Musical remake of a 1968 film.
A dishonest Broadway producer puts into practice a scam concocted by his accountant-turned-associate: to produce a bad play which would flop and then to pocket the excess money they had raised. Only the play turns out to be a hit.
This musical version didn't do it for me, although the lyrics are quite good and the cast is competent.
Rating: 48
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Diggers (2006)
The lives of clam diggers in Long Island in 1975 when a big corporation threatens their way of life.
I guess this is not too bad, but I wouldn't call it exciting or original.
Rating: 43
I guess this is not too bad, but I wouldn't call it exciting or original.
Rating: 43
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Seinfeld: The Slicer (1997) (TV)
Probably a second viewing. This episode is one of the most intricately concocted pieces of writing I have seen in a TV show.
Constantine (2005)
Based on a comics series whose main character was created by Alan Moore in 1985.
Satan's son plans to rule the Earth; an exorcist tries to stop him.
Very poor in every sense. Consciously or not, it is a metaphor for the immigration policy of First World countries.
Rating: 18
Satan's son plans to rule the Earth; an exorcist tries to stop him.
Very poor in every sense. Consciously or not, it is a metaphor for the immigration policy of First World countries.
Rating: 18
No Country for Old Men (2007)
A man finds a suitcase full of money in the site of a drug deal gone bad. He is chased by several parties involved with it.
Melancholically devoid of coherence, it nevertheless bears locally enjoyable set-pieces and often marvelously written dialogue.
Rating: 50
Melancholically devoid of coherence, it nevertheless bears locally enjoyable set-pieces and often marvelously written dialogue.
Rating: 50
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004)
English title: A Very Long Engagement.
Based on the novel by Sébastien Japrisot (1st ed. 1991).
In 1920, a young woman whose fiancé doesn't return from war begins searching for him.
Dull and without any psychological truth; stylistically, it is an artificial, sterilized candy sculpture of a movie.
Rating: 25
Based on the novel by Sébastien Japrisot (1st ed. 1991).
In 1920, a young woman whose fiancé doesn't return from war begins searching for him.
Dull and without any psychological truth; stylistically, it is an artificial, sterilized candy sculpture of a movie.
Rating: 25
Fear No Evil (1969) (TV)
A man buys an antique mirror and begins acting weird, much to his fiancée's dismay.
This belongs to the "mumbo-jumbo" genre (my denomination). Anyway, it gave me the desire to read "Moses and Monotheism".
Rating: 37
This belongs to the "mumbo-jumbo" genre (my denomination). Anyway, it gave me the desire to read "Moses and Monotheism".
Rating: 37
Hostel (2005)
Some American tourists in Slovakia fall victim to a ring of sadists.
Not bad.
Rating: 53
Not bad.
Rating: 53
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
End of Days (1999)
On the eve of the year 2000, the Devil would impregnate a certain woman. A certain religious organization plans to kill her, and thus prevent that event to happen. A private security guard gets mixed up in this affair and tries to save the girl from being killed and also from what he thinks is a bad sexual encounter.
A totally silly premise made into a hopelessly vacuous yet not badly directed film. It may be thought of as a demonstration piece for the case that the horror and action genres don't mix well, the latter being heavily reliant on rules (physical ones, mostly) and the former being based on situations where one or more rules cease to prevail.
Rating: 22
A totally silly premise made into a hopelessly vacuous yet not badly directed film. It may be thought of as a demonstration piece for the case that the horror and action genres don't mix well, the latter being heavily reliant on rules (physical ones, mostly) and the former being based on situations where one or more rules cease to prevail.
Rating: 22
Monday, October 20, 2008
'R Xmas (2001)
isSome days in the life of a drug dealer and his family, near Christmas. He is kidnapped and his wife has to come up with the ransom money.
Bad stuff, and shot in cheap video to boot. Believe me, there is too little going on here, and some of it doesn't even make sense.
Rating: 19
Bad stuff, and shot in cheap video to boot. Believe me, there is too little going on here, and some of it doesn't even make sense.
Rating: 19
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Black Irish (2007)
A family of Irish ascent living in South Boston faces some problems. The film is told from the point of view of the youngest son.
It couldn't get more cliché than this, even though these are fairly realistic clichés, and the film can be said to stick to plausible situations throughout.
Rating: 37
It couldn't get more cliché than this, even though these are fairly realistic clichés, and the film can be said to stick to plausible situations throughout.
Rating: 37
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
This is my second viewing. Here you have the original review and a Post Scriptum where I reconsider some of my initial remarks.
