The Wandering Image: November 2022

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/30/2022

696) BLOOD RELATIVES

(2022 dir. Noah Segan) Date Seen: November 30 2022

695) CHESS OF THE WIND

شطرنج باد

(1976 dir. M.Reza Aslani) Date Seen: November 30 2022

Color cinematography on a par with BARRY LYNDON.

#CriterionBluray #ScorseseWorldCinemaProject4

Viewing Journal: 11/29/2022

694) AINBO:

SPIRIT OF THE AMAZON

(2022 dir. Claus / Zelada) Date Seen: November 29 2022

Unlike the allegorical "Hexxus" in FERNGULLY, I felt like "the Yacuruna" demon in this was supposed to literally be "real", in the sense that he's the main root of what was causing all the deforestation & pollution in the jungle. Which is sorta F'd to take any blame off those obviously responsible (industry & greedy men). "Hexxus" only adds fuel to an already evil fire. This aspect of AINBO irked me a bit. But other than that, I thought the movie was uneven in the character design department. Lots of good dog-piling onto lots of generic. So yeah, there was stuff distracting me from what would've otherwise been a pretty fun adventure in the wilderness with a heroic indigenous gal. But I hope this makes good $ in its native Peru, because I think the team behind it have all the ingredients necessary to make a really great story in the future.

693)

PRISIONEROS DE LA TIERRA

(1939 dir. Mario Soffici) Date Seen: November 29 2022

Today I learned that Argentina was making absolutely vicious social realism films as far back as the 30s.. & for the poor souls depicted in this one --the jungles, the plantations, civilization, barbarism; it all started to feel like the same perverse fatalist trap. & d.p. Pablo Tabernero shots the whole nightmare in huge proto-noir shadows, like Earth itself was conspiring against the peasant workers. Fyi guard your heart if you're sensitive to images of the poor being worked to death. The foreman character played by Francisco Petrone is genuinely so awful and evil that he made me almost want to spit. He & the 2 leads (Ángel Magaña & Elisa Galvé respectively) are incredible in this.

"Circles of the human chain

Turning for the wheels of gain

A system with a power all its own

To draw blood from a stone

Every hour like the last

Tomorrow like the day just passed

Bearing down upon the flesh & bone

To draw blood from a stone

Cold machines that never stop

Even if a man should drop

Mercy never lets her face be shown

They draw blood from a stone"

#CriterionBluray #ScorseseWorldCinemaProject4

Monday, November 28, 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/28/2022

692) BELLE ET SÉBASTIEN:

L'AVENTURE CONTINUE

(2015 dir. Christian Duguay) Date Seen: November 28 2022

691) BELLE ET SÉBASTIEN

(2013 dir. Nicolas Vanier) Date Seen: November 28 2022

690) SAMBIZANGA

(1972 dir. Sarah Maldoror) Date Seen: November 28 2022

#CriterionBluray #ScorseseWorldCinemaProject4

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/27/2022

689) THE MENU

(2022 dir. Mark Mylod) Date Seen: November 27 2022

"Lucky I didn't tell him about the dirty knife"

688) THE AUTOMAT

(2022 dir. Lisa Hurwitz) Date Seen: November 27 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/26/2022

687) SALVATORE:

SHOEMAKER OF DREAMS

(2022 dir. Luca Guadagnino) Date Seen: November 26 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/25/2022

686) DISENCHANTED

(2022 dir. Adam Shankman) Date Seen: November 25 2022

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/24/2022

685) YOU RESEMBLE ME

(2022 dir. Dina Amer) Date Seen: November 24 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/23/2022

684) STRANGE WORLD

(2022 dir. Hall / Nguyen) Date Seen: November 23 2022

683)

PINOCCHIO IN OUTER SPACE

(1965 dir. Ray Goossens) Date Seen: November 23 2022

Viewing Journal: 11/22/2022

682)

BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE

OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS

(2022 dir. AG. Iñárritu) Date Seen: November 22 2022

A tacky film bro approximation of 8½. But if I'm being honest, it didn't make me cringe as hard as BIRDMAN; so that's a plus.. Kinda funny how Darius Khondji and Chivo are just sorta interchangeable now.