The film dramatizes Churchill's life in the 30's, before World War II. He tries to regain power by alerting England against Germany's increasingly bellic attitude.
A historical telefilm, which means it stood little chance of interesting me beyond a certain extent. But it is a watchable film, very good-looking and with a competent cast. Politicians are the opposite of heroes in my scale of values, but a tasteful and careful production like this one turns their relative insignificance into something amusing.
Rating: 55
Sunday, April 07, 2013
King of the Khyber Rifles (1953)
In 19th-century India, a rebel leads the population to an uprising. The British forces prepare to defend its rule. One of its commanders is a man of mixed ethnicity, who suffers discrimination, and with whom his superior's daughter falls in love.
Routine adventure, with very little excitement to it, and with a reactionary slant to it. It was filmed in California, but some background exteriors are of India. The main actor seems to have had his face smudged with a darkening product. I am out of interesting things to say about this film.
Rating: 34
Routine adventure, with very little excitement to it, and with a reactionary slant to it. It was filmed in California, but some background exteriors are of India. The main actor seems to have had his face smudged with a darkening product. I am out of interesting things to say about this film.
Rating: 34
Friday, April 05, 2013
Young at Heart (1954)
Second viewing (first one between 1983 and 1986, probably).
The film explores the romantic entanglements of three sisters, always having marriage as the explicit goal. One of the sisters receives more attention of the plot than the other two. The husband candidates comprise an upbeat composer, a downbeat arranger-singer, a former plumber who has his own business, and another chap whose profession I do not recollect having been mentioned.
Romantic drama. The theme concerns young women faced with decisions about their lives, but those amount here to who's going to marry whom, and very little else. A side theme explores the issue of optimistic versus pessimistic approaches to life. This is done in a stereotypical and slightly ludicrous way. Cigarettes have an important dramatic role. There are nice songs thrown in, which are sung by two of the main characters, and which relate thematically to the plot. It is a moderately agreeable film, albeit laden with fifties' ideology which clouds social issues, including those of gender roles.
Rating: 52 (up from 44)
The film explores the romantic entanglements of three sisters, always having marriage as the explicit goal. One of the sisters receives more attention of the plot than the other two. The husband candidates comprise an upbeat composer, a downbeat arranger-singer, a former plumber who has his own business, and another chap whose profession I do not recollect having been mentioned.
Romantic drama. The theme concerns young women faced with decisions about their lives, but those amount here to who's going to marry whom, and very little else. A side theme explores the issue of optimistic versus pessimistic approaches to life. This is done in a stereotypical and slightly ludicrous way. Cigarettes have an important dramatic role. There are nice songs thrown in, which are sung by two of the main characters, and which relate thematically to the plot. It is a moderately agreeable film, albeit laden with fifties' ideology which clouds social issues, including those of gender roles.
Rating: 52 (up from 44)
Thursday, April 04, 2013
Les amants (1958)
Second viewing (first one: June 16, 1996).
English title: The Lovers.
The wife of a rich newspaper owner living in Dijon thinks she is not getting enough attention from her husband. She goes to Paris periodically to see her lover, a polo player. A series of events will affect her in unpredicted ways.
A bourgeois fantasy and, as such, inevitably simplistic. Owning a rightwing newspaper, playing polo, doing archeological research, what is the difference between them? One might say that the first acts to keep the state of things, the second benefits from it, the third washes his hands. The fourth player is a woman, which means she does not play at all, except as a lover, how's that for feminism? (At the time, even that was considered an advancement.) The major excuse for the film's existence is its aesthetics. It is all very well filmed, and the night outdoors sequence is dazzling. The dialogue, on the other hand, by the author of Madame de..., is ludicrously artificial.
Rating: 65 (down from 81)
English title: The Lovers.
The wife of a rich newspaper owner living in Dijon thinks she is not getting enough attention from her husband. She goes to Paris periodically to see her lover, a polo player. A series of events will affect her in unpredicted ways.
A bourgeois fantasy and, as such, inevitably simplistic. Owning a rightwing newspaper, playing polo, doing archeological research, what is the difference between them? One might say that the first acts to keep the state of things, the second benefits from it, the third washes his hands. The fourth player is a woman, which means she does not play at all, except as a lover, how's that for feminism? (At the time, even that was considered an advancement.) The major excuse for the film's existence is its aesthetics. It is all very well filmed, and the night outdoors sequence is dazzling. The dialogue, on the other hand, by the author of Madame de..., is ludicrously artificial.
Rating: 65 (down from 81)
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Possibly a second viewing (first one may have been in the 70s or even in the late 60s).
A female cocker spaniel who lives at a middle-class house meets a street mutt and they fall in love with each other.
The fifties were a prosperous time, and the flipside of that was fifties' conservative ideology, which had cinema (not all of it, to be sure) and TV (practically all of it) as conscientious inculcators. Cartoons were certainly no exception, and this comes from a major company. It is artistically done, and, whilst scots are amiably made fun of in the guise of a schnauzer, a message is put through that freedom should be given up in favor of domestic life. Weddings and babies, that's the name of the game (that's the name of a movie too, a fifties movie, which I haven't seen).
Rating: 58
A female cocker spaniel who lives at a middle-class house meets a street mutt and they fall in love with each other.
The fifties were a prosperous time, and the flipside of that was fifties' conservative ideology, which had cinema (not all of it, to be sure) and TV (practically all of it) as conscientious inculcators. Cartoons were certainly no exception, and this comes from a major company. It is artistically done, and, whilst scots are amiably made fun of in the guise of a schnauzer, a message is put through that freedom should be given up in favor of domestic life. Weddings and babies, that's the name of the game (that's the name of a movie too, a fifties movie, which I haven't seen).
Rating: 58
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
Second viewing (first one: February 18, 1989).
Based on a play by Alfred Savoir, first staged in 1921.
An American multimillionaire with several marriages in his past is vacationing in Nice and meets a French woman not exactly well-off. She marries him with a pre-nuptial contract, ostensibly for money only.
This comedy would be perfect for illustrating church meetings promoting the education of young Christians. It is filled with conservative and well-behaving malice. And it is mildly amusing too.
Rating: 52 (down from 57)
Based on a play by Alfred Savoir, first staged in 1921.
An American multimillionaire with several marriages in his past is vacationing in Nice and meets a French woman not exactly well-off. She marries him with a pre-nuptial contract, ostensibly for money only.
This comedy would be perfect for illustrating church meetings promoting the education of young Christians. It is filled with conservative and well-behaving malice. And it is mildly amusing too.
Rating: 52 (down from 57)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The Black Swan (1942)
Second viewing (first one: September 16, 1989).
Henry Morgan, an English pirate, is appointed governor of Jamaica by the king of England. He invites his former partners in crime, amongst whom is young James Waring, to assist him in the Jamaican government. Captain Leech is the only one who prefers to continue in piracy. Waring falls in love with the former governor's daughter, but she despises him, and besides is already engaged to another man. A series of attacks on English ships pose a threat to Morgan's position.
Well-made swashbuckler, good-looking and with an agreeable narrative flow.
Rating: 54 (down from 62)
Henry Morgan, an English pirate, is appointed governor of Jamaica by the king of England. He invites his former partners in crime, amongst whom is young James Waring, to assist him in the Jamaican government. Captain Leech is the only one who prefers to continue in piracy. Waring falls in love with the former governor's daughter, but she despises him, and besides is already engaged to another man. A series of attacks on English ships pose a threat to Morgan's position.
Well-made swashbuckler, good-looking and with an agreeable narrative flow.
Rating: 54 (down from 62)
Friday, March 29, 2013
Another Year (2010)
The routine of some people who know one another. The tacit center of the group is at Tom and his wife Gerry, he a geologist, she a psychological counselor. Mary is Gerry's secretary and best friend, who leans on Tom and Gerry at her difficult times. Then there is Tom and Gerry's bachelor son Joe, Tom's brother Ronny, and some other minor characters.
Remarkable study of human relations at their most unexceptional. All these characters ring true, and will even probably resemble someone you and I know. Deceitfully casual, the progression of events has a very smart sense of humor to it, of a penetrating yet somehow compassionate kind. This is the kind of film a person who has enjoyed it will feel inclined to talk endlessly about, and end up with the feeling of failing to do justice to it, or reach its essence. It is also possibly the best film of its director I have seen, with the caveat that I have seen everything since Life Is Sweet (excepting the shorts), and nothing prior to it.
A little note to myself (and whoever else would be interested); there is an intriguing scene in this film, which might be just a bit of a slip on the part of the filmmaker, or perhaps something else. Gerry and Mary are talking in the kitchen, when Mary is at Gerry's uninvited and unannounced. Mary asks whether Gerry is angry at her, and Gerry says she has let her down. Gerry then says Mary must take responsibility for her actions. It is not clear to me what actions are these. It could not be merely because she dropped by without calling first (not such a big thing, I think). Nor it would be related, it seems, to Mary's behavior when she was introduced to Katie (Joe's girlfriend), since nothing of consequence happened. So, the only explanation I can come up with is that something happened outside the film's narrative. The reasons for such a hypothetical ellipsis are not clear.
Rating: 89
Remarkable study of human relations at their most unexceptional. All these characters ring true, and will even probably resemble someone you and I know. Deceitfully casual, the progression of events has a very smart sense of humor to it, of a penetrating yet somehow compassionate kind. This is the kind of film a person who has enjoyed it will feel inclined to talk endlessly about, and end up with the feeling of failing to do justice to it, or reach its essence. It is also possibly the best film of its director I have seen, with the caveat that I have seen everything since Life Is Sweet (excepting the shorts), and nothing prior to it.
A little note to myself (and whoever else would be interested); there is an intriguing scene in this film, which might be just a bit of a slip on the part of the filmmaker, or perhaps something else. Gerry and Mary are talking in the kitchen, when Mary is at Gerry's uninvited and unannounced. Mary asks whether Gerry is angry at her, and Gerry says she has let her down. Gerry then says Mary must take responsibility for her actions. It is not clear to me what actions are these. It could not be merely because she dropped by without calling first (not such a big thing, I think). Nor it would be related, it seems, to Mary's behavior when she was introduced to Katie (Joe's girlfriend), since nothing of consequence happened. So, the only explanation I can come up with is that something happened outside the film's narrative. The reasons for such a hypothetical ellipsis are not clear.
Rating: 89
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Jesse James (1939)
Second viewing (first one: between 1983 and 1986).
In 19th-century America, the railroad company employed dishonesty and, if necessary, force, to grab the land they wanted. The James brothers resist and Jesse shoots the railroad agent in self-defense, being subsequently accused of criminal conduct. The situation gets even worse for the Jameses and they must hide and live as outlaws.
The beginning is strong, some scenes near the end are fine too, the midsection is uneven, on occasion being unimaginative and unexciting.
Rating: 52 (up from 51)
In 19th-century America, the railroad company employed dishonesty and, if necessary, force, to grab the land they wanted. The James brothers resist and Jesse shoots the railroad agent in self-defense, being subsequently accused of criminal conduct. The situation gets even worse for the Jameses and they must hide and live as outlaws.
The beginning is strong, some scenes near the end are fine too, the midsection is uneven, on occasion being unimaginative and unexciting.
Rating: 52 (up from 51)
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
My Darling Clementine (1946)
Second or third viewing (last one: March 13, 1988; an uncertain previous one may have happened between 1983 and 1986).
Wyatt Earp and his brothers are taking their cattle to California and pass through a desertic mining town called Tombstone, where his brother James is murdered and his cattle is stolen. He and his other brothers decide to stay, and Wyatt accepts the job of town marshal, in the hopes of finding his brother's killers, whom he strongly suspects to be the Clantons. He befriends Doc Holliday, a Tombstone resident, who used to be a medical doctor and now is a kind of gunfighter.
