The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)

A capitalist is concerned about recent collective demonstrations on the part of his workers which display great hostility toward him. He decides to investigate the matter further.

A greatly absurd film in its dramatic solutions, yet somewhat interesting and fun while it is in the process of arriving at such solutions. This is a pattern which is almost invariably followed in American films up until the 1960s. One wonders if, at any rate, the film's material is not unusually liberal for its director, and then wonders further if it is not the writer-producer who is calling the shots (here and elsewhere), and then wonders some more if the compromising way in which conflicts are solved is not perfectly fit to acommodate all political views. The middleman is always punished in these films, and in this specific instance it's managers who get the worst in the end (policemen do not fare much better), while capital and labor dance together into eternal bliss. One finally wonders if that is so absurd after all, and if this is not exactly how real life is.

Rating: 51

Triangle: Remembering the Fire (2011)

Documentary about the fire that consumed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911, in which 146 persons died. This is a very well made documentary, which I recommend, if you are into historical stuff and such. You can also read the Wikipedia article on it. And this little take on the ethnic angle.

Killer Joe (2011)

Chris needs cash to settle a debt, so he plans to have his mother killed in order to collect the insurance. He talks with his father, who is now living with another woman, about it.

Adapted from a play which, in turn (and I speak based on the movie), seems to have cinematic influences on its theme and style. Not bad as a concept. The performances are excellent.

Rating: 53

Strait-Jacket (1964)

A woman is released after spending 20 years in an institution for the criminally insane. She moves in with her daughter and some relatives, in a farm house. Her adjustment to normal life is not without incidents.

Effective (and a bit crude) psychiatric thriller. Despite its obvious psychological simplifications, it is interesting to meditate afterwards about one's own reactions to the characters and events of the film.

Rating: 55

Just Cause (1995)

A professor is approached by a woman who says her son is to be executed for a crime he didn't commit. She pleads with him to help her son get a new trial and to defend him.

At a certain point of the movie, its outcome becomes, in general terms, predictable. That shortcoming notwithstanding, this is a reasonably entertaining cerebral criminal story with the subtheme of race relations in America.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 50

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Second viewing; the first one was between the beginning of 1983 and the end of 1986.

Maria is an American woman in her twenties who moves to Rome to work as a secretary at an overseas American agency (a fictitious one?). She is introduced to Anita, who is shortly quitting the agency and returning to America. Anita is friends with Frances, who is older and works as a private secretary for an American novelist living in Rome. An Italian translator who works at the agency carries a torch for Anita. Maria, in turn, develops an interest for an Italian prince.

Beautifully filmed, yet a little tame, dramatic depiction of some of the aspects of unmarried women's lives in the fifties. Compared with today, their life choices seemed quite limited. But do not ask me if they were less happy because of it -- how could I know?

Rating: 51 (up from 42)

Nancy Drew (2007)

A teenage girl who has a passion for detective work moves to Los Angeles, to a house where a famous actress once lived and where she died in mysterious circumstances.

It is mostly comprised of formulaic elements, yet imbued with a peculiar style. The characters are well defined through script and acting. On the whole, quite watchable.

Rating: 51

Encino Man (1992)

A high school kid finds a prehistoric man preserved within a block of ice in his back yard. He lodges him in his house and enrolls him in school, in the hopes that the newcomer will somehow increase his (the teenager's) popularity.

This was better than I expected based on its harsh reception. It is a wacky film, to be sure, one that makes you wonder how much of it was improvised and how much was scripted. I suppose Shore created much of his character's lines, but I cannot be sure. Anyway, this is not a masterpiece, but it is clearly not the monstrosity which some accused it to be. But you have to like wackiness, and apparently silly details, as opposed to a film where a lot goes on and everything makes perfect sense.

Rating: 50

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

Chuck, a New York firefighter, with a bureaucratic problem which has left him without a pension plan, and not wishing to remarry on account of his still poignant memories of his late wife, decides on a risky plan: to fake a domestic partnership with his Fire Department colleague Larry.

A major letdown, devoid of real humor. Save for the actors, this is not worth your while.

Rating: 33

District 9 (2009)

A spaceship makes its way into Earth's proximity and finally just hovers above Johannesburg. After some time, a team is sent to investigate its contents, and finds a population of extraterrestrials inside it. Called 'prawns' due to their physical appearance, they are settled in an enclosed area in the town's outskirts. The local population's avertion to such intruders grows with time, leading the government to take measures.

A sociopolitical take on an old science fiction topos. Despite some interesting insights and a very strong central performance, it suffers from a poorly thought out screenplay. Some of the details strain credibility even for an exceedingly tolerant genre as science-fiction; furthermore, it eventually collapses into mindless action.

Rating: 44

Hashmatsa (2009)

English title: Defamation

Israeli documentary purporting to investigate the phenomenon of anti-semitism (this is dubious, see my clarifying comment below). Several angles are approached. A New York-based organization called Anti-Defamation League is more or less the main focus, and some of its activities are depicted. Another line of investigation consists of following a trip which takes some Israeli school kids to visit a former Nazi camp in Poland. Some American Jews are interviewed, as well as an Israeli opposition politician. Two scholars of names Norman Finkelstein and John Mearsheimer, respectively, who (separately) wrote books about pro-Israel activities in the U.S.A., are interviewed.

This is an informative film, and funny too, on occasion. As some IMDB users wrote in a criticizing tone, this is not effective as an investigation of anti-semitism per se, because it doesn't really go to places where it is most intense. This is not, however, valid grounds for criticizing the movie, save that (maybe) it misleads the viewer about its purpose. As an exposé of the misuse of anti-semitism, on the other hand, this is a good movie.

(I do not rate documentaries numerically.)

As You like It (2006)

Based on a play by William Shakespeare estimated to have been written circa 1600.

A duke is overthrown and banished by his brother. Both dukes' daughters are friends to each other, and decide, along with some other courtiers, to flee the court for the neighboring forest, in search of the exiled duke. In their wanderings they will meet several persons.

This is said to have omitted a good deal of the original play (which I have not read), so I cannot say for sure what my appreciation of the source material would be. But, as it is, I found the whole literary concept and development quite anodyne, except for a few interesting ideas (e.g., the insight into how the two daughters' friendship might be politically harmful to the usurper). As for the properly cinematical aspects, the film is filled with annoying nonsense, such as casting blacks as some of the characters and making absolutely nothing of it. Well, Shakespeare wrote an entire play making the case that people are not color-blind, so I rest my case there.

Rating: 44

Tales of Manhattan (1942)

Second viewing; the first one was on September 30, 1990.

The film is comprised of six segments, connected only by a tail coat which changes hands from one story to the next. I have not been able to ascertain who wrote what in it, except for Donald Ogden Stewart, who is reported by Wikipedia to have written or co-written the last episode.

Story 1: A theater actor, after opening night, decides to pay a visit to his former lover, who is now married to an older man. Story 2: On her wedding day, a woman finds a compromising letter in the pocket of her fiancé's tail coat. Story 3: A nightclub pianist who aspires to a career in classical music gets an audition with a renowned conductor. Story 4: A homeless man receives an invitation for his Law School class reunion. Story 5: A crook is scheduled to give a temperance lecture at a society woman's house, but the drink has been tampered with by her husband. Story 6: Money from a robbery falls from a plane onto a poor rural community.

I love omnibus films, they are very easy to watch and rarely disappoint me. In this one, I liked all the stories but one. The connecting theme seems to be that event which suddenly changes the fate of a person or a group of persons. The stories have that touch of poetry and humor that is, I think, more usual in shorter stories than in longer ones. The one story I did not like is the one about the homeless man, which is very implausible and totally devoid of humor. And, since we are at it, I have a question (not that it matters much): after a lawyer is disbarred, how will he be able to practice again?

Rating: 60 (unchanged)

The Horse Soldiers (1959)

Second viewing; the first one was on October 8, 1990.

The American Civil War. The North decides to send a battalion (or whatever name applies to the group in question) behind enemy lines to destroy a railroad which is vital for sending supplies to the Southern troops. One of the dramatic points is the conflict between the expedition leader and the medic which attends the outfit.

Pretty good, albeit very standard in practically every way, and of course that means it is quite unbelievable in some of them. As usual, Wayne steals the show, with his seemingly effortless performance which impresses even when he is obliged to behave in the most melodramatic fashion. The cinematography is very pleasing to the eye, and I could notice this even from my low-speed VHS recording which was made from television more than 10 years ago.

Rating: 61 (unchanged)

The Blob (1958)

Second viewing; the first happened between the beginning of 1983 and the end of 1986.

A meteor crashes into Earth, releasing a strange jellylike being from within it which has the power to devour human beings and thus grow boundlessly. A boy in his late teens and his girlfriend encounter the blob's first victim and take him to a doctor. The number of victims increase, endangering the population of the small town where this takes place.

Except for one sequence, where a car takeover is supposed to occur but we only see what happens before and after that, and thus have to imagine the actual takeover -- except for that, this is a well directed and well written film, albeit a very low-budgeted one. The idea behind it is really terrifying, and a number of allegoric interpretations are possible: small town population being consumed by a monstrous lack of prospects which devours everyone, beginning with the young; or the opposite: small town sees everything that is authentic in it be devoured by the all-encompassing massification brought about by movies, corporations, etc.; and so on...

