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Saturday, October 20, 2012

Library Project: October 13 - 19


Another week watching my DVDs, and a particularly fruitful one at that. Here's what I watched:

October 13: Dark Passage (1947) - the least of the films to co-star Bogart and Bacall. This gimmicky noir lacks the charm and energy of their other pairings, though it does start to find its footing near the end.

October 15: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) - one of my favourite movies of the last few years. Julian Schnabel's beautiful adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir is nothing short of a cinematic miracle. The film is both a visual and a narrative masterpiece.

October 16: La Dolce Vita (1960) - ...speaking of masterpieces, this film from Federico Fellini remains one of the most charming and entertaining films ever made. Marcello Mastroianni was never better than he is here.

October 17: East of Eden (1955) - the only film James Dean made that he lived to see released. Though the film itself isn't on the same level as his best film (Rebel Without a Cause), it's a solid drama and Dean's performance is electric.

October 18: Eastern Promises (2007) - David Cronenberg's London-set mob thriller is one of his absolute best - and features a great central performance by Viggo Mortensen, and a criminally undervalued supporting performance by Armin Mueller-Stahl.

October 19: An Education (2009) - an absolutely delightful film anchored by a star-making performance from Carey Mulligan. It's been a while since I watched this one, and I'd forgotten just how good it is.

On Tap For Next Week: A throwback to the films of Douglas Sirk, an epic adventure from Werner Herzog, one of the most celebrated cop thrillers of all time, and more!

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