This was directed by Alan J. Pakula and is considered part of his so-called Paranoia trilogy, the other two being Klute and All the President’s Men, both of which we have already watched. Actually the seriousness of those two films tricked me into thinking that this was a serious political thriller as well. While it does start off being very grounded in reality, it soon veers off into the fantastic and is basically an indulgence of all of the most pernicious conspiracy theories of the time.
This dates from several years ago and is a story that at the time made news headlines around the world about a man who managed to write a book while being paralyzed and able to communicate with the outside world only by blinking one eye. Though obviously romanticized to some extent, it is indeed an excellent film that shows how a person may still have a rich and active mind while the body is paralyzed and succeeds in being emotionally resonant while avoiding trite sentimentality.
This animated series would mark the first Star Trek television show that we’ve watched since Deep Space Nine as I have chosen to skip all of the intervening ones due to their reputation for not being very good. I probably will get around to watching Picard at some point however. I wanted to watch this as I liked the idea of a lighter-hearted Star Trek show and I loved its premise of featuring characters lower down the totem pole. In the event, it doesn’t exactly succeed at being a show about non-command officers as the stories have them taking on major roles anyway and it does get off to a rocky start, but it does find its footing towards the end.
Elizabeth Moss once again impresses in an independent film that even if it isn’t quite great, is at least highly interesting. Shirley Jackson is of course a real American novelist and while the characters and circumstances of this film are based on her life, I don’t believe that this is intended to be a biography and should be thought of as fictional. Instead this is as much about a young couple who have come with Shirley and her husband as Shirley herself and, in line with the other works that Moss has recently appeared in, is about the woman’s place in a man’s world.
This film probably popularized the use of the Japanese word it is named after back in the day but it draws only shallowly from this exotic cultural reference. Similarly it has zero real emotional depth and a weak overarching plot. Still it is considered one of the most notable action movies ever made, being particularly well known for its car chase scenes. I also love its beautiful on-location shots. It is so great when American directors realize that there is so much more to France than just Paris.
Indian cinema is underrepresented here as the country generally is not thought to produce great films especially in the modern era. Yet it would not do to skip over this particular title, a film that was far ahead of its time and underappreciated in India itself when it was released but achieved great international success and is now regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. It is certainly difficult to imagine any film that better encapsulates the conflict of old money versus new money and the passing of the aristocratic era.
As I mentioned not so long ago, Adam Sandler actually is a fantastic actor despite the trashy films that he is most known for these days so its great to see him in fine form as he is here. This is effectively an in-depth psychological profile of someone of who is addicted not just to gambling but to winning the big score no matter what it takes in order to defy everyone else. It was made by brothers Josh and Benny Safdie whose film Good Time I’d previously featured here.