Rating: 51 (up from 33)

Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)

A black civil rights activist is killed in front of his house, and his murderer, after being tried twice (if I am not mistaken), is not convicted. Many years later his widow still hopes that justice will be done. A young lawyer decides to meet the challenge of calling for a new trial, against the advice of those near him.

Unappealing court drama. However just the outcome may be, I always feel a little put off by cheering at someone's punishment, even a just one. And this is ultimately a victory which is brought about not only by someone's persistence, but also by chance (which is always a factor when justice is concerned). At any rate, the real problem, perhaps more serious than the sentimentalism, is the dullness of the whole proceedings. It seems to me that I would enjoy more a film about the Civil Rights movement while it was on.

Rating: 30

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

Second viewing; the first was on February 28, 1991.

A satellite-launching project faces a mystery: all the satellites vanish after their launching. The head of the project has recently gotten married, and, while on the road with his wife, sees some strange flying objects which frighten them out of their wits.

Low-budget yet well-made and with a reasonably well-written script, this sci-fi is justly regarded as a classic.

Rating: 51 (up from 34)

Chasing Liberty (2004)

The President's daughter is tired of having her every movement watched by White House security. On a European tour, she escapes her guardians in the company of a charming young Englishman. The only problem is, he is not who she thinks he is.

A loose remake of Roman Holiday (1953), aimed at teen audiences. The changes in the story are intelligent, and the film, albeit far from brilliant, is a nice, unpretentious pastime.

Rating: 53

Zombies of Mora Tau (1957)

A team is planning to go diving for the diamonds which remain inside a sunken ship. The problem is that the coveted stones are being guarded by the zombified remnants of the ship's crew. The ship captain's wife has moved to the vicinities of the shipwreck, to be near her "unlate" husband and hopefully to deliver him from that undignified condition.

If you are into bad movies, this is for you. There are plenty of script absurdities to relish with, and plenty of atmosphere too: the pervading atmosphere of amateurish or rushed filmmaking, that is. The Dictionary of Film Directors by Jean Tulard (which I bought for the Brazilian titles of films and no other reason), says this is a good film, though.

Rating: 12

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

Second viewing; the first was on August 6, 1996.

Based on the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886.

A scientist with an unfaithful wife discovers a serum which releases a person from social inhibitions, creating in fact a whole new persona for the one who drinks it.

Interesting and thrilling adaptation of the story, with added elements which possibly improve upon its literary source.

Rating: 61 (unchanged)

The Gorgon (1964)

Third viewing, sort of; in my first one, on March 6, 1994, I missed a fair amount of the beginning; I saw the full movie on February 16, 1995.

In an Eastern European village, several deaths occur in which the victims are turned to stone. The local medical examiner conceals the real nature of the deaths. There is a rumor about an ancient mythological creature being responsible for them. When a foreign painter is held responsible for one murder, his father vows to discover the truth.

It is one of the silliest premises I have ever seen in a horror movie. Along its development, a series of red herrings are thrown in, not always in the most coherent manner (the viewer will hardly remember them after the truth is revealed). The conclusion is at once grandiose and highly frustrating. Its tragic proportions may connect with the Greek roots of the plot, but have no counterpart in its actual events and characters (where is the hubris?). The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror is admiring of the film, but can't remember the plot correctly. It also reports it to be a favorite of Fisher's, which comes to prove that a director who cannot criticize the screenplays he films is best suited for the job.

Rating: 31 (down from 49)

Coney Island (1943)

Previously seen somewhere between the beginning of 1983 and the end of 1986.

Two friends who were once business partners compete in show business and also for the love of a singer.

Watchable musical comedy. Both the strictly narrative bits and the musical numbers are interesting and reasonably well done, although both sections interrelate rarely and, when they do, broadly. Most musical numbers are performed by the female character as part of her professional activities, and thus do not break the film's diegesis. In fact, that is what a viewer is liable to expect to happen throughout the film, and yet something else happens. By midfilm, the central couple is strolling on a pier and suddenly they hear some picnickers on the beach play music and then sing in a very professional way. This is a bit atypical narratively, yet ambiguous as to being a diegesis break, since they could be professional musicians. And then a more definite break surprises the viewer as the central couple sing in a duet -- she is of course a professional singer, but he is not, and therefore could not while in character sing as well as he does. This will not happen again for the remainder of the movie.

Rating: 51 (up from 46)

13 Ghosts (1960)

Family inherits a house that is supposed to be haunted.

The plot line (which I did not reveal in its details in my synopsis) has some ingenuity to it, but the film is quite dull (especially during the apparitions).

Rating: 32

Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)

English title: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

Based on the comic book series by Jacques Tardi, which began in 1976.

A writer and explorer travels to Egypt in search of the mummy of a pharaoh's doctor. She intends to use him to cure her sister, with the aid of a scientist who has discovered a means to resurrect the dead.

Terribly tame seriocomical adventure with abundant display of makeup and CGI technologies. Kids may enjoy it.

Rating: 30

The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)

Based on the television series which ran from 1962 to 1971.

A rural family gets rich and moves to Beverly Hills. A couple of crooks devise a plan to steal their money.

A few sequences and/or lines of dialog are fine, but otherwise this is a weak script sleazily directed. The cast is mostly good, but I didn't like the guy in a dual role. To be fair, though, I must say that this film at least conveys a hint of the original show's quality to those of us who have never seen it. And, judging from the film, it borrows heavily from a thirties comic strip named Li'l Abner.

Caveat: I saw a cut version on open TV (afternoon sessions are considered fillers, and fair game for the exhibitor's editing).

Rating: 32

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

Second viewing; the first was on September 23, 1996.

Based on the ancient Greek myth. Pelias overthrows the king of Thessaly, whose son Jason vows revenge, but somehow also thinks it important to have a certain miraculous fleece that is stationed on the other side of the world.

Entertaining juvenile story of adventures, with good stop-motion effects.

Rating: 54 (down from 63)

Roman Holiday (1953)

Second viewing; the first was on December 26, 1997.

A European princess visiting Rome decides to sneak out of her hotel and see the city. She encounters a reporter who takes her to his room in a boarding house. He discovers she is a princess and decides to write a story on her, without telling her about his profession or his intention.

Good film, with several memorable scenes, and a general pleasantness about it. Nevertheless it has at its core a characteristic which makes it decidedly minor in my scale of values: it is one of those stories where something is planned and executed during the whole film, only to be abandoned near the end. And you knew that it would, because this is all too common in Hollywood, and you are too familiar with Hollywood not to know it. No suspense, then, and, in the end, the feeling of having been somewhat taken in (and more so if you were naïve enough to have any doubts about the outcome). In real life, people do not change their minds in the last minute. I know that for a fact. I am in real life, so I ought to. On second thought, though...

Rating: 53 (up from 44)

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

Second (or is it third?) viewing; previously seen on June 25, 1988.

A series of deaths challenge the Scotland Yard. The first victims are all doctors.

I guess my synopsis could be a little more revealing, but I decided against it. This is a comical horror film, which is also a detective story. Anyway, a reasonably amusing film, nicely filmed (lots of unusual camera angles, with striking effect), with a memorable protagonist, and not much more than that, I am afraid.

Rating: 52 (down from 64)

Jerichow (2008)

Germany. A recently discharged soldier gets a job working for a Turkish-born snack-bar chain owner, and gets involved with his wife.

Cold and unengaging drama, a variation, as many have noted, on The Postman Always Rings Twice. As fewer have noted (e.g. IMDB user hosasch), it is also (and perhaps more closely) a derivation from The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971).

Rating: 32

Green Lantern (2011)

A test pilot witnesses the crash landing of a spaceship and gets into the possession of some items which make an intergalactic superhero out of him.

I guess this is comic-bookish enough to please comic-book fans (I've read otherwise, though, go figure). In terms of structure, you could say it is sort of Top Gun meets the Elephant Man. As for its theme, you could pretty well sum it up by nicknaming it The Green Badge of Courage. Oh, and the Computer Generated Imagery is cool, I thought. But I do not watch many recent movies of this kind, so I don't really have much in the way of comparison.

Rating: 53

Dark Shadows (2012)

Based on the TV series which started in 1966 and ended in 1971.

An 18th-century man is, through a curse, made into a vampire. He awakens in 1972 and, amidst all his amazement at the modern world, tries to rebuild his family's business.

The point is how old horrors are ineffective in our age of pervasive banality. The first half-hour is reasonably amusing, then it goes downhill into utter dullness.

Rating: 34

Rock Star (2001)

The singer in a cover band is invited to replace the singer in the original band.

In a modest way, a study on personal identity. Also, a portrayal of the lifestyle of rockers.

Rating: 51

Invasion U.S.A. (1985)

Some foreign guy is leading a terrorist operation in the U.S.A., promoting disorder and civil unrest. His group's aim is to invade America and take control of it. But a former agent (of CIA?) is summoned to restore peace.

Rigorously absurd, in its tiniest details. Its combination of illogical plot and spectacular display of explosions, shootings and a few car chases have a curiously oneiric quality to it.

Rating: 32

O Bandido da Luz Vermelha (1968)

Second viewing; the first was on June 20, 1989

English title: The Red Light Bandit

A house robber and rapist spreads terror amidst middle class homes.

Chaotic semi-narrative with a comic slant whose newslike narration is more fun than the images proper. The actors are a find also, embodying their characters with brilliance. As with most so-called avant-garde Brazilian movies, however, much of it is self-indulgent and lacks intelligibility.

