English title: Crane World.
Synopsis: An aging man, living alone and without a job, applies for a position as a crane operator. His son plays in a band.
Appraisal: It walks a thin line between realism and bleakness for its own sake. Some empathy is established toward the main character; he and the supporting ones have enough internal consistency to keep the movie interesting. I can't say that I enjoyed this film much, but it is a coherent piece of character-driven storytelling and that is something. The choice for a black-and-white cinematography (and mediocre at that) is unaccountable.
Rating: 50
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus (2005)
English titles: Movies, Aspirin and Vultures; Movies, Aspirins and Vultures.
Synopsis: In 1942, a German man roams the poverty-stricken Northeast of Brazil selling acetylsalicylic acid pills. He befriends a local.
Appraisal: This is a real drag of a movie, never getting anywhere, and doing so in a rather unappealing fashion. The characters' actions and dialog are right out of the Cliché Factory, with lots of room for civility lessons from the benign foreigner to the uneducated (yet with a good heart down deep) Brazilian. Brazil's middle class and its artistic exponents must be the people who care most about what foreign people think about them, even if these foreigners view Brazil simply in terms of their own personal interests. For the sake of fairness, let me point out that a few sequences show a glimpse of directorial talent, e.g. when the two guys are in the truck with a pretty young hitch-hiker, and there is a well orchestrated succession of glances amongst the three of them. But these are rare occasions and even then they could only interest mise-en-scene freaks. The sour cherry on top of this stale cinematic cake is the mandatory bleached cinematography - nowadays, it's either that or saturated, you take your pick.
Rating: 20
Synopsis: In 1942, a German man roams the poverty-stricken Northeast of Brazil selling acetylsalicylic acid pills. He befriends a local.
Appraisal: This is a real drag of a movie, never getting anywhere, and doing so in a rather unappealing fashion. The characters' actions and dialog are right out of the Cliché Factory, with lots of room for civility lessons from the benign foreigner to the uneducated (yet with a good heart down deep) Brazilian. Brazil's middle class and its artistic exponents must be the people who care most about what foreign people think about them, even if these foreigners view Brazil simply in terms of their own personal interests. For the sake of fairness, let me point out that a few sequences show a glimpse of directorial talent, e.g. when the two guys are in the truck with a pretty young hitch-hiker, and there is a well orchestrated succession of glances amongst the three of them. But these are rare occasions and even then they could only interest mise-en-scene freaks. The sour cherry on top of this stale cinematic cake is the mandatory bleached cinematography - nowadays, it's either that or saturated, you take your pick.
Rating: 20
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
Synopsis: A detective from Detroit witnesses his boss get killed by bandits; the only clue points to a theme park in Los Angeles, so he goes over there to investigate.
Appraisal: This is arguably no more than a routine action comedy, but it is competently done and if you are in an undemanding mood it might keep you entertained for its duration.
Rating: 39
Appraisal: This is arguably no more than a routine action comedy, but it is competently done and if you are in an undemanding mood it might keep you entertained for its duration.
Rating: 39
Family Tree (1999)
Synopsis: A small impoverished town has been chosen as the new site of a big plastics company; the plant's developer faces an obstacle: his own son, who opposes the construction of the plant because they would have to chop down a tree he is fond of; the kid garners the allegiance of an ex-football player.
Appraisal: Corny drama, which cops out of the implications of its plot's demagogy with a deus ex machina ending twist. As a bonus for masochists, you get some equally corny songs at a few sequences. What is somewhat astounding is how, despite all that, it still manages to harbor good performances by Forster, Judd and Robertson.
Rating: 15
Appraisal: Corny drama, which cops out of the implications of its plot's demagogy with a deus ex machina ending twist. As a bonus for masochists, you get some equally corny songs at a few sequences. What is somewhat astounding is how, despite all that, it still manages to harbor good performances by Forster, Judd and Robertson.
Rating: 15
Lição de Amor (1975)
English titles: Love Lesson; A Lesson in Love.
Synopsis: Brazil, the 1920's. A rich man hires a German governess to initiate his adolescent son sexually. Based on the novella "Amar, Verbo Intransitivo" by Mário de Andrade (1st ed. 1927).
