Trafic (1971). Directed by Jacques Tati. I love Tati and I'm overjoyed that Criterion has come out with this heretofore hard to find film. In this, his final outing as M. Hulot, Tati is an automotive engineer who accompanies a "camping car" recreational vehicle as it is transported in the back of a truck from Paris to Amsterdam, bound for an auto show. Along for the ride are a beautiful but tightly wound PR rep, who prefers to lead in her little sportscar, and the lackadaisical truck driver who seems indifferent as to whether they ever need to arrive in Amsterdam or not. There is, in abundance, the usual Tati gaggery, satire, and charm, but the great thing about any Tati film is always the photographic composition and the way that the visuals suggest subtext. Tati invites us to read his films visually (as Antonioni, Lynch, and Ridley Scott --at his best--do), a reminder that script and plot are often secondary to the visual environment. And isn't it fun to be able to watch a French film without having to refer to subtitles? ****Iron Man (2008). Directed by Jon Favreau. It's been interesting (if a
little sad) to follow the career of Favreau--indie darling auteur director of Swingers now an action picture mogul. Alas. But his indie chops have served him well as this comic-book film springs to life with wit and flair. Yes, it's the old formula, but as Raimi did with Spiderman, Favreau holds true to the tropes we like most in the super-hero story and takes full adavantage of the splendid Robert Downey, Jr. and stalwarts Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow (acting against type). Best of all, the special effects support rather than dominate the story. ***
little sad) to follow the career of Favreau--indie darling auteur director of Swingers now an action picture mogul. Alas. But his indie chops have served him well as this comic-book film springs to life with wit and flair. Yes, it's the old formula, but as Raimi did with Spiderman, Favreau holds true to the tropes we like most in the super-hero story and takes full adavantage of the splendid Robert Downey, Jr. and stalwarts Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow (acting against type). Best of all, the special effects support rather than dominate the story. ***Space Amoeba (1970). Directed by Ishiro Honda. a.k.a. Yog: Monster from Space. A blast of rubber-suited monstrous fun from Toho Studios. A space capsule that has 
become possessed by an alien life form drifting through space as a sparkling blue mist (hence, the amoeba) parachutes into the ocean and infects various creatures (squid, crab, turtle) that, in turn, grow to monstrous proportions and attack folks on an island paradise. You know the drill. The DVD was a crack-up for a couple reasons beyond just the silliness of the movie itself: the subtitles and and dubbed dialogue (which we ran simultaneously) were often radically and comically mismatched, and the extras included a set of nature program segments on the real-life crabs, turtles, and squids which were possessed by the space creatures. Let's make learning fun! **1/2
become possessed by an alien life form drifting through space as a sparkling blue mist (hence, the amoeba) parachutes into the ocean and infects various creatures (squid, crab, turtle) that, in turn, grow to monstrous proportions and attack folks on an island paradise. You know the drill. The DVD was a crack-up for a couple reasons beyond just the silliness of the movie itself: the subtitles and and dubbed dialogue (which we ran simultaneously) were often radically and comically mismatched, and the extras included a set of nature program segments on the real-life crabs, turtles, and squids which were possessed by the space creatures. Let's make learning fun! **1/2CD
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