Four variety artists form two male-female duos. At first the duos are racially mixed, one from Brasília and the other from Rio; they all meet in Brasília. After a partner exchange in Rio, they become a white duo and a black one (the latter also becomes a married couple). After a conflict with their scheming boss they decide to start their own nightclub in Rio.
Musical comedy with a plot which perhaps might be construed as an allegorical reflection on the race situation in Brazil. The plot development is tedious and the comicity is poor, except in the elaborate musical numbers, above the average of Brazilian productions and certainly the better part of this movie. As a side note, the word 'candango' here is a designation of the first inhabitants of Brasília, and 'belacap', from what I gathered, refers to Rio de Janeiro and is a contraction of 'bela capital' (beautiful capital), as opposed to 'novacap', which stands for 'nova capital' (new capital), i.e., Brasília.
Rating: 31
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Juliana do Amor Perdido (1970)
At a small fishing village, a young woman named Juliana is thought of as having magical powers, and is kept in a life of seclusion by her father, who is in collusion with an outsider who is the village's only contact with the outside world and also the only buyer of their fish. Juliana finds solace in watching the passing train and beckoning to its engine worker. One day, during a stop, they talk to each other and from then on a romance starts. She elopes with him, but the villagers chase her.
This is a potentially interesting idea badly developped. The editing style, relying as it does on endless slightly varying repetitions of shots, is annoying. The script leaves a lot to be desired, especially in the dialogue, and furthermore has some contextualization problems which could be resolved by setting the film in a vaguer time frame, or, say, in a post-apocalyptic era. As it is, certain elements are bound to raise an eyebrow, without really adding anything to the film's fruition. Take for example the ceremonies performed in the village. They seem to be African in origin, but the ethnicity of the villagers is predominantly white. Also, there seems to be no explanation for the fact that, at a conflict between the villagers and the train workers, there is not a single person bearing a firearm, on either side of the conflict.
Rating: 31
This is a potentially interesting idea badly developped. The editing style, relying as it does on endless slightly varying repetitions of shots, is annoying. The script leaves a lot to be desired, especially in the dialogue, and furthermore has some contextualization problems which could be resolved by setting the film in a vaguer time frame, or, say, in a post-apocalyptic era. As it is, certain elements are bound to raise an eyebrow, without really adding anything to the film's fruition. Take for example the ceremonies performed in the village. They seem to be African in origin, but the ethnicity of the villagers is predominantly white. Also, there seems to be no explanation for the fact that, at a conflict between the villagers and the train workers, there is not a single person bearing a firearm, on either side of the conflict.
Rating: 31
Friday, September 28, 2018
Meteorango Kid, Herói Intergalático (1969)
A day in the life of a youth in a big Brazilian city. He is a nihilist who spends his time smoking hemp, having sex, hanging out with friends, etc.
Amateurishly made sillines which tries to be a sort of snapshot of the late 60s' zeitgeist, but is probably closer to being a snapshot of the author's mind. If anything is to be made of the plot, it is that the seeds of revolution do not produce healthy trees in Brazil, but rather teratological ones. Ironically, this outwardly amoral tale won an award from the Catholic Church. Perhaps they, not entirely without reason, saw in it an implicit denunciation of the terrible effects of an education devoid of a moral reference. Also, they probably have approved of the association of cannabis, violent crime, and irrationality, an association which the film seems to imply. What I find curious is that films like this, which are seen only by a handful of students of cinema and hardcore cinephiles, are Brazilians' idea of 'cult movies'. There is a widespread mistake in that country -- probably derived from the popular meaning of the Portuguese word 'cultura' -- which misassociates the word 'cult' with hermeticity, intellectualism, or erudition.
Rating: 25
Amateurishly made sillines which tries to be a sort of snapshot of the late 60s' zeitgeist, but is probably closer to being a snapshot of the author's mind. If anything is to be made of the plot, it is that the seeds of revolution do not produce healthy trees in Brazil, but rather teratological ones. Ironically, this outwardly amoral tale won an award from the Catholic Church. Perhaps they, not entirely without reason, saw in it an implicit denunciation of the terrible effects of an education devoid of a moral reference. Also, they probably have approved of the association of cannabis, violent crime, and irrationality, an association which the film seems to imply. What I find curious is that films like this, which are seen only by a handful of students of cinema and hardcore cinephiles, are Brazilians' idea of 'cult movies'. There is a widespread mistake in that country -- probably derived from the popular meaning of the Portuguese word 'cultura' -- which misassociates the word 'cult' with hermeticity, intellectualism, or erudition.
Rating: 25
Jeca Tatu (1960)
The main character is a rural dweller who owns a small property and who suffers from chronic indisposition to work. It follows that his wife and children are overburdened with work. But the main plot is really about his daughter's romance with a richer landowner, and the schemes by another suitor to instill enmity between the two families.
