A bomb-defusing expert working for the FBI is in a case involving terrorist attacks where the detonating device is nowhere to be found (it's actually a liquid which, if ingested, will blow up). Concurrently to that, his wife has left him for a senator.
Entertaining thriller the plot of which has several inconsistencies and fuzzy spots and is structured according to age-old patterns. It won't add much to the viewer's spiritual advancement.
Rating: 43
Saturday, December 31, 2011
César et Rosalie (1972)
English title: César and Rosalie.
Rosalie is married to César, who is an expansive guy and older than she. When young David, with whom she had a love affair years ago, returns to Paris, her old feelings revive.
The theme of one woman and two men seems to be a French favorite (cf. Jules et Jim). The reverse was also tackled (Le bonheur, haven't seen it). But whereas those were sixties movies with a libertarian flair, César et Rosalie is very much a seventies film, that is, a plead to reason, so to speak. I will not speak ill of it, it is a well-written psychological study. A bit on the banal side, I'd say. Sami Frey is an earlier version of Willem Dafoe. Sort of.
Rating: 59
Rosalie is married to César, who is an expansive guy and older than she. When young David, with whom she had a love affair years ago, returns to Paris, her old feelings revive.
The theme of one woman and two men seems to be a French favorite (cf. Jules et Jim). The reverse was also tackled (Le bonheur, haven't seen it). But whereas those were sixties movies with a libertarian flair, César et Rosalie is very much a seventies film, that is, a plead to reason, so to speak. I will not speak ill of it, it is a well-written psychological study. A bit on the banal side, I'd say. Sami Frey is an earlier version of Willem Dafoe. Sort of.
Rating: 59
Friday, December 30, 2011
The Assignment (1997)
A Naval officer is a lookalike of a feared terrorist. He is proposed the task of impersonating said terrorist. The plan is having the Soviets believe said terrorist has betrayed them.
Awful thriller, with a screenplay which follows a very clichéd path. A formal quibble: practically every other sequence begins with a plongée, for some reason; it is very unsettling.
Rating: 13
Awful thriller, with a screenplay which follows a very clichéd path. A formal quibble: practically every other sequence begins with a plongée, for some reason; it is very unsettling.
Rating: 13
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Miramar (1997)
The first act concerns a family composed of man, wife and son. The second act concerns the son who aspires to be a filmmaker.
The first act has a decent level of articulation. The second act is mostly uninspired (pretensely) modernistic shit, with a couple of interesting verbal utterances.
Rating: 35
The first act has a decent level of articulation. The second act is mostly uninspired (pretensely) modernistic shit, with a couple of interesting verbal utterances.
Rating: 35
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
A semi-retired lawyer decides to act for the defense of a military who killed a bar owner who allegedly raped the military's wife.
This is my second viewing of this film, and I can safely say (although it has been a long time since I watched it for the first time) that I didn't understand it the first time. I will not make a deep analysis here because this film is an established classic and I am sure analyses abound by better men than me. I will only make a few remarks, mostly for myself.
Reading the "hated it" section of the IMDB user comments, I notice that some people had the same problems I had upon my first viewing. This film is not like most other courtroom movies. There is no hero in it. It is not going for the viewer's empathy. It is a movie about Justice as an institution, and it implicitly says two things about it: one, that it is not perfect; two, that, even with its imperfections, it is a necessary institution. On a deeper level perhaps, the movie is an analysis of strategy, conveying the insight, perhaps above all others, that one way to win a case that seems lost in advance is to use your adversary's perfidy against him. We see the prosecution try to, so to speak, kill a fly with an atom bom, and it blows in their face. To close, a few words on the movie's title. In the past, I was a bit aggravated at what seemed to me a completely inappropriate title. I took it to mean that the film was intended as the "anatomy" of a murder, and of course I was disappointed. However, there is no evidence that the title refers to the movie. It seems to fit better as a reference to the trial itself. And then it is necessarily an ironic title, since it is quite evident that this would be a very poor and inconclusive anatomy. This irony seems quite in place when directed against an event within the movie, as opposed to against the movie itself.
Rating: 79 (up from 50)
This is my second viewing of this film, and I can safely say (although it has been a long time since I watched it for the first time) that I didn't understand it the first time. I will not make a deep analysis here because this film is an established classic and I am sure analyses abound by better men than me. I will only make a few remarks, mostly for myself.
Reading the "hated it" section of the IMDB user comments, I notice that some people had the same problems I had upon my first viewing. This film is not like most other courtroom movies. There is no hero in it. It is not going for the viewer's empathy. It is a movie about Justice as an institution, and it implicitly says two things about it: one, that it is not perfect; two, that, even with its imperfections, it is a necessary institution. On a deeper level perhaps, the movie is an analysis of strategy, conveying the insight, perhaps above all others, that one way to win a case that seems lost in advance is to use your adversary's perfidy against him. We see the prosecution try to, so to speak, kill a fly with an atom bom, and it blows in their face. To close, a few words on the movie's title. In the past, I was a bit aggravated at what seemed to me a completely inappropriate title. I took it to mean that the film was intended as the "anatomy" of a murder, and of course I was disappointed. However, there is no evidence that the title refers to the movie. It seems to fit better as a reference to the trial itself. And then it is necessarily an ironic title, since it is quite evident that this would be a very poor and inconclusive anatomy. This irony seems quite in place when directed against an event within the movie, as opposed to against the movie itself.
Rating: 79 (up from 50)
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Barão Olavo, o Horrível (1970)
A barely narrative collage of scenes involving the title character, who is fond of corpses, two young women who live with him and are sexually involved with each other, another woman who seems to be the Baron's wife, and two men who seem to be religious preachers or priests.
I guess alienation can produce the kind of cinema displayed here. It oscillates between pastiche (of a very primitive type) and pornography (of a very shy type) and performatic ludicity (of a very uninspired type). Almost completely unfunny.
Rating: 5
I guess alienation can produce the kind of cinema displayed here. It oscillates between pastiche (of a very primitive type) and pornography (of a very shy type) and performatic ludicity (of a very uninspired type). Almost completely unfunny.
Rating: 5
Silent Rage (1982)
A psychopath kills some people and is locked in an institution where they give him an experimental drug. It makes him nearly indestructible, for the excitement of an unethical scientist. The monster escapes, and a tough sheriff gives him pursuit.
A cheap rip-off of The Terminal Man (1974), not badly directed.
Rating: 31
A cheap rip-off of The Terminal Man (1974), not badly directed.
Rating: 31
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)
A man known as The Bandit and his fellow trucker are hired to transport a mysterious package from Miami to Dallas by a governor candidate. The package in question turns out to be an elephant that is supposed to be delivered to the Republican Party in Dallas (the elephant, so I hear, is the symbol of said party).
Pretty tepid sequel, with some wit in the dialogue and a bunch of reasonable action sequences.
Rating: 32
Pretty tepid sequel, with some wit in the dialogue and a bunch of reasonable action sequences.
Rating: 32
Stroker Ace (1983)
A stock car racer has some problems with his sponsor, a fried chicken restaurant chain owner.
Low-brow humor and car races. And, if you will, a reflection on how difficult it is to have a "pure" human endeavor, not only sportsmanlike as is the case depicted in the movie but any other you can think of, under capitalism.
Rating: 31
Low-brow humor and car races. And, if you will, a reflection on how difficult it is to have a "pure" human endeavor, not only sportsmanlike as is the case depicted in the movie but any other you can think of, under capitalism.
Rating: 31
Friday, December 23, 2011
Murphy's Law (1986)
A cop is framed for the murder of his ex-wife by a recently released woman whom he had arrested ten years before. He manages to escape and takes a young car thief woman along with him in his quest to find out who framed him.
It fulfills basic entertainment criteria, namely a plot that has a lot of action and light humor. The idea of an ex-con who seeks revenge on policemen and judges is something I see often on films but I do not know of any similar real-life cases. Not a very memorable movie.
Rating: 40
It fulfills basic entertainment criteria, namely a plot that has a lot of action and light humor. The idea of an ex-con who seeks revenge on policemen and judges is something I see often on films but I do not know of any similar real-life cases. Not a very memorable movie.
Rating: 40
Thursday, December 22, 2011
O Homem que Copiava (2003)
This is my second viewing.
On Monday, May 22, 2006, I posted the following on this blog:
-quote-
O Homem que Copiava (2003)
English Title: The Man Who Copied.
Synopsis: A guy that works as a photocopier operator is in search of a way to
improve his humble condition.
Appraisal: This is a painful film to watch. I really couldn't bring myself to
care about any of the characters. The storytelling is flooded by voiceover,
which means the filmmaker either can't say what he wants through the action and
dialogue, or that he considers the viewers to be morons that need constant
explaining. The script is fairly convoluted, but to no avail: it all amounts to
an elaborate piece of crap with zero empathy. The performances are pretty
decent, which is a feat considering the material the actors had to work with.
Give yourself a break.
Rating: 31
-unquote-
I stick with my previous opinion and rating. This film's flimsy moral justification rests on plot contrivances. Aesthetically and morally, it is antithetical to L'argent (1983).
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Visage (2009)
English title: Face.
A Taiwanese filmmaker is making a film which is set in the Louvre. The shooting is filled with problems.
The above plot is just hinted at in the movie, as there is no real coherent plot. It is a sort of postmodern 8 1/2, with touches of La nuit américaine, and at least one visual quoting of Il deserto rosso. However, references to old movies and bizarre camera angles do not a film make.
Rating: 0
A Taiwanese filmmaker is making a film which is set in the Louvre. The shooting is filled with problems.
The above plot is just hinted at in the movie, as there is no real coherent plot. It is a sort of postmodern 8 1/2, with touches of La nuit américaine, and at least one visual quoting of Il deserto rosso. However, references to old movies and bizarre camera angles do not a film make.
Rating: 0
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tamara Drewe (2010)
A young newspaper columnist moves to the English countryside when she inherits a farm house. She gets romantically involved with three men: a drummer of a famous pop band, a middle-aged married writer, and a farm worker who had been her flame in their teens.
Amusing little comedy, based on a graphic novel which in turn was loosely based on Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd. The little rural town where it is set is a writers' refuge, and the film satirizes writers of all kinds.
Rating: 70
Amusing little comedy, based on a graphic novel which in turn was loosely based on Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd. The little rural town where it is set is a writers' refuge, and the film satirizes writers of all kinds.
Rating: 70
Câncer (1972)
A series of variations on a basic configuration of three main characters, a black thief-beggar, a white thief, and a white actress.
The film's author has summarized well what it is about: violence, moral and physical. It is not particularly insightful or deep, and at times not even very articulate. But it succeeds moderately in conveying its theme, and the improvisational aesthetics produces occasional good results. The film, at the very least, works as a snapshot of an especially difficult period in Brazilian history, with many social and political issues.
Rating: 40
The film's author has summarized well what it is about: violence, moral and physical. It is not particularly insightful or deep, and at times not even very articulate. But it succeeds moderately in conveying its theme, and the improvisational aesthetics produces occasional good results. The film, at the very least, works as a snapshot of an especially difficult period in Brazilian history, with many social and political issues.
Rating: 40
Monday, December 19, 2011
Barbe bleue (2009)
English title: Bluebeard.
Two sisters are living in misery after their father dies. A rich nobleman seeks a wife. Most are afraid of him because of his appearance and because his former wives have died.
This is an unimaginative and a little idiotic retelling of a fairy tale. A poor excuse to put actors into old costumes.
Rating: 20
Two sisters are living in misery after their father dies. A rich nobleman seeks a wife. Most are afraid of him because of his appearance and because his former wives have died.
This is an unimaginative and a little idiotic retelling of a fairy tale. A poor excuse to put actors into old costumes.
Rating: 20
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Cidadão Boilesen (2009)
Documentary. The subject is a Danish-born man who moved to Brazil and was a high executive during the military dictatorship in the 60s and early 70s. He was very proactive in the financing of the repression to groups of resistance against the regime. He was murdered by one these groups in 1971 (hope the date is correct).
Interesting documentary about the connection of capital and a rightwing regime. The psychological angle is also tackled (sadism is mentioned). It is superficial both in the political and the psychological angle. There is a tangential thematic affinity to Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma. One of the interviewees bears a physical and ideological resemblance to Richard Nixon.
Interesting documentary about the connection of capital and a rightwing regime. The psychological angle is also tackled (sadism is mentioned). It is superficial both in the political and the psychological angle. There is a tangential thematic affinity to Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma. One of the interviewees bears a physical and ideological resemblance to Richard Nixon.
Bonanza: A Real Nice, Friendly Little Town (1966) (TV)
Little Joe is hit by a bullet (a ricochet, not a serious wound) fired by a man who was trying to steal a Ponderosa horse. Hoss is deputized and goes after the thief.
This is a lighter-in-tone episode, finely scripted. Vaughn Taylor is almost preternaturally resemblant of John Hurt in this.
This is a lighter-in-tone episode, finely scripted. Vaughn Taylor is almost preternaturally resemblant of John Hurt in this.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
La donation (2009)
English title: The Legacy.
A medical doctor responds to a job offer at a remote Canadian region; she must fill in for the old general clinician during some time off that he is taking, and after that decide whether she will take the position permanently.
A scene in the movie describes it more than anything I could say. The new doctor is shown a landscape of mostly grass and finds it beautiful; her interlocutor replies that some find it austere. Analogously, I found the film austere; this is not a bad thing, and this is not a bad movie, but to say it is beautiful would require a taste different than mine.
Rating: 52
A medical doctor responds to a job offer at a remote Canadian region; she must fill in for the old general clinician during some time off that he is taking, and after that decide whether she will take the position permanently.
A scene in the movie describes it more than anything I could say. The new doctor is shown a landscape of mostly grass and finds it beautiful; her interlocutor replies that some find it austere. Analogously, I found the film austere; this is not a bad thing, and this is not a bad movie, but to say it is beautiful would require a taste different than mine.
Rating: 52
The Garden of Earthly Delights (2004)
A man films his relationship with a terminally ill woman.
Just boring. Some parts of it bear some similarities with The Pillow Book (1996), another negligible film.
Rating: 20
Just boring. Some parts of it bear some similarities with The Pillow Book (1996), another negligible film.
Rating: 20
Friday, December 16, 2011
Hængbok (2007)
English title: Happiness.
A man develops cirrhosis of the liver because of too much drinking and goes to a sanatorium. There he meets a young woman who has a lung problem.
The story is believable but a little tedious; the character of the ex-girlfriend is badly developed and unconvincing.
Rating: 37
A man develops cirrhosis of the liver because of too much drinking and goes to a sanatorium. There he meets a young woman who has a lung problem.
The story is believable but a little tedious; the character of the ex-girlfriend is badly developed and unconvincing.
Rating: 37
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Carrie (1976)
A telekinetic girl is abused by her colleagues and by her fanatic mother. A colleague arranges for her to have a prom date, but a plan is underway to undermine Carrie's moment of happiness.
A strong film, which warrants some textual analysis (formal analyses exist, and excellent ones, so I will just abstain from going in that direction). I will attempt a very brief sketch of some analytical points. Irony is present in at least two central plot points. Irony: Carrie's mother is mad, but her predictions are confirmed, in a way which is a little more than simple self-fulfilling prophecy. Irony: the attempt to help Carrie ends up by causing her death as well as many others. The film is generally thought of as being cruel, but that is perhaps an undecidable claim. It is not certain that the film responds in a complete way to the social phenomenon of high school as it exists in the U.S. As most Hollywood, it covers the scope of drama at an individual level. The construal of the final tragedy as an indictment of American society is not easily arguable. There is a vague hint of a critique of the ideology that conditions Carrie's shift from obscurantist isolation to conformist integration; perhaps her tragedy is that she was never given a third choice. A second layer of drama concerns the character of Sue; there is a very able play with spectator's reaction by keeping her inner motivations ambiguous until very late in the movie. The pathos inherent in her situation derives from the ultimate insufficiency of "love thy neighbor" as a motto; Christianism in its primitive form is critiqued for its want of a broader knowledge of the complexities of the world.
Rating: 74 (second viewing; former rating was 66)
A strong film, which warrants some textual analysis (formal analyses exist, and excellent ones, so I will just abstain from going in that direction). I will attempt a very brief sketch of some analytical points. Irony is present in at least two central plot points. Irony: Carrie's mother is mad, but her predictions are confirmed, in a way which is a little more than simple self-fulfilling prophecy. Irony: the attempt to help Carrie ends up by causing her death as well as many others. The film is generally thought of as being cruel, but that is perhaps an undecidable claim. It is not certain that the film responds in a complete way to the social phenomenon of high school as it exists in the U.S. As most Hollywood, it covers the scope of drama at an individual level. The construal of the final tragedy as an indictment of American society is not easily arguable. There is a vague hint of a critique of the ideology that conditions Carrie's shift from obscurantist isolation to conformist integration; perhaps her tragedy is that she was never given a third choice. A second layer of drama concerns the character of Sue; there is a very able play with spectator's reaction by keeping her inner motivations ambiguous until very late in the movie. The pathos inherent in her situation derives from the ultimate insufficiency of "love thy neighbor" as a motto; Christianism in its primitive form is critiqued for its want of a broader knowledge of the complexities of the world.
Rating: 74 (second viewing; former rating was 66)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Hwioribaram (2009)
English title: Eighteen.
A teenager takes his girlfriend to the beach and neither's parents are communicated. A crisis ensues and they are not allowed to see each other until they enter college.
An interesting, intelligent, realistic film, which sometimes abuses of commonplace images and ideas.
Rating: 57
A teenager takes his girlfriend to the beach and neither's parents are communicated. A crisis ensues and they are not allowed to see each other until they enter college.
An interesting, intelligent, realistic film, which sometimes abuses of commonplace images and ideas.
Rating: 57
Les portes de la nuit (1946)
English title: Gates of the Night.
Post-Liberation Paris. A man who has survived torture by the Nazis is visited by his wartime buddy who thought he was dead. In that same apartment building lives a former collaborator and his son, and also a poor street merchant and his big family.
