Movie review - "Jay Kelly" (2025) ***

 Baumbach's take on Wild Strawberries is full of talent and memorable moments but possibly pulls its punches - George Clooney has some mild regrets but not major ones, ditto Adam Sander's manager (nice wife Greta Gerwig, two kids) and life as a movie star is clearly still pretty good. Full of warmth. Sandler steals the show with a soulful performance. Nice to see Stacy Keach. A lot of nepo babies involved - Emily Mortimer, Bono's daughte, Sandler's, etc.

Book review - "The Hunter" by Richard Stark

 The first Parker novel. Comes flying out of the gate, with tough professionalism, cold fury, hate. Bigger female roles here - the wife (quite empathetic), the hooker who helps him. Ending feels padded. Parker gets revenge, then wants money, then gets revenge on the outfit. Like he keeps wanting more.

Easy to read. Entertaining. 

Movie review - "Shanghai Surprise" (1986) **

 The opening sets this up very well - a junky adventure story set in late 30s Shanghai. Great. Missing jewels. Chinese. Japanese. Opium. Love it.

I get what they're going for - African Queen type stuff. She's a missionary - he's a con man. Sparks fly. But Madonna never gives off missionary vibes. The script doesn't help her - she smokes, takes nude baths, seduces Sean Penn. Penn looks scungy and has no history. He's a great actor but he needs to be tormented.

You know what might've worked? Swapping the roles. Have her has a shady dame and he's a priest. Then she could have sung. She doesn't even sing.

The plot is simple but also confusing. Action scenes unmemorable. Not very well directed. I know it would've been hard.

Lovely production design. Richard Griffiths fun. Some Asian actors in it. 

Movie review - "A Private Function" (1984) ***1/2

 Hailed as one of the best British movies in the 80s. It was fine. The pig squealing was funny. And being killed. Maggie Smith great. Ditto Richard Griffiths and Denholm Elliot.

I didn't love it. Overcast, glum look of many British films from this era. 

Movie review - "Scrubbers" (1982) **1/2

 I wanted to like it more than I did. Tries hard. Everyone's acting. Didn't quite work for me. I also had troubles following the various plot lines. The theatre they do feels added by Mai Zetterling.

I wonder what Roy Misto's original script felt like? Some of this felt real. Other felt a little more outlandish like a woman committing a crime to be reunited with her girlfriend (isn't there a risk that she gets sent somewhere else?).

They don't cast glamour birds. 

Book review - "The Outfit" by Richard Stark

 Third Parker novel is terrific. The Outfit are out to kill him. He finds out who. Figures out it's the head guy. Makes a deal with the number two guy to knock him off. Gets his mates to hit the Outfit. Would they do so that easily? Well you go for it. It's a series of short stories of various robberies. Then a satisfying ending.

Parker was harder in these early novels - killing guards and stuff. He wouldn't later on. 

Movie review - "Bullshot" (1983) ***

 Would have been really fun on the stage. The film lacks heart. Something like the romance in Flying High. Stars might have helped. But it needed a love story. Done with great enthusiasm though.