Change Your Image
Gittes74
Reviews
International Falls (2019)
Worth a visit
I found this movie on Showtime by chance and I'm glad I did. i used to live in Minnesota, so I had heard of International Falls and there was the comedian storyline, so those two elements drew me in, not quite sure what to expect. This movie release was probably lost in the COVID shuffle, which is too bad because I think it's a nice little indie project that really packs a wallop in the third act.
Love the clear sense of place showcased (especially impressive since half the movie was shot in Santa Clarita). The town becomes a character, especially when Tim and Dee venture out on to the frozen ice--that was a nice sequence. Can't believe that they had David Koechner originally cast as Tim---I don't think that would have worked.
The film isn't perfect. I don't believe how polished a comedian Dee becomes with only two performances under her belt. And they could have easily trimmed a couple minutes towards the end (for example, do we really need to see Dee moving into her own new place?). It seems like the director can't decide where to end the movie.
But "International Falls" is far superior to the Tom Hanks/Sally Fields "Punchline," which mined similar territory long ago. Good job all around. Yes, it's talky, but listen to what the characters are saying. Lots of heart and wisdom here. Worth your time.
The Night Clerk (2020)
Deserves an equally bad Yelp review
First and foremost, what is Ana de Armas doing in this movie--and showing her breasts???? I sure hope she didn't do this AFTER "Knives Out"--if she did, she needs to fire her agent.
Here's the deal. The directing is fine and the acting is strong throughout.
But this script is DOA. I mean, it's laughable as to how bad it is. Poorly constructed and resolved at the end. Looks like they ran out of money and had to tie things up simply. Love the premise, but it goes nowhere fast.
Rocky Mountain (1950)
A guilty pleasure!
I've always been a huge Errol Flynn fan and I scooped up "Rocky Mountain" on DVD for a buck! Hadn't watched it in years. To me, it's a guilty pleasure. Not an especially great movie and it's slow moving in the middle.
But here's the deal: Errol Flynn's character does VOICE OVER at the beginning. He narrates the story. I don't want to spoil anything for the newbie, but I don't see how that works given the ending. This ain't "Sunset Blvd."
Great plot with the idea of Confederates coming West. Would have loved to have seen that develop more into the story.
But you can't beat Errol Flynn and Slim Pickens and that dog is damn cute.
Allies (2014)
High on action, low on character
I stumbled across this on Netflix one night when I couldn't sleep, so I gave it a shot, drawn in by the plot synopsis. Let's be clear--"Guns of Navarone" it ain't but I found it to be extremely well produced and executed, chocked full with tons of action. Hard to understand some of these British accents at times and the script was low on character development. I didn't like the ending. Without spoiling, a character dies who should not have. Better than I expected. Worth seeing if you're not going to demand much.
I'm not familiar with any of the cast, but now I want to see what else they've done.