This low-brow comedy is no Shakespeare for sure but does nevertheless come across, in plot at least, as a blend between Romeo and Juliet and Othello. It contains some political satire as well, which may be the best part of the movie. That subplot has the protagonist travelling the State capital to offer a Congressman the votes of his community's members in exchange of help to rebuild his burned house. The main character was inspired, in name and in behavior, on a homonymous one created by Monteiro Lobato in the early 20th century, who appeared first in short stories and later in a publicity text. That publicity text was part of a campaign to curb hookworm infection among rural populations, and was sponsored by a pharmaceutical company which used the publicity to advertise a concoction it produced (a "biotonic" unrelated to the object of the campaign). The message of the campaign was that the rural worker was not averse to working because of a personality defect, but rather as the result of a worm-related illness, which was in turn the product of bad hygiene habits. In the film there is no explicit mention of any of that; all we see is a scene where the protagonist apparently has itching feet. Viewers who are unfamiliar with the campaign may easily be led to conclude that the main character is indeed just lazy. Now enjoy a musical number from this film featuring the beautiful "Estrada do Sol", by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Dolores Duran:
Rating: 31
This low-brow comedy is no Shakespeare for sure but does nevertheless come across, in plot at least, as a blend between Romeo and Juliet and Othello. It contains some political satire as well, which may be the best part of the movie. That subplot has the protagonist travelling the State capital to offer a Congressman the votes of his community's members in exchange of help to rebuild his burned house. The main character was inspired, in name and in behavior, on a homonymous one created by Monteiro Lobato in the early 20th century, who appeared first in short stories and later in a publicity text. That publicity text was part of a campaign to curb hookworm infection among rural populations, and was sponsored by a pharmaceutical company which used the publicity to advertise a concoction it produced (a "biotonic" unrelated to the object of the campaign). The message of the campaign was that the rural worker was not averse to working because of a personality defect, but rather as the result of a worm-related illness, which was in turn the product of bad hygiene habits. In the film there is no explicit mention of any of that; all we see is a scene where the protagonist apparently has itching feet. Viewers who are unfamiliar with the campaign may easily be led to conclude that the main character is indeed just lazy. Now enjoy a musical number from this film featuring the beautiful "Estrada do Sol", by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Dolores Duran:
Rating: 31
Thursday, September 27, 2018
O Noivo da Girafa (1957)
*spoilers below*
Aparício is a a simple-minded zoo employee who is picked on by his work colleagues, who have tagged him as 'the giraffe's fiancé' for his affection towards that animal. At the boarding house where he lives he is not well treated either. They complain about his smell and alleged lack of hygiene and when the landlord's young daughter falls ill Aparício is blamed and urged to take a blood test. He asks the zoo's veterinarian to test him for infections. Aparício messes up the blood samples, causing the vet to mistake a terminally sick ape's blood for his. The zoo manager gives Aparício a vacation and instructs the other employees to conceal Aparício's horrible fate from him, and to reveal it to the people at his boarding house with the recommendation that they treat him well but not tell the truth to him. So, they start to treat Aparício well, and even the landlord's older daughter starts to respond politely, though not exactly amorously, to Aparício's courting. The landlord plans to marry her to Aparício before he dies, and thus make her entitled to a huge inheritance from a rich relative of Aparício's. Meanwhile, the ape who was terminally ill dies, and the veterinarian wises up to the blood sample mix-up. Just before the marriage ceremony is completed he shows up at the boarding house and clears up the confusion. Aparício is then subjected to all sorts of insults and is expelled from the boarding house. Two of his fellow boarders solidarize with him: a nightclub performer nicknamed 'Poet' and a young woman who is in love with him but is not loved back. Some time later, his former landlord shows up at the zoo and he is very courteous again to Aparício; he has brought a lawyer with him, who tells the news of Aparício's rich relative's death and that Aparício is the sole heir.
*end of spoilers*
Comedy with a few musical numbers and a sense of humor as simple-minded and childish as its protagonist. A curious thing is how obsessed with the 'easy money' topos Brazilian comedies of the 1950s were. Anyway, it is a watchable movie if you are in an undemanding frame of mind.
