Oscar's Cinema Journal 2005

(hengcs)What do you think about Larry Clark's
-- Kids
-- Bully
-- Ken Park?


I knew about Larry Clark much earlier as a famous photographer, beginning with Tulsa. He is out there, bolder than any mainstream director, following his subcultures and his fantasies. What about Another Day in Paradise? I saw Ken Park in Paris in September for the first time. I differ from some on this site in thinking it's probably his most characteristic work. I think Kids has been an influence even on European films. Bully is more brutal and hopeless than Mean Creek. It doesn't give anybody a chance to have moral second thoughts. Most of Clark's people are hell bent on self destruction. They party, get high, have sex, and run their lives into the ground. He's not a liberal. We discussed Ken Park, arsaib4 and I. He thinks as I recall that it's just a pastiche of stuff Clark had shot. I think it has a wider social point of view than any of his other movies. It's a cross section of kids in a deadend low level suburban part of California called Visalia and its subject matter resembles his photography book Teenage Lust.

Saturday January 29th

The Story of the Weeping Camel on rental dvd.
This German/Mongolian co-production mixes documentary sequences with staged ones _these include dialogue that has obviously been scripted. It depicts the daily routine of an extended family of Mongolian camel herders. They are faced with a crisis when a female camel refuses to nurse her albino offspring. The family send two boys to the village to fetch a string musician needed to perform a ritual designed to solve the problem. The boys' visit to the village also serves the purpose of depicting how modern technology is encroaching on the group's traditional lifestyle. Majestic, soothing, and ultimately sentimental.

Lila Says (France, 2004)
Second film from director Ziad Doueiri (West Beirut)
Review will be posted on 2/5/05 (MIFF thread)

Red Dust (UK/South Africa, 2004)
Based on Gillian Slovo's acclaimed novel and starring Hilary Swank as a NYC lawyer who returns to her hometown in S. Africa to present a case to the Truth and Reconciliation Commision.
Review will be posted on 2/6/05 (MIFF thread)

Dig! at the Cosford Cinema
Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance, and generally well-received by critics, Dig! gets my vote for most overrated film of 2004. Director Ondie Timover spent seven years chronicling the diverging career paths of Portland bands The Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The doc focuses on the bands' leaders and their love/hate relationship. Both reasonably talented and enamored of old styles, Anton (BJM) and Courtney (DWs) have widely different backgrounds and personalities. Basically, Courtney's band succeeds because he is not a fucked-up, junkie egomaniac with a hyper-dysfunctional family, like Anton. The director strains to paint him as a sort of mad genius but provides no evidence. Both bands basically recycle old glam and psychedelic folk styles respectively. Dig! says and shows everything it has to offer about halfway through its running time. One of my least favorite crits put it perfectly:
"Whether or not you like it depends on how much interest or patience you have for the antics of a self-proclaimed prophet" (Melissa Levine, Dallas Observer)

My comments on your comments--

Lila Says (France, 2004)

This means Doueri has moved to France? I liked West Beirut a lot and look forward to seeing this and reading your report.

Red Dust (UK/South Africa, 2004)

I either never heard about this or it slipped by and I forgot about it. We'll see if it's ever mentioned in the hype for Swank in the Oscar buildup.

The Story of the Weeping Camel on rental dvd.

I've written about this. You describe it neutrally. I found its mixture of "real" and fictional irritating, but I suppose Flaherty did something similar. Edward S. Curtis's photographs certainly did. It's nothing new, ultimately; just the locale is new. "Majestic, soothing, and ultimately sentimental." I guess you mean the weather and the landscape and the animals are majestic, and for the middle-something audience, yes, soothing, because unchallenging.

Dig! at the Cosford Cinema

This is news to me: I hadn't really heard of it but from rottentomatoes and metacritic I see that you're absolutely right: it's scored really high with critics. I wonder though if it's really going to be overrated by the public too. Perhaps suitable for my as yet unwritten "Don't Wish I'd Seen" list for 2004.

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Originally posted by Chris Knipp
Red Dust (UK/South Africa, 2004)

I either never heard about this or it slipped by and I forgot about it. We'll see if it's ever mentioned in the hype for Swank in the Oscar buildup.

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Red Dust was one of the films I saw in Toronto; not a bad effort at all. It is still playing around at different festivals and doesn't have a U.S. distributor yet I think, so it didn't slip by.