The only thing this film should be remembered for is its lighting, the dramatic effect of which was pointed out in "The Cinema as Art" (by Ralph Stephenson and Jean R. Debrix). Otherwise, it is "poetic realism" (a misguided denomination if there ever was one) gone awry, and no doubt best viewed with an eye for involuntary comedy. Say, for comical enhancement, one imagines the parts played by lookalikes: Montand would be replaced by Benigni, Vilar by Englund in full 'Freddy Kruger' attire, Carette by Celestino just as he looked like in O Ébrio, and so on as your imagination should dictate. Should one take the film seriously, one would have a hard time coping with the sordid manipulation of characters' fates in order for them to fit the one-sided moral standard assumed by the film, which makes a cartoon villain out of a Gestapo informer and a hero out of a Stalinist conspirator. The demands posed by this fictional framework go as far as making the 'heroes' abstain from denouncing the Gestapo informer "so as not to be his equals". Really, one cannot get more laughable than that.
Rating: 31
Post-Liberation Paris. A man who has survived torture by the Nazis is visited by his wartime buddy who thought he was dead. In that same apartment building lives a former collaborator and his son, and also a poor street merchant and his big family.
The only thing this film should be remembered for is its lighting, the dramatic effect of which was pointed out in "The Cinema as Art" (by Ralph Stephenson and Jean R. Debrix). Otherwise, it is "poetic realism" (a misguided denomination if there ever was one) gone awry, and no doubt best viewed with an eye for involuntary comedy. Say, for comical enhancement, one imagines the parts played by lookalikes: Montand would be replaced by Benigni, Vilar by Englund in full 'Freddy Kruger' attire, Carette by Celestino just as he looked like in O Ébrio, and so on as your imagination should dictate. Should one take the film seriously, one would have a hard time coping with the sordid manipulation of characters' fates in order for them to fit the one-sided moral standard assumed by the film, which makes a cartoon villain out of a Gestapo informer and a hero out of a Stalinist conspirator. The demands posed by this fictional framework go as far as making the 'heroes' abstain from denouncing the Gestapo informer "so as not to be his equals". Really, one cannot get more laughable than that.
Rating: 31
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Zhantai (2000)
English title: Platform.
The lives of several members of a troupe of performers in China, as the country shifts from strict communism to privatization and capitalism.
The idea behind this film is similar, if memory serves me right, and this is a highly problematic assumption as a rule, to that of Bye Bye Brazil. Namely, to document, so to speak, the changes a country experiences, from the vantage points of the lives of traveling players. Normally I favor drama and action, two elements which are absent from Platform, or satire and humor, which are absent from it as well; that being said, the film worked pretty well for me. It hits the right note of realism almost invariably, and conveys the right amount of sadness which China, or certain aspects of it anyway, somehow have come to embody.
Rating: 67
The lives of several members of a troupe of performers in China, as the country shifts from strict communism to privatization and capitalism.
The idea behind this film is similar, if memory serves me right, and this is a highly problematic assumption as a rule, to that of Bye Bye Brazil. Namely, to document, so to speak, the changes a country experiences, from the vantage points of the lives of traveling players. Normally I favor drama and action, two elements which are absent from Platform, or satire and humor, which are absent from it as well; that being said, the film worked pretty well for me. It hits the right note of realism almost invariably, and conveys the right amount of sadness which China, or certain aspects of it anyway, somehow have come to embody.
Rating: 67
Puss in Boots (2011)
I will provide no synopsis for this movie.
It seems that at least one person got this right, a IMDb user who has the identifying username darklillyflower. I quote her:
*beginning of quote*
It's the first cartoon I've seen where a character (Humpty) KILLS HIMSELF. In an effort to redeem his past screw-ups. And, as the icing on the cake, gets transformed into gold and is flown up to the skies.
Also, Puss has no conscience problems whatsoever to KIDNAP A CHILD (a baby goose) from her home, only because she could make everyone he likes rich. He IS an animal who talks, why didn't he wonder if the goose also had a conscience?
Plus, he is only considering giving up the goose to her mother only AFTER the mum threatens to destroy an entire city.
Is this a kids' movie or an advocate to soldiering?
*end of quote*
I do not have anything to add to that.
Rating: 20
It seems that at least one person got this right, a IMDb user who has the identifying username darklillyflower. I quote her:
*beginning of quote*
It's the first cartoon I've seen where a character (Humpty) KILLS HIMSELF. In an effort to redeem his past screw-ups. And, as the icing on the cake, gets transformed into gold and is flown up to the skies.
Also, Puss has no conscience problems whatsoever to KIDNAP A CHILD (a baby goose) from her home, only because she could make everyone he likes rich. He IS an animal who talks, why didn't he wonder if the goose also had a conscience?
Plus, he is only considering giving up the goose to her mother only AFTER the mum threatens to destroy an entire city.
Is this a kids' movie or an advocate to soldiering?
*end of quote*
I do not have anything to add to that.
Rating: 20
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tout est pardonné (2007)
English title: All Is Forgiven.
Couple with 6-year-old girl child separates because of problems related to the man's drug habit. Eleven years later the girl's father reunites with his daughter.
Watchable drama of family matters.
Rating: 40
Couple with 6-year-old girl child separates because of problems related to the man's drug habit. Eleven years later the girl's father reunites with his daughter.
Watchable drama of family matters.
Rating: 40
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Wesh wesh, qu'est-ce qui se passe? (2001)
Kamel returns illegally to France after having been extradited to Algeria (the events of this film occur after the ones in Bled Number One (2006)). He witnesses the problems which afflict the Arab community in France.
Like Bled Number One, a well-directed low budget film, which nevertheless suffers from a poor script. The subject matter of the film is devoid of surprises: police violence, small-time drug trafficking, inter-ethnicity relationships, etc.
Rating: 34
Like Bled Number One, a well-directed low budget film, which nevertheless suffers from a poor script. The subject matter of the film is devoid of surprises: police violence, small-time drug trafficking, inter-ethnicity relationships, etc.
Rating: 34
Friday, December 09, 2011
Crashing (2007)
A writer in crisis is dumped by his wife. Two beautiful women majoring in Creative Writing invite him to stay with them and, though he initially declines, he finishes by accepting the invitation.
Silly exploration of the theme of literary creation.
Rating: 33
Silly exploration of the theme of literary creation.
Rating: 33
Vibrator (2003)
A young woman, while in a convenience store, sees a guy and feels attracted to him. He invites her to hop in his truck and away they go.
A 31-year-old woman with an adolescent's mind. The only reason I can think of for not having an adolescent as this story's protagonist is that it was easier to get it done with an older actress. Because this is a teenage story. And not very interesting at that.
Rating: 30
A 31-year-old woman with an adolescent's mind. The only reason I can think of for not having an adolescent as this story's protagonist is that it was easier to get it done with an older actress. Because this is a teenage story. And not very interesting at that.
Rating: 30
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Japón (2002)
*SPOILERS*
A man travels to a remote mountain village in order to kill himself. He first gives himself some time in the village before the intended final act. He stays at the house of an elderly woman.
The kind of film which tells more about the artist than about his subject (whatever the latter may be). People have wondered about the title, and it appears there is an explanation by the filmmaker himself, that it refers to the rising sun and its metaphorical meaning (as in "the sun also rises", title of a Hemingway novel). This makes sense, as this is, apart from its aesthetics, the conventional story of a suicidal man who has a change of heart after getting in contact with a more elemental reality. It's open to discussion whether this change really happens, and whether it happens before or after the final tragedy. Anyway, there is another dimension to the experience of the film which is dictated by its whimsical aesthetics, and here I would like to point out the possible relevance of the fact that the main character is a painter and is shown to possess a book about Picasso. There are several elements which point to cubism in this film's aesthetics. To consider the parallel between Picasso's use of deformation in depicting women and the unusual eroticism depicted in the movie might be indicted by some as prejudicial, but I personally do not see how it can be avoided. Also, if cubism is thought of as a series of recombinations, one can think of this as a recombination of several structural patterns found in other movies (Ikiru (To Live), Narayama Bushiko (Ballad of Narayama)) so as to render them nearly unrecognizable. But none of this leads to a satisfactory work of art. The film is poorly conceived and aesthetically self-indulgent.
Rating: 29
A man travels to a remote mountain village in order to kill himself. He first gives himself some time in the village before the intended final act. He stays at the house of an elderly woman.
The kind of film which tells more about the artist than about his subject (whatever the latter may be). People have wondered about the title, and it appears there is an explanation by the filmmaker himself, that it refers to the rising sun and its metaphorical meaning (as in "the sun also rises", title of a Hemingway novel). This makes sense, as this is, apart from its aesthetics, the conventional story of a suicidal man who has a change of heart after getting in contact with a more elemental reality. It's open to discussion whether this change really happens, and whether it happens before or after the final tragedy. Anyway, there is another dimension to the experience of the film which is dictated by its whimsical aesthetics, and here I would like to point out the possible relevance of the fact that the main character is a painter and is shown to possess a book about Picasso. There are several elements which point to cubism in this film's aesthetics. To consider the parallel between Picasso's use of deformation in depicting women and the unusual eroticism depicted in the movie might be indicted by some as prejudicial, but I personally do not see how it can be avoided. Also, if cubism is thought of as a series of recombinations, one can think of this as a recombination of several structural patterns found in other movies (Ikiru (To Live), Narayama Bushiko (Ballad of Narayama)) so as to render them nearly unrecognizable. But none of this leads to a satisfactory work of art. The film is poorly conceived and aesthetically self-indulgent.
Rating: 29
Animal Kingdom (2010)
A boy loses his mother and goes to live with his grandmother and uncles, who are into crime.
Really well-made (except for the cinematography for which I did not care much) and really badly written. It would be tedious to list the implausibilities and incongruencies, behavioral and otherwise, of this movie, so one is advised to go to the "Hated It" section on IMDb's user comments.
Rating: 50
Really well-made (except for the cinematography for which I did not care much) and really badly written. It would be tedious to list the implausibilities and incongruencies, behavioral and otherwise, of this movie, so one is advised to go to the "Hated It" section on IMDb's user comments.
Rating: 50
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Une vieille maîtresse (2007)
Based on the novel by Barbey d'Aurevilly (1st ed. 1851).
English title: The Last Mistress
English translation of the French title: An Old Mistress
A man who has had a 10-year-long relationship is about to get married to another woman. He vows to abandon his former lover but she is not letting go of him easily.
I was a little bored, but it is reasonably well made and the storyline is not devoid of interest. This is the only time I have seen cigar chain-smoking in a movie (or out of one, for that matter), and by a woman, to boot.
Rating: 51
English title: The Last Mistress
English translation of the French title: An Old Mistress
A man who has had a 10-year-long relationship is about to get married to another woman. He vows to abandon his former lover but she is not letting go of him easily.
I was a little bored, but it is reasonably well made and the storyline is not devoid of interest. This is the only time I have seen cigar chain-smoking in a movie (or out of one, for that matter), and by a woman, to boot.
Rating: 51
Bonanza: A Knight to Remember (1964) (TV)
Adam is riding back in a stagecoach after having concluded a business deal when the stagecoach is attacked by thieves. After they knock the driver unconscious, a man dressed as a medieval knight appears and scares them off. Adam is surprised by the sheriff's deputy at the side of the unconscious driver and the open safe, and is accused of trying to rob the stagecoach.
Part of the premise is exactly Don Quijote. Also, it is an ingenious tale whose bottom line is that being the sole witness of madness makes you mad as well.
Part of the premise is exactly Don Quijote. Also, it is an ingenious tale whose bottom line is that being the sole witness of madness makes you mad as well.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Bonanza: The Legacy (1963) (TV)
A poacher is detected in the Ponderosa by Ben and Little Joe. Ben wants to go after him alone. When he doesn't return home (because he has been shot by the poacher, one of three men who have just been released from Huntsville prison), Ben's sons go after the ex-convicts with vengeance on their minds. In the meantime, a passing merchant helps Ben and the two discuss what Ben's sons might do.
Gorori no koto (2008)
English title: All Around Us.
Depiction of several years in the life of a couple. Husband and wife's professional day-to-day, their interactions as a couple, their relatives, etc.
Rather conventional as a drama. The structure is sprawling, showing aspects of these characters' lives which lead nowhere plotwise - for instance, the courtroom scenes. But I guess this is what gives meaning to the film's title. The general tone is soothing, not unlike a soap-opera. The mise-en-scene is carefully done, like a symphony really.
Rating: 40
Depiction of several years in the life of a couple. Husband and wife's professional day-to-day, their interactions as a couple, their relatives, etc.
Rather conventional as a drama. The structure is sprawling, showing aspects of these characters' lives which lead nowhere plotwise - for instance, the courtroom scenes. But I guess this is what gives meaning to the film's title. The general tone is soothing, not unlike a soap-opera. The mise-en-scene is carefully done, like a symphony really.
Rating: 40
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Una semana solos (2007)
English title: A Week Alone.
A group of children and adolescents during school break are without their parents at home. María, 14, is sort of "the person in charge", plus the maid. They all live in a rich condo. When the maid's brother is allowed to stay with them during that period, some discomfort is generated.
A very well-made film which has a sociological agenda which may work well for some and less so for others. Apparently the film's theme is put forward in the words of the song that little Sofía sings: "Invisible: I am invisible to you". They establish an inevitable reference to the social barrier which makes the lower classes invisible to the higher ones, and, why not, to other barriers as well. I myself tried not to question too much the plausibility of the characters' actions (particularly in the last act) and observe the stream of interactions with which the filmmaker built her fictional world. It is not without interest to compare certain aspects of this film's social fiction with certain aspects of the social fiction in Spanglish, and see that fiction admits wildly varying world configurations. As for so-called reality, each viewer will have her own experiences and ideological constraints.
Rating: 57
A group of children and adolescents during school break are without their parents at home. María, 14, is sort of "the person in charge", plus the maid. They all live in a rich condo. When the maid's brother is allowed to stay with them during that period, some discomfort is generated.
A very well-made film which has a sociological agenda which may work well for some and less so for others. Apparently the film's theme is put forward in the words of the song that little Sofía sings: "Invisible: I am invisible to you". They establish an inevitable reference to the social barrier which makes the lower classes invisible to the higher ones, and, why not, to other barriers as well. I myself tried not to question too much the plausibility of the characters' actions (particularly in the last act) and observe the stream of interactions with which the filmmaker built her fictional world. It is not without interest to compare certain aspects of this film's social fiction with certain aspects of the social fiction in Spanglish, and see that fiction admits wildly varying world configurations. As for so-called reality, each viewer will have her own experiences and ideological constraints.
Rating: 57
Friday, December 02, 2011
Stellet Licht (2007)
English title: Silent Light.
In a Mexican Mennonite community, a married man has an extraconjugal affair with a woman also in that community.
This is simply bad.
Rating: 12
In a Mexican Mennonite community, a married man has an extraconjugal affair with a woman also in that community.
This is simply bad.
Rating: 12
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Tian bian yi duo yun (2005)
English title: The Wayward Cloud.
In Taiwan, a drought obliges people to ingest large amounts of watermelon (or so I figured out). A young woman encounters her ex-boyfriend, who is now an actor in sex films.
The musical numbers are kind of cute. Otherwise this is not articulate enough to deserve comment.
Rating: 2
In Taiwan, a drought obliges people to ingest large amounts of watermelon (or so I figured out). A young woman encounters her ex-boyfriend, who is now an actor in sex films.
The musical numbers are kind of cute. Otherwise this is not articulate enough to deserve comment.
Rating: 2
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sangre (2005)
A man works as a doorman at a government building. He is married to a younger woman who works at a fast food restaurant. He is very submissive in his marriage. One day his daughter from a previous relationship comes looking for him.
Obviously a work of genius, founded on a rigorous hyper-realism throughout, except for one brief moment near the end where the fantastic irrupts and then retreats, against the protagonist's expectations. The acting in this movie is first rate; do not believe the opinions to the contrary.
Rating: 78
Obviously a work of genius, founded on a rigorous hyper-realism throughout, except for one brief moment near the end where the fantastic irrupts and then retreats, against the protagonist's expectations. The acting in this movie is first rate; do not believe the opinions to the contrary.
Rating: 78
Bled Number One (2006)
English title: Back Home.
Note about the original title: 'bled' is a French word meaning 'small village'.
Kamel is deported to Algiers, after having served a prison sentence in France (this film is a prequel to Wesh Wesh qu'est-ce qui se passe? (2001)). He tries to adapt to the customs in his new country. He befriends a woman who has returned to the village recently (or so I figured out); she had been away from her husband who wouldn't let her follow the singing profession. Also, he engages in the resistance of the local population against some violent Islamic fundamentalists.
There is much authenticity in the mise-en-scene, but the film is tedious and scarce on information about its characters.
Rating: 30
Note about the original title: 'bled' is a French word meaning 'small village'.
Kamel is deported to Algiers, after having served a prison sentence in France (this film is a prequel to Wesh Wesh qu'est-ce qui se passe? (2001)). He tries to adapt to the customs in his new country. He befriends a woman who has returned to the village recently (or so I figured out); she had been away from her husband who wouldn't let her follow the singing profession. Also, he engages in the resistance of the local population against some violent Islamic fundamentalists.
There is much authenticity in the mise-en-scene, but the film is tedious and scarce on information about its characters.
Rating: 30
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sita Sings the Blues (2008)
Musical animation telling the story contained in the Ramayana with American songs from the 20s. Rama is banished to a forest. He lives there with his wife Sita. Sita is kidnapped by another man. Rama rescues her but has doubts about whether she had sex with her kidnapper. She is submitted to "trial by fire". She passes. Rama's exile ends. Rama is the new king. Sita, now pregnant, is a suspect in the eyes of the people, so Rama decides to repudiate her and banish her to the forest. When Rama's twin sons are adolescents he encounters them and takes them with him. As for Sita, he proposes a new trial, but Sita commits suicide instead.
A frivolous pop rendering of an ancient myth.
Rating: 35
A frivolous pop rendering of an ancient myth.
Rating: 35
The Exploding Girl (2009)
College girl invites best-friend in need of a place to stay to stay at her mom's house (where she is also staying) during school break. Meanwhile the girl's boyfriend is away in another city. Oh, and for what it's worth the girl is epileptic.
An exceedingly conventional premise developed with some attention to psychological detail in a film which is ultimately a case study on information theory. The unit of binary information in question would be "he/she likes me" versus "he/she likes me not".
Rating: 35
An exceedingly conventional premise developed with some attention to psychological detail in a film which is ultimately a case study on information theory. The unit of binary information in question would be "he/she likes me" versus "he/she likes me not".