Rating: 32
Aparício is a a simple-minded zoo employee who is picked on by his work colleagues, who have tagged him as 'the giraffe's fiancé' for his affection towards that animal. At the boarding house where he lives he is not well treated either. They complain about his smell and alleged lack of hygiene and when the landlord's young daughter falls ill Aparício is blamed and urged to take a blood test. He asks the zoo's veterinarian to test him for infections. Aparício messes up the blood samples, causing the vet to mistake a terminally sick ape's blood for his. The zoo manager gives Aparício a vacation and instructs the other employees to conceal Aparício's horrible fate from him, and to reveal it to the people at his boarding house with the recommendation that they treat him well but not tell the truth to him. So, they start to treat Aparício well, and even the landlord's older daughter starts to respond politely, though not exactly amorously, to Aparício's courting. The landlord plans to marry her to Aparício before he dies, and thus make her entitled to a huge inheritance from a rich relative of Aparício's. Meanwhile, the ape who was terminally ill dies, and the veterinarian wises up to the blood sample mix-up. Just before the marriage ceremony is completed he shows up at the boarding house and clears up the confusion. Aparício is then subjected to all sorts of insults and is expelled from the boarding house. Two of his fellow boarders solidarize with him: a nightclub performer nicknamed 'Poet' and a young woman who is in love with him but is not loved back. Some time later, his former landlord shows up at the zoo and he is very courteous again to Aparício; he has brought a lawyer with him, who tells the news of Aparício's rich relative's death and that Aparício is the sole heir.
*end of spoilers*
Comedy with a few musical numbers and a sense of humor as simple-minded and childish as its protagonist. A curious thing is how obsessed with the 'easy money' topos Brazilian comedies of the 1950s were. Anyway, it is a watchable movie if you are in an undemanding frame of mind.
Rating: 32
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Empire of the Sun (1987)
Second viewing; first viewed on April 10, 1988.
In 1941, during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, and subsequent evacuation of the British colony, a boy gets separated from his parents, and ends up in a prisoner camp.
This is hardly a great war story; rather, it is a collection of clichés which all the same make for a passable juvenile cinematic entertainment. The tone and filming style seem to mirror the manic personality of its protagonist. Grandiose pauses are injected when the boy enters his "Japanese" moments, with the musical score rising to the occasion. At other instances, trivial bike rides through an empty house seem to aim for the opposite poetic effect. None of that is really effective, coming across as merely artificial, but some critics seem to have bought it. Anyway, this film is an interesting example of the comic-book aesthetics that took over cinema and literature around the time it was made.
Rating: 51 (up from 50)
In 1941, during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, and subsequent evacuation of the British colony, a boy gets separated from his parents, and ends up in a prisoner camp.
This is hardly a great war story; rather, it is a collection of clichés which all the same make for a passable juvenile cinematic entertainment. The tone and filming style seem to mirror the manic personality of its protagonist. Grandiose pauses are injected when the boy enters his "Japanese" moments, with the musical score rising to the occasion. At other instances, trivial bike rides through an empty house seem to aim for the opposite poetic effect. None of that is really effective, coming across as merely artificial, but some critics seem to have bought it. Anyway, this film is an interesting example of the comic-book aesthetics that took over cinema and literature around the time it was made.
Rating: 51 (up from 50)
Monday, September 24, 2018
Hit! (1973)
A policeman whose teenage daughter dies from a heroin overdose rounds up a team of ordinary people whose lives were affected by drugs to perform the extermination of the members of the French drug cartel who is responsible for supplying the American market.
The outrageously comic-book-ish plot is unfortunately unable to inject juvenile fun into this action thriller, thanks to the predominantly serious tone and extremely laid-back pace. Still, it is very well filmed and at least one sequence is fairly impressive, a very well done car chase. The basic assumption is that killing rich criminals is more effective than killing poor ones. That is not very convincing; even Mafia bosses are replaced pretty quickly, and anyway France was also a middleman in the drug business, since it did not produce them. Arguably, from a social justice angle it does make for a more satisfying revenge, and maybe that is the unspoken point of this unexciting movie.
Rating: 33
The outrageously comic-book-ish plot is unfortunately unable to inject juvenile fun into this action thriller, thanks to the predominantly serious tone and extremely laid-back pace. Still, it is very well filmed and at least one sequence is fairly impressive, a very well done car chase. The basic assumption is that killing rich criminals is more effective than killing poor ones. That is not very convincing; even Mafia bosses are replaced pretty quickly, and anyway France was also a middleman in the drug business, since it did not produce them. Arguably, from a social justice angle it does make for a more satisfying revenge, and maybe that is the unspoken point of this unexciting movie.
Rating: 33
Sunday, September 23, 2018
South Pacific (1958)
At a Polynesian island where an American World War II outpost is seated, several stories unfold. A newly arrived lieutenant falls in love with a native; a nurse falls in love with an older French man who has made the island his home; a secret mission on a neighboring island which is controlled by the Japanese is to be launched.