Chris, your comments on "Weeping Camel" lead me to think it's a good candidate for your "overrated" list. I agree it's unchallenging, but only a small minority of crits would call anything about it "irritating".
Lila Says will be released in the US by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
I liked Red Dust at least as much as Hotel Rwanda, perhaps a bit more. Chiwetel Ejiofor is as good here as he was on Dirty Pretty Things. Arsaib4 is right, no distributor yet, but I bet that'll change.

What a meanie I am to kick a Weeping Camel, but I completely saw through it. It is a candidate for my Most Overrated list you're right -- another of my many oversights!

Sunday January 30th
Three films to be shown at the Miami Int. Film Fest. Reviews next week.

Alicia's Names (Spain, 2005)
This debut feature directed by Pilar Ruiz Gutierrez is having its world premiere in her native Santander, Spain on Friday. It's exciting to watch a brand new film, one without an IMdb page, but Los Nombres de Alicia is simply not good.

The Overture (Thailand, 2004)
Musical biopic follows familiar genre formula. Informative, entertaining, even enchanting at times.

Whisky (Uruguay, 2004)
Sober, austere chamber drama won a well-deserved Fipresci (press) award at Cannes.

Monday Jan. 31st

Crimen Ferpecto (Ferpect Crime)
The latest black comedy from Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia (Day of the Beast, Perdita Durango) will be a hit with the festival's audience.

Saved! on rental dvd.
Decided to pass on it last summer. Kids talked me into rental. Turned out much better than I expected. Comments:
http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/show...8706#post 8706

Tue. February 1st

Second viewing of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers, this time at home. It's a good film I wanted to love for several personal reasons. I experienced a strong sense of connection between myself in my late teens and the character of Matthew, not only his cinephilia but also his personality. I am also intimately acquainted with the bevy of cultural references deployed by Bertolucci. The soundtrack privileges Joplin, Hendrix, and a number of French standards familiar to French film lovers. Clips from French and American films are interspersed throughout, only the one from Robert Bresson's Mouchette was new to my eyes. The Dreamers presents a balanced view of the (mostly) youth revolt in Paris during the summer of '68 and celebrates an intense passion for cinema more common then than now. But given the film narrow focus on the American Mathew and the two vaguely incestuous, enmeshed siblings who embrace him, the richness of character required is missing. Bertolucci's roving camera is as lively as ever though. And the songs and film clips are choice.

Cama Adentro (Live-in Maid)
A co-production of Argentina and Spain, directed by Jorge Gaggero, starring the wonderful Norma Aleandro (Oscar-winnerThe Official Story). Review on upcoming Miami International Film Festival thread.

Maybe the hip thing to say is that Godard is still challenging us while Bertolucci is awash in nostalgia but I think there is room for both, and -- not that there really is any point in comparing them except that one of "our" local (syndicated) reviewers did this week -- I found The Dreamers more enjoyable and even more thought provoking than Notre Musique .

Yours is clearly a minority opinion. Notre Musique is #6 in both the Film Comment Critics Poll and The Village Voice Critics Poll. The Dreamers is absent from the former and #76 in the latter. I have no opinion since Godard's film hasn't opened here. Quite frustrating for me. Same goes for the universally hailed Moolade.

Wed. February 2nd

Two more films coming to the festival:
Voces Inocentes (Mexico/USA, 2004)
Innocent Voices is a Spanish-language film from Luis Mandoki (Angel Eyes, Message in a Bottle). One wishes a movie dramatizing the use of minors in warfare were a knockout. Not close.

A Way of Life (UK,2004)
Writer/director Amma Asante is the new Ken Loach. I predict she'll win a British Academy award for Best Newcomer thanks to this wrong-side-of the-South-Wales-tracks film. Newcomer Stephanie James shoulda been nominated for her performance. No US distributor yet.

I am in a minority, yes. I expect to watch Notre Musique again to see if missed a lot the first time, and it is coming to a theater in San Francisco. I did catch Moolaade--in the same theater. I am sure you will enjoy it. It is so full of color and life and so different from anything else one sees, I think that and the important political meaning are the two reasons why it has been rated so highly. Perhaps you will find more artistic value in it than I did.

Thursday Feb. 3rd

Friday Night Lights on dvd.
My son and I are rabid Hurricane football fans so this was an obvious rental. I don't rate Mr. Berg's film as high as Newsweek's David Ansen (#7 in his Top 10) but this is as good as sports flicks get. It's about a high school football team from Texas (of course) during the 1988 season. The game scenes are superb, it's well acted, and presents a balanced view of both the benefitial and detrimental aspects of organized team sports.

