At half the length of the much admired Brit mini-series TRAFFIK, this Steven Soderbergh redo struggles to be half as memorable. The geography’s been reduced to the Mexico/USA border, but even with this tighter focus, Stephen Gaghan ’s script still plays like an obstacle course with too many cross-circuiting drug deals. And the heavy hand of producers Ed Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz is never far away. They never met a project hey couldn't overload. Using stars in minor roles helps us keep score (it’s a treat to see underused mugs like Peter Reigert & Steven Bauer get some licks in and the Oscar’d Benico Del Toro really is something to see), but Soderbergh’s use of ultra-stylized visual palettes as a sort of storyline code never takes hold. It's seen, but not felt. And losing the astonishing Bill Patterson from the Brit version, even for a host of big name Hollywood stars, is too high a price to pay.
Non-sponsored, Independent Mini-reviews of DVDs and Streaming Video New & Old, Popular & Rare. Over 5500 Write-Ups! SmartPhone Users can scroll down for the 'View Web Version' link to access all Posts, Search Box, Labels and other features. E-Mail: MAKSQUIBS@YAHOO.COM
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ERNST LUBITSCH
'As soon as someone tackles a big theme with a message we take him seriously and call it art. We appreciate a painting of the crucifixion . . . whereas a simple Cezanne depiction of a vase and an apple may be far more enduring as art. I believe -- and I am not comparing myself to Cezanne -- in taking a lesser theme and then treating it without
compromise.' -- Ernst Lubitsch
LABELS
There are (currently) eight different LABELS to look for on MAKSQUIBS.
CONTEST - Win a review of any available DVD or 'Streamer' of your choice* if you're the first to answer a Q attached to one of the write-ups. Please refrain from either Googling or searching for an answer via IMdB or other web movie services! These contests are plenty easy to solve just be using your little grey cells.
RECOMMENDED - Meaning Strongly Recommended. A film that's good enough or historically important enough to demand viewing. WARNING: A few real stinkers are important enough to rate this label. And, on the other hand, lots of pretty good or pretty valuable films, don't quite measure up to our RECOMMENDED level. (See also UNIQUE, below.)
FAMILY FRIENDLY - CAREFUL!! Not necessarily a KIDDIE pic, but a film that school kids may get into if the subject interests. You'll find foreign & silent pics in here as the need to read the sub-titles & inter-titles to follow the narrative and get all the jokes does wonders for ADD types.
LINK - To quickly find any Write-Up that includes an InterNet Link of interest for that specific film.
UNIQUE - Films that may not fit into the usual critical categories of Good, Bad or Indifferent, (certainly not indifferent!), but are worth watching because there just ain't nothing like 'em. Sui generis pics. (Phooey generis if they don't work for you.)
READ ALL ABOUT IT - While there's a book or two (or ten dozen) closely related to just about any film you might think of, here's a specific book you might not have known about (or thought of) that opens a window on the chosen title.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY - A place to vent those out-of-left-field thoughts.
POSTER - Hmm, I bet you can figure this one out.
(Hint: most of the posters will enlarge if you click on them.)
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT - sort of like those EAT THIS, NOT THAT diet books only with film instead of food as the topic. Sometimes, the substitute pick isn't the obvious 'better' choice, but one of those 'flawed-but-interesting' films that often get left behind.
CONTEST - Win a review of any available DVD or 'Streamer' of your choice* if you're the first to answer a Q attached to one of the write-ups. Please refrain from either Googling or searching for an answer via IMdB or other web movie services! These contests are plenty easy to solve just be using your little grey cells.
RECOMMENDED - Meaning Strongly Recommended. A film that's good enough or historically important enough to demand viewing. WARNING: A few real stinkers are important enough to rate this label. And, on the other hand, lots of pretty good or pretty valuable films, don't quite measure up to our RECOMMENDED level. (See also UNIQUE, below.)
FAMILY FRIENDLY - CAREFUL!! Not necessarily a KIDDIE pic, but a film that school kids may get into if the subject interests. You'll find foreign & silent pics in here as the need to read the sub-titles & inter-titles to follow the narrative and get all the jokes does wonders for ADD types.
LINK - To quickly find any Write-Up that includes an InterNet Link of interest for that specific film.
UNIQUE - Films that may not fit into the usual critical categories of Good, Bad or Indifferent, (certainly not indifferent!), but are worth watching because there just ain't nothing like 'em. Sui generis pics. (Phooey generis if they don't work for you.)
READ ALL ABOUT IT - While there's a book or two (or ten dozen) closely related to just about any film you might think of, here's a specific book you might not have known about (or thought of) that opens a window on the chosen title.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY - A place to vent those out-of-left-field thoughts.