This is an awful film, and not just because of the botched "color filters" effects. The story is terribly uninteresting, and the songs are just passable. One particular change in regards to the source novel makes the story nearly incomprehensible. In the novel, the nurse feels revulsion towards the idea of becoming the stepmother of some dark-skinned children, but is OK with the lighter-skinned Asian children from another woman. In the film, there are no dark-skinned children, and she is OK with the Asian ones, but has a problem with her prospective husband's late wife, because she was Asian. This notion of retrospective racism towards a dead person is much harder to fathom, if you want my opinion. The film is a manifesto for miscegenation, and the ideological pièce-de-resistance is the song You've Got to Be Carefully Taught. The purported moral lesson seems to be that, since racism is, allegedly, not inborn, but learned, it is not a good thing. Regardless of what one should think, or not, about racism, the argument seems odd, especially in a war movie. After all, fighting a war in a place thousands of miles from home, because of an aggression which took place in Hawaii, does not seem to be the kind of behavior that springs naturally from instinct. Anyway, it is alway nice to be preached at, and Hollywood is just the preacher we all need.
Rating: 21
This is an awful film, and not just because of the botched "color filters" effects. The story is terribly uninteresting, and the songs are just passable. One particular change in regards to the source novel makes the story nearly incomprehensible. In the novel, the nurse feels revulsion towards the idea of becoming the stepmother of some dark-skinned children, but is OK with the lighter-skinned Asian children from another woman. In the film, there are no dark-skinned children, and she is OK with the Asian ones, but has a problem with her prospective husband's late wife, because she was Asian. This notion of retrospective racism towards a dead person is much harder to fathom, if you want my opinion. The film is a manifesto for miscegenation, and the ideological pièce-de-resistance is the song You've Got to Be Carefully Taught. The purported moral lesson seems to be that, since racism is, allegedly, not inborn, but learned, it is not a good thing. Regardless of what one should think, or not, about racism, the argument seems odd, especially in a war movie. After all, fighting a war in a place thousands of miles from home, because of an aggression which took place in Hawaii, does not seem to be the kind of behavior that springs naturally from instinct. Anyway, it is alway nice to be preached at, and Hollywood is just the preacher we all need.
Rating: 21
Friday, September 21, 2018
Capitu (1968)
Based on the novel Dom Casmurro, by Machado de Assis, first published in 1899.
Man marries his childhood sweetheart. He is happy with her until he begins to suspect his only son's biological father is his deceased best friend.
One could never realize by watching Capitu that it is based on one of the best, perhaps the best, Brazilian novel of all times. This is a mediocre film, shot in a minimalist style that at times borders on the lazy. Also, the length of the film is excessively short to convey all the subtleties of the novel. The actors give passable performances, although they are all or most of them cast against type. I was especially curious about the real age of the leading actress. She looks too old for the title role, and on the Internet her birth year is variously given as 1931 or 1938. Her looks in this film point to the former date as the likelier one. One curiosity about the source novel is that in Brazil there are heated discussions about whether the title character was really unfaithful. Critics affiliated with the left are generally dismissive about the evidence pointing to the occurrence of adultery; instead, they accuse her husband of being an agent of 19th century patriarchy. I suppose that, on the other hand, they place their unwavering trust on the "me too" accusers of today. After all, the burden of proof is always on the oppressor, and we all know who that is, right?
Rating: 32
Man marries his childhood sweetheart. He is happy with her until he begins to suspect his only son's biological father is his deceased best friend.
One could never realize by watching Capitu that it is based on one of the best, perhaps the best, Brazilian novel of all times. This is a mediocre film, shot in a minimalist style that at times borders on the lazy. Also, the length of the film is excessively short to convey all the subtleties of the novel. The actors give passable performances, although they are all or most of them cast against type. I was especially curious about the real age of the leading actress. She looks too old for the title role, and on the Internet her birth year is variously given as 1931 or 1938. Her looks in this film point to the former date as the likelier one. One curiosity about the source novel is that in Brazil there are heated discussions about whether the title character was really unfaithful. Critics affiliated with the left are generally dismissive about the evidence pointing to the occurrence of adultery; instead, they accuse her husband of being an agent of 19th century patriarchy. I suppose that, on the other hand, they place their unwavering trust on the "me too" accusers of today. After all, the burden of proof is always on the oppressor, and we all know who that is, right?
Rating: 32
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Red Dawn (1984)
Second viewing; first viewed between 1984 and 1986.
The United States of America are invaded by a U.S.S.R.-led coalition of troops. A group of teenagers take refuge in the mountains and engage in violent resistance against the invaders.
The United States of America are invaded by a U.S.S.R.-led coalition of troops. A group of teenagers take refuge in the mountains and engage in violent resistance against the invaders.
Military dramatic adventure with a weirdly unrealistic plot. I am not talking about the premise -- think what you will about that -- but the development. As some have noted, the resistance group never grows, which is kind of odd. Nobody comes to join them, and they, in turn, never make an effort to contact other groups. It is really hilarious. It is not a well made film, in the sense that, apart from action scenes, it lacks dramatic and scenic elaboration. At times, characters just stand there, like living dolls or something. At other times, they engage in trite dialogue. All that being said, it is not a worthless film. If there is one American with a minimum of historical conscience, he will see in this film a mirror image of what they did to South Vietnam. The only difference is that Vietnam happened, and this did not.
