by Philip Price Director: Osgood Perkins Starring: Sophia Lillis, Samuel Leakey & Alice Krige Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 1 hour & 27 minutes The breadcrumbs never led anywhere good. And in Osgood Perkins' beautifully haunting “Gretel & Hansel” - which the son of Anthony Perkins directed - there are no literal breadcrumbs, but only the seeming promise of certain death wherever the adolescent Gretel (Sophia Lillis) and her even younger brother, Hansel (Samuel Leakey), choose to go.
At a slim 87 minutes, the story both hews very close to that classic Grimm fairy tale while also taking its own liberties in advancing Gretel forward in age and lending her the role of a potential apprentice to the witch she and her brother stumble upon in the woods rather than both of them serving as the next in a long line of delectable dining experiences for the fantastically wicked Alice Krige who plays said storied witch in this iteration. This slightly altered narrative lends the film enough treats (figuratively speaking) to entice the audience in the plight of the children and the dilemma Lillis' Gretel ultimately must deal with, but the star of the show is Galo Olivares' cinematography as the film looks like what a Terrence Malick horror movie might look like if produced and/or distributed by A24. And I say "horror" with slight pause as there are certainly moments and imagery intended to elicit a scare, but this is more interested in the elaborate and ornamental gothic style that naturally elicits a creepy and uncomfortable tone more so than it does a straight-up scary one. And given the uneasy nature of the story and where all is inevitably heading, the cramped aspect ratio yet expansive lens Olivares uses allows for that visual prowess to not only be disturbingly pretty, but part of the storytelling; emphasizing the uneasiness the children begin to feel in that house in the woods where everything is too good to be true yet there's too much for it to mean nothing at all. Gretel & Hansel essentially feeding (again, figuratively speaking) the audience the idea that these children escape the terror with a lesson learned, but implying that to come of age surrounded by adults who care little for you and only how you might benefit them (as well as yes, trying to eat you or your sibling) would never leave one without scars that will eventually need to be tended to.
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by Philip Price Director: Guy Ritchie Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam & Michelle Dockery Rated: R Runtime: 1 hour & 53 minutes Given my 1987 born ass has always been a fan of writer/director Guy Ritchie's (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” “Snatch”) post-Tarantino style that pummels you with said style until you are essentially forced by submission into appreciating it one wouldn't be wrong in recognizing that Ritchie has strayed from that which made him a star in the late ‘90s/early ‘00s as his most recent, studio-centric efforts (“King Arthur” and “Aladdin”) have not only leaned toward the more conventional in their style, but also in their storytelling. 2015's “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” was our first glimpse at the next step in Ritchie's evolution as it was meant to be (no, I didn't see “Revolver,” but have heard terrible, terrible things) delivering an action/spy thriller very much in line with the attitude of his earlier work while possessing a more refined, more finessed outward style. If the Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law ‘Sherlock Holmes’ films were the apex of early Ritchie style with a big studio mentality then “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” was Ritchie evolving before our eyes and taking it a couple of steps further than he needed to just to ensure us he was in fact maturing.
