Larrok

DeRank ™: 5,57

DeAge™ : 7248 days • Here since 5 august 2006

David Cronenberg Maps to the Stars

7 feb 15

Voto:

It reminded me of Altman's "The Player," although with a bit less irony and a bit more malice in depicting the even more awful and over-the-top characters (though the moments of dark humor are not lacking). The scene around the middle of the film with Moore hopping about joyfully at the news of her rival's son's death is terrible. If the first half of the film struggles to get going, the second half significantly picks up (aside from the spontaneous combustions). 3 and a half stars.

Roman Polanski Venere in pelliccia

25 jan 15

Voto:

If Carnage was a great theatrical piece for the masses, Venus in Fur reproduces the same idea by halving the elements and resulting in a less commercial product that aims to and succeeds in being more cultured, without losing the more cutting aspects of Polanski's sociological analysis. A work whose strength primarily lies in the performance of the actors, who are incredibly skilled at portraying two absolutely complex characters, especially the excellent Emmanuelle Seigner, who in my opinion deserved at least a nomination for the Oscars (in place of, for example, Bullock, who honestly cannot be considered one of the main merits of Gravity). It is certainly not a masterpiece, but the idea is interesting and has been developed very well.

Bohren & der Club of Gore Sunset Mission

21 jan 15

Voto:

"Well, here we are really at the top"...wonderful night journey and great review.

Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign

28 dec 14

Voto:

In this album, Albert King decodes a blues guitar solo style that will serve as the paradigm for thousands of subsequent soloists after him, from the way he uses bending to the typical pentatonic phrases... exemplary in this sense are the opening title track and "Oh, Pretty Woman."

Timber Timbre Hot Dreams

20 dec 14

Voto:

the title track is great (great voice and sax), the rest is a bit less

James Gray Little Odessa

8 dec 14

Voto:

I can't go beyond two and a half stars for James Gray's debut. This film fails both as a gangster movie and as a dramatic introspective film. For the first type of film, it lacks bite, rhythm, and an interesting story; for the second, I find the characters too sketchy and formulaic, despite the excellent actors (Tim Roth, Maximilian Schell) doing what they can. The aforementioned "Carlito's Way" is light years ahead, and all in all, I think the decent "American History X" has succeeded better. Maybe it's the director's style that doesn't sit well with me.

Mamoru Oshii Ghost In The Shell

23 nov 14

Voto:

Just seen it, very evocative cyberpunk, Matrix has some truly identical scenes. One of the few "non-Miyazaki" anime I enjoyed... it makes me want to read Neuromancer by Gibson which is there on the shelf waiting...

Joel & Ethan Coen A proposito di Davis

22 nov 14

Voto:

In my hypothetical ranking of Coen films, "Inside Llewyn Davis" would be in the lower half, but that's only because the average quality of their movies is out of this world. The aspects that pleasantly struck me are the excellent cinematography, the choice of sleepy, wintry colors, the successful recreation of the early '60s, the Van Ronk piece "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me," beautifully performed by Isaac... the ironic moments and the typically Coen-esque supporting characters (the guests at the Gorfeins', the old Mel and Ginny) are sprinkled here and there, but everything is enveloped in a shroud of pessimism and bitterness, with no way out. Please, don’t touch Goodman; he could just stand there passing gas and it would still be worth seeing him. I rate it between three and a half and four.

Ariel Pink pom pom

16 nov 14

Voto:

Our quirky Ariel continues to come up with increasingly surprising albums, blending a smoothie of quotes and trashy '80s pop-electronic sounds, processed voices, synths... he shifts from sugary choruses to pounding noises, dance rhythms, to pieces reminiscent of early Brian Eno. A genius who doesn’t care about trends.

Martin Scorsese Re per una notte

26 oct 14

Voto:

The trio Raging Bull-King for a Night-After Hours is truly spectacular... Scorsese is one of the rare directors whose work I've enjoyed in at least 10 films. Sandra Bernhard as the psychotic Masha is fabulous, especially in the candlelit dinner scene. Superb direction, as always.