Rating: 60 (down from 69)

Unconditional Love (2002)

A housewife who has been left by her husband travels to England for the funerals of a singer she adored. Over there she meets several people and learns a few things about her idol.

Occasionally interesting, but mostly embarrassingly unfunny and trite comedy. The excellent actors probably weren't getting many offers and had to take this, against their better judgement.

Rating: 38

The Legend of Zorro (2005)

California has decided to join the Union. De la Vega has a quarrel with his wife and she decides to leave him. She starts seeing a French count. De la Vega is jealous and suspects him of foul play.

In real life, Puerto Rico's population voted for annexation to the U.S.A., but Uncle Sam said no. Meanwhile, enjoy an entertaining action film, with an image-oriented, boredom-proof screenplay, and a direction which makes the most of it. Jones is especially good in it. Zorro, as a character, is here an empty grinning mannequin, perfectly bourgeoisified, and fully adapted to political correctness and postmodernity. And this is one of those films where the bad guys never shoot the good ones when they have the opportunity.

Seen dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 54

Padenie dinastii Romanovykh (1927)

English title: The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty

Documentary consisting of documental footage depicting the years that preceded the Russian Revolution, starting in the early 1910s. Marxist-Leninist intertitles provide the filmmaker's interpretation of the images.

Absurd as it may be to illustrate the role of war manufacturers in World War I with shots of a camera-shy factory owner -- and this kind of thing happens repeatedly in this film -- it has obvious interest to people interested in History, or who simply want to watch very old footage.

Lay the Favorite (2012)

An ex-stripper goes to Las Vegas and gets a job as an assistant to a professional sports gambler.

Its storyline's interest seems to rest upon the empathy developed by the main character, which never happened in my case. In fact, that didn't happened with any of the characters. Although the facts in it seem plausible enough, the film as a whole somehow just does not ring true. Bottom line, it is not a rewarding film, or it wasn't for me anyway.

Rating: 35

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

On New Year's Eve, in a precinct that is scheduled to be deactivated, a highly dangerous criminal must be incarcerated for lack of a proper place. The problem is, he knows too much, and some people just do not like that.

Reasonably effective thriller, a remake which to be honest I prefer to the original 1976 film. As many have complained, the film is basically a bunch of clichés, but I don't think this is a big problem. Not everything in the plot is plausibly worked out, but that is not a big problem either. It is a modest film, but it works.

Rating: 50

The Mountain (1956)

Second viewing. The first was on August 15, 1990.

A plane crashes on a mountain area. Two brothers -- a humble shepherd and his ambitious younger brother -- climb the mountain in search of the plain wreckage, which the younger brother wants to pillage for the passengers' money and valuables.

Well-made film, with excellent climbing sequences. The two main characters are just stereotypes, but in spite of it the plot still manages to interest the viewer.

Rating: 66 (unchanged)

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)

The life of an amateur golf player who won many championships.

Sports are a metaphor for life, insofar as what the latter is about is action which provides a correct response to one's environment, and that is exactly what the former requires, only in a simplified form. Golf is basically about one's ability to measure one's own strength in response to perception of physical distance, not to mention of course finer details such as direction and particulars of the ground. The main character in this film seems to exemplify all that in an even broader way: his correction of movement in golf mirrors his correction as a human being. The film is so taken by this ideal aspect that its characters lose all aspect of reality, although they are based on real people and the plot seems to strive for some degree of verisimilitude. In spite of what I said, or perhaps precisely because of it, the film should please sports lovers, especially as it is very well made.

Rating: 53

Bad Company (1995)

A CIA agent infiltrates in a private company specializing in spying, blackmail, bribery, and the like. The plot revolves around a court case involving an industry accused of dumping pollutants in a lake, or something like that.

Espionage drama which, considering its laid-back pace, cannot properly be called a thriller. It is not boring, though; it has a reasonable script, is directed with style, and is very sexy.

Rating: 55

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Several women and one man get together to discuss the novels by the titular writer. They draw parallels between the works and their personal lives.

Formulaic chick flick, which draws on a notion that is both dangerous to life and demeaning to art: that you can use 19th-century fiction to illuminate 21st-century lives. As is always the case with chick flicks, the main purpose of a woman's life is to be in a "fulfilling" relationship. As for Austen, I only read one of her novels, and saw a bunch of film adaptations, practically none of which were retained in my memory. Perhaps the movie would seem better with that extra knowledge (and the original audio, instead of the Portuguese-dubbed one). As it is, it only entertained me superficially.

Rating: 40

The Associate (1996)

Based on the novel El socio, by Chilean writer Jenaro Prieto, first published in 1928, and on the movie L'associé (1979), which was based on that novel.

A black woman starting her own investment bank is having trouble attracting clients. She then invents a male partner to give her business more credibility.

Interesting comedy which however has a few plausibility problems, for example I dare say it is not as easy as that to make up a person nowadays, I am pretty sure there is a unified database of U.S.A. citizens, etc. Anyway, once a few concessions are made, the film is fairly enjoyable.

Rating: 50

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

A teenage scientist invents a machine that converts water into food. An accident occurs which alters the weather of the town where he lives in a most peculiar manner.

Considering the mind-numbing idiocy of most recent big-studio animations, this is a breath of fresh air. The extravagant premise and the bits of political and social satire, combined with some impressive visuals, make this a very watchable movie, even if you are older than the target audience.

Rating: 63

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

A young loan officer at a bank refuses an extension on a mortgage and is then cursed by her client, an elderly woman. The young woman begins to experience strange hallucinations, and decides to consult with a seer.

Effective horror, with some virtuosic set-pieces. Some grostesque elements are a bit over-repetitive, though. The second half of the movie loses some steam as it pursues the supernatural premise to the last consequences, forgoing somewhat the humorous aspect which was strong in the first half. Some astute viewers noticed several hints pointing toward her hallucinations being caused by an eating disorder. Some people have pointed out similarities with Thinner (1996) and Night of the Demon (1957).

Rating: 62

I girasoli (1970)

English title: Sunflower

Italy, in the days of World War II. Antonio meets Giovanna and during a few days they love each other. Antonio is due to embark to the Russian front, and Giovanna suggests they get married so he gets a few more days in Italy.

Not especially plausible tearjerker. The central plot points are exceedingly simple, yet often get, all the same, spelled out in the form of casual dialogue or lengthy explanations given by characters to each other. It has a very melodious yet a tad overbearing score, and location shooting in the Soviet Union. Speaking of which, how about some History to wrap this review up? As is becoming a habit of mine, I pulled it from the user review section in IMDB, where Mihnea the Pitbull writes the following:

[quote]
(...) Fact is that it's literally IMPOSSIBLE for any missing-in-action Italian (or German, if we come at that) soldier, to have been cutely integrated in the Russian society. The N.K.V.D. was everywhere, and any such foreigner would have been found in a matter of weeks (months, at most), and treated like a spy. The Georgian Butcher was reserving the same fate even to the Russian soldiers who fell prisoners to the enemy: his paranoia dictating that the only explanation for having survived was defection, they were considered by default traitors and sent to the Gulag. So, our poor Mastroianni here, far of happily living ever after with Savelieva, would have been deported to Vorkuta or Ekibastuz, as a spy, for 10 years (or, rather, 25 - these being the standard imprisoning terms). After being released (in case he survived the abuses of the extermination camps), he would have been forced to live in exile (forced domicile), still in some village of Siberia or the Central Asia deserts. No way in hell for him even to travel in some other Russian township, close by - while the idea of coming back to Italy for a visit is as ludicrous as sending him to Mars.
(...)
[unquote]

I saw a cut version, dubbed in English.

Rating: 45

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Second viewing; the first was before 1987.

Beginning shortly before the Russian revolution, it tells the story of an upper-class physician who falls in love with a lower-class nurse nicknamed Lara, both being married to someone else. Several characters enter into the plot: the lecherous attorney who covets Lara, Yuri's half-brother who is a bolshevik who makes a career in the Red Army after the revolution, Lara's husband who initially is a menshevik but later becomes a bolshevik, etc., all against the background of the upheavals occurring in Russia (World War I, the Revolution, the Civil War, etc.).

The clearly melodramatic plot has, against all odds, people reencountering one another no matter how remote and haphazard their location is. Despite that, I think the movie gives a pretty good idea of what communism did to the country. Another of the movie's pluses is the sheer richness of imagery contained in it.

Seen in pan-and-scan and partly dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 51 (up from 47)

Shanghai Knights (2003)

1887. Wang -- a Chinese man who has moved to America and is now a sheriff in a small Western town -- receives word from China that his father has been killed and the Imperial Seal -- of which the latter was the guardian -- has been stolen. Wang's sister has tracked the thief to London, to where Wang and a friend he picks up in New York head.

Passable entertainment, with an absurd plotline and jokes and fight sequences mostly rehashed from older movies.

Seen partly dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 50

Torque (2004)

Ford is coming back to town, after some time away in Thailand. He tries to win back his girlfriend who is pissed off over his having disappeared prior to a police raid. The day he left he took with him (and later hid) some motorcycles belonging to Henry, a biker gang leader; the bikes contain a drug load belonging to Henry. Henry is trying to make a cooperation deal with Trey, who leads another gang and also is drug dealer.

Comic-book-style script wrapped up in flashy technique and cartoonish action sequences. Watchable provided you are in the mood for this sort of thing.