Rating: 35
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Le père de mes enfants (2009)
English title: Father of My Children.
A producer sinks in debt, kills himself, his wife and children continue with their lives, his wife and earlier associates try to finish his unfinished projects.
Mildly interesting as a study of how independent cinema can go wrong. Mostly commonplace though.
Rating: 34
A producer sinks in debt, kills himself, his wife and children continue with their lives, his wife and earlier associates try to finish his unfinished projects.
Mildly interesting as a study of how independent cinema can go wrong. Mostly commonplace though.
Rating: 34
Primer (2004)
A team of scientists accidentally invents a time machine. They use it to make money on the stock market.
This is a representative - and the probable nadir - of a type of film that reached unprecedented levels of popularity in the 00's and is commonly referred to as a "mindfuck". As for the comprehension of its plot, I will confess to having consulted some guides which are available on the internet. One thing is to discuss the genre's characteristics per se, foremost among them the conscious decision of making its plot as difficult to understand as possible. As it turns out, though, this film has problems of a different order, having to do with its banality and ultimate irrelevance, which are easily perceptible once one starts analyzing what it essentially is about and what its characters' concerns and attitudes actually are.
Rating: 11
This is a representative - and the probable nadir - of a type of film that reached unprecedented levels of popularity in the 00's and is commonly referred to as a "mindfuck". As for the comprehension of its plot, I will confess to having consulted some guides which are available on the internet. One thing is to discuss the genre's characteristics per se, foremost among them the conscious decision of making its plot as difficult to understand as possible. As it turns out, though, this film has problems of a different order, having to do with its banality and ultimate irrelevance, which are easily perceptible once one starts analyzing what it essentially is about and what its characters' concerns and attitudes actually are.
Rating: 11
Sulanga Enu Pinisa (2005)
Title in English-Speaking Parts of the World: The Forsaken Land.
Title's possible translations: That which the Wind Dictates; Dictations that Come with the Wind. [according to Israel Vonseeger, in a comment on the "strictly film school" site].
A few persons living in a semi-barren region. Tanks and soldiers move through it, testifying to a civil war which seems to have happened recently (and apparently may resurge any minute). The film follows the events in these people's lives: the inner drama of a woman living with his married brother, the infidelities of the latter's wife, the wanderings of a kid who is befriended, in a dubiously insisting manner, by an elderly man, some seemingly haphazard acts of violence committed by the soldiers, etc.
The alienating style is comprised of a collection of filmic procedures which have been solidified in the 00's as a veritable school, baptized with the name of "contemporary contemplative cinema", and seems to be curiously prevalent among Asian filmmakers who received their cinema education in the West. Here, as in many (perhaps most) films of that school, what remains after one mentally discounts the style is a rather traditional set of filmic ideas and structures, and a proof of this fact is the surprisingly uniform content of the reviews. In any case, this is in the best of hypotheses a mildly interesting short or medium-length film, unreasonably stretched to count as a feature-length one.
Rating: 30
Title's possible translations: That which the Wind Dictates; Dictations that Come with the Wind. [according to Israel Vonseeger, in a comment on the "strictly film school" site].
A few persons living in a semi-barren region. Tanks and soldiers move through it, testifying to a civil war which seems to have happened recently (and apparently may resurge any minute). The film follows the events in these people's lives: the inner drama of a woman living with his married brother, the infidelities of the latter's wife, the wanderings of a kid who is befriended, in a dubiously insisting manner, by an elderly man, some seemingly haphazard acts of violence committed by the soldiers, etc.
The alienating style is comprised of a collection of filmic procedures which have been solidified in the 00's as a veritable school, baptized with the name of "contemporary contemplative cinema", and seems to be curiously prevalent among Asian filmmakers who received their cinema education in the West. Here, as in many (perhaps most) films of that school, what remains after one mentally discounts the style is a rather traditional set of filmic ideas and structures, and a proof of this fact is the surprisingly uniform content of the reviews. In any case, this is in the best of hypotheses a mildly interesting short or medium-length film, unreasonably stretched to count as a feature-length one.
Rating: 30
Saturday, November 26, 2011
La face cachée de la lune (2003)
English title: The Far Side of the Moon
The story of a man who is stuck professionally and emotionally. He has just lost his mother and his doctorate thesis has just been refused for the second time. His brother is a totally different guy and criticizes his lack of objectivity towards life.
The use of the lunar motif is not always meaningful. This story of a typical "loser" oscillates between predictable - he obviously is the sort who behaves inappropriately in bars and forgets to set his watch in a different country - and random - his brother gets stuck in an elevator. Well, no harm done, it is always nice to watch a little obscure movie now and then (I guess it is like watching the hidden face of the moon), and this one - as has been pointed out elsewhere - is meticulously well made.
Rating: 49
The story of a man who is stuck professionally and emotionally. He has just lost his mother and his doctorate thesis has just been refused for the second time. His brother is a totally different guy and criticizes his lack of objectivity towards life.
The use of the lunar motif is not always meaningful. This story of a typical "loser" oscillates between predictable - he obviously is the sort who behaves inappropriately in bars and forgets to set his watch in a different country - and random - his brother gets stuck in an elevator. Well, no harm done, it is always nice to watch a little obscure movie now and then (I guess it is like watching the hidden face of the moon), and this one - as has been pointed out elsewhere - is meticulously well made.
Rating: 49
Friday, November 25, 2011
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
This is the last posting which disrupts my strictly chronological logging of viewed films. This film, I saw it in 1988, and wrote its plot summary then.
A scientist finds in the Amazon the fossilized hand of a strange reptile. He decides to conduct an investigation with the goal of finding the remainder of the corresponding fossil. He encounters David and his girlfriend, a couple of ichthyologists who decide to accompany him. Along with them goes also Mark, an ambitious young man who is the head of the research institution for which they work. They begin research, which at first is infructuous. Through a conversation with the captain of the boat they are traveling on, they get word of the existence of the "Black Lagoon", where legends say there is a fish-man. They head towards there. Mark and David dive and spot the strange creature. Mark hits it with the harpoon, and David takes a photograph, which, once revealed, does not contain anything. The woman goes for a swim and the monster follows her, falling in love with her and grabbing at her foot. The monster climbs on the boat and kills one of the crew members. The captain suggests that they poison the lagoon water with a substance he uses for fishing. The monster invades the boat and is imprisoned. The older scientist keeps a watch over it, but is distracted, thus letting the monster escape, not without first seriously injuring the scientist. The team decides to leave, but the monster has blocked the exit of the boat with a log. They attempt to remove the log, but the monster hinders their efforts. David has the idea of filling the oxygen tubes with the poison used earlier and then spraying it on the monster in order to scare it away, which would enable them to remove the log. But Mark has not given up the idea of capturing the monster and dives too; the monster kills him. The log is removed, but the monster invades the boat and kidnaps the woman. There is a chase on the monster, in which he is hit by the boat crew's gunshots and dies.
A scientist finds in the Amazon the fossilized hand of a strange reptile. He decides to conduct an investigation with the goal of finding the remainder of the corresponding fossil. He encounters David and his girlfriend, a couple of ichthyologists who decide to accompany him. Along with them goes also Mark, an ambitious young man who is the head of the research institution for which they work. They begin research, which at first is infructuous. Through a conversation with the captain of the boat they are traveling on, they get word of the existence of the "Black Lagoon", where legends say there is a fish-man. They head towards there. Mark and David dive and spot the strange creature. Mark hits it with the harpoon, and David takes a photograph, which, once revealed, does not contain anything. The woman goes for a swim and the monster follows her, falling in love with her and grabbing at her foot. The monster climbs on the boat and kills one of the crew members. The captain suggests that they poison the lagoon water with a substance he uses for fishing. The monster invades the boat and is imprisoned. The older scientist keeps a watch over it, but is distracted, thus letting the monster escape, not without first seriously injuring the scientist. The team decides to leave, but the monster has blocked the exit of the boat with a log. They attempt to remove the log, but the monster hinders their efforts. David has the idea of filling the oxygen tubes with the poison used earlier and then spraying it on the monster in order to scare it away, which would enable them to remove the log. But Mark has not given up the idea of capturing the monster and dives too; the monster kills him. The log is removed, but the monster invades the boat and kidnaps the woman. There is a chase on the monster, in which he is hit by the boat crew's gunshots and dies.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
High Noon (1952)
Will Kane decides to get married and abandon the sheriff profession. However, on his wedding day, a bandit whom he had arrested and was released comes back to kill him, with the help of two other men. They are taking the noon train at a nearby town. Kane's wife wants him to leave, but he wants to confront the bandits. To that effect, he seeks help from the other citizens, but no one stands by his side. Consequently, he faces the bandits alone, helped only by his wife, who at the last moment decides to help him (at first she threatened to leave without him).
(Summary written in 1988; film seen then)
(Summary written in 1988; film seen then)
Broadcast News (1987)
A summary written in 1988. (Don't worry, this will soon be over.)
The principal characters are a TV reporter whose ambition is to become an anchorman; a lady TV reporter; a newbie who can't write but whose good looks ensure him a fast rise. Aaron and Tom are the boys' names; Jane is the girl's. Jane falls for Tom, and is loved by Aaron. In the end, nobody gets nobody. Tom is revealed to be just a cynical manipulator, with no ethics or feelings.
The principal characters are a TV reporter whose ambition is to become an anchorman; a lady TV reporter; a newbie who can't write but whose good looks ensure him a fast rise. Aaron and Tom are the boys' names; Jane is the girl's. Jane falls for Tom, and is loved by Aaron. In the end, nobody gets nobody. Tom is revealed to be just a cynical manipulator, with no ethics or feelings.
He Walked by Night (1948)
Plot summary written in 1988, now saved for posterity.
A policeman on night patrol is brutally murdered while on duty one night, and his colleagues try to find the criminal. The first big clue comes when the criminal sells stolen electronic equipment. When he shows up to collect the money, the police tries to capture him, but fails. Several persons who had been robbed by the bandit help to make a composite sketch of his face. On account of the technique and the knowledge of police procedure displayed by the bandit, one policeman believes that he belongs or belonged to the police force. It is discovered that he belonged to the department of radio technicians of the police. It is discovered that he probably lives in Hollywood (here I am not completely sure). One of the policemen disguises as a milkman and begins an investigation in Hollywood. He obtains from one of the local dwellers the information of the house where the criminal supposedly lives. When he delivers milk at that house, the policeman breaks the milk bottle on purpose. The criminal goes outside to see who is there, and is recognized by the policeman, because of the similarity to the sketch. The policeman doesn't do anything immediately; he sends for the help of his colleagues in order to make the arrest. Even with his house surrounded, the criminal enters a sewer hole. Then a chase begins inside the sewer system, at the end of which the chased man is killed.
A policeman on night patrol is brutally murdered while on duty one night, and his colleagues try to find the criminal. The first big clue comes when the criminal sells stolen electronic equipment. When he shows up to collect the money, the police tries to capture him, but fails. Several persons who had been robbed by the bandit help to make a composite sketch of his face. On account of the technique and the knowledge of police procedure displayed by the bandit, one policeman believes that he belongs or belonged to the police force. It is discovered that he belonged to the department of radio technicians of the police. It is discovered that he probably lives in Hollywood (here I am not completely sure). One of the policemen disguises as a milkman and begins an investigation in Hollywood. He obtains from one of the local dwellers the information of the house where the criminal supposedly lives. When he delivers milk at that house, the policeman breaks the milk bottle on purpose. The criminal goes outside to see who is there, and is recognized by the policeman, because of the similarity to the sketch. The policeman doesn't do anything immediately; he sends for the help of his colleagues in order to make the arrest. Even with his house surrounded, the criminal enters a sewer hole. Then a chase begins inside the sewer system, at the end of which the chased man is killed.
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Translation of a plot summary written in 1988.
Wyatt Earp and his three brothers Virgil, Morgan and James bring cattle through a plain and decide to stop near Tombstone. James stands guard while the others go to town. When they come back, James is dead and the cattle has disappeared. Wyatt accepts the position of sheriff of Tombstone, a town where the one who gives the orders is the ex-dentist "Doc" Holiday and where the ones who own the cattle are the Clantons. A young woman named Clementine arrives in town looking for Holiday. Holiday sends her away, and says that if she won't go, he will. Wyatt tells the girl to stay and Doc decides to leave. But Wyatt finds a crucifix which belonged to James with Chihuahua, the singer in the Tombstone saloon. She says she received it from Doc. Wyatt goes after Doc, catches up with him and brings him back to town. When they arrive to Chihuahua's bedroom, she is with Billy Clanton, who hides outside. Wyatt and Doc enter and Doc swears to never having seen the crucifix before. Chihuahua eventually confesses to having received it from Billy Clanton. The latter hears it and shoots through the window, hitting Chihuahua. Wyatt shoots at Clanton while the latter tries to escape, and hits him. Wyatt sends his brother Virgil after Clanton. When Virgil gets to the Clanton ranch, Billy is dead and his father kills Virgil. Meanwhile, Doc has to extract the bullet from Chihuahua. The Clantons bring Virgil's body to town and say they will be waiting for Wyatt at the O.K. corral. Chihuahua does not resist and dies. Doc joins Wyatt and Morgan and they all head to the O.K. corral to face the Clantons. There a shooting occurs and Doc dies, as well as all the Clantons except the father. Wyatt refuses to kill him. Clementine decides to teach in the Tombstone school. Wyatt and Morgan leave to tell their father about what happened; Wyatt tells Clementine he will be back.
Wyatt Earp and his three brothers Virgil, Morgan and James bring cattle through a plain and decide to stop near Tombstone. James stands guard while the others go to town. When they come back, James is dead and the cattle has disappeared. Wyatt accepts the position of sheriff of Tombstone, a town where the one who gives the orders is the ex-dentist "Doc" Holiday and where the ones who own the cattle are the Clantons. A young woman named Clementine arrives in town looking for Holiday. Holiday sends her away, and says that if she won't go, he will. Wyatt tells the girl to stay and Doc decides to leave. But Wyatt finds a crucifix which belonged to James with Chihuahua, the singer in the Tombstone saloon. She says she received it from Doc. Wyatt goes after Doc, catches up with him and brings him back to town. When they arrive to Chihuahua's bedroom, she is with Billy Clanton, who hides outside. Wyatt and Doc enter and Doc swears to never having seen the crucifix before. Chihuahua eventually confesses to having received it from Billy Clanton. The latter hears it and shoots through the window, hitting Chihuahua. Wyatt shoots at Clanton while the latter tries to escape, and hits him. Wyatt sends his brother Virgil after Clanton. When Virgil gets to the Clanton ranch, Billy is dead and his father kills Virgil. Meanwhile, Doc has to extract the bullet from Chihuahua. The Clantons bring Virgil's body to town and say they will be waiting for Wyatt at the O.K. corral. Chihuahua does not resist and dies. Doc joins Wyatt and Morgan and they all head to the O.K. corral to face the Clantons. There a shooting occurs and Doc dies, as well as all the Clantons except the father. Wyatt refuses to kill him. Clementine decides to teach in the Tombstone school. Wyatt and Morgan leave to tell their father about what happened; Wyatt tells Clementine he will be back.
Spellbound (1945)
This blog takes a detour to register some plot summaries I wrote back in 1988, of films I watched that year. They were written in Portuguese, and I will be translating them to English.
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
Constance Petersen is a psychoanalyst at a psychoanalysis institute. Its director is about to be replaced. The new director, Dr. Edwardes, arrives, except it is not him, but John Ballantyne, an impostor. Ballantyne suffers from amnesia. He flees. Petersen, who has fallen in love with him, goes after him. The real Dr. Edwardes is missing and Ballantyne, who was passing himself off as him, is suspected of having murdered him. But Petersen believes in his innocence and tries to cure him of his amnesia. The two hide in the house of an old professor of Constance's. Ballantyne goes skiing with Petersen and saves her from an accident. It is then that he remembers a childhood episode in which he accidentally provoked his brother's death. Then he recovers his memory and remembers that Dr. Edwardes died in a skiing accident. However, when the body is found, it is revealed that Edwardes was shot. Ballantyne is arrested. Petersen, guided by a dream of Ballantyne's, discovers that the real murderer was Dr. Murchison, the former director. Ballantyne is released.
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
Constance Petersen is a psychoanalyst at a psychoanalysis institute. Its director is about to be replaced. The new director, Dr. Edwardes, arrives, except it is not him, but John Ballantyne, an impostor. Ballantyne suffers from amnesia. He flees. Petersen, who has fallen in love with him, goes after him. The real Dr. Edwardes is missing and Ballantyne, who was passing himself off as him, is suspected of having murdered him. But Petersen believes in his innocence and tries to cure him of his amnesia. The two hide in the house of an old professor of Constance's. Ballantyne goes skiing with Petersen and saves her from an accident. It is then that he remembers a childhood episode in which he accidentally provoked his brother's death. Then he recovers his memory and remembers that Dr. Edwardes died in a skiing accident. However, when the body is found, it is revealed that Edwardes was shot. Ballantyne is arrested. Petersen, guided by a dream of Ballantyne's, discovers that the real murderer was Dr. Murchison, the former director. Ballantyne is released.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Bonanza: Journey Remembered (1963) (TV)
*SPOILERS BELOW*
Ben remembers - and the episode flashes back to - when he led a group of settlers who sold everything they had to start a new life in California. There were troubles in the way, with guides and with Apaches. Around this time he was married to Inger and had Adam from a previous marriage. Inger gives birth to Hoss and dies from an Apache arrow.
Ben remembers - and the episode flashes back to - when he led a group of settlers who sold everything they had to start a new life in California. There were troubles in the way, with guides and with Apaches. Around this time he was married to Inger and had Adam from a previous marriage. Inger gives birth to Hoss and dies from an Apache arrow.
Bonanza: Twilight Town (1963) (TV)
After being assaulted by a robber in the desert, Little Joe winds up in a ghost town and meets its ghost dwellers.
Bonanza: The Deadly Ones (1962) (TV)
A group of Juárez followers takes the Ponderosa, wounding Little Joe in the process. Their plan is to rob a wagon full of gold sent out of Mexico by emperor Maximilian.