Rating: 35 (up from 10)
Rating: 35 (up from 10)
Touch (1997)
Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard (1st ed. 1987).
A young man has the power to heal through his touch. He becomes the target of public attention and is coveted on the one side by some money-hungry people and on the other by a religious fanatic.
It has some marginal entertaining qualities and top-notch cinematography and camerawork, but it is not particularly funny; its points of satire are either painly obvious (people are greedy) or find no resonance in my personal concerns (there is no room for the sacred in contemporary society). What ruins the movie, though, is the bland, indecisive tone, an intermediary between caricature and earnest drama. Arnold's performance is pretty marvelous, in any case.
Rating: 35
A young man has the power to heal through his touch. He becomes the target of public attention and is coveted on the one side by some money-hungry people and on the other by a religious fanatic.
It has some marginal entertaining qualities and top-notch cinematography and camerawork, but it is not particularly funny; its points of satire are either painly obvious (people are greedy) or find no resonance in my personal concerns (there is no room for the sacred in contemporary society). What ruins the movie, though, is the bland, indecisive tone, an intermediary between caricature and earnest drama. Arnold's performance is pretty marvelous, in any case.
Rating: 35
Friday, October 17, 2008
Les égarés (2003)
English title: Strayed.
A widow and her two children flee Paris when the Germans invade it. On the road they meet a young man and decide to follow him into the woods. They find an abandoned house and begin living there.
Interesting drama which is nevertheless marred by some artificial character behavior and dialogue. The bombing scenes at the beginning are impressive.
Rating: 53
A widow and her two children flee Paris when the Germans invade it. On the road they meet a young man and decide to follow him into the woods. They find an abandoned house and begin living there.
Interesting drama which is nevertheless marred by some artificial character behavior and dialogue. The bombing scenes at the beginning are impressive.
Rating: 53
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Spun (2002)
Some days in the life of some drug addicts.
The fast-cutting gets wearisome eventually; the film is funny, although the druggie genre was a bit saturated by then.
Rating: 50
The fast-cutting gets wearisome eventually; the film is funny, although the druggie genre was a bit saturated by then.
Rating: 50
La fe del volcán (2001)
English title: The Faith of the Volcano.
The film narrates, sort of, the friendship between an adolescent girl and a middle-aged man, both struggling for their lives in crisis-stricken Argentina.
This is a zero-budget film, shot in poor-quality video, without much emphasis on narrative focus -- it starts as a documentary about the filmmaker, then changes to the main storyline, described above.
Rating: 23
The film narrates, sort of, the friendship between an adolescent girl and a middle-aged man, both struggling for their lives in crisis-stricken Argentina.
This is a zero-budget film, shot in poor-quality video, without much emphasis on narrative focus -- it starts as a documentary about the filmmaker, then changes to the main storyline, described above.
Rating: 23
Mortel transfert (2001)
English title: Mortal Transfer.
A shrink falls asleep during a session and when he wakes up he finds that his patient, a woman with masochistic tendencies, is dead by strangling.
Uninspired.
Rating: 30
P.S.: Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.
A shrink falls asleep during a session and when he wakes up he finds that his patient, a woman with masochistic tendencies, is dead by strangling.
Uninspired.
Rating: 30
P.S.: Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
P.S. (2004)
She lost her high school sweetheart to her best friend. Then he died tragically. Many years later she is head of admissions for the local University's Art Department, he reappears as one the applicants.
Silly premise, feeble dramaturgy.
Rating: 20
Silly premise, feeble dramaturgy.
Rating: 20
Monday, October 13, 2008
Thumbsucker (2005)
(Spoilers) Even as a teenager, he still sucks his thumb. His parents are concerned. They are the type who has their sons call them by name instead of "mom" and "dad" -- don't want to feel old. His dentist tries hypnosis on him, he won't be able to suck his thumb anymore, it works, he feels awful, he plots revenge on the dentist. The school diagnoses him with Attention Deficit Syndrome; he goes on Ritalin, he is transformed, now he is the leader of the debate team. His teacher thinks he has turned into a monster, his girlfriend distances herself from him. He is not happy, quits the medication, looks his ex up, they do drugs and sexual games. He falls in love, she was just experimenting. He thinks his mom is having an affair with a patient, it was paranoia. He gets accepted by New York University, his grades were below their average, he told them his parents were mentally ill. His dentist has reconsidered his life and his values, there is nothing wrong with thumbsucking.
The text has some satirical potential regarding the "modern" family and the American values, yet it seems that the option here was for a straightforward coming-of-age tale. I think the result was excessively bland.
