Misfortunes of Imaginary Beings

A blog formerly known as Bookishness / By Charles Matthews

"Dazzled by so many and such marvelous inventions, the people of Macondo ... became indignant over the living images that the prosperous merchant Bruno Crespi projected in the theater with the lion-head ticket windows, for a character who had died and was buried in one film and for whose misfortune tears had been shed would reappear alive and transformed into an Arab in the next one. The audience, who had paid two cents apiece to share the difficulties of the actors, would not tolerate that outlandish fraud and they broke up the seats. The mayor, at the urging of Bruno Crespi, explained in a proclamation that the cinema was a machine of illusions that did not merit the emotional outbursts of the audience. With that discouraging explanation many ... decided not to return to the movies, considering that they already had too many troubles of their own to weep over the acted-out misfortunes of imaginary beings."
--Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

Thursday, June 20, 2024

Can't Hardly Wait (Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, 1998)

Cast: Ethan Embry, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Seth Green, Lauren Ambrose, Charlie Korsmo, Peter Facinelli, Michelle Brookhurst, Alexander Martin, Erik Palladino, Channon Roe, Sean Patrick Thomas, Freddy Rodríguez, Joel Michaely, Jay Paulson, Donald Faison, Jaime Pressly, Vicellous Shannon, Jason Segel, Clea DuVall, Leslie Grossman, Eric Balfour, Selma Blair, Amber Benson, Jenna Elfman, Melissa Joan Hart, Breckin Meyer, Jerry O'Connell. Screenplay: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan. Cinematography: Lloyd Ahern II. Production design: Marcia Hinds, Adam Short. Film editing: Michael Jablow. Music: David Kitay.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Hardcore (Paul Schrader, 1979)

Cast: George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Season Hubley, Dick Sargent, Leonard Gaines, Dave Nichols, Gary Graham, Larry Block, Mark Alaimo, Leslie Ackerman, Charlotte McGinnis, Ilah Davis. Screenplay: Paul Schrader. Cinematography: Michael Chapman. Production design: Paul Sylbert. Film editing: Tom Rolf. Music: Jack Nitzsche.

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

The Strange Monsieur Victor (Jean Grémillon, 1938)

Cast: Raimu, Pierre Blanchar, Madeleine Renaud, Marcelle Géniat, Andrex, Georges Flamant, Charles Blavette, Marcel Maupi, Charblay, Armand Larcher, Viviane Romance, Roger Peter, Daniel Kahya, Odette Roger, Édouard Delmont. Screenplay: Marcel Achard, Charles Spaak, Albert Valentin. Cinematography: Werner Krien. Music: Roland Manuel.

Monday, June 17, 2024

A Ship to India (Ingmar Bergman, 1947)

Cast: Holger Löwenadler, Anna Lindahl, Birger Malmsten, Gertrud Fridh, Naemi Briese, Hjördis Patterson, Lasse Krantz, Jan Molander, Erik Hell, Åke Fridell, Douglas Håge. Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman, based on a play by Martin Söderhjelm. Cinematography: Göran Strindberg. Production design: P.A. Lundgren. Film editing: Tage Holmberg. Music: Erland von Koch.

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Young Soul Rebels (Isaac Julien, 1991)

Cast: Valentine Nonyela, Mo Sesay, Dorian Healy, Frances Barber, Sophie Okonedo, Jason Durr, GaryMcDonald, Debra Gillett, Eamonn Walker, James Bowers, Billy Braham, Wayne Norman, Danielle Scillitoe. Screenplay: Paul Hallam, Derrick Saldaan McClintock. Cinematography: Nina Kellgren. Production design: Derek Brown. Film editing: John Wilson. Music: Simon Boswell.

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Messiah of Evil (Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz, 1974)

Cast: Marianna Hill, Michael Greer, Joy Bang, Anitra Ford, Royal Dano, Elisha Cook Jr., Charles Dierkop, Bennie Robinson. Screenplay: Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz. Cinematography: Stephen M. Katz. Art direction: Jack Fisk, Joan Mocine. Film editing: Scott Conrad. Music: Phillan Bishop.

Friday, June 14, 2024

Trenque Lauquen (Laura Citarella, 2022)

Cast: Laura Paredes, Ezequiel Pierri, Rafael Spregelburd, Cecilia Rainero, Juliana Muras, Elisa Carricajo, Walter Jakob, Rolando Citarella, Verónica Llinás. Screenplay: Laura Citarella, Laura Paredes. Cinematography: Gustavo Biazzi, Elisandro Dalcin, Miguel de Zuviria, Inés Duacastella, Lisa Lombardo, Agustín Mendilaharzu, Lucila Rivas, Soledad Rodríguez. Art direction: Florencia Caliguri, Laura Caliguri. Film editing: Miguel de Suviría, Alejo Moguillansky. Music: Gabriel Chwojnik.