This episode has a psychoanalytic structure which was perceived by Christopher Mulrooney (if I understand him correctly). The structure is similar to Khouri's As Deusas, and, to a certain degree, also to Kubrick's The Shining. In all of them, the action emulates the workings of the human mind (according to a more or less Freudian model), and the characters are metaphorical incarnations of the constituents of the human psyche. Here, we have a general which stands for the Super-Ego, and two of his lieutenants which stand respectively for the Id and the Ego.
This episode has a psychoanalytic structure which was perceived by Christopher Mulrooney (if I understand him correctly). The structure is similar to Khouri's As Deusas, and, to a certain degree, also to Kubrick's The Shining. In all of them, the action emulates the workings of the human mind (according to a more or less Freudian model), and the characters are metaphorical incarnations of the constituents of the human psyche. Here, we have a general which stands for the Super-Ego, and two of his lieutenants which stand respectively for the Id and the Ego.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Western. A town's big boss promotes a contest made up of duels. One of the contestants is a woman who has a vengeance agenda.
The screenplay's surreal premise is interesting. This surreality is maximum in the duel between the contest's promoter and his bastard son. Perhaps if the film had been reduced to half its length I would have liked it better. Some of the subplots (e.g. the girl who is seduced by a "dirty old man") don't add to the film. Last but not least among the problems which bothered me, I will mention the elegant looks of the protagonist: to begin with, there is no chance that a gunfighter would wear her hair loose, because it could block her eyesight for a moment, and that could mean her death.
Rating: 40
The screenplay's surreal premise is interesting. This surreality is maximum in the duel between the contest's promoter and his bastard son. Perhaps if the film had been reduced to half its length I would have liked it better. Some of the subplots (e.g. the girl who is seduced by a "dirty old man") don't add to the film. Last but not least among the problems which bothered me, I will mention the elegant looks of the protagonist: to begin with, there is no chance that a gunfighter would wear her hair loose, because it could block her eyesight for a moment, and that could mean her death.
Rating: 40
Monday, November 21, 2011
Bonanza: The Artist (1962) (TV)
Ben makes the acquaintance of a man who lost his eyesight and who used to be a famous painter. Ben helps to restore his will to live.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Zee and Co. (1972)
American title, according to IMDb: X, Y and Zee.
American title, as displayed in the movie: X Y & Zee.
A married architect meets a young widow at a party and decides to have a fling with her. The relationship gets serious but his wife won't let go.
Perfectly directed and perfectly cast, it is funny on occasion and consistently watchable throughout. The ending is, say, wicked. The ultimate conclusion one draws from the film is that deep down he doesn't really want to leave his wife, in spite of pledges of love to his lover. Seen from another angle, the central point seems to be the match of one strong person and two weak ones; the development and resolution (or lack thereof) is simply a natural consequence of this balance of forces. This is my second viewing; the rating is raised.
Rating: 51 (up from 43).
American title, as displayed in the movie: X Y & Zee.
A married architect meets a young widow at a party and decides to have a fling with her. The relationship gets serious but his wife won't let go.
Perfectly directed and perfectly cast, it is funny on occasion and consistently watchable throughout. The ending is, say, wicked. The ultimate conclusion one draws from the film is that deep down he doesn't really want to leave his wife, in spite of pledges of love to his lover. Seen from another angle, the central point seems to be the match of one strong person and two weak ones; the development and resolution (or lack thereof) is simply a natural consequence of this balance of forces. This is my second viewing; the rating is raised.
Rating: 51 (up from 43).
Saturday, November 19, 2011
La fille seule (1995)
English title: A Single Girl.
Valérie is pregnant of her boyfriend. She tells it to him on the same day she starts on her job as chambermaid in a hotel.
A film in two acts set in different times, each narrated in real time. It's a virtuosic feat, no doubt, which will please form-freaks. The film strays from strict psychological realism in a more noticeable way on some stretches of dialogue, but nothing so blatant as to be more than a matter of opinion. Written by two males, one of whom directed it, it conveys an image of a woman which some might call modern, and others might ask which parameters make her so, whether fictive or sociological.
Rating: 56
Valérie is pregnant of her boyfriend. She tells it to him on the same day she starts on her job as chambermaid in a hotel.
A film in two acts set in different times, each narrated in real time. It's a virtuosic feat, no doubt, which will please form-freaks. The film strays from strict psychological realism in a more noticeable way on some stretches of dialogue, but nothing so blatant as to be more than a matter of opinion. Written by two males, one of whom directed it, it conveys an image of a woman which some might call modern, and others might ask which parameters make her so, whether fictive or sociological.
Rating: 56
François Premier (1937)
English title: Francis the First.
A humble theater employee in a hypnotic trance is taken to the court of French king Francis the First where he must impersonate an unfaithful wife's brother in order to save her skin.
A case of oneiric time travel, where the historical characters resemble the subject's waking-life acquaintances (and he is aware of this fact). Its crude humor's mainstay is the protagonist's consultation of Larousse for future events; also, he knows all about England's Henry VIII because he "saw the movie". A great success at the time, according to some reports, and mentioned appreciatively by some film critics.
Rating: 18
A humble theater employee in a hypnotic trance is taken to the court of French king Francis the First where he must impersonate an unfaithful wife's brother in order to save her skin.
A case of oneiric time travel, where the historical characters resemble the subject's waking-life acquaintances (and he is aware of this fact). Its crude humor's mainstay is the protagonist's consultation of Larousse for future events; also, he knows all about England's Henry VIII because he "saw the movie". A great success at the time, according to some reports, and mentioned appreciatively by some film critics.
Rating: 18
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Deadly Affair (1966)
Based on the novel "Call for the Dead", by John Le Carré.
An English civil servant is denounced as a spy and dies subsequently. The official verdict is suicide, but an intelligence officer resigns in order to further investigate the affair on his own (helped by a retired policeman).
A film that somehow extracts impure cinematic narrative fun out of dated thriller (and drama) conventions. James Mason is at his usual best. The odd bossa nova soundtrack adds to the flavor of the proceedings. There is not an ounce of realism in it, but it provides (as Christopher Mulrooney has pointed out, if I understand him correctly) a lucid commentary on the various forms that communism has taken on historically and the various illusions it has engendered.
Rating: 51
An English civil servant is denounced as a spy and dies subsequently. The official verdict is suicide, but an intelligence officer resigns in order to further investigate the affair on his own (helped by a retired policeman).
A film that somehow extracts impure cinematic narrative fun out of dated thriller (and drama) conventions. James Mason is at his usual best. The odd bossa nova soundtrack adds to the flavor of the proceedings. There is not an ounce of realism in it, but it provides (as Christopher Mulrooney has pointed out, if I understand him correctly) a lucid commentary on the various forms that communism has taken on historically and the various illusions it has engendered.
Rating: 51
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Cara a Cara (1967)
A humble civil servant lives with his sick mother. He develops an unhealthy obsession towards a rich young woman and spies on her regularly. She is the daughter of a rightwing politician who conspires to arrest a leftwing agitator (or something along those lines).
It has a few qualities, for example it is reasonably successful in establishing a certain melancholic mood. Antero de Oliveira in this bears an extraordinary resemblance to Patrick Dewaere. The sequence emulating silent cinema is well done and pre-dates a similarly inspired one (if I am not mistaken) in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). On the other hand, an oral sex sequence reminds one of a similar one (if I am not mistaken) in Les amants (1958).
Rating: 39
It has a few qualities, for example it is reasonably successful in establishing a certain melancholic mood. Antero de Oliveira in this bears an extraordinary resemblance to Patrick Dewaere. The sequence emulating silent cinema is well done and pre-dates a similarly inspired one (if I am not mistaken) in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). On the other hand, an oral sex sequence reminds one of a similar one (if I am not mistaken) in Les amants (1958).
Rating: 39
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1960)
Based on the novel by Mark Twain (born Samuel Clemens) (1st ed. 1885).
Huck, a young boy, flees from home taking a slave with him. Huck is used by a duo of crooks in a fraud.
A nice film, well acted and funny. Some people complain that it is a bad adaptation of the novel. Well, a film is a film and a novel is a novel. Neville Brand in this film bears an extraordinary resemblance to Nick Nolte.
Rating: 63 (second viewing, first with original sound, rating unchanged)
Huck, a young boy, flees from home taking a slave with him. Huck is used by a duo of crooks in a fraud.
A nice film, well acted and funny. Some people complain that it is a bad adaptation of the novel. Well, a film is a film and a novel is a novel. Neville Brand in this film bears an extraordinary resemblance to Nick Nolte.
Rating: 63 (second viewing, first with original sound, rating unchanged)
Sunday, November 13, 2011
O Gigante da América (1978)
Loosely based on Dante's Comedy, it features a man's journey through hell, purgatory and heaven, even if the second is hard to distinguish. Hell is portrayed as a mental institution, heaven (or perhaps the trip to it) as a ship.
There is no coherent narrative. The style is based on non-sequitur, contrasting juxtaposition of visual and audio, grotesque presentation of sexual imagery, literary references, self-conscious theatricality, etc. The result is seldom inventive, sometimes comical, mostly dull.
Rating: 24
There is no coherent narrative. The style is based on non-sequitur, contrasting juxtaposition of visual and audio, grotesque presentation of sexual imagery, literary references, self-conscious theatricality, etc. The result is seldom inventive, sometimes comical, mostly dull.
Rating: 24
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Slaves of New York (1989)
Eleanor lives with Stash, who is a painter. She works as a copy editor in a newspaper and designs weird hats as a hobby. Marley is a painter too, but wants to found the Church of Christ Woman.
New York in the eighties. The artistic type and its various subtypes. Everyone is slightly nutty, which makes for some laugh-out-loud moments. An enjoyable film.
Rating: 61
New York in the eighties. The artistic type and its various subtypes. Everyone is slightly nutty, which makes for some laugh-out-loud moments. An enjoyable film.
Rating: 61
Friday, November 11, 2011
Chelsea on the Rocks (2008)
Documentary (with a few staged portions) about the Chelsea Hotel in New York, a favorite place of artists in its heyday.
Good documentary, a little boring on occasion. The specific environment of mild irresponsibility associated with artists is the dominant note. Also, towards the ending, a discussion of the changes that time and new frames of mind engender.
Rating: 51
Good documentary, a little boring on occasion. The specific environment of mild irresponsibility associated with artists is the dominant note. Also, towards the ending, a discussion of the changes that time and new frames of mind engender.
Rating: 51
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Return to Paradise (1998)
Remake of the French movie Force majeure (1989).
Three American youths spend vacation in an Asian country. Two of them return to America, and after two years are looked up by a lawyer who says the third of them was arrested for drug trafficking due to a blunder one of the other two committed; what's more, he was now facing a death sentence unless at least one of them returns to that Asian country and shares the guilt of drug possession.
Quite a powerful moral equation. The use of the name of a real country for this fictional work is problematic, though. Not only that country may be (and is, according to some sources) very different than the fictional one, but the fictional one comes off as a bit nonsensical, displaying on the one hand an extremely abundant offer of easy illegal drug on the streets and on the other an unsurpassed severity in its drug laws. But the film is otherwise an engaging study of individuals facing hard choices.
Rating: 59 (this is my second viewing, and the rating does not change)
Three American youths spend vacation in an Asian country. Two of them return to America, and after two years are looked up by a lawyer who says the third of them was arrested for drug trafficking due to a blunder one of the other two committed; what's more, he was now facing a death sentence unless at least one of them returns to that Asian country and shares the guilt of drug possession.
Quite a powerful moral equation. The use of the name of a real country for this fictional work is problematic, though. Not only that country may be (and is, according to some sources) very different than the fictional one, but the fictional one comes off as a bit nonsensical, displaying on the one hand an extremely abundant offer of easy illegal drug on the streets and on the other an unsurpassed severity in its drug laws. But the film is otherwise an engaging study of individuals facing hard choices.
Rating: 59 (this is my second viewing, and the rating does not change)
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Hans Staden (1999)
In the 16th century a German man living in Brazil is captured by the native tupinambás and remains in captivity for about 10 months, being threatened with death by his cannibalistic captors during almost his entire stay.
A non-dramatic account. An infinitely beautiful story, in a film of only medium achievement. The final caption tells us that the tupinambás were drastically reduced in number a few years after Staden's release, due to a smallpox epidemic. Their remnants lasted another century or less, being eventually extinguished by a number of diseases brought by the Europeans and by war against the Portuguese and their allies.
Rating: 56
A non-dramatic account. An infinitely beautiful story, in a film of only medium achievement. The final caption tells us that the tupinambás were drastically reduced in number a few years after Staden's release, due to a smallpox epidemic. Their remnants lasted another century or less, being eventually extinguished by a number of diseases brought by the Europeans and by war against the Portuguese and their allies.
Rating: 56
Revolución (2010)
Ten short films from Mexico. The films display disparate themes and styles, having in common the reflection of present-day Mexican reality.
This film is a testimony to the vitality of Mexican cinema today, even if I am not the person most apt to say so. But it is evident from it that the country is in no shortage of talents. I was drawn to this film because of Dan Sallitt's endorsing of two of its segments, "El cura Nicolás colgado" (his favorite) and "Este es mi reino". I am prone to agreeing with these choices: these two are probably the best segments, but all the other ones except the last (I didn't get it and hate slo-mo as a rule) are fine and offer something interesting to watch. I think there may be also an interest in observing how this film is a triumph of intelligent filmmakers against unintelligent producers. I refer to the fact that the idea of making a film thematically related to Revolutions or to Mexican Revolution in particular was met either with disregard or with distrust by the individual writer-directors. In particular "Este es mi reino" is a celebration of conviviality not unlike La règle du jeu, and is the most explicit assertion of a scorn for the concept of revolution that seems to be shared with more or less intensity by this ensemble of filmmakers.
Rating: 69
This film is a testimony to the vitality of Mexican cinema today, even if I am not the person most apt to say so. But it is evident from it that the country is in no shortage of talents. I was drawn to this film because of Dan Sallitt's endorsing of two of its segments, "El cura Nicolás colgado" (his favorite) and "Este es mi reino". I am prone to agreeing with these choices: these two are probably the best segments, but all the other ones except the last (I didn't get it and hate slo-mo as a rule) are fine and offer something interesting to watch. I think there may be also an interest in observing how this film is a triumph of intelligent filmmakers against unintelligent producers. I refer to the fact that the idea of making a film thematically related to Revolutions or to Mexican Revolution in particular was met either with disregard or with distrust by the individual writer-directors. In particular "Este es mi reino" is a celebration of conviviality not unlike La règle du jeu, and is the most explicit assertion of a scorn for the concept of revolution that seems to be shared with more or less intensity by this ensemble of filmmakers.
Rating: 69
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Tabu (1982)
In theory, this has as characters Oswald de Andrade (a Brazilian writer), Lamartine Babo (a Brazilian popular composer), and João do Rio (another Brazilian writer).
Actually, it does not seem to be about anything. It is only a series of puns, amateurish musical numbers, women in the nude or semi-nude, excerpts from Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931), excerpts from old sex movies, and undefinable noneventful sequences. The soundtrack includes samples of bizarre old Brazilian songs. As I do not like to finish without an appreciative comment, there is a certain amusement to be had in the sequences featuring an effete Francisco Alves (a Brazilian singer) walking in the company of Mário Reis (another Brazilian singer).
Rating: 12
Actually, it does not seem to be about anything. It is only a series of puns, amateurish musical numbers, women in the nude or semi-nude, excerpts from Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931), excerpts from old sex movies, and undefinable noneventful sequences. The soundtrack includes samples of bizarre old Brazilian songs. As I do not like to finish without an appreciative comment, there is a certain amusement to be had in the sequences featuring an effete Francisco Alves (a Brazilian singer) walking in the company of Mário Reis (another Brazilian singer).
Rating: 12
The Man from Planet X (1951)
A planet is on a route of approximation to Earth. A scientist establishes an observation point at an island, and is joined there by a journalist. They find a spaceship on the island.
Cheap sci-fi, with a reasonable screenplay within the constraints of an unreasonable subject matter.
Rating: 35
Cheap sci-fi, with a reasonable screenplay within the constraints of an unreasonable subject matter.
Rating: 35
Monday, November 07, 2011
The Dark Half (1993)
A writer achieves greater commercial success writing cheap novels under a pseudonym than writing serious novels under his real name. Somehow, his pseudonymous self acquires life and starts killing people.
From the synopsis above, one pretty much can imagine how this film will be. Freud, Stevenson, lots of why's and how's that go unanswered throughout the movie, the rhetoric of fiction, the conventions of Hollywood storytelling. Thus, one got it pretty much figured out. Except there is The Birds too, and that was not expected, and that does not really make much difference.
Rating: 33
From the synopsis above, one pretty much can imagine how this film will be. Freud, Stevenson, lots of why's and how's that go unanswered throughout the movie, the rhetoric of fiction, the conventions of Hollywood storytelling. Thus, one got it pretty much figured out. Except there is The Birds too, and that was not expected, and that does not really make much difference.
Rating: 33
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Agosto (1993) (TV)
In August 1954, Brazil faces a political crisis. This miniseries imagines a crime story happening concurrently with the real events. The real events derive from the attempt on the life of opposition journalist Carlos Lacerda. The fictitious crime is the murder of a businessman during a homosexual encounter.
A second viewing of this miniseries has proven satisfactory, although my final appraisal is a bit less enthusiastic than my earliear one. Some imperfections are apparent, and the mise-en-scene at times seems a little static or unimaginative. Also, I do not know what to make of the fact that the protagonist takes such a long time to see who the obvious author of the crime he is investigating is.
Rating: 66 (down from 71)
A second viewing of this miniseries has proven satisfactory, although my final appraisal is a bit less enthusiastic than my earliear one. Some imperfections are apparent, and the mise-en-scene at times seems a little static or unimaginative. Also, I do not know what to make of the fact that the protagonist takes such a long time to see who the obvious author of the crime he is investigating is.
Rating: 66 (down from 71)
Friday, November 04, 2011
Como Vai, Vai Bem? (1969)
English title: How Are You? Well?