Rating: 44
The text has some satirical potential regarding the "modern" family and the American values, yet it seems that the option here was for a straightforward coming-of-age tale. I think the result was excessively bland.
Rating: 44
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Ha- Buah (2006)
English title: The Bubble.
A sexual relationship between an Israeli man and a Palestinian man in Tel Aviv faces several obstacles.
This film is a proof that it is hard to find a completely stupid movie, even if the filmmaker is not very smart, as seems to be the case here. The reason for this is that by telling a story he inevitably shows the reality of things, even if it is partially buried under a pile of bullshit. The deepest political thought which The Bubble seems to imply is "make love, not war"; this may sound offensive to anyone above 10 years of age, but despite this simplistic notion, which culminates in an ending worthy of 19th-century Romanticism at its maddest, certains facts about the Israeli and Arab cultures emerge which speak for themselves. Anyone with a perceptive eye will notice those facts.
Rating: 43
A sexual relationship between an Israeli man and a Palestinian man in Tel Aviv faces several obstacles.
This film is a proof that it is hard to find a completely stupid movie, even if the filmmaker is not very smart, as seems to be the case here. The reason for this is that by telling a story he inevitably shows the reality of things, even if it is partially buried under a pile of bullshit. The deepest political thought which The Bubble seems to imply is "make love, not war"; this may sound offensive to anyone above 10 years of age, but despite this simplistic notion, which culminates in an ending worthy of 19th-century Romanticism at its maddest, certains facts about the Israeli and Arab cultures emerge which speak for themselves. Anyone with a perceptive eye will notice those facts.
Rating: 43
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005)
Documentary about the popular music made in Istanbul.
Of very little interest.
Rating: 14
Of very little interest.
Rating: 14
Rambo III (1988)
John, a Vietnam veteran who is living in Thailand, receives a visit from an old colonel who asks him to join him in a mission in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan. John initially refuses but when said colonel is captured by the Soviets he goes to the rescue.
Routine actioner with a penchant for close-ups.
Rating: 32
Routine actioner with a penchant for close-ups.
Rating: 32
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Stay (2006)
Alternate title: Sleeping Dogs Lie.
A woman performs oral sex on a dog once. Years later she is in a relationship (with a human, haha) and he proposes they share their secrets.
It's basically a thesis film about a truism, but it's not pointless -- often I see people telling other people information that other people don't need to know and could be used against the person who told it; in the specific case of a relationship, the temptation is stronger and, as the film demonstrates with an amount of success which I can't really assess precisely, the harm can be bigger too. The film could do without the main character telling us that "lies make us live up to them and be better persons". She, in the film -- as, in real life, most people -- lies just to avoid a disadvantageous situation, and not to be a better person. Being a better person in this particular instance -- and it doesn't really matter how reasonable this is for anyone else but her -- would be to stop doing what she did only once and long ago. Therefore, this specific sentence (which is said in voice-over) doesn't make any sense at all.
Rating: 50
A woman performs oral sex on a dog once. Years later she is in a relationship (with a human, haha) and he proposes they share their secrets.
It's basically a thesis film about a truism, but it's not pointless -- often I see people telling other people information that other people don't need to know and could be used against the person who told it; in the specific case of a relationship, the temptation is stronger and, as the film demonstrates with an amount of success which I can't really assess precisely, the harm can be bigger too. The film could do without the main character telling us that "lies make us live up to them and be better persons". She, in the film -- as, in real life, most people -- lies just to avoid a disadvantageous situation, and not to be a better person. Being a better person in this particular instance -- and it doesn't really matter how reasonable this is for anyone else but her -- would be to stop doing what she did only once and long ago. Therefore, this specific sentence (which is said in voice-over) doesn't make any sense at all.
Rating: 50
Monday, October 06, 2008
Michael Clayton (2007)
A big law firm has among its clients a huge chemical industry which is producing a carcinogenic defoliant. One of the lawyers assigned to defend said industry finds out about it; add to it that he has fallen in love with one of the plaintiffs' daughter, and his own mood disorders, and you have a recipe for disaster. He goes rogue, and the law firm sends one of their trouble-fixing lawyers over in order to bring him back to his senses.