POSTER - Hmm, I bet you can figure this one out.
(Hint: most of the posters will enlarge if you click on them.)
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT - sort of like those EAT THIS, NOT THAT diet books only with film instead of food as the topic. Sometimes, the substitute pick isn't the obvious 'better' choice, but one of those 'flawed-but-interesting' films that often get left behind.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID - some easy to miss element worth noting.
SILENT FILM - hey, figure it out (LOL)
. . . and DOUBLE-BILL - a suggested second feature.
To bring up the complete list in any of these categories, simply click on one of the LABELS when you come across one and everything with that designation will come up when the page reloads. Just scroll down. There's also a LABELS list near the bottom of all the pages.
Please let me know if there are any other LABELS you'd like to see.
. . . and DOUBLE-BILL - a suggested second feature.
To bring up the complete list in any of these categories, simply click on one of the LABELS when you come across one and everything with that designation will come up when the page reloads. Just scroll down. There's also a LABELS list near the bottom of all the pages.
Please let me know if there are any other LABELS you'd like to see.
Blog Archive
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2008
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June
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- CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006)
- ROYAL FLASH (1975)
- JUST PALS (1920)
- EXECUTIVE SUITE (1954)
- BE YOURSELF (1930)
- BALL OF FIRE (1941)
- 49TH PARALLEL (aka THE INVADERS) (1941)
- CAUSE FOR ALARM (1951)
- MYSTERIOUS MR. MOTO (1938)
- EXECUTIVE ACTION (1973)
- THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN (2004)
- THE COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR (1962)
- THEY LIVE BY NIGHT (1949)
- THIEVES LIKE US (1974)
- THE BEST OF YOUTH (2003)
- LES COMPERES (1983)
- SIDE STREET (1949)
- THE RIVER (1937) / THE PLOW THAT BROKE THE PLAIN...
- MR. BUG GOES TO TOWN (1941)
- ZOU ZOU (1934)
- ZODIAC (2007)
- ZIEGFELD FOLLIES (1946)
- ZAUBER DER BOHEME (1936)
- YOUTH OF THE BEAST (1963)
- YOUNG MR LINCOLN (1939)
- YOUNG ADAM (2003)
- YOU CAN’T CHEAT AN HONEST MAN (1939)
- YI YI (2000)
- THE YARDS (2000)
- THE WRECK OF THE MARY DEARE (1959)
- THE WORLD OF APU (1959)
- THE WOODLANDERS (1997)
- THE WOMEN (1939)
- THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945)
- WINTER KILLS (1979)
- THE WINGS OF EAGLES (1957)
- WILD AT HEART (1990)
- WIFE VS. SECRETARY (1936)
- THE WIDE BLUE ROAD (1956)
- THE WICKED DARLING (1919)
- WHITE THUNDER/THE VIKING (1931)
- THE WHITE COUNTESS (2005)
- WHERE EAGLES DARE (1970)
- WHAT A WAY TO GO (1964)
- THE WEST POINT STORY (1950)
- WE’RE NO ANGELS (1955)
- WEEK-END IN HAVANA (1941)
- WEDDING CRASHERS (2005)
- WE WERE STRANGERS (1949)
- WE LIVE AGAIN (1934)
- WATERLAND (1992)
- WARM SPRINGS (2005)
- THE WAR ZONE (1999)
- WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)
- THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)
- WALLACE & GROMIT: THREE AMAZING ADVENTURES (1993-...
- WALK THE LINE (2005)
- W. C. FIELDS: SIX SHORT FILMS (1915-33)
- THE VIRGIN SPRING (1959)
- TEMPEST (1982)
- VICTORY (1919)
- VICKI (1953)
- A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004)
- VENUS (2006)
- VENDREDI SOIR (2002)
- VANITY FAIR (2004)
- THE VALET (2006)
- VAGABOND (1985)
- UNPUBLISHED STORY (1942)
- UNION PACIFIC (1939)
- UNDER MY SKIN (1950)
- THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (1988)
- UN FLIC (1972)
- RALLY ‘ROUND THE FLAG, BOYS (1958)
- THE MAN WHO LAUGHS (1928)
- HANGMEN ALSO DIE (1943)
- BLACKBOARDS (2000)
- TWO FOR THE MONEY (2005)
- TRUMAN (1995)
- TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY (1953)
- TRISTAN & ISOLDE (2005)
- TRICHEURS (1983)
- TREASURE ISLAND (1950)
- TREASURE ISLAND (1934)
- TRAFFIC (2000)
- TOUT VA BIEN (1972)
- TORRID ZONE (1940)
- THE V.I.P.s (1963)
- USED CARS (1980)
- UP PERISCOPE (1959)
- TOMORROW THE WORLD! (1944)
- TOM HORN (1980)
- TOM BROWN’S SCHOOL DAYS (1940)
- TOKYO STORY (1953)
- TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH (2005)
- TO LIVE (1994)
- THE TIN STAR (1957)
- TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946)
- THX 1138 (1971)
- THROUGH THE BACK DOOR (1921)
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June
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AND YOU'RE DOING ALL THIS BECAUSE . . . ?
