It's Monday, and the sun is finally out for real here ... Savant has a mixed bag tonight. One kiddie puppet television series, a terrific Robert De Niro comedy from before he became a cinema clown, and two European Art films with pedigrees so daunting, I'm afraid to post my layman's POV remarks...
Criterion's Il Posto is a charming and rewarding bit of neorealism about a shy young man's entry into the Milan workforce ... a puppy about to be ground up in the gears. His one hope for life is a fetching young coworker who raises his spirits to the sky. From acclaimed filmmaker Ermanno Olmi.
From Fox Lorber comes a really good version of Jean-Luc Godard's My Life to Live. It's the one with Anna Karina playing a streetwalker with a good attitude but rotten luck. Godard's difficult to write about, but Savant's done his best.
Universal's Midnight Run is Savant's favorite mainstream action-buddy film of the modern era (post Sly and Ah-nold). Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin make a delightful odd couple, and the script is as clever as a 30s screwball comedy.
And A&E tantalizes fantasy nostalgics with a 5 disc, 39-episode box of Supercar: The Complete Series. The original Gerry & Sylvia Anderson Sci Fi marionette series is slick and sharp, with production values that dwarfed the competition in 1960.
Looking forward to those Billy Wilders, and am hoping a couple of late arrivals like THE LONG SHIPS come into port. Adios, Glenn Erickson
Posted by DVD Savant at June 23, 2003 05:19 PM