Lately every time a screenwriter makes his directing debut it is safe to expect an overwritten film, one that some critics deprecatingly call a "writer's movie". Michael Clayton is exactly that, but this wouldn't be such a big problem were it not just a pile of unhealthy clichés. A corporate lawyer which all of a sudden changes sides and becomes a public-health militant is not a plausible character, not even if said lawyer is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, because nervous breakdowns generally render individuals a little more dysfunctional than that; assassins who take orders from middle-rank executives in a sidewalk rendezvous -- when will people wake up to the fact that this is ridiculous? The film doesn't come up with anything politically relevant; its plot is founded on a fictitious company and a fictitious chemical, so I guess as an exposé its scope is confined to the obvious: big corporations are only concerned about their profits (duh); law firms are not concerned about ethics (double duh); and on and on. Bottom line: what is the film's point? I don't know, honestly. Taking a wild guess, I would say it's implying that sometimes a stop to gaze at the horses can save your life... Anyway, I will grant it some points for occasionally interesting dialogue and acting profficiency.
Rating: 38
Lately every time a screenwriter makes his directing debut it is safe to expect an overwritten film, one that some critics deprecatingly call a "writer's movie". Michael Clayton is exactly that, but this wouldn't be such a big problem were it not just a pile of unhealthy clichés. A corporate lawyer which all of a sudden changes sides and becomes a public-health militant is not a plausible character, not even if said lawyer is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, because nervous breakdowns generally render individuals a little more dysfunctional than that; assassins who take orders from middle-rank executives in a sidewalk rendezvous -- when will people wake up to the fact that this is ridiculous? The film doesn't come up with anything politically relevant; its plot is founded on a fictitious company and a fictitious chemical, so I guess as an exposé its scope is confined to the obvious: big corporations are only concerned about their profits (duh); law firms are not concerned about ethics (double duh); and on and on. Bottom line: what is the film's point? I don't know, honestly. Taking a wild guess, I would say it's implying that sometimes a stop to gaze at the horses can save your life... Anyway, I will grant it some points for occasionally interesting dialogue and acting profficiency.
Rating: 38
SherryBaby (2006)
A woman on parole tries to win back the affection of her small daughter.
Pretty convincing; plus, all the performances are excellent. Its plot is similar to Clean (2004/I) but I liked SherryBaby better. The only thing that might be considered a flaw is that perhaps they could go deeper into the character's past, through flashbacks or even dialogue. Maybe I am wrong here.
Rating: 63
Pretty convincing; plus, all the performances are excellent. Its plot is similar to Clean (2004/I) but I liked SherryBaby better. The only thing that might be considered a flaw is that perhaps they could go deeper into the character's past, through flashbacks or even dialogue. Maybe I am wrong here.
Rating: 63
La fille coupée en deux (2007)
English titles: The Girl Cut in Two; A Girl Cut in Two.
A young woman who works in TV starts a relationship with a married man who is much older than her. Concurrently, a young millionaire starts courting her.
The main foundation is Homer's Odyssey, seen here from the vantage point of Penelope; an auxiliary point of support is Louÿs' The Woman and the Puppet (which was made into the films The Devil Is a Woman and That Obscure Object of Desire). Those literary works are cited during the film as clues for its comprehension, the former in the title of one character's novel (Penelope's Absence) and the latter at an auction attended by said character and his young lover. Gabrielle is torn between her Ulysses -- an older novelist who treats her like shit -- and an unstable and rich suitor whom she treats just as badly in her own way. Despite all the cultural references, this is a carelessly written and even at times confusing film, directed with a flat style which on occasion borders on soap-like. As a final note, it is loosely based on a real episode which occurred in 1906 and inspired the film The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955); it was also featured in Ragtime (1981).
Rating: 45
A young woman who works in TV starts a relationship with a married man who is much older than her. Concurrently, a young millionaire starts courting her.
The main foundation is Homer's Odyssey, seen here from the vantage point of Penelope; an auxiliary point of support is Louÿs' The Woman and the Puppet (which was made into the films The Devil Is a Woman and That Obscure Object of Desire). Those literary works are cited during the film as clues for its comprehension, the former in the title of one character's novel (Penelope's Absence) and the latter at an auction attended by said character and his young lover. Gabrielle is torn between her Ulysses -- an older novelist who treats her like shit -- and an unstable and rich suitor whom she treats just as badly in her own way. Despite all the cultural references, this is a carelessly written and even at times confusing film, directed with a flat style which on occasion borders on soap-like. As a final note, it is loosely based on a real episode which occurred in 1906 and inspired the film The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955); it was also featured in Ragtime (1981).
Rating: 45
Seven (1995)
Two policemen investigate a series of crimes apparently committed by the same person, each related to one deadly sin.
It is just a joke, pretty dull until it reaches its punchline, and then not really that funny. As a matter of fact, the funniest thing in the movie is the fact that the killer looks, moves and talks like one of the muppets.
This is my second viewing.
