End Of The Week Shorts #1



Today's Shorts: Sister Act (1992), Mardi Gras Massacre (1978), Rear Window (1954), Koyaanisqatsi (1982), Louis C.K 2017 (2017), Decasia (2002), Bean (1997), The Three Tenors In Concert (1994)



Goddamn... I forgot how good this movie is. 
It finds a perfect spot between cheesy and goose-bump-inducing joy with an incredibly tight script and crisp direction. 
In my opinion, Whoopi Goldberg's greatest film, and most definitely the best movie you could possibly make about a lounge singer finding refuge in a convent so her mobster boyfriend doesn't kill her.



I'm developing a bad habit of watching terrible movies just because of an interesting poster. 
Why is almost everything shot in a wide? Why are these wides so awkwardly framed? 
A poor, not at all fun, 'video nasty'.



Without a doubt, my favourite Hitchcock film - by far. I'd even go as far to say that this is his masterpiece. The rich characterisation, the quintessential pure cinematics, the dexterous cinematic language, the impeccable performances and the fantastic set-design all come together to produce something truly special. I don't like the use of fast motion, nor parts of the logic with the climax, but this is entirely overshadowed by every other detail of the feature. 
This film deserves a lot more words, especially when considering the depths of subtext to be found around Jeff's relationship with Lisa in relation to the many residents of the courtyard, but, I need not say more right now than this is one of the undeniable all-time-greats that everyone needs to see.



Incredible. Powerful visual poetry. Koyaanisqatsi is utterly immersive and impossibly beautiful. I thought this would be an arduous watch, but everything flies by so fast, leaving you in awe. 
It is immensely difficult to gain a satisfactory perspective on a bigger picture than yourself and your little life. Koyaanisqatsi allows something of an incite into a bigger picture of industrialisation and progress - and in a, in certain senses, long gone time. This is certainly the power of the film; its ability to convey the momentum of a society in such a captivating manner. And the purpose of all of this is to ask us what definition of "Koyaanisqatsi" makes sense in relation to what you've seen. 
I personally have to go for 'crazy life' as I didn't really feel much negativity to be drawn from this hectic depiction of humanity. So, ultimately, if the aliens show up, maybe this would be an interesting thing to show them?



Another great hour from Louis C.K. I particularly love the approach of many of his bits that ensures he never, not really, kinda, almost, definitely, always... may... have something of an opinion on a subject. I think this speak volumes about his kind of comedy; the commentary is complex, is sometimes dark, is sometimes absurd, but always, and before anything else, comedic. 
And need I say more than "CHRIST!". Pure gold. Make sure you see it if you haven't already.




An interesting film. Sometimes beautiful. Sometimes quite unsettling. Ultimately, it drags on far too long with painful pacing. The worst element of this Decasia, however, is certainly the soundtrack. I don't understand the choice to play constantly disturbing music - even over imagery that seems joyful or placid. It's starts out confusing, becomes jarring and is eventually monotonous and banal. 
If you want to see a film that uses decayed, fractured and destroyed footage, check out Tscherkassky's work; with this approach he creates narratives with a unique cinematic language (that don't last too long).



Not as good as the old T.V show, but, for some reason, I've always enjoyed this movie. It's pretty stupid and the supporting cast are quite bad. The script is very shoddy too. But, Atkinson has quite a few great moments that are supported well by the surprisingly good score and direction - look for instance to the poster replacement sequence. 
I laughed like an idiot all throughout the final act, and... yeah, a dumb movie that I always end up watching whenever it's on T.V


I don't really know how or why I stumbled onto this, but, Jesus... 
I know almost nothing about opera, classical singing, orchestras and so on, but this film/concert is beyond many preconceptions you may bring to it. There is just such immense emotional power exuding from almost every moment of each performance that this wholly transcends artistic forms and simply speaks to any and everyone. In other words, no matter what you like, what you don't like, or what you think about classical music and opera, I bet this concert will astound you. 
And beyond that, I think I've been left speechless.

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