Second viewing (first one: January 14, 1998).
A woman communicates to a long-time friend her wish to steal an emerald-incrusted dagger from the Topkapi museum in Istanbul. He agrees, and hatches what he thinks is a perfect plan, using only amateurs with no police record. They begin the execution by picking a man with the sole function of driving a car into Turkey with some guns and grenades (which will not be used for killing or hurting anyone). And so on...
A good heist film, leaning towards the comedic, and very entertaining.
Rating: 65 (unchanged)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The Rose Tattoo (1955)
Second viewing (first one: December 25, 1999).
An American Southern town. A woman idolizes her husband. He is a truck driver who does some illegal transportations on the side. She does a little sewing for extra money. They have a teenage daughter. They are of Italian extraction. A tragic incident will divert the course of their lives. (I am not sure it would be okay to disclose more information about the plot.)
A potentially interesting story, not very well developed. The presence of an italiana in the cast does not hide the fact that it relies mostly on stereotypes. I wonder why the Italians get this treatment in non-Italian fiction. I guess people like to write about foreign or minoritary ethnicities, but why is it almost always the Italians who get such heartwarming 'tributes'? And they never complain, that I know of (maybe that is wise of them). Anyway, I do not know what I liked about it the first time I saw it. It is not a worthless film, but some parts of it are a little annoying (and others are, perhaps unintentionally, hilarious).
Rating: 47 (down from 66)
An American Southern town. A woman idolizes her husband. He is a truck driver who does some illegal transportations on the side. She does a little sewing for extra money. They have a teenage daughter. They are of Italian extraction. A tragic incident will divert the course of their lives. (I am not sure it would be okay to disclose more information about the plot.)
A potentially interesting story, not very well developed. The presence of an italiana in the cast does not hide the fact that it relies mostly on stereotypes. I wonder why the Italians get this treatment in non-Italian fiction. I guess people like to write about foreign or minoritary ethnicities, but why is it almost always the Italians who get such heartwarming 'tributes'? And they never complain, that I know of (maybe that is wise of them). Anyway, I do not know what I liked about it the first time I saw it. It is not a worthless film, but some parts of it are a little annoying (and others are, perhaps unintentionally, hilarious).
Rating: 47 (down from 66)
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
Second viewing (first one: April 21, 1998).
Dr. Watson is working at a manor which holds convalescent officers. A series of murders take place there, and he calls Holmes to solve the case.
Complicated and entertaining mystery which has some lovely touches (e.g. the raven at the pub). The solution is not extremely plausible.
Rating: 51 (up from 32)
Dr. Watson is working at a manor which holds convalescent officers. A series of murders take place there, and he calls Holmes to solve the case.
Complicated and entertaining mystery which has some lovely touches (e.g. the raven at the pub). The solution is not extremely plausible.
Rating: 51 (up from 32)
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Way Back (2010/I)
In 1941, some people escape from a prisoner camp in Siberia, and face the adversities of nature in a long walk to freedom.
Pretty standard adventure which nevertheless entertains and has very nice landscapes.
Rating: 56
Pretty standard adventure which nevertheless entertains and has very nice landscapes.
Rating: 56
Catfish (2010)
I think the text below contains what people might call SPOILERS, so beware.
This documentary tells the adventure that a guy goes through when he starts a long-distance relationship.
I had never, to my recollection, heard of this movie until it got recommended to me by a pen pal of mine (I do not know whether he would like to see his name disclosed here), who by the way I am pretty sure is a real person, and not someone else's spin-off personality, although I have never met him personally. Anyway, this is a rare case where I am not sure I agree with him. This is an easy-to-watch film, but I am not sure I can pin it down, unless it is just the mildly entertaining account of the effects of a lonely loony lady's shenanigans on a bunch of receptive filmmakers. Is there something more to it? I guess I will, for the time being, leave it at that, and perhaps rewatch it some day.
Rating: 51
This documentary tells the adventure that a guy goes through when he starts a long-distance relationship.
