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Giles's 2021 "You Could Be Watching'" Project
Going to wander through 2021 spreading some cinephilia day by day.
I don't know where/if these are available but if you can access them (legally), they'll probably make each day of 2021 a little better.
January's genre: Thrillers
Going to wander through 2021 spreading some cinephilia day by day.
I don't know where/if these are available but if you can access them (legally), they'll probably make each day of 2021 a little better.
January's genre: Thrillers
January 1st (Thrillers)
THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN (1973) dir: Stuart Rosenberg
Consummate journeyman Rosenberg's deliciously pulpy and vicious procedural. 100% Rumpled Matthau.
THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN (1973) dir: Stuart Rosenberg
Consummate journeyman Rosenberg's deliciously pulpy and vicious procedural. 100% Rumpled Matthau.
January 2nd
STATE OF GRACE (1990) dir: Phil Joanou
Joanou swaps the frenetic sherbert fizz of his high school comedy THREE O'CLOCK HIGH for an elegant sweep into the Stygian depths of a Hell's Kitchen crime family. Peak Penn gloom & Oldman mania.
STATE OF GRACE (1990) dir: Phil Joanou
Joanou swaps the frenetic sherbert fizz of his high school comedy THREE O'CLOCK HIGH for an elegant sweep into the Stygian depths of a Hell's Kitchen crime family. Peak Penn gloom & Oldman mania.
Jan 3rd
FX: MURDER BY ILLUSION (1986) dir: Robert Mandel
Deliriously goofy conspiracy thrills abound as a special effects pro is framed for a mob hit. The best movie Larry Cohen never wrote. Dennehy/Brown's chemistry is like an exploitation Powell/Loy.
FX: MURDER BY ILLUSION (1986) dir: Robert Mandel
Deliriously goofy conspiracy thrills abound as a special effects pro is framed for a mob hit. The best movie Larry Cohen never wrote. Dennehy/Brown's chemistry is like an exploitation Powell/Loy.
Jan 4th
THE THIEF (1952) dir: Russell Rouse
Ray Milland steals nuclear secrets and attempts to abscond from the US. Really terrific sound era silent spy/noir - not a word is spoken in the entire film. From the writer of DOA & THE OSCAR! Tense as hell.
THE THIEF (1952) dir: Russell Rouse
Ray Milland steals nuclear secrets and attempts to abscond from the US. Really terrific sound era silent spy/noir - not a word is spoken in the entire film. From the writer of DOA & THE OSCAR! Tense as hell.
Jan 5th
THE SEVEN-UPS (1973) dir: Philip D'Antoni
Fast and furious moral vacuum from a gang that had so much fun making THE FRENCH CONNECTION, they needed to let off more steam on the streets of NYC. The *best* car chase of the 1970s.
THE SEVEN-UPS (1973) dir: Philip D'Antoni
Fast and furious moral vacuum from a gang that had so much fun making THE FRENCH CONNECTION, they needed to let off more steam on the streets of NYC. The *best* car chase of the 1970s.
Jan 6th
DEATHTRAP (1982) dir: Sidney Lumet
Wickedly hysterical mystery caper that amplifies how missed Christopher Reeve is with his beautiful face, exceptional poise and A+ knitwear. Triple bill it with SLEUTH and NOISES OFF!
DEATHTRAP (1982) dir: Sidney Lumet
Wickedly hysterical mystery caper that amplifies how missed Christopher Reeve is with his beautiful face, exceptional poise and A+ knitwear. Triple bill it with SLEUTH and NOISES OFF!
Jan 7th
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED (1998) dir: Patrick Yau
Yau made 2 of the most underseen of Milky Way's audacious productions: bleakly poetic action noir THE LONGEST NITE; and this swift, brutal, bleaker than bleak procedural. Bleak, but bold & brilliant.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED (1998) dir: Patrick Yau
Yau made 2 of the most underseen of Milky Way's audacious productions: bleakly poetic action noir THE LONGEST NITE; and this swift, brutal, bleaker than bleak procedural. Bleak, but bold & brilliant.
Jan 8th
THE LAST OF SHEILA (1973) dir: Herbert Ross
Off-puttingly fabulous murder mystery, wicked writerly indulgence and brazen filmmaking jolly from Ross and scripters Stephen Sondheim & Anthony Perkins. That cast of *faces*...
THE LAST OF SHEILA (1973) dir: Herbert Ross
Off-puttingly fabulous murder mystery, wicked writerly indulgence and brazen filmmaking jolly from Ross and scripters Stephen Sondheim & Anthony Perkins. That cast of *faces*...
Jan 9th
LAST EMBRACE (1979) dir: Jonathan Demme
The best film De Palma never directed and one of the best that Demme did, this lives in the shadow of MARATHON MAN & Pakula's paranoia trilogy but is also its own elegant, sleek beast. Joyous in every way.
