Movies
Now that the pro cycling seasoned is official over, I figured it would be nice to give this film a go. Turns out this isn't really a film about cycling, I even wonder if director Yates ever watched an entire cycling classic/stage. Breaking Away is really a coming-of-age drama about a boy who loves to cycle. It's a decent enough coming-of-age drama, with likeable characters, but it's also pretty forgettable. The drama is expected, the cycling bits are poorly executed, and the styling is negligible. Throw in some basic romance and a cookie cutter sports finale, and you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect.Read all
A precursor to the cinema of the 70s. Gritty, and somewhat more intense, while also having that little dash of experimentation that made the 60s an interesting era for cinema. Bullitt isn't a typical action film, it's way too controlled and stylized, it's just that I didn't really care for Yates' choices here. There's not much dialogue, a lot of the work is done by the cinematography and the score. I appreciate the idea, but the score was quite grating and the dull colors and static camera work weren't the most appealing. Still, it's a lot better than similar attempts from that time. Slightly better than expected.Read all
Vintage 70s crime flick. Not as famous as the more illustrious films of that era, but the tone and vibe are there (though I was a little surprised this was early rather than late 70s). I'm not a big fan of the era, nor the genre, so I was glad this turned out to be a shorter film, not one of the 2+ hour films that tend to be the norm. The performances aren't too bad, and the heists are somewhat decent. Pacing and runtime are proper too, but the presentation is dreary, and the film offers little beyond the usual crime clichés. Fans of 70s crime cinema won't mind, but I didn't find that much to like. That said, I've seen way worse.Read all