An omnibus film in eight episodes. Most of them feature the same two actors, and all of them feature at least one of them; in each of them, they come in a different make-up and costume, to suit the specific character of that episode. A summary of the episodes is given (in Portuguese) in the TV Brasil site, which showed the movie last August. I translate it below, with [...] for skipped text:
"In the first episode, Once Flamengo [...] two fanatical rooters for Flamengo get drunk after that team's defeat. In Woman in Sight [...] a voyeur spies, with binoculars, his neighbor's nudity. In Ten Years of Marriage [...] a lower-class suburb dweller kills his wife because of a chicken. In The Holy Girl of Encantado [...] a greedy father earns money out of his daughter's pretense to see Our Lady. In The Apartment [...] two sweethearts desperately try to satisfy their sexual urges. in The Little Canaries of N.S. das Dores [...] a priest attempts to collect contributions from his parishioners. In I Have to Win [...] a married man makes a living performing as a cross-dresser in a nightclub. Lastly, in The Great Day [...] a lower-class suburb dweller gets ready to sing as a contestant on the Chacrinha TV show."
Reasonably entertaining comical portrayal of lower-class Rio de Janeiro in the late sixties. The screenplay is collectively signed. The duo of leading actors were very popular in a TV show a few years after this film; I do not know whether they had paired earlier. The film's copy they showed in TV is in considerably bad shape.
Rating: 50
An omnibus film in eight episodes. Most of them feature the same two actors, and all of them feature at least one of them; in each of them, they come in a different make-up and costume, to suit the specific character of that episode. A summary of the episodes is given (in Portuguese) in the TV Brasil site, which showed the movie last August. I translate it below, with [...] for skipped text:
"In the first episode, Once Flamengo [...] two fanatical rooters for Flamengo get drunk after that team's defeat. In Woman in Sight [...] a voyeur spies, with binoculars, his neighbor's nudity. In Ten Years of Marriage [...] a lower-class suburb dweller kills his wife because of a chicken. In The Holy Girl of Encantado [...] a greedy father earns money out of his daughter's pretense to see Our Lady. In The Apartment [...] two sweethearts desperately try to satisfy their sexual urges. in The Little Canaries of N.S. das Dores [...] a priest attempts to collect contributions from his parishioners. In I Have to Win [...] a married man makes a living performing as a cross-dresser in a nightclub. Lastly, in The Great Day [...] a lower-class suburb dweller gets ready to sing as a contestant on the Chacrinha TV show."
Reasonably entertaining comical portrayal of lower-class Rio de Janeiro in the late sixties. The screenplay is collectively signed. The duo of leading actors were very popular in a TV show a few years after this film; I do not know whether they had paired earlier. The film's copy they showed in TV is in considerably bad shape.
Rating: 50
Boys (1996)
Based on the short story "Twenty Minutes" by James Salter, published in the collection "Dusk and Other Stories" in 1988.
A high school student helps a young woman who has suffered a riding accident. Instead of taking her to a hospital, he takes her to his school dormitory. She happens to be wanted by the police.
Unconvincing and unengaging, yet not altogether unwatchable little drama.
Rating: 35
A high school student helps a young woman who has suffered a riding accident. Instead of taking her to a hospital, he takes her to his school dormitory. She happens to be wanted by the police.
Unconvincing and unengaging, yet not altogether unwatchable little drama.
Rating: 35
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Based on a novel by Raymond Chandler, first published in 1940.
A private detective is hired to find the girlfriend of a man who has been recently released from jail.
This is at least, and probably, my second viewing. It is also, probably, my first viewing with original English audio.
A well-made if fairly conventional literary adaptation. I do not know for sure what exactly struck me as extraordinary about this film at my previous viewing.
Rating: 65 (down from 78)
A private detective is hired to find the girlfriend of a man who has been recently released from jail.
This is at least, and probably, my second viewing. It is also, probably, my first viewing with original English audio.
A well-made if fairly conventional literary adaptation. I do not know for sure what exactly struck me as extraordinary about this film at my previous viewing.
Rating: 65 (down from 78)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Panj é asr (2003)
English title: At Five in the Afternoon
In May 30, 2009, when I saw this film for the first time, I wrote in this blog:
"In occupied Afghanistan, there is a clash between women who want the end of
Taleban oppression, and the conservative men who cling to the rules set up by
that regime. An ambitious woman attends classes and wants to be the country's
president one day.
There isn't much to say about this film; it isn't very good. The first 15
minutes are fine, and then it's just not anymore. Camerawork is first rate
though, and one can sense the director's (or the cinematographer's, perhaps) eye
for composition."
The summary I wrote is fine, but could be better. I could mention, for example, that there is a surge of refugees that storm their village. And that her brother is missing and his wife has a baby that is dying of hunger.
The evaluation is pretty much the same after having seen it a second time (although perhaps one should not take my "the first 15 minutes" assessment too seriously). It is worth mentioning that one of the good scenes involves a girl who wears glasses. Her speech comes off as deeply heartfelt, and is a noteworthy achievement of realism. It is worth mentioning further that the film is about the sadness and hope and despair of women, and that it superposes a non-realistic, fablelike structure on realistic set-pieces. It does that, however, in a mostly tacky, repetitive and slow manner.
My rating does not change: 33
In May 30, 2009, when I saw this film for the first time, I wrote in this blog:
"In occupied Afghanistan, there is a clash between women who want the end of
Taleban oppression, and the conservative men who cling to the rules set up by
that regime. An ambitious woman attends classes and wants to be the country's
president one day.
There isn't much to say about this film; it isn't very good. The first 15
minutes are fine, and then it's just not anymore. Camerawork is first rate
though, and one can sense the director's (or the cinematographer's, perhaps) eye
for composition."
The summary I wrote is fine, but could be better. I could mention, for example, that there is a surge of refugees that storm their village. And that her brother is missing and his wife has a baby that is dying of hunger.
The evaluation is pretty much the same after having seen it a second time (although perhaps one should not take my "the first 15 minutes" assessment too seriously). It is worth mentioning that one of the good scenes involves a girl who wears glasses. Her speech comes off as deeply heartfelt, and is a noteworthy achievement of realism. It is worth mentioning further that the film is about the sadness and hope and despair of women, and that it superposes a non-realistic, fablelike structure on realistic set-pieces. It does that, however, in a mostly tacky, repetitive and slow manner.
My rating does not change: 33
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Occupe-toi d'Amélie! (1949)
English titles: Keep an Eye on Amelia; Oh Amelia!
Based on a play by Georges Feydeau, first performed in 1908.
Amélie is a courtesan, supported by her lover, a military officer. She is to feign marriage to another man so the latter receives an inheritance. In the midst of all that, a foreign prince wants her as his mistress.
An amusing farce, creatively transposed to the cinema. The boundaries of the several levels of diegesis are deliberately blurred: the story we watch is seen as a play being performed in a theater, the spectators interfere with the action, etc.
Rating: 63
Based on a play by Georges Feydeau, first performed in 1908.
Amélie is a courtesan, supported by her lover, a military officer. She is to feign marriage to another man so the latter receives an inheritance. In the midst of all that, a foreign prince wants her as his mistress.
An amusing farce, creatively transposed to the cinema. The boundaries of the several levels of diegesis are deliberately blurred: the story we watch is seen as a play being performed in a theater, the spectators interfere with the action, etc.
Rating: 63
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Taking Care of Business (1990)
An escaped convict finds an executive's filofax and takes his place.
Slightly amusing comedy of mistaken identities. The most interesting part of the film is probably the one at the meeting with the Japanese businessman, wherein the film satirizes advertising of second-rate products.
Rating: 51
Slightly amusing comedy of mistaken identities. The most interesting part of the film is probably the one at the meeting with the Japanese businessman, wherein the film satirizes advertising of second-rate products.
Rating: 51
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
The dead come back to, uhn, animation, in Louisville, Kentucky.
This is my second viewing. While this is an entertaining film, it does not have a lot more than simple entertainment (for a special kind of audience, granted) to offer.
Rating: 50 (unchanged)
This is my second viewing. While this is an entertaining film, it does not have a lot more than simple entertainment (for a special kind of audience, granted) to offer.
Rating: 50 (unchanged)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
My One and Only (2009)
The difficult adolescence of two boys whose mother leaves her unfaithful husband and travels from city to city in search of an advantageous new marriage.
A film with its share of bittersweet humor and psychological insight. The problem is that almost every time emotions are involved it becomes artificial and afraid of not following a standardized formula for ensuring the viewer's empathy (thus losing it, at least in my case).
Rating: 42
A film with its share of bittersweet humor and psychological insight. The problem is that almost every time emotions are involved it becomes artificial and afraid of not following a standardized formula for ensuring the viewer's empathy (thus losing it, at least in my case).
Rating: 42
Friday, October 21, 2011
Crésus (1960)
English title: Croesus.
A shepherd living at a mountain community finds a rocket case containing money bills. He does not know what to do with all the money.
Interesting low-key humor. Authentic locations. The film manages to instill some originality into somewhat predictable situations.
Rating: 52
A shepherd living at a mountain community finds a rocket case containing money bills. He does not know what to do with all the money.
Interesting low-key humor. Authentic locations. The film manages to instill some originality into somewhat predictable situations.
Rating: 52
A Tale of Two Cities (1935)
Based on a novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1859.
A complex story. A man spends 18 years in the Bastille without a trial (by order of a cruel aristocrat). He is freed and taken to England. The nephew of that cruel aristocrat falls in love with the old man's daughter. The main character in all this, however, is an assistant to a distinguished lawyer who is also an alcoholic. He helps acquitting an important character and become friends with the the young lady (and falls in love with her).
Melodramatic to the core. Well made. Watchable.
Rating: 51
A complex story. A man spends 18 years in the Bastille without a trial (by order of a cruel aristocrat). He is freed and taken to England. The nephew of that cruel aristocrat falls in love with the old man's daughter. The main character in all this, however, is an assistant to a distinguished lawyer who is also an alcoholic. He helps acquitting an important character and become friends with the the young lady (and falls in love with her).
Melodramatic to the core. Well made. Watchable.
Rating: 51
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
O Homem do Pau-Brasil (1982)
Based on the life and works of Oswald de Andrade, a Brazilian writer who was one of the main persons responsible for Brazil's Modern Art Week, in 1922, in the city of São Paulo. The film narrates his amorous adventures amidst discussions about art, politics, Brazilian identity, etc.
A film that appears to succeed at getting its subject through to the viewer. But I don't think it is a particularly interesting film, especially for those with no particular interest in Brazil and its beginning-of-the-century intellectuals. The acting style is very theatrical, as supposedly imposed by the filmmaker's concept of the movie.
Rating: 42
A film that appears to succeed at getting its subject through to the viewer. But I don't think it is a particularly interesting film, especially for those with no particular interest in Brazil and its beginning-of-the-century intellectuals. The acting style is very theatrical, as supposedly imposed by the filmmaker's concept of the movie.
Rating: 42
Sunday, October 16, 2011
A Família do Barulho (1970)
A prostitute lives with two men. One of the men is aggressive, the other is passive.
A collage with funny moments, and unfunny ones (the latter are more frequent than the former).
Interested persons be warned that the copy which was shown a few months ago in Canal Brasil (the one I watched) is practically unwatchable. The saturation of white is very excessive, rendering several scenes an incomprehensible blur. The audio, too, is a little difficult to understand. I ignore whether this film possesses a better copy somewhere. In fact, to be completely on the safe side, I must acknowledge the possibility that the film was photographed that way, for some mysterious artistic reason.
Rating: 31
A collage with funny moments, and unfunny ones (the latter are more frequent than the former).
Interested persons be warned that the copy which was shown a few months ago in Canal Brasil (the one I watched) is practically unwatchable. The saturation of white is very excessive, rendering several scenes an incomprehensible blur. The audio, too, is a little difficult to understand. I ignore whether this film possesses a better copy somewhere. In fact, to be completely on the safe side, I must acknowledge the possibility that the film was photographed that way, for some mysterious artistic reason.
Rating: 31
Berlin Express (1948)
Right after the end of World War 2, persons of various nationalities embark on the train from Paris to Berlin. One of them is the German member of the "facts-finding commission", who has a plan for the rebuilding of Germany. Members of the Nazi underground want to stop him from speaking at a conference.
Far-fetched thriller which has next to nothing of remarkable, the most conspicuous exception being of course the location shooting in the postwar ruins of Frankfurt and Berlin.
Rating: 32
Far-fetched thriller which has next to nothing of remarkable, the most conspicuous exception being of course the location shooting in the postwar ruins of Frankfurt and Berlin.
Rating: 32
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Per un pugno di dollari (1964)
Englisht title: Fistful of Dollars.
Remake of Yojinbo. A stranger rides into a town which is being devastatated
by two clashing clans' fight over power.
At one point a character, during a spying mission of sorts, says "this is like playing cowboys and indians". No, seriously. From which it is definitely established that the Italians invented postmodernism. Otherwise it is just another unnecessary remake. Granted, the music is good, and the film is rather well directed considering its low budget. But it simply doesn't rock.
Seen in a dubbed version.
Rating: 45
Remake of Yojinbo. A stranger rides into a town which is being devastatated
by two clashing clans' fight over power.
At one point a character, during a spying mission of sorts, says "this is like playing cowboys and indians". No, seriously. From which it is definitely established that the Italians invented postmodernism. Otherwise it is just another unnecessary remake. Granted, the music is good, and the film is rather well directed considering its low budget. But it simply doesn't rock.
Seen in a dubbed version.
Rating: 45
Friday, October 14, 2011
Walk Don't Run (1966)
A middle-aged industrialist can't find a room in Tokyo during the 1964 Olympics and rents some space in an apartment from a young woman. He later brings in a young man.
Unnecessary remake of a good comedy of 1943 (The More the Merrier) which I don't remember well. The first half hour is entertaining (probably due to elements borrowed from the earlier movie), the remainder is a little arduous to watch.
Rating: 37
Unnecessary remake of a good comedy of 1943 (The More the Merrier) which I don't remember well. The first half hour is entertaining (probably due to elements borrowed from the earlier movie), the remainder is a little arduous to watch.
Rating: 37
Sunday, October 09, 2011
The Wild Bunch (1969)
A gang of robbers, after a botched job, decide to do one more (and hopefully the last one for some of them) for a Mexican general: robbing a train with weapons. They are pursued by a man who used to belong to the gang.
Very good western, which I saw for the second time. Although my appraisal diminished a bit, it is still high. It is a very entertaining movie and has a wonderful cast. This time I saw the longer version (I think my first viewing was of the shorter one.)
Rating: 72 (down from 90)
Very good western, which I saw for the second time. Although my appraisal diminished a bit, it is still high. It is a very entertaining movie and has a wonderful cast. This time I saw the longer version (I think my first viewing was of the shorter one.)
Rating: 72 (down from 90)
Friday, October 07, 2011
Los abrazos rotos (2009)
A filmmaker recalls the incidents of his life concerning his love affair with
one of his actresses, the mistress of a millionaire.
In December 18, 2009, I wrote in this blog:
"In this, a Barbara Stanwyck lookalike plays an Audrey Hepburn lookalike in a
film produced by her Anthony Quinn lookalike husband. Los abrazos rotos's
primary contribution to universal wisdom is that you shouldn't ignore someone
who looks dead: he might be faking it just to see if you will ignore him. At a
particular point in the film, I yearned for a truly awful car accident to
happen, and my wish was promptly granted. Am I the psychic or is the filmmaker?
I couldn't find other reasons for this film's existence."
This is possibly one of my finest pieces of writing, but a second viewing of this film didn't piss me off as much as the first one had. And I even found a second reason for this film's existence, as given by the last sentence issued by the protagonist in the film: "A film should be finished, even if it has to be done blindly." This is the verdict on "Girl and Suitcases", the film within Los abrazos rotos; the latter feels like something which was blindly done right from the start. It just accumulates events, characters, and references to other films, without much of a center.
Rating: 45 (up from 20)
one of his actresses, the mistress of a millionaire.
In December 18, 2009, I wrote in this blog:
"In this, a Barbara Stanwyck lookalike plays an Audrey Hepburn lookalike in a
film produced by her Anthony Quinn lookalike husband. Los abrazos rotos's
primary contribution to universal wisdom is that you shouldn't ignore someone
who looks dead: he might be faking it just to see if you will ignore him. At a
particular point in the film, I yearned for a truly awful car accident to
happen, and my wish was promptly granted. Am I the psychic or is the filmmaker?
I couldn't find other reasons for this film's existence."
This is possibly one of my finest pieces of writing, but a second viewing of this film didn't piss me off as much as the first one had. And I even found a second reason for this film's existence, as given by the last sentence issued by the protagonist in the film: "A film should be finished, even if it has to be done blindly." This is the verdict on "Girl and Suitcases", the film within Los abrazos rotos; the latter feels like something which was blindly done right from the start. It just accumulates events, characters, and references to other films, without much of a center.
Rating: 45 (up from 20)
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Everybody's Fine (2009)
A widower doesn't get a visit from his four sons, so he decides to visit them.
A remake of a 1990 Italian movie, which I saw but can't remember in detail. The idea is to examine the contradictions which are embedded in familial relations. The intended tone seems to be one of affectionate criticism, but turns out rather tame. The Italian original seemed more incisive, but my memory may be playing tricks on me, or maybe I was more easily impressionable back then.
Rating: 43
A remake of a 1990 Italian movie, which I saw but can't remember in detail. The idea is to examine the contradictions which are embedded in familial relations. The intended tone seems to be one of affectionate criticism, but turns out rather tame. The Italian original seemed more incisive, but my memory may be playing tricks on me, or maybe I was more easily impressionable back then.
Rating: 43
Jungle Book (1942)
Based on a novel by Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1894.
Mowgli is a boy raised by wolves who returns to civilization and is antagonized by one villager. When Mowgli finds a secret treasure his enemy covets it.
The plot is devoid of surprises for one who has been through an animated remake prior to this, not to mention dozens of Tarzans in the various media. In fact, the film is built primarily on the striking visuals and on the charisma of Sabu.
Rating: 51
Mowgli is a boy raised by wolves who returns to civilization and is antagonized by one villager. When Mowgli finds a secret treasure his enemy covets it.
The plot is devoid of surprises for one who has been through an animated remake prior to this, not to mention dozens of Tarzans in the various media. In fact, the film is built primarily on the striking visuals and on the charisma of Sabu.
Rating: 51
Sunday, September 25, 2011
American Teen (2008)
Semi-documentary (part of it is possibly staged) about senior high school kids in an Indiana school.
