lance20000
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| 60 35% | Wicked Woman (1953) - Rated 26 Apr 2020
"It passes the Bechdel Test, its female characters are more fleshed out than its male characters, Billy's montage of her getting ready for work is very accurate and relatable, and it depicts a flawed female who uses her body to get what she wants. Its technical abilities are serviceable, and the story is rote, but the direction and Beverly Michaels figure and acting elevate this from what could have easily been a disaster into something potentially good."
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| 100 92% | The Irishman (2019) - Rated 26 Apr 2020
"The Irishman is about a man living in a violent world around violent people enacting violence to those he loves to live. I was picking up shades of Godfather Part 3 by the end of it -- without the negative aspects. I wonder if Scorsese is reflecting on his career and obsession with violent male protagonists? That's a whole essay and I'm not going to write that now."
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| 70 50% | Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (1972) - Rated 26 Apr 2020
"We start Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril with a topless woman covered in tattoos cutting down men with swords. Boom, I'm in. There's a lot of similarities between "Baby Cart in Peril" and the previous "Baby Cart to Hades." There's a pointless assassination plot, some interesting historical elements to Itto's past, and a unique element. This one's plot is about Oyuki's revenge. Everything around Oyuki is very powerful and I wish it was the main thrust of the movie."
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| 40 14% | Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) - Rated 26 Apr 2020
"Creature from the Black Lagoon is the least interesting Universal monster movie I've seen. Granted, I haven't seen them all, but I've seen most of the big hitters. I get too many shades of crappy b-movie monster movies: the limited filming location, the lack of tension throughout the movie - at least they could restrain themselves from showing the rubber costume until the 30-minute mark, the unbelievable characters. On an unrelated note, have you ever noticed that most monsters are heterosexual?"
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| 100 92% | Night and the City (1950) - Rated 26 Apr 2020
"Richard Widmark is the perfect antihero. Charming, high energy, and the biggest weasel in noir. So much of Night and the City is reliant on Fabian's manic hustler energy who is desperate for the big score he's always been after. It's a thriller to see him scheme and play friends, colleagues, and fellow hoods to get what he wants. And it's heartbreaking to see the straight people fall for his schtick. Noir shows better than any other genre just how destructive a leech can be."
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| 80 64% | Kawaita hana (1964) - Rated 26 Apr 2020
"A playground of exploration for Masahiro Shinoda. As a piece of art, it is flawless. Subtle and bold, captivating and reserved. There are few noirs that can compare with its flair for the dramatic lens -- possibly The 3rd Man. Yet, Pale Flower is more concerned with subtext than its ambiguous story and characters. Much of the characters are acted and left unsaid. It's the kind of film critics, analysts, and academics love because there is so much to latch onto and read into. It left me wanting."
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| 40 14% | The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) - Rated 15 Apr 2020
"It's unfortunate that the dialogue, characters, and plot are so bad because there is a lot to like about this movie. Watching this with modern eyes doesn't do it any favours either; the social commentary is so understated it never is said. What is said is how much everyone hates everyone for no good reason; just constant fake drama and fighting for 2/3 of the movie. As well, this movie is a firm believer in tell, don't show. Still, there are major Twilight Zone vibes and that ain't bad."
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| 80 64% | Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972) - Rated 15 Apr 2020
"Despite being convoluted, it's a simple story without too much plot. Tomisaburo Wakayama plays overweight, constantly scowling Ronin Ogami Itt? with his son Daigor? who has the world's greatest baby carriage -- guns, swords, shields and it floats! Perhaps you are wondering why anyone would ever want to watch something like the Lone Wolf and Cub series; well, it's got good swordplay, over the top action that puts modern superhero movies to shame, and comical amounts of rape and gore."
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| 30 8% | Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956) - Rated 12 Apr 2020
"Just a complete disappointment from Fritz Lang. An incredibly weak script that has no tension for the first hour of the film with lazy drama bombs at the end to make up for nothing happening earlier. Much of this could be overlooked if the pacing was quick and the visuals were interesting, but composition mundane and functional with none of the dramatic visuals noir is known for. There are many, many, maaaany pointless scenes in this because it goes into minute details of the "fake" murder."
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| 85 72% | Targets (1968) - Rated 09 Apr 2020
"This film is made of two contrary halves, and they don't really fit flush. They are like dovetails meeting and separating as the film progresses. Targets works in spite of its restraints; the inclusion of Karloff, and because of it, it is a very obtuse and irregular film, but that's also part of its charm and makes it memorable. Having Karloff smack around O'Kelly at the end is a nice wrap-up; Karlof is a monster, O'Kelly is just a sick kid with a gun."
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