Gilda

You’d think I’ve seen Gilda before — it’s a classic. But watching these opening scenes, I have absolutely no recollection of having seen it.

This is a new 4K restoration from Criterion, and it looks… good? The previous scene looked very fuzzy, but this one looks very nice. Perhaps several sources were used?

Not over-restored either.

This scene would probably make more sense if I had any idea what those cards meant in this game.

That’s what I want my hall to look like!

I guess this guy is Glenn Ford? He looks awfully familiar… And I was going to say that he’s not very compelling here, but in a way he’s perfect — he’s playing an asshole who’s not very sympathetic, so… good casting.

Rita!

Schwing!

Heh, he’s auditioning for Perkins’ role in Psycho.

That’s tellin’ him!

Heh.

She’s a singer/songwriter!

That was a nice little ditty.

This is a deeply odd movie. It sometimes seems like a gangster movie, and then it goes all expressionistic like this, and then it’s a musical… It’s very difficult to predict where it’s going — I’ve been 100% wrong every time I thought I knew that it was all about.

But I’m beginning to suspect that it’s just … badly written? That they filmed it without a script or something? It’s so abrupt and watching it it feels like you’ve skipped a reel or two.

Hayworth is a lot of fun in this. I mean, it’s basically just her doing scenes and then some confusing plot happens in other scenes, and then it’s back to her being interesting.

And now they’re doing a voiceover to explain what’s happening all of a sudden? Has that been going all along and I forgot?

Finally Amado mío.

Grace Jones - Amado mio (Remastered By Italoco)

I guess I’ve only heard the Grace Jones version before…

OK, now they’re just padding the movie with a bunch of Hayworth bits? I mean, I don’t mind, but it’s… really weird.

The plot is just… just…

Well, I did like the very last scene, where it all descends into farce. And I did like the way it’s filmed and Hayworth’s performance.

But it’s a big disappointment.

Gilda. Charles Vidor. 1946. ⚃

Sirāt

I’m really enjoying this… it’s very direct and it’s got a mood going on. My only criticism so far is that the rave music they’re allegedly dancing to sounds like somebody’s idea of rave music who’s only heard it from three blocks away?

And it doesn’t really seem like they’re actually dancing to actual music, but are just moving around in silence so that they can drop this face rave music in afterwards while still getting crowd noises?

Heh. Most British Translation Ever.

(He asked for dessert.)

The word “Western Sahara” is never mentioned, but “Morocco” and “South” and “Mauretania” is, so I think their journey is through a Western Sahara under martial law…

I really liked this… but I thought that after the midway point it kinda lost focus? Which is probably the point — it’s a common trope with road movies that things take a radical turn at some point and the original… thing… gets forgotten.

But it really kinda felt like the filmmakers didn’t quite know where they were going and were winging it.

On the other hand, the final (long) scene is perhaps the most tense and nerve-wracking thing I’ve seen in years — I had to cover my face with my hands — and that’s certainly something.

On the third hand, it does feel kinda… colonial in an undigested way?

Eh, I dunno, I liked it.

Sirāt. Oliver Laxe. 2025. ⚄

Five Easy Pieces

This is another one of those 70s movies that I’ve always heard mention, and have probably read a Mad Magazine version of, but never actually seen. I think it’s part of the Hazel Flagg collection, but I’m not sure? Perhaps I just bought it because it came up on Criteron’s new releases page?

Because it’s in 4K now.

Probably the former.

The director hasn’t done a lot of movies… I’ve seen that Postman version back in the 80s, and I saw Stay Hungry recently. And I saw that Monkees movie a long long time ago.

I wonder what the story behind this movie is. It seems like it’s so tailored to Nicholson’s strengths…

Eh… the dialogues here are getting to be pretty risible.

I dunno… I did like this movie, but it seems pretty undercooked — Nicholson escaping from his upper class but phony family, and the girlfriend being that embarassing — it just seems very… easy. Or lazy, rather.

But it looks good, and the performances are solid.

I guess this was a big 70s trend setter? It was nominated for All The Oscars, and after having seen this, I can better understand how so many 70s movies got that aesthetic. But I didn’t really find it compelling.

Five Easy Pieces. Bob Rafelson. 1970. ⚃