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Reviews
His Dark Materials (2019)
Where are all the daemons?
The new adaptation of Philip Pullman's trilogy is the sort of lavish production you can expect from BBC and HBO. It looks as if no expense was spared.
Except... there's not enough daemons.
In Pullman's world, every person has his own companion animal. That means every character, every bit player, every extra. It's essential to the story and it will become even more essential as the story progresses.
Here, it seems only the major characters are allowed daemons, which is distracting to those people who know the books and confusing to those who are new to this world.
It's strange, because there are shots where there's some space left open for the daemons, but it seems like they they forgot to key them in.
It's probably a budget thing, but it's going to cost them in the long run.
The Unknown (1921)
Holy social justice, Batman!
Dick Talmadge (Richard Talmadge) appears to be the lazy, wimpy, no good son a wealthy businessman, a businessman who's part of a cabal of rich food suppliers who conspire to artificially inflate the prices.
In actuality, Dick is The Unknown, a masked avenger/social justice warrior, who exposes their practices.
The film plays like a silent martial arts movie as Dick keeps evading and/or beating up scores of goons who are hired to get him.
A fun romp, even if the fight scenes get a little repetitive.
Mousquetaire au restaurant (1920)
Eat, drink, and be merry!
A musketeer comes to an inn and declares 'I want to eat, drink and screw!'. He is promptly served by first one, then two waitresses.
You might expect a 'porn movie' from 1920 to be pretty weak sauce, that perhaps a naked breast would be more than enough titillation for the silent era.
You'd be wrong.
This is a hardcore girl girl boy scene with all the combinations and permutations, filmed in all the relevant close ups. There is some wit in the intertitles, describing the 'menu' in terms of clams and spears of asparagus (you get the idea) and for what it is, it does have some production values: someone actually bothered to provide period costumes, before they were taken off.
Lovemania (1924)
Crazy for love
On the morning after his wedding, Al St. John receives note from his uncle that he's on his way to give him a small fortune - on condition that he isn't married.
An elaborate plot to deceive the uncle is thought up.
Al St. John was the nephew of Roscoe Arbuckle, who, after the scandal, directed many of St. John's films anonymously, including this one.
Al St. John may not posses the immediate charisma of Chaplin, Keaton, or Lloyd, but he does have jaw-dropping acrobatic skills, which are in full display here as he falls, climbs, and jumps all over the frame in a series of gags choreographed with mathematically precision.
Galloping Ghosts (1928)
Racist fun!
A millionaire acquires a large diamond, said to be cursed. Despite the best efforts of his obedient, but fearful black valet (Oliver Hardy), it is stolen and held to ransom.
Hal Roach comedy short of interest mainly if you have a uncontrollable need to see Oliver Hardy in blackface.
A hentes, a kurva és a félszemü (2017)
And the Oscar for best title goes to...
Hungary, the nineteen-twenties. A former prostitute on the run from her brothel and a disgraced army officer on the run from the law team up and flee to a small Hungarian village, where the butcher -and local big shot- still owes him money. While he employs the officer at his slaughterhouse, the butcher develops an unsound interest in the woman. Based on a true crime story, this is a darkly comic tale of lust, power, money and murder, set in stark, expressionistic black and white. A bleak joy from start to finish.