Very touching Western, virtuosically directed, and with many memorable scenes and sequences.
Rating: 77 (unchanged)
Wyatt Earp and his brothers are taking their cattle to California and pass through a desertic mining town called Tombstone, where his brother James is murdered and his cattle is stolen. He and his other brothers decide to stay, and Wyatt accepts the job of town marshal, in the hopes of finding his brother's killers, whom he strongly suspects to be the Clantons. He befriends Doc Holliday, a Tombstone resident, who used to be a medical doctor and now is a kind of gunfighter.
Very touching Western, virtuosically directed, and with many memorable scenes and sequences.
Rating: 77 (unchanged)
Monday, March 25, 2013
I Saw What You Did (1965)
Second viewing (first one: March 29, 1998).
Two teenage girls and one child are alone one night in the house of one of them. To pass the time, they play pranks with the telephone.
A well-calculated entertainment, with an intelligent script and a flawless execution.
Rating: 61 (up from 52)
Two teenage girls and one child are alone one night in the house of one of them. To pass the time, they play pranks with the telephone.
A well-calculated entertainment, with an intelligent script and a flawless execution.
Rating: 61 (up from 52)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Second viewing.
About an elderly box gym owner who trains a young female boxer and becomes her best friend.
Probably one of the saddest films of all time. The screenplay plays by the rules of convention, and it works.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
About an elderly box gym owner who trains a young female boxer and becomes her best friend.
Probably one of the saddest films of all time. The screenplay plays by the rules of convention, and it works.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
The Hurt Locker (2008)
A bomb-disarming squad's adventures in Iraq. Some conflicts appear between the reckless bom-disarming technician and his teammates.
A mediocre screenplay sets the general level of this very mildly entertaining film. I cannot think of anything more to say.
Rating: 40
A mediocre screenplay sets the general level of this very mildly entertaining film. I cannot think of anything more to say.
Rating: 40
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Second viewing.
Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess (1st ed. 1962).
A delinquent youth with authoritarian and sadistic traits is the leader of a gang in the near (?) future. He is arrested, and, while in prison, offered a new treatment which, it is claimed, would cure him of his antisocial tendencies.
Very stytlized farce, fairly amusing. The futuristic jargon seemed a good idea at the time, but today it comes off as a frivolity with no reason. When I saw it in a Brazilian theater back in 1982, censorship had all female's nipples and all genitals covered with dots superimposed upon the image.
Rating: 57 (up from 56)
Based on the novel by Anthony Burgess (1st ed. 1962).
A delinquent youth with authoritarian and sadistic traits is the leader of a gang in the near (?) future. He is arrested, and, while in prison, offered a new treatment which, it is claimed, would cure him of his antisocial tendencies.
Very stytlized farce, fairly amusing. The futuristic jargon seemed a good idea at the time, but today it comes off as a frivolity with no reason. When I saw it in a Brazilian theater back in 1982, censorship had all female's nipples and all genitals covered with dots superimposed upon the image.
Rating: 57 (up from 56)
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
Second viewing (First one: February 07, 1989)
Biography of one of Germany's World War II generals, who commanded the Afrikakorps, and later joined the conspiracy to kill Hitler.
An interesting film, about the dilemma of the military man's position. It has to be said, however, that Churchill's statement, shown in the end of the movie, that Rommel "came to hate Hitler and all his works", has no evidence in the film to support it. What the film does show is that Hitler was a disastrous military commander, and that is all there is to the conflict with Rommel, per this film. The use of Churchill's phrase is a romanticization, an attempt to go beyond the limits of the film itself.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
Biography of one of Germany's World War II generals, who commanded the Afrikakorps, and later joined the conspiracy to kill Hitler.
An interesting film, about the dilemma of the military man's position. It has to be said, however, that Churchill's statement, shown in the end of the movie, that Rommel "came to hate Hitler and all his works", has no evidence in the film to support it. What the film does show is that Hitler was a disastrous military commander, and that is all there is to the conflict with Rommel, per this film. The use of Churchill's phrase is a romanticization, an attempt to go beyond the limits of the film itself.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
Monday, March 18, 2013
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
A fictitious drama based on the predicament of Thomas More, in 16th-century England, who would not give his explicit support to King Henry VIII's establishment of the Church of England so that he could remarry.
This is a case which fits very neatly into T.S. Eliot's theory of objective correlative. In the essay "Hamlet and His Problems", Eliot charges Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" of lacking the so-called "objective correlative", meaning that his source material did not possess the right elements to convey the concepts he intended to. I do not exactly agree (and perhaps do not exactly understand) why that would apply to "Hamlet", but I think it does apply to A Man for All Seasons. The real Thomas More, a religious fanatic, is not adequate material for a play or movie purporting to discuss the supremacy of individual conscience. Even if you totally ignore that this is supposed to be a historical movie, it doesn't work, precisely because certain facts remain faithful to History. The result is a Frankenstein monster, albeit a surprisingly watchable Frankenstein monster. Its parts are infinitely better than its whole.
Rating: 63
This is a case which fits very neatly into T.S. Eliot's theory of objective correlative. In the essay "Hamlet and His Problems", Eliot charges Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" of lacking the so-called "objective correlative", meaning that his source material did not possess the right elements to convey the concepts he intended to. I do not exactly agree (and perhaps do not exactly understand) why that would apply to "Hamlet", but I think it does apply to A Man for All Seasons. The real Thomas More, a religious fanatic, is not adequate material for a play or movie purporting to discuss the supremacy of individual conscience. Even if you totally ignore that this is supposed to be a historical movie, it doesn't work, precisely because certain facts remain faithful to History. The result is a Frankenstein monster, albeit a surprisingly watchable Frankenstein monster. Its parts are infinitely better than its whole.
Rating: 63
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Second viewing (First one: January 01, 1988).
A down-on-his-luck Hollywood writer is stranded by chance in a rundown mansion inhabited by a former star from the silent days. She invites him in, and from then on it is all downhill for him. Gosh, what is with all the "down" words?
I am considerably less dazzled by this movie after this viewing. Some of its effects seem a little facile (the staircase scene at the ending, to mention one). The whole structure still packs some power, yes, and some sequences are marvelous (the beginning, the whole studio sequence, etc.). Most of it seemed terribly predictable, but (1) I do not find this a flaw in itself, and (2) the fact that I saw it before may have something to do with it.
Rating: 73 (down from 97)
A down-on-his-luck Hollywood writer is stranded by chance in a rundown mansion inhabited by a former star from the silent days. She invites him in, and from then on it is all downhill for him. Gosh, what is with all the "down" words?
I am considerably less dazzled by this movie after this viewing. Some of its effects seem a little facile (the staircase scene at the ending, to mention one). The whole structure still packs some power, yes, and some sequences are marvelous (the beginning, the whole studio sequence, etc.). Most of it seemed terribly predictable, but (1) I do not find this a flaw in itself, and (2) the fact that I saw it before may have something to do with it.
Rating: 73 (down from 97)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Machete (2010)
A Mexican-born day laborer is hired to kill a rightwing senator who is running for reelection.
A parody of low-grade thrillers of the 70s, even though I am not aware of any example which features Mexican Americans. The humor is based on graphic over-the-top violence, and also on a few surrealistic touches. The plot itself is a satire of both rabid rightwingers and nutty liberals. The point against liberals is perhaps less evident, but one needs only think of the absurd dimension of the fictitious pro-immigrant "network", devoted to ensure that every Mexican wishing to come to the U.S.A. is allowed to do so and have a good life there. So much energy would be better spent improving the quality of life in Mexico. Furthermore, if this was taken to its ultimate consequences, all Mexicans would cross the border, thus turning the U.S.A. into an exact reproduction of Mexico, with its same problems, and from which, logically, people would feel the need to emigrate all over again.
Rating: 51
A parody of low-grade thrillers of the 70s, even though I am not aware of any example which features Mexican Americans. The humor is based on graphic over-the-top violence, and also on a few surrealistic touches. The plot itself is a satire of both rabid rightwingers and nutty liberals. The point against liberals is perhaps less evident, but one needs only think of the absurd dimension of the fictitious pro-immigrant "network", devoted to ensure that every Mexican wishing to come to the U.S.A. is allowed to do so and have a good life there. So much energy would be better spent improving the quality of life in Mexico. Furthermore, if this was taken to its ultimate consequences, all Mexicans would cross the border, thus turning the U.S.A. into an exact reproduction of Mexico, with its same problems, and from which, logically, people would feel the need to emigrate all over again.
Rating: 51
Monday, March 11, 2013
Ladyhawke (1985)
Third viewing (First one: 1985 or 1986; Second one: August 10, 1993
The Middle Ages. A bishop falls in love with a young woman, but she rejects him for the captain of the castle guard. The bishop then throws a curse on the couple: he takes the form of a wolf by night; she takes the form of a hawk by day; thus, they can never meet as man and woman, except for a few seconds during twilight and dawn. A teenage thief escapes from the castle dungeons and meets the captain, who takes him under his wing.
A film both entertaining and good-looking. It is notoriously ruined by the pop score, but I am not taking this factor into consideration in my rating.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
The Middle Ages. A bishop falls in love with a young woman, but she rejects him for the captain of the castle guard. The bishop then throws a curse on the couple: he takes the form of a wolf by night; she takes the form of a hawk by day; thus, they can never meet as man and woman, except for a few seconds during twilight and dawn. A teenage thief escapes from the castle dungeons and meets the captain, who takes him under his wing.
A film both entertaining and good-looking. It is notoriously ruined by the pop score, but I am not taking this factor into consideration in my rating.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
Saturday, March 09, 2013
The Paradine Case (1947)
Second viewing (First one: January 26, 1989)
A woman is accused of murdering her husband, a blind man. The lawyer who will defend her falls in love with her, even though he is married, happily so to all appearances; he begins to think the dead man's valet played a part in the mysterious death in question.
The first time I saw this I did it on a dubbed and badly scraped copy. I now had a reasonable one at my disposal, but its length was 115 minutes, less than that of the original release, 132 minutes (or 125 in the PAL version). So, there were at least 10 minutes of film which were absent from my copy. Although I do not know to which part or parts of the film these absent bits belonged, I suspect that they must have to do with the process of falling in love that the defense lawyer goes through, because there is nearly nothing in the film I saw depicting that process. In any case, I retract from my previous hostile opinion towards the movie; there are enough qualities, both scriptwise and directionwise, in it to provide for a pleasurable viewing. It is clear to me that this is a film about the effects of a trial on those involved with it, either directly or indirectly, and it tackles this theme ably.
Rating: 60 (up from 30)
A woman is accused of murdering her husband, a blind man. The lawyer who will defend her falls in love with her, even though he is married, happily so to all appearances; he begins to think the dead man's valet played a part in the mysterious death in question.
The first time I saw this I did it on a dubbed and badly scraped copy. I now had a reasonable one at my disposal, but its length was 115 minutes, less than that of the original release, 132 minutes (or 125 in the PAL version). So, there were at least 10 minutes of film which were absent from my copy. Although I do not know to which part or parts of the film these absent bits belonged, I suspect that they must have to do with the process of falling in love that the defense lawyer goes through, because there is nearly nothing in the film I saw depicting that process. In any case, I retract from my previous hostile opinion towards the movie; there are enough qualities, both scriptwise and directionwise, in it to provide for a pleasurable viewing. It is clear to me that this is a film about the effects of a trial on those involved with it, either directly or indirectly, and it tackles this theme ably.