This blend of documentary and fiction technique is intriguing; the authenticity is suspect at times, since the intrusion of the filmmaker may have shaped some events. I watched it on autopilot; it is not a despicable movie but I do not see much of a point in it.
Rating: 41
This blend of documentary and fiction technique is intriguing; the authenticity is suspect at times, since the intrusion of the filmmaker may have shaped some events. I watched it on autopilot; it is not a despicable movie but I do not see much of a point in it.
Rating: 41
Saturday, September 24, 2011
F.I.S.T. (1978)
Johnny Kovak, the son of Hungarian immigrants, is a manual worker who is invited to work for the truckers' union and makes a career as a union leader. He gets involved with organized crime. Loosely based on Jimmy Hoffa's life.
It departs from the real Jimmy Hoffa's life presumably, among other possible causes, because the screenwriter is Hungarian and wanted to depict this ethnicity. But the movie is an efficient and realistic dramatization of the workers' struggle, and all it entailed.
Rating: 60
It departs from the real Jimmy Hoffa's life presumably, among other possible causes, because the screenwriter is Hungarian and wanted to depict this ethnicity. But the movie is an efficient and realistic dramatization of the workers' struggle, and all it entailed.
Rating: 60
Friday, September 23, 2011
Julius Caesar (1953)
The famous story of the assassination of Julius Caesar and its aftermath.
Not my idea of fun, but not a terribly dull film either. Shakespeare knew how to write a play, and that shows even in his minor ones, as I presume this one is. The film is well acted, and the sets are beautiful.
Perhaps one of the major themes here is that of manipulation, a recurrent one in Shakespeare. Cassius belongs in the same lineage of manipulators that include also Iago, Lady Macbeth, and Hamlet's ghost; Brutus is the manipulated one, alongside Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet. It's an ambiguous thing, however; Brutus seems to possess an inner strength which makes him rather more than just a puppet (I wonder whether a similar case could be made for the other examples I mentioned).
The most famous line seems to be "it's not in the stars, it's in us" (rough quote). Two film titles at least came from this play: "The Serpent's Egg" and "The Evil That Men Do".
Rating: 53
Not my idea of fun, but not a terribly dull film either. Shakespeare knew how to write a play, and that shows even in his minor ones, as I presume this one is. The film is well acted, and the sets are beautiful.
Perhaps one of the major themes here is that of manipulation, a recurrent one in Shakespeare. Cassius belongs in the same lineage of manipulators that include also Iago, Lady Macbeth, and Hamlet's ghost; Brutus is the manipulated one, alongside Othello, Macbeth, and Hamlet. It's an ambiguous thing, however; Brutus seems to possess an inner strength which makes him rather more than just a puppet (I wonder whether a similar case could be made for the other examples I mentioned).
The most famous line seems to be "it's not in the stars, it's in us" (rough quote). Two film titles at least came from this play: "The Serpent's Egg" and "The Evil That Men Do".
Rating: 53
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
A depiction of a naval operation in World War II, summarized by the film's title.
Technically competent, yet slightly disagreeable war drama. The Nazi ship's commander is portrayed stereotypically as usual with Nazis, and much apart from the real person, according to some reports. The real allied commander was for mysterious reasons replaced by a fictional character with a different name. The allied strategy seems to boil down to amassing every resource at hand (including human lives, of course) to achieve a goal of overrated importance. The one thing that is perhaps worth noting is the "reverse metaphor" phenomenon (I came up with this expression, not knowing of any previously existing one). It consists of comparing the naval operation to a chess game. Actually, chess is a metaphor of war (like every game is a metaphor of some human activity), so one is reversing the metaphor when one says war is like chess. Possibly, the same applies to the sentence "gambling with human lives", which the protagonist rejects for "taking a calculated risk".
Rating: 35
Technically competent, yet slightly disagreeable war drama. The Nazi ship's commander is portrayed stereotypically as usual with Nazis, and much apart from the real person, according to some reports. The real allied commander was for mysterious reasons replaced by a fictional character with a different name. The allied strategy seems to boil down to amassing every resource at hand (including human lives, of course) to achieve a goal of overrated importance. The one thing that is perhaps worth noting is the "reverse metaphor" phenomenon (I came up with this expression, not knowing of any previously existing one). It consists of comparing the naval operation to a chess game. Actually, chess is a metaphor of war (like every game is a metaphor of some human activity), so one is reversing the metaphor when one says war is like chess. Possibly, the same applies to the sentence "gambling with human lives", which the protagonist rejects for "taking a calculated risk".
Rating: 35
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Act of Violence (1948)
A reputed World War II hero is chased by an ex-soldier who was under his command in the war.
The premise had potential (perhaps), the resolution is more of the same Hollywood bollocks.
Rating: 33
The premise had potential (perhaps), the resolution is more of the same Hollywood bollocks.
Rating: 33
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Hatuna Meuheret (2001)
English title: Late Marriage.
A family of Georgian-Israelis worry about their son Zaza, who is 31 and is seeing a divorcee with a kid from her previous marriage. They try to set Zaza up with numerous young women.
I guess this is a comment on doctorate students (of philosophy in this case, but if Marx is correct the subject of interest is irrelevant). There is an attempt, at mid-movie, to establish a kind of philosophical framework in which the existence of love, metaphysically speaking, is put into question. Being an Israeli movie, it may be equally well seen as an analysis of terrorism (the most prominent terrorist in the movie being an obese woman). Under that angle, it seems to be claiming that terrorism works. A dull movie.
Rating: 31
A family of Georgian-Israelis worry about their son Zaza, who is 31 and is seeing a divorcee with a kid from her previous marriage. They try to set Zaza up with numerous young women.
I guess this is a comment on doctorate students (of philosophy in this case, but if Marx is correct the subject of interest is irrelevant). There is an attempt, at mid-movie, to establish a kind of philosophical framework in which the existence of love, metaphysically speaking, is put into question. Being an Israeli movie, it may be equally well seen as an analysis of terrorism (the most prominent terrorist in the movie being an obese woman). Under that angle, it seems to be claiming that terrorism works. A dull movie.
Rating: 31
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Three Stooges: Fourth Batch
In the order of viewing:
April
16 The Three Stooges: He Cooked His Goose (1952)
16 The Three Stooges: Pop Goes the Easel (1935)
17 The Three Stooges: Higher Than a Kite (1943)
17 The Three Stooges: Mutts to You (1938)
18 The Three Stooges: Flat Foot Stooges (1938)
18 The Three Stooges: Listen, Judge (1952)
18 The Three Stooges: Back from the Front (1943)
19 The Three Stooges: G.I. Wanna Home (1946)
19 The Three Stooges: Punch Drunks (1934)
20 The Three Stooges: Pies and Guys (1958)
20 The Three Stooges: Space Ship Sappy (1957)
20 The Three Stooges: Three Pests in a Mess (1945)
20 The Three Stooges: Ants in the Pantry (1936)
20 The Three Stooges: Scrambled Brains (1951)
21 The Three Stooges: Quiz Whizz (1958)
21 The Three Stooges: Dizzy Doctors (1937)
22 The Three Stooges: Dopey Dicks (1950)
22 The Three Stooges: Rusty Romeos (1957)
27 The Three Stooges: Sweet and Hot (1958)
27 The Three Stooges: Outer Space Jitters (1957)
28 The Three Stooges: Rhythm and Weep (1946)
28 The Three Stooges: Movie Maniacs (1936)
28 The Three Stooges: Hoofs and Goofs (1957)
29 The Three Stooges: Half-Wits Holiday (1947)
29 The Three Stooges: Musty Musketeers (1954)
May
02 The Three Stooges: Triple Crossed (1959)
03 The Three Stooges: Out West (1947)
05 The Three Stooges: The Tooth Will Out (1951)
05 The Three Stooges: Three Little Beers (1935)
05 The Three Stooges: Income Tax Sappy (1954)
05 The Three Stooges: Guns A Poppin! (1957)
06 The Three Stooges: Mummy's Dummies (1948)
06 The Three Stooges: Shivering Sherlocks (1948)
06 The Three Stooges: Vagabond Loafers (1949)
07 The Three Stooges: Bubble Trouble (1953)
07 The Three Stooges: Who Done It? (1949)
07 The Three Stooges: A Snitch in Time (1950)
08 The Three Stooges: Blunder Boys (1955)
10 The Three Stooges: Commotion on the Ocean (1956)
11 The Three Stooges: Beer Barrel Polecats (1946)
11 The Three Stooges: Up in Daisy's Penthouse (1953)
12 The Three Stooges: Shot in the Frontier (1954)
13 The Three Stooges: Goofs and Saddles (1937)
13 The Three Stooges: Loose Loot (1953)
13 The Three Stooges: A Merry Mix-Up (1957)
19 The Three Stooges: The Hot Scots (1948)
21 The Three Stooges: Love at First Bite (1950)
21 The Three Stooges: Bedlam in Paradise (1955)
23 The Three Stooges: Slippery Silks (1936)
24 The Three Stooges: Booty and the Beast (1953)
27 The Three Stooges: Malice in the Palace (1949)
27 The Three Stooges: Brideless Groom (1947)
28 The Three Stooges: Boobs in Arms (1940)
28 The Three Stooges: Fling in the Ring (1955)
28 The Three Stooges: Sappy Bull Fighters (1959)
28 The Three Stooges: Hot Ice (1955)
29 The Three Stooges: Scotched in Scotland (1954)
29 The Three Stooges: Crime on Their Hands (1948)
30 The Three Stooges: Muscle Up a Little Closer (1957)
31 The Three Stooges: Three Little Pigskins (1934)
31 The Three Stooges: Fifi Blows Her Top (1958)
31 The Three Stooges: Baby Sitters Jitters (1951)
31 The Three Stooges: The Sitter Downers (1937)
June
01 The Three Stooges: From Nurse to Worse (1940)
02 The Three Stooges: False Alarms (1936)
02 The Three Stooges: Violent Is the Word for Curly (1938)
02 The Three Stooges: Three Missing Links (1938)
03 The Three Stooges: Even as IOU (1942)
03 The Three Stooges: Monkey Businessmen (1946)
03 The Three Stooges: Creeps (1956)
03 The Three Stooges: Wham-Bam-Slam! (1955)
04 The Three Stooges: I'll Never Heil Again (1941)
04 The Three Stooges: Wee Wee Monsieur (1938)
04 The Three Stooges: Dunked in the Deep (1949)
04 The Three Stooges: Don't Throw That Knife (1951)
04 The Three Stooges: Yes, We Have No Bonanza (1939)
05 The Three Stooges: Matri-Phony (1942)
05 The Three Stooges: A Missed Fortune (1952)
05 The Three Stooges: Merry Mavericks (1951)
05 The Three Stooges: Of Cash and Hash (1955)
05 The Three Stooges: No Dough Boys (1944)
05 The Three Stooges: Gents in a Jam (1952) [cut]
06 The Three Stooges: A Ducking They Did Go (1939)
06 The Three Stooges: Hot Stuff (1956)
07 The Three Stooges: The Yoke's on Me (1944)
07 The Three Stooges: Gypped in the Penthouse (1955)
07 The Three Stooges: Tricky Dicks (1953)
07 The Three Stooges: Restless Knights (1935)
07 The Three Stooges: Knutzy Knights (1954)
07 The Three Stooges: Horsing Around (1957)
08 The Three Stooges: Scheming Schemers (1956)
08 The Three Stooges: Cactus Makes Perfect (1942)
08 The Three Stooges: Uncivil War Birds (1946)
08 The Three Stooges: Slaphappy Sleuths (1950)
08 The Three Stooges: Fiddlers Three (1948)
09 The Three Stooges: For Crimin' Out Loud (1956)
09 The Three Stooges: Disorder in the Court (1936)
09 The Three Stooges: Corny Casanovas (1952)
10 The Three Stooges: Dizzy Pilots (1943)
10 The Three Stooges: Rumpus in the Harem (1956)
10 The Three Stooges: Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb (1938)
10 The Three Stooges: A Gem of a Jam (1943)
14 The Three Stooges: Three Little Pirates (1946)
24 The Three Stooges: Playing the Ponies (1937)
July
22 The Three Stooges: Self Made Maids (1950)
28 The Three Stooges: Flying Saucer Daffy (1958)
August
20 The Three Stooges: Pardon My Backfire (1953)
September
08 The Three Stooges: Cuckoo on a Choo Choo (1952)
15 The Three Stooges: Spook Louder (1943)
16 The Three Stooges: Half Shot Shooters (1936)
April
16 The Three Stooges: He Cooked His Goose (1952)
16 The Three Stooges: Pop Goes the Easel (1935)
17 The Three Stooges: Higher Than a Kite (1943)
17 The Three Stooges: Mutts to You (1938)
18 The Three Stooges: Flat Foot Stooges (1938)
18 The Three Stooges: Listen, Judge (1952)
18 The Three Stooges: Back from the Front (1943)
19 The Three Stooges: G.I. Wanna Home (1946)
19 The Three Stooges: Punch Drunks (1934)
20 The Three Stooges: Pies and Guys (1958)
20 The Three Stooges: Space Ship Sappy (1957)
20 The Three Stooges: Three Pests in a Mess (1945)
20 The Three Stooges: Ants in the Pantry (1936)
20 The Three Stooges: Scrambled Brains (1951)
21 The Three Stooges: Quiz Whizz (1958)
21 The Three Stooges: Dizzy Doctors (1937)
22 The Three Stooges: Dopey Dicks (1950)
22 The Three Stooges: Rusty Romeos (1957)
27 The Three Stooges: Sweet and Hot (1958)
27 The Three Stooges: Outer Space Jitters (1957)
28 The Three Stooges: Rhythm and Weep (1946)
28 The Three Stooges: Movie Maniacs (1936)
28 The Three Stooges: Hoofs and Goofs (1957)
29 The Three Stooges: Half-Wits Holiday (1947)
29 The Three Stooges: Musty Musketeers (1954)
May
02 The Three Stooges: Triple Crossed (1959)
03 The Three Stooges: Out West (1947)
05 The Three Stooges: The Tooth Will Out (1951)
05 The Three Stooges: Three Little Beers (1935)
05 The Three Stooges: Income Tax Sappy (1954)
05 The Three Stooges: Guns A Poppin! (1957)
06 The Three Stooges: Mummy's Dummies (1948)
06 The Three Stooges: Shivering Sherlocks (1948)
06 The Three Stooges: Vagabond Loafers (1949)
07 The Three Stooges: Bubble Trouble (1953)
07 The Three Stooges: Who Done It? (1949)
07 The Three Stooges: A Snitch in Time (1950)
08 The Three Stooges: Blunder Boys (1955)
10 The Three Stooges: Commotion on the Ocean (1956)
11 The Three Stooges: Beer Barrel Polecats (1946)
11 The Three Stooges: Up in Daisy's Penthouse (1953)
12 The Three Stooges: Shot in the Frontier (1954)
13 The Three Stooges: Goofs and Saddles (1937)
13 The Three Stooges: Loose Loot (1953)
13 The Three Stooges: A Merry Mix-Up (1957)
19 The Three Stooges: The Hot Scots (1948)
21 The Three Stooges: Love at First Bite (1950)
21 The Three Stooges: Bedlam in Paradise (1955)
23 The Three Stooges: Slippery Silks (1936)
24 The Three Stooges: Booty and the Beast (1953)
27 The Three Stooges: Malice in the Palace (1949)
27 The Three Stooges: Brideless Groom (1947)
28 The Three Stooges: Boobs in Arms (1940)
28 The Three Stooges: Fling in the Ring (1955)
28 The Three Stooges: Sappy Bull Fighters (1959)
28 The Three Stooges: Hot Ice (1955)
29 The Three Stooges: Scotched in Scotland (1954)
29 The Three Stooges: Crime on Their Hands (1948)
30 The Three Stooges: Muscle Up a Little Closer (1957)
31 The Three Stooges: Three Little Pigskins (1934)
31 The Three Stooges: Fifi Blows Her Top (1958)
31 The Three Stooges: Baby Sitters Jitters (1951)
31 The Three Stooges: The Sitter Downers (1937)
June
01 The Three Stooges: From Nurse to Worse (1940)
02 The Three Stooges: False Alarms (1936)
02 The Three Stooges: Violent Is the Word for Curly (1938)
02 The Three Stooges: Three Missing Links (1938)
03 The Three Stooges: Even as IOU (1942)
03 The Three Stooges: Monkey Businessmen (1946)
03 The Three Stooges: Creeps (1956)
03 The Three Stooges: Wham-Bam-Slam! (1955)
04 The Three Stooges: I'll Never Heil Again (1941)
04 The Three Stooges: Wee Wee Monsieur (1938)
04 The Three Stooges: Dunked in the Deep (1949)
04 The Three Stooges: Don't Throw That Knife (1951)
04 The Three Stooges: Yes, We Have No Bonanza (1939)
05 The Three Stooges: Matri-Phony (1942)
05 The Three Stooges: A Missed Fortune (1952)
05 The Three Stooges: Merry Mavericks (1951)
05 The Three Stooges: Of Cash and Hash (1955)
05 The Three Stooges: No Dough Boys (1944)
05 The Three Stooges: Gents in a Jam (1952) [cut]
06 The Three Stooges: A Ducking They Did Go (1939)
06 The Three Stooges: Hot Stuff (1956)
07 The Three Stooges: The Yoke's on Me (1944)
07 The Three Stooges: Gypped in the Penthouse (1955)
07 The Three Stooges: Tricky Dicks (1953)
07 The Three Stooges: Restless Knights (1935)
07 The Three Stooges: Knutzy Knights (1954)
07 The Three Stooges: Horsing Around (1957)
08 The Three Stooges: Scheming Schemers (1956)
08 The Three Stooges: Cactus Makes Perfect (1942)
08 The Three Stooges: Uncivil War Birds (1946)
08 The Three Stooges: Slaphappy Sleuths (1950)
08 The Three Stooges: Fiddlers Three (1948)
09 The Three Stooges: For Crimin' Out Loud (1956)
09 The Three Stooges: Disorder in the Court (1936)
09 The Three Stooges: Corny Casanovas (1952)
10 The Three Stooges: Dizzy Pilots (1943)
10 The Three Stooges: Rumpus in the Harem (1956)
10 The Three Stooges: Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb (1938)
10 The Three Stooges: A Gem of a Jam (1943)
14 The Three Stooges: Three Little Pirates (1946)
24 The Three Stooges: Playing the Ponies (1937)
July
22 The Three Stooges: Self Made Maids (1950)
28 The Three Stooges: Flying Saucer Daffy (1958)
August
20 The Three Stooges: Pardon My Backfire (1953)
September
08 The Three Stooges: Cuckoo on a Choo Choo (1952)
15 The Three Stooges: Spook Louder (1943)
16 The Three Stooges: Half Shot Shooters (1936)
Fair Game (1995)
A civil lawyer suffers several attempts on her life. A cop protects her. It has to do with a divorce suit and a boat which is a site for the activities of Russian criminals.
