Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)

English title: The Baader Meinhof Complex.

Dramatic film based on the real story of a German terrorist group which operated in the seventies in Germany.

Well made, informative and easy to watch.

This film would make a nice double-bill with the one I watched just before it (quite by accident).

Rating: 63

The Weather Underground (2002)

Documentary about a subversive group in the U.S.A. The film abides by the standard pattern of documentaries, with news and other documentaries footage, interviews and even some expressive montages. It is professionally done and lets its contents speak for itself, revealing how dramatic and interesting recent U.S. history is.

Les herbes folles (2009)

English title: Wild Grass.

A woman has her purse stolen. A man finds her wallet in a parking lot. The two develop a problematic relationship.

Utter and irredeemable garbage.

Rating: 5

Wheel of Time (2003)

Documentary about a buddhist ceremony. Lots of pilgrims and their sacrificial devotion. Rituals. A spiritual leader. Mountains and deserts, then a second installment in Austria.

Good to know there are people into this sort of thing.

Tenzin Gyatso states that each person is the center of the universe. Herzog does not seem to understand that concept, but then again, maybe he really is an eccentric.

Rosemary & Thyme: And No Birds Sing (2003) (TV)

This is the first episode of a TV series. The idea behind it is hilarious, a true genius find. Two middle-aged women, down in their luck, one a spinster (too bad this word has fallen out of fashion), the other just left by her husband, become acquainted by accident, and both are interested in gardens, one by profession (she is a plant pathologist), the other by inclination. They stumble upon a possible crime and further possible foul play at the house where one of them was asked to give some scientific advise about some sick trees. So, they investigate it, and the notion of two nosy ladies with no detective experience, being just curious about matters wich are not their concern at all, is frankly hilarious. This particular episode, besides successfully introducing the basic idea of the series (presumably; it is the only episode I have seen) and the main characters, revolves around a plot which has much absurdity in its premise and development, and that is also hilarious. All this is played in a completely straight-faced way, and I am not sure I like that. The two leading actresses (I hear this is another word which has fallen out of favor in mainstream circles) fit their respective parts, as they say, like gloves (or is it the other way around?).

Gake no ue no Ponyo (2008)

English titles: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea; Ponyo on the Cliff; Ponyo.

A 10-year-old boy who lives in a house near the sea captures a strange fish. It escaped from an underwater capsule governed by its father, a strange aquatic humanoid. The fish's escape unleashes the forces of nature in the form of a tsunami. The boy, his mother, and the girl into which the fish has morphed, go through a series of adventures stemming from this situation.

Engaging and visually pleasant fantastic adventure. Its writer/director says he was inspired by the 90's animation "The Little Mermaid". This version, however, is oriented to the universe of little kids. It is interesting how the film contrasts and combines the terrestrial world which represents reality and the aquatic world which represents fantasy.

Rating: 60

Bonanza: The Miracle Maker (1962) (TV)

Hoss suffers an accident while riding on a carriage with a lady and her father. The old man dies, and the woman cannot walk. Hoss brings a faith healer to see her after the doctors confess their inability to cure her.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

An oceanographic crew loses one of its members, eaten by a shark. They set up a new expedition to hunt said shark. A new member is added: the leader's possible biological son.

I just do not dig this filmmaker anymore. He started to lose me in the film before this one, and lost me completely in the film after this one. I guess he must please lovers of style for style's sake. His sense of humor in this film is sophomoric, and I guess if he entered a time machine into the sixties he would succeed in getting a TV sitcom spin-off greenlighted.

Rating: 36

Bonanza: The Long Night (1962) (TV)

Adam has a $10,000 check with him. Two guys broke out from jail. One of them makes Adam exchange clothes with him. The posse is led to believe that Adam is the escaped convict.

Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (2004)

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A writer in deep need of money accepts to drive a man to the border. The writer may or may not know that said man just murdered two people. The writer's girlfriend insists on riding with them.

More than acceptable thriller, well made and entertaining. There is nothing really new here, the contradictions and perversities of the American foreign policy in the 60's and 70's are embodied in the hitman, sort of.

Rating: 58

Bonanza: The Mountain Girl (1962) (TV)

Little Joe promises to a dying rancher that he will see that his granddaughter gets in touch with her rich relatives, whom she has never seen.