LAST EMBRACE (1979) dir: Jonathan Demme
The best film De Palma never directed and one of the best that Demme did, this lives in the shadow of MARATHON MAN & Pakula's paranoia trilogy but is also its own elegant, sleek beast. Joyous in every way.
Jan 10th
THE HOT ROCK (1972) dir: Peter Yates
Pitched somewhere between the sleek oddness of THE ANDERSON TAPES and the louche romps of the OCEANs films, this heist movie is a 100% diamond-gilded gas. Script by William Goldman, cast of absolute snacks.
THE HOT ROCK (1972) dir: Peter Yates
Pitched somewhere between the sleek oddness of THE ANDERSON TAPES and the louche romps of the OCEANs films, this heist movie is a 100% diamond-gilded gas. Script by William Goldman, cast of absolute snacks.
Jan 11th
THE INTERNECINE PROJECT (1974) dir: Ken Hughes
Eccentric spy yarn set against London's chilly, paranoid government bureaucracy. Barry Levinson/Jonathan Lynn's comedic backgrounds skew it somewhere between THE IPCRESS FILE and WINTER KILLS.
THE INTERNECINE PROJECT (1974) dir: Ken Hughes
Eccentric spy yarn set against London's chilly, paranoid government bureaucracy. Barry Levinson/Jonathan Lynn's comedic backgrounds skew it somewhere between THE IPCRESS FILE and WINTER KILLS.
Jan 12th
CARLITO'S WAY (1993) dir: Brian De Palma
What if Tony Montana never tried cocaine and mellowed? Apparently this isn't universally adored, which *confounds* me. This tragic disco anthem 12" is an indulgent extravaganza and absolute top tier BDP.
CARLITO'S WAY (1993) dir: Brian De Palma
What if Tony Montana never tried cocaine and mellowed? Apparently this isn't universally adored, which *confounds* me. This tragic disco anthem 12" is an indulgent extravaganza and absolute top tier BDP.
Jan 13th
COP (1988) dir: James B. Harris
Fascinatingly scuzzy downbeat thriller existing in the hinterland between its problematic star, Harris's liberal leanings (he produced PATHS OF GLORY) & the moral quagmire of James Ellroy's text. Final line is
COP (1988) dir: James B. Harris
Fascinatingly scuzzy downbeat thriller existing in the hinterland between its problematic star, Harris's liberal leanings (he produced PATHS OF GLORY) & the moral quagmire of James Ellroy's text. Final line is
Jan 14th
CUTTER'S WAY (1981) dir: Ivan Passer
Lays bare the parallax between the USA's 1970s political reckoning and Czech director Ivan Passer's flight from 1960's European authoritarianism. Stark and scintillating. Bridges & Heard's chemistry kills.
CUTTER'S WAY (1981) dir: Ivan Passer
Lays bare the parallax between the USA's 1970s political reckoning and Czech director Ivan Passer's flight from 1960's European authoritarianism. Stark and scintillating. Bridges & Heard's chemistry kills.
Jan 15th
FEMME FATALE (2002) dir: Brian De Palma
Second only to RAISING CAIN, this is BDP's most "IS *THIS* WHAT YOU THINK I AM?!" movie. A cantankerous middle finger to formal thrills. A luxuriant riot.
FEMME FATALE (2002) dir: Brian De Palma
Second only to RAISING CAIN, this is BDP's most "IS *THIS* WHAT YOU THINK I AM?!" movie. A cantankerous middle finger to formal thrills. A luxuriant riot.
Jan 16th
FRENCH CONNECTION II (1975) dir: John Frankenheimer
Not fucking around with a simple rinse/repeat. Heroin becomes Popeye's hellish metaphor for a single-minded pursuit of rough "justice". Hackman typically extraordinary; Frankenheimer on fire.
FRENCH CONNECTION II (1975) dir: John Frankenheimer
Not fucking around with a simple rinse/repeat. Heroin becomes Popeye's hellish metaphor for a single-minded pursuit of rough "justice". Hackman typically extraordinary; Frankenheimer on fire.
Jan 17th
HANA BI (1997) dir: Kitano Takeshi
Each narrative b(B)eat of Kitano's cinema is a crimson haiku: formal economy with a swift, brutal line of finality. This is his best: a humane-nihilist-tragedy-absurd-comic-gangland-melathriller. Exquisite.
HANA BI (1997) dir: Kitano Takeshi
Each narrative b(B)eat of Kitano's cinema is a crimson haiku: formal economy with a swift, brutal line of finality. This is his best: a humane-nihilist-tragedy-absurd-comic-gangland-melathriller. Exquisite.
