Films: January 18 - 24

The Hurricane Season (2009)

The Guardian (2006)

Mr. District Attorney (1946)

Zabriskie Point (1970) 

The Hangover (2009)

Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful Of Dollars) (1964)

Per qualche dollaro in più (For A Few Dollars More) (1965) ///

The Hurricane Season (2009) Grounded in New Orleans community devastation after Katrina, determined basketball coach Forrest Whitaker rebuilds school remnants into winning team. Solid visuals and ensemble drama hits persuasive moves until fuzzy, hurried third act dampens momentum.

The Guardian (2006) Muscular action initially enlivens standard heroics with damaged US Coast Guard swimmer Kevin Costner training recruits including equally damaged Ashton Kutcher. Solid production skills maintain involvement, even if final reach for myth runs out of steam.

Mr. District Attorney (1946) Told with little noticeable stylistic or thematic concept, noirish flavoring adds to principled young lawyer Dennis O'Keefe's downfall in the embrace of scheming Marguerite Chapman. Spirited performers including perceptive Adolphe Menjou ensure minor involvement.

Zabriskie Point (1970) Impenetrable narrative allows masterful, expressive visuals explore counter-culture themes and feeling of alienation within blistering landscapes and compelling soundtrack. Intangible feelings and atmosphere, as alienating as embracing, strive against drifting, frustrating characters.

The Hangover (2009) Astute balance of affection and cruelty for three friends who wake in Vegas with no memory of bachelor party. Central performers help ensure search for disappeared bridegroom retains a fresh, comic momentum even when laughs and characters flag amid conventional resolutions.

Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful Of Dollars) (1964) Brutally effective, enjoyably overblown, with cunning, ironic Clint Eastwood pitting rival gangs against each other in dusty border town. Distinctive score and visuals savagely aligned to primal gunplay and playful violence, as basic narrative unfolds with a vivid sense of theatre and wicked humour.

Per qualche dollaro in più (For A Few Dollars More) (1965) Bounty hunter Clint Eastwood's detached charisma vies with cynical, revenge-fueled Lee Van Cleef in chasing down vicious Gian Maria Volonté. Tense cruelty infuses mesmerizing set pieces in expansive sets and parched landscapes as dynamic bouts of violence are orchestrated with operatic glee.