Morocco (1930)

A cabaret singer arrives in Morocco concurrently with a Foreign Legion soldier. The two fall in love with each other. A rich middle-aged painter also falls for the singer.

Exquisite melodrama, with an incalculably superb performance by Dietrich. Plot and mise-en-scene wonderfully fit each other. The ending is really disturbing. The only things that seem subject to debate are (1) the choice of musical number which seems strangely at odds with the remainder of the film (perhaps they were trying to cash in on the memory of The Blue Angel, a totally different film) and (2) an occasional tendency to excessive stylization which renders some close-up scenes of the heroine longer and more static than the diegesis would demand.

Rating: 80 (one of my 1930 favorites, ranked number 3)
This is the beginning of a project of mine, which will attempt to view all the films I haven't seen (and see again some that I have) from the Top Ten lists of critic Dale Thomajan. This is his number 1 for 1930.

The Wonderful Country (1959)

An American-born man living in Mexico and working as a hired gun to a local boss returns to the U.S. to take care of an arms deal. Things go wrong, and from then on he goes through a series of adventures.

Entertaining western in which, however, some things do not go quite well. The love story, for example, suffers from that mixture of titillation and puritanism which infected most American movies since the advent of the Hays code. And on top of that, London is such a bad actress. On another department, the director handles some scenes featuring extras in a strange static way which I am not sure I liked. The film seems to go for adventure alone, but it also makes interesting commentary about Mexico being politically more barbaric than the United States. Highlights: a good action sequence where a stagecoach and some Apaches are chased; the protagonist's two consecutive interviews with the two big-shot Mexican brothers (played by the brilliant actors Armendáriz and Mendoza). Mitchum delivers an understated performance (doesn't he always?) which I consider to be a notch above his average.

Rating: 55

Rosemary & Thyme: The Cup of Silence (2005) (TV)

Miss Boxer and Mrs. Thyme are hired to solve problems at a vineyard. It is located next to a hotel, at which the two garden specialists will stay. The hotel is owned by the brother of the vineyard's owner. A food critic (actually "lifestyle columnist") is staying at the hotel.

Well written whodunit. Very classical in style.

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

Several short films around a person or persons drinking coffee (or, in one of them, tea) and smoking cigarettes.

1. "Strange to Meet You": This one I had already seen, and hated, a response which hasn't changed upon this new viewing. (Originally released as a standalone short in 1986.)
2. "Twins": A waiter talks to two siblings about Elvis's lost twin brother and other strange topics.
It's kind of agreeable, but I honestly didn't quite see the point. (Rating: 45) (Originally released as a standalone short in 1989.)
3. "Somewhere in California": Two pop singers meet in a bar and do not quite get along.
The performances are interesting, but I wasn't exactly impressed by the whole idea. (Rating: 40)(Originally released as a standalone short in 1993.)
4. "Those things'll Kill Ya": Two elderly italo-Americans discuss smoking and diet in a bar.
Again, I find the whole thing a little too frivolous and bland. (Rating: 40)
5. "Renée": A beautiful woman is sitting alone in a bar, drinking coffee and smoking while browsing a magazine about guns. A waiter keeps pestering her with his unwanted solicitude.
Now, this one is quite intriguing and enigmatic. (Rating: 50)
6. "No Problem": Two friends meet in a bar and one of them repeatedly suggests that there's some problem in the other one's life that he isn't telling him.
Slightly annoying. (Rating: 35)
7. "Cousins": A movie star, in between takes, receives the visit of her punkish cousin.
Bittersweet humor, acute psychological observation, and two respectable performances by the same actress. (Rating: 65)
8. "Cousins?": Two English actors meet, on the insistent request of one of them, who has done some genealogical research about the two of them.
A masterpiece of devilish humor about Hollywood and hurt feelings. And a chance to see its two leading players at their best. (Rating: 86)
9. "Jack Shows Meg His Tesla Coil": A guy and a girl (siblings?) talk about the device of the title, assembled by the former. He demonstrates it in action.
Back to the slightly agreeable/slightly annoying generic weirdness. (Rating: 40)
10. "Delirium": Two rappers meet in a bar and are joined by a celebrity slightly affected by his excessive caffeine ingestion.
Badly flawed and unfunny. (Rating: 15)
11. "Champagne": Two nostalgic senior citizens sit and evoke old times.
The actors are brilliant, but the text is not so good. (Rating: 45)

