Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

Well, given that the climax of this film is the title character getting her first period it's fair to say that I'm not the target audience.  But never mind, I ended up being won over by this adaptation of a Judy Blume novel. Admittedly things got off to a fairly slow start, as Margaret has to come to terms with her parents relocating.   Not that this is too difficult since she immediately acquires some friends.  It all seemed a bit bland and low key. And I couldn't get too worked up by the fact that Margaret's mother has given up her satisfying job as an art teacher. In fact, writing this a few weeks after seeing the film I'm struggling to recall what it was I enjoyed.  I guess a lot of the credit has to go to Abby Ryder Fortson's quietly engaging performance as Margaret, and the care taken with the supporting characters, basically her schoolfriends and her grandparents.  I certainly enjoyed the stuff about the role of religion in Margaret's life, given tha...

The lukewarm response from the critics plus the unenticing setup (ex-con tries to go straight) had put me off this film, but actually it's pretty damn good. Admittedly the overall story arc is predictable as hell, especially since the flash forward at the beginning confirms that Carlito is a doomed protagonist. But it does have a lot going for it: De Palma's stylish direction, Pacino (as Carlito) on good form, a great performance by Sean Penn as a sleazy coked-up lawyer, a beautiful score, and an amazing set piece climax. Even the relationship between Carlito and wannabe dancer Gail which could easily be forgettable was touching.   It benefits from Penelope Ann Miller's performance, and I liked that a couple of her scenes have an element of surprise to them, to keep us on our toes. No classic then, but it moves at a good pace, and is plenty entertaining. RATING :  ✓ Cheers

Sadly this is the sort of film that is no longer made - a somewhat earnest and not obviously  exciting story, with two star actors at the top of the billing, but little in the way of marketing gimmicks to draw an audience. Gosh, I'm making it sound quite dull, which is far from the case. For a start, the setup is an intriguing one. Colonel Nat Serling (Denzil Washington) is given the job of assessing whether Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan, of all people) deserves a posthumous Medal of Honour, she having died whilst her helicopter crew was rescuing the crew of another helicopter, shot down during the Persian Gulf War.  Serling himself is struggling with a huge burden of grief and guilt.  In an excellent opening sequence we see a tank battle in which Serling gives the order to fire upon what turns out to be a US tank commanded by (wouldn't you know) a close friend of Serling's, Boylar.   The military are not keen to own up to this 'friendly fire' incident, and so ...

I should say right from the off that this is my favourite musical, at least in terms of the quality of the songs.  They are so good that the worst  ('I Feel Pretty'?) would be the highlight of most musicals.  So I was bound to enjoy this Spielberg remake.   Halfway into it I was indeed having a good time, but there was a nagging question at the back of my mind - did it add anything to the original?  What was the point of it?  And I had to admit that I was missing Natalie Wood as Maria, even if she was as Puerta Rican as Bugs Bunny. Which was not to say that there weren't already some great moments.  I particularly enjoyed the rendition and staging of 'Something's Coming'; and the scene between Tony and Maria outside her apartment is very nicely put together.   But quite a lot of it, especially the ensemble dancing and all the Jets v Sharks rivalry stuff, was leaving me somewhat cold.  The choreography didn't excite me, and the ...

After Olivier Assayas directed Kirsten Stewart in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' he went on to write this film specifically for her to star in.   She certainly rises to the occasion in what Wikipedia calls a supernatural psychological thriller, although that description doesn't really do justice to something as complex and multi-layered as this.  Stewart plays Maureen, a personal shopper for a distant and unappreciative supermodel Kyra. Besides going about her unsatisfying job Maureen is spending time at the home of her late  brother Lewis.  Maureen and Lewis had promised each other that the first to die would send the other a signal from the afterlife, if there is one. Things take an enigmatic turn when Maureen starts receiving mysterious text instructions from some unseen watcher, and then they take a melodramatic turn when Kyra is murdered. There's a lot going on, superbly held together by the director and lead actor.  And it reaches a satisfying conclusion whic...

The plot of this exquisite film is so spare that even Wikipedia struggles to pad it out to five paragraphs.  Yet somehow it builds to as emotionally powerful an ending as I can remember.    Two childhood friends (and nascent sweethearts) Na Young and Hae Sung lose touch with one another when Na's family leave South Korea for Toronto. Twelve years later, they reconnect via Facebook, until Na (who has changed her name to Nora) brings their conversations to an end.  She then meets Arthur who she marries. Another twelve years pass, and then Hae visits Nora and Arthur in New York.  Then he leaves. That's it.  Except that although Nora loves Arthur, all three know that in a different life Nora and Hae could have been soul mates and found happiness together.  This makes for an underlying tension and sadness which becomes unbearable by the time Nora and Hae have to part.    Apparently the film's title refers to a  Buddhist- derived concept of...

Somewhat to my surprise, with this film Marvel manages to deliver a very satisfying climax to the whole "Infinity Saga".  The most unexpected thing to me, and it goes a long way to explaining my enjoyment, is that until the climactic battle-to-end-all-battles there are virtually no CGI action sequences.  Instead we get an absorbing story as first the surviving superheroes try to come to terms with their defeat at the hands (or should that be fingers?) of Thanos, and the ensuing deaths of half the universe's population and then t here emerges a chance to reverse all of that, involving time travel.  It all depends on Iron Man being persuaded to leave his life of domestic bliss.  Thankfully he can, and off our heroes go back in time, on separate missions to retrieve the Stones.  There are some amusing sideswipes at 'Back to the Future' and the idea that history can simply be rewritten.   Instead we get a nice scene between Bruce Banner and the Ancient One...