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rjliff
Reviews
Sof Ha'Olam Smola (2004)
Bitersweet tale of new immigrants coming to terms & two girls coming alive
I have watched this film 2.5 times and it has touched me from start to finish . Sure it is entertainment , but isn't that what the movies are for ? I will recommend it for a Film Festival I am Chairing The acting is credible.The two protagonist are divine in their own ways & the narrative flow keeps one involved from the charming beginning to the surprise ending . There are so few pleasant movies coming out of Israel to offset the gloom and doom and directors constant attacks at Israeli Society, therefor this one wins in the charm parade .It is a just a great flick for mature audiences. Watch it and be drawn in as you take the voyages of discovery with the protagonists . R J LIFF
The Singing Detective (2003)
High concept,impressive cast,weirdly entrapping,compelling
I just finished watching the CD of this film and at least three time was ready to turn it off . This film is like a tight rope wire act with a human pyramid on top that is constantly wobbling throughout its performance .You can't take your eyes off it yet you feel the act will not live up to the billing . The musical numbers are great confections . The sets are obviously derivative of other films and genres , but they always look like stage sets & never quite draw you in to that suspension of belief one keeps reaching for with all that quality in play . Downey was perfect , Gibson was a hoot playing against his type but still with his unique madness just below the bald head and thick glasses . The enitire cast was of the best. So much quality in one production.
The sexual content was definitely there- Very R --lurid ,phantasmagorical,amusing, credible and at the same time you felt the protagonists convoluted lust plus pain & suffering---& past life .
A tower of gret height wobbling somehow. I wanted the film makers to "pull it off " the entire gambit --If asked, I would probably say that one has to be a sinful to groove on the sum of the parts -- but not the whole. with apologies for redundancy, R J L
The Magician of Lublin (1979)
Mesmerizing performance Gothic settings moralistic ending
saw this movie over 25years ago in a 2nd run house in South Florida. I have never forgotten Alan Arkins acting or the ending.
Following the path of a megalomaniac hypnotic womanizing magician through the lost worlds of 19th century Poland , the film gripped me and held me from the beginning.
Arkins work deserved greater distribution but those were the days when Golan and Globus were turning out .films at such a rapid clip that few got the attention they deserved.. See it and be entranced you are pulled toward the impending destruction or dissolution of this dark character .
Respectfully, R J Liff