Caiçara (1950)

Second viewing; first viewed on August 16, 1992.

Marina was separated from her parents in infancy and placed in an orphanage of sorts. When she reaches adulthood she accepts the marriage offer from a man who owns a boat factory in a small seaside village. Married life in her new home is full of disappointments at first.

The premise is very similar to that of Stromboli, which was made about one year earlier; as the director of Caiçara was an Italian living in Brazil, the situation is intriguing indeed. At any rate, Caiçara is the better film, because it is better filmed, mostly better acted, and, unlike its hypothetical model, does not suffer from phony philosophical pretensions. It may be no masterpiece, but is thoroughly watchable.

Rating: 51 (up from 43)

Devil's Knot (2013)

Dramatization of the West Memphis Three case. In a small Arkansas town, three children are found dead with their hands and feet tied. Two local teenagers are accused even though no material evidence links them to the murders.

Quite tepid criminal story, which keeps several ends loose and does not venture into speculations. It might be of some interest to those who want to get acquainted with the story.

Rating: 43

Vai Trabalhar, Vagabundo (1973)

Second viewing; first viewed on April 5, 1992

Informal English Title: Go to Work, Vagabond

Several exploits of a scam artist. He envisions a grand scam consisting of promoting the comeback of two retired pool players for a (rigged) revenge match.

Mildly impaired viewing due to a poor understanding of dialogue. Anyway, The Hustler this ain't, and the relative success it enjoyed in Brazil is no doubt due to its pandering to that country's affection for its own moral maladies. To be fair, however, there is a certain liveliness to the proceedings and some picturesqueness in the location shooting.

Rating: 31 (up from 20)

Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962)

Second viewing; first viewed on April 28, 1996.

English title: Cleo from 5 to 7

A young singer awaits the results of a medical exam screening for cancer. In the meantime she shops, meets her lover, rehearses with her musicians, strolls through the streets of Paris, rides in a car with a friend, watches a short film, goes to a park, etc., pondering and talking all the while about life or trivialities.

Drama which is intelligent and elegant in conception and execution. The challenge of sustaining interest through every move of the main character for the period of one hour and a half is not a small one. To be honest I was not exactly ravished by the whole proceedings, but maybe my judgement was somewhat impaired by the bad quality of my copy (the same in both viewings). Furthermore, in this second viewing I found out that it was cut; the following dialogue between Cléo and the soldier was missing (this is from a subtitles file I found on the internet; I do not vouch for the quality of the translation):