The Woodsman at the Sunrise Gateway
http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/show...=8741#post8741

Did you see Gavin O'Connor's Miracle? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349825/ I found this unfashionable sports movie and triumph for Kurt Russell had a lot to like in it, (http://www.chrisknipp.com/writing/viewtopic.php?t=256) and yet the time factor worked against me ( it came out in February) and I forgot it when list-making time came around.

Didn't see Miracle. Thanks for the tip. This time Dylan won't be heartbroken when it's over. It's hockey though...but if it's Russell at his best it'll be worth it. There's no way I'll forget to list any movie for 2005, because of this journal.

So you're keeping this journal the whole year? It will be the all time magnum opus of FilmWurld! See my review of Miracle--it has real hockey players playing the team members. It's simple and standard but it's very well done. I liked it a lot. My college roommate was the hockey goalie and one of my best remaining college friends was also on the team, so I have that motivation to watch it. But if you like team sports movies, do rent it. I used to be heavily into running as you may remember, so I liked the Steve Prefontaine movie, Without Limits (1998), starring Billy Crudup, and there's another about "Pre," Prefontaine (1997), with Jared Leto (I guess the two coming so close together -- bad planning -- cancelled each other out). A really good running movie is Personal Best (1982), with Mariel Hemingway--have you seen it? It's very authentic in its handling of running, and it's an original story. There has never been a movie made of the rip-snortin' good read gay runner novel, The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren (1976?), which was optioned by Paul Newman, but never filmed. I was deep into running when it appered, and I could almost say it changed my life.

I just looked The Front Runner up on IMDb and it's listed as currently (2005!) being in production, but with no director listed, only the author http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338047/. Well, it's never too late, I guess, but 29 years is a long time to get around filming something that really was in the spirit of the Seventies. If it's done well, it could be the all-time great running movie.

Chris, I read your review of Miracle, that why I wrote "if it's Russell at his best..." Actually, I changed my mind about Friday Night Lights being "as good as sports flicks get". The two films you mentioned directed by Robert Towne, Personal Best and Without Limits, are better than FNL, in my opinion of course. Thanks for the reminder.

Friday Feb. 4th

Second viewing of Before Sunset, this time at home. I'll probably list it below Eternal Sunshine (more original) and The Corporation (more important) but this Linklater/Hawke/Delpy collaboration is the English-language film that gave me the most joy in 2004. Regrettably, the disc has absolutely no extras.

Son Frere, directed by Patrice Chereau (Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train, Intimacy) is the anti disease-of-the-week flick. Two brothers who've been distant in their adult years come (much) closer when the oldest is diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and asks the younger, gay one for help. Absolutely no noble suffering, triumph over adversity, or tension-deflecting humor allowed here. Lots of male nudity in non-erotic context, no grim detailed hidden for middlebrow consumption, Chereau and his talented actors (Bruno Todeschini and Eric Caravaca) keep it real. NOT your everyday, tell-your-friends-about-it, date-movie kind of film, but quite an achievement.

Good--great....I'll have to see Son frère. You have seen L'Homme blessé, no doubt? I thought Anglade was extraordinary in it; I'm not sure he's ever lived up to that promise, but I can see there are a lot of his films that I haven't seen, many of them not having made their way over here. Something like Gary Oldman? who was so brilliant in early films like Sid and Nancy, Prick Up Your Ears, Criminal Law, and Chatahoochee, but then , though he was in some cool movies like Henry and June and True Romance (one of my favorite cameos), got into playing stock villains. The risk-taking Anglade seems to have become a stock middle class guy. Or am I wrong? ( A complete digression).

I haven't seen Anglade since Queen Margot and Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud, almost a decade ago. He played a small role in Taking Lives. Like you say, he's starred in a couple of films which have not made their way over here. These include Mortal Transfer directed by Beinex (Diva, Betty Blue) and Elective Affinities from the Taviani brothers.

Saturday February 5th

JEAN ROUCH: A Celebration of Life and Film

Tourou and Bitti (France/Niger, 12 min, 1971)
Funeral at Bongo:The Death of Old Anai(France/Mali,1972)
Moi, un Noir (France/Ivory Coast, 1959)
Chronicle of a Summer (France, 1960)
Gare du Nord (France, 16 min, 1966)

Brief Essay on Rouch and films mentioned above at the MIFF thread later today.

