Movie Reviews
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ 4K Ultra HD movie review
Whereas immersed within the lately launched Blu-ray set “The Beatles: Get Again,” followers on the lookout for an ideal complement will admire a have a look at the early days of the group when additionally they donned the roles of film stars within the ground-breaking A Arduous Day’s Night time (Criterion, not rated, 1.75:1 facet ratio, 88 minutes, $49.95), obtainable within the ultra-high definition format.
In fact, the Fab 4 took the world by storm within the early Nineteen Sixties and cemented their place in popular culture with director Richard Lester’s 1964 black-and-white, musical comedy that combined avant-garde humor, frenetic dialogue and music video-style segments whereas all delivered in a documentary fashion format.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr play themselves almost on the pinnacle of their profession and begin their nonstop shenanigans with the long-lasting scene of the boys operating and stumbling away from their followers to the movie’s famed theme tune.
Roaming round England, they catch a practice to London to play a live performance at an Ed Sullivan-style tv program getting in hassle with the meticulous director (Victor Spinetti).
Throughout all the journey, Paul will get saddled along with his feisty and grumpy grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell) who causes hassle whereas tagging alongside.
He even encourages Ringo to take pleasure in life away from the band, inflicting the drummer to vanish after which reappear simply in time for the Beatles to carry out within the stay present.
Followers of the group in addition to followers of Marx Brothers-style comedy will relish watching the musicians on display who’re clearly having an excessive amount of enjoyable.
Moments similar to The Beatles dancing to their very own music in a discotheque and Lennon taking part in with toy boats whereas taking a bubble tub combine with loads of snappy dialogue.
For instance, a reporter asks Harrison “what do you name that haircut?” He doesn’t even blink as he responds, “Arthur.”
The comedic chaos will get dutifully anchored by a few of the finest pop songs ever written. The licensed hit parade consists of “If I Fell,” “Can’t Purchase Me Love,” “She Loves You,” “Inform Me Why” and, after all, “A Arduous Days Night time.”
4K in motion: The meticulous 2160p restoration truly occurred again in 2014 for Criterion’s Blu-ray launch of the film.
Permitted by director Richard Lester, the digital switch was created in 4K decision from the 35mm unique digicam destructive and two 35mm fine-grain grasp positives with in depth work completed to take away any scratches, filth, particles and blemishes.
The result’s a wonderfully toned, vibrant masterpiece that not solely reveals element right down to the boys’ perspire however almost appears to be like prefer it was shot with the extreme crispness of Nineteen Sixties video cameras.
Greatest extras: Criterion presents the 4K and Blu-ray disc of the movie with Blu-ray gathering all the goodies culled from the 2014 launch.
Begin with an information-packed compilation optionally available commentary monitor (produced by Beatles historian Martin Lewis in 2002) that features actors John Junkin (Shake), David Janson and Jeremy Lloyd, assistant editors Pamela Tomling and Roy Benson and cinematographer Gilbert Taylor simply to call a number of of the 15 people participating.
Subsequent, watch a virtually hourlong retrospective from 1994 hosted by Phil Collins (who truly appeared within the film’s TV viewers as a baby), that includes Lester, producer Walter Shenson, screenwriter Alun Owen, Spinetti, costume designer Julie Harris and movie critic Roger Ebert that additionally consists of an additional tune from the present “You Can’t Do That,” All of them supply a great deal of reminiscences and loads of manufacturing particulars.
Hold going with a 36-minute documentary from 2002, once more loaded with manufacturing nostalgia, that provides one other overview of the movie with interviews from Lester, George Martin, Mr. Shenson, United Artist VP David Picker, Mr. Owen, affiliate producer Denis O’Dell, assistant editor Roy Benson, hairdresser Betty Glasow, nonetheless photographer/poster maker Robert Freman, membership dancer Jeremy Lloyd, actress Anna Quayle, cameraman Paul Wilson and Mr. Taylor.
Subsequent, dive into 27 minutes on Lester’s profession and even 9 explanation why he was your best option for the director position together with his expertise with utilizing frantic tv methods discovered whereas engaged on The Goons (a famed British sketch comedy legends) present.
Viewers may also watch his 1959 Academy Award-nominated brief “The Working Leaping & Standing Nonetheless Movie,” starring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan no much less.