I had never, to my recollection, heard of this movie until it got recommended to me by a pen pal of mine (I do not know whether he would like to see his name disclosed here), who by the way I am pretty sure is a real person, and not someone else's spin-off personality, although I have never met him personally. Anyway, this is a rare case where I am not sure I agree with him. This is an easy-to-watch film, but I am not sure I can pin it down, unless it is just the mildly entertaining account of the effects of a lonely loony lady's shenanigans on a bunch of receptive filmmakers. Is there something more to it? I guess I will, for the time being, leave it at that, and perhaps rewatch it some day.
Rating: 51
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Second viewing.
A lawyer heading to a small western town has his coach held up by bandits and gets a rough beating. He soon hears from the town's fastest gun that there is no place for the law in that town.
A pretty intelligent film, mostly funny too. It sums up, in a cartoonish way, the transformation of the American West into a civilized place (a favorite topic of westerns and a true obsession from the late 50s onwards). Although it has a very distinct comic streak throughout it, the film's crux is tragic. It hinges on the man whose values are being swept by progress, but whose actions are nevertheless necessary to effect change. He is thus compelled to self-effacement, and that makes him a tragic character. I am not sure I understood it well enough on my first viewing.
Rating: 62 (up from 57)
A lawyer heading to a small western town has his coach held up by bandits and gets a rough beating. He soon hears from the town's fastest gun that there is no place for the law in that town.
A pretty intelligent film, mostly funny too. It sums up, in a cartoonish way, the transformation of the American West into a civilized place (a favorite topic of westerns and a true obsession from the late 50s onwards). Although it has a very distinct comic streak throughout it, the film's crux is tragic. It hinges on the man whose values are being swept by progress, but whose actions are nevertheless necessary to effect change. He is thus compelled to self-effacement, and that makes him a tragic character. I am not sure I understood it well enough on my first viewing.
Rating: 62 (up from 57)
Body Heat (1981)
Third viewing.
A lawyer starts an affair with a married woman, and at one point proposes to kill her husband.
Mostly well-written and well-directed updating attempt on the noir genre (specifically the femme fatale subgenre), with some interesting ideas, and an attractive cast, but not as good as I thought.
Rating: 66 (down from 73)
A lawyer starts an affair with a married woman, and at one point proposes to kill her husband.
Mostly well-written and well-directed updating attempt on the noir genre (specifically the femme fatale subgenre), with some interesting ideas, and an attractive cast, but not as good as I thought.
Rating: 66 (down from 73)
Friday, February 22, 2013
Rear Window (1954)
Second viewing.
A photographer is wheelchair-bound with a broken leg. To pass the time he looks out his window watching the goings on in his neighbors' lives. One day he sees something that looks like a murder.
A very entertaining film, but I honestly find the romantic subplot tedious, awkward, implausible, and with little thematic connection to the suspenseful section of the film. How detrimental this is to the film may be assessed by considering that instead of this subplot one could have something that not only would be more reasonable but would also enrich the film.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
A photographer is wheelchair-bound with a broken leg. To pass the time he looks out his window watching the goings on in his neighbors' lives. One day he sees something that looks like a murder.
A very entertaining film, but I honestly find the romantic subplot tedious, awkward, implausible, and with little thematic connection to the suspenseful section of the film. How detrimental this is to the film may be assessed by considering that instead of this subplot one could have something that not only would be more reasonable but would also enrich the film.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Dracula (1931)
Second viewing.
Based on a play from the novel by Bram Stoker (novel's first ed.: 1897).
A Transylvanian count moves to England and starts preying on his neighboring ladies. He is actually an abnormal creature who feeds on blood and never ages, a condition which is contagious.
On my first viewing I was a little put off by the film's static scenes and the main actor's unnaturalistic performance. I think now that these characteristics should be respected as style, and that there is a good deal of artistry in the compositions and staging. As has been said elsewhere, the really scary part of the movie is the beginning. Nevertheless, there is a creepiness that is sustained throughout all of it. I am still not sure it is a great movie, but I like it much better than I did.
Rating: 60 (up from 50)
Based on a play from the novel by Bram Stoker (novel's first ed.: 1897).
A Transylvanian count moves to England and starts preying on his neighboring ladies. He is actually an abnormal creature who feeds on blood and never ages, a condition which is contagious.
