The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, One Hour Photo, & Stardust Memories

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp was a movie I've been trying to watch for years. Ever since I first saw Stairway to Heaven, I've been watching as many of Powell and Pressburger's films as possible. And not one has disappointed me. I at first thought that I'd have a problem with the almost three hour running time. But it actually allows the characters to become realized fully, and just a great movie. Strange that it was released at all, since it is both anti-war and yet pro-anything it takes to win the war. That actually seems like a reasonable thing, at least in the case of World War II. Because that war needed to be won, and yet, war is a terrible thing. I also thought the interwar years were entertainingly disposed with. Definitely a must watch movie. And I didn't even mention how great Deborah Kerr was in it.

I've seen Vaughn's weewee. Ok, after that bit of immaturity, about the only things to recommend One Hour Photo is Robin Williams's best performance in years and that the movie felt like it was all about how you wait for a photo to be developed and then you get the excitement of opening the packet of prints and then it's all over. I'd expand more on it if I could stop thinking about how I've seen Vaughn's weewee. It's about the same as when I saw Jaye's hoohas in Tulse Luper. Always strange to see nudity of someone you're familiar with on TV. And this is coming from someone who is happy to rattle off gratuitous nudity. One Hour Photo's nudity was mainly necessary. The open bathrobe showing the carpet matching the drapes was not entirely needed. And I think I just made myself seem like I'm at least ten years younger than I am. Suck.

Stardust Memories was Allen's Fellini. Pretty damn obvious, with lots of visual references, along with whole scene references. Meaning that you'd probably enjoy it a lot less if you weren't familiar with 8 1/2. Or, for that matter, Allen's career until that point. I thought there were some great lines, and that's, unfortunately, almost all you can ask for in an Allen comedy. At least Stardust Memories wasn't as imponderable as Allen's Bergman films. It actually was enjoyable to watch.