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While the City Sleeps (1956)
The Obvious McGuffin
There seems to be a lot going on here, but it's really the story.of in-house newspaper rivalry whereby the capture or exposure of a serial killer (a term not used when the movie was made) is going to the the reason someone gets a much wanted promotion.
The movie begins with our killer checking out and then murdering a young woman. When the crime is detected, the notable clue is the phrase "Ask Mother" written on the wall of the victim's apartment in lipstick.
At the New York Sentinel, the ailing Amos Kyne, sees the story over the newswire and demands to see the the newspaper editor (Thomas Mitchell), wire service chief (George Sanders), and head of the photographic unit (James Craig). He also addresses his star reporter, one Ed Mobley (Dana Andrews). At Amo's insistence, they make the murder the front page story, because as Amos insists, 'I want every woman in the country to fear.'
If it bleeds, it leads.
After the other section chiefs leave Amos' sick bed, Ed stays behind to talk a bit more with Amos, as Ed's television show is about to air, Amos dies.
Cue.the entrance of Walter Kyne, (Vincent Price without a mustache) playboy son of Amos who knows nothing about his father's media empire or how to run it.
Walter has an idea. He can't run the place so he decides to create the position of "Executive Director." The new director will be chosen on performance. It will be either the Editor. John Day Griffith (Mitchell),Wire Service Chief Loving (Sanders), or. Photo Unit Chief. Kritzer (Craig). The deciding factor will be who of the three solve the "Lipstick Killer" case.
Many other things are going on. Walter's wife Dorothy (Rhonda Fleming) is having an affair with Kritzer. Mobley is attempting to convince Nancy to Marry him, and the two contenders for the director position are attempting to line up their allies.
The killer has an interest in Dorothy, and later Nancy, when Mobley conducts a psychological profile on air and insults the killer by calling him a "Mama's Boy" and then announcing his engagement. Tempting Manners to go after Nancy.
With a large well known cast and effective, if not occasional over the top performance by. John Drew Barrymore (Robert Manners the killer), the movie moves along at a good pace, is engaging, and easier to follow than some imply here.
We always know who the killer is though. We're introduced to him early in the film.
It did find it interesting that the subjects of sensationalist press and murderer's psychological profile were both addressed in a film that is sixty-six years old as of this review. "Profiling" became a popular term in 1974, about twenty years after this film was made.
A. I. Tales (2019)
Five Unrelated Stories with Speculative Endings.
All five stories are well written, well acted, and engaging.
I won't go into what they are, but I will say that most of them end on a speculative note.
Since each story is under a half hour long, most dump you right into the middle of the story and you have to figure out what's going on. That's not a bad thing.
Each is titled with a year and a two word title.
They are all good, and as recent Sci-Fi goes, they better than average.
I've giving it one additional star to counter the one mixed review and the one bad review.
Cop Land (1997)
There really are "Cop Lands."
When I lived in Santa Clarita (forty-one miles north of Los Angeles), I was surprised by the number of cops who lived there. But it was a well known phenomenon.
Police couldn't afford decent housing in Los Angeles, so they moved north. In short, "Cop Land" is a real thing.
This is very likely the best role I've seen Sly Stallone in. He's not playing the typical tough guy. He's a sheriff in a small New Jersey town that quite a few NYPD happen to also live in.
He doesn't even walk like a tough guy.
Often seemingly clueless, he lumbers around his town trying to get along with the community and the NYPD officers living there. Freddy, his character, puts up with a lot of lip from Donlan (Keitel), and seems not to place a lot of stock in the veiled threats.
But he does start paying attention when Donlan's lieutenants start making threatening noises.
I don't know why this movie has a rating in the sixes. It's much much better than that, and I, for one, really appreciate Stallone's interpretation of Freddy.
Mulholland Falls (1996)
True Noir with an Atomic Twist
I'm not sure why this film does not write better than it does. It really is noir. That the cast are playing against type, for the most part, really shouldn't affect the ratings. They all do a more than credible job of portraying the characters.
But, it is essentially a crime movie.
And it has a stellar cast, a decent story, and plenty of suspense.
On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Robert Ryan proves he was Award Material
The first third of the film establishes our character Jim Wilson. His two partners have been serving longer than he has, but he has no life outside the law, and his eleven years have convinced him that there isn't one decent person in the world. In that first third, he beats a contact so badly he ruptures his bladder. Not even a suspect. He gets a warning from Captain Brawly (played beautifully by Ed Begley). The next night all three men witness two toughs beating up a woman they interviewed. Wilson corners him and starts pistol-whipping him. His partner, Pop (Charles Kemper) pulls him off and gives Wilson a stern talking to. "We warned you that you go to far."
