Ironfinger (1965)
Directed by Jun Fukuda
I solely enjoy Ironfinger ironically as a film that has tons of unnecessary explosions, James Bond defunct weapon accessories and nonsense stormtrooper fire fights with hiliarously bad choreography and blocking. Nonetheless, Ironfinger is a style overload in the same vein as ‘Tokyo Drifter’ (1966) and the over-the-top action makes for elevated reality and a complete suspension of disbelief. Meeting the film on its terms is essential.
Review: ☆☆☆½ (83)
Verdict: pretty weird
Lost in America (1985)
Director: Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks made two of the greatest American comedies – Real Life & Modern Romance – on simple premises. In Lost in America, Brooks writing gets confused and convoluted. What appears on the outset as a promising story idea, is dragged by the films clunkiness. The connective tissue to the act breaks fail to move the story along or provide any substance of character or comedic moments. Moreover, Albert Brooks character is one of the weakest in his filmography. Unlike his role in Real Life, although. He’s slightly pathetic, antagonistic and lost. Brooks plays David Howard with that sense of heightened boredom with modern life, despite a cushy office job and a beautiful wife, he feels a pressure to escape modern convenience and does so in the most destructive way possible. It’s two characters slowly losing a grip on reality, their future, and emotions, but not conveyed in a satisfying manner. Julia Haggerty is cute and works in the Zucker Brother’s ‘Airplane’ (1980) because she’s so stiff, but in a movie like this, it just comes off as inauthentic. Brooks is good, but dragged down by a weaker number two that plays the character vastly different in every scene.
Review: ☆☆½ (66)
Verdict: not weird
Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Director: Robert Aldrich
legendary cast, shades of Baby Jane level performance from the indomitable Bette Davis, and a splash of the recluse with a good heart. Portrayed as a rich, spoiled old cook in plantation mansion, Davis, plays the line of insanity and sanity better than virtually anyone. She straddles the line set in place by the narrative, subverting expectations with her antics and behavior. Alongside a Davis masterclass, Olivia De Haviland comes in a and damn near steals the show with a underhanded, brutal, and subtle performance as the films true misanthrope. For surprising sympathetic characters, Davis as Sweet Charlotte is one of the best. Baby Jane type craziness in her look, but complete stillness and composure underneath it all.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆ (86)
Verdict: not weird
Weird Cinema 