(Final observation: "Cousins?" joins my list of favorites; it is in the 2nd position in 2003)

Rosemary & Thyme: Up the Garden Path (2004) (TV)

A gardening competition is the background for this episode. The emphasis in this one is not on complexity of plot, but on the sheer entertainment value of everything that comes with the series concept, that is, landscape, dialogue seasoned with intelligent humor, and a notion -- which is perhaps most akin to the British culture -- that death may be kept at bay even (or rather, especially) when one is surrounded by it all the time.

Antichrist (2009)

After a terrible loss, couple retreat into their secluded house in the woods for recovery. Do you think it works? Neither did I.

What first shocked me was that its premise (and initial sequence) is nearly identical to 1973's unsurpassable masterpiece Don't Look Now. The whole film is immersed in structures which populated most of Bergman's films after 1966 (maybe even before that, but I simply haven't seen all those films). One novelty about Antichrist is that it is much more no-holds-barred when it comes to physical manifestations of its characters, be they of a lusty or of a violent nature (or a combination thereof). Another film which is structurally related to it is The Shining, in the apparent connection of secludedness and madness and in some not so apparent ways too, as in the backstory of Her previous stay at the country house. The central duo of actors do a terrific job, and I would go as far as saying that they would make viewing the film justifiable even if there were no other compensations. One particularity which sets this film apart from its filmic relatives is the choice of the female as the mad character, a fact which lends it some novelty and thus makes it interesting. It is a distinctively watchable film, especially at its really hallucinatory climax involving a driller, a metal weight, and a fox hole.

Rating: 55

Rosemary & Thyme: Swords into Ploughshares (2004) (TV)

This, the 7th episode of the second season, is a very well concocted mystery tale. A good summary (complete with spoilers) and some comments are provided by Christopher Mulrooney in here.

Comme une image (2004)

English titles: Look at Me; Like an Image.

A plump adolescent girl suffers from low self-esteem, made worse by the egocentric behavior of her father, a famous writer. She meets a young man of Arab ethnicity who becomes interested in her. Her vocal coach is married to another writer, who becomes sort of best friends with the girl's father.

An intelligent film about how the images one makes of others and of oneself are a basic driving force in human behavior. The film succeeds in achieving an overall psychological verisimilitude, but some flaws are nevertheless quite evident. For example, some characters are pretty much one-note tunes, so to speak. This is most conspicuous in the young singer's father, but it is also visible in his assistant, who is made to behave invariably in a self-humiliating way due to a debt of gratitude towards his employer. This character was not very believable, especially as his past as a political activist affords different expectations about him. There is also a verisimilitude problem in the portrayal of television literary shows, which in the film resemble a popular carnival ball (carnival the holiday, not the amusement park). I have seen a few of these literary shows and, really, they don't look anything like that. A little exaggeration is part of any satire but here the filmmakers are just being silly and snobbish. But perhaps the film's major problem is that it has too many subplots.

Rating: 63

Boleiros - Era uma vez o futebol... (1998)

A group of retired soccer players gets together and recollect old stories involving soccer. One story features a soccer instructor who encounters a mysterious boy who is a soccer genius. Another storyteller recalls the time when he had just arrived in São Paulo and had to stay in the same bedroom with a star player who was also a womanizer. Another story concerns an evening in the life of a rising player who is considering playing for an Italian team. Yet another one is about a reporter who wants to interview a formerly famous player who is rumored to be facing financial troubles.

A faithful account of the human side of soccer, as it was before. There is humor and there is pathos, sometimes inextricably mixed. An important film for Brazilians, and even more so for those who live in São Paulo.

Rating: 57

Crna macka, beli macor (1998)

English title: Black Cat, White Cat.

A man forces his son to marry a gangster's sister in order to settle a debt.

The images are a catalogue of bizarreness. This translates into a spiritual panel of central Europe, somewhat diluted into a plot which is not devoid of childishness.