Bolivia (2001)

A Bolivian immigrant in Buenos Aires gets a job at a bar. He is an illegal worker and a constant victim of xenophobia.

Watchable, well acted, drama about the tense environment of a bar in a country affected by an economic crisis. The film is short and the plot is very predictable.

Rating: 46

Bonanza: Inger, My Love (1962) (TV)

A flashback to when Ben, a penniless widower with a young son, met Hoss's future mother and they fell in love with each other.

Bonanza: The Dowry (1962) (TV)

Little Joe witnesses the hold-up of the stagecoach he is in. A wounded passenger is taken to the Ponderosa, along with his daughter and her fiancé. The daughter's dowry is stolen by the robbers. Ben and his sons discover some monkey business on both marrying sides.

An interesting premise, but no so well worked out.

Bonanza: Blessed Are They (1962) (TV)

The inhabitants of Virginia City elect Ben as responsible for trying to end the feud between two local families. A new minister arrives who is instrumental in that enterprise.

This one was hard to swallow. It felt like Fantasy Island, with the supernatural minister as Mr. Rourke.

Bellamy (2009)

A retired police commissioner, while on vacation, does a private investigation about a possible murder and insurance scam. Concurrently, he lodges his irresponsible brother with him.

Watchable psychological (and criminal) drama, that offers two more or less independent subplots. The mise en scène is perfect, and so is the acting, but the screenplay is conventional and bland, and doesn't deliver much excitement. As Christopher Mulrooney pointed out, the crime is similar to the one in Nabokov's Despair.

Rating: 55

The Blues: Piano Blues (2003) (TV)

A series of interviews, with some performances thrown in. A feel-good documentary, which openly disregards musical labels and does not have a predominantly didactic nature.

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

A kindergarten teacher faces a series of situations with which she deals in a humorous, nonchalant way. Her disposition contrasts with that of her new driving instructor, an uptight, biggoted guy.

Consistently watchable, albeit a little unfocused. The configuration of the characters defies credibility at a few instances, and I will mention two. Firstly, it struck me as odd that Stravinsky's "Firebird" is such a natural and accessible topic of conversation among these characters. It does not fit with any of the cultural environments I have encountered, but then again I do not live in England, and am not the socially wisest person around. Secondly, the driving instructor's argumentation goes all the range from "multiculturalism is non-culturalism" to "the height plus the depth of [a certain American monument] makes 666", and I think this is too wide a range. The first of these statements could fit into an intellectual's mouth, the second one suggests an altogether different cultural background.
Leigh seems to be taking up from another angle the do-gooders theme from Vera Drake. In both, it is suggested that it is hard or impossible to do good to other people, the results being frequently the opposite of the intended. In Happy-Go-Lovely this is examined in conjunction with the theme of happiness as related to attitude as opposed to circumstances. This is of the utmost interest. A film that reportedly deals with this theme, and I have never had the opportunity of seeing, is The Crazy-Quilt (1966).

Rating: 56

Bonanza: The Crucible (1962) (TV)

Adam is left for dead in the desert by two criminals. He is saved by a miner whose camp he runs into. But this proves to be another life endangering event for Adam.

The Blues: The Soul of a Man (2003) (TV)

Second episode. Quite well done, and ten times better than the first episode. The modern covers are mostly repulsive, one sure exception being the one by Los Lobos. To be quite honest, I am not greatly attracted to blues music, although there is a certain energy to it that I find appealing. That being said, Skip James seems to transcend the genre and stand out as a fine composer and performer.

Bonanza: The Gamble (1962) (TV)

The Cartwrights spend the night in a strange town after a cattle sell. They are framed in a robbery and murder.

Bonanza: Look to the Stars (1962) (TV)

The famous real-life scientist who won a Nobel prize for his measurement of the velocity of light is the protagonist here as a teenager, in a plot revolving around racism in Virginia City.

Prokofieff: Sonata #7, Op. 83, 3rd Movement: precipitato

This is a music video of a performance by Misha Dichter, featuring multiple screens and assorted visual resources.

Bonanza: The Lawmaker (1962) (TV)

Sheriff Coffee is injured and has to go out of town for a surgery. The town nominates a replacement sheriff who becomes authoritarian and abusive.