[begin quote]
661
01:10:19,014 --> 01:10:22,142
- Gone?
- It's full of them, most days
662
01:10:22,551 --> 01:10:26,487
- And today...?
- They're all at the other end
663
01:10:26,722 --> 01:10:29,350
They've gone to see
the workmen at the pond
664
01:10:30,793 --> 01:10:33,523
There's plenty of
running water here
665
01:10:33,996 --> 01:10:36,362
But topical things are more fun
666
01:10:37,700 --> 01:10:39,395
What's funny is
that you should know
667
01:10:40,736 --> 01:10:41,862
I'm curious
668
01:10:42,471 --> 01:10:44,962
Why don't you go, then?
669
01:10:45,207 --> 01:10:47,767
I'm more lazy than curious.
I believe without seeing
670
01:10:49,144 --> 01:10:50,839
Anyway, I prefer being here
671
01:10:51,747 --> 01:10:53,044
Isn't it cool?
672
01:10:54,250 --> 01:10:56,878
- It's not very hot.
- I'm all right
673
01:10:57,119 --> 01:10:59,451
It's the first day of summer
674
01:10:59,688 --> 01:11:02,213
For me, summer is when
I'm on holiday
675
01:11:02,524 --> 01:11:06,085
Today it's official.
You're Flora - Goddess of Summer
676
01:11:06,328 --> 01:11:08,592
- What talk!
- I like talking
677
01:11:08,831 --> 01:11:14,133
Did you know that today's
the longest day of the year?
678
01:11:17,172 --> 01:11:18,605
The longest! How true
679
01:11:18,974 --> 01:11:23,411
Today the sun leaves Gemini
for Cancer...
680
01:11:23,679 --> 01:11:25,237
Stop talking like that
681
01:11:27,016 --> 01:11:27,846
I'm sorry
682
01:11:46,935 --> 01:11:48,402
- Going?
- Yes
683
01:11:49,004 --> 01:11:51,336
I'm sorry my information bored you
684
01:11:51,740 --> 01:11:53,469
What's the time?
685
01:11:53,742 --> 01:11:55,642
About six or quarter past
686
01:11:56,779 --> 01:11:58,747
- Waiting for someone?
- No
687
01:11:59,214 --> 01:12:02,115
- Me neither.
- But all men wait for women...
688
01:12:02,418 --> 01:12:06,354
Then, they speak to them...
I don't usually reply. Today I forgot
689
01:12:07,289 --> 01:12:09,723
My thoughts were elsewhere.
You look so calm
690
01:12:09,958 --> 01:12:11,983
I'm on leave
691
01:12:12,194 --> 01:12:15,561
I'm half in uniform.
I leave tonight
692
01:12:15,864 --> 01:12:19,265
I had three weeks.
I've done nothing, it's too short
693
01:12:20,235 --> 01:12:21,702
I like talking to you
694
01:12:23,772 --> 01:12:25,330
- Married?
- No
695
01:12:25,774 --> 01:12:27,742
Do I look
as if I'm out on the prowl?
696
01:12:28,477 --> 01:12:32,072
You seem to be waiting
for something, rather than someone
697
01:12:32,514 --> 01:12:34,004
An examination result
698
01:12:34,550 --> 01:12:35,744
You're a student
699
01:12:35,984 --> 01:12:37,884
No, medical examination
700
01:12:38,187 --> 01:12:39,916
- Are you worried?
- Yes
701
01:12:40,155 --> 01:12:41,247
What are you afraid of?
702
01:12:48,464 --> 01:12:51,160
Cancer.
I'll know for sure this evening
703
01:12:51,734 --> 01:12:54,635
It could be something else
704
01:12:54,870 --> 01:12:56,997
A fortune teller confirmed it
705
01:12:57,639 --> 01:12:59,869
- You believe in cards?
- I'm afraid of everything...
706
01:13:00,642 --> 01:13:03,406
birds, storms, lifts, needles...
707
01:13:03,679 --> 01:13:06,443
and now, this great fear of death
708
01:13:06,782 --> 01:13:09,649
In Algeria, you'd be scared
all the time
709
01:13:09,952 --> 01:13:10,884
How dreadful
710
01:13:11,253 --> 01:13:14,654
They die for nothing.
That's what upsets me
711
01:13:14,890 --> 01:13:18,451
I'd rather die of love
for a woman
712
01:13:19,328 --> 01:13:21,387
Were you never in love?
713
01:13:21,630 --> 01:13:24,121
Often, but never
as deeply as I wanted
714
01:13:24,366 --> 01:13:26,129
It was always the girl's fault
715
01:13:26,335 --> 01:13:28,860
They just like to be loved
716
01:13:29,071 --> 01:13:33,064
They're afraid to give themselves,
to lose something
717
01:13:33,308 --> 01:13:35,071
They love by halves
718
01:13:35,644 --> 01:13:38,579
Their bodies are playthings,
not their lives
719
01:13:39,214 --> 01:13:41,239
So I'm stopping halfway, too
720
01:13:42,518 --> 01:13:44,486
Excuse me for saying this
721
01:13:44,720 --> 01:13:46,210
You're right
722
01:13:47,122 --> 01:13:48,521
Have you been in love?
723
01:13:49,792 --> 01:13:52,317
Like you said: I've always
been afraid to give in...
724
01:13:53,095 --> 01:13:55,495
But what was the use?
I was saving myself for...
725
01:13:56,064 --> 01:13:58,055
Aren't we dramatizing a bit?
[end quote]

I was previously informed that this film was a 1961 release, but IMDB currently lists its release year as 1962. Oddly, in the "Company Credits" section of that site we find this:

Compagnie Commerciale Française Cinématographique (CCFC) (1961) (France) (theatrical)

It is unusual for a film to have been distributed the year previously to its release, so I suspect an error somewhere.

Rating: 62 (up from 61)

The Homesman (2014)

Based on the 1988 novel by Glendon Swarthout.

In 1850s Nebraska, a spinster volunteers to drive three women with psychiatric disorders from their rural community to another city where they will be cared for. She has a chance encounter with a man and manages to persuade him to aid her with her task.

The male lead is one of my favorite actors, but aside from that I cannot say I liked this movie. On a scene-by-scene basis, I found it mostly pedestrian. As for the dramatic ideas behind the plot and characters, all I can say is I am mildly perplexed.

Rating: 40

Still Alice (2014)

A Linguistics professor, married with two daughters and a son, develops a rare, genetically acquired, early onset Alzheimer's disease.

Sober account of an individual with a neurological problem. The novel (which I didn't read) was written by a neurologist, so I suppose the film is respectful of medical science. I can't find much to comment on. One thing I found implausible was the racial demographics of her audience, but what do I know about such things?

