Criterion Month Day 10: Klute

Klute (1971)

When you think of the term “70s paranoia thriller”, you probably think of director Alan J. Pakula, even if you’re someone like me who hasn’t actually seen a ton of Pakula movies. He’s so synonymous with this decade-specific subgenre that people often forget that he directed a pretty notable film outside this genre in Sophie’s Choice (or at least I do). He even kept directing movies of this variety when his sensibilities still didn’t quite mesh with modern thrillers, as was the case with The Pelican Brief, one of our somewhat recent Picks. Well, Klute was where it all started. It’s the first movie in Pakula’s “paranoia trilogy” along with The Parallax View and All The President’s Men, and it also set the tone for a decade where everyone (including the president) was recording each other’s conversations. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 9: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

The only HOTD I’m interested in this summer is Ebirah, Horror of the Deep! That wasn’t always the title to the seventh film in the Godzilla franchise, which is known in Japan as “Godzilla, Ebirah, Mothra: Big Duel in the South Seas.” But you might know it better as “Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster,” the American version of the movie from 1968. It’s that release that eventually became an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the only time Big Green got the MST3K treatment. Which makes sense, Godzilla fighting a giant lobster doesn’t sound as interesting as a three-headed dragon or a very large moth. But does this HOTD warrant a second look? Or is it just see-food?

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Criterion Month Day 8: Pale Flower

Pale Flower (1964)

Pale Flower is the rare film I picked for Criterion Month where I honestly can’t recall where or why the film came to my attention. But for whatever reason, it came onto my radar sometime in the past year and I’m glad it did. It’s a film that you’ll currently find on the “Japenese Noir” section of the Criterion Channel, which features many films I have not seen since the only Japanese film noir movies I can recall seeing are Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low and Seijun Suzuki’s Tokyo Drifter, the latter of which I feel like I mostly saw because it has an especially cool Criterion cover. Anyway, what I’ve learned from watching these three movies is that Japanese noir might be a bit more malleable than its American counterparts and that I should probably dive deeper into this genre to find out. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 7: The Soft Skin

The Soft Skin (1964)

We’ve done a good job of covering the early work of François Truffaut here on the blog. Well, I don’t know how good we’ve done, but we’ve done it. Thus far we’ve covered Truffaut’s first film, The 400 Blows, his second film, Shoot the Piano Player, and his fourth, Jules and Jim. We haven’t covered his third film, The Army Game, but it’s not in the Criterion Collection, so it doesn’t exist as far as I’m concerned.

The Soft Skin is Truffaut’s fifth film, a sexy ode to Hitchcock that underperformed upon its release on April 20th (nice), 1964. But why? What was it about The Soft Skin that failed to resonate with audiences? Was it TOO adult? Was it TOO soft? Let’s find out…

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Criterion Month Day 6: I Am Cuba

I Am Cuba (1964)

When we’re making our way through Criterion Month, there’s always the chance that some of the films we watch will feel a little like homework. So far, none of the movies I’ve reviewed have felt that way, since they’ve been to at least some extent, pretty entertaining. I Am Cuba, a joint production between Cuba and the Soviet Union, falls a bit into that category, since it’s a movie that really makes you use your brain while watching it, forcing you to grapple with the ideas behind it as well as the challenging style in which it chooses to express those ideas. Though at the same time, that style is pretty electric and innovative, so there is something inherently exciting about the way it forces you to do a little homework. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 5: Il Sorpasso

Il Sorpasso (1962)

An uptight person and a free spirit get in a car together, set off on the open road, and hijinks ensue. There are lots of types of road movies, but this formula feels like the most pure to me. I’m not sure how many movies tried this approach before Il Sorpasso, but I have to assume it wasn’t the first to attempt this dynamic, even if there’s still something so fresh about this movie that it feels like it might as well have invented the modern road dramedy. Which is a little odd to say, since it also embodies a very specific time in Italian history and filmmaking, where the neorealism of the country’s post-World War II morphed into something lighter and more carefree, as the country’s economic boom saw its citizens livin’ la dolce vita. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 4: The Trial

The Trial (1962)

Hello and welcome to my annual attempt at contributing to Criterion Month! This year, not only did I have the advantage of an extra month to prepare but also I drafted way more recent movies than Colin and John on average, so I had a light load to begin the month too. And yet… I still didn’t finish watching my first movie until just about midnight on the day I was supposed to post about it. What can I say at this point? You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

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