Rating: 30 (up from 23)
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Pleasantville (1998)
Second viewing; first viewing with original audio; previously viewed on April 2, 2002.
Brother and sister of opposite temperaments are transported into a 50s TV show set in a small town where people live very sanitized lives. They are inserted into that fictional universe by taking the place of two pre-existing characters in that show. They bring with them their own worldview, which causes a local revolution spanning natural events and human behavior. This is signalled by a gradual onset of color into that hitherto black-and-white world.
This is an idiotic film which spawned a critical response which is no less than fascinating as a window into how people's minds work. They clearly saw things which were not in the movie, but were their own preconceptions about the movie. On its Wikipedia page, there is a section about its reception; a curious fact is that Reason smartly noticed that the film was "misunderstood", but then went on to present a slightly less absurd but equally imaginary notion that the film "contrasts the faux '50s of our TV-fueled nostalgia with the social ferment that was actually taking place while those sanitized shows first aired"; in fact, the film does not "contrast" those things because it simply does not go that deep into any social issue. Entertainment Weekly was more accurate: "Pleasantville is ultramodern and beautiful. But technical elegance and fine performances mask the shallowness of a story as simpleminded as the '50s TV to which it condescends". I think "condescends" is the key word here. In its arrogance, Pleasantville forgets that its own "modern" world is just as, or even more, sanitized than the fictional version it depicts. In Pleasantville's world, 90s teenagers have very active sex lives, but are never shown getting pregnant, or concerning themselves with contraception or STDs. As a final note, the wink to "no coloreds" signs is merely opportunistic and means absolutely nothing; by the way, I do not remember having seen a single black person in this film, either in the 90s-set sections or in the 50s-set ones.
Rating: 29 (down from 35)
Brother and sister of opposite temperaments are transported into a 50s TV show set in a small town where people live very sanitized lives. They are inserted into that fictional universe by taking the place of two pre-existing characters in that show. They bring with them their own worldview, which causes a local revolution spanning natural events and human behavior. This is signalled by a gradual onset of color into that hitherto black-and-white world.
This is an idiotic film which spawned a critical response which is no less than fascinating as a window into how people's minds work. They clearly saw things which were not in the movie, but were their own preconceptions about the movie. On its Wikipedia page, there is a section about its reception; a curious fact is that Reason smartly noticed that the film was "misunderstood", but then went on to present a slightly less absurd but equally imaginary notion that the film "contrasts the faux '50s of our TV-fueled nostalgia with the social ferment that was actually taking place while those sanitized shows first aired"; in fact, the film does not "contrast" those things because it simply does not go that deep into any social issue. Entertainment Weekly was more accurate: "Pleasantville is ultramodern and beautiful. But technical elegance and fine performances mask the shallowness of a story as simpleminded as the '50s TV to which it condescends". I think "condescends" is the key word here. In its arrogance, Pleasantville forgets that its own "modern" world is just as, or even more, sanitized than the fictional version it depicts. In Pleasantville's world, 90s teenagers have very active sex lives, but are never shown getting pregnant, or concerning themselves with contraception or STDs. As a final note, the wink to "no coloreds" signs is merely opportunistic and means absolutely nothing; by the way, I do not remember having seen a single black person in this film, either in the 90s-set sections or in the 50s-set ones.
Rating: 29 (down from 35)
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Sphere (1998)
Second viewing, first one integrally with original audio; first viewed on September 14, 2007.
A group of experts in several fields are requested by the U.S. government to gather at a place in the middle of the ocean where the debris of a strange object was found. It turns out to be a spacecraft. Their mission is to discover its origin and contents.
Derivative science fiction with a by-the-numbers plot. Here is my previous blog post:
*quote*
Synopsis: A group of scientists is summoned to investigate a strange ship found
in the bottom of the ocean.
Appraisal (spoilers): The theme of wishes coming true in a secluded place has
been tackled with in Lem's Solaris (and in two films from that novel). The
approach here is different, this film is a thriller. But the result is very lame
throughout, really painful to watch, totally unsatisfying from the
science-fiction angle, and ridiculous from the dramatic one.
Note: I watched most of it with Portuguese dubbing.
*unquote*
This time I did not find it as painful to watch as I had during my previous viewing. It has some minor value as a pastime.
Rating: 33 (up from 10)
A group of experts in several fields are requested by the U.S. government to gather at a place in the middle of the ocean where the debris of a strange object was found. It turns out to be a spacecraft. Their mission is to discover its origin and contents.
Derivative science fiction with a by-the-numbers plot. Here is my previous blog post:
*quote*
Synopsis: A group of scientists is summoned to investigate a strange ship found
in the bottom of the ocean.
