Frederique Benoit (AKA "Freddie") is a young Korean adoptee who has lived in France with her adoptive parents for most of her 22 years. She arrives in Seoul as a result of happenstance and decides to seek out her birth parents. The entire exercise is fraught with raw, scabrous emotional risk, for her and for her biological father, mother, grandmother, and step-siblings, and an aunt who translates (Freddie speaks French and some English). Some of the other characters speak English or French as well, including Andre, an arms dealer who eventually hires her. She also acquires a friend, Tena, one of the most emotionally attractive characters you will ever see in a film, and the voice of judgment at times, of Freddie's impetuousness and rudeness. Freddie is impulsive, sometimes mean, sometimes reckless (she hooks up with several men), and not afraid to offend people who dislikes. She is clearly bitter about having been abandoned no matter how sorry her biological parents are, or how reasonable (or not) their explanations are. She is scarred, wounded, somewhat self-pitying, in sum. But we also see that her father is needy and clingy and feels he has authority over her, his abandoned daughter. The film had me on edge throughout, because of the powerful performances, the authentic feel (it is indeed based closely on the real experiences of co-writer Laure Badulfe-- a Korean adoptee). It stimulates feelings about family, love, attachment, the scars that we nurse and the scars we hide. This is a remarkable, beautiful film.
Park Ji-Min, Oh Gwang-Rok, Guka Han, Kim Sun-young, Yoann Zimmer, Louis-Do Lencquesaing, Jin Heo, Ouk-Sook Hur
Utterly compelling and convincing dramatization of the famous crash of a flight from Uruguay to Chile in 1972 in the Andes mountains. Unable to locate the missing turbo-prop plane, the searchers gave up, leaving about 27 survivors on their own in unspeakable conditions of cold and starvation. In desperation, most of the survivors began to eat from the bodies of the dead. Eventually, two of them succeeded, after 10 days, in contacting a muleteer in Chile who notified the authorities who ten rescued the remaining survivors. The survivors did not initially disclose the cannibalism but after questions arose, they held a press conference and admitted to it. "Society of the Snow" is brilliant filmed in real mountains, in Spain, Uruguay, and, of course, Chile (and Argentina, in the Andes). The mountain scenes are utterly spectacular. The make-up and physical condition of the actors is remarkably convincing. The special effects, the crash, the avalanche, and so on, are all quite good. The film takes you on a journey with these young men and you will be carried along through the horrific ordeal and the emergence to joyous rescue.
Enzo Vogrincic, Augustin Pardella, Matias Recalt, Esteban Bigliardi, Esteban Kukuriczka, Valentino Alonso, Blas Polidori
Stunning, unique exploration of the contrast between the anodyne domestic bliss of German officers and their families and their unspeakable acts as mass murderers and torturers. Rudolph Hoss was the commandant of Auschwitz - Birkenau at the time that the crematorium and "showers" were constructed, and he managed the transportation and execution of over 400,000 Hungarian Jews. But "Zone of Interest" is primarily about his family life, his lavish home and gardens, his children and wife, and his Jewish servants, all conducting their daily chores and meals within earshot of thousands of Jews being shot, beaten, tortured, and executed. How does one manage the moral ambiguity? Or, to the point, what does it say about humanity that such a paradox can exist? As I have remarked on before, Hannah Arendt was essentially wrong about Eichmann and his "banality" of evil. She thought Eichmann wasn't really evil-- just subservient and conforming. In fact, his diaries later showed that he was, in fact, and enthusiastic mass murderer. "Zone of Interest" invites us to consider the same question, and recoil in amazement that humans capable of apparently wholesome familial relations can get on a horse and ride next door and oversee the execution of more than a million Jews. "Zone of Interest" is beautifully filmed in long, static shots, wonderfully acted, and, most importantly, accompanied by a disturbing just distant soundtrack of shots, screams, and indescribable sounds of suffering and anguish. The characters hear these sounds, choose to disregard them, and carry on-- except for Hedwig's mother, who is so disturbed by the outside noise she quietly leaves without even saying goodbye. The children play with teeth with gold fillings, Hedwig (Rudolph's wife) tries on a fur coat, and lipstick. Rudolph has a romantic moment with his horse-- and then something more carnal with a Jewish prisoner after which he carefully washes his genitals in a basement sink. The power of this film likes in it's ruthless examination of evil-- far more ruthless than "Schindler's List" because it doesn't remove the viewers complicity by caricaturing the lives of the perpetrators: they are so much like us, so "normal", no pedestrian and banal, and so capable of monstrous acts as, we wonder, are we.
Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller, Freya Kreutzkam, Ralph Herforth, Imogen Kogge, Luis Noah Witte, Johann Karthaus, Nele Ahrensmeier, Martyna Poznanski
In the late 1990's a schoolteacher, Mary Katherine Schmitz Letourneau, famously was charged and convicted of 2nd Degree Rape for a sexual relationship she had with an eighth grade student, Vili Fualaau. Fualaau always-- until after Letourneau's death from cancer in 2019-- insisted the relationship was consensual, but, under the law, it is technically rape, and no regard is given to the genders of the couple. "May December" is not a depiction of that event but it is clearly inspired by it, using the device of having an actress, Elizabeth, come to visit Gracie and Joe in order to absorb details about Gracie to be incorporated into her performance in a movie about the scandal. As Roger Ebert observed about a particular film, everyone in this story has a personal agenda, things they wish to conceal, and things they wish people knew about them (whether true or not), and that includes Elizabeth who is hardly a reliable observer. She follows Gracie around for a few days, meets with her father and with other individuals involved in the story (sometimes to the discomfort of Gracie), and seems rather indifferent to any impact the movie might have the lives of the real people it portrays. When challenged, especially by Gracie and Joe's daughter, Mary, about the harms the film might do, she responds with the usual Hollywood canard about people having the opportunity to tell their story, so people can learn something about life. But she is also smart enough to avoid a head-on confrontation over the issue. It is clear that she is more interested in improving her own performance than in any consequences the film might have. As in real life, as he gets older, Joe has mixed feelings about the relationship with Gracie, and begins to realize how manipulated he may have been. Gracie, who seems utterly blind to the element of exploitation, demands of him, "who was in control?". She claims that he seduced her! This film is remarkably smart about the issues involved, and how the fundamental good sense we have about these relationships can prevail even when the flawed people involved seem, on the face of it, to insist otherwise.
Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Chris Tenzis, Charles Melton, Andrea Frankle, Gabriel Chung, Elizabeth Yu, D. W. Moffett, Christopher Nguyen
Long regarded as the definitive "Christmas Carol" for good reason. Alistair Sim is the curmudgeonly old Scrooge and, together with the sterling supporting cast, delivers an absolutely wonderful, performance. Each supporting actor has a starring sequence, the charwoman selling Scrooge's bedclothes, the undertaker waiting for Marley to kick off, Bob Cratchit, the ghosts, Fezziwig-- all wonderful, memorable, funny, and evocative. Sure, it's kind of soap opera and melodramatic, but melodrama is rarely done to this level of acuity. What remains incomprehensible is how a society can so embrace a message that it disregards in "real" life at the first opportunity. "Virtue that sleeps, awakes refreshed".
Alastair Sim, Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley, MIchael Hordern, John Charlesworth, Francis De Wolff, George Cole, Brian Worth, Ernest Ehesiger, Glyn Dearman, Roddy Hughes, Olga Edwardes, Carol Marsh, Michael Dolan, Patrick Macnee, Rona Anderson, MIles Malleson
Scorcese, as if compensating for his recent subprime work and striving for legacy, has put together a nearly flawless adaptation of a true story. One could almost forgive him for casting Leonardo Dicaprio in the lead. The story is about a native Indian tribe, the Osage, who, after being deprived of their lands and forced to move to a reservation, discover oil beneath their new home, and become fabulously rich. One is amazed that the government didn't just drive them off the land, but they didn't, and the Osage became, per capita, the richest people on earth. "Killers of the Flower Moon" is about the corruption that ensues, and the wicked attempts of whites to seize that wealth for themselves, by infiltrating the tribe, even marrying members of it. This is the kind of movie in which we realize that Mollie, the woman Earnest marries to steal her oil titles, isn't unaware of Earnest's motives, and accepts him for her own unexpressed reasons. There are a number of remarkable faces in the supporting roles-- they look lived- in, and corrupt, and prematurely aged. I fully expected something of a diatribe about how ill-treated indigenous peoples were, but this film is better than that: we see how some of them were complicit in their own mis-management.
Leonardo DiCarprio, Robert De Niro, LIly Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, Janae Collins, Louis Cancelmi
Atlantic City is crumbling under the delusions of it's own aspirations: hotels are demolished and neighborhoods decay. It's a reflection of the characters in "Atlantic City", Lou, a small-time bookie with delusions of grandeur, Sally, an aspiring croupier stuck shucking oysters at a bar, and Chrissie and Dave, Sally's sister and ex-husband, who have stumbled into a packet of cocaine they lift from mobsters in Philadelphia (who, of course, are on their trail). Guare's story is filled with revelatory detail and nuance. It's a clever narrative, and Lancaster and Sarandon and McLaren bring his characters to vivid life. They each provide each other with support and deception; nobody is virtuous here, on the surface or deep down, but Lou and Sally find a space in which they can pretend and possibly really care for each other.
Susan Sarandon, Burt Lancaster, Hollis McLaren, Michel Piccoli, Robert Joy, Al Waxman, Moses Znaimer, Wallace Shawn
Excellent biographical study of Siegfried Sassoon who served in the British army in World War I while developing a reputation as a leading poet of his era. He was radically opposed to war and when he filed for "conscientious objector" status, the army administration sent to a sanitorium for therapy instead of court-martialing him. There he met a sympathetic (also homosexual) psychiatrist, and another leading poet, Wilfred Owen, who was sent back to the war and was killed. Brilliantly acted and film and deeply moving. The portrait of Sassoon is by no means that of a saint. He could be arrogant and intolerant. He married but ended up alone in the care of his son as his faculties declined. Davies mixes in extensive newsreel footage of the war, including the disfigurement, the bodies lying dead in the trenches, along with music from the era (as always in a Davies film). It closes with Owen's heartbreaking, powerful poem "Disabled". A really wonderful film.
Jack Lowden, Thom Ashley, Geraldine James, Simon Russell Beale, Richard Goulding, Peter Capaldi, Julian Sands, Matthew Tennyson, Kate Phillips, Gemma Jones
Catherine Sloper is supposed, in the original story, to be "plain", or "homely" so we have to overlook the fact that Olivia de Havilland is slumming herself here. Catherine is the daughter of Dr. Austin Sloper, a very rich medical doctor living in Washington Square in New York. He is rather contemptuous of her and when a suitor, Morris Townsend, comes calling-- for the first time ever-- he immediately suspects a gold-digger. He can't understand that any man would be attracted to his plain, charmless Catherine. It is a tribute to the sophistication of this story that Catherine's aunt Lavinia, watching events unfold carefully, argues that even if he is a gold-digger, it may all well be for the best for Catherine. Remarkably, Morris is quite open about his prospects. His isn't dishonest, really, at least not about his situation. But her father will have none of it and threatens to disinherit Catherine if she marries Morris. The give and take between her and her father and Morris on the subject is entrancing, subtle, open, suggestive, nuanced. There is a scene in which the father tells Lavinia and her sister that he has concluded that Morris is unworthy just as Catherine enters from upstairs: it is riveting, brilliantly acted, and powerful. Made in 1941, this film strikes many feminist tropes with acuity and wit, way before it became a fashion. Extremely well written and very, very well-acted by the three principles, especially Clift.
Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins, Vanessa Brown, Betty Linley
Fascinating, odd, dark animation of the Munchausen story, with a combination of live actors, artificial backgrounds, and animations. Beautiful sets, cleverly intermixed with actors and animations of bird and soldiers and horses. Begins in modernity with an astronaut, Tony, landing on the moon, meeting Cyrano De Bergerac and Baron Munchausen, among others, and embarks on an amazing journey, to a Sultan's palace where Munchausen slaughters tens of thousands of the Sultan's army, to the inside of a whale, to a fortress at which he rides a cannonball, and so on. Milos Kopekcy is actually quite engaging as the Baron, Rudolf Jelinek rather banal but serviceable as the astronaut, and various other actors effect as various friends of the Baron. Terry Gilliams take obviously owes much to this version, the shape of the whale, the cannonballs, even the reference to ladies undergarments-- but he could rest assured that almost nobody else will have seen it.
Milos Kopecky, Rudolf Jelinek, Jana Brejchova, Karel Hoger, Eduard Kohout, Jan Werich, Rudolf Hrusinksky, Zdenek Hodr, Nadezda Blazickova
The strength of this documentary on cross-dressing men from the 1950's and 60's is the drama of the interviews with interesting, self-aware subjects, the rhythm, the tempo of their expression, they way they relate the past to their present. They discuss the secret culture they embraced, their relationships with wives and children (when one of them revealed his fetish to his grown daughter she responded with relief: is that all it is? She thought he was having an affair). Susanna was a transwoman who provided a resort in the Catskills where transvestites could meet in safety, party, dance, put on shows, and circulate, without fear of discover (the doc reminds us that not only was cross-dressing not accepted in that time: it was illegal). Some had the surgeries. Most, apparently, were not homosexual, unless you count the ones who remained married to women (who sometimes accepted them as they were, after the initial shock), and had sexual relations with them. Some had children. A touching, tasteful, even-handed treatment of an issue that is even more sensitive today. Note that virtually all of them felt the urge when they were very young, not after they were influenced by other cross-dressers or anything else.
Betsy Wollheim, Gregory Bagarozy, Katherine Cummings, Diana Merry-Shapiro
Beautifully realized story about a smart, rational young woman, Leila, who desperately tries to manage her four brothers out of poverty by convincing them to invest in a shop at a local busy mall. The trouble is, they need the 50 gold pieces that dad has been clinging to in order to buy his way into the honorific of "family patriarch" (by making a lavish gift to his cousin's family at a wedding). Brother Alireza seems to have enough good sense to sway the others, but he is also deeply loyal to his father (though we learn that his father blocked his potential marriage to a young woman he cared about). When Leila makes a decisive move to obtain the mall slot, a major humiliation results in some intense family conflicts, and potential financial disaster. The fulcrum of the drama is the fact that Leila has no power of her own in Iran, and the brothers and father-- who do have the power are essentially fools. The father may be more than a self-centred fool: he may also be a liar. Absolutely fascinating story, an incisive look into a rich, exotic culture with many values and conventions foreign to us. The wedding scene is spectacular, beautifully realized, and entrancing. Impressive scenes with large crowds, at the factory, and the wedding.
Saeed Poursamimi, Taraneh Alidoosti, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Payman Maadi, Farhad Aslani, Nayereh Farahani, Mehdi Hosseininia, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi
Documentary made by Iranian woman (Farugh Farrokhzad) about the Bababaghi Hospice, a leper colony located in East Azerbaijan in Iran. Graphic depictions of the consequences of leprosy, the stunted arms and legs, skin peeling away, eyes, nose, mouth disfigured. Frightening if you are easily distressed by frank depictions of disfigurement and suffering, especially of children. Yet also shows joy, of the children playing with a ball and running and shouting, and people gathering for worship (Muslim), and sharing food. Shows sufferers being treated, waiting to be served food, returning their tin bowls, playing checkers, and so on. Haunting. Said to have stimulated the development of Iranian cinema.
Absolutely extraordinary animated tale about a wolf who haunts a child's dreams-- though one shouldn't impost too strict a narrative on this free-form, wildly imaginative, remarkable piece of animation. Norstein is famous for his utterly uncompromising approach to animation, to the point of animating individual rain-drops, and fingers, and eyes. The tone of the animation is bleak, dark, brooding, as was Norstein's childhood in a crowded boarding house without plumbing and with one light bulb for five families. Beautiful and austere and delightful at once. Some have creditably named this one of the greatest animations of all time. One should not over-look the technical limitations of the era, but they are more than made up for with the sheer meticulousness of Norstein's work. Norstein's own story is tragic: he was offered help by other more prosperous animators, including Nick Park and Hayao Miyazaki, but declined it, as if it would impinge on the purity of vision. A shame because his current project is Gogol's "Overcoat" and he's been working on it for 40 years and is only 1/3 done-- and he's over 80.
Based on the book, "American Prometheus", by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, a riveting, exciting, noisy, intense take on Oppenheimer the man, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy is exceptional as the title character, though he occasionally descends into mumblecore, along with Downey Jr. as Strauss, as the film follows his trials and triumphs, the success, and the tragedy of his monumental career. Never one of the sharpest minds on physics, it was his management of the Manhattan project that brought him fame, and his association with admitted communists that brought his downfall, and his character that ultimately vindicated him. There is a long list of supporting characters, uniformly well-acted, and a lot of special effects that are balanced nicely with thoughtful, lingering sequences extracting the issues involved. Some critics have complained that the film doesn't dumb the issues down-- but that would only be at expense of the drama: people don't, of course, in real life, explain everything to an imaginary tv viewer. I cannot fault much about the film-- perhaps too much music (over almost everything) and the sound mix, particularly dialogue, was a bit strange (a deficiency I also noted in Nolan's "Tenet").
Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti, Josh Hartnett, Florence Pugh, Jefferson Hall
Nora and Hae Sung are school mates in Korea until Nora's family moves to Canada when they are 12. Years later, Hae Sung, fondly remembering their relationship, looks up Nora, and then video-phones her. They engage in a delicate friendly perhaps romantic relationship via the internet for a time, before Nora decides that she wants to focus on her life in New York and stops the contacts. Years go by. She meets and marries Arthur. Then Hae Sung contacts her again and informs her that he wants to see New York. And a delicate, exquisite dance of friendship and unrequited love ensues. This film took a long time to win me over: the acting is really not very good, and the cinematography is banal. But the film remains authentic and real to its core, never veering into contrivance or melodrama, and the result is a very affecting, nearly tragic sequence of believable steps in the relationships in which someone is inevitably going to not get what he wants. An adult film in the truest sense: adult emotions, realistic dialogue (which sounds quite natural and evocative), and realistic situations.
Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah, Leem Seung-min
Lizzy is a ceramic artist. Jo is her landlord. Her brother Sean is unstable and she worries about him. Her dad and mom are separated. She works for her mom. She is about to put on a show of her work but is diverted by a pigeon her cat tried to kill. After about an, hour you think, nothing happens in this film. Nothing at all. Yet, I found it mesmerizing, precisely because everything that happens is so real and normal and everyday. No big confrontations. No fights. No big revelations. Just a resolutely determined portrait of an artist and her interactions with family and friends, to whom she is unfailingly short and sometimes rude. The music, which mostly arises from sources within the scene, is outstanding-- all original, unknown pieces. Reichardt says it's a movie that "deconstructs" artistic genius, showing that it is mostly hard work and determination and dedication. It's a film that makes you reflect on what a film should be, and how it should work, and how the simple act of dramatizing real life can have a profound effect on a sensitive viewer. It's about "showing up" to do the work, as she does with her films. For a patient, thoughtful viewer, this, like her other films, is a treasure.
Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Andrew 3000, Todd-o-Phonic Todd, Lauren Lakis, Denzel Rodriguez, Maryann Plunkett, Heather Lawless, John Magaro
An Australian film made by a Macedonian/Australian director set in 19th century Macedonia and based on folk tales heard by Stolevski about witches and transformation. An "ancient spirit" -- or witch--appears after a child, Nevena, is born to a woman in a small mountain village. The woman promises that if the witch leaves her child, she will turn her over when she is 16. The witch agrees but the mother tries to hide her daughter in a cave, in vain: the witch appears as promised and transforms into the mother and then takes the daughter. The daughter becomes a witch and uses her transformative power to take the form of several humans, and animals, including a young man, a woman, and a young girl who falls in love with a boy her age and eventually marries him. And then, of course, the ancient spirit reappears demanding her "due". Sensuously filmed immersed in the homely details of 19th century rural life, the film intrigues even as it mystifies. The hand-held camera work is somewhat annoying but many scenes remain hair-raising, especially when set against the rustic peasant life of the era, managing farm animals, pigs, and sheep, harvesting, and celebrating. The point of all this is a poetic, artistic take on the gradual consciousness Nevena acquires as she begins to understand nature and human society. When her husband attempts sex with her, she is baffled and reacts violently, but later she is entranced with the male's boy, especially as she remembers the boyish form of her new husband. Nevena is barely functional in this society and only gradually learns how to perform her chores and tasks, as she becomes aware of how the men dominate and take what they will when they wish it. The dark, brooding tale eventually resolves into an affirmation of life and love and family, while acknowledging the dark elements that are expressed in Nevena's encounters. I'm not sure it all works. The voice-over narrative is more allusive than suggestive, and often too vague and sophomoric to provide any richness. But the vivid, detailed setting, costumes, buildings, and courageous performances stand out.
Alice Englert, Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Felix Maritaud, Sara Klimoska, Carloto Cotta, Arta Dobroshi, Verica Nedeska
A famous film-maker attends a retrospective of his work encountering diverse fans and memories of former lovers and strange Felliniesque characters rising from his disturbed imagination. And yes, even aliens. Allen's most impressionistic, art-house take on the role of the artist in society and the role of women in the life of the artist along with the usual Allen tropes (what is the meaning of life? Isn't anyone concerned about the fact that matter is decaying, or that the sun will go super-nova in ten million years? Fans insisting he give them more laughs). Startling depiction of fans, too close to reality to dismiss as parody. They all love all his films, they have ideas for him, they can act, they have a screenplay he should read, they wonder if he is making secret allusions to obscure religious texts, and so on. Ebert says Allen is indicting his fans, and himself in this film. Shrill. Inspired by "8 1.2" by Fellini and "Wild Strawberries" by Bergman, but more caustic and perhaps pointless. Beautifully filmed and directed-- one is impressed at the long, close- in sequences of groups of people, sometimes grotesque people, all begging Sandy to make more funny films or listen to them or come to their charity event. One is always ambivalent (or should be) about works of art that savage the fans of the art, a dilemma faced by Dylan and Kurt Cobain and Picasso, among others. There was a point at which Cobain acknowledged that his fans had become the very people he was singing about in his most caustic songs. Fans famously dug through Dylan's garbage cans. I admit that I found the hostility in these sequences so nasty that I disregarded that tone automatically before realizing that perhaps Allen is as serious about it as it seems. I can only rationalize he probably thinks that its a broader comment on humanity itself and not just his fans. But again, the satire is too close to the bone to dismiss as targeting only the awful fans; it seems to point to any Woody Allen fan. Yet I would argue that both Siskel and Ebert were overly hostile to the film. The cinematography and camera-work alone are worth the price of admission and there really is not a single dull scene. Seen as a comment on fans, yes, its misanthropic, but seen as a comment on the artist, it's far more interesting and rich.
Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, Tony Roberts, Daniel Stern, Anne De Salvo, Leonardo Cimino, Helen Hanft
Unusually tasteful, restrained, and compelling documentary of Canadian folk-singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. What shines most brilliantly is Lightfoot's candor, integrity, and meticulous devotion to his craft. Interviews with Murray McLachlan, Sarah McLachlan, Ian Tyson, Sylvia Tyson, and others pay tribute but also highlight his style of performance and his remarkable song-writing craft-- Lightfoot even writes his own charts composes using notation. He discusses his iconic "For Lovin' Me" with self-deprecating honesty (he has refused to perform it for 20 years) and his period of alcoholism (he eventually quit drinking). He wanders around Toronto with a film crew without any visible handlers or bodyguards. He drives himself, mostly. He clearly loves women and admits he has had multiple relationships (and two marriages, and six children-- that we know of). We learn that "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was, amazingly, recording in one session, the first time performed by the ensemble (he did more takes but they couldn't match that first one). The film scans a catalog of cover versions of his songs, including the weird and wonderful. One of the better musical documentaries out there.
Gordon Lightfoot, Burton Cummings, Randy Bachman, Geddy Lee, Anne Murray, Murray McLachlan, Sylvia Tyson, Ian Tyson, Ronnie Hawkins, Steve Earle
Charming, honest, nuanced vision of the trials and tribulations of 16- year-old Nadine, focused surprisingly on her anger at best friend Krista who has taken up a relationship with her brother Darian, but diverting into her crush on a buy working at pet food store and her clueless relationship with Erwin, a very likeable, kind boy, who clearly has a crush on her. Smart movie that dodges the obvious pitfalls and cliches. Nadine has a sassy relationship with teacher Mr. Bruner played with elegance and grace and wit by Woody Harrelson. Her dad died of a heart attack with her in the car and she nurses a grievance but she is no innocent victim of a cruel society. Nadine herself is often mean, indifferent, or just plain cruel to others, and always quite self-centred and self-pitying. Thank god. This makes the film far deeper and more affecting than one would expect. Every potential melodrama is quickly skewered with witty exchanges. Resolutions are moderated tastefully. Nadine learns and expands her judgement without contrition or repentance or contrivance. Superbly acted, particularly by Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine, and Harrelson. Reminiscent of "Spectacular Now" in it's sensitive, kind evocation of teenaged angst. Reminiscent also of John Hughes films but without the smarm or the compromises.
Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgewick, Woody Harrelson, Hayden Szeto, Alexander Calvert, Eric Keenleyside
Powerful suspense drama about a newspaper journalist and his team (emphasis on team) that uncover a nefarious plot revolving around the death (apparent suicide) of a young researcher for an up-and-coming member of Parliament, Stephen Collins. Collins was having an affair with Sonia Baker and apparently was about to leave his wife for her when she stepped in front of a subway train. But there is a murder of a messenger boy on the same day and a reporter discovers a phone call between the two that leads them to gradually unravel a large story about corrupt influence of a committee studying oil energy headed by Collins. Superbly acted, meticulously detailed and accurate, flawed by a slightly melodramatic ending in which a key figure breaks down and confesses when an astute viewer can perceive a clear path to plausible denial more consistent with the character.
Marc Warren, Shauna Macdonald, David Morrisey, Rebekah Staton, James McAvoy, Kelly Macdonald, John Simon, Tom Burke, Bendict Wong, Bill NIghy, Johann Myers, Polly Walker, Philip Glenister, Amelia Bullmore
Exquisitely beautiful story about Italian peasants from Sicily emigrating to America. We follow them from the rugged hilltops where they seek wisdom and advice from an old woman to the town where they sell their livestock to the port where they are herded like chattel into the hold of a steamship all the way to quarantine on Ellis Island. The scene of the ship slowly drawing away from the dock as the immigrants silently stare at their families watching from shore is transfixing, as is scenes of them waiting for their destined marriage partners on Ellis Island. Remarkable large crowd scenes. The faces that are consistenly convincing. In its sheer raw beauty, reminiscent of "The Emigrants" and its sequel, "The Immigrants" with Von Sydow.
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincent Amato, Vincent Schiavelli, Aurora Quattrocchi, Francesco Casisa, Filippo Pucillo, Federica De Cola, Isabella Ragonese
Based on a true story. Leslie is an alcoholic and we are plunged right into the detritus of her broken life, the severed relationships, and the bitterness of former friends and family. Leslie is famous in her town for winning a huge lottery and then squandering all the money in a flash on parties and drink. She has become an alcoholic and has now reached bottom and returns to her home town to look for some place to crash while scratching for her next hit. She visits her son but he's on to her and when she sneaks drink into his apartment, he kicks her out. She tries a friend, Nancy, but she and her current partner, Dutch, have just as little tolerance for her, and are bitter about previous incidents. She ends up at hotel that seems as worn out and exhausted as her, and the compassionate manager hires her as a maid while trying to encourage her to straighten out. She keeps testing his patience with drink and lateness and he keeps giving her second chances. No answers come easy or smoothly here, and nothing is soft-pedalled until, perhaps, the end that injects a bit of constrained optimism into the proceedings. Remarkably well-acted and directed and written. She will be nominated (she is) for best actress but likely will lose to Cate Blanchett for "Tar".
Andrea Riseborough, Allison Janney, Stephen Root, Marc Maron, Owen Teague
Based on the novel by Annie Ernaux, who, we are told, based it on her own experiences. Anne Duchesne is a young student at an academy in France in 1963, at a time when abortion is strictly illegal in France (as it was in Italy, Ireland, and many other developed countries). We follow her experience, through her eyes and her reactions, as she discovers her condition and desperately tries to find a way to terminate her pregnancy so she can continue her studies. Her doctor is appalled that she would even consider it and prescribes a medication that he says will restore her periods; we find out he is not straight with her. She contacts the father but he offers no help. She talks to a lothario because she assumes he will know somebody who can help, but he does not. In one grim, frightening scene, she attempts an abortion on herself but fails. During this major distraction, her grades fall and one of her teachers warns her that she won't qualify for university if she doesn't improve. "The Happening" is unusually explicit and frank-- one admires the courage of Anamaria Vartolomei for taking on the role-- and beautifully acted. One is also aware of the economy of the film: there are no wide shots of streets or buildings that would suggest the era it is set in. But in this era of the Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, this is a timely, important film.
Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luana Bajrami, Louise Orry-Diquero, Pio Marmai, Louise Chevillotte, Sandrine Bonnaire
Fascinating tale about a female conductor generally focused on the issue of whether or not an artists work should be judged against his or her personal qualities and behavior. Lydia Tar is a brilliant conductor with prestigious gigs with the Berlin Philharmonic and other world-class orchestras. She composes, she conducts, she is a rare winner of the EGOT (Emmy Grammy Oscar and Tony) awards. She is a lesbian in a long-standing personal relationship with Sharon Goodnow, and has a loyal but increasingly skeptical assistant, Francesca, and an inappropriate interest in a young cellist, Olga Metkina, for whom she displays some detected favoritism. And there is an issue: a former member of a program she created to encourage young women conductors, Krista Taylor, has committed suicide. Lydia receives a gift from her as she is flying to Berlin, a book called "Challenge". She instructs her assistant to delete any emails that reference her and it becomes apparent that after her relationship with Taylor deteriorated, she blacklisted her from working with any other orchestras. Her mother is suing and the media uncover the story. An edited video of her making racist and sexist comments to a student at Julliard is circulated. Her career is destroyed. Beautifully filmed and brilliantly acted (I will surprised if Blanchett does not get the Oscar for this hard-hitting, controversial film), and with flourishes of brilliant writing (Lydia's discussion with students about music and conducting and the relationship of art with life, after a gay student complains that Bach had too many children for him to be "into" his music). The orchestral scenes are also brilliant as Field made use of real musicians (including Olga, a real cellist who auditioned for the acting role on the suggestion of a friend) and, apparently, real live performances. Slips up a bit towards the end with a rather melodramatic sequence of her downfall, her shattered self-control, and descent into conducting video game orchestras somewhere in Asia, for an audience of cosplayers. Moments of astonishing resonance and acute dissection filmed in wonderful locations, patiently, incisively.
Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Noemie Merlant, Adam Gopnik, Sylvia Flote, Mark Strong, Mila Bogojevic
Excellent but grim drama about one of the most notorious serial killers of the last half-century, Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed 17 or possibly more men between 1980 and 1991. Superbly acted, especially by Richard Jenkins as the conflicted, loyal dad, and Molly Ringwald as his second wife, Dahmer's step-mother, Sheri. But the rest of the cast is also excellent: the directors obviously were able to derive good performances from the entire ensemble. Sensitive to charges of glamorizing and evil person, the series takes some serious time to give details about several victims and their families, and is quite even-handed in it's handling of politicians like Jesse Jackson and the police, in spite of what must have been a strenuous temptation to caricature. Dahmer is, as should be, a bit of blank, a vacuum without soul or heart or empathy. Most people crave some explanation or cause that can blamed, named, and scapegoated, but "Dahmer" won't give it. His father blames the mother's use of drugs and his mother blames the father's love of science but it is clear that Dahmer is his own monster, and one has a hard time believing in his late-term conversion to Christianity.
Evan Peters, Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald, Niecy Nash, Michael Beach, Colby French, Michael Learned, Khetphet Phagnasay, Dyllon Burnshide, Rodney Burford
Corrosive, disturbing story about a Japanese woman, Tome Matsuki, who grows up in a very backwards, rural community called Tohoku in the early 1900's as the concubine of her step-father, Chuji, with his wife's knowledge and extended family's cackling implicit consent. As a very young girl, she says "we're married, aren't we?" to Chuji. The film doesn't present these incidents as a horrible crisis to be resolved in some way. Tome is loyal to her step-father her entire life. She grows up, is raped, and becomes pregnant and gives birth to a daughter (whom the aunties want to "get rid of") and leaves her daughter in Tohoku to earn money in the city during the war. She leaves their small community and ends up in Tokyo She is recruited by a weird religious cult to which she confesses having sex with her employer, and then is recruited by a madam who turns her (unwillingly, she asserts) into a prostitute. Unwillingly-- but she takes the money, with no reasonable alternatives available to her. She is exploited but, in the oddly perverse universe of this film (which is not to say it wasn't true) she eventually turns the tables on the Madame, only to eventually find herself in the same situation-- as the Madame-- explaining to one of her workers why she needs to take 30% of her income to provide a place to meet clients and to feed her. A sugar-daddy, Kurasawa comes along, who borrows money from her to start a business but eventually betrays her as well, and takes up an affair with her adult daughter, Nobuko. But Nobuko, growing up in a different era, is no patsy and turns the tables on Karasawa and her mother. The narrative doesn't do justice to the corrosive portrayal of various women and men who contribute in their own ways to Tome's economic slavery and exploitation. She has sex with men who have power over her, to feed her or not, employ her or not, pay her off, or not. The cackling aunties mockingly reference "plowing" and fornication as if it was a natural thing one will deny but must expect, and no-one should be too snotty about virtue or purity. Nobuko, strikingly, has more options: she wants to start a farm with her boyfriend and she is seen, at one point, driving a bulldozer herself to prepare the farmland, just before we see Tome, at the end of her string, one supposes, ambling up the mountain in her kimono as her shoes get coated in mud and eventually break on the rugged path. But even Nobuko uses sex to get what she wants. It's hard to avoid seeing the film as cynical but one should also consider that in 1961 the feminist narrative had yet to be imposed on the social practices that Imamura describes here leaving him free show the complicity he perceives in the women around Tome.