Rating: 55

Kedma (2002)

In 1948, days before the creation of the state of Israel, some immigrants arrive to its territory, coming from Europe. They are immediately immersed in the conflict with the Arabs, and with the British.

It has interesting moments, but they mostly rely on theatrical bursts which are interspersed with slow-paced and poorly filmed action.

Rating: 41

Masterminds (1997)

A smart but rebellious kid gets trapped in a school when it is seized by kidnappers.

It is enjoyable on a scene-by-scene basis, thanks to an eventful script, and is nicely wrapped up by a smart ending. On the whole, slightly interesting.

Rating: 50

Duplicity (2009)

A complicated plot involving industrial espionage. Two spies - a man and a woman - team up in a plan to fool two competing companies.

A lot of cerebral work went into this, leaving realism behind, although nothing exactly absurd from the strictly logical angle happens, to my notice anyway. If you squeeze it for its essence, not much comes out, and I guess what does is something like "love means trust" or "even spies fall in love", or a little of both. The film tries a compromise between this kind of thing and a pervasive belief that there is a supreme beauty about these outsmarting games and the plot twists they entail. House Games was possibly the final word about that, with a difference that it had a psychoanalytic side to it which is completely lacking here. Gilroy's creative pattern seems pretty much discernible by this and his previous film, and I suspect that he may be comfortably filed under the guilty pleasure tag, unfortunately with guilt largely outweighing pleasure.

Rating: 45

Stella (2008)

A girl's life. Her parents own a bar and an adjoining hotel. They live there. She has difficulties at school and makes a friend from a very different social environment.

I can't find much to say about this film. The protagonist, a girl around 10 years old, wears the same listless expression throughout the film. When she is happy, the soundtrack bursts into pop songs from the 70's, the decade when the action is set. The point of the film seems to be exposing the sordid milieu in which the protagonist lives and her growing awareness of a vaster world to which she must endeavor to adapt. There are fine moments in it, although dullness is the predominant note. The supporting performances are, on the other hand, excellent, a special mention going to Rocher as the protagonist's mother.

Rating: 45

Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)

A Mexican peasant leader (who is not a peasant at all - don't ask) is imprisoned. One peasant hires an American to rescue him from jail. The latter hires in turn six men to help him do the job.

Watchable yet hackneyed action spectacle in the Mexican-Western subgenre.

Rating: 39

Rosemary & Thyme: Arabica and the Early Spider (2003) (TV)

The two absurd detectives come across another absurd crime. But the episode is light-minded and the leading characters are congenial.

Two Lovers (2008)

(Reportedly) loosely based on Dostoevsky's short story "White Nights" (1848).

A young man with suicidal tendencies meets an attractive young woman who lives next door to him. She is having an affair with a married man. Concurrently to all that, the young man's parents try to set him up with another young woman, whose family is about to become entangled with his in a businesslike fashion.

Genetic tests motivates break-ups, and one is either "bipolar" or "attention-deficit" afflicted. Talented filmmaker Gray remains interesting in this, though not as much, perhaps, as in his previous one, the superb We Own the Night. Both films (and also Little Odessa and The Yards) are about the weight of families on individuals, and about other things too. The musical score is good. Phoenix gives a superb, fully convincing performance.

Rating: 68

I Bergmans regi (2003) (TV)

This is the "making of" video of Saraband. Other than a surprisingly energetic disposition for his age, there is nothing about Bergman or anyone or anything else in this film that striked me as worthy of note.

Saraband (2003) (TV)

A recently widowed cellist takes his 19-year old daughter as a pupil. His estranged father lives near him and they hate each other. The daughter begins to feel suffocated by her father's possessiveness. Her grandfather's ex-wife comes to visit.

There was a soapish side to Bergman which began to become more evident in his later period. His statement of admiration for the TV show "Dallas" reveals beyond a doubt this side of his artistic personality. In Saraband, this is the only side of him we see. It is obviously better made than the average TV soap opera, but it is a soap opera nonetheless.

Rating: 45

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)

English title: The Baader Meinhof Complex.

Dramatic film based on the real story of a German terrorist group which operated in the seventies in Germany.

Well made, informative and easy to watch.

This film would make a nice double-bill with the one I watched just before it (quite by accident).

Rating: 63