevsky in 40 years, since high school). The movie is a balance of emotion - it touches and massages every one, with humor, sympathy, concern, disappointment, frustration, anxiety, and the music, always the music. Seeing a familiar face again (Ms. Laurent) was an unexpected bonus, and her appeal for me was the same I realize now as it was in Tarantino's film, as some unfortunate's daughter, and you can't help but desire for her comfort and happiness. Best movie of the year, so far. Oh, and I'm downloading the soundtrack now from Amazon.
The Last Challenge (1967)
Don't get it
Sorry, but I just don't see it the same. For me, this is just one more in a string of not only bad westerns, but bad films made in the '60's. I notice the same thing with war movies made during the decade: The plots are shot full of holes and discontinuities and if not poorly produced and directed, then poorly edited. There seems to be a resurgence in quality starting about '68 with movies such as Bullitt, Bonnie & Clyde and The Wild Bunch, my #1 all-time western.
I don't know why, but Hollywood movies in general from late '50's to late '60's, while possibly strong on visuals (scenery, location) are shallow and weak technically and plot-wise. Kind of like American cars at the time: Whatever's put out there will be purchased.
Greece: Secrets of the Past (2006)
A 70mm Novelty
This is what I selected to do for Father's Day, and I'm sorry to say it was a disappointing choice. Of course, I now want to visit Santorini more than ever, but if you've read Unearthing Atlantis by Charles Pellegrino, be advised that there's nothing new here and what there is (of Santorini) is precious little. There's more to see in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
As documentaries go, it's travelogue-lite. I can only guess that the producers somehow did not want to burden the audience with too many facts and details. That, or there just isn't much file footage of Prof. Marinatos' work at Thera. Maybe it's the expense of Imax type presentations, and they lacked the budget that someone like James Cameron (a friend of Pellegrino) might allow. I;m not sure, but as the father of two documentary filmmakers, I've enjoyed better Father's Days.