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Now already on episode 3 I can say without a doubt. "Feud" is totally addictive. The writing, the direction, costumes and production design, it all works beautifully, satisfying those who knew nothing about the story and those of us who knew a great deal. The biggest surprise, however is the Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon's performances that puts everything into a level way above, camp and/or caricature. Their performances are serious, profound, all consuming. Two modern stars throw themselves into the emotional investigation of two stars from the past and the results are, let me say it, extraordinary. I'm looking at Joan Crawford through an entirely new perspective. Jessica Lange has humanized her without embellishing her and Susan Sarandon plays with Bette Davis's contradictions making them crystal clear even finding a sort of justification for them. I saw the 3rd episode "Mommie Dearest" twice in a row. That's how riveted I was and still am. Let me also mention Alfred Molina as Robert Aldrich. Sensational.

Watching Teorema for the first time in 2017 it gave me a chill by the influence this movie clearly had on "Apartment Zero" (1988) - A film I only discovered last year but it has become one of my favorites. I know "Apartment Zero" so well by now, that at times it felt (felt is the operative word)I was in their same universe. They are both socio-political psycho sexual tales. Terence Stamp and Hart Bochner even look related to each other. Colin Firth represents a Country in decadence with a past of elegant pride, Massimo Girotti represents, for me, exactly the same things for different reasons in different ways but they are both seduceable in the eyes of the stranger. To think that Teorema was made in 1968 and Apartment Zero in 1988, boggles the mind. Mine anyway.

A story of twists and turns with a sticky sexual link. Jane Fonda and Alain Delon are reason enough to enjoy this French noir but there is more. Lola Albright for instance. Wow! She's a retro futuristic femme fatale. Then Rene Clement, the director of "Purple Noon" knows how to keep us on the edge of our seats without sacrificing that elegant center that makes the whole think work beautifully. "Joy House" was made a few short years after Delon starred in Luchino Visconti's "Rocco And His Brothers" This were Delon's superstar years and he uses the power of his stardom to confuse us and tease us to death. I'm not going to spoil it for you so I don't intend to reveal it but it has one of those endings that's not just fun and clever but totally unexpected. A very enjoyable semi-precious gem.