Seen about two-thirds with the original audio and the remaining third dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 35

12 to the Moon (1960)

An expedition led by an American and comprised by a crew of eleven others, each from a different country, sets out to travel to the moon.

Hilariously incompetent sci-fi. As is sometimes the case, IMDB has a user-made review that is short and to the point, and which I will transcribe here (the author is Carolyn Paetow):

[quote]
Could any space flick be worse than The Angry Red Planet? Yes, it could. The script for the disaster at hand is so dopey and disjointed that it could have been scrawled out in crayon by a classroom of third-graders, each child submitting a short scene that teacher then patched together, helter-skelter. As for the actors, some of them are without doubt competent. They've exhibited this in other movies. But, here, with such dipsticky dialogue, no one could ever know. It makes it easy to understand why Tom Conway turned to drink and died broke. The story starts with a big strike against it: twelve characters with little to distinguish most of them. There are nine white guys, two women--Swedish and Japanese--and a Nigerian man whose accent never sounds West African and sometimes slips into Southern American. The hatch is scarcely secured when the inter-ethnic squabbling and recriminations start. Didn't these people get acquainted before blasting off in a rocket? From the amorous behavior of the females with two of the males, one would think so. But maybe there's something in the air--or lack of it. There must be some air, even on the moon, since the spacesuits don't have visors. The ship itself, with its bare-bones instrumentation and lack of even a beep or buzz, must be of such advanced technology that it all but runs itself. But, no, that can't be right. The teen math whiz has to use paper and pen to calculate a path through a meteor shower. The medical personnel has to struggle with wrap-around blood pressure cuffs--which they obviously don't know how to use. The only recorder on board--oh, forget it. There are, in addition to the dozen humans, two cats and two monkeys in plastic cases, two parakeets in a traditional cage, and one spaniel on a leash. The boy genius tells them they've been brought along to see if they'll mate on the moon. In the doggie's case, the answer is probably no. One silly circumstance follows another, but maybe the most asinine is that involving a screen-scrolled message from the Moonmen. Although it's somehow known that they communicate only telepathically, they have chosen to relay a series of repetitious, somewhat hieroglyphic-looking symbols. One crew member decides that the writing looks Chinese (it doesn't) so the Japanese woman is told to translate. She does, without a hitch. Now, who but a very young child could make such an assumption?
[unquote]

Concerning some interesting facts about the film's cinematographer there is another review, also by an IMDB user, which I will also transcribe here but for the last paragraph (the author is boblipton):

[quote]
I have given this movie a rating of 1 because I don't know how to describe the feelings of anger and confusion that washed over me as I watched it. Twelve scientists go to the moon -- taking a cocker spaniel on a leash with them, wouldn't want it to run away -- and the story, though well-intentioned, was tripe, the acting was horrible, the dialogue was stupid and even the science was idiotic gobbledygook -- in 1960 the screenwriters felt no need for anyone to express surprise when there was plenty of breathable air on the moon.
Yes, it clearly had a budget, something in advance of the usual Roger Corman shot-on-three-days-with-what-we-found-in-the-payphone-slot amount of money. But I was getting angry because I couldn't stop watching, even as I wanted to turn the sound off, or at least jab an icepick into my ears. What was going on here...... and then it hit me: they had John Alton as the Director of Photography!
Who, you ask, is John Alton? Well, I would suggest you go over to his IMDb page and see for yourself, but let's put it this way: when you're shooting pictures, the DP is important. A great one can make a mediocre movie great. A bad one can ruin the world's greatest script, director and cast. And in the subjective and opinionated world of commercial art that is film making, if I told you that X was the greatest cinematographer ever, you'd look at me like I was crazy. But if I went before a meeting of the American Society of Cinematographers and announced "John Alton was the greatest cinematographer ever!" The reaction would probably be "Well, I think so-and-so had a little more on the ball, but not a bad choice."
Well, you say to yourself, everyone has his ups and downs, some great careers end badly, sometimes there are no comebacks. But that's not what happened here. Alton was assigned this movie, shot it in his usual impeccable fashion, then went on to his next assignment, Richard Brooks' ELMER GANTRY, then quit. Just went away and didn't keep in touch, and when he called up a third of a century later to ask for tickets to an exhibit for his work that he had heard about -- it's my stuff, at least you can comp me in -- they were surprised he wasn't dead. He explained that it just wasn't worth it. He had enough money, so he left And he lived happily for the next 35 years. And this is the movie -- or one of the movies -- that made him decide to leave. And not shoot, what, twenty, thirty, forty a hundred other movies that could have been great or greater because of his sure touch? Because while it must have been nice to work on great pictures like AN American IN Paris and ELMER GANTRY, he must have felt like a schmuck coming in to work on stuff like this. because the front office told him to. So he looked at his bank book and quit.
[unquote]

Well, this was another lazy review (mine, I mean, not the ones I quoted), and of course now I will give you the movie's rating.

Rating: 14

Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

An invalid woman alone in her apartment accidentally overhears a telephone conversation about a murder plot.

Everybody stinks except some minor characters; they call that film noir. In good old ancient Greece days, people of high extraction made mistakes in plays and suffered a magnificent death. In late-40s films noirs, their extraction is not as high, and their death is not as magnificent. The plot is full of coincidences. IMDB user miriamwebster shrewdly observed:

[quote]
Basic plot rips long arm of coincidence out of its socket--screechy self-centered invalid is accidentally patched into phone call where she overhears two men plotting a murder--her own! (What are the odds?)
[unquote]

One might ask the same question regarding the fact that the district attorney is married to, of all people, the heroine's school friend and love rival. Another observant IMDB user (lucyrfisher) deserves to be quoted in extenso:

[quote]
I love movies of this era for the social comment. I like the glimpses we get of the characters' lives. Dr Alexander with his younger girlfriend in a sleazy nightclub, for instance. (I doubt that "cardiac neurotic" is still in the DSM as a diagnosis.) Sally Hunt lives in one of those New York apartments with a strange layout - you come straight into the kitchen, and all the other rooms seem to open off it. The little boy sleeps in a closet screened off only by a curtain. And if Barbara Stanwyck is so rich, surely she could afford to live somewhere quieter? Is Staten Island really semi-deserted? Who would build a clapboard Victorian house on a beach and name it "20 Dunstan Terrace"? Where are numbers 1-19? Why does Sally Hunt have a peculiar English accent? And why does Waldo Evans waffle about growing up in Surrey among horses, and his longing to buy a little place in "Dorking, England"?
[unquote]

Anyway, this is the end of this rather tired review (mine, I mean, not the ones I quoted). And now you get my rating.

Rating: 51

The Fourth War (1990)

An American colonel with a temper problem is assigned to a patrol post in the border of West Germany and Czechoslovakia. He soon gets into a conflict with the Soviet colonel who is in charge of the other side of the border.

At about half an hour into the movie I thought it showed some promise as a comedy, but found it strange that the director seemed to ignore any comic potential, conducting the film with such dramatic tautness one would think this was another First Blood installment. Anyway, the promise was not fulfilled, and the film ends with a pacifist message which assumes that economic factors are irrelevant, wars beig merely the product of certain people's psychological immaturity.

Rating: 30

The Net (1995)

On September 8, 2013, after hearing an astounding news story on TV, I have decided to edit this posting. The movie's synopsis will not be altered, and is the following:

A computer analyst gets into a lot of trouble because of a computer disk which is sent to her by a friend. Said disk has the power of invading government computers.

The comment below, on the other hand, can no longer be sustained:

Suspense thriller the mcguffin of which is a completely implausible computer fraud. The action proper is also completely implausible, and so is the main character. All these levels of implausibility place the film on a decidedly abstract dimension at which any thought of an underlying structure is futile. I guess that makes it postmodern; nay, I am sure of that. You get to watch a rehash of several topoi of suspense cinema -- the carnival sequence, the boat sequence, the car sequence, the elevating bridge sequence, etc. At the end you will feel like the protagonist's alzheimer-ridden mother: mindlessly happy, unable to say who these people are, what world they live in, and what you are doing in there. Wait a minute -- we may have found that underlying structure...

The above, I repeat, can no longer be sustained in its entirety, although a critical reading of it may still give you an insight into some aspects of the film. If the news story I mentioned above is correct, the film was either prophetic about real occurrences, or provided the idea that originated them. The idea I am referring to is that of networks with an in-built vulnerability. In real life, governments were reportedly responsible for, and took advantage of, that vulnerability, whereas in the movie that was done by an evil guy in the private sector. I also recoil from the demeaning remarks about the film's art, which I called a "rehash". All things considered (and some do not have to do with any piece of news), this was a watchable suspense thriller done with competent technique and containing a few good ideas.

Rating: 50 (instead of the earlier 31)

In the Loop (2009)

It's question of an invasion of a Middle East country. A British government minister makes some ambiguous statements, which arouse his superior's rage. They all go to Washington to find more about a secret war committee. Said minister brings his new young assistant with him. They both get in a lot of trouble.

British sitcom-style humor (later I found out that it is indeed a spinoff of an existing sitcom). It is reasonably well-made, mostly thanks to the competent acting. The lines of dialogue are filled with mediatic references, and are perhaps more incisively satirical than what is being made in America these days (but I am not keeping up with stuff, so you should probably disregard this comment).

