I didn't see William Friedkin's "Cruising" when first released in 1980. As a young 20-something gay man in NYC at that time, I was aware of the protests by the activist gay community so stayed far away. So I was curious when it showed up on the Criterion Channel. A relic of its time, it's not an especially good film but is certainly provocative and likely even more so back in the day.
Many mixed feelings about its portrayal of…
All the films that Rossellini did with his muse Ingrid Bergman were fascinating (I have now seen 3 of the 4). This one also has a kinship with his film about St. Francis in its focus on a spirituality based on selfless devotion to the poor and needy. It does this through the story of the transformation of a wealthy woman of privilege after the suicide of her only son.
Bergman is wonderful here in her ability to show the…
This was a surprise. An odd 1990s comedy from Australia, it’s set in a godforsaken rural town in Victoria with cornfields and warehouses. A has-been radio deejay moves into town and the two lonely sisters who live next door set their sights on him and become rivals. The object of their affection is a sleazy aging hipster who still sees himself as the epitome of cool but is way past his shelf life. Nonetheless in the small…
Hadn’t seen this in years so was pleased it was my first watch for a film club I joined. Some reviewers described this as channeling the French New Wave or as a Japanese “Rebel Without a Cause”. I don’t know about that but there are elements of both. A tale of bored and aimless youth with money to burn, we watch a group of young men lounge in a seaside setting, pick up women, get into an…
