Romance (1988)

After the death of a leftist intellectual, a journalist investigates his life; meanwhile the dead man's wife tries to cope with her loss, and his male lover has to cope with AIDS.

A blend of naive political pamphlet, serious exposé, farce, free-form modernistic rambling, and self-indulgent semi-pornography. Not great cinema on any on those shapes it takes.

Rating: 41

Mandalay (1934)

In Rangoon, a Russian refugee is abandoned by her lover who sells her to a cabaret of which she is made the hostess by its owner.

The milieu is practically the same as in The White Countess, but storywise it has little in common with that film. It' hard to separate, in Mandalay, the genuinely honest depiction of human relatioships and emotions, from sensationalist melodrama. One could perhaps chance a generalization about pre-code cinema, saying that the freedom under which it was made entailed these two different outcomes: frankness and the abuse of cheap thrills. Mandalay's main feminine character starts out as someone we are willing to sympathize with, and ends as a monster and a martyr, improbable at both counts. There is a core of truth which persists throughout the film, though, sometimes belying the plot itself, and this makes it a marginally fascinating film.
(Number 9 in critic Dale Thomajan's top ten list for 1934.)

Rating: 58

HealtH (1980)

The goings-on during a convention which will pick the president of HealtH organization.

A funny film which is usually not very consequential. It deals surprisingly little with health issues, and seems to be rather cynical about them.

Rating: 50

Baarìa (2009)

The story of a boy in Sicily, from the 1930's to the 1960's. When he grows up he becomes a communist politician.

It's the same kind of low-brow sentimentalism which is present in other films from this writer-director, only here somehow it's worse, more boring and triter.

Rating: 45

Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994)

A gang uses a clothes company for money laundering purposes; the gang leader is the company owner's ex-husband and they have a daughter. The owner's boyfriend tries to defend both women against the bad guy.

Lousy story about crime and vigilantism. There isn't a single thread of realism in all this. I honestly don't see the point. If the purpose was to discuss the inefficacy of the justice system, the first thing required would be a minimum of plausibility.

Rating: 18

A Christmas Carol (2009)

An old miser receives the visit of three ghosts who will make him see the error of his ways.

I have spent my entire life consuming cultural products and witnessing human discourse and behavior which were influenced by Dickens' tale, and never got around to reading it, or seeing a film adaptation of it. So it's just my luck that this is a faithful adaptation (at least that's what everyone who has read the short story says). The artistry here gets my OK; the imagery conveys a coherent set of ideas. Some things got stuck in my throat, though, and it seems that this is nearly always the case with me and films. So let's get them out of my system. Scrooge's profession is never explicitly dwelled upon, but it is inferred to be that of a moneylender. So, the first question is: why a moneylender? Is this an indictment of moneylending? I will have to answer my own question with a resounding 'no'. The story ends with Scrooge still a moneylender, but he is now deemed a reformed person merely by the changing of some habits. So, he is now a good moneylender, as opposed to the bad moneylender that he was. We are back to the original question: if not an indictment pure and simple, why must the character be a moneylender? I don't think the film can justify this choice of profession without making an admission of self-contradiction and hypocrisy. The subject is simply dodged. But this harms the film, as would be expected. Are we to believe that Scrooge's faults were simply related to not being attached to his family and not being a generous person? And what about his interest rates? Were they too high? And what is considered too high in the nineteenth century? Which leads us to another question: how relevant is all this to twenty-first century capitalism? Moneylenders are still a very profitable profession, except today they are called bankers. Among other things, they finance movies like this one. But I'm certainly straying off the scope of the movie, am I not? After all, how many bankers are moved by 'A Christmas Carol'? I guess not many. And what is the purpose of making a film about avarice to be watched by middle-class and working-class people? Is there a point somewhere to be made in these ramblings? I hope not.

Rating: 60

You're Telling Me! (1934)

An inventor meets a princess on a train, but, unlike everyone else, he doesn't know she is a princess. She decides to pay him a visit.

I didn't care much for the plot of this, it's one of those confusing social critiques where somehow the false nobility is extremely snob but the real nobility is not. This assumption is in itself a kind of snobbery, if you think about it. Anyway, the plot is substantially flexed (gee, what a word I came up with here) to make room to Fields' antics, which include, according to reports, the entire reproduction of his short film The Golf Specialist. And, because Fields' antics are funny, the film is funny. That much being said, I have to confess to not having understood much of the dialogue.
This is the 8th entry in critic Dale Thomajan's top ten list for 1934.

Rating: 54

The Tourist (2010)

The Interpol is after a guy who stole millions from a gangster. Their lead is the thief's girlfriend. A guy on a train is picked by said girl to distract the police.

