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The Stars are Singing, a review by addicted2dvd

The Stars are Singing
A 15-year-old Polish girl attempts to enter the U.S. illegally, setting off a major search by immigration officials. She is befriended by a struggling group of New York performers, who try to get approval for her to remain in the country.



(From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on July 26th, 2016)

A Woman is a Woman, a review by Danae Cassandra

Une femme est une femme (A Woman is a Woman)
Year of Release: 1961
Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Jean-Claude Brialy, Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Musical

Overview:
With A Woman is a Woman (Une Femme est une femmeA Woman is a WomanA Woman is a Woman finds the young Godard at his warmest and most accessible, reveling in and scrutinizing the mechanics of his great obsession: the cinema.

My Thoughts:
This is a bright, playful, colorful film. It's a musical, too, sorta. Of course, it's also more than a bit absurd, but were we expecting anything else from Godard? I certainly wasn't. It's a film that knows it's a film, and breaks the fourth wall, with characters posing for and talking to the camera, with text on screen to describe emotions, the music cuts in and out seemingly on whim. Still, it's a fun film, more accessible than some of Godard's work that I've seen. The performances of the three main actors are quite good, especially Anna Karina's - she has to practically carry the film, and she does an excellent job at it. That said, it takes a bit to get into the film at first, and some bits can get irritating (why does Emile ride his bike around the dining room? and was there really a need to repeat the book title 'conversation' scene?).

I enjoyed it, but it will be a while before I would want to watch it again. Like any of Godard's work, this is recommended for the art film lover only.

Bechdel Test: Pass, barely

Overall: 3.5/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on February 7th, 2015)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

American Gothic - Season One

Pilot
Sheriff Lucas Buck rules his town with no conscience. After a young girl is murdered, Sheriff Buck seeks custody of the son of a murder suspect.





A series bought for my daughters viewing way back when, and OMG what a complete load of drivel it appears after 1 watching. Despite sharing the same writer as the underrated Invasion, it bears no resemblence. I have no real idea what was going on, what the characters were about, and the point of the whole series? 
If I had of watched this pilot on TV, I'd never have returned to the show. My daughter says this got really good through the series, was quite spooky portraying the fight against good and evil, and is worth persevering with.
I won't be doing that in a hurry.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 7th, 2009)