Fat City - 1972
The 1970s was a period of filmmaking that I used to reflexively dislike. The film stock seemed muddy and ugly to me and that turned me off to it. Now, I see that ugliness and rawness as a feature, rather than a downside. I've grown very tired of the artificial look that many modern films go for. The last thing that films from the 1970s look like is artificial, feeling like real life, in all its imperfect, non-color-corrected splendor.
That all goes to say that I really responded to how real Fat City feels. There's no glamor here. The plot is driven by the characters and I never get the sense that the drama is being ramped up unnaturally. It's not particularly uplifting either, but it's meaningful. It's life on film.
My Letterboxd review:
Availability
Fat City is currently available on a region free blu-ray from Indicator. Digital purchase and rental options are also available.
Charley Varrick - 1973
Continuing with the theme of my reappraisal of 1970s films, next up is Charley Varrick. Varrick is the kind of protagonist that the Man wouldn't allow in our crime films today, never mind that the average guy is probably a bit more Walther Mathau than Tom Cruise. Don Siegel directs this smarter-than-average crime flick, while the excellent cast includes Joe Don Baker and Andy Robinson.
My Letterboxd review:
Availability
Charley Varrick is currently available on Region B Blu-ray from Indicator as well as on DVD from Universal. Digital purchase and rental options are also available.
Diabolique - 1955
It's a French film, and that's actually pretty important as the norms surrounding sex and marriage in that country were quite different from those in the U.S. during this period. In the film, an abused wife teams up with her husband's mistress to bump off the dirty, rotten, no-good man. The whole situation is handled in a very frank manner, which distinguishes it from some American films of the '50s.
You're probably not going to be watching Diabolique to study the society of 1950s France, though. You watch it because it's a great, tense piece of storytelling. I was unaware of how much the movie was affecting me until I caught myself holding my breath, waiting to see how it would play out.
My Letterboxd review:
Diabolique is available on physical media, both DVD and Blu-ray, from the Criterion Collection. It's also available to buy or rent digitally.
A Quiet Place - 2018
My Letterboxd review:
Availability
A Quiet Place is currently available for pre-order from sellers like Amazon.