Rating: 59

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005)

An FBI agent who has become a celebrity quits field work to be a sort of public relations person for the Bureau. However, when a beauty queen who is a friend of hers, and the latter's manager, are kidnapped, she decides to investigate the case at her own initiative, with the help of her new partner, a martial arts expert with antisocial tendencies.

Mildly comical sequel to a mildly comical film. The investigative plot has some interesting ideas.

Seen dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 45

La religieuse (1966)

English title: The Nun

Based on the novel by Denis Diderot (written 1780, published 1796).

A young woman is placed since her infancy in a convent, and is persuaded to stay there as a nun. She tries to be released.

Great movie, very well made. The film intends to be a sort of exposé of certain practices which allegedly were common at the time when the source novel was written (some dispute this, saying these practices were already rare or nonexistent at that time),  but it transcends that aspect. And it is not a condemnation of the Church or of nunneries (nor their absolution): the moral problems that it presents are mostly outside the convent's walls and outside the ecclesiastical sphere (adultery, unequality between the sexes, etc.). As a psychological study, the film shows human behavior within confined spaces, shedding light on some darker aspects of human nature. Philosophically, one is stimulated to question the meaning of freedom, and how free a person can really be.

Rating: 72

Guess Who (2005)

A black woman introduces her white boyfriend to her parents, causing a certain discomfort.

This is, in a way, a necessary remake, introducing a necessary change in the recipe. The script is not the brightest thing you ever saw, but it is decent, and so is the execution. Mac's strong presence is one of the movie's mainstays.

Rating: 50

Twelve O'Clock High (1949)

Second viewing; the first was on September 23, 1990.

A group of aerial combatants who do daytime precision bombing in World War II is having a low performance and the top brass decides to replace their commander.

The question of verisimilitude is bound to be raised regarding this film. On the other hand, considering that one of the writers was a real flyer, one is allowed to evoke the old saying, that truth is stranger than fiction. I read that the film is used in leadership courses. Well, truth is definitely stranger than fiction. At any rate, it is hard to deny that this is a cinematically effective work.

Rating: 55 (unchanged)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

A writer visiting Paris with his fiancée has a time travel experience when he is alone in the street one night, in which he is taken back to the 1920s and meets some famous people from that era. He undergoes that sort of transportation for several subsequent nights.

A mostly inconsequential film, with a hackneyed premise and not much structural consistency between the various plot threads. There is little in it to distinguish it from a piece of touristic propaganda.

Rating: 33

Firehouse Dog (2007)

Canine actor is lost and given as dead; he is found by a firefighter unit.

The dramatic aspects are formulaic but the criminal plot has intelligent ideas. Overall it is reasonably entertaining. The target audience seems to be children, but adults may enjoy it.

Seen mostly dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 51

Allegro non troppo (1976)

Second viewing; the first one was between 1983 and 1986.

Animation shorts each of which illustrates a musical piece, attempting to translate the music into images. Between the animation segments there is a live-action narrative which comically depicts the musical performance and cartoon drawing processes.

Fairly successful endeavor which follows on the footsteps of Fantasia, only in a more comical style. I suppose the most remarkable segment is the one which matches Ravel's Bolero to the evolution of species; it attains genuine surrealism. I didn't care much for the live-action bits though.

Rating: 58 (up from 52)

Kindergarten Cop (1990)

A cop is trying to locate a drug dealer and murderer's wife, and persuade her to testify against her husband. Knowing the city she lives in, he and his female partner go there planning to place her undercover as a kindergarten teacher. Things do not go exactly as planned though.

Consistently watchable comedy. It could be shorter, it seems; some minor subplots concerning the kids at school are tedious and could be excised without harming the film. But its overall structure is interesting, and I think the screenplay handles the situations it creates with sufficient intelligence and at times even with wit.

Rating: 50

Wernher von Braun (1960)

Alternate title: I Aim at the Stars: the Wernher von Braun Story.

Biopic about the pioneering rocket engineer who built the V-1 and V-2 bombs for the Nazis and, when the war ended, switched to the American side, and was responsible for the development of the American space program.

Quite ridiculous as nearly all biopics, and nevertheless I liked it sufficiently. Its bullshit is transparent for an experienced viewer (sorry for the self-compliment), rendering it ineffectual. And the film is moderately entertaining. There is an informative review by an Internet Movie Database user, which I will transcribe here. The information about availability should probably be disregarded as outdated, since I saw it on a magnificently sharp copy on cable TV.

*quote*
Wernher Von Braun: A Space Fantasty

Author: sprpick from Regina, Canada
26 February 2008

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

As Michael J. Neufeld's important new biography "Wernher Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War" demonstrates, Columbia Pictures "I Aim For The Stars" has only a passing relationship to reality.
Neufeld says that at first Von Braun was fascinated with the idea of a bio-pic when it was pitched to him by Columbia in the late '50s. He thought it would do a power of good for his ceaseless efforts to promote space travel to the American public. As production advanced, though, he realized the movie was going to draw unhealthy attention to his Nazi past and he was disenchanted by the hostile sub-text inserted by the screen-writers and director: that he was a well-meaning wimp who gave into Nazi evil.
He was no wimp, as the book shows, but he was far more involved with the Nazis than is shown in the movie.
Far from being the reluctant civilian member of the Nazis pressed into the Party late in the war, Von Braun, Neufeld says, was a sometimes uniformed member of the SS who was promoted and decorated several times.
The movie does correctly depict Von Braun being tossed into jail briefly for getting on the wrong side of Heinrich Himmler, but it probably wasn't as traumatic as this film suggests. Von Braun kept going on to bigger and better things in Germany right until the end of the war.
The movie doesn't touch at all on what was the most shameful part of Von Braun's life and career: his complicity in the atrocious treatment of slave labourers in the underground Dora rocket plant in Germany in 1944 and '45.
To this day, documentary film is frequently shown on TV of emaciated prisoners near dead but weeping in relief as they are liberated by Allied soldiers. A surprising amount of this footage was taken at Dora.
Von Braun generally disavowed any knowledge of prisoners being mistreated and executed in his rocket factories, but Neufeld suggests he actually knew quite a bit about it and felt guilty about it until the end if his life.
As Neufeld says, Von Braun loathed the movie (possibly out a guilty conscience) and tried to distance himself from it and forget the whole thing. Fortunately for Von Braun, any controversy that followed the release for "I Aim For The Stars" quickly blew over. It also helped relatively few people saw it because it was box office turkey, except in Germany where he remained a national hero.
The movie survives, although barely as a long undistributed (1992) VHS tape. I managed to see a bad dub on to DVD. And while on the whole, the movie is silly -- especially the bogus love story between the mythical British spy in Von Braun's rocket plant and an equally mythical rocket scientist "colleague" -- it is an interesting historical document that's given new currency by the Neufeld biography.
Hopefully, Columbia will see fit to re-issue it on an official DVD or at least make it available for download as that technology improves and becomes more widely available.
*unquote*

Rating: 53

The Three Caballeros (1944)

God only knows whether I have seen this one before, and when; parts of it seemed familiar. In any case, I am sure I did not see it after 1986.

Some segments are purely animated while others mix live-action and animation.

Several episodes set in various places in Latin America. Donald the duck, plus a parrot from Brazil and a rooster from Mexico, are the tourists.

The first half of this wartime diplomatic effort is unquestionably good, especially the opening story with the penguin that leaves Antarctica. The second half is uneven, with sparks of creativity interspersed with somewhat boring bits.

Rating: 53

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

A man who spent 8 months in a psychiatric hospital is released and goes to live with his parents. A friendly couple introduce him to a young widow who has also been through psychiatric treatment. She wants a romantic relationship with him, but he can only think of contacting his ex-wife, who has a restraining order on him.

Very feeble romantic comedy, pervaded by TV sitcom style, which I guess is somewhat of a trend in these days. I was going to say this was David and Lisa for the postmodern age, but reconsidered: the film isn't even good enough to deserve that kind of definition.

Rating: 20

Ladder 49 (2004)

The life of an American fireman. At the beginning of the film, he is on duty and gets trapped inside a building in flames; then, the film proceeds in flashbacks to tell his story since he joined the firefighting unit until the present situation.

A curious film, rather unfashionable for its time. Despite its simple structure and conventional approach, it has some basic honesty about it, has some well-made fire scenes, and has a very good central performance.

Rating: 53

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

A rocket crashlands off the coast of Sicily, and two men are rescued from it. A container with an extraterrestrial creature escapes into the sea and is picked by a boy.

The screenplay exists solely in function of the animation sequences with the creature. These sequences are well done, and provide what there is of entertainment in this film.

Seen on a colorized copy.

Rating: 35

First Men in the Moon (1964)

Second viewing; the first one was on June 4, 1991.

An expedition to the moon finds out that other humans had been there before. A search locates the only living member of that earlier trip, and he tells all about it.

A fun film, no matter how ridiculous it may seem today (and, I suspect, even at its own time). Jeffries' performance is especially good, the script is agile, the stop-motion animation effects are beautiful, etc.

Rating: 51 (up from 43)

Cinderella (1950)

I have probably seen it before; if so, it must have been before 1983 (it was certainly no later than 1986).

Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault.

This is about that orphan, those step-relatives, that ball, that slipper, that prince. And of course they added some mice and a fat cat just to make it funny.