The next day Captain Brawly sends him 70 miles upstate to help solve a murder. The idea is to get Wilson out of the city, away from the press, and into the country where he might calm down.
The next two thirds of the film we get to watch Wilson transform from a hardened human hater, into a decent human being. The reasons are a killer Danny Malden (Sumner Williams) who is more child than killer, and.his blind sister who extracts a promise from Wilson that the boy won't be harmed. She wants to see her brother institutionalized, not executed.
Add to this mix the excellent performances from Ward Bond (Brent) as the enraged murdered girls father and Anthony Ross (Santos), as Wilson's other partner.
Hand of Death (1962)
An interesting little film, a cheapie, but in CinemaScope. Eh?
First, Alex Marsh has not combined a nerve gas & a hypnotic, that's what he is ATTEMPTING TO DO, when things go horribly wrong. He does not experiment on himself either. Being overtired, he spills some and inhales the gas and gets some of the liquid on his hands.
You get an idea how terribly wrong when his lab assistant asks where their mice are and Marsh says one of his formulations killed them all.
But to the film. It's very low budget. The only real money spent is on the makeup and the CinemaScope. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The score is also pretty good. Bongo drums, an organ, a tom-tom, an occasional piano (or harp) and an ominous droning noise thrown in. The score really sets the mood.
If you want to know what Malibu and the Pacific Coast Highway looked like in the early sixties, this film will show you.
It's a very short film, moving along at a rapid clip of about an hour. It's not enough time for the viewer to establish empathy with the characters, or even to know much about them. But, this also means that the horror that befalls Marsh (and his lab assistant, a gas station attendant, and his boss) is very brutal. Quite a few characters die horrible deaths in quick succession.
Marsh is desperate, thinking he can be saved with a serum or chemical magic. Frankly, he seems insane toward the end of the film, but you know he's doomed.
Not a bad film to spend just an hour on.
Note: The makeup on Marsh reminds me a bit of "The Thing" from the Fantastic Four. The makeup is quite good though. And yes, that's Agar under all that!
He Was Her Man (1934)
A departure of Cagney and Blondell
They made eight films together, but this was a departure from their usual breathless and lighthearted paring.
Rose (Blondell) is a prostitute and Flicker (Cagney) is a box man, a safe cracker. Flicker was asked to join a robbery involving a safe, but would only agree if he were paid up-front. Once he has the cash, he tells the police when and where the robbery will occur. As he's making his escape, one of the robbers shoots and kills a police officer; the other gets away. Flicker now has to go on the lam.
He rents a hotel room under an assumed name, and Rose shows up at his room looking for a wedding dress she hid under the bed. Thus begins their journey together to a small fishing village up the coast.
Rose to meet her would-be husband, and Flicker to avoid the hit-men now on his tail.There's a lot of back and forth between them. They are mutually attracted to one another, but Flicker knows what he's up against now that he's a marked man, and Rose has a very good man in her fiancée making a choice between Flicker and Nick (Victor Jory).
These relationships do not resolve until the very end of the film, which makes it an entertaining viewing.
Green for Danger (1946)
Unusual for it's time.
There are a number of things about this film that set it apart.
It moves at a good pace with excellent dialog. It is actually accurate in its portrayal of operating room gases and procedures. The narrator does not make an appearance for at least ten minutes, which is quite unusual all by itself. Finally, it actually provides the movie-goer with all the clues necessary to solve the crime.
The cast selection is also quite good. Alastair Sim (as Inspector Cockrill) is smart, abrasive, and eccentric. Sally Gray as Nurse Frederica 'Freddi' Linley, Trevor Howard as Dr. Barney Barnes, Rosamund John as Nurse Esther Sanson, Leo Genn as Mr. Eden, Judy Campbell as Sister Marion Bates, and Megs Jenkins as Nurse Woods all turn in excellent performances. Judy Campbell did not have many movie roles due to her statuesque build and intense good looks. Susan Grey was almost too pretty compared to the other female characters.
Trevor Howard (Dr. Barnes) and Leo Genn (Mr. Eden (surgeon)) turned in outstanding performances as doctors with grudges against each other. In fact, all of the characters were pitched against each other quite often, exposing their various and often opposed personalities, motivations, and morals.