Appraisal (spoilers): The theme of wishes coming true in a secluded place has
been tackled with in Lem's Solaris (and in two films from that novel). The
approach here is different, this film is a thriller. But the result is very lame
throughout, really painful to watch, totally unsatisfying from the
science-fiction angle, and ridiculous from the dramatic one.
Note: I watched most of it with Portuguese dubbing.
*unquote*
This time I did not find it as painful to watch as I had during my previous viewing. It has some minor value as a pastime.
Rating: 33 (up from 10)
Thursday, September 13, 2018
A Grande Vedete (1958)
Janete is an aging revue performer who does not realize she is no longer a big star. Her manager nurtures her illusion by providing fake admirers for her. A struggling writer has written a play which he intends for his ballerina fiancée to star on, and tries to persuade Janete to produce it and play a secondary role. She mistakes his approach for a romantic one, and retributes. To complicate things further, she decides to play the lead role.
This film is an odd combination of farcical and pathetic elements, with musical numbers thrown in for good measure. One could argue that it falls short both in the dramatic and comic aspects, but the musical numbers are above the average for Brazilian films of that period.
Rating: 31
This film is an odd combination of farcical and pathetic elements, with musical numbers thrown in for good measure. One could argue that it falls short both in the dramatic and comic aspects, but the musical numbers are above the average for Brazilian films of that period.
Rating: 31
Monday, September 10, 2018
O Barbeiro que Se Vira (1957)
Based on the play The Barber of Seville, by Pierre Beaumarchais, written in 1773.
*spoilers*
Rosinha, an orphan, loves Leonardo, but Clementino, who is her stepfather and tutor, does not consent to their marriage because he wants her to marry Basílio, her piano teacher. Unbeknownst to her, Clementino has made a financial agreement with Basílio through which the former will get most of Rosinha's fortune in the event of her marriage with Basílio. The town barber, who is also dentist, pharmacist and veterinary, dislikes Clementino and feels for poor Rosinha, whom he tries to help. When Leonardo is arrested for a theft which was really committed by Basílio, the barber dresses as Rosinha's seamstress and, after releasing Leonardo from jail, heads to Clementino's house; Leonardo goes along, dressed as a female assistant to the seamstress. Inside the house, they reach Rosinha and try to think of a way to prevent her wedding from taking place.
*end of spoilers*
Musical comedy with more plot than laughs. The comic star is a former circus clown who repeats here some of the shticks which became his trademarks in his previous career. He is not a great comic, but his performance is serviceable. The musical numbers are not very memorable either, but they too are serviceable.
Rating: 31
*spoilers*
Rosinha, an orphan, loves Leonardo, but Clementino, who is her stepfather and tutor, does not consent to their marriage because he wants her to marry Basílio, her piano teacher. Unbeknownst to her, Clementino has made a financial agreement with Basílio through which the former will get most of Rosinha's fortune in the event of her marriage with Basílio. The town barber, who is also dentist, pharmacist and veterinary, dislikes Clementino and feels for poor Rosinha, whom he tries to help. When Leonardo is arrested for a theft which was really committed by Basílio, the barber dresses as Rosinha's seamstress and, after releasing Leonardo from jail, heads to Clementino's house; Leonardo goes along, dressed as a female assistant to the seamstress. Inside the house, they reach Rosinha and try to think of a way to prevent her wedding from taking place.
*end of spoilers*
Musical comedy with more plot than laughs. The comic star is a former circus clown who repeats here some of the shticks which became his trademarks in his previous career. He is not a great comic, but his performance is serviceable. The musical numbers are not very memorable either, but they too are serviceable.
Rating: 31
Saturday, September 08, 2018
Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again (1982)
Based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886.
Dr Jekyll announces that he will retire from surgical practice to devote his time to pharmacological research. The hospital owner wants him to perform one last surgery on an elderly millionaire. Jekyll accidentally inhales some chemical products during an experiment, and suffers a physical transformation.
This is a very bad film, and yet a curious one when taken as an experiment whose creative process seems to mirror its subject matter. It adopts a no-holds-barred, anything-goes approach to comedy, never shying away from bad taste or, for that matter, any kind of unpleasantness. Its four writers, one of whom is the director, have done decent stuff elsewhere. In other words, they all have respectable Jekyll careers and this was their Hyde moment.
Rating: 3
Dr Jekyll announces that he will retire from surgical practice to devote his time to pharmacological research. The hospital owner wants him to perform one last surgery on an elderly millionaire. Jekyll accidentally inhales some chemical products during an experiment, and suffers a physical transformation.
This is a very bad film, and yet a curious one when taken as an experiment whose creative process seems to mirror its subject matter. It adopts a no-holds-barred, anything-goes approach to comedy, never shying away from bad taste or, for that matter, any kind of unpleasantness. Its four writers, one of whom is the director, have done decent stuff elsewhere. In other words, they all have respectable Jekyll careers and this was their Hyde moment.
