Weekly Round-Up (7/14/13 - 7/20/13)

Kes (Ken Loach) ***1/2 - I made the mistake of not getting the subtitles for the copy I got. I didn't understand almost half the dialogue. But even then, I was still swept up by this heartbreaking story of a working class, often bullied teenage boy who finds solace and happiness in falconry with his pet kestrel. I've seen a couple of his later works but I found him to be just a smidgen preachy with his works but this one, though it depicts the British working class, has a very lyrical quality to it. It also features a VERY impressive performance by the lead actor, David Bradley (another David Bradley).

The Tin Star (Anthony Mann) **** - My further exploration of the filmography of Anthony Mann continues on with this TRULY remarkable film. I can't believe it isn't more popular. A young sheriff gets lessons in gun play and justice from an ex-sheriff-turned-bounty hunter. Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins are wonderful together. Exciting scenes are coupled with tackling themes of proper justice, racism and sexism and they're interwoven beautifully. It's got everything a great Western should have and MORE. I couldn't recommend more highly.
Bay of Blood (Mario Bava) *** - The horror movie cliche of a group of hedonistic teenagers getting killed one by one in spectularly gory ways did not start with Halloween or even Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It started with THIS film. But it's only one fragment of it. It's about group of people essentially murdering each other for control of a beautiful bay. It's my third Bava film, not my favorite but still a really solid horror film. It's got some good scares and a surprising amount of gore for a relatively old film. I felt it could have a bit more black humor but that's just me.