The NBA playoffs decimated McBone moviegoing for a while, but since the Cavs were dismissed in humiliating fashion, a year of steady Mini-Reviewing lay ahead.
8 1/2 - Fellini dazzled me with La Dolce Vita and left me slightly cold with Amarcord. With 8 1/2, I was leaning toward the latter as I stubbornly sought some kind of linear plot. Then, like that, something clicked. I let go. It didn't hurt that Claudia Cardinale is possibly the most beautiful woman in the history of film:
If you made it past the picture, I commend you. Anyhow, a movie director's life, as portrayed by Marcello Mastroianni, is spiraling out of control. Existing in varying states of chaos, hallucination, wife-alienating, obsessing over the past and fantasy-dreaming about Claudia Cardinale, Guido's paralysis is in direct opposition to the requirements of his vocation. The director should be the controller of situations; Guido is anything but. Our philandering protagonist's life has become an irony, and it has driven him to the brink. Will he stop at the precipice, or fall into the abyss? I'm not saying, but the payoff is well worth the zigzagging journey. Netflix this, and sit back for the ride through Fellini's fertile imagination. Oh, I also wanted to ask: was there ever a cooler film presence than Mastroianni? Official McBone Rating:
4.5 McBones
Darkon - Remember
Roll Models? That mildly entertaining movie about fictional people who dress up like Lancelot and wage fake medieval war? Well, Darkon is a mostly inept documentary about
real people who dress up like Lancelot and wage fake medieval war. Wielding foam swords and spears, mortal enemies meet on the field of battle and beat the hell out of each other.
At stake is dominion over the fantasy realm of Darkon, inhabited by any manner knight, wizard and warrior. Sounds like an interesting study. Too bad the filmmakers focus on the blandest subjects and never reveal the way in which these battles play out. I went in wanting to know what compels people to act this way. By the time it was halfway through, I no longer cared. Darkon is a poorly made doc.
1.5 McBones
3 comments:
8 1/2 is one of my favorite films because of its craziness (and of course CC).
If you ever get the chance to see Nine, don't. You'd think hot ladies dancing around in lingerie would be enough to carry a film, but surprisingly it isn't.
I'm not a huge Fellini fan, but would say La Dolce Vita is my favorite.
Mastroianni was great, though, in everything he did, especially the early 60s films. He had such a casual suave style to everything he did - whether drama, romance, or comedy. Divorce - Italian Style is probably my favorite film he was in, but also really enjoyed La Notte.
Claudia Cardinale was ravishing in a lot of films. For some reason, I remember her beauty from the original Pink Panther the most.
Josh, I will never see Nine. Daniel Day Lewis is my favorite modern actor, but screw musicals.
Darin, I think I like her best in Once Upon a Time in the West. She is crazy beautiful.
nwb
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