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
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
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)
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