Appraisal: Interesting film about the inner workings of the bourgeoisie of the early twentieth century. Sadly, though, I feel that its almost surgically detached style is quite in conflict with its sentimental, plaintive musical score. Hime is a good composer, but he and the film director should have strived for more consistent visions.
Rating: 53
Synopsis: Brazil, the 1920's. A rich man hires a German governess to initiate his adolescent son sexually. Based on the novella "Amar, Verbo Intransitivo" by Mário de Andrade (1st ed. 1927).
Appraisal: Interesting film about the inner workings of the bourgeoisie of the early twentieth century. Sadly, though, I feel that its almost surgically detached style is quite in conflict with its sentimental, plaintive musical score. Hime is a good composer, but he and the film director should have strived for more consistent visions.
Rating: 53
Baixo Gávea (1986)
Synopsis: Two friends live together; they are both working on a play about Portuguese poets of the early 20th century, one directing it and the other as an actress. Clara, the director, is having successive unsuccessful relationships with men, whereas Ana, the actress, is facing similar problems, only with women.
Appraisal: This is above average for a Brazilian film, both directorially and in terms of performances; all the same, I found it a little too insubstantial and flimsy for my taste; I guess it's not to be dismissed, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's not to be missed.
Rating: 48
Appraisal: This is above average for a Brazilian film, both directorially and in terms of performances; all the same, I found it a little too insubstantial and flimsy for my taste; I guess it's not to be dismissed, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's not to be missed.
Rating: 48
Marjorie Morningstar (1958)
Synopsis: A young aspiring actress working on a summer camp falls in love with a songwriter working as a social director in the neighboring camp. He is older than she is. Based on a novel by Herman Wouk (1st ed. 1955).
Appraisal: Love story which aims at realism and psychological depth, examining the influence that family and social conventions have on the sex life of young females. I found it kind of dull on several occasions. Wood is fine, as always. The film's ending illustrates the old saying that "it's better to be an ant's head than an elephant's foot".
Rating: 48
Appraisal: Love story which aims at realism and psychological depth, examining the influence that family and social conventions have on the sex life of young females. I found it kind of dull on several occasions. Wood is fine, as always. The film's ending illustrates the old saying that "it's better to be an ant's head than an elephant's foot".
Rating: 48
The Spiral Road (1962)
Synopsis: In 1936, a young Dutch physician goes to the island of Java to work with lepers under the guidance of an old specialist. Based on the novel "Gods geuzen" by Jan de Hartog (1st ed. 1947).
Appraisal: Fairly adventurous and entertaining medical drama which delves into philosophical and psychological questions about faith. It is uniformly well acted.
Rating: 52
Appraisal: Fairly adventurous and entertaining medical drama which delves into philosophical and psychological questions about faith. It is uniformly well acted.
Rating: 52
Nicholas' Gift (1998) (TV)
Synopsis: An American family in Italy is attacked by bandits.
Appraisal: Medical drama based on true events, and nothing special. Governments should make organ donation mandatory, thus sparing us this kind of mediocre film. If they have seen fit to rule our living habits, and forbid us to do things with our bodies which couldn't possibly concern them, such as use drugs, why on Earth need they be so scrupulous about putting our dead bodies to good use?
Rating: 39
Appraisal: Medical drama based on true events, and nothing special. Governments should make organ donation mandatory, thus sparing us this kind of mediocre film. If they have seen fit to rule our living habits, and forbid us to do things with our bodies which couldn't possibly concern them, such as use drugs, why on Earth need they be so scrupulous about putting our dead bodies to good use?
Rating: 39
In This World (2002)
Synopsis: Two Afghan men - an adult and a 16-year-old boy - leave their refugee camp in Pakistan on a journey by land to London.
Appraisal: My appreciation was somewhat damaged because of two small annoyances. (1) If the refugees' lives are so miserable, as was stated in the film, how come the kid had an uncle living outside the camp who apparently was rich enough to throw generous amounts of money to street performers? Why, I naively inquire, doesn't this so-called uncle help his nephew(s) in other ways than simply sending them abroad? (2) Were the film frames horizontally compressed due to the TV channel's incorrect handling, or was the film really shot like that? Aside from these nuisances, the film is watchable and has some value as an exposé; the authenticity of the location shooting is what makes it distinctive, I guess.
