Slap Shot (1977) / Heaven Can Wait (1943) / Leave Her To Heaven (1944) / Contratiempo (2017) / Jamaica Inn (1939) / The Fury (1978) / Dragonwyck (1946)
Slap Shot (1977) Bleak realities of a failing industrial town finds release when local, losing hockey team turns to unrepentant violence (and even stripping). Riotously funny, brutally made and shot through with hard realism beyond the thrill. A terrific Paul Newman personifies the film.
Heaven Can Wait (1943) Playful and constantly amusing, peppered with sly wit and laugh out loud moments, Don Ameche's hero is as charming and devious as the narrative. Sumptuously lit and designed, with a magnetic Gene Tierney supplying the heart that can keep him out of hell.
Leave Her To Heaven (1944) Beautifully visualized and crafted genre mash up that gradually ensnares with its languid style contrasted with Gene Tierney's piercing intensity. The cool horror of the lake death is a perfect summation of fragile obsession splintered and lost to the depths.
Contratiempo (2017) An increasingly complex and extended play on the 'locked-room' murder mystery, the cold narrative dynamics and shifting truth tends to overshadow any character empathy, even as the intrigue and tension builds. Fernando Velazquez delivers another fine score.
Jamaica Inn (1939) After the impressively handled opening shipwreck, a curiously subdued and anonymous drama, especially considering the potential of pairing Charles Laughton and Robert Newton. Production values remain impressive. Maureen O'Hara provides the spark and grit.
The Fury (1978) With its visual flourishes and technical virtuosity, an always involving mix of thriller and horror, eventually jettisoning narrative and logic to whip up delirious blood-drenched dreams. Aided enormously by a glorious John Williams score, dark, lyrical and rousing.
Dragonwyck (1946) Though the titular house maintains a suitably oppressive presence, the story beats of Gothic romance hold few surprises. Individual performances and scenes provide efficient drama and the historical background is interesting. 'You can't marry a dream...'
No comments:
Post a Comment