I beg to differ with you on Elective Affinities; that was shown here. Thanks for the reminder that Beineix directed Diva as well as Betty Blue -- the two worlds apart -- Diva a wonderfully playful, charming film, Betty Blue a challenging, absorbing one.

You did not see Anglade in Roger Avary's Killing Zoe(1994)? Perhaps just as well, but it is one of his extreme roles, as opposed to the workmanlike, uninteresting ones like in Taking Lives.

Did you tell me a while ago you'd seen Chéreau's L'Homme Blessé? I can't remember.

You mean you just got around to watching The Virgin Suicides?

*Chris, I saw Killing Zoe, which predates Nelly, but not Elective Affinities (You recommend?) whose limited release did not include Miami. I watched Anglade's debut L'Homme Blesse on video.

*Chelsea, I guess I didn't include The Virgin Suicides (which I've watched many times) on this journal because I didn't watch it from beginning to end in one sitting this time. You must've seen it at least 4 times! but I was often busy while you were watching it. I practically know it by heart. Maybe there's something to genes, and maybe 2000 wasn't a great year for English-language cinema, but I love it as much as you_I don't think there was a better film in English released that year. Maybe I didn't include it because I'm tired of defending Ms. Coppola at this website. I think she's more talented than Anderson, Payne and others currently in vogue. Virgin Suicides evokes MY 70s and the awe and sense of mystery certaing girls inspire on impressionable boys better than any film in memory. Perhaps the best use of popular music on a film since Goodfellas.

Sunday February 6th

Jaguar (France/Niger/Ghana)
Directed by the great Jean Rouch. An exhilarating film, at once fiction, documentary and allegory about three rural Nigerians who travel to the city of Accra in Ghana seeking wealth and adventure. I posted an essay on Rouch on the MIFF thread today.

Considering h ow exhaustive you are in your watching, and that Elective Affinities is Goethe + the Taviani Brothers and has Isabelle Huppert as well as Anglade, you may want to watch it for its historical and cultural interest, but it isn't a great film. Did L'Homme blessé have any impact on you?

Thanks for your comments on Elective Affinities. Anglade's performance is superb and Chereau knows how to depict erotic obsession, yet I was dissatisfied with L'Homme Blesse for reasons that I can't quite elucidate at the moment. Will rewatch now that it's out on disc.

Monday Feb. 7th

Nobody Knows at the Gusman
Hirokazu Koreeda's latest film, Japan's submission to our Academy for Oscar consideration, was released by IFC Films in big US markets last friday. It's based on a real event involving gross child neglect that is more tragic and harrowing than the resulting film. Look for my review on the MIFF thread soon.

To me L'Homme blessé had a deep significance because it captured the restlessness and anxiety of sexual desire in an adolescent boy who's discovering he's gay in a way that struck a very personal chord. I found Anglade's performance absolutely powerful and true. The mood of the movie is absurdly grim and operatic, but that seems right for a naive, self-important youth whose needs define his whole world. I wouldn't expect you or for that matter anybody else to react as strongly to L'Homme blessé as I did. I went to the theater to see it six or seven times. I've never done that for any other movie. I'm sorry my sense of gay experience is so negative, but apparently at the deepest level it is. Another gay story that I found true in the same fatalistic way is "Brokeback Mountain" by E. Annie Proulx (in The New Yorker six years or so ago), which is being made into a movie by Ang Lee starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger--a promising project, I'd say.

It's not difficult for me to understand the impact it had on you. I remember having dinner with Danny, who lived next door during my first year of grad school at Ohio State. It was 1982, and we were discussing Arthur Hiller's Making Love, which, I contended, is not a good film. But Danny felt so good simply about the film getting made he saw it twice, even though it's much inferior to films like Chereau's, released a couple years later (and only in a few cities). The first American "gay interest" film I remember liking is Parting Glances, with a young Steve Buscemi.