Miséricorde (1994) (TV)

*SPOILERS*
In the sixties, Marie, a girl studying in a catholic school, is very fond of a nun teacher, who instills religious inclinations in her. One day the local priest, after hearing her confession, summons her to his house. When she is there he tries to make sexual advances on her, but she flees. She grows up and decides to become a nun because Jesus "is the most perfect of men", as her old teacher used to say. Her father is sad with the idea; he is not very fond of the Church. She joins the carolians (sorry if this the wrong word). Her convent is run by a stern and intolerant mother superior. Marie makes friends with Edith, who became a nun against her will, because she is poor and her mother is a devout catholic. The mother superior constantly accuses Marie of pride. Marie becomes a teacher and is loved by her students. One day Marie and Edith make a trip to the seaside to do some work there and over there Marie reencounters her old teacher of whom she was fond as a child. They get acquainted with a fisherman who becomes very lusty toward Marie (he does not know they are nuns). She rejects his advances. One evening Edith goes out to fetch something in the market and runs into the fisherman, who invites her to his boat. There they have sex. Marie goes out to look for Edith and witnesses her having sex. She becomes hostile toward Edith, who is mixed up and remorseful over her act. They decide to return to the convent. Edith becomes increasingly withdrawn and begins to lose her sanity. Marie starts doing volunteer work in a seedy side of town, and gets acquainted with a young layman who also does volunteer work; he falls in love with her. They start seeing each other, and Marie has doubts about her religious career. Edith becomes increasingly worse and one day throws herself from an upper balcony, killing herself. Marie quits the order, and marries her boyfriend. A final caption explains that her marriage lasted three years and they had no kids. Marie became a lay charity worker in China or one of those places.

Well-made yet predictable drama about modern nuns.

Rating: 50

La colère des dieux (2003)

English title: Anger of the Gods.

*SPOILERS*
An elderly king is terminally sick and sends for his son and for his brother. The son wants the throne for himself, the brother settles for a position in the government. The new ruler, while visiting one of the kingdom's villages, covets a young woman who lives there. He takes her for a wife, even though the woman is already engaged to a local man. She has a baby who is considered the natural heir to the throne. A prophet tells the king that the boy will bring bad luck to him. The king is told by an oracle of sorts (I do not remember it well) that the kid is really the son of his wife's former fiancé. The wife and the kid, alerted by the king's uncle, flee the palace. They meet up with her ex-fiancé. The king tracks the two lovers down and kills them but cannot find the kid. The kid grows up and, after acquiring powers from a mystical eagle, challenges the king and kills him, becoming the new king. Finally, he and his people perish under the white colonizers. He then remembers that he killed the eagle who bestowed him its three powers (metamorphosing, invisibility, and I do not remember the third one), and the agonizing eagle, back in its original human form, tells him that he did not give him the fourth power (what is it?) and it would cost him in the future. The film ends with the queen defining power: "First, not caring about what others think. Second, making others care about what you think."

A well-made cinematic fable in the ancient African style (the credits do not mention any pre-existent story as a source).

Rating: 50

The Blues: Feel Like Going Home (2003) (TV)

First part of a documentary series. Old footage and interviews with older American players are the only things in the film worth anything. I hated all the African section, not enlightening at all, and judging from what the film presents I'd say there is no connection between the blues and African music, although the film says just the opposite. The African music we hear in it is of Arabic influence, and it is obvious that occasional blues elements in some performances may be due to the fact that the African players have heard blues recordings before! What kind of an investigation is that?

Bonanza: The Guilty (1962) (TV)

A friend of Ben's is threatened by a man who has just been released from prison. Ben's friend was the one who put him there.

Daisy Kenyon (1947)

Daisy Kenyon is a graphic artist and is having an affair with a married lawyer. Concurrently to that, she is courted by a former boat designer who is a widower and has just returned from the war.

Insipid melodrama, well made but compromised by a plot line about which it is hard to develop a sustained interest. A curious fact which I am apparently alone in acknowledging is that the obvious casting choice for the bad wife and the good mistress would seem to have been the reverse of the chosen one. But then again, Crawford was systematically cast in positive roles early in her career, until one day it apparently dawned on people that she had one of the most unpleasant faces in Hollywood, and she from then on was predominantly cast in villain roles. Another interesting thing is that this is a melodrama in which a character actually says the word "melodrama", which for me is a sign of conflicted personality or self-consciousness. A usual complaint is that the ending was constrained by the moral codes of the time; the real problem, however, is that one does not really care whether it ends one way or the other.