Though all the clues required to solve the mystery were present, there were also enough "red herrings" to make the deduction difficult.
Wilkie Cooper did an outstanding job of cinematography by providing well-lit scenes that still carried a dark and sinister quality.
The sense of foreboding was heightened by the occasional inclusion of a V-1 flying bomb. I should also mention that the Sound Department (too many participants to list) did an outstanding job of capturing and conveying the sound of a "buzz bomb" flying overhead and the inevitable explosion when it landed.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Tried to hate it after the first ten minutes, but couldn't by the end
When the first Jay-Z tune was played I was astonished. I was fully expecting re-orchestrated tunes of the time. Still, the Jay-Z compositions worked and as the film progressed I warmed to it considerably.
Yes, the film is very lush and there is a lot of computer graphics in it, the digital designers even played with character eye color, but this was an abundant period in American history. Though I took exception (a gut reaction) to the opening, I had to remind myself that the roaring twenties were called that because of the excess and cronyism that marked that time.
On reflection, the excess created by Luhrmann and his staff was not only fitting, it was necessary to convey the proper mood of the film. This "excess" was also necessary to the story line. After all, Gatsby has an ulterior motive for these parties.
It has been a while since I read the book, but I get the sense that the story and plot were followed rather favorably. The special effects brought to bear in the making of this film made pivotal moments that much more shocking, and in an odd way, real. At least the feelings the movie-goer is encouraged to have are that much more real due to the efforts made by the production team.
All in all I gave this a seven, a bit lower a score that I would have given had the film adhered a bit more to the times it is supposed to represent. Again, I have no objection to the Jay-Z music on it's own, but it did not really fit with this period in history...that is my main beef with this film.
Finally, though the effects were well placed and properly applied, I felt this film really didn't need them. They were, after all, way beyond what was required to tell the story.
I felt that the casting was pitch perfect. Leonardo DiCaprio and Toby McGuire were the exact right choices for the two principal characters. Carry Mulligan made a tragic and fragile Daisy. Joel Edgerton's portrayal of the two faced and manipulative Tom Buchanan made me hate him, which is exactly the feeling I was supposed to get for this character. The remaining men and women had precisely the look I would imagine for the twenties, beautiful, vain, and shallow. Finally, I think the supporting actors Jason Clarke (as George Wilson) and Isla Fisher (as Myrtle Wilson) were excellent. So casting, I felt, was about as good as it gets, the overall effect of the film was pretty overwhelming, but, that said, it didn't quite ring true.
Ssa-i-bo-geu-ji-man-gwen-chan-a (2006)
Park Chan-wook's Masterwork
First, I want to readily acknowledge that long-time fans of director Park's works hated this film. It was nothing like "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," "Oldboy," or "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" and that is understandable. This is a very different film. But it is clear from box- office receipts that this was a flop as far as Park's country-men were concerned; they hated it too.
WARNING: SPOILERS PRESENT! Young-goon (played by Lim Su-jeong) has lost her sanity. While assembling a radio in a factory she imagines that the assembly instructions coming from loudspeakers are telling her to open her wrist, insert house current wires, and plug herself into an outlet so she can recharge. She thinks she's a cyborg and her mission in "life" is to avenge her grandmother's commitment to an asylum for Alzheimer's victims. Once committed to her own asylum she refuses to eat. The staff do not understand this, but from Young-goon's perspective it makes perfect sense; she has to recharge not eat. After all she often tells the staff "I'm not a psycho: I'm a cyborg."
Naturally this is a delusion, but a very complete one and since she's convinced that she is a cyborg she feels no obligation to explain her reasoning to the staff, instead preferring to converse with vending machines, radios, and light fixtures.
Il-soon (played by Rain), another inmate, is a known theft of quirks, attributes, and ailments. He is often asked by other inmates to steal their insecurities or the very social quirks that got them committed in the first place. Apparently he is very effective as the inmates that have asked for his help improve mentally. Young-soon learns of this and convinces him to steal her "sympathy" (a cyborg sin) so she can effectively gun down the staff of the asylum.
Of course Young-soon's "hunger-strike" is killing her and fellow inmate, Il-soon, manages to convince her that he has created a "rice megatron" that converts eaten rice directly into electricity. Once he "installs" this in her back she feels free to eat and her health improves.
Of course the staff is grateful, but they don't really understand what he did or how he did it.