On my first viewing I was a little put off by the film's static scenes and the main actor's unnaturalistic performance. I think now that these characteristics should be respected as style, and that there is a good deal of artistry in the compositions and staging. As has been said elsewhere, the really scary part of the movie is the beginning. Nevertheless, there is a creepiness that is sustained throughout all of it. I am still not sure it is a great movie, but I like it much better than I did.
Rating: 60 (up from 50)
The Tin Star (1957)
Second viewing.
A bounty hunter arrives at a small town to collect his prize on a wanted man whom he brought dead. The town has just lost its sheriff, and has a young inexperienced man filling in for the job. The bounty hunter takes the young sheriff under his wing.
A well-structured screenplay, perfectly realized. The elements that make up the totality of the film are not original, but they are intelligently combined into a satisfactory whole.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
A bounty hunter arrives at a small town to collect his prize on a wanted man whom he brought dead. The town has just lost its sheriff, and has a young inexperienced man filling in for the job. The bounty hunter takes the young sheriff under his wing.
A well-structured screenplay, perfectly realized. The elements that make up the totality of the film are not original, but they are intelligently combined into a satisfactory whole.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Margaret (2011)
Lisa lives with her mother, an actress currently starring in a play, and her younger brother. She unintentionally provokes a fatal bus accident by diverting the driver's attention. She gives a false statement to the police so that the driver will not be punished, but later is haunted by doubts over the her lying.
A character study. Teenage angst is the theme, or one theme anyway. A tremendous central performance is a valuable asset of the movie. I am not exactly sure what I dislike about it, if anything. Some parts of it just seem of little relevance (and what with a length of 2 hours and a half...). Anyway, a certain lack of focus seems to be the problem, or one problem. The ending was just wrong, too, or felt wrong, anyway. It was like the film suddenly revealed itself to be just a mother-daughter melodrama.
Rating: 60
A character study. Teenage angst is the theme, or one theme anyway. A tremendous central performance is a valuable asset of the movie. I am not exactly sure what I dislike about it, if anything. Some parts of it just seem of little relevance (and what with a length of 2 hours and a half...). Anyway, a certain lack of focus seems to be the problem, or one problem. The ending was just wrong, too, or felt wrong, anyway. It was like the film suddenly revealed itself to be just a mother-daughter melodrama.
Rating: 60
Les belles de nuit (1952)
Second viewing.
English Title: Beauties of the Night.
A poor musician is the butt of his fellow villagers' jokes, and takes refuge in dreams.
An interesting film which makes the point that nostalgia is based on an illusion, namely that previous eras were better than the present one. The general theme is the opposition of ideal versus real. A recurring motif used to illustrate its theme is noise versus music. It has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with which it has intersecting points; other aspects bring it close to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Frequently yielding to farce pure and simple, its philosophical agenda never goes past a superficial analysis. Taken on its own terms, there is much to be enjoyed.
Rating: 66 (down from 74)
English Title: Beauties of the Night.
A poor musician is the butt of his fellow villagers' jokes, and takes refuge in dreams.
An interesting film which makes the point that nostalgia is based on an illusion, namely that previous eras were better than the present one. The general theme is the opposition of ideal versus real. A recurring motif used to illustrate its theme is noise versus music. It has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with which it has intersecting points; other aspects bring it close to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Frequently yielding to farce pure and simple, its philosophical agenda never goes past a superficial analysis. Taken on its own terms, there is much to be enjoyed.
Rating: 66 (down from 74)
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
Second viewing (first one: April 22, 1998).
The famous detective is summoned by the British government to find out who and what is behind a series of Nazi terrorist acts which are always accompanied by a radio broadcast.
The screenplay is absurd and ridiculous in practically every detail, although the general plotline contains potentially good ideas. The film is well photographed, though, which counts for something.
Rating: 25 (unchanged)
The famous detective is summoned by the British government to find out who and what is behind a series of Nazi terrorist acts which are always accompanied by a radio broadcast.
The screenplay is absurd and ridiculous in practically every detail, although the general plotline contains potentially good ideas. The film is well photographed, though, which counts for something.