Rating: 60 (up from 30)
Friday, March 08, 2013
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Second viewing.
Two brothers, one of them just released from prison, try to reassemble a rhythm-and-blues band, and also pay a religious institution's income tax debt.
It is hard to say anything new about such an abundantly seen and commented film. That it somehow has an excessive fame, it's been said and it's correct. That the musical numbers are good, ditto. Other than that, there is a humor based on mayhem that is mildly funny.
Rating: 58 (unchanged)
Two brothers, one of them just released from prison, try to reassemble a rhythm-and-blues band, and also pay a religious institution's income tax debt.
It is hard to say anything new about such an abundantly seen and commented film. That it somehow has an excessive fame, it's been said and it's correct. That the musical numbers are good, ditto. Other than that, there is a humor based on mayhem that is mildly funny.
Rating: 58 (unchanged)
Sunday, March 03, 2013
What Planet Are You From? (2000)
An alien from an all-male planet comes to Earth with the mission of impregnating a woman.
Feeble comedy, repetitive and only at times mildly funny. Goodman is absolutely extraordinary as always, and the rest of the cast do what they can to make it all bearable.
Rating: 31
Feeble comedy, repetitive and only at times mildly funny. Goodman is absolutely extraordinary as always, and the rest of the cast do what they can to make it all bearable.
Rating: 31
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Play It Again, Sam (1972)
Second viewing.
Alan is left by his wife, and his friends Dick and Linda, who are married to each other, try to set him up on dates. Dick is a businessman who is always busy, and Linda, who, like Alan, suffers from anxiety, feels a little neglected.
This movie's humor, while showing his influences very clearly, has a certain dryness that is unique to it and to some other films by the same author. Grotesque is also an important feature. I am not sure I understood the more radical stylistic aspects of the movie when I first saw it. At any rate, for whatever reason I seem to have liked it in the right measure then.
Rating: 71 (unchanged)
Alan is left by his wife, and his friends Dick and Linda, who are married to each other, try to set him up on dates. Dick is a businessman who is always busy, and Linda, who, like Alan, suffers from anxiety, feels a little neglected.
This movie's humor, while showing his influences very clearly, has a certain dryness that is unique to it and to some other films by the same author. Grotesque is also an important feature. I am not sure I understood the more radical stylistic aspects of the movie when I first saw it. At any rate, for whatever reason I seem to have liked it in the right measure then.
Rating: 71 (unchanged)
Argo (2012)
In 1979, Iranians take the American embassy in Iran, holding several people hostage. Six of them escape from the building and take shelter in the Canadian ambassador's house. The CIA engineers a rescue plan which consists of faking a movie production which will use Iran as a shooting location.
Mediocre thriller. Most of the dramatic licenses it takes result in poor, 30s-serial-like dramatics, and are detectable by a moderately experienced viewer who knows nothing of the real events. Most of the additional dramatic filling suck even more, relying on the always reliable man-separated-from-wife-who-needs-to-connect-with-son thing, which not only is boring but adds nothing to the story. Anyway, parts of it are not so bad, and it is an eventful movie.
Rating: 35
Mediocre thriller. Most of the dramatic licenses it takes result in poor, 30s-serial-like dramatics, and are detectable by a moderately experienced viewer who knows nothing of the real events. Most of the additional dramatic filling suck even more, relying on the always reliable man-separated-from-wife-who-needs-to-connect-with-son thing, which not only is boring but adds nothing to the story. Anyway, parts of it are not so bad, and it is an eventful movie.
Rating: 35
Gumshoe (1971)
Second viewing.
There may be light SPOILERS below.
A nightclub host and comic decides to work as a private detective, and gets involved in a very complicated case. Foreign countries may be involved. His own brother seems to have a connection to it.
A moderately successful pastiche of films noirs (specifically of the private detective subgenre). The style and some plot elements introduce the subtheme of americanophilia, which may be read as a sign of the times, and the complete reversal of then-defunct anglophilia. The dialogue is agile, the plot is agile too (and well structured). The plot contains politically charged elements which were not common in the cinema of that period. The connection of these elements with the love of all things American is not something I can analyze in this terse review, supposing there is anything to be analyzed at all.
Rating: 51 (up from 37)
There may be light SPOILERS below.
A nightclub host and comic decides to work as a private detective, and gets involved in a very complicated case. Foreign countries may be involved. His own brother seems to have a connection to it.
A moderately successful pastiche of films noirs (specifically of the private detective subgenre). The style and some plot elements introduce the subtheme of americanophilia, which may be read as a sign of the times, and the complete reversal of then-defunct anglophilia. The dialogue is agile, the plot is agile too (and well structured). The plot contains politically charged elements which were not common in the cinema of that period. The connection of these elements with the love of all things American is not something I can analyze in this terse review, supposing there is anything to be analyzed at all.
Rating: 51 (up from 37)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Topkapi (1964)
Second viewing (first one: January 14, 1998).
A woman communicates to a long-time friend her wish to steal an emerald-incrusted dagger from the Topkapi museum in Istanbul. He agrees, and hatches what he thinks is a perfect plan, using only amateurs with no police record. They begin the execution by picking a man with the sole function of driving a car into Turkey with some guns and grenades (which will not be used for killing or hurting anyone). And so on...
A good heist film, leaning towards the comedic, and very entertaining.
Rating: 65 (unchanged)
A woman communicates to a long-time friend her wish to steal an emerald-incrusted dagger from the Topkapi museum in Istanbul. He agrees, and hatches what he thinks is a perfect plan, using only amateurs with no police record. They begin the execution by picking a man with the sole function of driving a car into Turkey with some guns and grenades (which will not be used for killing or hurting anyone). And so on...
A good heist film, leaning towards the comedic, and very entertaining.
Rating: 65 (unchanged)
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The Rose Tattoo (1955)
Second viewing (first one: December 25, 1999).
An American Southern town. A woman idolizes her husband. He is a truck driver who does some illegal transportations on the side. She does a little sewing for extra money. They have a teenage daughter. They are of Italian extraction. A tragic incident will divert the course of their lives. (I am not sure it would be okay to disclose more information about the plot.)
A potentially interesting story, not very well developed. The presence of an italiana in the cast does not hide the fact that it relies mostly on stereotypes. I wonder why the Italians get this treatment in non-Italian fiction. I guess people like to write about foreign or minoritary ethnicities, but why is it almost always the Italians who get such heartwarming 'tributes'? And they never complain, that I know of (maybe that is wise of them). Anyway, I do not know what I liked about it the first time I saw it. It is not a worthless film, but some parts of it are a little annoying (and others are, perhaps unintentionally, hilarious).
Rating: 47 (down from 66)
An American Southern town. A woman idolizes her husband. He is a truck driver who does some illegal transportations on the side. She does a little sewing for extra money. They have a teenage daughter. They are of Italian extraction. A tragic incident will divert the course of their lives. (I am not sure it would be okay to disclose more information about the plot.)
A potentially interesting story, not very well developed. The presence of an italiana in the cast does not hide the fact that it relies mostly on stereotypes. I wonder why the Italians get this treatment in non-Italian fiction. I guess people like to write about foreign or minoritary ethnicities, but why is it almost always the Italians who get such heartwarming 'tributes'? And they never complain, that I know of (maybe that is wise of them). Anyway, I do not know what I liked about it the first time I saw it. It is not a worthless film, but some parts of it are a little annoying (and others are, perhaps unintentionally, hilarious).
Rating: 47 (down from 66)
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
Second viewing (first one: April 21, 1998).
Dr. Watson is working at a manor which holds convalescent officers. A series of murders take place there, and he calls Holmes to solve the case.
Complicated and entertaining mystery which has some lovely touches (e.g. the raven at the pub). The solution is not extremely plausible.
Rating: 51 (up from 32)
Dr. Watson is working at a manor which holds convalescent officers. A series of murders take place there, and he calls Holmes to solve the case.
Complicated and entertaining mystery which has some lovely touches (e.g. the raven at the pub). The solution is not extremely plausible.
Rating: 51 (up from 32)
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Way Back (2010/I)
In 1941, some people escape from a prisoner camp in Siberia, and face the adversities of nature in a long walk to freedom.
Pretty standard adventure which nevertheless entertains and has very nice landscapes.
Rating: 56
Pretty standard adventure which nevertheless entertains and has very nice landscapes.
Rating: 56
Catfish (2010)
I think the text below contains what people might call SPOILERS, so beware.
This documentary tells the adventure that a guy goes through when he starts a long-distance relationship.
I had never, to my recollection, heard of this movie until it got recommended to me by a pen pal of mine (I do not know whether he would like to see his name disclosed here), who by the way I am pretty sure is a real person, and not someone else's spin-off personality, although I have never met him personally. Anyway, this is a rare case where I am not sure I agree with him. This is an easy-to-watch film, but I am not sure I can pin it down, unless it is just the mildly entertaining account of the effects of a lonely loony lady's shenanigans on a bunch of receptive filmmakers. Is there something more to it? I guess I will, for the time being, leave it at that, and perhaps rewatch it some day.
Rating: 51
This documentary tells the adventure that a guy goes through when he starts a long-distance relationship.
I had never, to my recollection, heard of this movie until it got recommended to me by a pen pal of mine (I do not know whether he would like to see his name disclosed here), who by the way I am pretty sure is a real person, and not someone else's spin-off personality, although I have never met him personally. Anyway, this is a rare case where I am not sure I agree with him. This is an easy-to-watch film, but I am not sure I can pin it down, unless it is just the mildly entertaining account of the effects of a lonely loony lady's shenanigans on a bunch of receptive filmmakers. Is there something more to it? I guess I will, for the time being, leave it at that, and perhaps rewatch it some day.
Rating: 51
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Second viewing.
A lawyer heading to a small western town has his coach held up by bandits and gets a rough beating. He soon hears from the town's fastest gun that there is no place for the law in that town.
A pretty intelligent film, mostly funny too. It sums up, in a cartoonish way, the transformation of the American West into a civilized place (a favorite topic of westerns and a true obsession from the late 50s onwards). Although it has a very distinct comic streak throughout it, the film's crux is tragic. It hinges on the man whose values are being swept by progress, but whose actions are nevertheless necessary to effect change. He is thus compelled to self-effacement, and that makes him a tragic character. I am not sure I understood it well enough on my first viewing.
Rating: 62 (up from 57)
A lawyer heading to a small western town has his coach held up by bandits and gets a rough beating. He soon hears from the town's fastest gun that there is no place for the law in that town.
A pretty intelligent film, mostly funny too. It sums up, in a cartoonish way, the transformation of the American West into a civilized place (a favorite topic of westerns and a true obsession from the late 50s onwards). Although it has a very distinct comic streak throughout it, the film's crux is tragic. It hinges on the man whose values are being swept by progress, but whose actions are nevertheless necessary to effect change. He is thus compelled to self-effacement, and that makes him a tragic character. I am not sure I understood it well enough on my first viewing.
Rating: 62 (up from 57)
Body Heat (1981)
Third viewing.
A lawyer starts an affair with a married woman, and at one point proposes to kill her husband.
Mostly well-written and well-directed updating attempt on the noir genre (specifically the femme fatale subgenre), with some interesting ideas, and an attractive cast, but not as good as I thought.
Rating: 66 (down from 73)
A lawyer starts an affair with a married woman, and at one point proposes to kill her husband.
Mostly well-written and well-directed updating attempt on the noir genre (specifically the femme fatale subgenre), with some interesting ideas, and an attractive cast, but not as good as I thought.
Rating: 66 (down from 73)
Friday, February 22, 2013
Rear Window (1954)
Second viewing.