Rating: 48
Appraisal: My appreciation was somewhat damaged because of two small annoyances. (1) If the refugees' lives are so miserable, as was stated in the film, how come the kid had an uncle living outside the camp who apparently was rich enough to throw generous amounts of money to street performers? Why, I naively inquire, doesn't this so-called uncle help his nephew(s) in other ways than simply sending them abroad? (2) Were the film frames horizontally compressed due to the TV channel's incorrect handling, or was the film really shot like that? Aside from these nuisances, the film is watchable and has some value as an exposé; the authenticity of the location shooting is what makes it distinctive, I guess.
Rating: 48
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Flandersui gae (2000)
English titles: Barking Dogs Never Bite; Flanders' Dog.
Synopsis: The lives of several characters living in a huge condominium intersect in connection with certain dogs living there.
Appraisal: Nice little comedy, with a refined screenplay and able direction; it is remarkably well scored too. This film is not as well known as the two subsequent ones by this filmmaker, and yet I prefer it to them.
Rating: 74 (10th position among 2000's best films)
Synopsis: The lives of several characters living in a huge condominium intersect in connection with certain dogs living there.
Appraisal: Nice little comedy, with a refined screenplay and able direction; it is remarkably well scored too. This film is not as well known as the two subsequent ones by this filmmaker, and yet I prefer it to them.
Rating: 74 (10th position among 2000's best films)
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Son of the Pink Panther (1993)
Synopsis: Two Arab nations have some sort of political quarrel, which causes one of them to kidnap the other one's princess. A police task force led by Commissioner Dreyfus is put in charge of the princess's rescue. Young inspector Gambrelli is placed as Dreyfus's assistant; he is a clumsy person, provoking many disastrous incidents.
Appraisal: Utterly unattractive comedy, whose very reason for existence would be put in doubt were it not regarded as the financially logical continuation of a very popular cinematic franchise. The box office results proved them wrong.
Rating: 16
Appraisal: Utterly unattractive comedy, whose very reason for existence would be put in doubt were it not regarded as the financially logical continuation of a very popular cinematic franchise. The box office results proved them wrong.
Rating: 16
Saturday, October 20, 2007
O Homem da Capa Preta (1986)
English title: The Man in the Black Cape.
Synopsis: The film tells the political trajectory of a Brazilian populist politician, spanning approximately three decades up until 1964.
Appraisal: The story is interesting and the screenplay, in its broad lines, manages to successfully synthesize Cavalcanti's political career. Some specific sequences are almost good, such as the scene with the gun-lighter, and the TV recording session. Most of the film, however, is marred by its lousy direction; nearly every scene or sequence that exhibits some spacial dynamics or any complexity above a simple close-up is executed in a painfully amateurish way.
Rating: 31
Synopsis: The film tells the political trajectory of a Brazilian populist politician, spanning approximately three decades up until 1964.
Appraisal: The story is interesting and the screenplay, in its broad lines, manages to successfully synthesize Cavalcanti's political career. Some specific sequences are almost good, such as the scene with the gun-lighter, and the TV recording session. Most of the film, however, is marred by its lousy direction; nearly every scene or sequence that exhibits some spacial dynamics or any complexity above a simple close-up is executed in a painfully amateurish way.
Rating: 31
Friday, October 19, 2007
Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)
Synopsis: A rich white boy has assimilated hip-hop African-American cultural values into his personality; his politician father hires African-American actors to fake his kidnapping, with the purpose of making him reassume his white heritage.
Appraisal: The main character is really funy; this is basically a one-joke movie, but it is not unpleasant.
Rating: 51
Appraisal: The main character is really funy; this is basically a one-joke movie, but it is not unpleasant.
