Movies reviewed this week: The Third Man, All the King’s Men, and The Neon Bible.
6/21/2022: The Third Man (1949): *****
Criterion Challenge 2022
Progress: 29/52
Prompt: Watch a film with a spine 1-100
What’s to say other than “yes, that’s one of the best I’ve ever seen?” Perfectly slanted chiaroscuro setting with stingingly sharp dialogue. I think that latter surpasses Casablanca for me; the humor here is less knowing and more despairing.
6/22/2022: All the King’s Men (1949): ****
I’m biased: Huey Long is the historical figure I find most interesting. I’m still right: this is a fine movie. Crisp, without a moment wasted; and most important, it doesn’t waste Mercedes McCambridge. Crawford also deserved his Oscar.
At the risk of getting preachy, almost everything in this movie really happened in Louisiana in the 1920s and 30s. If you feel like it echoes recent events, welp.
6/24/2022: The Neon Bible (1995): ***1/2
Lovely down to the bones, with rich, saturated colors and perfect cinematography. This is the first movie I’ve seen directed by Terence Davies, and I’m curious to see what I make of the ones centered on his home, Liverpool. The Southern byways of this story may be a little too far for him to find emotional connection, or that may just be his style.
There’s still something special about the autobiographical dialogue between Davies and John Kennedy Toole, separated by miles and decades.
Also: yes, the guy from Letterkenny.
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