The story is told with such care and humility that you can't help but love the characters, feel complete sympathy for them, and relate fully with them even though they are clearly not in full possession of their mental faculties. Park has deftly treated the subject of mental aberration with care.
As should be expected of a Park film, the delusions of violence against the staff are blood drenched gore. After all, Young-soon as a cyborg, once her sympathy is stolen, she is a highly effective killing machine.
As a love story it is very different. It is not about sex; it is, instead, a story of care and compassion for one's fellow human being.
I predict that in the coming decades this will be seen as Park Chan- wook's finest film. Much like Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" was widely panned when released, but is now one of the few films he is remembered for.
Ikiru (1952)
To Live
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. FAIR WARNING!
First, I want to get the negative out of the way and in so doing, point out that this film was finished and released in 1952. Perhaps melodrama of this type was the norm, but I came away feeling that this man's immanent death and his reaction to that inevitability was a bit overplayed. There, that is out of the way.
I love the way Akira Kurosawa put this together. The film opens on the dull and crushingly boring life of Kanji Watanabe. He is a bureaucrat in the office of public affairs. For thirty years his primary responsibility has been to shift what ever comes to his office to some other department. In short he does nothing. He is a "rubber-stamp" official.
Early in the film Watanabe realizes he has terminal cancer. Worse he is not told the truth by his doctor, but finds out from another patient. It is clear he is going to die; and he realizes that he has lived too regimented a life. He has done nothing useful and this, not his impending death, is what really bothers him. The fact that he has managed, for three decades, to waste not only his own time, but the time of others.
Fortune is kind to him though. In his despair, he first encounters a novelist who has a penchant for words. This writer, played by Yûnosuke Itô, perfectly expresses what Kanji is going through and applauds his every effort to rectify his wasted life, but it not enough for Kanji.
The next day he runs into the youngest coworker in his office. He soon realizes that she has a childlike joy of life and he begins to experience envy and a longing to see life as she does. He eventually frightens her by wanting to spend so much time with her. This is perhaps the best casting done for the entire film, Miki Odagiri as Toyo, delivers such boundless joy and enthusiasm you forget that she's acting.
Eventually Kanji finds a purpose for his life and the first three fourths of the film closes on his death. You don't know what he actually accomplished, but you do know by this point that he found a purpose; perhaps now he can die in peace.
The last quarter of the film is Kanji's wake and the revelation that he almost single-handedly got this special project completed. His co-workers refuse to believe it at first, but as the wake wears on and the participants become more inebriated, revelations come about that prove that the lowly Watanabi did indeed accomplish his task.
It is interestingly done. This could be a very dull story about a small and almost insignificant man and his life. But Kurosawa completely immerses us in Kanji's pain, dismay, and confusion. We become Watanabe. We cannot help but feel very deeply for this character.
Just when you would expect the story to tell of Kanji's triumph Kurasawa kills the character and tells the remainder of his story through a series of flash-backs revealing the truth of Kanji's deeds at his funeral. It is almost astounding how many flash-backs there are yet Kurosawa manages to keep the story cohesive and easy to follow.
It is a masterwork of story telling, though it seems overly melodramatic by today's standards of cinema.
The Gallant Hours (1960)
A Remarkable Film for it's Time
My first viewing was a surprise. I had no idea that serious documentary style film-making occurred before the 1970s. The second surprise was during the credits. James Gagney provided funding for this film.
Despite Admiral Halsey's reputation, this film paints him as a reasoned thoughtful man who respected his subordinate officers and their men. Highly accurate the film paints the struggle to hold Guadalcanal against almost impossible odds.
If you, as a film lover, are looking for a high action film, you might want to pass.
This is more the study of the man who won the battle of Guadalcanal with thought, foresight, and more than a touch of daring. In fact there is not one single battle scene with the only real violence taking place when "Washing Machine Charlie" bombs a land base that Halsey happens to be on.
The film chronicles the short span of time (five weeks) between Halsey taking over the command of South Pacific forces and the victory over Yamamoto at Guadalcanal.
The film is also interesting in that Halsey is never once depicted as bloodthirsty or violent, only that he is determined to rise to the challenge of the Japanese Navy's superior numbers and hold a hard won beachhead on the aforementioned island.
Admiral Halsey is quoted as saying: "There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet." This film matches that sentiment in its script, direction, and production values.
