Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: September 2024

Perfect Days 09/03/24

Wim Wenders’ tale of one man’s attainment of personal harmony is halfway between documentary and drama, with a strong dose of clear-headed philosophy. A focus on a Tokyo toilet attendant becomes a positive, life-affirming meditation on coping with the modern world’s false goals and confining ‘lifestyle demands.’ The star Kôji Yakusho won a Best Actor award at Cannes; the show received a warm theatrical welcome here in the States. Writer-director Wenders’ interview extra is a gem. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
09/03/24

Le Doulos 09/03/24

Enjoy one of Jean-Pierre Melville’s finest, remastered on 4K and looking good. It’s a complicated story of thieves betraying thieves, the wrinkle being the contrast between weary ex-con Serge Reggiani and the slickest of slicksters, Jean-Paul Belmondo. ‘Doulos’ is slang for ‘informer,’ but Belmondo appears to be engaged in a massive con job, framing his confederates, fooling the police and double-crossing more than one woman. Everything he says can’t be a lie, or can it? On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
09/03/24