A photographer is wheelchair-bound with a broken leg. To pass the time he looks out his window watching the goings on in his neighbors' lives. One day he sees something that looks like a murder.
A very entertaining film, but I honestly find the romantic subplot tedious, awkward, implausible, and with little thematic connection to the suspenseful section of the film. How detrimental this is to the film may be assessed by considering that instead of this subplot one could have something that not only would be more reasonable but would also enrich the film.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
A photographer is wheelchair-bound with a broken leg. To pass the time he looks out his window watching the goings on in his neighbors' lives. One day he sees something that looks like a murder.
A very entertaining film, but I honestly find the romantic subplot tedious, awkward, implausible, and with little thematic connection to the suspenseful section of the film. How detrimental this is to the film may be assessed by considering that instead of this subplot one could have something that not only would be more reasonable but would also enrich the film.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Dracula (1931)
Second viewing.
Based on a play from the novel by Bram Stoker (novel's first ed.: 1897).
A Transylvanian count moves to England and starts preying on his neighboring ladies. He is actually an abnormal creature who feeds on blood and never ages, a condition which is contagious.
On my first viewing I was a little put off by the film's static scenes and the main actor's unnaturalistic performance. I think now that these characteristics should be respected as style, and that there is a good deal of artistry in the compositions and staging. As has been said elsewhere, the really scary part of the movie is the beginning. Nevertheless, there is a creepiness that is sustained throughout all of it. I am still not sure it is a great movie, but I like it much better than I did.
Rating: 60 (up from 50)
Based on a play from the novel by Bram Stoker (novel's first ed.: 1897).
A Transylvanian count moves to England and starts preying on his neighboring ladies. He is actually an abnormal creature who feeds on blood and never ages, a condition which is contagious.
On my first viewing I was a little put off by the film's static scenes and the main actor's unnaturalistic performance. I think now that these characteristics should be respected as style, and that there is a good deal of artistry in the compositions and staging. As has been said elsewhere, the really scary part of the movie is the beginning. Nevertheless, there is a creepiness that is sustained throughout all of it. I am still not sure it is a great movie, but I like it much better than I did.
Rating: 60 (up from 50)
The Tin Star (1957)
Second viewing.
A bounty hunter arrives at a small town to collect his prize on a wanted man whom he brought dead. The town has just lost its sheriff, and has a young inexperienced man filling in for the job. The bounty hunter takes the young sheriff under his wing.
A well-structured screenplay, perfectly realized. The elements that make up the totality of the film are not original, but they are intelligently combined into a satisfactory whole.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
A bounty hunter arrives at a small town to collect his prize on a wanted man whom he brought dead. The town has just lost its sheriff, and has a young inexperienced man filling in for the job. The bounty hunter takes the young sheriff under his wing.
A well-structured screenplay, perfectly realized. The elements that make up the totality of the film are not original, but they are intelligently combined into a satisfactory whole.
Rating: 61 (unchanged)
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Margaret (2011)
Lisa lives with her mother, an actress currently starring in a play, and her younger brother. She unintentionally provokes a fatal bus accident by diverting the driver's attention. She gives a false statement to the police so that the driver will not be punished, but later is haunted by doubts over the her lying.
A character study. Teenage angst is the theme, or one theme anyway. A tremendous central performance is a valuable asset of the movie. I am not exactly sure what I dislike about it, if anything. Some parts of it just seem of little relevance (and what with a length of 2 hours and a half...). Anyway, a certain lack of focus seems to be the problem, or one problem. The ending was just wrong, too, or felt wrong, anyway. It was like the film suddenly revealed itself to be just a mother-daughter melodrama.
Rating: 60
A character study. Teenage angst is the theme, or one theme anyway. A tremendous central performance is a valuable asset of the movie. I am not exactly sure what I dislike about it, if anything. Some parts of it just seem of little relevance (and what with a length of 2 hours and a half...). Anyway, a certain lack of focus seems to be the problem, or one problem. The ending was just wrong, too, or felt wrong, anyway. It was like the film suddenly revealed itself to be just a mother-daughter melodrama.
Rating: 60
Les belles de nuit (1952)
Second viewing.
English Title: Beauties of the Night.
A poor musician is the butt of his fellow villagers' jokes, and takes refuge in dreams.
An interesting film which makes the point that nostalgia is based on an illusion, namely that previous eras were better than the present one. The general theme is the opposition of ideal versus real. A recurring motif used to illustrate its theme is noise versus music. It has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with which it has intersecting points; other aspects bring it close to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Frequently yielding to farce pure and simple, its philosophical agenda never goes past a superficial analysis. Taken on its own terms, there is much to be enjoyed.
Rating: 66 (down from 74)
English Title: Beauties of the Night.
A poor musician is the butt of his fellow villagers' jokes, and takes refuge in dreams.
An interesting film which makes the point that nostalgia is based on an illusion, namely that previous eras were better than the present one. The general theme is the opposition of ideal versus real. A recurring motif used to illustrate its theme is noise versus music. It has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with which it has intersecting points; other aspects bring it close to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Frequently yielding to farce pure and simple, its philosophical agenda never goes past a superficial analysis. Taken on its own terms, there is much to be enjoyed.
Rating: 66 (down from 74)
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
Second viewing (first one: April 22, 1998).
The famous detective is summoned by the British government to find out who and what is behind a series of Nazi terrorist acts which are always accompanied by a radio broadcast.
The screenplay is absurd and ridiculous in practically every detail, although the general plotline contains potentially good ideas. The film is well photographed, though, which counts for something.
Rating: 25 (unchanged)
The famous detective is summoned by the British government to find out who and what is behind a series of Nazi terrorist acts which are always accompanied by a radio broadcast.
The screenplay is absurd and ridiculous in practically every detail, although the general plotline contains potentially good ideas. The film is well photographed, though, which counts for something.
Rating: 25 (unchanged)
Monday, February 18, 2013
Dressed to Kill (1946)
Second viewing.
Sherlock Holmes investigates the case involving three music boxes made by an inmate at Dartmoor Prison. The boxes are sold at an auction, and coveted by thugs.
Efficient little mystery, concisely told and entertaining, yet little more than that.
Rating: 52 (unchanged)
Sherlock Holmes investigates the case involving three music boxes made by an inmate at Dartmoor Prison. The boxes are sold at an auction, and coveted by thugs.
Efficient little mystery, concisely told and entertaining, yet little more than that.
Rating: 52 (unchanged)
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Second viewing.
Two homicide cops, one grieving and suicidal over the loss of his wife, the other on his 50th birthday and looking ahead to a happy retirement, team up to investigate a high-class prostitute's death. They uncover a plot involving ex-CIA agents, Vietnam veterans and mercenaries, and large scale drug smuggling.
Action thriller which ably shifts from the main characters' personal dramas and their partnership problems to the criminal investigation they are pursuing. It is an image-oriented film, technically proficient, and, while perhaps not exactly innovative, entertaining enough and never dumb.
Rating: 54 (up from 49)
Two homicide cops, one grieving and suicidal over the loss of his wife, the other on his 50th birthday and looking ahead to a happy retirement, team up to investigate a high-class prostitute's death. They uncover a plot involving ex-CIA agents, Vietnam veterans and mercenaries, and large scale drug smuggling.
Action thriller which ably shifts from the main characters' personal dramas and their partnership problems to the criminal investigation they are pursuing. It is an image-oriented film, technically proficient, and, while perhaps not exactly innovative, entertaining enough and never dumb.
Rating: 54 (up from 49)
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Death of a Gunfighter (1969)
Second viewing.
In a turn-of-the-century western town, the town marshal becomes very unpopular among the town elite, but refuses to resign.
This film has an interesting plotline which nevertheless has some obscure zones. The main character's attachment to his office is not an obviously understandable position, and not even a necessarily likeable one. The eminent citizens who want him out are not likeable either, of course, and this lends the movie a detached tone which may be alienating to some, but which I personally find seductive. The film had two directors, and I think I can perceive a difference in style in different sections of the movie. One of the directors is a TV guy, and most of the film has a very TV-like feel; the replacement director is probably responsible for some more dynamical sequences where the technical expertise he became famous for is evident.
Rating: 63 (unchanged)
In a turn-of-the-century western town, the town marshal becomes very unpopular among the town elite, but refuses to resign.
This film has an interesting plotline which nevertheless has some obscure zones. The main character's attachment to his office is not an obviously understandable position, and not even a necessarily likeable one. The eminent citizens who want him out are not likeable either, of course, and this lends the movie a detached tone which may be alienating to some, but which I personally find seductive. The film had two directors, and I think I can perceive a difference in style in different sections of the movie. One of the directors is a TV guy, and most of the film has a very TV-like feel; the replacement director is probably responsible for some more dynamical sequences where the technical expertise he became famous for is evident.
Rating: 63 (unchanged)
Friday, February 01, 2013
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Second viewing.
In the 19th century, the seacoast of Florida is ravaged by crooks who specialize in arranging shipwrecks in cahoots with crew members. The film's plot revolves around a sea captain, a lawyer, and a young woman whom both covet. The lawyer tries to bring the gang of pirates down.
A very eventful film, with an imaginative screenplay. I didn't dislike it as much as on my first viewing. It's pretty childish from start to finish, but its narrative solutions are not entirely without intelligence.
Rating: 41 (up from 18)
In the 19th century, the seacoast of Florida is ravaged by crooks who specialize in arranging shipwrecks in cahoots with crew members. The film's plot revolves around a sea captain, a lawyer, and a young woman whom both covet. The lawyer tries to bring the gang of pirates down.
A very eventful film, with an imaginative screenplay. I didn't dislike it as much as on my first viewing. It's pretty childish from start to finish, but its narrative solutions are not entirely without intelligence.
Rating: 41 (up from 18)
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Second viewing.
A team is miniaturized and injected into the body of an important scientist in order to perform the removal of a blood clot in his brain.
Entertaining fiction which blends true and fake science. The mystery in the plot is structured with a red herring and a consistent set of clues to the real culprit. There is an opposition between the "spiritual" and the "cynical" or "materialistic" scientists. Guess who the bad guy is.
Rating: 56 (unchanged)
A team is miniaturized and injected into the body of an important scientist in order to perform the removal of a blood clot in his brain.
Entertaining fiction which blends true and fake science. The mystery in the plot is structured with a red herring and a consistent set of clues to the real culprit. There is an opposition between the "spiritual" and the "cynical" or "materialistic" scientists. Guess who the bad guy is.
Rating: 56 (unchanged)
White Material (2009)
A white woman strives to remain on her farm during a civil war in Africa, even at the risk of death for her and her family.
Not an altogether bad film, it has a strong leading performance, and interesting aspects of Africa are approached. On the other hand, it seems like it was not done with the proper care, as it seems patchy and vague at times and some plot details are bizarre or incomprehensible.
Rating: 44
Not an altogether bad film, it has a strong leading performance, and interesting aspects of Africa are approached. On the other hand, it seems like it was not done with the proper care, as it seems patchy and vague at times and some plot details are bizarre or incomprehensible.
Rating: 44
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Last Days (2005)
A musician is depressed and tries to avoid social contact. He spends his days in a secluded house, also used by a number of his friends. His relatives try to locate him but he hides from them.
Not very interesting, is what I can say about this movie. The depiction of numb youths and their silly thoughts is kind of funny sometimes, but the film makes every effort to remain on the surface of things.
Rating: 33
Not very interesting, is what I can say about this movie. The depiction of numb youths and their silly thoughts is kind of funny sometimes, but the film makes every effort to remain on the surface of things.
Rating: 33
The Vikings (1958)
Second viewing.
