THE DANMAN CAN

Much in the way that 1944's  The Curse Of The Cat People   ( review ) is less a "horror" film than a psychological drama, so is  The Leopard Man (1943), producer Val Lewton 's third and final collaboration with director  Jacques Tourneur  (and one of a whopping four B movies that Lewton cranked out for RKO in 1943).  In TLM there's no on-screen violence at all and no supernatural element (despite what the gorgeous poster advertises). And despite recycling the "bus" jump scare from Lewton's first collaboration with Tourneur, 1942's  Cat People   ( review ) in a tunnel scene here (honestly just as good and just as scary), the filmmakers craft an engaging serial killer picture and make wonderful use of light, shadow, and sound (or lack thereof) to create dark, beautiful imagery and tension.  TLM 's economical 66-minute run time packs more character development and story into this lean little film than your average episode of premium c...

Review

Giuseppe Tornatore 's film  Cinema Paradiso   (1988) is a heightened, melodramatic version of real life, but it's beautiful and poetic, funny and touching. It plays like the less violent cousin of  Sergio Leone 's  Once Upon A Time In America   (1984)—exploring the bulk of one man's life and employing the same grandiosity and scope, but with a gentler touch. The performances are spot on, the images masterly, and the score by  Ennio Morricone  sweeping and consuming. Cinema Paradiso  is a love letter to the power of film to build community, of the many emotions that love (of cinema, of humans) can instill. It's a story of lost romance, of nostalgia, of the loss of youth, of family (by blood and otherwise), of following your dreams at the expense of all else. Screencaps courtesy of  Filmgrab

Chasing Amy (1997) is not without its problems regarding its characters and portrayals but it's still a very good romantic comedy, in this viewer's opinion. You can certainly tell that the film was written by Kevin Smith (a hetero male), but personally I don't feel that invalidates it. There's no doubting that this film wouldn't get made today, at least not anything like how it turned out in 1997.  In a way, I appreciate its now antiquated view of the LGBT world, if only to recognize that Smith, 26 at the time, was taking a risk with the subject matter (remember this was a mainstream film). Even if he was going to make a fool of himself (and even if large parts of the film haven't aged well)—he felt he needed to tell this story, from his perspective. I do think there are parts of Chasing Amy that have held up well, insomuch as some of the dialogue still feels relevant and I think Smith's heart was in the right place. The filmmaking itself isn't terribl...

On The Rocks   (2020),  Sofia Coppola 's latest film, is easily her most straightforward work. It's very much a Woody Allen / Noah Baumbach esque New York film, and by that I mean it concerns semi-wealthy people's marriage problems.  Bill Murray  is, as always, absurdly charming, even when he is delivering his sexist character's hilarious but embarrassing dialogue. I can't really complain about  Rashida Jones  here but nothing she did excited me and  Marlon Wayans  has a totally thankless role.  There are some laughs to be had and there is a breeziness that is hard to deny. It feels a bit like Coppola was trying to make a simple, classic rom-com in the vein of a Roman Holiday  (1953) ( review ) but it doesn't quite get there—it's too predictable in a safe way (rather than a satisfactory way) and it's mostly forgettable immediately afterward.   You can find my Sofia Coppola Feature Films Ranked list here .

From former Astron-6 member Steven Kostanski comes Psycho Goreman (2020), an over-the-top bloodfest with incredible low budget creature f/x that mashes up  Hellraiser (1987) ( review ) with  The Last Starfighter   (1984) ( review ).  I wasn't quite as taken with the comedy or characters in PG as I was in other Astron-6 related films like Father's Day (2011) or The Editor (2014) ( review ), but the film definitely strikes a similar, very specific brand of callous humor that sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Still, there is a good deal of fun to be had here, the score and songs are great, and really the whole thing is mostly a showcase for the deliriously inventive and eye-popping makeup and costumes.  Recommended for fans of Manborg (2011), The Gate (1987), and  Turbo Kid   (2015) ( review ).

Oof. Jay And Silent Bob Reboot (2019) started out pretty decent and I was digging the first maybe twenty minutes or so. As soon as Harley Quinn Smith showed up it took a nosedive (she really is not a good actor and the film relies far too heavily on her to drive the story). The film as a whole is not terribly funny, it's obnoxiously meta, and it tries way,  way too hard to be current with all the woke characters and dialogue (something I honestly think won't age well at all).  While I can appreciate Smith trying to make Jay ( Jason Mewes ) a bit more conscientious and less "bro-y," he just feels flat here. And Smith himself as Silent Bob (and as himself) is insufferable in both roles. Everything just feels really forced. There are a few scenes that tug at the heartstrings but overall J&SBSB  is far too "heartfelt" and safe.  I'm not sure if this was a letdown exactly, as I wasn't expecting much, but it was definitely worse than I expected, and...

Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) holds up pretty well for what it is—a crude, silly, road trip comedy populated by  Kevin Smith 's  View Askewniverse  characters. A lot of the humor is still pretty funny, the cameos are mostly fun, and Jay ( Jason Mewes ) even kind of has a story arc. I also love the references and allusions to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)—it being my favorite film and all (my blogpost for that film here ). Everyone just looks like they had a really good time making this film and there is a goofy charm that is hard to deny. You can find my  Kevin Smith Feature Films Ranked  list  here .

The Fox And The Hound (1981) is not the best nor the worst Disney animated feature film I've seen. The animation is good but not great, the story is affecting but well-worn, the characters are cute but not captivating, and the songs are very forgettable. The theme of/allusions to tribalism/speciesism/racism is present but never satisfyingly explored, nor is the friendship of the titular characters. A solid film featuring some talented voice actors, but not a classic.       

From what I can recall, Francis Ford Coppola 's new cut of The Godfather: Part III (1990)—titled The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone —isn't all that much of a departure from the 1991 "Final Director's Cut" (which added 9 minutes of deleted footage to the Theatrical Version and was the only version available on home video until Coda was released). All the key scenes and themes remain in Coda  and it really didn't play too differently (at least from my memory).  In any version, I have and continue to think that  GIII  is a really good film and has always been a bit unfairly maligned. Sure, Sofia Coppola 's acting isn't the best, but come on now—we've all seen much worse. It's also always amused me that Francis was accused of nepotism by casting her, when (a) he did what he had to when Winona Ryder had to drop out last minute and (b) he's always worked with various members of his talented family on his films (his sister  Talia ...