Rating: 51
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Che! (1969)
Synopsis: Che fights alongside Castro and his Cuban rebels against Batista. He is an internationalist as opposed to Castro's belief in "consolidating" the revolution domestically (mirroring the earlier opposition between Trotsky and Lenin in the Soviet Revolution). He goes to Bolivia in the hopes of starting a revolution that would spread throughout Latin America. He neglects the basic principles of guerrilla fighting, which he himself had laid out in a classic book, and pays the price with his own life.
Appraisal: Biopic that is short and to-the-point, and boasts good cinematography and a literate screenplay (by left-winger Richard Wilson - who allegedly repudiated the movie - among others). Sharif as the title character conveys his emotions and states of mind in a subtle yet powerful way; Palance delivers a delightful caricature of the real Castro (although - allegedly - he had opposed to this approach at first). From what I know from having watched documentaries respectively about Castro and Che himself, the film is mostly historically accurate, and I honestly don't think that its occasional inaccuracies harm the picture in a significant way. I watched it in a pan-and-scan version, so I am not able to judge the finer detail of the visual compositions and camerawork. Bottom line: not a great movie, but it does the job of telling a story in a reasonable manner.
Rating: 50
Appraisal: Biopic that is short and to-the-point, and boasts good cinematography and a literate screenplay (by left-winger Richard Wilson - who allegedly repudiated the movie - among others). Sharif as the title character conveys his emotions and states of mind in a subtle yet powerful way; Palance delivers a delightful caricature of the real Castro (although - allegedly - he had opposed to this approach at first). From what I know from having watched documentaries respectively about Castro and Che himself, the film is mostly historically accurate, and I honestly don't think that its occasional inaccuracies harm the picture in a significant way. I watched it in a pan-and-scan version, so I am not able to judge the finer detail of the visual compositions and camerawork. Bottom line: not a great movie, but it does the job of telling a story in a reasonable manner.
Rating: 50
Radio (2003)
Synopsis: A football coach takes a retarded young man under his wing, arousing some hostility among certain members of his community.
Appraisal: The subject of idiocy is an unfriendly one, and so is probably that of charity, that is, how far should individual initiative go when it disturbs an established order of things. As a case study pertaining to those moral issues, or as a simple storytelling vehicle, the film is quite acceptable, displaying good footbal sequences withal.
Rating: 50
Appraisal: The subject of idiocy is an unfriendly one, and so is probably that of charity, that is, how far should individual initiative go when it disturbs an established order of things. As a case study pertaining to those moral issues, or as a simple storytelling vehicle, the film is quite acceptable, displaying good footbal sequences withal.
Rating: 50
Kill Bill (2003 & 2004)
Synopsis: A woman seeks revenge after a massacre during her wedding rehearsal which leaves her in a comatose state.
Appraisal: Sound and fury signifying nothing. I have heard of style over substance, but here we don't even have that; it's rather a pastiche of styles devoid of substance. The insistence on severed limbs, gouged eyes and other assorted mutilations is puzzling. The film is practically an encyclopedia of accessory characteristics of cheap cinema of bygone eras (e.g. shrill synthesizer music during moments of suspense, hyperfast zooming in and out of the martial arts teacher, and so on). Come to think of it, everything in this film is derived from fetish, be it sexual or cinema-oriented. The problem is that none of the genuine emotions conveyed by the original sources are present here; you can see clearly the artificiality of it all. In fact, he is dealing here precisely with cinematic traits that can best (only?) be savored first-hand; context is important. What is touching, if anything, about those exploitation films of the 60's and 70's is their authenticity; unfortunately, it is inevitably lost in translation.
Rating: 28
Appraisal: Sound and fury signifying nothing. I have heard of style over substance, but here we don't even have that; it's rather a pastiche of styles devoid of substance. The insistence on severed limbs, gouged eyes and other assorted mutilations is puzzling. The film is practically an encyclopedia of accessory characteristics of cheap cinema of bygone eras (e.g. shrill synthesizer music during moments of suspense, hyperfast zooming in and out of the martial arts teacher, and so on). Come to think of it, everything in this film is derived from fetish, be it sexual or cinema-oriented. The problem is that none of the genuine emotions conveyed by the original sources are present here; you can see clearly the artificiality of it all. In fact, he is dealing here precisely with cinematic traits that can best (only?) be savored first-hand; context is important. What is touching, if anything, about those exploitation films of the 60's and 70's is their authenticity; unfortunately, it is inevitably lost in translation.
