This Week on The Movie Gourmet – a new review of the totally original indie thriller Sew Torn, plus a republished review of the fine biodoc Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, now playing on PBS American Masters.
I have also commented in depth on the New York Times’ The Best 100 Movies of the 21st Century. My critique of the NYT list in in Part 1; Part 2 is my own stab at the 50 best movies of the century.
I’ve also published full reviews of some as yet unreleased films that I saw at the SLO Film Fest and Frameline.
- Drone: stalked by a mystery
- Mr. Nobody Against Putin: the first casualty of war is truth
- Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion: the man who invented the red carpet
CURRENT MOVIES
- Sew Torn: a thriller like none you’ve seen before. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
- Janis Ian: Breaking Silence: she stepped onto the roller coaster at 16. PBS American Masters.
- Bonjour Tristesse: not the life lesson she was expecting. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
- Pee-Wee Herman as Himself: a man hidden in his own invention. HBO Max.
- The Friend: grieving with an enormous dog. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
- The Count of Monte-Cristo: you think you’ve seen a revenge movie? kanopy (free), Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
ON TV
On July 9, Turner Classic Movies airs Jason and the Argonauts, the 1963 masterpiece of Ray Harryhausen, a unique genius of movie special effects. His stop-motion animation created the vivid creatures that made possible movies about ancient mythology (from the 1958 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad through the 1981 Clash of the Titans) and fantasy literature (The Three Worlds of Gulliver). His pioneering work in stop-motion animation has influenced the field since, all the way to today’s Aardman Animation and Wallace and Gromit.
Jason and the Argonauts packs one action adventure sequence after another in its one hour, 44 minutes, Typical of sword and sandal movies shot in Italy in this era, the dialogue and acting are lame. The voice of the forgettable American star, Todd Armstrong, is dubbed by a British actor. But that’s why you’re watching Jason and the Argonauts – the hooks are the ancient adventure story and the special effects that bring the mythology to life.
In Jason and the Argonauts, Harryhausen created the Harpies, Talos, the Clashing Rocks, Triton, the Hydra and the sword-fighting skeletons that emerge from the Hydra’s teeth. I still watch Jason and the Argonauts whenever it’s on TV, and I often gave the DVD to kids (back in the DVD era).