Delightful animation, where even bad taste is put to good use (I am thinking of the filtered voices for the mice, which some may find irritating but for me worked beautifully). There isn't much too say about the story, who would want the ugly to beat the beautiful through vileness? In a way, this story represents the spirit of democracy, regardless of the monarchical framework. And everything is told with creativity and first-rate animation artistry.

Rating: 72

Eyewitness (1981)

Second viewing; the first was between 1983 and 1986.

Late one night, the janitor in an office building discovers the body of a murdered businessman who had an office in that building. A friend of the janitor's came to the building to see him on that afternoon; it so happens that this friend recently got fired from a job under said businessman. A TV reporter on whom the janitor has a crush is covering the case.

No doubt this is a very contrived plot, but I will not explain this further because I do not want to spoil the potential fun for those who have not seen the movie yet. The film is as well directed as possible within the script's limitations, and that makes for enjoyable set-pieces. But as a whole it is far from convincing.

Rating: 52 (down from 64)

A Margem (1967)

Second viewing; the first was on August 7, 1990.

English title: The Margin

Several people wander more or less aimlessly at and in the vicinities of a riverside shanty town: a middle class outsider who has just arrived on a boat, a prostitute who has wedding fantasies about him, an oligophrenic man holding a daisy, another prostitute whom the oligophrenic loves, etc.

This might be categorized as a cinematic poem, since there is next-to-no narrative, and the tone is decidedly lyrical. I loved it on my previous viewing, but could not keep the same level of admiration on my second one. It is an uneven film, with the beginning half hour faring slightly better than the rest of it. Overall, it is an interesting film, genuinely poetic, and, despite the director's alleged inexperience, intelligently filmed. At times one senses a certain artificiality, and then the film's limitations cannot be ignored. Technical issues, too, mostly related to badly edited sequences, although not serious enough to compromise the film, are occasionally a burden to the viewer. And sometimes it is simply too hard to understand what is going on with the characters. The score is a major factor on this film's artistic status. The composer and performers might even be considered co-authors.

Rating: 60 (down from 77)

Man in the Shadow (1957)

The murder of a ranch worker is witnessed by a colleague of his, whom I suppose is the titular "man in the shadow". It is a big ranch, and without its economic presence the adjacent town would pretty much vanish. The sheriff's sense of duty prevails.

I guess this could be classified as a morality tale, although in this instance private morality is inextricably linked to political conscience. It is a low-budget film, but perhaps that is just as well; otherwise it would drag on and on, instead of imposing fast resolutions. As for verisimilitude, there is little of it, of course, but then again I haven't seen many big-budget slow-moving films which fared much better in that department. Not much more to say about this, except that it is well made and easy to watch.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 51

Solntse (2005)

English title: The Sun

The film portrays the emperor of Japan, depicting the events in his life during a few days following the dropping of atom bombs in Japan.

Borges once said (I am not completely sure whether he was not quoting someone, but I think he was not) that defeat is aesthetically superior to victory. I think this is, at least in part, what drives this film. Unfortunately, that thought alone cannot a good film make: it takes some talent to it, which the filmmakers, at least in this instance, do not display in sufficient amounts. Another notion which may have inspired them is Arendt's "banality of evil", since the film seems to place great importance to the intimate, the quirky -- in short the small. Not having read that aforementioned philosopher, though, I always wondered how her report about a Nazi bureaucrat came to be regarded as pertinent to evil in all its materializations and agencies. Here, for instance, a viewer might have a hard time believing that the man who commanded a whole nation through atrocity after atrocity was "a mere child". Perhaps what I have written so far may produce the impression that I loathed the film, and I want to correct this right away, for it has some level of professionalism to it, and even manages to achieve a certain level of storytelling coherence, but that is as far as it goes. Overall, it is a pretty poor film.

Rating: 41

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Second viewing, probably; previous viewing or viewings, if any, occurred no later than 1982.

In medieval England, a boy meets a wizard who decides to give him an education. Concurrently to that, there is an upcoming tournament in London the winner of which will be crowned king of England. The boy's older brother is very excited about it.

Although I must admit up front that this film has almost nothing to do with medieval history, and in fact it appears to have little to do with any one thing in particular, it is still a moderately enjoyable one, which will appeal to kids, and will not be disagreeable to adults. It is basically a series of set-pieces, and if I had to state its theme I would be forced to say it is people morphing into animals, due to the amount of screen time devoted to that phenomenon. This is bound to be disputed, however, by those who will prefer to say its theme is education. Well, as I said, this is hardly what we would expect from the basic plotline and time setting, but, well, that is how films are, or, anyway, those aimed at lower age audiences. It is visually pleasing, with nice watercolor-like backgrounds, and has funny characters, so I guess that is what one should expect from it, and little more.

Rating: 51

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Second viewing; the first was on August 5, 1990.

A traveling salesman persuades a group of revivalists to take him in as a preacher, and he becomes an instant sensation.

I cannot think of much to say about this film. I liked it a little less than I had on my previous viewing. Within certain limits, it is a correct film, which exposes some social phenomena of America in the 1920s. The title character is an interesting one, and I think the film does a good job of portraying him with his many dimensions. But some of the dramatic developments are simply not convincing enough, particularly the episode with the prostitute, and other ones are a bit dull or too caricatural. I guess the revival ceremonies are the highlights of the movie, and some are quite well done. The "good cop, bad cop" reference was a smart insight about Christianism.

Rating: 67 (down from 88)

Holy Man (1998)

A shopping TV executive is having troubles with his sales rates. A drifter with a sort of religious or philosophical agenda whom he met by chance becomes an overnight hit when he appears unexpectedly on one of the live TV shows. But some ethical dilemmas shall ensue.

The form is traditional, with dramatic solutions which one can see coming well ahead. I frankly expected more of a strategy from the title character, who, by the way, is not the main one (this would be the sales executive). This is not that kind of movie, though -- there is no card up the screenwriter's sleeve. On the other hand, what there is of satire -- especially the sections showing the TV network's broadcast material -- is quite enough to assess the state of things. The finest aspect of the movie is the main character's lines of dialogue, especially around the beginning of the movie, and Goldblum's perfect rendition of them -- the rest of the cast is good also. A watchable film which has some interesting things to say about the TV shopping phenomenon, and also about "waving back".

Rating: 56

Speed Racer (2008)

A young automobile racer -- whose older brother died in mysterious circumstances while racing -- gets in touch with the corrupt world of corporate business when he is offered to sign in with a big corporation.

A mixed bag in terms of tone -- juvenile, at times even infantile, regarding style, character definition and visual design, yet with a semblance of seriousness in its theme. The seriousness cannot resist analysis, because auto racing is a very peculiar sport, in which huge compromises simply are inevitable, part of the game even, and machines are often of equal (some say greater) importance as humans. That renders some plot points and the protagonist's inner conflicts rather implausible. I guess this film is only for those who can enjoy, or at least withstand, unbridled frivolity.

Seen mostly dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 35

Superman Returns (2006)

Luthor gets hold of extraterrestrial rocks that multiply in size under certain conditions (when wet?) and creates the seed of a new continent that would override the American one. Superman fights the evil, with help from Lane and her present boyfriend. There is also a kid.

An allegory for cancer and its cure. The love troubles seem to stem from misunderstandings. Both entities -- misunderstandings and cancer -- are little things that, left to their own devices, may grow into catastrophic proportions, and here is the structural unity of the work. Like many (post?) modern films it is dominated by a weird blue-grayish tonality, and my theory is that the trend is to make live-action films look more and more like computer animations and these in turn look more and more like live-action films, until there will be no way to distinguish one from the other.

Seen mostly dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 30

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Second viewing; the first was on April 28, 1987.

A spaceship lands in Washington, D.C., with one passenger and a robot. It has come on a mission: to give an important message to the leaders of Earth's nations.

Although full of plot holes, the film is moderately fun to watch, and has some interesting ideas. Also interesting are the similarities it bears with the story of Jesus (there is even a resurrection), which reportedly were intended as a private joke from the screenwriter which did not stay completely private after all. The more or less consensual interpretation seems to be that the film intends to do what the aliens in the film did, that is, warn people about the dangers of atomic weapons. If it is so, the way it chose to do it is a little odd, and hardly of assured efficacy.

Rating: 52 (down from 56)

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)

Second viewing; the first was on August 18, 1990.

A newlywed couple in the days of American independence wars. She is a city girl, goes to live in his farm. The Indians are British allies, and pretty savage. And so it goes.

Perhaps not a perfect movie, but certainly an interesting one. I hear it went overbudget and had a few battle scenes canceled. Some of the humor does not seem to serve the plot, yet perhaps it is what gives the movie a peculiar flavor. The implausibility of having the protagonist suddenly made into an athlete who can outrun very fit Iroquois gives us some very fine compositions.

Rating: 52 (up from 43)

Tabloid (2010)

Documentary about the Mormon sex in chains case.

I can't think of much to say about the technique -- this is a standard-format documentary, with extensive interviews and the occasional formal frippery which is supposed to add humor or alleviate the monotony -- and the story per se is, I think, a curious display of American culture on opposite ends of the spectrum and the consequences of their coming together for a moment. As for tabloids, on the other hand, there is an interesting question: is this film supposed to be an exposé or is the title meant in the same way as, for example, Film (1965) and High School Musical?

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)

Second viewing; the first was on May 30, 1995

The famous detective acts here as much as a secret agent as a detective. A German scientist has invented a powerful bomb-sight and prefers to give it to the Allies than to the Nazis (yes, Holmes has lived to see World War II). Holmes gets him out of Germany, but new perils await him (and Holmes) in England.

