FilmsFolded | Comments and Essays

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

Against all the odds, a thirteen year old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.

18 Jan The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

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Stealing Energy This is well enough made to hide its nature, what we used to call Hallmark movies. These are films that tell a story without irony, narrative elaboration or recognition of its cinematic conveyance. The closer to reality and the fewer theatrics the better. Ideally,...

Published January 18, 2024

| Categorised as IMDB Comments, Ones |
Tagged: 2010s, f2019, p2019

Black Magic (1944)

Chan stalks a fiendish murderer!

Filmmaker(s): Phil Rosen

Chinese detective Charlie Chan solves a murder linked to the occult. This movie had an alternative title: Meeting at Midnight.

17 Jan Black Magic (1944)

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Spooked The original intent of the Chan series, I suppose, was to introduce the “oriental” mind to the mystery genre. As with the equally strange notion of Belgian logic with Poirot, we would be charmed by novel synaptic paths. By the time of this film, indeed...

Published January 17, 2024

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Tagged: 1940s, f1944, p2004

Black Cadillac (2003)

Revenge in the driver's seat

Filmmaker(s): John Murlowski

Drama

Thriller

Horror

Three young men become terrorized in a high-speed car chase with a mysterious pursuant.

17 Jan Black Cadillac (2003)

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Fins beyond the Law There are some things that naturally are cinematic. Among these are car chases, smoke and snow. Similarly on the story side, people cast together in a small space with an outside threat and unrevealed past relationships. It terms of flow, the most reliable...

Published January 17, 2024

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Tagged: 2000s, f2003, p2006

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)

They found a love they dared not touch!

Filmmaker(s): Frank Capra

Drama

Romance

An American missionary is gradually seduced by a courtly warlord holding her in Shanghai.

17 Jan The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)

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Frank I can get value out of pretty much any film, but some are harder work than others because they place impediments. Capra and Spielberg are the leading placers of the leading impediments: representing the world in a way that is ideal, attractive, but presented in...

Published January 17, 2024

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Tagged: 1930s, f1932, p2008

Poor Things

She's like nothing you've ever seen.

Filmmaker(s): Yorgos Lanthimos

Science Fiction

Romance

Comedy

Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a debauched lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

13 Jan Poor Things

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Things Inside Things This is not a film that grows on you and settles within your soul as cinematic enrichment. First, let me tell you that the period of watching was very pleasant. What this older man saw was a woman navigating within values I hold...

Published January 13, 2024

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Tagged: 2020s, f2023, p2023

Napoleon (2023)

He came from nothing. He conquered everything.

Filmmaker(s): Ridley Scott

Drama

History

War

An epic that details the checkered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.

09 Jan Napoleon (2023)

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Lettered Narration Interesting characters make interesting films, so we are led to believe. Filmmakers certainly believe it, and here is one of the most interesting historical figures ever. So why not? Especially since you have budget, a master filmmaker and good actors. But usually it doesn’t work;...

Published January 9, 2024

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Tagged: 2020s, f2023, p2023

Muster Dogs (2023)

Documentary

Five graziers from across Australia are given five Kelpie puppies from the same litter and set with the challenge of transforming these uniquely Australian dogs into champion muster dogs. Series 2 tracks five adorable Australian Border Collie puppies.

09 Jan Muster Dogs (2023)

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National Narratives This is a TV series, created for Australian Broadcasting. Season 1 is five episodes, tracking the training life of 5 puppies from the same quality litter. Each goes to a different rancher across the country, three women (one indigenous) and two men. We’re watching...

Published January 9, 2024

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Tagged: 2020s, f2023, p2024

Tango (1998)

Tango: do not ever leave me

Filmmaker(s): Carlos Saura

Drama

Romance

A dangerous love affair inspires a director to create the most spectacular and boldly seductive dance film ever made.

05 Dec Tango (1998)

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Making Film Dance I love this stuff. This film has weaknesses, but the ambition is so grand one can forgive, at least in deciding to watch. The general problem is mixing film and dance. Rarely, oh so rarely is it done well. The stock choices are two:...

Published December 5, 2023

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Tagged: 1990s, f1998, p2000

The Magician’s Elephant (2023)

Dare to believe

Filmmaker(s): Wendy Rogers

Peter is searching for his long-lost sister when he crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square. His only question is: is his sister still alive? The answer, that he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician who will conjure it, sets Peter off on a journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town forever.

02 Dec The Magician’s Elephant (2023)

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Layers Any children’s movie runs the risk of easily being reducible to a ‘message’, often mistakenly called a moral. I’ve already read a few reviews of this that mention the film’s message, and how wonderfully it is presented. I suppose if that is how you watch movies,...

Published December 2, 2023

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Tagged: 2020s, f2023, p2023

Moana (2016)

The ocean is calling.

Filmmaker(s): Ron Clements, John Musker

In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the demigod to set things right.

19 Nov Moana (2016)

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Disney within Disney I was expecting a standard, manufactured Disney Princess item. What I encountered was a powerful embodiment of myth in a young woman, with the notable exceptions of the coconut pirate and glittery crab sequences. These were conceived and directed by others. I suppose...

Published November 19, 2023

| Categorised as Fours, IMDB Comments |
Tagged: 2010s, f2016, p2017