Rating: 3
Wednesday, September 05, 2018
Home Fries (1998)
Second viewing; first viewing with original audio; previously viewed on June 18, 2002.
*possible spoilers below*
Dorian and his brother Angus are goaded by their mother to give their stepfather a scare on account of his ongoing extramarital affair. Both being pilots, they decide to use a helicopter from their military station to accomplish that goal. Things get out of control, though, what with their target's heart condition. To further complicate matters, they realize that their conversation inside the helicopter leaked to the radio devices used by the workers at a nearby fast food restaurant. Angus asks Dorian to infiltrate the restaurant as an employee, and investigate whether anyone there wised up to the meaning of the leaked conversation. Dorian complies. He befriends pregnant waitress Sally, unaware at first that she is the woman with whom his stepfather was having an affair.
The above is a very imaginative premise for a movie. The real problem with it, however, is that the development is not on the same level of imagination as the premise. Said development consists mainly in family fights and on contrived plot devices through which characters realize stuff about other characters. And of course there is also a romantic relationship which is not fully convincing, but then again they never are, either in film or in reality.
Rating: 56 (down from 63)
*possible spoilers below*
Dorian and his brother Angus are goaded by their mother to give their stepfather a scare on account of his ongoing extramarital affair. Both being pilots, they decide to use a helicopter from their military station to accomplish that goal. Things get out of control, though, what with their target's heart condition. To further complicate matters, they realize that their conversation inside the helicopter leaked to the radio devices used by the workers at a nearby fast food restaurant. Angus asks Dorian to infiltrate the restaurant as an employee, and investigate whether anyone there wised up to the meaning of the leaked conversation. Dorian complies. He befriends pregnant waitress Sally, unaware at first that she is the woman with whom his stepfather was having an affair.
The above is a very imaginative premise for a movie. The real problem with it, however, is that the development is not on the same level of imagination as the premise. Said development consists mainly in family fights and on contrived plot devices through which characters realize stuff about other characters. And of course there is also a romantic relationship which is not fully convincing, but then again they never are, either in film or in reality.
Rating: 56 (down from 63)
Sunday, September 02, 2018
I Walk Alone (1947)
After serving a 14 year prison sentence, Frankie seeks out Noll, his former partner in bootlegging. Noll now runs a fancy nightclub. They had agreed that if one of them got caught, he would be entitled to half of the other's operation after his release. But Noll is not willing to comply to that agreement. Concurrently to that, Noll gets on the wrong side of his girlfriend Kay, a singer at his place, because he is marrying one Mrs. Richardson, allegedly for business reasons. Kay allies with Frankie, to whom she feels attracted. Noll's accountant Dave is disgusted at how badly Noll treated Frankie...
Undistinguished criminal drama, which is passably well made and lets itself be watched without great pains. The 'Frankie' character does not seem very bright. Perhaps the most famous sequence of this movie is when Frankie, along with a few hoodlums he rounded up, demands a share of Noll's business and Noll explains how that would not be possible due to its complex corporate structure. That sequence is interesting, but it does not make much sense, or at least it doesn't to me. One thing is the impossibility to convert a certain asset into money at short notice. But here they seem to be saying that any transfer of ownership is impossible. I find that incomprehensible. I was considerably confused also by how Frankie's men switched to Noll's side instantaneously. Another dubious instance is when, after having extracted Noll's confession, Frankie reveals that he was using a pen in his pocket passing up as a weapon. I do not see how that makes the confession any less invalid, but the IMDB user going by the nickname theowinthrop says otherwise (he gets a certain detail wrong, but the general idea is what matters):
*quote*
He does in a manner that today would not pass muster. He entraps Douglas by pretending to have him at the end of a loaded gun, forcing Douglas to make a confession before the police. Douglas, naturally frightened, does admit information that only the criminal involved in the crime would have known, but at the end, he sneers at Lancaster saying that the confession was gotten under duress. But then Lancaster shows his gun was empty. Civil libertarians today would denounce this trick, saying the confession was tainted. In 1948 it was perfectly legal.
*unquote*
At any rate, this is not a remarkable picture and the points I mentioned above are merely samples of a poorly written script. But the film does have atmosphere and good performances.