With his return to form as it were though, Ritchie's “The Gentlemen” finds the filmmaker striking the best balance yet between his past and his contemporary status among his contemporaries. A more subdued and self-aware English gangster romp than his first few features, “The Gentlemen” compiles many of Ritchie's most recognizable tropes including classic English geezer names and clever overlapping narratives, but most importantly it retains the sense of fun those early films were regarded for as the film’s pomp and wit are at full exposure more so in the characters than they are anything having to do with the double-crossing, drug-dealing plot we've seen and heard countless times before. As led by Matthew McConaughey's suave American Businessman in England, Mickey Pearson, who's right-hand man Ray (Charlie Hunnam) is being relayed said story by slimy journalist and aspiring screenwriter Fletcher (Hugh Grant) concerning the many layers of deceit occurring within Mickey's attempt to distance himself from the hustle and sell off his lucrative business it is Fletcher's hope some of the story revelations might in fact be revelations to Ray and Mickey's organization alike. With rival characters such as Henry Golding's wannabe gangster, "Dry Eye", to Jeremy Strong's billionaire who is likely to purchase Mickey's well-oiled machine of a cannabis dispensary and on down to Colin Farrell's "Coach" who inadvertently gets involved by trying to do the right thing while being completely capable of handling all the ugly things Mickey's circumstances require of him, “The Gentlemen” has no shortage of interesting perspectives to draw upon. Add in Michelle Dockery of “Downton Abbey” fame as Mickey's take no guff wife and Ritchie's grown-up approach begins to make more sense in its less feverish, more studied approach while never becoming what one would describe as a "calm" movie because, for all the maturity and growth Ritchie shows here he knows he's still making a movie about a bunch of "proper handsome c***s". list compiled by Julian Spivey Every February Turner Classic Movies (TCM) embarks on its greatest month of programming annually with 31 Days of Oscar, in which every film shown over a span of 31 days either won an Academy Award or was nominated for Academy Awards. TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar is currently underway and I wanted to handpick the 31 movies you should most check out or DVR during the month. The movies are in chronological order of when they will air. All times given are Central Standard Time. All synopsis from IMDb.com. Doctor Zhivago Saturday, February 1 @ 7 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Bolt), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Art/Set Direction, Color, Best Costume Design, Color and Best Score. Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (David Lean), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Courtenay), Best Sound, Best Film Editing Synopsis: The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution. The Maltese Falcon Sunday, February 2 @ 11 a.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (John Huston), Best Supporting Actor (Sydney Greenstreet) Synopsis: A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette. White Heat Wednesday, February 5 @ 1 a.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Writing (Virginia Kellogg) Synopsis: A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. North by Northwest Wednesday, February 5 @ 10:45 a.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Original Screenplay (Ernest Lehman), Best Art/Set Direction, Color and Best Film Editing Synopsis: A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies. Singin’ in the Rain Friday, February 7 @ 12:30 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Jean Hagen), Best Score Synopsis: A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound. Bull Durham Saturday, February 8 @ 11 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Original Screenplay (Ron Shelton) Synopsis: A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him. On the Waterfront Monday, February 10 @ 2:45 a.m. Oscar Wins: Best Picture, Best Director (Elia Kazan), Best Actor (Marlon Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint), Best Writing (Budd Schulberg), Best Cinematography, Black & White, Best Art/Set Decoration, Black & White and Best Film Editing Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Lee J. Cobb), Best Supporting Actor (Karl Malden), Best Supporting Actor (Rod Steiger) and Best Score Synopsis: An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses. Stagecoach Monday, February 10 @ 7 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actor (Thomas Mitchell), Best Score Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (John Ford), Best Cinematography, Black & White, Best Art Direction and Best Film Editing Synopsis: A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo and learn something about each other in the process. True Grit Monday, February 10 @ 8:45 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Actor (John Wayne) Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song (True Grit) Synopsis: A drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian territory. The Grapes of Wrath Tuesday, February 11 @ 5:15 a.m. Oscar Wins: Best Director (John Ford), Best Supporting Actress (Jane Darwell) Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Henry Fonda), Best Writing (Nunnally Johnson), Best Sound Recording, Best Film Editing) Synopsis: A poor Midwest family is forced off their land. They travel to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression. Bonnie & Clyde Friday, February 14 @ 5 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons), Best Cinematography Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Arthur Penn), Best Actor (Warren Beatty), Best Actress (Faye Dunaway), Best Supporting Actor (Michael J. Pollard), Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Original Screenplay (Robert Benton & David Newman), Best Costume Design Synopsis: Bored waitress Bonnie Parker falls in love with an ex-con named Clyde Barrow and together they start a violent crime spree through the country, stealing cars and robbing banks. Cool Hand Luke Saturday, February 15 @ 2 a.m. Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actor (George Kennedy) Oscar Nominations: Best Actor (Paul Newman), Best Adapted Screenplay (Donn Pearce & Frank Pierson) and Best Score Synopsis: A laid back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform. The Third Man Saturday, February 15 @ 3 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Cinematography, Black & White Oscar Nominations: Best Director (Carol Reed) and Best Film Editing Synopsis: Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime. Casablanca Saturday, February 15 @ 7 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Curtiz) and Best Writing (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch) Oscar Nominations: Best Actor (Humphrey Bogart), Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains), Best Cinematography, Black & White, Best Film Editing and Best Score Synopsis: A cynical American expatriate struggles to decide whether or not he should help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape French Morocco. Key Largo Saturday, February 15 @ 9 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actress (Claire Trevor) Synopsis: A man visits his war buddy's family hotel and finds a gangster running things. As a hurricane approaches, the two end up confronting each other. The Philadelphia Story Sunday, February 16 @ 5 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Actor (James Stewart), Best Writing (Donald Ogden Stewart) Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (George Cukor), Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn), Best Supporting Actress (Ruth Hussey) Synopsis: When a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself. The Silence of the Lambs Sunday, February 16 @ 9:30 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally) Oscar Nominations: Best Film Editing and Best Sound Synopsis: A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims. Taxi Driver Sunday, February 16 @ 11:45 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster) and Best Score Synopsis: A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action by attempting to liberate a presidential campaign worker and an underage prostitute. Young Frankenstein Monday, February 17 @ 2 a.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay (Mel Brooks & Gene Wilder) and Best Sound Synopsis: An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body. Dr. Strangelove Wednesday, February 19 @ 7 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Stanley Kubrick), Best Actor (Peter Sellers) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern and Peter George) Synopsis: An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a War Room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Thursday, February 20 @ 4:45 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Writing, Original Story (Lewis R. Foster) Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actor (James Stewart), Best Supporting Actor (Harry Carey), Best Supporting Actor (Claude Rains), Best Writing, Screenplay (Sidney Buchman), Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Score Synopsis: A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn't back down. Drums Along the Mohawk Friday, February 21 @ 1 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Edna May Oliver) and Best Cinematography, Color Synopsis: Newlyweds Gil and Lana Martin try to establish a farm in the Mohawk Valley but are menaced by Indians and Tories as the Revolutionary War begins. How the West Was Won Saturday, February 22 @ 7 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Original Screenplay (James R. Webb), Best Film Editing and Best Sound Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Art/Set Decoration, Color, Best Costume Design, Color and Best Score Synopsis: A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the nineteenth century - including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads. The Gunfighter Saturday, February 22 @ 10 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Writing (William Bowers and Andre De Toth) Synopsis: Notorious gunfighter Jimmy Ringo rides into town to find his true love, who doesn't want to see him. He hasn't come looking for trouble, but trouble finds him around every corner. Gone with the Wind Sunday, February 23 @ 9 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Picture, Best Director (Victor Fleming), Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel), Best Writing (Sidney Howard), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction Oscar Nominations: Best Actor (Clark Gable), Best Supporting Actress (Olivia de Havilland), Best Sound, Best Effects and Best Score Synopsis: A manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods. The Professionals Tuesday, February 25 @ 1:30 a.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Director (Richard Brooks), Best Adapted Screenplay (Richard Brooks) and Best Cinematography, Color Synopsis: An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit. The Naked Spur Tuesday, February 25 @ 3:45 a.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Writing (Sam Rolfe and Harold Jack Bloom) Synopsis: A bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers. Rebel Without a Cause Friday, February 28 @ 7 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Sal Mineo), Best Supporting Actress (Natalie Wood) and Best Writing (Nicholas Ray) Synopsis: A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies. The Graduate Saturday, February 29 @ 5 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Director (Mike Nichols) Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman), Best Actress (Anne Bancroft), Best Supporting Actress (Katharine Ross), Best Adapted Screenplay (Buck Henry and Calder Willingham) and Best Cinematography Synopsis: A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter. Tootsie Saturday, February 29 @ 7 p.m. Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actress (Jessica Lange) Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Sydney Pollack), Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (Teri Garr), Best Original Screenplay (Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal and Don McGuire), Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Original Song (“It Might Be You”) Synopsis: Michael Dorsey, an unsuccessful actor, disguises himself as a woman in order to get a role on a trashy hospital soap. 12 Angry Men Sunday, March 1 @ 12:30 p.m. Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Sidney Lumet) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Reginald Rose) Synopsis: A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence. Lawrence of Arabia Monday, March 2 @ 9:30 a.m. Oscar Wins: Best Picture, Best Director (David Lean), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Art/Set Direction, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Score Oscar Nominations: Best Actor (Peter O’Toole), Best Supporting Actor (Omar Sharif) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson) Synopsis: The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks. |
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