Like just about everyone with an interest in the movies, I'm watching more films on DVD and going out to movie houses a lot less. Convenience trumps the better experience.
Of course, you lose audience interaction and the poor film now has to compete with all the comforts of home.
It's a bit like seeing Rembrandts & Titians in a book reproduction, or from posters with iffy color values, no texture or weight to the surface and the wrong dimensions . . . all while snacking on chips & soda. (Oops! You get that at your local cinema,too.)
The ease of instant movie gratification risks turning an art form (well, sometimes) into little more than low-grade eye-candy & mindfodder. So, maybe it's worthwhile to write a bit down on what we're all viewing, just to keep fully engaged.
DVDs: the latest opiate of the people meets the internet, where everyone's a critic.
God help us.
Of course, you lose audience interaction and the poor film now has to compete with all the comforts of home.
It's a bit like seeing Rembrandts & Titians in a book reproduction, or from posters with iffy color values, no texture or weight to the surface and the wrong dimensions . . . all while snacking on chips & soda. (Oops! You get that at your local cinema,too.)
The ease of instant movie gratification risks turning an art form (well, sometimes) into little more than low-grade eye-candy & mindfodder. So, maybe it's worthwhile to write a bit down on what we're all viewing, just to keep fully engaged.
DVDs: the latest opiate of the people meets the internet, where everyone's a critic.
God help us.
. . . a brief note on abbreviations . . .
They stem from internet commonalities (w/; wknd; LOL; OTT) and also from the flavorsome antique shorthand still found in ShowBiz trade publications. (Megger = director; lenser = cinematographer; scripter . . . well, you get the idea). They have onomatopoetical appeal and help to keep things pithy.
About Me
Labels
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- recommended (1689)
- screwy thought of the day (1642)
- attention must be paid (1286)
- link (1130)
- watch this not that (881)
- unique (821)
- read all about it (233)
- silent film (181)
- contest (179)
- spoilers (28)
- attention must be paid poster (10)
A last thought before we go.
Well, enough from me. But before we sign off, here's a great quote from Emile Zola's L'OEUVRE (THE MASTERPIECE), which is about painting rather than the yet to be invented medium of film, but which points a fine critical eye toward the whole idea of art criticism. It's a good, if chilly, thought to keep in mind, especially when you surf the net.
"Has it ever struck you that posterity may not be the fair, impartial judge we like to think it is?
"Suppose the artist's paradise turned out to be as nonexistent as the Catholics, and future generations prove just as misguided as the present one and persisted in liking pretty pretty dabbling better than honest to goodness painting. There are some accepted masterpieces for which I myself wouldn't give a twopenny damn.
"Classical training has given us a wrong view of everything and forces us to acclaim as geniuses a lot of fellows who are no more than well-balanced, facile painters, while what we might really prefer is the work of more emancipated but less even artists known only to an initiated few. Immortality at present depends entirely on the average, middle-class mind and is reserved only for the names that have been most forcibly impressed upon us while we were still unable to defend ourselves...
"Perhaps that's the sort of thing that's best left unsaid. It's certainly the sort of thing that gives me the shudders!"- Emile Zola
"Has it ever struck you that posterity may not be the fair, impartial judge we like to think it is?
"Suppose the artist's paradise turned out to be as nonexistent as the Catholics, and future generations prove just as misguided as the present one and persisted in liking pretty pretty dabbling better than honest to goodness painting. There are some accepted masterpieces for which I myself wouldn't give a twopenny damn.
"Classical training has given us a wrong view of everything and forces us to acclaim as geniuses a lot of fellows who are no more than well-balanced, facile painters, while what we might really prefer is the work of more emancipated but less even artists known only to an initiated few. Immortality at present depends entirely on the average, middle-class mind and is reserved only for the names that have been most forcibly impressed upon us while we were still unable to defend ourselves...
"Perhaps that's the sort of thing that's best left unsaid. It's certainly the sort of thing that gives me the shudders!"- Emile Zola
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