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