Perfectly mediocre Holmes outting, not a memorable scene, not a remarkable deductive thought, not a remarkable line of dialogue (except, if you will, for a reference to Holmes' drug use which IMDB mentions but I did not get while watching it). But it is all professionally done, and the narrative flows easily and ends in a reasonably short time.

Rating: 31 (down from 42)

The Gamma People (1956)

Two journalists traveling by train get stranded in a small European country where terrible things are happening. A scientist performing some problematic experiments seems to be the man behind all the evil occurrences.

Poor sci-fi which at least allows some humor into it, in the first half of the movie anyway. As usual in the genre, science has very little to do with it except lending it some fancy words and visuals. Also as usual, it is a reflection of some deep-seated fears which were prevalent at the time of production (and maybe later on, too): fear of children, fear of nazism, fear of communism, fear of science, fear of foreign countries, fear of blond-haired people, fear of Eastern Europe, fear of excessively intelligent people, fear of excessively stupid people... I think I have covered all or most of it.

Rating: 33

The Last Mimzy (2007)

* mild spoilers exist in the review below *

Unfaithful adaptation of the short story Mimsy Were the Borogoves, by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore (his wife), writing under the pen name of Lewis Padgett. The first publication was in 1943.

Two small kids, a boy and a girl, discover a box which holds in its interior some objects which seem to possess special powers. One of these objects is a stuffed rabbit, to which the girl becomes attached. The kids begin to develop special abilities, arousing their parents and teacher's suspicions. The situation escalates until the mystery about these objects is revealed.

Not entirely bad sci-fi, which as usual in the genre contains some very bogus science, but is well-acted and has a more coherent plot than some have implied. It is a descendant from the likes of La jetée, Twelve Monkeys, and The Terminator, only this time the focus is on environmental issues.

Seen mostly dubbed in Portuguese, and a few portions with the original audio.

Rating: 46

Uchû daisensô (1959)

Second viewing; the first was on June 14, 1996.

English title: Battle in Outer Space

A series of catastrophes are found to be caused by extraterrestrials who want to conquer Earth. Their base is discovered to be located on the moon, so two ships are sent there to fight the aliens.

Unimaginative and derivative sci-fi whose major purpose seems to be the exhibition of special effects which by modern standards are unimpressive at best and ridiculous at worst.

Saw it dubbed in English spoken with Japanese accent.

Rating: 32 (down from 33)

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

Second viewing; the first was on February 15, 1990.

Based on the novel by Jules Verne (1st ed. 1864).

A geologist discovers a message from a late explorer that reports the latter's finding of a path to the center of the earth. He then organizes an expedition following the footsteps of his predecessor.

Science fiction with mostly bogus science, and which will probably spark no more than a moderate interest in modern audiences. Technically, it is very well-made for its time. There are some embarrassing musical and dancing moments which are totally out of place in a film of this kind.

Rating: 53 (down from 63)

La buena vida (2008)

English title: The Good Life

Several stories that unfold separately but not without touching each other. A man wants a bank loan to buy a car but suddenly needs the money to provide his dead father's body with a proper burial ground. A social worker who assists women with high risk for sexually transmitted diseases discovers that her teenage daughter is pregnant. A prostitute with an infant child has to cope with AIDS. A clarinetist is rejected for a position in a philharmonic orchestra and then gets a job at an army band.

The idea of several stories in a movie has worked well before, but here I do not think it does. The stories do not seem to go anywhere interesting; the characters remain poorly defined; the ending to each story seems gratuitous.

Rating: 32

Prince Valiant (1954)

Seen it previously an undetermined number of times, probably around two, on undetermined dates, certainly no later than 1986.

A Viking king is  deposed and forced into exile near Great Britain. He sends his young son Valiant to England to become a knight. On his way there Valiant discovers a plot to overthrow King Arthur. Once he arrives at his destination he becomes Sir Gawain's squire.

Very lightweight plot, which is to be expected since this was a characteristic of the source comic strip, where story took backstage to the magnificent drawings. But it is not a bad movie, the faithful reproduction of the source's images in celluloid is very nice, and this is a visually elegant movie. As an adaptation, I do not see how this could have been much better.

Rating: 51 (unchanged)

Nowhere to Run (1993)

A convict escapes during transportation to another prison. He camps near a secluded house, where a widow and her two children live. She happens to be facing pressure to sell her house to a construction firm which intends to build some big houses on the area.

Routine action thriller cum romantic drama which a few people have noticed to bear more than a casual similarity with Shane. I did not find the plot convincing enough nor engaging enough.

Rating: 32

Salut l'artiste (1973)

English title: Hail the Artist.

The life of a middle-aged actor who can't get big parts. He scrapes a living off bit parts, dubbings, stage humor shows, etc. His love life is not all that simple either: he is separated from his wife and lives with his new girlfriend, but he keeps seeing both, and flirting with others as well. He has a long-time friend and colleague who decides to quit acting.

A worthy film, which mostly succeeds at showing the "dark side" of the acting profession. It is also a character study, and fairly successfull at that too. I have read somewhere (probably from an Internet Movie Database user) that director Robert specializes in men who will not grow up. That is right on the money, and this film fits in perfectly in that definition. But, while elsewhere he expresses himself through comedy, here he opts for drama -- one that does not exclude the comic element (just as his comedies do not exclude the dramatic one).

Rating: 60

The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)

The members of an archaeological team begin to die one by one after they enter a pharaoh's tomb and collect all its contents.

The actual incidents of most of the film are routine stuff, and altogether unexciting; the solution to the mystery, on the other hand, borders on the delirious, and provides its share of amusement, even though it does not make up for the dullness which prevailed thus far. The film's last act tries to add a little action to it all. Also on the amusing side is the female protagonist's preference for a man who will let her be a housewife over one who insists that she carry on with her career as an archaeologist, which by the way she only took on to earn her father's affection.

Rating: 32

King Ralph (1991)

A Las Vegas showman with royal blood is called up to be king of England after the royal family dies in a freak accident.

This is a film wich seems to have written itself. It is just a pile of clichés, put together by a good production and with a good actor in the title role. Although it is barely watchable, it has a feel of necessity in it, somehow.

Rating: 36

The Last Winter (2006)

An oil-drilling station in Alaska is having some delays because of abnormal weather, and also because of an environmentalist in their team. The abnormalities increase into, well, abnormal proportions.

Too bad this was not written as a comedy, because there is a lot of potential in that direction in its basic plotline. As it is, it is a dull horror movie about fictitious environmental concerns, and an allegory for the terrible consequences of amorous infidelities.

Rating: 15

Iracema (1975)

Second viewing; first was on September 13, 1989.

An adolescent girl living in Northern Brazil as a prostitute encounters a truck driver heading South and decides to accompany him.

Probably few films have gone so far in mixing fiction and documentary and producing such a realistic feel. This is a considerable achievement, of course. The downside is that it is a film with little structure. And of course nothing I said means that what we see is "real", just that it looks "real". A characteristic of these so-called "realistic" films is that they concentrate on the grostesque, the decadent, the miserable, and so on. That occurs precisely because their lack of structure excludes to a great extent, or completely, the time element. It is a philosophical point which each viewer must confront whether this exclusion is truthful or deceitful, or neither.

Rating: 65 (down from 69)

Giallo (2009)

A homicidal maniac captures his victims by disguising his car as a cab. A woman whose sister disappears contacts the cop who is investigating said killer's murders.

Thoroughly routine thriller, with a weak plot and unnecessarily disagreeable.
Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Rating: 17

Barravento (1962)

Second viewing; first was on November 6, 1988.

English title: The Turning Wind

A poor fishing community is stirred up by the return of one of its denizens, who is now an independent worker and deplores the passivity of the fishermen in face of their exploited condition, for which he puts much of the blame on their mysticism.

The direction is sleazy and a bit primitive, but is not without talent for some beautiful compositions; the plot's analysis of opposing forces in a working class environment has some interesting insights, both political and poetical. The end result is also marred by the endless dwelling on uneventful sequences, mostly of music and dance.

Rating: 44 (unchanged)

The Black Rose (1950)

Set in early medieval times, this film begins in an England torn by the enmity between conqueror Normans and conquered Saxons. A young Saxon receives a small inheritance and goes to Asia in search of adventure, taking his best friend with him. He enlists in an army under a warlord who is bent on conquering China.

The adventure fails to thrill, although it seems that at the time the movie was made this was their idea of fun, both in literature and in film. The care given to the production is visible, but the film is mildly amusing at best. Persons under the age of sixteen might enjoy it a bit more, although by today's standards I suspect that age threshold is perhaps too high an estimation. As a final note, I add that the title is absurd, The White Rose would be a sensible alternative, for obvious reasons, not that this matters much in a film which plays so fast and loose with plausibility and common sense.

Rating: 41

Le jour se lève (1939)

American title: Daybreak

A man barricades himself in his apartment after a passional crime. He recalls the incidents which led him to his extreme deed.