Rating: 28
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Synopsis: Ethan must go back in the field in a rescue mission. It's all about a black market peddler who is planning to sell a device to a Middle Eastern country.
Appraisal: It's an "Alias" episode, stretched and with more spectacular action sequences.
Rating: 40
Appraisal: It's an "Alias" episode, stretched and with more spectacular action sequences.
Rating: 40
An Eye for an Eye (1981)
Synopsis: A cop witnesses his partner get killed when they are following a suspect. He subsequently waives his badge and gun. When said partner's journalist girlfriend is murdered, he decides to find the culprits by himself.
Appraisal: Derivative actioner; it takes some of the elements from Dirty Harry (1971) while reshaping the main character as a martial arts expert. When justice outside the law was the exclusive turf of superheroes it was harder for viewers to consider them as feasible models to follow. Thus, you wouldn't see people practicing flight for instance, whereas the martial arts gym business boomed after An Eye for an Eye. Anywhow, there is some amount of undemanding entertainment to be had from it; it is competently filmed, etc.
Rating: 34
Appraisal: Derivative actioner; it takes some of the elements from Dirty Harry (1971) while reshaping the main character as a martial arts expert. When justice outside the law was the exclusive turf of superheroes it was harder for viewers to consider them as feasible models to follow. Thus, you wouldn't see people practicing flight for instance, whereas the martial arts gym business boomed after An Eye for an Eye. Anywhow, there is some amount of undemanding entertainment to be had from it; it is competently filmed, etc.
Rating: 34
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Babe (1992)
Synopsis: Seven year old George is put in a catholic boarding school by his father, because of his unruly behavior. Already as a boy he displays enormous baseball skills. One day a baseball manager sees him play and offers to adopt him in exchange for his release from the boarding school. He almost instantly becomes America's most successful and famous baseball player. He meets an aspiring actress who seems to like him. He develops an infatuation for a waitress who is fond of animals; he proposes to her. His lifestyle is excessive and undisciplined, and that causes him a series of troubles.
Appraisal: This film belongs to two categories which rarely stand very high in my esteem: the biopic and the sports movie. When a film manages to escape the reverential tone of the former and the dullness of the latter, it has gone as far as it can for me in those genres; this film does both. It manages to build a believable character, to whom we are sympathetic and whose fortunes and misfortunes never get tedious. The real events on which it is based were previously dramatized in The Babe Ruth Story (1948), which I haven't seen.
Rating: 57
Appraisal: This film belongs to two categories which rarely stand very high in my esteem: the biopic and the sports movie. When a film manages to escape the reverential tone of the former and the dullness of the latter, it has gone as far as it can for me in those genres; this film does both. It manages to build a believable character, to whom we are sympathetic and whose fortunes and misfortunes never get tedious. The real events on which it is based were previously dramatized in The Babe Ruth Story (1948), which I haven't seen.
Rating: 57
It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
Synopsis: An exploratory trip to Mars ends up with only one survivor. Another team is sent to rescue this man and send him to court-martial for the murder of the rest of his crew. He claims to be innocent and that some alien creature killed those persons. That creature enters the rescue ship and, during the trip back to Earth, continues its killing spree.
Appraisal: This is one of those films so demented that a certain surreal quality somehow transpires from them. To put it another way, the earnestness, conviction and energy with which its mechanical plot is conveyed gives it a certain amount of attractiveness despite its inherent silliness and the conspicuous poverty of its sets, costumes and effects. It was remade as Queen of Blood (1966), which I haven't seen; the concept of a monster in a spaceship was used again in Alien (1979).
Rating: 34
Appraisal: This is one of those films so demented that a certain surreal quality somehow transpires from them. To put it another way, the earnestness, conviction and energy with which its mechanical plot is conveyed gives it a certain amount of attractiveness despite its inherent silliness and the conspicuous poverty of its sets, costumes and effects. It was remade as Queen of Blood (1966), which I haven't seen; the concept of a monster in a spaceship was used again in Alien (1979).
