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Life of Belle 2024 ★★˝
A bit divided about this one.
It does have scary moments. The mom going crazy makes for some eerie imagery and the idea of having children as a main character in a found footage turns out to work quite well.
The main cast is certainly better at acting than the folks we see at the start. Especially the reporter. Looks less like a reporter and more like a speech from a middle management person who spent the last few minutes… more
The Mechanical Dancer 2020 ★★★★
Doctor Caligari meets Edward Scissorhands. With a bit of Phantom of the opera-ish melodrama thrown in.
Excellent animation, likable characters, a great classical score and a good pace. Well recommended.
Sam and Doug 2023 ★★★˝
One of the better shorts and one of the better zombie films. With Doug reminiscent of Brendan Gleeson's character in 28 Days Later.
The minimalistic setting makes for the budget for credible special effects. And there is at least a happy end. Hurrah!
Donnie Brasco 1997 ★★★★
Depp as an undercover Fed who brings down a good part of the mob. Does this explain why he has such good lawyers?
All jokes aside, this is a very good crime movie. About the people on the ground, the people who get their hands dirty and who are not always equally stable. Suiting Michael Madsen's style perfectly. And when the plot calls for it (ie things are going too easy), red tapes and bumbling colleagues get in his way.
You want me to do a chicken coop joke now? Fuhget about it! Oh yeah, there's an entire scene devoted to the meaning of that. And as funny as it is, you are still hardly any wiser by the end.
The two main stars excel above the others. Pacino as the hurt soul, broken after many years of unrewarded loyal service. Even getting to Pascone so much at one point that he's willing to give him a lot of money to realize his dream. Depp as your typical undercover cop with a broken psyche and a, shall we say, difficult family life. Separate mentions for Anne Heche as the neglected wife and Bruno Kirby as the kiss ass mobster.
Four stars well deserved. And it's on Netflix. Fuhget about it.
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