No Redemption

I had held back from seeing this movie for a long time. Not being much of a fan of Stephen King as such ( I prefer Richard Bachman though ). The film seemed to be appealingly shot but I guess it failed to make a significant emotional impact.

Nine Queens

Saw this charming tale this evening. Rather subtly humourous and brings to mind The Sting.

A Few More …

The acting and dialogue seemed quite amateurish though the premise was intriguing. Worth a watch, nevertheless.

Rather well-made, speaking of a Hollywood production. It had been a while since I saw Denzel Washington …

Matter Over Mind?

Managed to run through The Matrix Trilogy over the weekend stretching till date. Did not care much for the action sequences or the philosophical underpinnings of the script. I found the latter, nevertheless, to be rather tight when you consider its length. The series is worth acquisition for just this reason.

Games of Chance

Sat and watched three films over the weekend ( the last ) …

Pleasing cinematography and a tale well told.

Spellbinding and a pleasingly distressing magic realist fable.

Builds up slow to a twist in the tale.

The Sting

Watched this wonderfully satisfying movie the other day. Though it was not impossible to figure out how it was all inevitably set up, it was gratifying to find that there was no unnecessary twist to the charming tale.

Funny, But Could Have Been Funnier …

I did not care much for the “moderate violence”. Felt that they could have done more with the script. A relief from the regular Hollywood fare though …

Macabre Subtlety

I had never heard of Stanley Ellin before I saw the Orion Crime Masterworks Collection : The Speciality of the House lodged in a corner by itself at the bookstore. I would have passed it over but for a feeling that struck me insinuating that I might be missing something altogether. The decision to purchase was fortuitous – the collection of his short stories spanning thirty years is as masterly as it can get. The Speciality of the House, in particular, is every bit as delectable as the epicurean experience it describes …

‘I fear,’ said Laffler solemnly, ‘that you confuse the words, gourmet and gourmand. The gourmand, through glutting himself, requires a wider and wider latitude of experience to stir his surfeited senses, but the very nature of the gourmet is simplicity.

Casting Coup

Just sat and watched Luc Besson’s Leon the Professional the other day.

Question

Does provision for libel constitute a fundamentalist restriction on the freedom to criticise?