Tuesday February 8th

I attended Liv Ullmann's press conference at the Loews Hotel on SoBe. I came of age as a cinephile while her acting career was at its zenith. Growing up, theatrical screenings of the films below constituted some of my most prized moments: The Emigrants, The New Land, Cries and Whispers, Scenes from a Marriage, Zandy's Bride and Autumn Sonata. Later on I had the opportunity to watch the Bergman films I was to young to watch in the 60s: Persona, Shame, The Passion of Anna and Hour of the Wolf. I remember walking out of theatres with more questions than answers, but changed somehow, and amazed at the power of cinema to pose the great questions.
So you get the idea today was special for me. Ms.Ullmann divides her time between Norway and Key Largo, FLA., where, she stated, she's written her last four scripts. She states she always writes outdoors because nature and sunshine stimulate her creativity. She discussed her relationship with Ingmar Bergman, the transition from acting to directing, how she shot four movies in Hollywood in 1973_none successful at the box office, although she thinks (and I agree) that Zandy's Bride is a great movie, the reunion with Bergman during their latest (and likely last) collaboration Saraband.
At night I attended a tribute to Ms. Ullmann. She was presented with a Career Achievement Award by Fest director Nicole Guillermet, clips from most of her 50 performances were shown, and an she subjected to a probing interview and questions from the appreciative audience. Saraband was screened. Bergmann is back at age 86 with an undeniable masterpiece, not quite a sequel to Scenes From A Marriage although Ullmann and Erland Josephson play the same characters.

During the afternoon I watched a prison drama from Poland called Symetria by writer/director Konrad Niewolski. Reviews of Saraband and Symetria, which will have to get shorter due to time constraints, coming soon on the Miami International Film Festival thread.

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It's not difficult for me to understand the impact it had on you. I remember having dinner with Danny, who lived next door during my first year of grad school at Ohio State. It was 1982, and we were discussing Arthur Hiller's Making Love, which, I contended, is not a good film. But Danny felt so good simply about the film getting made he saw it twice

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Yeah, but the movie that mattered was My Beautiful Laundrette, because it's a great movie. As for L'Homme blessé, I don't think other gay men would necessarily be so pleased that it was made. But I may be wrong. I just may consider myself more unique than I am. I'd have to read what was written about the film, but (like Danny in that) I really didn't care. As for Making Love, saying "not a good film" is being too nice. It's embarassing.

Wed. February 10th

Attending both press and regular screenings over a longer period of time has saved me from total burn-out. I mean the fest is only 10 days and there are well over 100 films. It becomes a challenge not to miss anything good and undistributed and have time to write reviews when the film is fresh on your mind. I'm enjoying hanging out at the press headquarters on SoBe. There are tons of like-minded folks from Europe and America Latina to converse, and free grub.

Unconscious (Spain/Portugal/ItalyGermany)
An uptight doctor and his modernist sister-in-law search for her missing husband in 1913 Barcelona and discover a world of tranvestite parties, porno shoots and Freudianism.

Stray Dogs (Iran)
A peek into post-Taliban Iran courtesy of the production company run by the great Moshen Mahkmalbaf. Another of the many films on the schedule dealing with the consequences of war on kids.

Sounds fun. Lucky you. It is a challenge, though, I'm sure. Lucky it doesn't go on forever!

Quite a pair of films--total contrast. I saw Stray Dogs in Rome in September dubbed in Italian. I rather liked it. Somehow the Italian softened the harshness of the story -- and was curiously logical since the film refers to Ladri di biciclette specifically. You could imagine the ghosts of Zavattini and De Sica hovering in the hills.

Of course when I wrote "a peek into post-Taliban Iran", I meant Afghanistan where the despotic Taliban government ruled. One of my favorite scenes in Stray Dogs is when the ticket booth operator attempts to dissuade the kids from watching De Sica's masterpiece by telling them what a piece of crap it is, but the kids insist on watching it for inspiration. The kids from Nobody Knows have it easy when compared to the plight of these Afghan siblings.

Thu. February 10th

Gunner Palace
Review posted on MIFF thread.

Modigliani (UK/Germany/Italy/Romania/France)
Gorgeous movie to look at, and better overall than I've grown to expect from Opening Night films at the fest. Watched on disc to avoid having to dress up and hang with the rich farts who have to be there because their company/organization is a fest sponsor. US release date is 4/29/05 (Los Angeles) but it's a small distributor so who knows how wide.

Friday February 11th

Three wonderful examples of the "less is more" ethos courtesy of The Miami International Film Festival:

Temporada de Patos Duck Season (Mexico)
Los Muertos The Dead (Argentina)
Dag og Nat Day and Night (Denmark)

Great. Will you be having an entry that's a roundup with ratings and recommendations of ones to watch for and ones absoutely not to miss at the end of the festival?

