One-Liners

Quick hits on some recent rentals:

DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL (C+) - You need a tolerance for fashion and vacuity to sit still for this 86-minute documentary about the 20th century's foremost fashionista. It's fun to glimpse classic clips of Lauren Bacall and Twiggy and Marisa Berenson and the London rock stars of the swinging '60s. This is a fawning film, directed by Vreeland's granddaughter-in-law and starring a string of admirers. Like Vreeland's output at Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, it's a pleasant trifle.

SNOWMAN'S LAND (B) - This is an above-average gangster flick from Germany. Walter (Jurgen Ribmann), a professional killer, has botched a hit and is encouraged to disappear for a while. A colleague pawns off a job to Walter, that of protecting a mob boss hiding out at a mansion tucked into the mountainous woods. He's joined by a goofy co-hort, Micky (Thomas Wodianka), whiling away the time waiting for the boss to return and being entertained by the coked-up, orgy-loving moll who comes and goes. When a serious mistake happens, Walter and Micky must figure out a way to survive and escape. Ribmann and Wodianka look and act like a classic comedy team; I'm thinkingTennessee Tuxedo and Chumley. Actually Ribmann (Chumley) looks like Philip Seymour Hoffman starring in "Bob Stinson: The Final Days"; Micky could be James Farentino co-starring as Perry Farrell. It all plays out in a compact 95 minutes. There is blood and pulp, and a good share of old-fashioned mob torture. It won't make you renounce "Reservoir Dogs," but it works.

Speaking of one liners:
From a self-important 20-year-old in David Chase's '60s time capsule "Not Fade Away," when told that music is supposed to keep you young: "Rock ’n’ roll is an art form! Does Dostoevsky keep you young?"

(review coming soon)