Rating: 34
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Me Myself I (1999)
Synopsis: A frustrated and lonely woman is hit by a car and then transported to an alternate reality where she meets her other self, who took different decisions earlier in life. She and this other self then exchange their respective lives. She is thus placed in a situation where she is married to a guy she had rejected in her original life thread, a decision she regretted; she also has three children to look after, in her new reality.
Appraisal: Not completely unentertaining existential comedy which is however fairly predictable; it is a variation on the dramatically-oriented Giulia e Giulia (1987); it is also (apparently) a female version of Mr. Destiny (1990), which I haven't seen - by the way, The Family Man (2000) is another film which owes its main plot ideas to that 1990 film. Earlier works which deal in similar "what if" issues are Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). The "parallel lives" aspect was present also in La double vie de Véronique (1991), which is barely worth mentioning since it is so bad, and in a film I haven't seen, Passion of Mind (2000). And I have a vague notion of having also seen a TV show episode which had a resembling storyline; the show was perhaps "The Twilight Zone".
Rating: 38
Appraisal: Not completely unentertaining existential comedy which is however fairly predictable; it is a variation on the dramatically-oriented Giulia e Giulia (1987); it is also (apparently) a female version of Mr. Destiny (1990), which I haven't seen - by the way, The Family Man (2000) is another film which owes its main plot ideas to that 1990 film. Earlier works which deal in similar "what if" issues are Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). The "parallel lives" aspect was present also in La double vie de Véronique (1991), which is barely worth mentioning since it is so bad, and in a film I haven't seen, Passion of Mind (2000). And I have a vague notion of having also seen a TV show episode which had a resembling storyline; the show was perhaps "The Twilight Zone".
Rating: 38
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
Synopsis: A live radio show has what is supposed to be its last performance before the new owners of the building tears it down.
Appraisal: Tame and uninspired musical drama. Some performances are good (note to self: watch anything Kline is in), others not quite (e.g. Tomlin); it is quite clear that there was no direction of actors in this movie (e.g. Lohan looks her ordinary, healthy self, not someone who writes poems about suicide). And about the Angel of Death - I guess they could come up with a less worn out cliché.
Rating: 43
Appraisal: Tame and uninspired musical drama. Some performances are good (note to self: watch anything Kline is in), others not quite (e.g. Tomlin); it is quite clear that there was no direction of actors in this movie (e.g. Lohan looks her ordinary, healthy self, not someone who writes poems about suicide). And about the Angel of Death - I guess they could come up with a less worn out cliché.
Rating: 43
Monday, October 08, 2007
A Glimpse of Hell (2001) (TV)
Synopsis: An explosion in an American battleship happens during an experimental shooting of the cannons. The Navy conducts an investigation during which it is attempted to produce a conclusion which is advantageous to the institution, regardless of the truth.
Appraisal: Unremarkable yet superficially competent dramatization of a real event occurred in 1989.
Rating: 38
Appraisal: Unremarkable yet superficially competent dramatization of a real event occurred in 1989.
Rating: 38
Duplex (2003)
Synopsis: A newlywed couple buys a house but cannot evict the upstairs tenant, an old woman. She makes their lives hell after they move in.
Appraisal: A variation on The Ladykillers (1955), to which it pays homage through its male and female young protagonists' last names. The first half of the movie is enjoyable at its best and tolerable at its worst. The second half is tolerable at its best and offensive at its worst. The director of this movie, although he hasn't written it or any of his previous ones, exhibits some thematic recurrences which are not hard to detect. Throw Momma from the Train (1987), like this one, had an old lady which was loathsome and hard to kill. The War of the Roses (1989) also had indoors belligerence. Matilda (1996) depicted another kind of tyranny of the older against the younger. And Death to Smoochy (2002) had, as here, one character's relentless efforts to destroy another. Hitchcock references seem to be recurring as well: "Duplex" references "The Birds" at one scene, "Throw Momma from the Train" is a loose remake of "Strangers on a Train".
