> Welcome to KPK’s “QuickPix”, a new feature here in KPKworld!
> Welcome to KPK’s “QuickPix”, brief capsule reviews of very worthy films- not a stinker in the lot. Culled from my monthly compendiums, every title here is a 4 to 5 star movie. It don’t get any better than this. Every QuickPix will look at 4 or 5 films from any and all times in cinema history- since the first feature film that premiered in Australia on Boxing Day in 1906, up to and including today!
(A reminder gentle reader: All films are rated on a 5-star basis
and must be over a decade old to hit the “classic” jackpot.)
Enjoy! This excursion features the following excellent films:
SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961)****
TOMBOY (2011)****
GOMORRAH (2008) ****
GONE GIRL (2014)****
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SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS (1961) ****
Celebrated American playwright William Inge penned this bittersweet examination of young love thwarted by raging hormones. Natalie Wood is heartbreaking and Warren Beatty in his first screen role emotes up a storm in this Elia Kazan film that won best screenplay. The melodrama gets overheated at points, but the capable actors rein in the excesses with heartfelt performances. Interestingly, Beatty was not the only first-timer in the cast. Sandy Dennis and Phyllis Diller also made their screen debuts here- as did William Inge. Also present: Pat Hingle and Godfrey Cambridge. Good stuff, despite the occasional wooden clunkiness of the affair.
TOMBOY (2011) ****
Another French gem among many, TOMBOY is a quietly intense exploration of sexual identity in adolescents. What if you know in your heart you’re a young boy, but your body tells you that you are a ten-year old girl? The cognitive dissonance must be wrenching. The story follows young Laure as her family moves to a suburb of Paris, where due to her gamine haircut and wardrobe, Laure is mistaken for a boy. She finds it exciting to let that perception of her identity linger, creating a male persona she names “Mikhael”. Things get heady when the other boys accept Mikhael as one of their own, and she begins to develop feelings for a neighborhood girl. But what will happen in two short weeks when school begins, and her deceit will be revealed? TOMBOY is a fascinating glimpse into childhood and the early emergence of transgender identity. Highly recommended.
GOMORRAH (2008) ****
This title is a diamond-hard, almost cinema vérité modern Italian crime film. Stylish and crisply edited with a highly effective soundtrack, this film shows a world where human life is to be exploited if useful, and discarded like a used diaper if problematic. Two young thugs think they’re invincible, and they can rob and assault at will, with complete impunity. But when they stumble upon an arms cache and steal a portion to fuel their violent lifestyle, they may have gone too far. Adapted from a non-fiction book about the Casalesi clan, it chronicles the way organized crime effects five individuals. Pointedly, several of the amateur local cast members turned out to be real-life gangbangers, later facing justice fo r things like drug trafficking, extortion and murder. It’s brutal, hellish stuff. Hard to watch. The violence feels all to real. Generally, gritty crime drama is not my thing- unless it is as good as GOMORRAH.
GONE GIRL (2014) ****
David Fincher did a fine job translating this bestselling novel to the language of the big screen. The dude’s got style! GONE GIRL is a gripping mystery-suspense story, well-acted by Ben Affleck and Oscar nominated Rosamund Pike, who was the scariest femme fatale since Glenn Close in FATAL ATTRACTION. A serious perfectionist, Fincher took as many as 50 takes per shot! (Man, I’d hate to work with him!) He sets a high bar. I’d have to say that the end probably looked better on the printed page than it played on the screen, and I found it more than a bit of a letdown. But until then, this was pretty taut stuff!
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See y’all next time. Cheers, dramatists!
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