The vikings raid the English coast and kill a king, who is replaced by his tyrannical cousin. The widow of the deceased king, who was raped by the viking leader, has a son of the latter. Later, the boy is taken to viking country where he becomes a slave and has a fight with the viking leader's son.
Fun kitsch from the author of Benjamin Blake. Well-filmed.
Rating: 58 (down from 66)
The vikings raid the English coast and kill a king, who is replaced by his tyrannical cousin. The widow of the deceased king, who was raped by the viking leader, has a son of the latter. Later, the boy is taken to viking country where he becomes a slave and has a fight with the viking leader's son.
Fun kitsch from the author of Benjamin Blake. Well-filmed.
Rating: 58 (down from 66)
Monday, January 28, 2013
Cloak and Dagger (1946)
Second viewing.
During World War II, a scientist travels to Switzerland as an operative for the American secret service. His mission is to obtain information about the German atomic research, and possibly persuade a scientist working for the Nazis to change sides.
Unremarkable espionage thriller, with large doses of implausibilities, but with several well-made set-pieces, the best of which is probably a body fight between the hero and a fascist agent.
Rating: 40 (up from 38)
During World War II, a scientist travels to Switzerland as an operative for the American secret service. His mission is to obtain information about the German atomic research, and possibly persuade a scientist working for the Nazis to change sides.
Unremarkable espionage thriller, with large doses of implausibilities, but with several well-made set-pieces, the best of which is probably a body fight between the hero and a fascist agent.
Rating: 40 (up from 38)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Detective Story (1951)
Second viewing.
A day at a police precinct, with the various characters -- policemen, criminals and newspapermen -- who usually are found in such a place. The central plot line concerns a police detective who is investigating a crooked doctor, unaware that his wife has a connection with him.
An engaging movie, albeit a problematic one. One of the problems stems from the bowdlerization to which the film writers submitted the source play. In the play, the doctor is an abortionist, as is obvious that he should be, for the story to make sense. In the movie, he is an obstetrician, and his crimes are a little vague: he is responsible for several deaths, but we do not know whether he does not have a license, or is just plain incompetent. Even imagining the original set-up, the film's central dramatic situation comes off as a little dated. Once the viewer makes concessions for those problems, the film has enough qualities of text and direction to make for a pleasant experience.
Rating: 57 (up from 40)
A day at a police precinct, with the various characters -- policemen, criminals and newspapermen -- who usually are found in such a place. The central plot line concerns a police detective who is investigating a crooked doctor, unaware that his wife has a connection with him.
An engaging movie, albeit a problematic one. One of the problems stems from the bowdlerization to which the film writers submitted the source play. In the play, the doctor is an abortionist, as is obvious that he should be, for the story to make sense. In the movie, he is an obstetrician, and his crimes are a little vague: he is responsible for several deaths, but we do not know whether he does not have a license, or is just plain incompetent. Even imagining the original set-up, the film's central dramatic situation comes off as a little dated. Once the viewer makes concessions for those problems, the film has enough qualities of text and direction to make for a pleasant experience.
Rating: 57 (up from 40)
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Criss Cross (1949)
Second viewing.
A man is still in love with his ex-wife, but when he comes back to his hometown hoping to find her, she is hooked up with a criminal.
Very good criminal drama, which I didn't value enough on my first viewing, due in part to having seen it in a lousy, dubbed copy. A complex film, a veritable study on duplicity. Lancaster gives an impressive performance as the sucker.
Rating: 73 (up from 49)
A man is still in love with his ex-wife, but when he comes back to his hometown hoping to find her, she is hooked up with a criminal.
Very good criminal drama, which I didn't value enough on my first viewing, due in part to having seen it in a lousy, dubbed copy. A complex film, a veritable study on duplicity. Lancaster gives an impressive performance as the sucker.
Rating: 73 (up from 49)
Father's Little Dividend (1951)
A middle aged man expects to enjoy life finally, when he receives news that his daughter is pregnant.
An interesting analysis of a familial situation, operated in rather typical terms.
Rating: 51
An interesting analysis of a familial situation, operated in rather typical terms.
Rating: 51
Friday, January 25, 2013
The Lady Gambles (1949)
A journalist and his wife are in Las Vegas, where he is to do a story on a dam. She tries the casinos and soon becomes addicted to gambling.
Not a satisfactory film on the gambling addiction; the explanation for her behavior is very unconvincing. The film seems to seek to entertain us with the sordid life she leads, and to a small extent succeeds.
Rating: 34
Not a satisfactory film on the gambling addiction; the explanation for her behavior is very unconvincing. The film seems to seek to entertain us with the sordid life she leads, and to a small extent succeeds.
Rating: 34
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
In the 1920s, an American officer clashes against his peers for demanding more investment in Air equipment and personnel.
Military drama loosely based on real events. The basic core of the plot is mildly interesting for showing a typical situation of a man who sees farther than his superiors. Some of the dramatic aspects are rather unconvincing, though.
Rating: 39
Military drama loosely based on real events. The basic core of the plot is mildly interesting for showing a typical situation of a man who sees farther than his superiors. Some of the dramatic aspects are rather unconvincing, though.
Rating: 39
The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
Based on short stories ("The Sun Shines Bright", "The Mob from Massac", "The Lord Provides") by Irvin S. Cobb.
A judge running for re-election faces a series of city problems in a Southern town in the late 19th century (or early 20th). The doctor's adoptive daughter is said to be a local general's granddaughter; a black boy is unjustly accused of rape and is threatened with lynching; a dying prostitute asks for a pompous funeral service.
Mythifying, sentimental view of the American South. Mostly it is a mildly entertaining film, on occasion it gets oversentimental or downright ridiculous.
Rating: 53
A judge running for re-election faces a series of city problems in a Southern town in the late 19th century (or early 20th). The doctor's adoptive daughter is said to be a local general's granddaughter; a black boy is unjustly accused of rape and is threatened with lynching; a dying prostitute asks for a pompous funeral service.
Mythifying, sentimental view of the American South. Mostly it is a mildly entertaining film, on occasion it gets oversentimental or downright ridiculous.
Rating: 53
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Prince of Players (1955)
The life of Edwin Booth, an American actor of the nineteenth century, son of another famous actor and brother of Lincoln's assassin.
Mediocre, occasionally ridiculous biopic, with extensive Shakespeare recitation.
Rating: 38
Mediocre, occasionally ridiculous biopic, with extensive Shakespeare recitation.
Rating: 38
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)
Second viewing.
Two couples plus a guy and a girl. Couple one: the guy speaks during sex which annoys his girlfriend. Couple two: the wife is frigid and the guy's favorite sex act is masturbation. The other guy is a misogynist and a psychopath. The other girl is a lesbian who works at an art gallery as a secretary.
It is practically a stage play, and reminded me of Carnal Knowledge. It deserves some respect for being an examination of modern sex life as experienced by different types of persons, but was way too overrated by me in my previous viewing.
Rating: 50 (down from 81)
Two couples plus a guy and a girl. Couple one: the guy speaks during sex which annoys his girlfriend. Couple two: the wife is frigid and the guy's favorite sex act is masturbation. The other guy is a misogynist and a psychopath. The other girl is a lesbian who works at an art gallery as a secretary.
It is practically a stage play, and reminded me of Carnal Knowledge. It deserves some respect for being an examination of modern sex life as experienced by different types of persons, but was way too overrated by me in my previous viewing.
Rating: 50 (down from 81)
Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)
An orphan is enslaved by his uncle; the latter has furthermore usurped the former's title and properties. One day the young man runs away and embarks to the South Seas, where he intends to amass a fortune, so that he can come back and restore his rights.
Derivative and unexciting adventure, with good production values (but in black and white).
Rating: 31
Derivative and unexciting adventure, with good production values (but in black and white).
Rating: 31
Monday, January 21, 2013
Between Heaven and Hell (1956)
A rich landowner is called to serve in World War II in an island on the Pacific (possibly Guadalcanal). He changes his perception of the world due to his wartime experience.
An entertaining film, with interesting action sequences as well as dramatic ones, but the actual process of social conscience development by the protagonist is poorly shown. Anyway, it carries the somewhat unusual message that war is a potentially humanizing experience.
Rating: 51
An entertaining film, with interesting action sequences as well as dramatic ones, but the actual process of social conscience development by the protagonist is poorly shown. Anyway, it carries the somewhat unusual message that war is a potentially humanizing experience.
Rating: 51
Lexx: I Worship His Shadow (1997) (TV)
First episode of a TV series. Very grotesque and juvenile, where the latter word must be taken in a late-90s context. It is like Star Wars on speed. Not my cup of tea.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
Second viewing.
The unfaithful husband, his frigid wife, her promiscuous sister. And the pervert who gets off watching home video.
This is a romantic comedy in disguise, or perhaps a satire (of romantic comedies) in disguise. I was fooled on my first viewing, even though what the film stands for (at the closing of the eighties of all times) is now clear as water. Many others were fooled as well (see the awards it has received), and while that is no excuse, it is a consolation of sorts. But I refuse to consider it as a bad film. The sheer boldness of its concept should absolve it. I guess.
Rating: 51 (down from 71)
The unfaithful husband, his frigid wife, her promiscuous sister. And the pervert who gets off watching home video.
This is a romantic comedy in disguise, or perhaps a satire (of romantic comedies) in disguise. I was fooled on my first viewing, even though what the film stands for (at the closing of the eighties of all times) is now clear as water. Many others were fooled as well (see the awards it has received), and while that is no excuse, it is a consolation of sorts. But I refuse to consider it as a bad film. The sheer boldness of its concept should absolve it. I guess.
Rating: 51 (down from 71)
Friday, January 18, 2013
Le cheval d'orgueil (1980)
English title: The Horse of Pride.
Based on the memoir by Pierre-Jakez Hélias.
Chronicle of Breton peasant life in the beginning of the twentieth century.
Well-made, realistic, little seen, interesting.
Rating: 65
Based on the memoir by Pierre-Jakez Hélias.
Chronicle of Breton peasant life in the beginning of the twentieth century.
Well-made, realistic, little seen, interesting.
Rating: 65
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Pasazerka (1963)
English title: The Passenger
A woman who had been a supervisor at Auschwitz meets, while aboard a cruise ship, another woman who had been an inmate in that camp. She tells the story of the two of them to her husband, in two versions.
The director died before completing the film, other persons edited the material inserting stills for the parts not finished. The result is interesting, although I cannot glimpse a great film coming of it had the original filmmaker lived to complete it. I cannot say I understood everything in it, and am not sure it is possible to understand everything. Liza's motivations are hard to fathom, and the same could be said for her feelings.
Rating: 56
A woman who had been a supervisor at Auschwitz meets, while aboard a cruise ship, another woman who had been an inmate in that camp. She tells the story of the two of them to her husband, in two versions.
The director died before completing the film, other persons edited the material inserting stills for the parts not finished. The result is interesting, although I cannot glimpse a great film coming of it had the original filmmaker lived to complete it. I cannot say I understood everything in it, and am not sure it is possible to understand everything. Liza's motivations are hard to fathom, and the same could be said for her feelings.
Rating: 56
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
O Céu de Suely (2006)
English titles: Love for Sale; Suely in the Sky.
Correctly translated title: Suely's Heaven.
A woman returns to her hometown with her baby, leaving her husband in the big city. She soon loses all contact with him. She devises a way to raise the money she needs to go away to a bigger city and start life anew.
Overrated drama which doesn't come up with a sufficiently interesting story, or sufficiently interesting characters. On a scene by scene basis, however, it is not hard to watch and is reasonably well filmed and well acted.
Rating: 44
Correctly translated title: Suely's Heaven.