Spherical out the immersion with 18-minutes of the group doing interviews in regards to the movie in 1964 as they contact on writing “A Arduous Day’s Night time,” guffawing throughout takes and their consolation stage seeing themselves on a big theater display.
The cavalcade of extras additionally has an evaluation of 5 of the songs and a 28-minute interview with Beatles writer Mark Lewisohn performed in 2014.
Moreover, deep breath, the bundle comprises an 80-page, photo-illustrated booklet that features an essay by movie critic Howard Hampton, a classic interview with Lester and a few clarification on the restoration.
Directed by Tushar Hiranandani (‘Scam 2003: The Telgi Story’), Srikanth is an adulatory and simplistic biopic of Srikanth Bolla, the first international visually-impaired student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who goes on to be the founder of Bollant Industries, a recycled packaging paper company, with prominent investors like former president APJ Abdul Kalam and Ratan Tata. It’s a great premise, one that required a deeper and nuanced study, but the makers decide to go for a derivative telling, laced with scenes which are desperate for claps and hoots.
It’s also told in a numbing linearity. Srikanth’s father, as mentioned earlier, ultimately doesn’t end up burying him after discovering he is blind. Growing up, the boy shows signs of genius. He can orally solve for X, he submits his answer sheet in an exam before everybody else, he can outsmart even those with sight in a chess game. But when Srikanth is denied the Science stream in Higher Secondary, he decides to sue the Indian education system.
After a courtroom scene that can put ‘Damini’ (1993) to shame, Srikanth wins the case. He also gets selected for the Indian blind cricket team but has to abandon his dream of wearing the blue jersey, to follow the bigger dream of studying at MIT. He finds love, comes back to India, meets an investor, starts Bollant, is labelled ‘God’ by the differently abled, becomes a megalomaniac, realises his follies and ultimately finds his way back home.
Returning to the big screen after his starring role in the Barbie movie, Ryan Gosling stars in The Fall Guy — an action-packed tribute to stunt performers in the movies.
Gosling plays the role of Colt Seavers — a stuntman who “gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life (Emily Blunt starring as Jody Moreno, director of the movie) while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?”
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt
(Universal Pictures)
The Fall Guy includes the movie industry’s first-ever film credit of Stunt Designer, received by Chris O’Hara, president of Stunts Unlimited, and who is renowned as a Stunt Coordinator and second unit director. The Stunt Designer moniker goes beyond the traditional title of Stunt Coordinator (an official Screen Actors Guild credit that is also recognized by the Directors Guild of America). This credit represents a new benchmark that accurately reflects “the high-level artistic contribution of world-class Stunt Coordinators like O’Hara. These are artists who do more than coordinate the logistics of stunts; they design and create them.”
“Stunt Designers are the creative architects behind fight scenes, high falls, and more, and deserve to be recognized for the creative leadership of their contributions,” said David Leitch, director, blockbuster filmmaker and a former stunt coordinator.
The fall guy on a vehicle-mounted arm.
(Universal Pictures)
The Fall Guy was originally a TV series from the ‘80s. It “was a reflection of that era, celebrating the cowboy spirit of stunt work,” director David Leitch says. “Back then, stunts were about sheer toughness, fearlessness, and guts. While there were tricks of the trade, these stunts still came with a lot of pain. My journey in the stunt world began during the transition from this old-school era to the modern era where stunt work began embracing new technologies and practices. As I entered the industry, visual effects and special effects were starting to revolutionize the stunt world. Wire rigs, the removal of those wires via VFX and other innovations were transforming the way stunts were performed. While shooting The Matrix, I had the opportunity to witness the cutting edge of technology and the collaborative efforts that were shaping the future of stunts. For me, it was natural to embrace both sides of stunt performing—the old-school toughness and the evolving world of visual effects. So, now, with The Fall Guy, I’m paying tribute to my early career journey as a stunt performer. While we incorporate some nods to the role of visual effects, the film maintains a raw and practical element in every stunt. With this film, we aimed to deliver action that was true to the spirit of the stunt community by incorporating techniques that have become somewhat of a lost art.”
THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch
(Universal Pictures)
The cannon roll was a particularly spectacular stunt featured in The Fall Guy. “Stunt double Logan Holladay broke the Guinness World Record for cannon rolls in a car with eight and a half rolls.”
These days, sequences like the Alma/Colt chase sequence, in which a garbage truck dragged Ryan Gosling on a spinning bin through the streets of Sydney, Australia, included a thrilling scene on the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge that “would normally be done with blue screen,” but “the team decided to film the scene entirely practically” — old school.
Jan Wagner in the theater lobby.
(Jan Wagner)
Another exciting stunt was a jaw-dropping 225-foot car jump, “performed by seasoned driver Logan Holladay in a specially designed vehicle, crafted for practical, in-camera authenticity that could handle such an extreme leap. At the apex of the jump, the truck was close to 80 feet in the air.
Other wild stunts included a boat jump, a high fall from a helicopter, numerous fights, fiery explosions and much, much more. Multiple costume variations were required “to address the complexity of action scenes.” Oh, and be sure to stick around for the credits to see a cameo that you will not want to miss. Thumbs up!
To see a trailer for The Fall Guy and to purchase tickets, visit the official site at: https://www.thefallguymovie.com.
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Copyright © 2024 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #838
By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer
Posted: May 10th, 2024 / 12:29 PM
THE COFFEE TABLE (LA MESITA DEL COMEDOR) movie poster | ©2024 Cinephobia Releasing
Rating: Not Rated
Stars: David Pareja, Estefanía de los Santos, Josep Riera, Claudia Riera, Gala Flores, Eduardo Antuña, Cristina Dilla, Itziar Castro
Writers: Caye Casas & Cris Borobia
Director: Caye Casas
Distributor: Cinephobia Releasing
Release Date: April 19, 2024 (theatrical); May 14, 2024 (DVD/digital)
THE COFFEE TABLE (LA MESITA DEL COMEDOR) has been variously described as a horror movie and a black comedy. It doesn’t conform to the conventional notion of either of these genres. Rather, it is one answer to the question of what we get when the framework of a farce is placed around an almost literally unspeakable tragedy.
THE COFFEE TABLE has a horrific incident (imagine one of the worst things you can think of; this may or may not be worse than that) that propels what would otherwise be a familiar comedy plot. The tension between these two things keeps us riveted.
In the opening moments, we see María (Estefanía de los Santos) in childbirth. It looks extremely painful.
The rest of the film takes place over the course of a single day. María and her husband Jesús (David Pareja) and their baby son Cayetano are at a furniture store. The salesman (Eduardo Antuña) is pushing them to buy a glass-topped coffee table.
Jesús seems to want the coffee table primarily because María hates it. According to him, she has made most of the choices in their relationship, including when to have a baby (they’re middle-aged, but he wasn’t sure) and what to name the child (Jesús thinks Cayetano is a bad name, with a worse namesake).
The salesman guarantees that the coffee table will change Jesús and María’s lives. He’s just doing his spiel, but he turns out to be absolutely right.
To be clear, THE COFFEE TABLE isn’t a cursed-furniture movie. There’s nothing supernatural of any kind going on here. For that matter, there is no onscreen violence, and relatively little gore. It’s just that it has a confluence of events that most filmmakers wouldn’t dare present.
The actors are all excellent, surprising us within expectations we may have for their characters.
While this is perhaps not the main thrust of THE COFFEE TABLE, director Caye Casas, cowriter Cris Borobia and actor Pareja create a powerfully authentic portrait of severe depression. We feel Jesús’s inability to connect with those around him; he’s barely able to see or hear them through the weight of his pain. While in some movies, this kind of thing can be extraordinarily dull, in THE COFFEE TABLE, it’s mesmerizing, because we compulsively need to know what’s going to happen.
THE COFFEE TABLE should come with some trigger warnings. One is for people who, having experienced severe depression themselves, may find its accurate depiction awakens a sympathetic response that is not easily dismissed when the film ends.
The other trigger warning unfortunately is a massive spoiler. Perhaps the best advice to viewers who are serious about such cautions is that they should avoid THE COFFEE TABLE altogether. For more daring prospective audience members who want to see a well-made film that is certainly unique and never boring, THE COFFEE TABLE is the real deal.
In Spanish, with English subtitles.
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