Jan 18th
PRINCE OF THE CITY (1981) dir: Sidney Lumet
A procedural that says "fuck procedure". Less interested in the nuts & bolts than in the PTSD & true toll of all those dirty cop shenanigans of the 1970s. Williams is dynamite; Lumet's mastery reigns.
PRINCE OF THE CITY (1981) dir: Sidney Lumet
A procedural that says "fuck procedure". Less interested in the nuts & bolts than in the PTSD & true toll of all those dirty cop shenanigans of the 1970s. Williams is dynamite; Lumet's mastery reigns.
Jan 19th
SEA OF LOVE (1989) dir: Harold Becker
The best post-FATAL ATTRACTION-cycle. Sly takedown of male fragility with a sideline in class commentary. Crushingly brillant Ellen Barkin & supporting cast to die for. In 1989 you'd never guess whodunnit.
SEA OF LOVE (1989) dir: Harold Becker
The best post-FATAL ATTRACTION-cycle. Sly takedown of male fragility with a sideline in class commentary. Crushingly brillant Ellen Barkin & supporting cast to die for. In 1989 you'd never guess whodunnit.
Jan 20th
A KISS BEFORE DYING (1991) dir: James Dearden
An hysterically trashy take on Levin's novel made *excellent fun* by a performance of committed villainy from Dillon and an opening so outrageous (for a studio film), it upends all in its path.
A KISS BEFORE DYING (1991) dir: James Dearden
An hysterically trashy take on Levin's novel made *excellent fun* by a performance of committed villainy from Dillon and an opening so outrageous (for a studio film), it upends all in its path.
Jan 21st
THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER (1963) dir: John Huston
Absurdly entertaining, all-star pantomime murder mystery. Bolsters the theory that George C. Scott is incapable of a poor performance. Class take-down a gleeful optional extra.
THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER (1963) dir: John Huston
Absurdly entertaining, all-star pantomime murder mystery. Bolsters the theory that George C. Scott is incapable of a poor performance. Class take-down a gleeful optional extra.
Jan 22nd
SUMMER OF SAM (1999) dir: Spike Lee
Like ZODIAC, Lee's astonishing millennial elegy is less concerned with a procedural manhunt than with what pervasive paranoia does to a metropolis full of vice & virtue and to the people indulging therein.
SUMMER OF SAM (1999) dir: Spike Lee
Like ZODIAC, Lee's astonishing millennial elegy is less concerned with a procedural manhunt than with what pervasive paranoia does to a metropolis full of vice & virtue and to the people indulging therein.
Jan 23rd
SOMETHING WILD (1986) dir: Jonathan Demme
A shotglass of impulse decisions, zero fucks given & hangover guilt. An effervescent, hangdog love story *and* a crazy noir thriller. Demme's brazen humanism shines as bright as Melanie Griffith's smile.
SOMETHING WILD (1986) dir: Jonathan Demme
A shotglass of impulse decisions, zero fucks given & hangover guilt. An effervescent, hangdog love story *and* a crazy noir thriller. Demme's brazen humanism shines as bright as Melanie Griffith's smile.
Jan 24th
THE SAINT STRIKES BACK (1939) dir: John Farrow
This serial sequel, starring George Sanders as the titular avenger, jumps right in w/ a *thrilling* single take that comes on like GOODFELLAS's Copa shot. Of course: it's from the director of THE BIG CLOCK. A delight.
THE SAINT STRIKES BACK (1939) dir: John Farrow
This serial sequel, starring George Sanders as the titular avenger, jumps right in w/ a *thrilling* single take that comes on like GOODFELLAS's Copa shot. Of course: it's from the director of THE BIG CLOCK. A delight.
Jan 25th
THE OUTFIT (1973) dir: John Flynn
Chaotic & shambolic like a vicious drunken bar scrum, vengeful Duvall cojoles & combusts his way up a criminal hierarchy. Early blast from Flynn, whose career in expertly crafted thrills ran right into the 90s.
THE OUTFIT (1973) dir: John Flynn
Chaotic & shambolic like a vicious drunken bar scrum, vengeful Duvall cojoles & combusts his way up a criminal hierarchy. Early blast from Flynn, whose career in expertly crafted thrills ran right into the 90s.
Jan 26th
STRAIGHT TIME (1978) dir: Ulu Grosbard
Recidivism vs. redemption, a familiar dilemma given true pathos by career criminal/writer Eddie Bunker. Simmers with dismay & disillusionment. Grosbard (peer of Wise/Lumet/Penn) should've made more films.
STRAIGHT TIME (1978) dir: Ulu Grosbard
Recidivism vs. redemption, a familiar dilemma given true pathos by career criminal/writer Eddie Bunker. Simmers with dismay & disillusionment. Grosbard (peer of Wise/Lumet/Penn) should've made more films.