A woman returns to her hometown with her baby, leaving her husband in the big city. She soon loses all contact with him. She devises a way to raise the money she needs to go away to a bigger city and start life anew.
Overrated drama which doesn't come up with a sufficiently interesting story, or sufficiently interesting characters. On a scene by scene basis, however, it is not hard to watch and is reasonably well filmed and well acted.
Rating: 44
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946)
Andy Hardy is a young man returning home from Army service. While he was away he met a girl named Kay and fell in love with her. Now all he can think of is asking her to marry him. His parents are worried with this situation. Andy and Kay are both studying at the same college.
Weak comedy, with a few funny situations, but overall pretty trivial and bland. One thing I did not quite get is: Where did Andy meet Kay if he was in the army? Anyway, pretty forgettable stuff. Particularly cringeworthy is the stereotyped Latin American young woman who has a crush on Andy.
Rating: 31
Weak comedy, with a few funny situations, but overall pretty trivial and bland. One thing I did not quite get is: Where did Andy meet Kay if he was in the army? Anyway, pretty forgettable stuff. Particularly cringeworthy is the stereotyped Latin American young woman who has a crush on Andy.
Rating: 31
Sem essa, Aranha (1970)
A non-narrative succession of long takes featuring the same three or four actors (plus some musical celebrities who appear on some scenes, and assorted extras) who more or less play, respectively, a billionaire, his wife, a destitute woman, and another woman who is possibly the billionaire's lover. The only rule of the film seems to be chaos, there is a lot of screaming, the lines are repeated ad nauseam, the scenes are apparently to a large degree improvised, an atmosphere of doom pervades all scenes. There is a review (in Portuguese) of this film on the film site Contracampo, at this link:
http://www.contracampo.com.br/58/semessaaranha.htm
That review describes a scene (a self-rape with a bottle) which I do not recall seeing in the movie. Either I was not paying enough attention or the copy I saw was cut.
Rating: 16
http://www.contracampo.com.br/58/semessaaranha.htm
That review describes a scene (a self-rape with a bottle) which I do not recall seeing in the movie. Either I was not paying enough attention or the copy I saw was cut.
Rating: 16
Monday, January 14, 2013
O homem do Sputnik (1959)
A simple chicken farmer becomes famous after an object falls in his back yard, killing some of his chickens. The object is speculated to be the Soviet satellite Sputnik, and members of several foreign governments come to Brazil aiming to get it for them.
A modest comedy of customs, with touches of political satire, reasonably well-made and, on the whole, watchable.
Rating: 40
A modest comedy of customs, with touches of political satire, reasonably well-made and, on the whole, watchable.
Rating: 40
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Blind Fury (1989)
Nick is blinded in combat in Vietnam. He is rescued by some Vietnamese and trained as a swordsman. Twenty years later, back in America, Nick's war buddy Frank is being forced to make designer drugs to a mobster. Nick witnesses Frank's wife be killed by the mobster's henchmen who want to take Frank's son as a hostage.
Interesting, well-made action thriller, with a good performance by Hauer. Based on Zatoichi Challenged (1967).
Rating: 59
Interesting, well-made action thriller, with a good performance by Hauer. Based on Zatoichi Challenged (1967).
Rating: 59
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
The House of Mirth (2000)
Based on the novel by Edith Wharton (1st ed. 1905).
A beautiful young woman is in love with a young lawyer but would rather find a rich man to marry. She falls out of favor of society by several imprudent actions, and her unwillingness to compromise her principles.
A truly well-made film with an intelligent text behind it (I say this even without having read the novel). All the performances are very adequate and profissional. Perhaps, in this short and clearly insufficient notes, it would be nice to point out that the author seems to have eschewed strict realism (in the sense of an "average" situation) in favor of a study of a worst-case scenario. In a discussion on the Internet Movie Database, a fellow identified as rdconger points out some similarities between Madame Bovary and The House of Mirth . An antagonist, one theninthgate , points out some differences between Lily and Emma. I think it is fair to read The House of Mirth as a critique or updating of Madame Bovary.
Rating: 74
A beautiful young woman is in love with a young lawyer but would rather find a rich man to marry. She falls out of favor of society by several imprudent actions, and her unwillingness to compromise her principles.
A truly well-made film with an intelligent text behind it (I say this even without having read the novel). All the performances are very adequate and profissional. Perhaps, in this short and clearly insufficient notes, it would be nice to point out that the author seems to have eschewed strict realism (in the sense of an "average" situation) in favor of a study of a worst-case scenario. In a discussion on the Internet Movie Database, a fellow identified as rdconger points out some similarities between Madame Bovary and The House of Mirth . An antagonist, one theninthgate , points out some differences between Lily and Emma. I think it is fair to read The House of Mirth as a critique or updating of Madame Bovary.
Rating: 74
Monday, January 07, 2013
Vivement le cinéma (2011)
Lovely documentary about the forerunners of cinema. It has a fictive narration by E.G. Robertson, who was a "magic lantern" operator. He was followed by Plateau, Horner, Muybridge, Marey, Demenÿ, Reynaud, Edison, and finally Lumière, not to mention several minor characters like Leprince, Skladanowski, and others.
Vale dos esquecidos (2010)
Instructive documentary about land conflicts in Northeastern Mato Grosso, a state of Brazil. Xavante Indians, squatters, farmers, whatnot. I gave the IMDB year (2010) which is when it was finalized, but apparently it was released in 2011 in Festivals (and a news emission of 2011 was added at the end of the movie), and based on its web page I assume it will premiere in cinemas in April (unless this refers to last year but I think not).
Screamers (1995)
Allegedly based on the short story "Second Variety", by Philip K. Dick, first published in 1953.
In the future, Earth establishes mining colonies on other planets. A radiation problem comes up and causes a war between mining corporations on one side and workers and scientists on the other. The latter develop killing machines to fight their enemy, but these machines are too intelligent and begin to evolve. An outpost on a distant planet receives a message about the end of the war. Their commander decides to check it out for himself and, with a new recruit, walks up to the planet's government facilities.
A poor film, with a plot which fails to really engage the viewer. Scientifically it is full of holes, and dramatically it is dull.
Rating: 33
In the future, Earth establishes mining colonies on other planets. A radiation problem comes up and causes a war between mining corporations on one side and workers and scientists on the other. The latter develop killing machines to fight their enemy, but these machines are too intelligent and begin to evolve. An outpost on a distant planet receives a message about the end of the war. Their commander decides to check it out for himself and, with a new recruit, walks up to the planet's government facilities.
A poor film, with a plot which fails to really engage the viewer. Scientifically it is full of holes, and dramatically it is dull.
Rating: 33
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
Second viewing.
Mr. Bean takes a trip to Cannes, filming everything with his camcorder. He is responsible for the separation of father and son at the train station. He tries to reunite them, and meets a film actress on the way. They all meet at the Cannes Festival, where an ego-obsessed actor-director is having his premiere.
Entertaining and occasionally creative comedy. I was a little too harsh on it on first viewing, upon which I wrote:
"Synopsis: Bean wins a trip to the South of France, along with a video camera. He asks a man in the station to film him and this causes that man to miss the train, which his kid has already boarded. Bean accompanies the kid down to Cannes, where the latter's father will be a Festival juror.
Appraisal: A little disappointing. It's a nice film, but not very funny or brilliant."
Rating: 55 (up from 48)
Mr. Bean takes a trip to Cannes, filming everything with his camcorder. He is responsible for the separation of father and son at the train station. He tries to reunite them, and meets a film actress on the way. They all meet at the Cannes Festival, where an ego-obsessed actor-director is having his premiere.
Entertaining and occasionally creative comedy. I was a little too harsh on it on first viewing, upon which I wrote:
"Synopsis: Bean wins a trip to the South of France, along with a video camera. He asks a man in the station to film him and this causes that man to miss the train, which his kid has already boarded. Bean accompanies the kid down to Cannes, where the latter's father will be a Festival juror.
Appraisal: A little disappointing. It's a nice film, but not very funny or brilliant."
Rating: 55 (up from 48)
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Men in Black (1997)
Second viewing.
The Men in Black are field operatives of a secret organization in charge of dealing with extraterrestrials on (or otherwise posing a problem to) Earth. In the case in question here, a small object which works as an energy source is the object of dispute between two races of aliens, the Arquilians and the Insects. A member of the latter comes to Earth in search of said object. The Arquilians threaten to destroy the Earth in order to prevent the Insect from leaving with the energy source. Jay and Kay, a team of MIB, must kill the Insect and recover the energy source before that happens.
Entertaining and occasionally funny sci-fi comedy.
Rating: 68 (unchanged)
The Men in Black are field operatives of a secret organization in charge of dealing with extraterrestrials on (or otherwise posing a problem to) Earth. In the case in question here, a small object which works as an energy source is the object of dispute between two races of aliens, the Arquilians and the Insects. A member of the latter comes to Earth in search of said object. The Arquilians threaten to destroy the Earth in order to prevent the Insect from leaving with the energy source. Jay and Kay, a team of MIB, must kill the Insect and recover the energy source before that happens.
Entertaining and occasionally funny sci-fi comedy.
Rating: 68 (unchanged)
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
El Mariachi (1992)
Second viewing.
A mariachi (Mexican singer and guitar player) is mistaken with a drug dealer who has vowed to kill a drug lord unless a monetary debt between them is settled.
The smart screenplay conveys a modern tragedy, the style is quite charming. Despite obvious technical limitations it is filmed with care.
Rating: 60 (unchanged)
A mariachi (Mexican singer and guitar player) is mistaken with a drug dealer who has vowed to kill a drug lord unless a monetary debt between them is settled.
The smart screenplay conveys a modern tragedy, the style is quite charming. Despite obvious technical limitations it is filmed with care.
Rating: 60 (unchanged)
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Fortune (1975)
Second viewing.
The 1920s. A married man seduces a rich young woman and convinces her to elope to California, only in order to do it he must get around the Mann act which punishes who carries a woman across state borders "for immoral purposes". He gets around it by marrying his sweetheart to a friend, a stupid fellow who is a little greedy as well.
Funny farce with moments of brilliance.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
The 1920s. A married man seduces a rich young woman and convinces her to elope to California, only in order to do it he must get around the Mann act which punishes who carries a woman across state borders "for immoral purposes". He gets around it by marrying his sweetheart to a friend, a stupid fellow who is a little greedy as well.
Funny farce with moments of brilliance.
Rating: 69 (unchanged)
Friday, December 28, 2012
Radioland Murders (1994)
In the heyday of radio, the premiere night of a network station is beset by a series of murders at the studio facilities.
Hysterical comedy, with excellent technique and relentlessly witty dialogue.
Rating: 60
Hysterical comedy, with excellent technique and relentlessly witty dialogue.
Rating: 60
Fierce Creatures (1997)
A corporate mogul sends one of his new executives (a woman), along with his son, whom he hates, to England to run a zoo who has been recently under new management. The zoo's staff enters in conflict with the American managers (as they had with the recently empowered English one).
Mildly entertaining comedy which is critical of corporate capitalism. Despite the good ideas, the screenplay is not in the least sophisticated, the humor is strained, and the ending, which was redone based on viewers' rejection of the former one, is the strainedest, unfunniest part of the movie.
Rating: 39
Mildly entertaining comedy which is critical of corporate capitalism. Despite the good ideas, the screenplay is not in the least sophisticated, the humor is strained, and the ending, which was redone based on viewers' rejection of the former one, is the strainedest, unfunniest part of the movie.
Rating: 39
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008) (TV)
Drama about a couple's disagreement about making a cochlear implant on their son.
Well-made and has a fascinating subject, which, in general terms, is analyzed in Wells' short story The Country of the Blind. On the particular universe of deaf people, there is also a splendid documentary called Sound and Fury. The open ending seems a chickening out.
