Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

 Second viewing, and first with original audio and correct aspect ratio; previously viewed on March 11, 1990.

A ranch owner in Mexico demands the death of a man called Alfredo Garcia, who impregnated his daughter. He wants Garcia's head as proof. Two Americans who wish to collect the reward money go around asking for Garcia in several towns; in one of them, they meet an American piano player, who later finds that Alfredo has died in an accident. He then takes the job of bringing Garcia's head to the American middlemen.

I haven't significantly changed my opinion about this movie, except that I may have become more convinced now of its flaws. Basically, this is a good idea which could have benefitted from a better development. It's still a fun watch, though.

Rating: 60 (down from 66) 

The Lost World (1960)

 Second viewing, and possibly first one with original audio and correct aspect ratio. Previously viewed on September 7, 1991.

A scientist claims to have discovered a plateau where prehistoric animals live. He assembles a group of people and they go on a new expedition intending to actually reach that plateau and explore it.

There are several problems with this film, the main one being the poor special effects which simply show existing animals "decorated" with some accessories and shown in amplified size. The script provides some very mild entertainment, without much in the way of creativity or surprises.

Rating: 37 (down from 45)

Copie conforme (2010)

English title: Certified copy

 James, an English intellectual, is in Italy to promote the translated edition of his essay, and meets a woman who is interested in his work. They visit places, and from a certain point onwards during their tour together, they start pretending they are a married couple in a crisis.

Supposedly, this is a philosophical investigation on the value of authenticity. In a bit of dialogue James asserts that he wrote the book to convince himself that originality is a myth. Maybe as a practical exploration of the concept, the woman apparently turns him into a "copy" of her ex-husband. He plays along with the charade. To be honest, it's hard to determine what the film is trying to demonstrate, if anything, and there is a sense of sterility to the whole proceedings. Is this too complex or too obvious? Or maybe this is a subtle satire on cell phones. They are a recurrent motif, both as an obstacle to communication (especially among teenagers), and a promoter of excessive communication. This take would make the film an erotic comedy whose punchline is that the nine o'clock train appointment would give him more than enough time to get her into bed, but those cell phones ruined it. The actors are very good in this, and the locations are attractive.

Rating: 47

Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

Second viewing, possibly first one with original audio and/or correct aspect ratio; previously viewed on August 7, 1991.

Alternate title: Five Million Years to Earth

An extraterrestrial ship with some dead extraterrestrials in it is found in the London underground. Some scientists investigate. It turns out those extraterrestrials were on Earth five million years earlier, and the ship interacts with present-day humans in a dangerous way.

While a funnier title would have been Quite a Mess in the Pit, I've nothing against the more descriptive The Demons Were Astronauts. A year later came 2001: A Space Odyssey, with similar themes, though with a more positive view. It's all very crazy, even though the feigned attempt at grounding it in science shows a certain need to pay tribute to reason. In my opinion, a more interesting film would be one in which the ship was indeed a Nazi artifact, with power to turn people into Nazis. Colonel Breen would be a crypto-Nazi, of course, and Hitler would be revealed to have extraterrestrial blood. All that being said, the film, in its actual form, does have some visually impressive scenes, and the narrative is entertainingly tense.

Rating: 50 (down from 65)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

 Second viewing, and probably first one with original audio; previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

After a senator's death, a naïve young man is appointed as a substitute. Unbeknownst to him, there is a corruption scheme in the works, involving a wealthy businessman and an experienced senator from his state.

Although  ultimately just a sort of pamphlet for the ideals of Americanism, this film is sufficiently eventful and tense to be consistently entertaining. Of course, being what it is, it never asks the obvious question: how is a system which depends on exceptional men and exceptional circumstances supposed to thrive in the long run? It's not, of course, but the U.S.A. has thrived and thrives still, which must mean one of two things: corruption isn't such a deadly disease, or there's more to the American system than is shown in the film.

Rating: 65 (unchanged)

The Mechanic (1972)

 Second viewing, and first one with original audio and correct aspect ratio. Previously viewed between 1983 and 1986.

A professional killer becomes a mark himself after he takes the young son of one of his victims as an apprentice and assistant.

It's fascinating to read the criticism this film has been subjected to by the original writer and by the critics at the time of its release. According to its Wikipedia page, the original screenplay was a homosexual drama. I can only surmise that such a film would have been interesting, but honestly what a relief that the producers decided to change it, because the film as it was made is very good. Also according to Wikipedia, critics have repeated some of the criticism made by the original writer while adding other equally meritless objections. Apparently the fact that this is a thriller bothered them. Of course homosexuality is still present in the movie, even if only in a latent form, because of the situations the characters find themselves in and also for having a very masculine-looking older actor paired with a very feminine-looking younger one. Anyway, the movie is very entertaining, and a special mention should go to the excellent musical score.

Rating: 74 (unchanged)

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

 Second viewing, and first with original audio; previously viewed on or a little after March 28, 1984.

Three men returning from service in World War II and their troubles adapting to civilian life. Homer lost both hands and is afraid to propose to his girlfriend; Al works in a bank; Fred has no particular skills and can only get a lowly job; Peggy, Al's daughter, falls in love with Fred, who is already married.

This is a highly regarded movie, but some elements of its narrative are not very believable. Fred does not come across as an unemployable guy, and Al's alcoholism seems an artifical contrivance with no dramatic purpose. Peggy is not a very convincing character either. Formally, this is an absolute masterpiece. The script may have the flaws I pointed out but formally it is a very interesting proposition. And I suppose there are few films as well filmed. The Mr. Mollett sequence is doubtlessly the most interesting in the entire movie; he is the only character who tells the historical truth about the U.S. involvement in World War II and is severely punished for it, in a spectacularly realistic scene where a glass case is smashed. All in all, this film is a fun watch, a drama with a very well-concealed self-parodic twist.

Rating: 66 (unchanged)