Rating: 46
Appraisal: A variation on The Ladykillers (1955), to which it pays homage through its male and female young protagonists' last names. The first half of the movie is enjoyable at its best and tolerable at its worst. The second half is tolerable at its best and offensive at its worst. The director of this movie, although he hasn't written it or any of his previous ones, exhibits some thematic recurrences which are not hard to detect. Throw Momma from the Train (1987), like this one, had an old lady which was loathsome and hard to kill. The War of the Roses (1989) also had indoors belligerence. Matilda (1996) depicted another kind of tyranny of the older against the younger. And Death to Smoochy (2002) had, as here, one character's relentless efforts to destroy another. Hitchcock references seem to be recurring as well: "Duplex" references "The Birds" at one scene, "Throw Momma from the Train" is a loose remake of "Strangers on a Train".
Rating: 46
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Synopsis: A lobbyist for the tobacco industry is shown at his work and also in his interactions with his infant son. He starts a sexual relationship with a reporter who is making a story on him. Based on a novel by Christopher Buckley (1st ed. 1994).
Appraisal: Smart and witty, but somewhat lacking in really substantial contents; formally it is pedestrian, showing also a disturbing and unjustified penchant for extreme close-ups.
Rating: 58
Appraisal: Smart and witty, but somewhat lacking in really substantial contents; formally it is pedestrian, showing also a disturbing and unjustified penchant for extreme close-ups.
Rating: 58
Brick (2005)
Synopsis: A high school student's ex-girlfriend tells him she is in serious trouble but won't explain it except in the vaguest of terms. Some days later he finds her dead body. He sets up an investigation on his own.
Appraisal: A mimicry stunt which just does not have enough stamina to work on its own, without the heavy burden of cultural reference it carries. The dialogue is crisp to the point of affectation but the story plods along flatly. More or less similar things have been done before, as comedy though. Once, in the film Plain Clothes (1988), and I think the other one was a TV episode, but of which show? "Parker Lewis Can't Lose", probably.
Rating: 47
Appraisal: A mimicry stunt which just does not have enough stamina to work on its own, without the heavy burden of cultural reference it carries. The dialogue is crisp to the point of affectation but the story plods along flatly. More or less similar things have been done before, as comedy though. Once, in the film Plain Clothes (1988), and I think the other one was a TV episode, but of which show? "Parker Lewis Can't Lose", probably.
Rating: 47
Eros (2004)
Synopsis (mild spoilers): (1) The Dangerous Thread of Things. A man and a woman are facing a crisis in their relationship. One day, he sees a younger woman and feels attracted to her. He seeks her out. (2) Equilibrium. An advertising creator has recurring dreams about a woman whom he cannot identify. In a psychoanalysis sesssion, he tries to get to the bottom of it. (3) The Hand. A bond develops between a prostitute and her tailor whom she masturbates when they first meet.
Appraisal: Of segment (1), the less said the better; it is embarrassing for all involved. Segments (2) and (3) are both small pieces of great cinema. Segment (2) is a gem of ingeniousness and quirky humor, a circular construction about dreams, featuring the funniest shrink you ever saw in a movie. Only superficial minds will find it unrelated to the title theme. Segment (3) is a tale imbued of strong lyricism and melancholy, thematically related to, and more dramatically accomplished and emotionally effective than In the Mood for Love, by the same filmmaker.
Rating: (1) The Dangerous Thread of Things: 1
(2) Equilibrium: 80 [so far, 2004's best film I saw]
(3) The Hand: 80 [so far, 2004's second best film I saw]
Appraisal: Of segment (1), the less said the better; it is embarrassing for all involved. Segments (2) and (3) are both small pieces of great cinema. Segment (2) is a gem of ingeniousness and quirky humor, a circular construction about dreams, featuring the funniest shrink you ever saw in a movie. Only superficial minds will find it unrelated to the title theme. Segment (3) is a tale imbued of strong lyricism and melancholy, thematically related to, and more dramatically accomplished and emotionally effective than In the Mood for Love, by the same filmmaker.
Rating: (1) The Dangerous Thread of Things: 1
(2) Equilibrium: 80 [so far, 2004's best film I saw]
(3) The Hand: 80 [so far, 2004's second best film I saw]
Transamerica (2005)
Synopsis: A transexual on the brink of having his sex-change operation unexpectedly finds out about a son from a casual sex encounter with a now dead former college friend.