There are a few curious things about the characters in Le jour se lève, and it is not at all clear whether they stem from flaws in the writing or from deliberate choices, the reasons for which I could not understand. One of these is that the clarity about the sexual relationship between François and Clara is greater than about that between him and Françoise. Maybe I was not attentive enough, although I do not think so. Anyway, I did not think as much of the movie as its reputation seems to warrant. It is well directed, and Valentin is a very interesting character -- made so by the writing as well as by its player's performance -- and these by themselves are enough qualities to make it a rewarding experience, but they are not enough to make it a masterpiece. The film has several points of contact with Othello (based on my hearsay knowledge of that story), only Le jour se lève's Iago is a vertex of a love quadrangle. By the way, I do not know whether Valentin's psychological traits were already defined in the scénario (the screenplay minus the dialogue) or whether they were created by the dialogue author. This is a difficult authorship question, like so many that exist in the cinema.

Rating: 59

Truck Turner (1974)

A bounty hunter is wanted dead by the widow of a pimp he killed while trying to capture him.

The plotline is rather simple-minded, focusing on an invincible protagonist, a fact which renders the conflicts' outcome rather predictable. And when so many get killed -- including some of protagonists' friends, by the way -- it is inevitable that our level of empathy drop a little. But it is well-filmed, with plenty of action, and even the dramatic bits are reasonably well-written. I guess the movie is at its most attractive when it shows its gallery of hoodlums.

Rating: 51

The Little Prince (1974)

Based on the novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, first published in 1943.

An aviator makes an emergency landing in the Sahara desert and meets a child who claims he is from another planet. The child tells the aviator about his planet and also about some earthlings he has met.

This is a philosophical movie for kids; however, some of the text is perhaps a little more complex than could be comprehended by a regular kid. An adult will not, and here I judge from my own experience, find it disagreeable or tedious to the point of unwatchability. For one thing, as a spectacle it has its charms: it is a musical, competent as such, and has nice landscapes as backdrop. The philosophical point (or points) is not so easy to spell out in just a few words, but is a kind of praise of individuality, and also of companionship, which seems a little contradictory at first, but somehow is not, perhaps. It is also a satire of some values and paradigms which are seen as dominant in our civilization, and are shown to be false and hollow. If this seems a little vague, it may be because it actually is.

Rating: 51

Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)

Second viewing; first viewed on January 7, 1987.

This is about a large family in the 1920s, whose head -- an industrial engineer obsessed with optimizing time use -- runs it with strict discipline. His wife is a well of patience. The teenage daughters want to soften their father's rules.

I guess most of the interest in this comes from seeing how people in America of the beginning of last century thought and acted. It is very well directed. The principal actor displays in this a remarkable resemblance in demeanor and appearance to Adolf Hitler.

Rating: 53 (up from 30)

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Second viewing; first was probably in 1983, certainly no earlier than that, and no later than 1986.

In World War II, a minesweeping ship has a captain change. The new captain displays weird behavior and does not seem to be capable of commanding the ship competently.

 There is a contrivedness to the situations which diminish the movie's impact significantly. The viewer is made to accept so many premises and particularities that its point (which would be something in the lines of "help your captain") is somewhat compromised. Furthermore, they needed to have one character (the lawyer) spell it out for us viewers, which is tantamount to confessing they couldn't get the message through with only the events in the narrative. In short, this is an interesting but not impassioning film.

Rating: 58 (down from 67)

Mutantes (1970)

Short featuring the famous Brazilian rock band. 7 minutes of nice or silly music, two physically very similar brothers who dress like Englishmen, a cute young lady, they are out in the street with the people, it is all a little awkward but cheerful.

Psycho (1960)

Second or third viewing; last one was between 1983 and 1986.

A woman steals 40,000 dollars and heads to a motel. It is located in a secluded place, she is the only guest, the owner is a bit weird -- and his mother appears to be weirder still.

Everything connected to the execution of this film is dazzling. I think what kept me from enjoying it fully previously was that I took the whole psychoanalytical side too seriously. Of course the psychopathology depicted in it is not realistic. But I see now that the film is obviously a dark comedy, and when it comes to dark comedies the loonier the better.

Rating: 72 (up from 52)

Ninotchka (1939)

Second viewing. First was between 1983 and 1986.

Three Soviet officials are in Paris to sell some jewels, but the deal goes wrong because the Russian owner, now an exile, claims them. Another Soviet official is sent abroad to straighten things out.

Intelligent mix of political satire and romantic comedy. A film in which everything seems to work well, unlike this blog's interface at this moment, which is not responding properly to mouseclicks and thus forces me to cut this review short (not that I have much more to say).

Rating: 74 (up from 70)

The Extra Man (2010)

A young literature teacher from a small town goes to New York City to experience new things and try to become a writer. His roommate in Manhattan is an older teacher who increases his living standards by escorting rich old women.

Passable comedy which resumes the Glen or Glenda problematics in a contemporary setting. The satire on environmental activists is subtle but is there for anyone with eyes to see. On the whole, a carefully written film, not too brilliant perhaps, but somewhat improved by the presence of the best actors around in these days.

Rating: 52

Totò e le donne (1952)

Second viewing; first was on November 7, 1987.

English title: Toto and the Women

A henpecked husband hides in the attic at night to read mystery novels in peace. He remembers all the tribulations he has gone through because of women. His daughter is getting engaged, and he witnesses his future son-in-law go through some tribulations of his own.

A fine and funny analysis of courtship and marriage from the vantage point of males, with a brief sequence taking the woman's view.

Rating: 62 (down from 70)

As Young as You Feel (1951)

A printing worker is fired because of age, and devises an extraordinary way to get his job back.

*spoilers follow*

A silly film, which appears to have been made with propaganda purposes. I do not know whether there was an organization behind it, or just the producer's initiative. The point to be made here is that older people should be cherished as valuable members of the workforce. The problem is that the film is neither funny nor rational. Apparently the way they found to demonstrate that Mr. Hodges is a good printer was by showing he was a good... dancer! As for his speech, he expresses the perfectly inane notion that keeping the elderly at their jobs is an efficient inflation-fighting technique. And of course only the extremely naïve will find it credible that the corporate owner will become friends with his impersonator and even want to hire him as an advisor.

Rating: 13

Double Take (2001)

Certain plot elements were borrowed from the 1938 short story Across the Bridge, by Graham Greene.

A banker gets entangled in a complicated affair involving drug dealers, the FBI, and a street crook who seems to follow him wherever he goes. It all begins when a large sum of money is deposited in his bank.

Entertaining study about deceiving appearances and the mechanisms of trust. The introduction of a highly improbable character provides comic relief.

Rating: 53

River of No Return (1954)

Second viewing; first was on June 5, 1990.

A farmer decides to take his motherless son to live with him in his farm. He meets a saloon singer who is expecting the arrival of her lover, a gambler. The latter just won a mine's claim on a game, and must get to the nearest town to file it. These characters will meet and extreme actions will take place.

A musical western with a plot that works like a theorem, and there's the beauty of it, or one of the beauties, rather, because there are many in it. The rapids scenes, even though made with the limited technical resources then available, are beautiful and lend an epical quality to the film; the songs, in turn, lend it a lyrical one, and this unusual mix, which in theory shouldn't work, actually does, and very well.

Rating: 73 (down from 87)

Harvey (1950)

A middle-aged bachelor with a mental disorder is considered a nuisance by his sister and niece, who live with him in his house. They try to have him committed but complications ensue.

Intelligent farce, with essayistic undertones and even a nod at the fantastic. It is not supposed to be a realistic depiction of mental illness (if there can be such a thing), but many spectators do not seem to be able to understand or accept that. Others seem to resent the fact that Elwood is a rich fellow and thus can afford his eccentricities. In fact, these people do not seem to realize that they are, one way or another, characters in the film (select the "hated it" part in IMDB's user review section and tell me if I am not right). On the other hand, many who liked it see a sentimentality in it that simply is not there and thus do not have a perfect understanding of it either. The point is that Elwood is not necessarily a nice character, from the viewer's point of view. In fact, rigorously speaking he is either more than just a character or not a character at all. He is the instrument for the expression of certain concepts. Harvey is an intellectual study that never loses sight of the exigencies of comedy, and vice versa, in short a complete work of art. What is the difference between believing in God and believing in Harvey? This is one of the many questions that this film implicitly raises. Another, and perhaps more important one, derives from one of the movie's famous quotes:

_ELWOOD: Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me._

The question that this quote poses -- and it is a true philosophical quandary -- is the following: is Elwood's recommendation a smart one? Or is it just a pleasant one?

Rating: 73

Poor Little Rich Girl (1936)

A motherless child is pampered by her father, and kept in isolation from other children. He eventually acknowledges this is a mistake and decides to send her to boarding school. On her way there something happens and she gets lost in the city. She is found by a couple of singers and tap dancers and they decide to put her in their act.

Very unsubstantial, as the above synopsis indicates. Also, some plot contrivances are highly unsatisfactory. But it is all done with characteristic Hollywood ability, and thus is not unwatchable.

Rating: 32

Film socialisme (2010)

American title: Film Socialism
A more accurate one: Socialism Film.

Now, it is unsure whether I should waste a blog post on this, since I have nothing to say that would matter or make sense, my understanding of it has been next to null, and I have the strong feeling that there is nothing to understand, or anyway nothing worth understanding. I might add that the probability of being in the presence of a fraud is extremely high, and I definitely am giving it a second try in the very near future, after I finish with all the classics and non-classics in my to-view list. Oh, and one last thing: do not miss the touching scene where the documentarian reclaims her stolen cap, and the kid hides it, what a statement on socialism, a more cogent one there is not.

Rating: 2