Rating: 44

Bonanza: The Wooing of Abigail Jones (1962) (TV)

One of the Ponderosa's employees wants to marry a local spinster, but is turned down. The Cartwright boys give him a hand, with comical results.

Not one of the best, and this season is surely turning out to be very weak. Good for a few laughs, still.

Down to the Sea in Ships (1949)

A whaling ship's captain wants to make one last trip before retirement, during which his grandson will be trained for future captainhood himself. Another man, who has recently been licensed as a captain will go along as first mate.

Entertaining sea adventure, about the process of becoming an adult. Also prominent is the theme of "breaking the law". Early in the film, a schoolmaster breaks the law in favor of the old captain; later in the film, the old captain won't break the law in favor of his grandson, and then of the first mate. The implicit question the film never poses is: is there a double standard here?

Rating: 58

Xia dao Gao Fei (1992)

English title: Full Contact.

A man and his brothers, pressured by debt, team up with a nasty gang in an arms heist. He is betrayed.

Violent and over-the-top thriller, a variation of Westlake (as Stark)'s "The Hunter" (filmed as Point Blank and Payback). Here it is told from the beginning, though, and in strict chronological order. Completely unintellectual, in a comic-book-ish way, and competently directed for maximum effectiveness.

Rating: 51

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

A fantasy fiction about the shooting of Nosferatu, em 1921, according to which its title character was played by a real vampire.

A silly film, with an uninspired and repetitive script.

Rating: 30

Tony Rome (1967)

A drunken underage girl sleeping in a sleazy hotel room is the starting point of a complicated chain of events involving a missing jewel, murder, and family members with something to hide. A private detective tries to get to the bottom of it in the sunny state of Florida.

One-liners that keep coming, a tightly woven plot, nice locations. The film resists a unified analysis, it seems to mean nothing. One scene, however, sticks to mind: Rome's physical assault at a homosexual drug dealer. It is a heavily moralizing scene, which prompts an immediate reaction from the spectator. The fact that the dealer is a homosexual is perhaps without signification (but it is intriguing that the next year some key participants in this film would make The Detective, in which a homosexual appears as an innocent victim -- bad conscience?), and it will be disregarded for the sake of simplicity. Let us remember that the aggression scene is preceded by that of a junkie stripper, already feeling the anxiety of abstinence, entering the home of the dealer; she hands him all her money, and asks for "all it can buy". After the aggression Rome drops some of the product in a vase, and later he will snitch on the dealer to his cop friend. The dealer is thus portrayed as an absolute villain. Some will no doubt applaud the whole position of the film, and will think nothing of it. Those in turn who will instinctively raise a doubt will try to make a connectin with the rest of the movie. In fact, this connection is easy to make, because the consumption of a different kind of drug is present at various points in the movie, and in fact it is present in its very starting point. I am of course talking about alcohol. The effects of alcohol are felt by the young woman who is found sleeping at the hotel after having run away from home. Alcohol abuse is here an important element of the plot and points to a family dysfunction. But there is no questioning of the legal status of the commerce of liquor, and the seller is never seen. When all the character's family problems are solved, it is implicit that alcohol will no longer be a problem. The excessive behavior of that character is contrasted with the protagonist's "civilized" habit of drinking, which matches that of his young divorcee friend. Alcohol is presented as a healthy habit, may be drunk at all hours, and at one scene is preferred over coffee. It provides the film with light humor, and an atmosphere of charm and sexiness (gin for him, vodka for her). A very positive, "cool" view. Addiction is never mentioned, neither for the "civilized" drinkers nor for the "reckless" one. This contrasts with the addiction to gambling, which is a prominent feature of the protagonist, and plays an important role on his unstable love life. I think by now the subjacent pro-liquor ideology of the film has become evident. Of course, the liquor industry does not see its competitors with friendly eyes, which explains the virulent attack on the drug dealer, and the mild reproach at the gambling habit. This film has a meaning after all.

Rating: 60