Rating: 25 (unchanged)
Monday, February 18, 2013
Dressed to Kill (1946)
Second viewing.
Sherlock Holmes investigates the case involving three music boxes made by an inmate at Dartmoor Prison. The boxes are sold at an auction, and coveted by thugs.
Efficient little mystery, concisely told and entertaining, yet little more than that.
Rating: 52 (unchanged)
Sherlock Holmes investigates the case involving three music boxes made by an inmate at Dartmoor Prison. The boxes are sold at an auction, and coveted by thugs.
Efficient little mystery, concisely told and entertaining, yet little more than that.
Rating: 52 (unchanged)
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Second viewing.
Two homicide cops, one grieving and suicidal over the loss of his wife, the other on his 50th birthday and looking ahead to a happy retirement, team up to investigate a high-class prostitute's death. They uncover a plot involving ex-CIA agents, Vietnam veterans and mercenaries, and large scale drug smuggling.
Action thriller which ably shifts from the main characters' personal dramas and their partnership problems to the criminal investigation they are pursuing. It is an image-oriented film, technically proficient, and, while perhaps not exactly innovative, entertaining enough and never dumb.
Rating: 54 (up from 49)
Two homicide cops, one grieving and suicidal over the loss of his wife, the other on his 50th birthday and looking ahead to a happy retirement, team up to investigate a high-class prostitute's death. They uncover a plot involving ex-CIA agents, Vietnam veterans and mercenaries, and large scale drug smuggling.
Action thriller which ably shifts from the main characters' personal dramas and their partnership problems to the criminal investigation they are pursuing. It is an image-oriented film, technically proficient, and, while perhaps not exactly innovative, entertaining enough and never dumb.
Rating: 54 (up from 49)
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Death of a Gunfighter (1969)
Second viewing.
In a turn-of-the-century western town, the town marshal becomes very unpopular among the town elite, but refuses to resign.
This film has an interesting plotline which nevertheless has some obscure zones. The main character's attachment to his office is not an obviously understandable position, and not even a necessarily likeable one. The eminent citizens who want him out are not likeable either, of course, and this lends the movie a detached tone which may be alienating to some, but which I personally find seductive. The film had two directors, and I think I can perceive a difference in style in different sections of the movie. One of the directors is a TV guy, and most of the film has a very TV-like feel; the replacement director is probably responsible for some more dynamical sequences where the technical expertise he became famous for is evident.
Rating: 63 (unchanged)
In a turn-of-the-century western town, the town marshal becomes very unpopular among the town elite, but refuses to resign.
This film has an interesting plotline which nevertheless has some obscure zones. The main character's attachment to his office is not an obviously understandable position, and not even a necessarily likeable one. The eminent citizens who want him out are not likeable either, of course, and this lends the movie a detached tone which may be alienating to some, but which I personally find seductive. The film had two directors, and I think I can perceive a difference in style in different sections of the movie. One of the directors is a TV guy, and most of the film has a very TV-like feel; the replacement director is probably responsible for some more dynamical sequences where the technical expertise he became famous for is evident.
Rating: 63 (unchanged)
Friday, February 01, 2013
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Second viewing.
In the 19th century, the seacoast of Florida is ravaged by crooks who specialize in arranging shipwrecks in cahoots with crew members. The film's plot revolves around a sea captain, a lawyer, and a young woman whom both covet. The lawyer tries to bring the gang of pirates down.
A very eventful film, with an imaginative screenplay. I didn't dislike it as much as on my first viewing. It's pretty childish from start to finish, but its narrative solutions are not entirely without intelligence.
Rating: 41 (up from 18)
In the 19th century, the seacoast of Florida is ravaged by crooks who specialize in arranging shipwrecks in cahoots with crew members. The film's plot revolves around a sea captain, a lawyer, and a young woman whom both covet. The lawyer tries to bring the gang of pirates down.
A very eventful film, with an imaginative screenplay. I didn't dislike it as much as on my first viewing. It's pretty childish from start to finish, but its narrative solutions are not entirely without intelligence.
Rating: 41 (up from 18)
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