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kipster9
Reviews
Le songe d'un garçon de café (1910)
This film started a life long fascination
This film started a life long fascination, for silent and 30's -40's films. Really in a way, it changed my view of the world and the past.
When I was 12 years old (32 years ago) I was given a standard 8mm print of "The Hasher's Delirium", by an avid collector and film archive genius named Al Miller. His generosity started an addiction with me that lives on to this day. I started buying 8mm (and later 16mm and super 8) from various sources, Blackhawk films being one of the major ones, especially at the beginning. In analyzing what fascinated these films for me, it was like discovering an archaeological burial. I understand this doesn't happen for many people, but my persistence in promoting silent and early films DID effect some people. Some of which I hadn't seen for years, and recently came up and thanked me for turning them on to the genre. No - the "Hasher's Delirium" is not a great film, but references to Absinthe and the bizarre animation perplexed me to such a degree at that age that it became an obsession, almost frightening, but hypnotic to some one at that formative age. I don't know what would have become obsessed with if it wasn't for that moment when I received that copy. Since then, I was in the Denver paper for meeting and kissing Lillian Gish. I have an extensive collection on celluloid and video. I also collect autographs and memorabilia - and have spent much time studying the early days of film. To me - it is a peephole into a time that is long gone, and will never be again. It is a great tragedy that films are deteriorating and destroyed, because it is like visual history slipping through our hands through apathy and negligence.
KW Trumbule
City by the Sea (2002)
DeNiro is of course good...
and the Francis McDormand is a great actress. But it seemed like they could have done a lot more with the talent. And the premise. What ends up happening seems like an after thought. It reminds me of a film that has it's budget cut. So they tack on the least expensive ending without regard to tying up the plot sufficiently. It is watchable if nothing else is on. Or you are a die-hard DeNiro fan, who elevates "City" beyond mundane. I guess the real point is they missed the potential that the first half hour promises. But character development beyond the two or three main characters is almost non-existent.
Kipster