It is action-packed, absurdity-packed, and fast paced.
Rating: 32
It is action-packed, absurdity-packed, and fast paced.
Rating: 32
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
À ma soeur! (2001)
English titles: Fat Girl; For My Sister.
Two sisters of 15-ish and 12-ish on vacation at the seaside meet a foreign youth. He hooks up with the elder one. The younger, fatter one has her needs too.
Semi-dull chronicle of female adolescence that has good performances, good mise-en-scene, but lacks substance.
Rating: 53
Two sisters of 15-ish and 12-ish on vacation at the seaside meet a foreign youth. He hooks up with the elder one. The younger, fatter one has her needs too.
Semi-dull chronicle of female adolescence that has good performances, good mise-en-scene, but lacks substance.
Rating: 53
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Z (1969)
Based on the novel by Vassilis Vassilikos, which was in turn based on true events which took place in Greece in the sixties.
A politician is killed by members of a rightwing organization, by orders of the government. An incorruptible attorney general achieves the conviction of the guilty persons, but a military coup reverses the charges.
Second viewing. Quite ludicrous in style, with very corny soundtrack and repetition of shots (for instance, of a telephone ringing) in varying angles for enhancement of effect. Whenever the murdered politician's wife is in scene, sentimental melodrama takes over, even though it has little or no bearing on the plot. One of the assassins is depicted in his homosexual pursuits in a caricatural manner, at one point jumping for joy as in a slapstick comedy (again, little or nothing to do with the political plot). All the lines are uttered with hysterical emphasis and rapidity. The net result is, nevertheless, enjoyable and even thrilling occasionally. The crowd scenes are very well staged. The film's politics is not openly "leftist", but a contrarian voice might argue that unilateral disarmament at that point in history would be dangerous. When the opposition deputy asserts that he is against all bombs, American or Russian, one could argue that it is empty rhetoric, since it would have no practical effect on Russian ones.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
A politician is killed by members of a rightwing organization, by orders of the government. An incorruptible attorney general achieves the conviction of the guilty persons, but a military coup reverses the charges.
Second viewing. Quite ludicrous in style, with very corny soundtrack and repetition of shots (for instance, of a telephone ringing) in varying angles for enhancement of effect. Whenever the murdered politician's wife is in scene, sentimental melodrama takes over, even though it has little or no bearing on the plot. One of the assassins is depicted in his homosexual pursuits in a caricatural manner, at one point jumping for joy as in a slapstick comedy (again, little or nothing to do with the political plot). All the lines are uttered with hysterical emphasis and rapidity. The net result is, nevertheless, enjoyable and even thrilling occasionally. The crowd scenes are very well staged. The film's politics is not openly "leftist", but a contrarian voice might argue that unilateral disarmament at that point in history would be dangerous. When the opposition deputy asserts that he is against all bombs, American or Russian, one could argue that it is empty rhetoric, since it would have no practical effect on Russian ones.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Le doux amour des hommes (2002)
English title: Man's Gentle Love.
Based on the novel "Penses-tu réussir" ("Do You Think You Will Succeed?", perhaps), by Jean de Tinan.
A young man leads a life of free sex and open relationships. He reencounters his first love by chance one day, she is now married and with a child. He starts to worry he is becoming incapable of having deep feelings (in his words near the end of the movie, "emotionally impotent"). He starts an intense relationship with a drug addict woman.
Distinctly anachronistic tale of youth's aimlessness and emptiness. Based on a late nineteenth-century novel, it tries to mimic the romantic zeitgeist in present times. This has been done before, for example in Rent. I do not see the point. Does the filmmaker mean times do not really change? Anyway, the result is quite forgettable.
Rating: 35
Based on the novel "Penses-tu réussir" ("Do You Think You Will Succeed?", perhaps), by Jean de Tinan.
A young man leads a life of free sex and open relationships. He reencounters his first love by chance one day, she is now married and with a child. He starts to worry he is becoming incapable of having deep feelings (in his words near the end of the movie, "emotionally impotent"). He starts an intense relationship with a drug addict woman.
Distinctly anachronistic tale of youth's aimlessness and emptiness. Based on a late nineteenth-century novel, it tries to mimic the romantic zeitgeist in present times. This has been done before, for example in Rent. I do not see the point. Does the filmmaker mean times do not really change? Anyway, the result is quite forgettable.
Rating: 35
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Bam gua nat (2008)
English title: Night and Day.
A Korean man, spending some time in Paris because of problems with the law in his country, makes the acquaintance of two women. He covets the younger one and is coveted by the other.
IMDb classifies this as "drama", which is hard to accept. The film's absurdities force one to view it as comedy. To begin with, the protagonist describes himself as a painter, but his interests, conversation, and even his activities while in France are hardly artistic. Prejudiced though that may sound, I will say that even his manners are not those of people of an artistic background. His alleged paintings are a joke (he paints clouds, in a very uncreative way). The plot consists of his straits in a foreign country, and the pursuit of his sexual needs regardless of an unpromising future for any lasting relationship, given his present situation and also that he is married. The entirety of the film consists of observing this simpleton wandering about; the second-in-importance character is a young "egoist" whom he leads into an arguably unfortunate condition, and the moral here might be said to be: egoism is abominable, but one can't have enough of it. Upon his return to Korea, he resumes a life that is peaceful on the surface, but is haunted by weird dreams. The film does not care to tell us how he manages to make a living out of painting clouds; in fact there is a lot the film does not tell us, and if it does not tell us it is because it does not know it, or rather there is nothing to know.
Rating: 40
A Korean man, spending some time in Paris because of problems with the law in his country, makes the acquaintance of two women. He covets the younger one and is coveted by the other.
IMDb classifies this as "drama", which is hard to accept. The film's absurdities force one to view it as comedy. To begin with, the protagonist describes himself as a painter, but his interests, conversation, and even his activities while in France are hardly artistic. Prejudiced though that may sound, I will say that even his manners are not those of people of an artistic background. His alleged paintings are a joke (he paints clouds, in a very uncreative way). The plot consists of his straits in a foreign country, and the pursuit of his sexual needs regardless of an unpromising future for any lasting relationship, given his present situation and also that he is married. The entirety of the film consists of observing this simpleton wandering about; the second-in-importance character is a young "egoist" whom he leads into an arguably unfortunate condition, and the moral here might be said to be: egoism is abominable, but one can't have enough of it. Upon his return to Korea, he resumes a life that is peaceful on the surface, but is haunted by weird dreams. The film does not care to tell us how he manages to make a living out of painting clouds; in fact there is a lot the film does not tell us, and if it does not tell us it is because it does not know it, or rather there is nothing to know.
Rating: 40
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Esther Kahn (2000)
Based on a short story by Arthur Symons.
The story of a working class girl who strives to become an actress and succeeds, despite her somewhat listless temperament.
I saw it in a dubbed-in-Portuguese copy, which makes this assessment somewhat provisional. I did not achieve a perfect understanding of the meaning of this film, in its totality. Is it a social story, a depiction of Britain's working class? Is it a depiction of British Jews? Is it a statement about the acting profession? The probable answer I am bound to hear is that it is all that, and what is the problem? Well, I am not sure there is a problem from that angle, although the movie, as it is, feels all over the place. Also, the dialogue and acting style of part of the cast did not strike me as agreeing with the period; it screamed anachronism, and God knows whether I am well equipped to issue an opinion on that regard. Lastly, there is something which never works for me in films about personal growth. You see the "steps" the character takes and you are led to accept they represent stages in his or her development. I'd much rather see a film about visible things, visible behavior, visible actions, visible forces. Something which I believe for myself, without being told to. All that being said, I admit that the narrative, although lengthy, has sufficient interest and stylistic coherence to assert the film's watchability.
Rating: 55
The story of a working class girl who strives to become an actress and succeeds, despite her somewhat listless temperament.
I saw it in a dubbed-in-Portuguese copy, which makes this assessment somewhat provisional. I did not achieve a perfect understanding of the meaning of this film, in its totality. Is it a social story, a depiction of Britain's working class? Is it a depiction of British Jews? Is it a statement about the acting profession? The probable answer I am bound to hear is that it is all that, and what is the problem? Well, I am not sure there is a problem from that angle, although the movie, as it is, feels all over the place. Also, the dialogue and acting style of part of the cast did not strike me as agreeing with the period; it screamed anachronism, and God knows whether I am well equipped to issue an opinion on that regard. Lastly, there is something which never works for me in films about personal growth. You see the "steps" the character takes and you are led to accept they represent stages in his or her development. I'd much rather see a film about visible things, visible behavior, visible actions, visible forces. Something which I believe for myself, without being told to. All that being said, I admit that the narrative, although lengthy, has sufficient interest and stylistic coherence to assert the film's watchability.
Rating: 55
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Amorosa Soledad (2008)
English Title: Lovely Loneliness.
Young Soledad "wants to be alone" after her rocker boyfriend dumped her. She works at a decoration shop with a homosexual male couple (it seems all three are co-owners). She is a hypochondriac, and already a familiar face at the local hospital. A new guy becomes interested in her, an architect of very good manners. She is initially reluctant to commit to a new relationship.
Very correctly made, albeit a little dull, little character study which benefits from a phenomenal leading performance (her radiant smile at the end is practically worth the price of admission, or the pay-TV fee, depending on which is your case).
Two notes on the English title: "amorosa" means "loving", or "who has love to give", and not "lovely". And, although "Soledad" is both the name of the protagonist and the Spanish word for "loneliness", I think they should not have translated it.
Rating: 51
Young Soledad "wants to be alone" after her rocker boyfriend dumped her. She works at a decoration shop with a homosexual male couple (it seems all three are co-owners). She is a hypochondriac, and already a familiar face at the local hospital. A new guy becomes interested in her, an architect of very good manners. She is initially reluctant to commit to a new relationship.
Very correctly made, albeit a little dull, little character study which benefits from a phenomenal leading performance (her radiant smile at the end is practically worth the price of admission, or the pay-TV fee, depending on which is your case).
Two notes on the English title: "amorosa" means "loving", or "who has love to give", and not "lovely". And, although "Soledad" is both the name of the protagonist and the Spanish word for "loneliness", I think they should not have translated it.
Rating: 51
Voy a explotar (2008)
English title: I'm Gonna Explode.
Two teens elope... to the boy's house's rooftops!
There aren't really rebels without causes, although they might not know what they are. The girl seems to think she is looking for one. As for the boy, is he angry because his mother died and his father may be guilty, or does he just want to get laid and boozed? These ambiguities permeate this moderately dull movie, giving it a degree of psychological verisimilitude.
Rating: 53
Two teens elope... to the boy's house's rooftops!
There aren't really rebels without causes, although they might not know what they are. The girl seems to think she is looking for one. As for the boy, is he angry because his mother died and his father may be guilty, or does he just want to get laid and boozed? These ambiguities permeate this moderately dull movie, giving it a degree of psychological verisimilitude.
Rating: 53
Monday, September 05, 2011
Mafia! (1998)
Also known as: Jane Austen's Mafia!
An Italian-American boy belonging to a mafia family is chosen for leading the family, and tells us the story of his Sicilian father.
Parody of mafia films like The Godfather, Casino, etc. Other films of the nineties such as Jurassic Park are sent up too. My assessment is: not bad, not very good. Some laughs are possible.
Rating: 42
An Italian-American boy belonging to a mafia family is chosen for leading the family, and tells us the story of his Sicilian father.
Parody of mafia films like The Godfather, Casino, etc. Other films of the nineties such as Jurassic Park are sent up too. My assessment is: not bad, not very good. Some laughs are possible.
Rating: 42
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Riggs and/or Murtaugh in this one are up against slave trading from China, money counterfeiting, babies, homosexual panic, big explosions, to marry or not to marry, a madman with a flamethrower who doesn't really have anything to do with anything, Leo the comic relief, a rabbi as a stand-in, fighting inside a mobile home with plastic walls in a freeway, kung fu, a dentist's laughing gas, confiding in moments of extreme action or danger (a cliché), etc.
Really shallow action film. Openly self-parodic (rather than just tongue-in-cheek), which makes for inevitable awkwardness at the inevitable dramatic moments.
Rating: 49
Really shallow action film. Openly self-parodic (rather than just tongue-in-cheek), which makes for inevitable awkwardness at the inevitable dramatic moments.
Rating: 49
Gomorra (2008)
Several stories related to the Neapolitan mafia.
Not very good. Of course, there is an exposé aspect to it and that is fine. As a movie, one has to seriously consider whether it presents cinematic virtues and to what extent. Even if one keeps to plot-related aspects, it warrants serious doubts about verisimilitude, psychological and otherwise, and the use of clichés, etc, etc.
Rating: 39.
Not very good. Of course, there is an exposé aspect to it and that is fine. As a movie, one has to seriously consider whether it presents cinematic virtues and to what extent. Even if one keeps to plot-related aspects, it warrants serious doubts about verisimilitude, psychological and otherwise, and the use of clichés, etc, etc.
Rating: 39.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
The Wackness (2008)
A drug-dealing teenager is best friends with his shrink, who is also his client. Said teenager is in love with said shrink's stepdaughter.
This is a blend of coming-of-age story and satire. The satire has to do with the idolization of black culture on the one hand, and middle-age immaturity on the other (and shrinks in general, I guess). No character is really likeable, although the protagonist comes off as a kind of victim of sorts. His shrink tops at laughability, with advices such as: "Try to make love to a black woman [while in college]. I never had the chance." The film would gain by paying more attention to the plausibility item. It's not very remarkable in other aspects as well.
Rating: 38
This is a blend of coming-of-age story and satire. The satire has to do with the idolization of black culture on the one hand, and middle-age immaturity on the other (and shrinks in general, I guess). No character is really likeable, although the protagonist comes off as a kind of victim of sorts. His shrink tops at laughability, with advices such as: "Try to make love to a black woman [while in college]. I never had the chance." The film would gain by paying more attention to the plausibility item. It's not very remarkable in other aspects as well.
Rating: 38
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Alvarez Kelly (1966)
During the American Civil War, a man who provides cattle for the North is kidnapped by a Southern general and forced to steal that cattle.
An epic story, eventful and entertaining. In my opinion, films such as this one prove that the western did not decay as a genre in the 60s. The number of productions was smaller, but they were mostly good ones.
Rating: 58
An epic story, eventful and entertaining. In my opinion, films such as this one prove that the western did not decay as a genre in the 60s. The number of productions was smaller, but they were mostly good ones.
Rating: 58
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Melancholia (2011)
Two sisters. The first one suffers from depression and is getting married in the first part of the movie. The second one suffers from anxiety, which in the second part of the movie is made worse by news of the impending passage of a planet near Earth.
Trier has a good idea for each and every movie he has ever made, and manages to blow it in each and every one of them (I haven't seen The Kingdom or Epidemic, so count them out of that statement; it's probably well to count Europa out too, just in case). Succinctly put, the big idea here is to explore melancholy (or depression, as it is called nowadays) as a transcendental concept, which lives inside of Justine, and which Claire manages to keep outside her, only to see it embodied as a gigantic celestial body spelling doom. Justine is naturally immune to it, in psychological terms, which is what counts. Like its predecessor Antichrist, it seems to mark a bergmanesque phase in Trier's career (Melancholia has points of contact with Persona, perhaps). But, unlike in Bergman's films, here it all turns into poor cinema. And for (Anti)christ's sake, someone buy this guy a tripod.
Rating: 39
Trier has a good idea for each and every movie he has ever made, and manages to blow it in each and every one of them (I haven't seen The Kingdom or Epidemic, so count them out of that statement; it's probably well to count Europa out too, just in case). Succinctly put, the big idea here is to explore melancholy (or depression, as it is called nowadays) as a transcendental concept, which lives inside of Justine, and which Claire manages to keep outside her, only to see it embodied as a gigantic celestial body spelling doom. Justine is naturally immune to it, in psychological terms, which is what counts. Like its predecessor Antichrist, it seems to mark a bergmanesque phase in Trier's career (Melancholia has points of contact with Persona, perhaps). But, unlike in Bergman's films, here it all turns into poor cinema. And for (Anti)christ's sake, someone buy this guy a tripod.
Rating: 39
Wag the Dog (1997)
A president is accused of sexual molestation near reelection time. A man is called in to solve the situation, and stages a war to cover the sex story.
More or less a one-joke movie. For a better film on a similar theme see Capricorn One (1978).
Rating: 50
More or less a one-joke movie. For a better film on a similar theme see Capricorn One (1978).
Rating: 50
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Eid milad Laila (2008)
English title: Laila's Birthday.
A day in the life of a taxi driver (who is a former judge) in Palestine.
Watchable.
Rating: 39
A day in the life of a taxi driver (who is a former judge) in Palestine.
Watchable.
Rating: 39
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Blazing Saddles (1974)
A crooked government official wants to drive the people of Rock Ridge out of town and buy all the land there, because the railroad will pass there increasing the value of the land.
Second viewing. It begins as a ferocious satire of the U.S. of 100 years ago. Whether and how that reverberates to present-day U.S. is anybody's guess. The rest of it is sheer ludicity.
Rating: 63 (unchanged)
Second viewing. It begins as a ferocious satire of the U.S. of 100 years ago. Whether and how that reverberates to present-day U.S. is anybody's guess. The rest of it is sheer ludicity.
Rating: 63 (unchanged)
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Willard (2003)
Based on a novel by Stephen Gilbert.
A lonely man is abused by his boss and by his mother. He develops a form of communication with the rats in his house, one of whom becomes his best friend.
Interesting horror story, with Freudian connotations.
Rating: 57
A lonely man is abused by his boss and by his mother. He develops a form of communication with the rats in his house, one of whom becomes his best friend.