Appraisal (spoilers): Road drama which has little dramatic strength due mostly to poorly written characters who have little depth and at times behave unconvincingly (possible lowest point: the boy trying to have sex with Bree). Every cliché of recent films is in this movie - the car-stealing hiker, the sexually abusing stepfather, etc. Not completely unwatchable, yet a sad reminder of the lowering writing standards of modern films.
Rating: 30
Appraisal (spoilers): Road drama which has little dramatic strength due mostly to poorly written characters who have little depth and at times behave unconvincingly (possible lowest point: the boy trying to have sex with Bree). Every cliché of recent films is in this movie - the car-stealing hiker, the sexually abusing stepfather, etc. Not completely unwatchable, yet a sad reminder of the lowering writing standards of modern films.
Rating: 30
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Synopsis: A robot is sent from the future to kill a boy who will become a resistance leader; another robot is sent to protect him.
Appraisal: Moderately entertaining actioner; I don't understand all the adoration toward it. This was my second viewing, and I liked it better this time around, but it still hasn't quite struck a chord in me.
Rating: 42 (up from 30)
Appraisal: Moderately entertaining actioner; I don't understand all the adoration toward it. This was my second viewing, and I liked it better this time around, but it still hasn't quite struck a chord in me.
Rating: 42 (up from 30)
Monday, October 01, 2007
La mujer de mi hermano (2005)
Synopsis: Married woman is not sexually satisfied and begins an affair with her husband's brother.
Appraisal: It is absolutely amazing how honest the producers of this film were, by naming the production company 'Shallow Entertainment', because that is a very accurate description of this film. There is a curious coincidental element which is present in this film and also in Capturing the Friedmans (2003), which was released a year after the novel on which La mujer de mi hermano is based came out. There is, however, an apparent difference in the way things happen, and a very big difference in the further development of the characters' history after that event, in the films I mentioned.
Rating: 45
Appraisal: It is absolutely amazing how honest the producers of this film were, by naming the production company 'Shallow Entertainment', because that is a very accurate description of this film. There is a curious coincidental element which is present in this film and also in Capturing the Friedmans (2003), which was released a year after the novel on which La mujer de mi hermano is based came out. There is, however, an apparent difference in the way things happen, and a very big difference in the further development of the characters' history after that event, in the films I mentioned.
Rating: 45
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Synopsis: Neo heads to the City of the Machines; the Hammer returns to Zion, which meanwhile suffers a massive attack of Sentinels.
Appraisal: This is even more hopeless than the earlier installments; the plot does not make sense and the exhibition of complex computer-generated imagery seems to be the sole purpose of the film. If you cannot follow my earlier advice and ignore the whole series, stick to the first two films. The open-endedness will not be a big problem - you might even think of it as a philosophical requirement, somehow - and you will spare yourself witnessing the relinquishment of the last shred of dignity the series still possessed.
Rating: 28
Appraisal: This is even more hopeless than the earlier installments; the plot does not make sense and the exhibition of complex computer-generated imagery seems to be the sole purpose of the film. If you cannot follow my earlier advice and ignore the whole series, stick to the first two films. The open-endedness will not be a big problem - you might even think of it as a philosophical requirement, somehow - and you will spare yourself witnessing the relinquishment of the last shred of dignity the series still possessed.
Rating: 28
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Synopsis: Humans are controlled by computers, who plug them into an illusory reality. A bunch of rebels try to reach the system kernel hoping to undo this state of oppression. They fail, because there must be a third extremely lucrative entry in this saga.
Appraisal: Second viewing, no dozing off this time, of this solemn sci-fi soap-opera whose highlight is a highly elaborate car chase in its latter half. Dump this boring trilogy for the similarly themed and more enjoyable eXistenZ (1999).
Rating: 39
Appraisal: Second viewing, no dozing off this time, of this solemn sci-fi soap-opera whose highlight is a highly elaborate car chase in its latter half. Dump this boring trilogy for the similarly themed and more enjoyable eXistenZ (1999).
Rating: 39
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