The only thing I found the least bit annoying about the film was the chorus in the background. Beyond that this film stands up well even today, some fifty years after it was made.
A must see for anyone interested in Halsey, the U.S. Navy during World War II, logistics, and/or strategy.
Coneheads (1993)
One of the best comedic Sci-Fi movies around
It isn't serious at all. What the writers, actors, and director did was take a repeating skit on SNL and expand it.
In the process they made these rather odd alien characters familiar, flawed (and therefore human), and endearing. This is no small feat. They are odd in the extreme eating toilet paper, light bulbs, and talking in jargon laced monotone.
But in doing that they also made life on earth and the simple pleasures we all enjoy, something to be appreciated...from an outsider's point of view.
I think another thing that makes the movie a joy to watch is the high production values. It's a comedy about a richly detailed alien culture with first-rate sets, interesting devices, crazy and funny characters (most of the humans are deeply flawed) and some of the best stop-motion animation ever filmed. The Nafle the Garthog scene would have deeply impressed Ray Harryhausen.
Continuity was high, the acting quite good (comedy is said to be the hardest thing to do), sets and scenery nicely done and the story itself with a nice easy to follow story arc and a (gasp) happy ending. What else would anyone want in the way of light entertainment?
Iron Man (2008)
I've heard complaints, but...
I kept asking myself, "why Robert Downey Jr." for this role? The movie answers the question. Literate, urban, and sardonic IS an area Downey can project well. I should never have had a doubt.
I went to see this with trepidation. A lot of it frankly. Clearly RDJr. has been working out and taking care of himself. Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts was a good idea too (despite the silly olde skool name* her character had) and she played it beautifully.
But what really impressed me was two things. A Stan Lee inspired film that stuck very close to the original story line. The biggest major change was in the locale of Tony's injury from Vietnam to Afghanistan. Necessary since there is nothing dangerous to American military going on in Vietnam these days. Beyond that the story was very very close to that envisioned by Lee and Lieberman. Right down to the multiple suit designs.
The second was the very excellent use of CGI. It wasn't overpowering. It was designed to WORK with the plot and characters. It was just enough provide the suspension of disbelief that this movie requires.
The suit exists...even the idea (new) that certain parts of the suits design acted as control surfaces in flight...and it's an awesome source of power seemed real.
It was very well done.
There will be a sequel. There's no doubt about that. Downey is the perfect choice for a flawed industry mogul who slips into alcoholism.
* A pepper pot was a term for a hot women who enjoyed having fun and acted out her wildest fantasies. This is a term from the thirties. A time that predates even the comic book.
Weirdsville (2007)
A quirky movie to fill the quirky movie void.
Haven't we had enough stuff blowing up, massive body counts, and hilarious yet disturbing dysfunctional families yet? I have! Thankfully there are directors like Allen Moyle who have no problem telling a strange little story sprinkled with junkies, a burn out hippie with a head wound, Satan worshipers, talking mice, winking gnomes, and a drug dealers with strange accent who likes to curl (that sport with a big stone a brooms) in his spare time.
You just don't know where this film is going most of the time, yet it's easy to follow. Oh sure the protagonists come out on top in the end just as one might expect. And an explosion caused by oxygen alone is highly unlikely, but it's still damned entertaining. Virtually every character is inept, even the drug dealer and his muscle, but they all (well most all) muddle through somehow.
Not so special scenery (Canada in winter *yuck*), but it's not needed the fine cast of characters and odd little story carry the film...beautifully. And the "good guys" win, the bad guys don't, and (almost) everyone lives happily ever after.
But what the heck. It's the way it's done.
The Ice Harvest (2005)
Pretty good adaptation.
I gave this film an eight. I thought it was really quite good. I'm also very glad to see that Harold Ramis is directing again. Unfortunately I think this film was under-rated and under-appreciated.
I'll be watching this one at least two more times. There is quite a bit going on in it. A mystery, a strange assortment of characters, the protagonist being a sad sort of "path of least resistance" type guy, and all the unscrupulous people one might expect in the seedier parts of town. The acting is excellent and dialog quotable. Think of it as modern film noir with comedic situations, excellent dialog and gritty reality. Though it has a simple premise it is rich in texture and requires a fair amount of attention from the viewer.
The screenwriters and Ramis keep the mood of the film changing. And though I've read criticism about this I thought it was refreshing.
Why does a film have to be strictly a comedy; if it has dark parts why should it be completely dark? I don't think it is necessary and in this case it works for very well for this film. The viewer is never allowed to be completely comfortable with its direction and that keeps it interesting.