Not very entertaining, and the premise is slightly absurd. It is watchable, I guess.

Rating: 45

A Kitten for Hitler (2007)

This is a short video released on the web. It's funny, sort of, but once you think about it, well, it's just not funny at all. Watch it at:
http://www.iainfisher.com/films/ken-russell-kitten-for-hitler.html

The Informant! (2009)

An executive reports his own company's price-fixing practices to the FBI and becomes a spy.

Interesting film. I don't see why people are calling it "unbelievable". Maybe I'm getting too old. Anyway it's a well-made and useful (and fairly entertaining) film. The performances are very, very good.

Rating: 62

Six of a Kind (1934)

A couple intends to do a cross-country automobile trip during their vacation. The wife takes another couple in to ride with them in order to save expenses.

Very funny comedy. No comments come to my mind, it's a film to be watched and enjoyed for the numerous funny moments.
It's critic Dale Thomajan's number 7 of 1934.

Rating: 73 (9th of my 1934 favorites)

The Eiger Sanction (1975)

A retired assassin who is now an art teacher is summoned back into service. He is coaxed into assassinating the men who killed an agent. His task is made harder by the fact that he doesn't know who the second killer is; but he knows that he will be climbing a mountain with a team of climbers.

This is a spoof on spy thrillers, played absolutely straight. The result is weird beyond belief. This is my second viewing; I didn't perceive any humorous aspect in my first viewing. I think this kind of thing entails a long discussion. For instance, is the obvious homophobic content of the film to be taken as a satire on homophobia? Ditto on the topic of albinoes, ditto on sexism. To put it shortly, when is irony to be acknowledged in a work of art? And when is it justified?

Rating: 51 (up from 44)

Conspiracy Theory (1997)

A cab driver importunes a Justice Department attorney with his conspiracy theories. There are elements in their past lives which spell real danger for them though.

This is another movie which I view now for the second time and appears better than it did the first time. It is very well filmed, and that alone makes for a fine spectacle. The theme is resolved into a well-structured series of images, situations and plot elements which, while not exactly groundbreaking or deep, are interesting enough. Gore Vidal, the novelist and essayist, is perhaps the only one who expressed his displeasure with the present-day concept of conspiracy by stating that the powerful have no need to conspire, because, well, they have the power, exactly. This remark remains as a last attempt at clinging to the original concept of conspiracies. Now the word has become a paleonomy, that is, it has acquired a new meaning, which, in this case, refers to a plot devised by those who have power. This film is to a certain extent self-referential since narratives, at least conventional ones, are the product of a conspiracy (in the updated version of the word), in which the author "plots" (the word itself reveals the connection) the events, their unfolding and how they relate to one another.

Rating: 55 (up from 42)

The Game (1997)

A middle-aged investment banker on his birthday anniversary hires the services of a mysterious company to be part of a game. As a consequence his life turns into a nightmare.

Saw this for the second time. I can't understand why I hadn't liked it. It's all very entertaining and superbly directed. The only thing that is questionable (and therein may lie my former stumbling block) is the ending which is moralizing in a way. Any film which tries to pass judgement on a character must assume itself above that character, and that is not fine with me.

Rating: 57 (up from 31)

Kid Millions (1934)

An egyptologist's son inherits the fortune which his father found in his explorations in Egypt. He travels to Egypt to collect his inheritance, but is followed by two crooks and the guy who financed the egyptologist's expeditions. They all claim the inheritance.

Musical comedy who is delightful from beginning to end. It has a rather free style which may seem strange for modern viewers; sarcastic comedic bits are followed by ethereal musical numbers, and, while it doesn't all add to a completely coherent whole, is very amusing in its individual parts. The climactic finale in 3-strip technicolor is extremely cool, if one may pardon the double meaning.
Critic Dale Thomajan placed it in the 5th position in his top ten list for 1934.

Rating: 75
(8th position in my favorites list for 1934.)

The Social Network (2010)

About a guy who created a web site that was a tremendous success.

Entertaining tale about youth and business. I laughed out loud on several occasions (the beer bottle throwing was probably the best moment). This film is also about something deeper, namely, the contradiction - even incompatibility - which exists between a person and what he sells. Scarface (1983) was a previous handling of this theme. In that case, it was shown that a guy who sells drugs should not take drugs. In that film, he took them, and self-destroyed. In this film, the selling item is friendship. In the last minute or so of the movie, there is a line about being an asshole as opposed to trying to be one. This line is interesting, especially when compared with a very famous one by Husserl, which says that "to be reasonable is to want to be reasonable" (in "Cartesian Meditations").