Rating: 50

The Narrow Margin (1952)

Second viewing; first viewed on January 26, 1996.

A policeman is put in charge of escorting a criminal's widow to another city where she will testify against her late husband's organization. Members of that organization intend to kill her en route.

I usually like films set on trains, and this is one of the better ones for sure, an ingenious and economical script, very precisely directed, The resolution conspicuously strays from realism, but the film pulls it off quite smoothly. The corrupting power of money and the deceiving power of appearances are two underlining themes.

Rating: 74 (up from 66)

Platoon Leader (1988)

It's tough to beat the IMDB plot summary, so here it goes:

[begin quote] West Point graduate lieutenant Jeff Knight meets cynicism when taking command of sergeant Michael McNamara's tour veterans platoon in a Vietnamese trench camp. Unlike his predecessor, who hid till the end of his tour, Jeff takes charge, experiences the manual doesn't allow coping with all realities and gets wounded. He returns, now fully respect by men and superiors. Besides the Vietcong, the platoon wrestles with the inscrutable villagers, which the GIs officially protect, but also fear as some collaborate with them, other covertly with the Cong, either way subject to bloody reprisals. Written by KGF Vissers [end quote]

The Vietnam war was a bloody episode in the Cold War (which, thus, wasn't as cold as that), in which the U.S.A. learned the hard way that messing with other countries' affairs wasn't the road to success. Or did they learn it? No, they didn't, as they engaged in further mischief in subsequent years. After they pull out of such military fiascoes, some of the money that went down the drain is recovered through hugely successful films made in Hoolywood. Platoon Leader is, however, not Hollywood fare, but rather an independent movie which tries to cash in on a Hollywood blockbuster's success. But it is very well made considering its relatively low budget. Yet, while it may be entertaining to sit for one hour and a half emoting with some brave guys in a fool's errand in an Asian jungle, will it make you wiser?

Rating: 42

What's New, Pussycat? (1965)

Second viewing, first with original audio; first viewed on April 16, 1996.

A compulsive womanizer is getting some pressure from his girlfriend to marry her. He gets involved with several women on the side, and consults with a psychoanalyst who has women problems of his own.

Formally, this is a stage farce that oddly climaxes in a slapstick short. I enjoyed it a lot more this second time, in part because the dubbed version I had first seen made it impossible to appreciate the film's verbal wit. Still, some of its jokes did not work for me, and its accelerated rhythm and (for most of its duration) verbosity sometimes feel strained and slightly annoying.

Rating: 51 (up from 25)

Villa Rides (1968)

An American gunrunner for the counterrevolutionary forces against president Madero is compelled to join Madero's supporter Pancho Villa.

Although well-filmed, this is mostly a silly western with a misguided American point of view and a childish sense of humor.

(pan-and-scan copy)

Rating: 31

Sword of the Valiant (1984)

Loosely based on the late 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

At a royal feast, a man accepts the challenge of an intruder, involving a beheading attempt, the result of which sends him on a journey which entails many adventures.

Christopher Mulrooney has a nice text about this film (link):

[begin quote] A grand work, stylistically at the center of a constellation including Boorman’s Excalibur, Battiato’s I Paladini, Hodges’ Flash Gordon, and Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs for the comedy of Fortinbras storming the toy castle, etc.
Tessari’s Zorro is another kindred work, also Desmond Davis’ Clash of the Titans.
“The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”.
The four-part riddle is the sole governor of form, after the prelude at the King’s court of well-fed drunken knights he takes issue with.
The parody materials and general good humor give way to the essential poetry of the riddle, the Green Knight’s twelvemonth “game”.
The extraordinary, increasingly rapid treatment of action scenes is only one part of the adroitness that went entirely unobserved by critics, notably in Time Out Film Guide.
The romance of Gawain and Linet in the lost land of Lyonesse, at the castle of Fortinbras, the castle of Bertilak, the Green Chapel. An unreal place, a dark place, a golden place, each with its contrary, and the place of loss, wisdom there. [end quote]

This film belongs to the genre known as sword and sorcery. For some reason, this genre had a big surge in the eighties, after having been all but completely forgotten in the preceding decade. Though it has evolved since (and I haven't followed it in its recent shapes), it hasn't yet fallen out of fashion altogether.

(pan-and-scan copy)

Rating: 51

Romancing the Stone (1984)

Second viewing; first viewed between 1984 and 1986.