Thanks for the interest, Chris. I'll definitely provide a summary with recommendations, including mention of 3 or 4 well-received films with distribution deals I didn't watch (because I was too busy watching other films I may never get another opportunity to watch in a theatre). It may be fun to devise a rating system for the first time in my life, only for festival films. On a previous post, I broke a personal rule by calling Bergman's Saraband a masterpiece after only one viewing. At the least, I should rewatch Fanny and Alexander or Persona for comparison and context before I utter the M word. So how about the following 6 categories: Excellent; Very Good/Must-see; Good; Worth Seeing (at least on video); For Fans of the director/actor/genre but not otherwise worth seeing; Bad. Would something like this be useful to you? I read your nice post on "favorites of 2001" thread and plan to answer when my mind and eyes are less tired.

Saturday February 12th

Familia Rodante Rolling Family (Trapero, Argentina)
Salvador Allende (Guzman, Chile)
Primo Amore (Garrone, Italy)

This guy I've been going to movies with lately who's more definite about rating than I am says I ought to have them in my reviews. He said he couldn't always tell from my reviews what I thought of the movie. So I was thinking about a rating system for myself. I was thinking of Pass/Fail,' but that's too vague so I suggested to him I might try High pass, pass, low pass, fail. Now I just think I'll skip a formal rating and make a greater effort to make it clear in what I say my opinion of the movie's worth.

With a list, it's just a question of saying how important you think it is for somebody else to see each movie.

I would be happy if you just say if you had a good time watching it, or if you suffered but admired -- how much fun or how much admiration you felt. An actual rating is unnecessary. You can disqualify yourself, like when I might say I like a movie with Ashton Kutcher in it, you know it's not because it's a good movie but that I just like looking at Ashton. I'll go to just about anything with certain actors in them, like anybody else. An admission of bias is of optimum value, but also enthusiasm, which can be contagious. I think that was the virtue of Pauline Kael's reviews, that they exuded enthusiasm, or passion if you want a more highfalutin term.

This is what I have always liked about Johann's posts--his enthusiasm and warmth.

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Originally posted by Chris Knipp

This is what I have always liked about Johann's posts...

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Btw, where is Johann? not to mention a few other members who used to post here on a regular basis? It seems like me, you, and Oscar are the only members contributing to this site consistently for the last few weeks.

That is certainly true. I'll see if I can roust Johann.

P.s. I found copies of Son frère and Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train at Blockbuster today. YOu never know what you'll find.

Well, they should carry 'em since the films were released here.

Yeah? Well you may not know Blockbuster. It selects completely randomly in the more arcane areas, and my particular Blockbuster has one of the more unsophisticated clienteles in the area. There are only a handful of French films added each year. So there being two recent ones by Chéreau is somewhat surprising. It would be wishful thinking to expect them to have a wide selection of the French dvd's recently released. For that you would have to go to Real Video.

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Originally posted by arsaib4


Btw, where is Johann? not to mention a few other members who used to post here on a regular basis? It seems like me, you, and Oscar are the only members contributing to this site consistently for the last few weeks.

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School's been a bitch. Junior year is everything people said it would be: lots of work with little reward. I frequent this site and rarely post because I don't have the time. But don't worry. I shall return!

Sunday Feb. 13th

Anthony Mann's Man of the West (1958) in glorious Cinemascope at the Cosford Theatre. Classic westerns were meant to be watched on a large screen and this was a treat as one of my favorite Westerns was screened at siesta time. This ain't no Roy Rogers! This is a mature western in the classic mold. Gary Cooper plays a reformed bad guy traveling to Fort Worth to hire a teacher when circumstances force him to confront the wacko uncle (Lee J. Cobb) who raised him and made him a crook. The romance that develops between the married Cooper and a soulful Julie London is quite stirring. Complaint that Cooper was the same age as Lee J. Cobb is valid, and minor. I recommend any Mann western: Man from Laramie, Bend on the River, Winchester '73, The Far Country, and especially, The Naked Spur.

The last film I watched at the Miami International Film Fest : Turtles Can Fly, an Iranian film that won the big prize at the Chicago and San Sebastian Film fest. It's coming to a theatre near you courtesy of IFC Films. Confirmed screenings:NYC, L.A., Bay Area, Detroit, Houston,etc.