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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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