Rating: 51
Well-made and has a fascinating subject, which, in general terms, is analyzed in Wells' short story The Country of the Blind. On the particular universe of deaf people, there is also a splendid documentary called Sound and Fury. The open ending seems a chickening out.
Rating: 51
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Santa Claus is looking for a substitute and finds him in a TV actor whose show has just been cancelled. But the guy has another job offer and is reluctant to take Santa's. Ernest is a taxi driver who serves as Santa's helper in his task. There is also a young runaway girl who joins them.
Bad comedy, not even children will have fun with this.
Rating: 17
Bad comedy, not even children will have fun with this.
Rating: 17
Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988)
Col. Braddock witnesses the fall of Saigon. He is married to a Vietnamese woman at the occasion. He mistakenly thinks she dies during those events. Many years later he is looked up by a priest who works in Vietnam with Amerasian children.
Reasonably well-made yet derivative. The insanity of the plot may be construed as surrealism.
Rating: 35
Reasonably well-made yet derivative. The insanity of the plot may be construed as surrealism.
Rating: 35
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Mean Streets (1973)
Second viewing.
In New York, a guy is some sort of debt collector for his uncle. His best friend is an irresponsible fellow who owes money to everyone. A better, more comprehensive synopsis is given on IMDb, and I will transcribe it here:
--beginning of quote--
The future is set for Tony and Michael - owning a neighbour- hood bar and making deals in the mean streets of New York city's Little Italy. For Charlie, the future is less clearly defined. A small-time hood, he works for his uncle, making collections and reclaiming bad debts. He's probably too nice to succeed. In love with a woman his uncle disapproves of (because of her epilepsy) and a friend of her cousin, Johnny Boy, a near psychotic whose trouble-making threatens them all - he can't reconcile opposing values. A failed attempt to escape (to Brooklyn) moves them all a step closer to a bitter, almost preordained future. Written by Dave Cook <cookd@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca>
--end of quote--
In my first viewing I could not connect to this film. I think I get its style better now, anyway I had a good time watching it. It is very predictable what the story will unfold to, the important is how it happens. There are several unexpected microevents which are pretty insignificant to the plot itself but add to the film's mood which shifts between humorously realistic and lyrically intimate. Keitel's character is not without a certain kinship to the one he played in Fingers a few years later; in both cases you see a man overburdened by his environment and by one or more persons around him.
Rating: 68 (up from 39)
In New York, a guy is some sort of debt collector for his uncle. His best friend is an irresponsible fellow who owes money to everyone. A better, more comprehensive synopsis is given on IMDb, and I will transcribe it here:
--beginning of quote--
The future is set for Tony and Michael - owning a neighbour- hood bar and making deals in the mean streets of New York city's Little Italy. For Charlie, the future is less clearly defined. A small-time hood, he works for his uncle, making collections and reclaiming bad debts. He's probably too nice to succeed. In love with a woman his uncle disapproves of (because of her epilepsy) and a friend of her cousin, Johnny Boy, a near psychotic whose trouble-making threatens them all - he can't reconcile opposing values. A failed attempt to escape (to Brooklyn) moves them all a step closer to a bitter, almost preordained future. Written by Dave Cook <cookd@mcmail.cis.mcmaster.ca>
--end of quote--
In my first viewing I could not connect to this film. I think I get its style better now, anyway I had a good time watching it. It is very predictable what the story will unfold to, the important is how it happens. There are several unexpected microevents which are pretty insignificant to the plot itself but add to the film's mood which shifts between humorously realistic and lyrically intimate. Keitel's character is not without a certain kinship to the one he played in Fingers a few years later; in both cases you see a man overburdened by his environment and by one or more persons around him.
Rating: 68 (up from 39)
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Dirty Harry (1971)
Second viewing.
A San Francisco police officer investigates a series of crimes committed by a lunatic who demands payment so that he will not kill a certain person or persons.
A thriller which depicts the policeman's angst stemming from the various vicissitudes to which he is exposed: the legal system, low salaries, deficient sex life, etc. An interesting film, and very well made.
Rating: 54 (up from 49)
A San Francisco police officer investigates a series of crimes committed by a lunatic who demands payment so that he will not kill a certain person or persons.
A thriller which depicts the policeman's angst stemming from the various vicissitudes to which he is exposed: the legal system, low salaries, deficient sex life, etc. An interesting film, and very well made.
Rating: 54 (up from 49)
Le colonel Chabert (1994)
English title: Colonel Chabert.
Based on the novel by Honoré de Balzac (1st ed. 1844).
A man given as dead on the war returns to claim a share of his possessions. His wife remarried to an ambitious man.
A tale of ambition and the fragility of human bonds. The cinematography is gorgeous. It is well directed too.
Rating: 52
Based on the novel by Honoré de Balzac (1st ed. 1844).
A man given as dead on the war returns to claim a share of his possessions. His wife remarried to an ambitious man.
A tale of ambition and the fragility of human bonds. The cinematography is gorgeous. It is well directed too.
Rating: 52
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Second viewing.
Riggs and Murtaugh fight a South African gang of drug dealers led by a diplomat who hides behind his diplomatic immunity. While they do it they must also look after a key witness in a drug case.
A frantic comedy with nonstop action, with a racism subtheme.
Rating: 50 (up from 40).
Riggs and Murtaugh fight a South African gang of drug dealers led by a diplomat who hides behind his diplomatic immunity. While they do it they must also look after a key witness in a drug case.
A frantic comedy with nonstop action, with a racism subtheme.
Rating: 50 (up from 40).
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Il bidone (1955)
English title: The Swindle
The exploits of three men who make a living out of swindling poor people out of their money. Their leader is a middle-aged man, whose relationship with his daughter becomes sort of the focal point at around midmovie.
*SPOILERS*
Second viewing. I was not very impressed. The characters act for the viewer, example: 'Carlo' is a struggling painter, so he is shown making observations about a landscape, comparing it to a Corot; Roberto is always singing (that is his intended career); etc. The film is very easy to watch and, concessions being made about the points mentioned, well directed. Another interesting aspect is the moral ambiguity of the main character, shown in the ending of the movie: he tries to be a good father even at the moral cost of fleecing both a poor family and his crime partners.
There is an allegorical level to Il bidone which I am not sure anyone has remarked. On that level, its theme is cinema itself. The criminal activity performed by the swindlers has a necessary component of staging which makes it akin to the theatrical art (and by extension to cinema). The two auxiliary members -- the would-be painter and the would-be singer -- symbolize respectively the visual and aureal artistic ideals which a cinematic work of art should aspire to. By the end of the movie they have defected the crime life, presumably to pursue their art. The older man, devoid of their assistance, must resort to other persons. It all goes wrong, signalling the fate of cinema itself should it forsake its artistic potential to focus on profit alone. The attempt to divert the money for a good cause will be curtailed by the businessmen (criminals). So, what it is saying is: when cinema becomes dominated by the business side, Art will necessarily be crushed.
Rating: 60 (down from 70)
The exploits of three men who make a living out of swindling poor people out of their money. Their leader is a middle-aged man, whose relationship with his daughter becomes sort of the focal point at around midmovie.
*SPOILERS*
Second viewing. I was not very impressed. The characters act for the viewer, example: 'Carlo' is a struggling painter, so he is shown making observations about a landscape, comparing it to a Corot; Roberto is always singing (that is his intended career); etc. The film is very easy to watch and, concessions being made about the points mentioned, well directed. Another interesting aspect is the moral ambiguity of the main character, shown in the ending of the movie: he tries to be a good father even at the moral cost of fleecing both a poor family and his crime partners.
There is an allegorical level to Il bidone which I am not sure anyone has remarked. On that level, its theme is cinema itself. The criminal activity performed by the swindlers has a necessary component of staging which makes it akin to the theatrical art (and by extension to cinema). The two auxiliary members -- the would-be painter and the would-be singer -- symbolize respectively the visual and aureal artistic ideals which a cinematic work of art should aspire to. By the end of the movie they have defected the crime life, presumably to pursue their art. The older man, devoid of their assistance, must resort to other persons. It all goes wrong, signalling the fate of cinema itself should it forsake its artistic potential to focus on profit alone. The attempt to divert the money for a good cause will be curtailed by the businessmen (criminals). So, what it is saying is: when cinema becomes dominated by the business side, Art will necessarily be crushed.
Rating: 60 (down from 70)
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Hallam Foe (2007)
A teenage boy lives in social isolation and antagonizes his stepmother on account of his mother's death. He also has developed voyeuristic habits. One day he packs his things and leaves for Edinburgh where he finds a job and meets his mother's lookalike.
Not exactly the smartest film of all times, nor the most original, but I found myself watching it painlessly, and especially enjoying Forlani's performance. She builds a very sexy character. It is curious to observe how several hitchcockian themes and imagery (from Vertigo, Rear Window, Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, Saboteur, and who knows what more) were incorporated into a film which is very non-hitchcockian in style.
Rating: 51
Not exactly the smartest film of all times, nor the most original, but I found myself watching it painlessly, and especially enjoying Forlani's performance. She builds a very sexy character. It is curious to observe how several hitchcockian themes and imagery (from Vertigo, Rear Window, Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, Saboteur, and who knows what more) were incorporated into a film which is very non-hitchcockian in style.
Rating: 51
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Ruby (1992)
A drama based on the final period of Jack Ruby's life. He was a club owner in Dallas who got involved with the Cosa Nostra and ended up killing Lee Oswald. The film invents a female dancer whom Ruby takes under his wings.
A fine film, but its plot at every moment leaves the less knowledgeable viewer with a sensation of incomplete understanding about what is going on. The fictitious relationship with Candy serves the story well, the film is well written and very well directed. A study on the loser.
Rating: 57
A fine film, but its plot at every moment leaves the less knowledgeable viewer with a sensation of incomplete understanding about what is going on. The fictitious relationship with Candy serves the story well, the film is well written and very well directed. A study on the loser.
Rating: 57
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Snake Eyes (1998)
Second viewing at least.
At a boxing event an attempt is made against the life of the Secretary of State. An investigation is carried out by a corrupt police officer, who is a childhood friend of the security chief. A conspiracy is unraveled.
The first half-hour or so is one of the most dazzling pieces of cinema in history, and that alone would put to shame the IMDb 5.9 rating, but let us not get into sordid affairs like the masses' tastes. It would be next to impossible to keep the film on that initial level, but the fact is that it is good from start to finish. Cage is very much at home in his part, and Sinise's performance is also anthological. One of the best-directed, best-written films of the 90s, not easy to grasp fully in a single viewing perhaps, but worth the effort. Of course it is about corruption and evil and levels of corruption and evil, and smart as hell at that. Enough said, watch it.
Rating: 83 (unchanged)
At a boxing event an attempt is made against the life of the Secretary of State. An investigation is carried out by a corrupt police officer, who is a childhood friend of the security chief. A conspiracy is unraveled.
The first half-hour or so is one of the most dazzling pieces of cinema in history, and that alone would put to shame the IMDb 5.9 rating, but let us not get into sordid affairs like the masses' tastes. It would be next to impossible to keep the film on that initial level, but the fact is that it is good from start to finish. Cage is very much at home in his part, and Sinise's performance is also anthological. One of the best-directed, best-written films of the 90s, not easy to grasp fully in a single viewing perhaps, but worth the effort. Of course it is about corruption and evil and levels of corruption and evil, and smart as hell at that. Enough said, watch it.
Rating: 83 (unchanged)
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Rushmore (1998)
Second viewing.