Rating: 60

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Two plotlines which eventually converge: a secret platoon which kills nazis (really meaningless description, since that's what every allied soldier is supposed to do, but this seems to be what is implied in the movie) is to take part in a secret operation; a Jewish woman who owns a cinema in Paris is summoned to host a gala premiere.

Most of it is what you would expect from a 10 year old imaginative boy. It is not badly directed.

Rating: 39

Stephanie Daley (2006)

A teenager is indicted with the murder of her baby. She denies she knew she was pregnant and claims the baby died at birth. She is assigned a forensic psychologist to get at the bottom of things. Said psychologist is pregnant too.

The director shows real skill. As as screenwriter she has some ability to conventionally assemble multiple characters with some definition and at the same time make the plot advance through flashbacks. It's not exactly powerful cinema, but has some degree of attractiveness.

Rating: 50

Jimmy the Gent (1934)

This is about two competing heir chasers. These are people who, for a commission, find heirs (legitimate or fake) when someone dies and no one appears to collect the inheritance.

One-liner-fest graced by a perfect direction. The plot is overcomplicated but still fun. The theme is deceiving appearances. Or something like that. Cagney is good beyond belief. I should watch this again to get a better understanding of his lines.
Critic Dale Thomajan's fourth entry in his top ten list for 1934.

Rating: 78
(Number 7 on my own list of favorites for 1934.)

The Story of Ruth (1960)

A priestess falls in love with a jeweller of foreign origin. She becomes influenced by the man's religion.

The beginning is absurd, especially in what concerns the main character's behavior. It gets better after Ruth moves to Judah, but the script is still plagued by psychological shortcomings. The backbone of the plotline is interesting (only after that initial part, I mean) and the film has nice visuals, but overall it is a rather vulgar film.

Rating: 35

Il mostro (1994)

English title: The Monster.

A man is mistaken for a homicidal maniac. A female detective is assigned to act as bait.

This is my second viewing, with considerable lowering of rating. It's a slapstick comedy with a strong emphasis on sexual allusions. It's almost invariably based on visual humor, and becomes repetitive as it goes along. The level of hilarity is fairly high initially, decreasing gradually with the progression of the film.

Rating: 57 (down from 67)

Die Welle (2008)

English title: The Wave.

A teacher seeking for higher status in the school where he works devises an experiment with his students wherein they become members of a group under the leadership of said teacher.

The teacher as fascist (compare Madadayo). There are some who have criticized the shallowness of what they see as the film's political statement. They are probably right to the extent that every work of art does carry a little bit of ideology within itself, and this film is really not very deep. But on the other hand, a fiction work is mostly just that, and no character or utterance within it may be said to speak for its author or authors. The Wave is reasonably well constructed in narrative terms, and it does shed some light on collective human processes, but that's all it does. Anyone who wants more depth should read books.

Rating: 54

The White Countess (2005)

In the Shanghai of the 1930s, a U.S. blind ex-diplomat meets a Russian prostitute who supports her family. He starts a nightclub and invites her to be the hostess.

Formulaic drama which one watches with little difficulty but has few or no remarkable aspects about it except Fiennes who is always a very good actor.

Rating: 45

Madadayo (1993)

The relationship between a retired teacher and his adoring pupils during World War II and afterwards in Japan.

The fascist as teacher. Or, Dersu Uzala minus the objective correlative. Intensely hilarious at its dramatic interlude about a lost cat.

Rating: 36

The Road (2009)

After a natural calamity, the Earth turns into a desert and the few surviving people engage in a desperate attempt at survival.

This tedious add-on to the apocalyptic genre seems to be concerned in showing that the fight for survival blurs the distinction between good and evil.

Rating: 33

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

An account of Operation Market Garden, during World War II. The allies intended to seize three bridges in Holland, through a combined aerial and terrestrial operation.

I asked for The Bridge at Remagen at the video rental store, and when I got home I saw that I got this instead. It turned out I watched this for the second time and decided it was enough war for a while, so I postponed The Bridge at Remagen for some other time.

It's a tremendously complex film, in terms of plot, and the screenplay does not go out of its way to make things clearer for the uninitiated. At my level of understanding it was a fine spectacle, well made and historically interesting. There is a little bit of self-indulgence at the inclusion of the subplot about the soldier who rescues his superior because he made a promise to him. It has practically nothing to do with the rest of the movie. And to be honest I am flabbergasted at the recurring obsession of filmmakers with this kind of fantasy (compare Saving Private Ryan). Even ignorants like myself know that war doesn't afford this sort of behavior.

Rating: 61 (unchanged)