What I appreciated about it is this; when it isn't possible for it to be much funnier given the subject matter and situations it becomes quite dark. When the depressing bits were on the verge of being oppressive it became comedic and light again. I know that there are viewers who will want it to settle down and become one thing or another, but I personally liked the way Ramis and the screenwriters worked this. The story required a fine balance between those two extremes and the crew pulled it off.
There is some excellent dialog, wonderful acting, interesting situations, and fine comedy. The casting is the best I've seen in any film. John Cusack is the perfect choice for the character Charlie Arglist. Likewise Billy Bob Thornton and Oliver Platt for the parts of Vic and Pete. Connie Nielsen literally smolders as Renata, and she does that without exposing any more skin than one would see at the beach.
I honestly don't think there's been quite as sexy a performance since the first appearance of Lauren Bacall with Humphrey Bogart.
The Ice Harvest may have not rated first choice at the box office in a field of fine and heavily hyped films, but it's a definite choice for rental.
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001)
Perfectly Horrible
This movie is one of the funniest I've seen in years. Take every possible gaff, bad line, stupid joke, and mistimed edit and roll it into one black and white extravaganza. What you end up with is superb humor and an hour and a half of surprising laughs.
The characters are the archetype of every untrained actor to make his or her way to the big screen. The lines are overdone and over the top. The sets are cheap and the props even cheaper. The monster is so obviously a guy in a rubber suit that you have to laugh every time you see it. And this is the charm of the movie.
If you haven't seen this, please rent it. If you've seen it, recommend it to someone. They'll thank you for it.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should create a new award category just for this movie.
Small aside to Roland E. Zwick. Unless you are a professional movie critic paid to slam everything made since Gone with the Wind your comments are strictly your opinion and deserve little (if any) space on the front page of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. You see some people who go to see film aren't quite so jaded. Perhaps you should do something else with your time and take a break from cinema for a while.
Peter Gabriel: Play (2004)
These are the videos that consistently set "firsts" on MTV
An impressive collection of the videos of Peter Gabriel's popular songs. If you have not seen all of the videos for Gabriel's most popular songs this DVD probably has them. One of the great things about this collection is it allows you to see many of these videos and compare them in rapid succession. It also allows you to see that Gabriel is still quite capable of innovation. Way beyond what many other video directors seem capable of.
Gabriel is a trend setter not a trend follower.
As to the video quality it's pretty good. You can also select 2.0 Dolby Stereo, 5.1 Dolby Digital, and DTS 5.1 sound. With these three selections the sound is more than merely excellent. Using either of the 5.1 formats you will most likely hear effects or audio information that you've never heard before.
Includes the songs: Father Son, Sledgehammer, Blood of Eden, Games Without Frontiers, I Don't Remember, Big Time, Lovetown, Red Rain, In Your Eyes, Don't Give Up, The Barry Williams Show, Washing of the Water, Biko, Kiss That Frog, Mercy Street, Growing Up, Shaking the Tree, Shock the Monkey, Steam, The Drop, Zaar, Solsbury Hill, and Digging in the Dirt.
There is also a video of "Modern Love" which, I suppose, no amount of work could fix the sound on. The words are drowned out by the music and overall the sound quality is very flat. The video is also very crude. It was shot in 1977 so I suppose it's all forgivable.
Finally, and this is my only real complaint, one can select video introductions. Some songs have them which is an introductory talk by Gabriel explaining the song or techniques in making the song. Others have no commentary at all. Just a shot of the album cover prior to the video. So my complaint is this; with so many songs evoking the question "what was he saying with this?" you may just find that you are still going to be asking that question.
Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002)
Why a male for narration?
I quite like this. Three stories linked loosely by an auto accident. Women's choices in their lives, based on circumstances or changes in their circumstances.
But my only complaint is that this is so obviously a women's movie, told by women, about women and it's narrated by a man. Was a male voice deemed to be more serious? Was there a conscious decision to use a male voice to tell women's stories simply to have a man involved? This really does not make sense to me.
It is good to see Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey, and Fairuza Balk in a movie again. Fairuza had by far the best of the three roles and played it to perfection. Kyra Sedgwick and Parker Posey also turned in excellent performances. I heavily identified with the Delia character's plight. This one vignette gave me a deeper perspective of my own mother's circumstances so many years ago. This alone made the movie work for me.