A novelist receives a call from her sister in Colombia saying she has been kidnapped and asking her to fly to Colombia with a treasure map and deliver it to the kidnappers. Over in that South American country the novelist meets an adventurer who helps her through the various troubles she encounters.

Pacy yet nondescript romantic comedy-adventure which somehow echoes the predominantly empty minds that around its release date had taken over film audiences. The film's plot points cover basic human needs like making a quick fortune or finding a romantic partner who is actually romantic. These things are the bread and butter of modern-day "civilization". It is a very ecologically minded film too -- the hero is a trafficker in rare jungle animals. Well, as long as he is romantic...

(pan-and-scan copy)

Rating:  49 (unchanged)

To Die For (1995)

Second viewing; first viewed on April 13, 1996.

A young woman with aspirations towards becoming a TV news anchor gets married to the son of a restaurant owner. His outlook on marriage conflicts with hers, and so she decides to go to extremes to have her way. Some school kids who are the object of a documentary she is making may just come in handy for the job she is envisioning.

Corrosive social satire, a veritable punch in the face of America regarding its perversion of values and general decay. The smart direction perfectly matches the smart script, and everything works out well. On an IMDB message board ("Is this based on the Pamela Smart Case?"), user Brennan-8 opines:

"Watching the film last night (not having seen it since it was in the theatres), it struck me that it was quite a misogynistic film. I know it's a satire on American media and cultural values, but there is also a real hatred toward ambitious women, a delight in depicting her as monstrous and worthy of punishment and death."

Another user, bluephoenix70, concurs and adds:

"I agree with you Brennan about this movie being misogynistic. It's interesting that you say this because I saw another thread that compared the woman in this movie to Sarah Pallin and Hillary Clinton. These are two intelligent and ambitious women. It ticked me off to no end. Sure, there are cases of crazy women who go off the deep end. But just because a woman is sucessful does not mean she's going to kill people."

 

The thread bluephoenix70 refers to is also worth reading ("Anyone see a Palin connection?").

 

Rating: 72 (up from 69)

Tales of Terror (1962)

Second viewing; first viewed in 1983.

Three segments loosely based on the short stories Morella (1835, rev. 1939) (1st segment), The Black Cat  (1843) and The Cask of Amontillado (1846) (2nd segment) and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar (1845) (3rd segment), all by Edgar Allan Poe.

(1) A young woman visits her estranged widower father, who has a grudge on her on account of her mother's death. (2) An alcoholic man befriends a wine specialist and introduces him to his wife. (3) A hypnotist proposes to apply his technique on a dying man.

Only the second segment, a study in alcoholism, is really good; furthermore, it has wonderful performances by Lorre and Price (who is in the three episodes and excels in all of them). The last segment has some interesting aspects and also some not so interesting ones. The first segment is just bad. This film has one of the stupidest pieces of dialogue ever (probably concocted purely as a plot advancer), in the last segment:

"-- However, I will make a bargain with you, Mr. Carmichael. I'll marry you upon the stipulation that you will set my husband free.
-- I need make no bargains with you, madam.
-- What?
-- You will marry me in any case.
-- No, Mr. Carmichael. Not unless you end his torment.
-- Edicts, madam? Orders from you? Allow me to enlighten you. I'm in command here. You will do as I say, or I will leave Mr. Valdemar exactly as he is, and never -- do you understand me, madam? -- never let him go."

Rating: 55 (unchanged)

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

This is about a vigilante who singlehandedly tries to wipe out the drug trade in Los Angeles.

Totally wacko, yet moderately watchable action drama. Vigilantes of the lone wolf kind are rare or nonexistent in real life, in which people usually organize toward the achievement of a common goal. In this film, it is the bad guys who get organized. I think this fictional pattern is part of film ideology on a permanent and intrinsic basis. This has to do with the format of the film viewing experience, which is a lonely act. That is why I think cinema is an alienating phenomenon and will meet its doom very soon. The decay in quality we are witnessing today is a consequence of the internal contradictions of the medium. One example: film industry's thriving depends heavily on dates, which basically spoil the individuality of the fruition. Other arts, such as painting, sculpture, and literature are more open to collective experience.

Rating: 32

Trafic (1971)

Second viewing; first viewed between 1983 and 1986.

English title: Traffic.

An automobile show is upcoming in Amsterdam, and a French company is planning to unveil a revolutionary camper model. The transportation of this car in a truck from France to Holland is full of incidents.

Practically a filmed essay about cars. The displacement of the human element by the machine is possibly the strongest thematic element, but it's not a film driven by a message. Instead of moving along the single highway of social critique, it gently explores multiple side roads of humor and poesy.

Rating: 66 (unchanged)