Interesting horror story, with Freudian connotations.
Rating: 57
Monday, August 15, 2011
Mimi wo sumaseba (1995)
English title: Whisper of the Heart.
A girl of about 13 is a voracious reader. She wanders about the suburbs, following a cat. She is intrigued by a mysterious boy who reads all the books she loans from the library before her. The awakening of love. Familial interactions. School.
Animation. Quite agreeable chronicle of early adolescence. The visuals are impressively realistic.
Rating: 59
A girl of about 13 is a voracious reader. She wanders about the suburbs, following a cat. She is intrigued by a mysterious boy who reads all the books she loans from the library before her. The awakening of love. Familial interactions. School.
Animation. Quite agreeable chronicle of early adolescence. The visuals are impressively realistic.
Rating: 59
Friday, August 12, 2011
The Tree of Life (2011)
The story of a child, his difficult relationship with his father, also his relationship with his mother and two younger brothers. There are several non-narrative stretches which seem to tell the story of life on Earth.
Though fatally hampered by its new-age-ish kitsch style, the narrative-oriented stretches have some dramatic density to them which is, to some extent, genuine. The plot is structured upon three biblical myths: Job, Cain and Abel, and Isaac's sacrifice. The first one is ostensive, through explicit quotations, the second one permeates the story in a more implicit manner, the third one is very subtle and may not be there at all, according to the adopted interpretive viewing stance. Pitt's resemblance to Dean may be a nod towards East of Eden, a better film on a similar theme.
Rating: 40
Though fatally hampered by its new-age-ish kitsch style, the narrative-oriented stretches have some dramatic density to them which is, to some extent, genuine. The plot is structured upon three biblical myths: Job, Cain and Abel, and Isaac's sacrifice. The first one is ostensive, through explicit quotations, the second one permeates the story in a more implicit manner, the third one is very subtle and may not be there at all, according to the adopted interpretive viewing stance. Pitt's resemblance to Dean may be a nod towards East of Eden, a better film on a similar theme.
Rating: 40
Monday, August 01, 2011
The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)
A Mathematics professor places an ad looking for a girlfriend and meets a Literature professor. They establish a sexless relationship, according to his theories. But she isn't all that comfortable with the situation.
I found this film quite incompreehensible, in human terms. Which does not mean that on some abstract level it cannot be endured (on account of the cinematography, mainly). I suspect it's all a joke around the fact that Barbra is actually quite gorgeous. And also around the other fact that one cannot make a theme out of the manipulation of people by movies when one is a character in a movie: the purported critique becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Rating: 26
I found this film quite incompreehensible, in human terms. Which does not mean that on some abstract level it cannot be endured (on account of the cinematography, mainly). I suspect it's all a joke around the fact that Barbra is actually quite gorgeous. And also around the other fact that one cannot make a theme out of the manipulation of people by movies when one is a character in a movie: the purported critique becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Rating: 26
Black Caesar (1973)
The rise and fall of a black criminal, from childhood to adult age.
Crime melodrama of crude craftsmanship.
Rating: 38
Crime melodrama of crude craftsmanship.
Rating: 38
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Deep (1977)
A couple vacationing in Bermuda find some objects while scuba diving. One of the objects is an ampule which arouses the interest of a local drug dealer. They hire an experienced diver to guide them in a new visit to the site.
Perfectly anodyne adventure, filled with thrills of a predictable nature. It is expertly filmed, though.
Rating: 40
Perfectly anodyne adventure, filled with thrills of a predictable nature. It is expertly filmed, though.
Rating: 40
Thursday, July 28, 2011
My Blue Heaven (1990/I)
An ex-mafioso decides to testify against his former colleagues and is put under government protection in a small town. He becomes a sort of mentor to his FBI custodian.
A naive comedy which oscillates between mildly funny and mildly annoying. Certain reverberations are felt in Find Me Guilty (2006).
Rating: 38
A naive comedy which oscillates between mildly funny and mildly annoying. Certain reverberations are felt in Find Me Guilty (2006).
Rating: 38
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Pasqualino Settebellezze (1975)
English title: Seven Beauties.
The life story of an Italian man living in the Mussolini years. He kills his sister's pimp and fiancé, feigns madness, goes to war, deserts, is made a prisoner by the Germans.
A poor film, in every aspect but the acting. A sort of portrait, I think, of the "common man" of Italy, with his political ignorance, his sexist worldview, and, perhaps most basic of them all, his survival instinct. The mise-en-scene is at times awkward, the tone is highly caricatural, not my idea of fun, really.
Rating: 35
The life story of an Italian man living in the Mussolini years. He kills his sister's pimp and fiancé, feigns madness, goes to war, deserts, is made a prisoner by the Germans.
A poor film, in every aspect but the acting. A sort of portrait, I think, of the "common man" of Italy, with his political ignorance, his sexist worldview, and, perhaps most basic of them all, his survival instinct. The mise-en-scene is at times awkward, the tone is highly caricatural, not my idea of fun, really.
Rating: 35
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Tango & Cash (1989)
Two cops operating in Los Angeles are very different in style: one dresses slickly and is a kind of wealthy dilettante, and the other dresses very casually and is more of a working class type. The two happen to be on to the same drug case and are set up by the drug dealer who is behind the criminal operations. They end up doing time in the same prison.
Low-brow cop action drama, which has a minimal amount of entertaining value.
Rating: 33
Low-brow cop action drama, which has a minimal amount of entertaining value.
Rating: 33
Friday, July 22, 2011
Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)
Ernest is a janitor in a bank. He is summoned for jury duty. The defendant's boss is a prison inmate and Ernest's dead ringer. A switch is planned.
Both screenplay and direction are moderately competent. The Ernest persona is here explored to a certain amount of comicity.
Rating: 38
Both screenplay and direction are moderately competent. The Ernest persona is here explored to a certain amount of comicity.
Rating: 38
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
The life story of a man. He marries, joins the police force, finds out he is adopted, divorces, becomes a fulltime homosexual, quits the force, resorts to fraud for increasing his income, goes to prison, finds a new lover, etc.
A good film made of comical proceedings which weave a dramatic story. The paradox of the con man is that he chooses to be an outsider in order to be within the system (cf. Catch Me If You Can).
Rating: 60
A good film made of comical proceedings which weave a dramatic story. The paradox of the con man is that he chooses to be an outsider in order to be within the system (cf. Catch Me If You Can).
Rating: 60
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Los Borgia (2006)
English title: The Borgias.
Historical drama about the notorious family of the Renaissance consisting of Pope Alexander VI and his children, the most remarkable of whom was Cesar, who intended to be the first king of Italy.
Dreadful compilation of a miniseries. Do not waste your time with this chopped-up monster. As for the complete miniseries, I wouldn't count on it being much better, based on this sample.
Rating: 11
Historical drama about the notorious family of the Renaissance consisting of Pope Alexander VI and his children, the most remarkable of whom was Cesar, who intended to be the first king of Italy.
Dreadful compilation of a miniseries. Do not waste your time with this chopped-up monster. As for the complete miniseries, I wouldn't count on it being much better, based on this sample.
Rating: 11
Jade (1995)
The gruesome murder of a millionaire has as main suspect a psychologist who apparently leads a hidden sexual life.
Second viewing of this not very attractive thriller. It is competently made, though.
Rating: 41 (up from 40)
Second viewing of this not very attractive thriller. It is competently made, though.
Rating: 41 (up from 40)
Spanglish (2004)
A Mexican woman with a small daughter is hired as housemaid to a dysfunctional family.
Insipid dramedy, which I saw for the second time.
Rating: 30 (up from 15)
Insipid dramedy, which I saw for the second time.
Rating: 30 (up from 15)
Water (2005/I)
In 30's (I think) India, a child is considered a widow whose promised husband dies. She is obliged to perpetual chastity and is sent to a house where widows live.
Conventional drama about the retrograde customs of India.
Rating: 30
Conventional drama about the retrograde customs of India.
Rating: 30
El ángel exterminador (1962)
English title: The Exterminating Angel.
A group of people gathering for a dinner is not able to leave the house, for no reason at all.
Second viewing. Interesting venture into absurdity. The style is a cross between Twilight Zone-ish and Buñuel-ish. I don't see the point of the elements apparently unrelated to the central situation, such as the bear, and the film's title.
Rating: 63
A group of people gathering for a dinner is not able to leave the house, for no reason at all.
Second viewing. Interesting venture into absurdity. The style is a cross between Twilight Zone-ish and Buñuel-ish. I don't see the point of the elements apparently unrelated to the central situation, such as the bear, and the film's title.
Rating: 63
Tangshan dadizhen (2010)
English title: Aftershock.
A Chinese child is separated from her family after an Earthquake.
Melodrama without much interest. It is well-made, though.
Rating: 33
A Chinese child is separated from her family after an Earthquake.
Melodrama without much interest. It is well-made, though.
Rating: 33
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Extract (2009)
The owner of an extract (that's the name of a drink made of the juice of a fruit) manufacturing company hires a male prostitute to have sex with his wife, so that he may be guilt-free when pursuing extramarital affairs. His love target is a dangerous woman though.
Entertaining comedy; I laughed several times through it. And it provides a snapshot about the current situation of capitalism in the U.S..
Rating: 61
Entertaining comedy; I laughed several times through it. And it provides a snapshot about the current situation of capitalism in the U.S..
Rating: 61
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
A summer camp janitor aspires to be camp counselor. A mining company wants to buy the property.
Extremely low-brow comedy. One might compare its view of native americans with that of They Died with Their Boots On, and see they don't differ much.
Rating: 13
Extremely low-brow comedy. One might compare its view of native americans with that of They Died with Their Boots On, and see they don't differ much.
Rating: 13
Thursday, June 30, 2011
They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
A fiction very loosely based on the life of General Custer. First West Point, then the Civil War, then the Indian War and his defeat at Little Bighorn.
The West Point section has some interest and is entertaining; the rest of the film didn't really work for me as it seemed to be just a series of concoctions with the purpose of hiding the (for Hollywood standards) ugly truth.
Rating: 41
The West Point section has some interest and is entertaining; the rest of the film didn't really work for me as it seemed to be just a series of concoctions with the purpose of hiding the (for Hollywood standards) ugly truth.
Rating: 41
Monday, June 27, 2011
True Grit (2010)
A fourteen-year-old girl hires a bounty hunter to capture her father's murderer.
The Coens have by now proven that they can do any kind of picture. I wouldn't know the purpose of that, but I guess it would be for them to say, if it would be for anybody. Anyway there is nothing to drive a narrative like a good hunt. If there are killings in it (and you can bet there will be, in this kind of cinema) so much the better. Is there any evidence that there has ever been, in the whole history of the U.S.A., any real-life case of adults (let alone a child of 14) going to such trouble to bring "closure" (they like this word) to their lives? What does this all mean? Fiction here does not enact reality. Do they hope that reality will enact fiction? Or does this bring a higher sense of moral to the nation?
Rating: 65
The Coens have by now proven that they can do any kind of picture. I wouldn't know the purpose of that, but I guess it would be for them to say, if it would be for anybody. Anyway there is nothing to drive a narrative like a good hunt. If there are killings in it (and you can bet there will be, in this kind of cinema) so much the better. Is there any evidence that there has ever been, in the whole history of the U.S.A., any real-life case of adults (let alone a child of 14) going to such trouble to bring "closure" (they like this word) to their lives? What does this all mean? Fiction here does not enact reality. Do they hope that reality will enact fiction? Or does this bring a higher sense of moral to the nation?
Rating: 65
Thursday, June 23, 2011
L'amour à mort (1984)
English title: Love Unto Death.
A man is given as dead and resurrects after his girlfriend summons him back.
A film in two parts; they don't have much in common except the characters, apparently, and the death-related theme. It feels like an essay, or like a melodrama which was stripped of emotional excess. The film is thematically similar to La chambre verte (both had Jean Gruault as screenwriter), and to Portrait of Jennie.
Rating: 51
A man is given as dead and resurrects after his girlfriend summons him back.
A film in two parts; they don't have much in common except the characters, apparently, and the death-related theme. It feels like an essay, or like a melodrama which was stripped of emotional excess. The film is thematically similar to La chambre verte (both had Jean Gruault as screenwriter), and to Portrait of Jennie.
Rating: 51
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Victim (1961)
A respected lawyer gets involved in a blackmail case on account of his homosexual past.
This appears to be a much respected movie, a sort of heroic manifesto against the British anti-sodomy law, which, the lady in TV informs us after the movie, lasted another 6 years counting from the film's release (and this hardly speaks for the film's efficacy). Some viewers admit it is "dated", an obvious fact, but what few will admit is that it is outright absurd, and would be ignored if it weren't for its worthy cause. The premise is absurd (a blackmailer targeting the poorer end of a relationship, and the latter going to extremes to oblige him because of his devotion to a man with whom he hardly had anything going, and about whom he (absurdly) kept a news clips album); the investigation carried out by the lawyer is also absurd. Not to mention a fact which is rather common in "groundbreaking" films, namely that they are not all that groundbreaking and contain a lot of hypocrisy in the depiction of characters, especially in this case the protagonist (a struggling ex-homosexual who is moved by his would-be lover's quite implausible suicide).
Rating: 32
This appears to be a much respected movie, a sort of heroic manifesto against the British anti-sodomy law, which, the lady in TV informs us after the movie, lasted another 6 years counting from the film's release (and this hardly speaks for the film's efficacy). Some viewers admit it is "dated", an obvious fact, but what few will admit is that it is outright absurd, and would be ignored if it weren't for its worthy cause. The premise is absurd (a blackmailer targeting the poorer end of a relationship, and the latter going to extremes to oblige him because of his devotion to a man with whom he hardly had anything going, and about whom he (absurdly) kept a news clips album); the investigation carried out by the lawyer is also absurd. Not to mention a fact which is rather common in "groundbreaking" films, namely that they are not all that groundbreaking and contain a lot of hypocrisy in the depiction of characters, especially in this case the protagonist (a struggling ex-homosexual who is moved by his would-be lover's quite implausible suicide).
Rating: 32
Monday, June 20, 2011
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
An inventor buys an old car and fixes it, at the request of his two children. The rich daughter of a sweets maker is the romantic interest. They all go on an imagined journey in which the jalopy acquires new powers, such as flying and floating, and is coveted by an evil monarch.
Musical fantasy with excellent cast and excellent production design, but still a bit insipid on the whole. Certain narrative ruses are worth mentioning. One, the inventor is at a carnival and takes part in a music and dance number. This could be taken as following the specific conventions of musicals in which actors sing and dance even though their characters are not necessarily singers or dancers; here, however, we have a musical number which is part of the realistic context (a carnival), and furthermore the inventor uses the money received for his performance to buy the title car. Two, the core of the film's action is actually a story told by the inventor; the fantastic elements are present in this story-within-a-story only.
Rating: 50
Musical fantasy with excellent cast and excellent production design, but still a bit insipid on the whole. Certain narrative ruses are worth mentioning. One, the inventor is at a carnival and takes part in a music and dance number. This could be taken as following the specific conventions of musicals in which actors sing and dance even though their characters are not necessarily singers or dancers; here, however, we have a musical number which is part of the realistic context (a carnival), and furthermore the inventor uses the money received for his performance to buy the title car. Two, the core of the film's action is actually a story told by the inventor; the fantastic elements are present in this story-within-a-story only.
Rating: 50
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Hindenburg (1975)
The famous disaster of the Hindenburg zeppelin in 1937 is fictionally explained. The film consists of this and also the several characters who are more or less suspect.
Extremely baloney, extremely well-made fictionalization of a true incident. Entertaining yet childish.
Rating: 51
Extremely baloney, extremely well-made fictionalization of a true incident. Entertaining yet childish.
Rating: 51
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Crioulo Doido (1971)
The economic ascension of a black man in Brazil. The story begins in 1964, when he is a modest tailor. He marries a white woman. He later abandons the tailor profession and becomes a rancher.
Extremely low-budget comedy with a very personal style. Upon first viewing it strikes me as uneven; it is clear however that the director shows talent, which he would confirm in later films.
Rating: 50
Extremely low-budget comedy with a very personal style. Upon first viewing it strikes me as uneven; it is clear however that the director shows talent, which he would confirm in later films.
Rating: 50
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Landlord (1970)
A rich 29-year-old man who still lives with his parents buys a tenement house and starts interacting with his tenants.
Mildly amusing comedy which displays excellent technique. The a priori satirical framework consists of depicting the rich as prejudiced and insensitive and the poor as warm-hearted and rude. It is not a coincidence that the only two exceptions are the central romantic couple. A depiction of the fascination that the poor exert upon the rich, and thus the specular image of Brideshead Revisited.
Rating: 54
Mildly amusing comedy which displays excellent technique. The a priori satirical framework consists of depicting the rich as prejudiced and insensitive and the poor as warm-hearted and rude. It is not a coincidence that the only two exceptions are the central romantic couple. A depiction of the fascination that the poor exert upon the rich, and thus the specular image of Brideshead Revisited.
Rating: 54
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Charles Ryder is a freshman at Oxford. He makes friends with the aristocratic Sebastian Flyte, who invites him to his family's estate, called Brideshead. There he meets Sebastian's sister, towards whom he feels attracted. The Flytes are very Catholic. Sebastian has a crush on Charles, and is an alcoholic.
Having seen the miniseries, I have to confess that this film, although lacking the leisurely pace, is in certain crucial aspects an improvement over the miniseries. In particular, here, Sebastian is a more understandable character; in the miniseries I couldn't make sense of his actions and feelings (perhaps this is my fault...). In a smaller degree, I'd say the same about Charles. And the film version makes it easier to understand all the characters' behavioral dynamics. The central theme is the fascination that the rich exert upon the poor. There is also the motif of upper-class 20th century Catholicism.
Rating: 56
Having seen the miniseries, I have to confess that this film, although lacking the leisurely pace, is in certain crucial aspects an improvement over the miniseries. In particular, here, Sebastian is a more understandable character; in the miniseries I couldn't make sense of his actions and feelings (perhaps this is my fault...). In a smaller degree, I'd say the same about Charles. And the film version makes it easier to understand all the characters' behavioral dynamics. The central theme is the fascination that the rich exert upon the poor. There is also the motif of upper-class 20th century Catholicism.
Rating: 56
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