Pulp

70s Drama
3.5 stars

Funny and clever, although a bit dragging in parts. I was hoping for more from the team who brought us the original Get Carter. This one is a comedic, colorful noir (oxymoron?) with a very interesting smaller role filled by Mickey Rooney. The scene of Rooney in his skivvies had me a little unnerved.

Madigan

60s Drama
3.5 stars

A little dated, but an interesting "parallel" movie about cops and bosses from the 1960s solving crimes. You can see the roots of grittier cop movies here. Don Siegel rises to the occasion yet again. A treat for Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda fans, not to mention Abraham Polonsky wrote the screenplay.

A Shot in the Dark

60s British Comedy
3 Stars

A Pink Panther sequel, starring the great Peter Sellers. The jokes here are often lowbrow gags, but often times with hilarious effect. Sellers is great, and he lays the seeds for Austin Powers/Dr Evil numerous times throughout. The movie oozes a hip vibe, much more so than say The Knack and How to Get It.

To Live and Die in L.A.

80s Drama
4 Stars

Solid, solid work here. Surprisingly, the Wang Chung soundtrack, which was such a huge selling point when the movie was originally released, both does and does not hold up. Sometimes it sounds like cheese, and sometimes it seems to be proudly holding up the era. Petersen is a little tough to take sometimes with his bowlegged attempt at hip, but Dafoe does not disappoint. This is gritty L.A. filmmaking. Wonderfully shot.

In The Valley of Elah

00s Drama
4 Stars

This movie was so close to being flat out splendid. Tommy Lee Jones is at his stiff best, trying to find out what happened to his missing son. The Iraq War serves as a backdrop to color the entire film with confusion, testosterone, and futility. The acting, especially by Charlize Theron is top-notch. My only complaint is the last 20%, when I felt the politics of the filmmaker became too heavy handed and I began to wonder who made this film. By the way, I hated the film Crash.

Ganja & Hess

70s African-American Vampire
4 Stars

Totally whacked out, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Some solid acting, music , cinematography, with a story that requires a few viewings to even get a sense of what is going on. Filmed in upstate New York, with some incredible scenes shot in a now defunct-church. Hugely creative and intellectual, seems to be an influence on Ferrara's Addiction.

Bone

70s Drama
4.5 Stars

A great find. Yaphet Kotto, one of the most underrated actors around (consistently excellent in Homicide, Live and Let Die) excels in this offbeat dramedy. The film veers between light and inventive dark moments. It captures the post-civil rights movement in a way I hadn't seen before, and blends this with a Save the Tiger/Breezy type generation clash. There's a freshness that also lasts about the way the film was shot. For a while it felt like a California Scorsese style. Highly recommended.

The Machinist

00s Drama
4.5 Stars

Let's get this out of the way. Christian Bale is a dynamo in this film, going to such lengths as to wither down his body for the cause. He looks disgusting, but perfect for the role. The film is a swirling, paranoid world not totally dissimilar from Se7en or Angel Heart. Can you believe he hasn't slept in a year? I could. This movie was surprisingly good.

Dark Star

70s Sci Fi
4.5 Stars

Hugely enjoyable low-budg film by John Carpenter. This is by the screenwriter of Alien, but this is a comedy, almost a hippies in space kind of thing. Borders on existential comedy, although those aspects are a bit forced. Pokes a finger in the eye of machismo, the pacing is good, and it doesn't take itself seriously. Influenced by Dr. Strangelove and 2001, no doubt. Great rental.