Rating: 39 (unchanged)
It is just a joke, pretty dull until it reaches its punchline, and then not really that funny. As a matter of fact, the funniest thing in the movie is the fact that the killer looks, moves and talks like one of the muppets.
This is my second viewing.
Rating: 39 (unchanged)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: There Was an Old Woman (1956) (TV)
A couple of crooks in transit through a small town overhear a conversation about an old woman who has a large sum of money stashed at home. They decide to rob her; what they don't know but are soon to find out is that she is completely crazy.
Nice little episode.
Nice little episode.
Black Sunday (1977)
A psychotic American pilot helps Palestinian terrorists in a major mass murder attempt at the Superbowl.
I watched this for the second time in order to correct a possible former misjudgment but it is really a problematic film -- unnecessarily long and featuring one of those de rigueur agent-with-a-conscience-crisis interludes. Of course there are a few plot implausibilities too, beginning with the premise itself; also, it has one of the most excruciatingly annoying sequences ever: the Israeli guy repeatedly trying to attach a hook on the top of a balloon. On the positive side, it has several other well-filmed action sequences, making good use of the wide screen; on the acting department you can't go wrong with Dern, and Keller's performance is fantastic; Shaw defends himself from the absurdity of his character by not conveying any emotion.
Rating: 48 (unchanged)
I watched this for the second time in order to correct a possible former misjudgment but it is really a problematic film -- unnecessarily long and featuring one of those de rigueur agent-with-a-conscience-crisis interludes. Of course there are a few plot implausibilities too, beginning with the premise itself; also, it has one of the most excruciatingly annoying sequences ever: the Israeli guy repeatedly trying to attach a hook on the top of a balloon. On the positive side, it has several other well-filmed action sequences, making good use of the wide screen; on the acting department you can't go wrong with Dern, and Keller's performance is fantastic; Shaw defends himself from the absurdity of his character by not conveying any emotion.
Rating: 48 (unchanged)
Batismo de Sangue (2006)
At the height of the Brazilian dictatorship in the late 60's, a group of Dominican friars join an underground leftist organization which aims at overthrowing the government.
Interesting chronicle of a certain aspect of Brazilian history. It is based on a written account published in 1983 (and on some oral testimonies), and while it could be a little longer and flesh some situations and characters out a little better, the layout of events is rationally done and precisely staged. Unfortunately there are exceptions to that rule, for instance the scene where the journalist friar rebukes a sexual proposal by a woman -- it has no further development and, except for his laconic response, we are left in the dark about his feelings in this area, and what bearing this has -- if any -- on the main events depicted in the movie anyway.
Rating: 51
Interesting chronicle of a certain aspect of Brazilian history. It is based on a written account published in 1983 (and on some oral testimonies), and while it could be a little longer and flesh some situations and characters out a little better, the layout of events is rationally done and precisely staged. Unfortunately there are exceptions to that rule, for instance the scene where the journalist friar rebukes a sexual proposal by a woman -- it has no further development and, except for his laconic response, we are left in the dark about his feelings in this area, and what bearing this has -- if any -- on the main events depicted in the movie anyway.
Rating: 51
Meet Wally Sparks (1997)
A TV show host hostilizes -- and is hostilized by -- a politician; by way of a prank made by the politician's son, the TV show host is invited to a party being thrown by the politician.
A film which may be enjoyed at the most superficial level only; crammed with witty one-liners but with nothing really substantial to show, it imperturbably follows its rote path of vulgar comicity and plot clichés.
Rating: 33
A film which may be enjoyed at the most superficial level only; crammed with witty one-liners but with nothing really substantial to show, it imperturbably follows its rote path of vulgar comicity and plot clichés.
Rating: 33
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Dante's Peak (1997)
A peaceful little town lies next to a dormant volcano. Some altered instrument readings prompt the government to send one of their experts over there to inspect the place.
Mediocre. I guess it is intended as a metaphor for repressed ("dormant") sexuality, since both protagonists "haven't been with someone in a long time".
Rating: 35
Mediocre. I guess it is intended as a metaphor for repressed ("dormant") sexuality, since both protagonists "haven't been with someone in a long time".
Rating: 35
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
A repentant agent, recovering from amnesia, is hunted by his former employers.
Anything in this movie that is plot-related is completely and irremediably stupid and seems to be there with the sole purpose of giving the viewer some rest between action sequences. The latter are hysteric and competently made but not particularly memorable or original.
Rating: 43
Anything in this movie that is plot-related is completely and irremediably stupid and seems to be there with the sole purpose of giving the viewer some rest between action sequences. The latter are hysteric and competently made but not particularly memorable or original.
Rating: 43
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