Johnny Guitar

Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954)

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Rating: Q=4, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Western, Romance

This film is strange and twisted with unexpected moments thrown in all over the familiar landscape. It's a film about jealousy and repression--yes, a man comes into town to protect and rescue but the rest of the men in the story are boring, useless, passive. Two women are the leaders of this story and their relationship is the focus of all the action. There is so much that is not explained and so much that the characters are holding back. It is a Western, not a thriller, but it sure made me tense.

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Purple Noon

Purple Noon (Rene Clement, 1960)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Based on Book

I love Patricia Highsmith stories. There have been a few adaptations of The Talented Mr. Ripley but I had always been told that Purple Noon was the best. I was not disappointed. Alain Delon is a perfect Tom, beautiful and nonchalant on the surface but evil and disturbed inside. We don't get in his head like we do in the novel, but the artistry and slow, deliberate pacing helps us spend more time watching him and, eerily, relating to him. It's a gorgeous film--like an eternally sunny watercolor painting--but such a creepy story.

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The Paradise

The Paradise: Series 1 and 2 (Bill Gallagher, 2012-2013)

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Series 1 and 2 Rating: DSQ=11, SP=8 / Obsession

Scale A=4, Scale B=4, Scale C=3, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

Drama, Late 19th Century, Romance, Intrigue

What color and sparkle! This show was absolutely refreshing. It captivated me from the very first scene. I love "costume" films and shows for their attention to detail and that marvelous way they bring you back in time and make you feel as though you truly are watching the past. This show, despite its many painstaking and suspenseful moments, is remarkably uplifting and positive. There are strong female characters and at least one man who learns from them.

Both series 1 and 2 have so much going for them, it was hard for me to be disappointed by anything--other than I kept wanting to watch more. I love to see anything built from scratch, blossom and bloom, and then be rebuilt again. And it doesn't hurt to have Emun Elliott playing the man everyone wants to please...This is a really enjoyable show.

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Embrace Of The Serpent

Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra, 2015)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Amazon, Exploration, Philosophy, Environmental

"To become warriors, the cohiuanos must abandon all and go alone to the jungle, guided only by their dreams. In this journey, he has to find out, in solitude and silence, who he really is. He must become a wanderer dream. Many are lost, and some never return. But those who return they are ready to face what is to come."

This film is quiet and complex, lots to contemplate and navigate both visually and narratively. I found myself drifting in and out of dream just as the characters did. If you enjoy thinking about our place in the universe, you'll likely enjoy this beautiful story.

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