The one about the boy who excelled at numerous extracurricular activities but was dangerously deficient at the mandatory ones, in the private high school he went to, with a scholarship, since he was the son of a barber and couldn't afford it otherwise. His love life was not going anywhere either, a fact he would try to change by targeting a new English teacher, a young widow.
One of the most brilliant movies of the 90s, it established (along with the equally amazing Bottle Rocket) its director and co-writer among the principal filmmakers in activity in the world, even though his subsequent efforts were (perhaps) not on the same level. A film of endless enjoyment, infinitely sophisticated, wonderfully cerebral and at the same time vigorously assertive emotionally. An event.
Rating: 88 (up from 86)
The one about the boy who excelled at numerous extracurricular activities but was dangerously deficient at the mandatory ones, in the private high school he went to, with a scholarship, since he was the son of a barber and couldn't afford it otherwise. His love life was not going anywhere either, a fact he would try to change by targeting a new English teacher, a young widow.
One of the most brilliant movies of the 90s, it established (along with the equally amazing Bottle Rocket) its director and co-writer among the principal filmmakers in activity in the world, even though his subsequent efforts were (perhaps) not on the same level. A film of endless enjoyment, infinitely sophisticated, wonderfully cerebral and at the same time vigorously assertive emotionally. An event.
Rating: 88 (up from 86)
Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (1985)
A group of American soldiers are taken prisoners in Vietnam after the end of the war. The camp commandant is a sadist who demands the American leader's confession to war crimes he has not committed.
Quite effective and well made, with competent direction (the one exception, save error of mine, being an apparently unconvincing sequence where Braddock is looking for a buddy and inspects an enclosure which is full of armed enemies who fire at him). The film is almost entirely made of exciting sequences, and the plot has an interesting underlying idea. Nevertheless, the historical references should not be taken seriously, it seems to me.
Rating: 52
Quite effective and well made, with competent direction (the one exception, save error of mine, being an apparently unconvincing sequence where Braddock is looking for a buddy and inspects an enclosure which is full of armed enemies who fire at him). The film is almost entirely made of exciting sequences, and the plot has an interesting underlying idea. Nevertheless, the historical references should not be taken seriously, it seems to me.
Rating: 52
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Callas Forever (2002)
An impresario has the idea, in 1977, of making a film with Maria Callas in which she would only lip-synch to her old recordings, as a way to overcome the fact that she no longer has a quality voice.
It's not very clear what the whole point is. My interpretation is the following: certain women will ruin the men who get involved with them; in the case where no romantic attachment is involved, a milder version of this is at play: she manages to lead him to the edge of bankruptcy and disrupt (maybe only temporarily) his love affair with someone else.
Rating: 37
It's not very clear what the whole point is. My interpretation is the following: certain women will ruin the men who get involved with them; in the case where no romantic attachment is involved, a milder version of this is at play: she manages to lead him to the edge of bankruptcy and disrupt (maybe only temporarily) his love affair with someone else.
Rating: 37
Saturday, November 17, 2012
La vieille fille (1972)
English title: The Old Maid.
At the Mediterranean town of Cassis, a bachelor on his way to Spain has car troubles and is forced to stay at the hotel while it is fixed. While there he meets the "old maid" (40-ish), and also a pastor and his weird wife. Not to mention the maids.
Nice and harmless little dramedy (I hesitate to classify it thus).
Rating: 50
At the Mediterranean town of Cassis, a bachelor on his way to Spain has car troubles and is forced to stay at the hotel while it is fixed. While there he meets the "old maid" (40-ish), and also a pastor and his weird wife. Not to mention the maids.
Nice and harmless little dramedy (I hesitate to classify it thus).
Rating: 50
Friday, November 16, 2012
Rebel without a Cause (1955)
A new kid in town is bullied by the high school gang who rules over the place; he tries to get attention from a female colleague, but she is in the gang too, so... A younger boy, on the other hand, is highly infatuated with him. All three have problematic familial relations.
Second viewing. An extreme case of opinion change for me; I have little idea of what I liked about it the first time, but the fact is that I adored it then. Now, after viewing it again, it seems to me that the writer or writers had the tongue firmly placed in the cheek, and the director did his best to conceal it. Anyway, it is something of an event of sorts: the acting, the filming, the bizarreness of situations which may be construed in two or more ways, in short an interesting film.
Rating: 60 (down from 100)
Second viewing. An extreme case of opinion change for me; I have little idea of what I liked about it the first time, but the fact is that I adored it then. Now, after viewing it again, it seems to me that the writer or writers had the tongue firmly placed in the cheek, and the director did his best to conceal it. Anyway, it is something of an event of sorts: the acting, the filming, the bizarreness of situations which may be construed in two or more ways, in short an interesting film.
Rating: 60 (down from 100)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The Tenth Man (1988) (TV)
Based on a novel by Graham Greene, published in 1985, the idea for which was born in 1937 for a film and subsequently dropped.
The synopsis from IMDB is very complete, with SPOILERS (kind of), so I will give it here:
"Based on the novel of the same name by Graham Greene, this is a story of a French advocate Chavel who, while imprisoned by the Germans during the occupation, trades his material possessions to another prisoner in exchange for his life when condemned to the firing squad. At the end of the war, Chavel, posing as one of the other prisoners, returns to his home which is now occupied by Therese, the sister of the prisoner he traded his possessions to, and who bitterly awaits the return of the man who had indirectly caused the death of her brother. His real identity unknown to Therese, Chavel is invited to stay as a caretaker and to identify Chavel should he return to the house. The relationship between Chavel and Therese develops until one night, someone calling himself Chavel turns up at their doorstep. Written by Thariq Ahmad ."
Second viewing. An interesting, ingenious story, and Hopkins is excellent in it. It has a XIXth-century romantic novel air to it, despite being set in WWII France. Perhaps one could say it is too plot-oriented to be great. I may have overrated it a bit in my previous assessment.
Rating: 64 (down from 75)
The synopsis from IMDB is very complete, with SPOILERS (kind of), so I will give it here:
"Based on the novel of the same name by Graham Greene, this is a story of a French advocate Chavel who, while imprisoned by the Germans during the occupation, trades his material possessions to another prisoner in exchange for his life when condemned to the firing squad. At the end of the war, Chavel, posing as one of the other prisoners, returns to his home which is now occupied by Therese, the sister of the prisoner he traded his possessions to, and who bitterly awaits the return of the man who had indirectly caused the death of her brother. His real identity unknown to Therese, Chavel is invited to stay as a caretaker and to identify Chavel should he return to the house. The relationship between Chavel and Therese develops until one night, someone calling himself Chavel turns up at their doorstep. Written by Thariq Ahmad ."
Second viewing. An interesting, ingenious story, and Hopkins is excellent in it. It has a XIXth-century romantic novel air to it, despite being set in WWII France. Perhaps one could say it is too plot-oriented to be great. I may have overrated it a bit in my previous assessment.
Rating: 64 (down from 75)
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Jogo de cena (2007)
American title: Playing.
Several women tell an important episode or aspect of their lives. Sometimes it is the women themselves who speak in the film, other times actresses, some famous in Brazil, some not, deliver their lines. Some of the actresses talk about the experience.
It is not exactly a null film, but, honestly, what is its point?
Rating: 33
Several women tell an important episode or aspect of their lives. Sometimes it is the women themselves who speak in the film, other times actresses, some famous in Brazil, some not, deliver their lines. Some of the actresses talk about the experience.
It is not exactly a null film, but, honestly, what is its point?
Rating: 33
Seems Like Old Times (1980)
A writer is kidnapped by two men who use him as an accessory to bank robbery, in a way that makes him the fall guy for that crime. He takes refuge in his ex-wife's house. It so happens that her present husband is running for D.A.
IMDB cues us in that it is in the style of screwball comedy. The lines try to be funny all the time, which is a nuisance, even though some are. It's watchable, but not much more; the middle section is the worst part.
Rating: 32
IMDB cues us in that it is in the style of screwball comedy. The lines try to be funny all the time, which is a nuisance, even though some are. It's watchable, but not much more; the middle section is the worst part.
Rating: 32
Saturday, November 10, 2012
One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Set in prehistoric times, it centers on a fellow who cannot get along with his tribal fellows and so decides to wander alone until he meets another, more advanced, tribe, where he and a beautiful woman fall in love with each other.
Worthy remake of a 1940 movie. It is a nonrealistic depiction of prehistoric times, featuring lots of animals which were long extinct when Man appeared on the Earth. The flow of narrative is diverted at regular intervals by the appearance of such monsters; they often fight each other, too. The monsters are all made in stop-motion animation, a welcome improvement over the 1940 version, which had live animals. The cast consists of unknowns (to me anyway), except for Welch, who is marvelous in it.
Rating: 51
Worthy remake of a 1940 movie. It is a nonrealistic depiction of prehistoric times, featuring lots of animals which were long extinct when Man appeared on the Earth. The flow of narrative is diverted at regular intervals by the appearance of such monsters; they often fight each other, too. The monsters are all made in stop-motion animation, a welcome improvement over the 1940 version, which had live animals. The cast consists of unknowns (to me anyway), except for Welch, who is marvelous in it.
Rating: 51
The Killer Inside Me (2010)
Based on the novel by Jim Thompson (1st ed. 1952).
In a small town, the deputy sheriff is a psychopath. His victims of choice are women, but in order to conceal his crimes a few men must go too.
A faithful adaptation of the novel. The central problem it analyzes is that of the monster, the madman, the complete alien, the wolf in sheep's clothes. There is no solution for his problem, of course, but he keeps going anyway, until he cannot go any further. The tone is surreal, and therefore makes for uncomfortable viewing. Comedy is not excluded: take the scene where the protagonist chases a bum down the city streets, for example. The performances are good, with the exception of Hudson's.
Rating: 60
In a small town, the deputy sheriff is a psychopath. His victims of choice are women, but in order to conceal his crimes a few men must go too.
A faithful adaptation of the novel. The central problem it analyzes is that of the monster, the madman, the complete alien, the wolf in sheep's clothes. There is no solution for his problem, of course, but he keeps going anyway, until he cannot go any further. The tone is surreal, and therefore makes for uncomfortable viewing. Comedy is not excluded: take the scene where the protagonist chases a bum down the city streets, for example. The performances are good, with the exception of Hudson's.
Rating: 60
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Aviso aos navegantes (1950)
A ship leaves from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro; in it go several artists, a stowaway, and a spy.
Musical comedy which is not very funny. I remember one sequence which I thought very funny: Frederico (Oscarito) impersonating a doctor ("...sistema vago-simpático, muito vago, muito simpático.."). The rest is either mildly funny or not funny at all. The musical numbers are simple, the songs are mostly mediocre, with the exception of two or three (there are a lot of songs in it). The camerawork is good.
Rating: 34
Musical comedy which is not very funny. I remember one sequence which I thought very funny: Frederico (Oscarito) impersonating a doctor ("...sistema vago-simpático, muito vago, muito simpático.."). The rest is either mildly funny or not funny at all. The musical numbers are simple, the songs are mostly mediocre, with the exception of two or three (there are a lot of songs in it). The camerawork is good.
Rating: 34
Friday, November 02, 2012
Thinner (1996)
An overweight man starts getting thinner after a gypsy man puts a curse on him.
This film is bad. On more than one level. And let's leave it at that.
Rating: 11
This film is bad. On more than one level. And let's leave it at that.
Rating: 11
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Estrada (1995)
Two couples go out on a trip to the countryside in a car. A truck driver leaves on a job to deliver a heavy load.
The banality we are used to expecting from this filmmaker.
A segment in Felicidade é...
The banality we are used to expecting from this filmmaker.
A segment in Felicidade é...
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