Rating: 43
Undistinguished criminal drama, which is passably well made and lets itself be watched without great pains. The 'Frankie' character does not seem very bright. Perhaps the most famous sequence of this movie is when Frankie, along with a few hoodlums he rounded up, demands a share of Noll's business and Noll explains how that would not be possible due to its complex corporate structure. That sequence is interesting, but it does not make much sense, or at least it doesn't to me. One thing is the impossibility to convert a certain asset into money at short notice. But here they seem to be saying that any transfer of ownership is impossible. I find that incomprehensible. I was considerably confused also by how Frankie's men switched to Noll's side instantaneously. Another dubious instance is when, after having extracted Noll's confession, Frankie reveals that he was using a pen in his pocket passing up as a weapon. I do not see how that makes the confession any less invalid, but the IMDB user going by the nickname theowinthrop says otherwise (he gets a certain detail wrong, but the general idea is what matters):
*quote*
He does in a manner that today would not pass muster. He entraps Douglas by pretending to have him at the end of a loaded gun, forcing Douglas to make a confession before the police. Douglas, naturally frightened, does admit information that only the criminal involved in the crime would have known, but at the end, he sneers at Lancaster saying that the confession was gotten under duress. But then Lancaster shows his gun was empty. Civil libertarians today would denounce this trick, saying the confession was tainted. In 1948 it was perfectly legal.
*unquote*
At any rate, this is not a remarkable picture and the points I mentioned above are merely samples of a poorly written script. But the film does have atmosphere and good performances.
Rating: 43
Le jeune Karl Marx (2017)
English title: The Young Karl Marx
The German philosopher is sent to Paris to write for a socialist newspaper. He is married to an aristocratic woman whom he turns into a serial procreator. He befriends the son of a wealthy industrialist who revolts against his bourgeois upbringing and environment. Marx tries to inject a little theory into the workers' movement. He is expelled from France and relocates to Brussels.
Very well-behaved and nearly hagiographic biographical drama. I watched it mainly because I wanted to get a feeling of the socialist milieu and of the exact chronology of Marx and Engels' meanderings through Europe. I suppose the film satisfied those particular needs. Although it is hard to extract any real insight from such a conventional and superficial narrative, one might get struck by a perverse pattern which one may observe into our present days: people who cannot afford children have an abundance of them, and those who can afford them opt for not having any. Feminists are strangely silent on Jenny's predicament (they probably would not even admit it may be called that). One of the characters expresses disgust toward 'dirty money' which comes from her husband's family. I found it hard to believe that real people in need would be so simple-minded, and yet the film offers no challenging point of view. I have always considered Marx to be a disagreeable man with very foolish ideas, and this film did nothing to dispel such notion. The production design is first rate.
Rating: 40
The German philosopher is sent to Paris to write for a socialist newspaper. He is married to an aristocratic woman whom he turns into a serial procreator. He befriends the son of a wealthy industrialist who revolts against his bourgeois upbringing and environment. Marx tries to inject a little theory into the workers' movement. He is expelled from France and relocates to Brussels.
Very well-behaved and nearly hagiographic biographical drama. I watched it mainly because I wanted to get a feeling of the socialist milieu and of the exact chronology of Marx and Engels' meanderings through Europe. I suppose the film satisfied those particular needs. Although it is hard to extract any real insight from such a conventional and superficial narrative, one might get struck by a perverse pattern which one may observe into our present days: people who cannot afford children have an abundance of them, and those who can afford them opt for not having any. Feminists are strangely silent on Jenny's predicament (they probably would not even admit it may be called that). One of the characters expresses disgust toward 'dirty money' which comes from her husband's family. I found it hard to believe that real people in need would be so simple-minded, and yet the film offers no challenging point of view. I have always considered Marx to be a disagreeable man with very foolish ideas, and this film did nothing to dispel such notion. The production design is first rate.
Rating: 40
Saturday, September 01, 2018
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Second viewing; first viewing with original audio; previously viewed on September 20, 2002.
Dr. Evil builds a time machine and goes back in time to 1969. He has one of his agents steal Austin's mojo -- a bodily fluid responsible for sex drive -- from Austin's cryogenically stored body. Dr. Evil then carries out a new plan: to place a laser gun on the moon and demand ransom for not destroying Washington, D.C. with it. Austin travels back in time to recover his mojo and foil Dr. Evil's schemes.
Mostly enjoyable comedy. Its framework is a parody of spy movies in particular and the 60s in general. It is structured in comic sketches in a very TV-like manner, heavily character-driven and dialogue-driven. That choice of style puts a definite formulaic limit to the film's humorous scope.
Rating: 52 (unchanged)
Dr. Evil builds a time machine and goes back in time to 1969. He has one of his agents steal Austin's mojo -- a bodily fluid responsible for sex drive -- from Austin's cryogenically stored body. Dr. Evil then carries out a new plan: to place a laser gun on the moon and demand ransom for not destroying Washington, D.C. with it. Austin travels back in time to recover his mojo and foil Dr. Evil's schemes.
Mostly enjoyable comedy. Its framework is a parody of spy movies in particular and the 60s in general. It is structured in comic sketches in a very TV-like manner, heavily character-driven and dialogue-driven. That choice of style puts a definite formulaic limit to the film's humorous scope.
Rating: 52 (unchanged)
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