Sachiko Hidari, Seizaburo Kawazu, Kazuo Kitamura, Teruko Kishi, Emiko Alzawa, Emiko Azuma, Sumie Sasaki, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Masumi Harukawa, Jitsuko Yoshimura
Seemingly a slight, meandering drama about an art dealer in Paris who one day finds a Jewish newspaper on his doorstep. Turns out there is another Mr. Klein in town, and Klein becomes obsessed with tracking down the Jewish Klein, and asserting his own pure French racial credentials. In the meantime, he takes advantage of some desperate Jews selling their artworks for cash, for whatever he will offer. Yes, it becomes Kafkaesque and difficult to credit at times, but there is a sequence of the French police and Germans rounding up Jews for deportation that is stunningly rendered, with large crowds of real people, trucks, trains, guards, and so on-- you just don't see this kind of meticulous recreation very much anymore. And there is a meeting on that train in the end that brilliantly evokes the consequences of moral compromise. Losey gets a lot out of his actors who are convincing and evocative, and one is often blown away by the detail he brings to scenes of powerful emotional resonance.
Alain Delon, Jeanne Moreau, Francine Berge, Julie Berto, Michael Londsdale
Norman is an American soldier without connection to a home or family or friends. He is assigned to a detail in Poland, in the immediate post-war period, where he sees a young woman an rather immediately falls in love with her. They don't speak the same language, and they can't even find a translator for most of their interactions, but he nevertheless tries to persuade her to follow him to America, marry him, and settle in on a farm in Kansas. But she has an invalid mother, and a Jewish friends, a survivor of Auschwitz, and it is difficult to get someone out of Poland at the time. This is a quiet, thoughtful, understated drama about love and need and the tragedy of war as it extends into everything afterwards: relationships, buildings, homes, hunger and longing. Does not soft-pedal or sentimentalize the issues involved. Well-acted and filmed.
Scott Wilson, Maja Komorowska, Hanna Skarzanka, Eva Dalkowska, Vadim Glowna, Danny Webb
A synopsis of this film would sound glib and trite compared to the experience of seeing it: Anne, a beautiful young woman, interviews a family friend about her great aunt Olivia, the wife of a British officer, who created a scandal in the 1920's in India when she had an affair with a local war-lord. In the process of uncovering details of the affair, in India, Anne finds herself becoming more open to exotic, unusual experiences, and the sights and sounds of the exotic land she is in. This is one of those beautiful period pieces where one marvels at he recreation of large-scale scenes with large crowds and spectacular locations. Brilliantly acted and filmed, this is perhaps not as accessible as "Howard's End" or "Remains of the Day"-- and not as obvious-- but just as worthy. Olivia is a fascinating, if not all too unfamiliar character: naïve and inquisitive, impulsive, and daring. Her husband, Douglas, wants her to go to Simla for the summer, to avoid the intense heat of Satipur, but she refuses because she thinks she would be bored. She meets "the Nawab", a local prince or warlord, at a party he hosts for this British subjugators. He resents the way the British are trying to ease him out and sees a chance to exact a revenge.
Julie Christie, Greta Scacchi, Christopher Cazenove, Julian Glover, Susan Fleetwood, Patrick Godfrey, Shashi Kapoor, Madhur Jaffrey, Nickolas Grace, Charles McCaughan, Sajid Khan, Zakir Hussain
Screenplay by John Gregory Dunne and his wife Joan Didion. Inspired by the notorious "Black Delilah" murder case in Los Angeles in 1947, at least in terms of the murder incidental to the real story: corruption and the church. Robert De Niro is the good brother, the ambitious priest, Des Spellacy. He is an honest priest but willing to make compromises for the good of "mother church". His brother, Tom Spellacy is a worldy detective who used to run favors for a brothel owned by Jack Amsterdam, who is now a wealthy builder eager to rehabilitate his reputation by lavishing gifts upon the church. Dunne has a feel for power relationships-- it is clear that Des Spellacy knows what's what in the church hierarchy, and it is clear that Amsterdam knows it too. The narrative concerns Amsterdam's offer to build a new catholic school in a development project and the church hierarchy's willingness to overlook his "colorful" personal qualities for the money. But not willing to overlook everything. When Amsterdam becomes associated with the unsavory life of a beautiful murder victim, all of the parties as forced into distressing maneuvers to avert disaster. An unforgettable scene representative of the the film: the parents of the victim arrive in the big city to take home their daughter's body. Beautifully written and acted, the touching naivete of the parents, Tom's sensitivity to them, and the touching effort of the dad to evoke his daughter's good qualities-- unforgettable. The same with a scene in which Duvall physically attacks Amsterdam at a testimonial event: one is deeply impressed by the authentic feel of the scene, even as one is disbelieving of the possibility it would really happen. Duvall and McMillan as his sidekick are outstanding, as is most of the other roles. I'm not sure about De Niro's interpretation of Des Spellacy. Duvall is absolutely a hard-boiled detective and McMillan as his worldly-wise cynical deputy, but De Niro often seems sophomoric and deliberate as Monsignor Spellacy.
Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Kenneth McMillan, Charles Durning, Ed Flanders, Cyril Cusack, Rose Gregorio, Jeanette Nolan
Stevens is the butler to Lord Darlington and on the day of a fox hunt he hires Miss Kenton as housekeeper. Their relationship is tentative at first with a few tensions developing over their contrasting feelings about loyalty and service. Stevens maintains his rigorous, dedicated resolve of unfailing service to Lord Darlington even when he is forced to make moral compromises to fulfill his duties, while Miss Kenton is more flexible and more in tune with her own feelings. Lord Darlington is an incipient Nazi who uses his position to attempt to facilitate a peaceful arrangement with Germany, even to the point of setting up a meeting with Chamberlain and a German embassy. Miss Kenton is clearly attracted to Stevens and he is clearly attracted to Miss Kenton but trapped in his own rigid sense of conformity and emotional reserve. The tragedy is clearly that he is unable to break through this wall to his own severe disadvantage: the parting helicopter shot moving away from Darlington Hall conveying just how constricted and unfulfilling Stevens entire life of service was, providing one of the most melancholy and tragic closing scenes in a film since the cemetery walk in "The Third Man". An absolutely satisfying and brilliant film. Nominated for seven Oscars but won none. Seriously? Hanks for "Philadelphia" over Anthony Hopkins?
Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Christopher Reeve, James Fox, Peter Vaughan, Ben Chaplin, Hugh Grant, Peter Cellier
The best films open up a hitherto unknown world to the viewer and give an authentic experience of the sights, sounds, textures, and culture of that world. That is what this searing film does for the porn industry, better than any other film I know of. Bella is a young woman from Sweden who willingly enters into the porn industry with the goal of becoming a star. Along the way, she discovers that to obtain the best, powerful agent, and the best productions, she has to engage in some splintering intense scenes, violent, explicit, and sometimes degrading. But this is not a world of villains and angels. Most of the actors and directors she works with are professional and relatively considerate, as long as she is a willing player. When it is too much for her, she is asked to leave. It's a world of greys, as much as we might prefer to see the producers and male consumers of porn as villains, "Pleasure" doesn't let you off the hook. Bella wants the attention, the status of a top star. She willingly offers herself for roles that she knows will be physically demanding, and toughens herself up to make the compromises necessary for top billing. But some of the compromises are the way she treats her friends in the industry, and the way she betrays some of them to get what she wants. I believe this is far more realistic portrayal than we would be led to believe, and a sadder one, a bleaker one, because it is more authentic and more powerful. And what meaning is added by the ethereal operatic music over some scenes, lifting or lowering them into a mystical experience? I don't know. Beautifully acted and filmed, populated by many actual porn actors and producers, and rich in detail and nuance, a worthwhile journey which may be stomach- churning for some. This is a remake of the same film-yes- by the same director from 2013 which seems to have a much lower IMDB rating.
Sofia Kappel, Zelda Morrison, Evelyn Claire, Chris Cock, Danda DeArmond, Kendra Spade, Jason Toler, Mark Spiegler, Axel Braun
Note: was remade in 2011, in 3D. In 1630 Japan, a unemployed samurai, Chijiiwa Motome, requests permission from a powerful clan, the Iyi, to commit seppuku in the courtyard of the Shogun's compound, a "honorable" ritual that involves assistance from an esteemed retainer. But with a lot samurai's out of work due to peace between the warlords, the Iyi suspect it is a bluff to extort some cash or a cushy retainer position from the clan. So they call the bluff and, to the horror of the samurai, arrange the ritual, making it almost impossible for him to evade completion of the ritual, though he begs for a two-day reprieve so he can arrange things for his wife and son. It is denied. It is also discovered that his samurai sword is actually bamboo: clearly, it was an attempt to extort money with no expectation of the honorable discharge of his duty. He is brutally forced to complete the seppuku using the bamboo sword, and cruelly mocked by Hayato, Umenosuke, and Hikokuro. A year later, another samurai, Tsugumo Hanshiro arrives making the same demand. He is warned of the fate of the last samurai making such a demand but he persists. The Iyi receive him and prepare to force him to complete the ritual as well, but when he demands, as his second, Hayato, and then Umenosuke, and then Hikokuro, it is found that all three are home claiming to be ill and refusing to attend. This gives Tsugumo time to relate his story. We find out that Motome was his adopted son, married to his daughter, father of young Kango. When his daughter and grandson became ill, Motome sold his swords to pay for a doctor. When that ran out, he was forced to make the suicide gamble, with no expectation that he would be taken up on it. This revelation exposes the cruel barbarity and hollowness of the bushido code. It is nothing more than a façade, a fraud. With that, he takes on the Iyi retainers killing 4 and wounding 9 before they kill him. We then hear Saito, the senior counsellor of the clan, declare that the retainers died of "illness" and nobody must ever learn of the disgrace, so that the myth of bushido can be perpetuated. History is written by the victors. Though "Hara-Kiri" is quite formal and schematic at times, and perhaps not up to the Kurosawa measure, it is a powerful story, beautifully filmed and acted, and captivating in its immersion in a strange culture in a strange land in a strange time.
Tatsuy Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsuro Tanba, Masao Mishima, Ichiro Nakatani
Yes, written by the esteemed Thorton Wilder ("Our Town"). Reputedly, Hitchcock's own favorite from all of his films. Charlie Newton, a teenage girl, adores her Uncle Charlie (for which she was named) who is coming to visit his sister and brother-in-law and stay for a while in their lovely house in a small town in California. But something is a bit off. He seems guarded and mysterious at times, and a ring he gives Charlie has initials engraved on the inside of it-- why? Then two men show up at the house pretending to be taking some kind of poll while clearly more interested in something else. Charlie Newton begins to suspect something is up. This part of the film is deeply suspenseful and downright chilling at times. This is an intelligent script that lets a smart viewer believe in the situations that develop, and the reactions of characters, like Emma, the sister, who casually overlooks some of Uncle Charlies more outrageous statements about widowed women. Based on a real life criminal who was hanged in Canada, Uncle Charlie is disturbingly cool and calculating. There are sequences that also highlight how things have changed, such as the intimacy displayed (at first) between Uncle Charlie and his niece, who adores him. The family also goes to church, and makes short-shrift of the children's bad manners. A beautifully craft, clever, compelling story with one jarring scene at the end that just didn't seem believable today and seemed calculated just to bring closure to the cycle of tension and release established early on. A really remarkable film, and, indeed, possibly Hitchcock's best.
Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, MacDonald Carey, Hume Cronym, Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge, Wallace Ford, Edna May Wonacott
Extraordinary black and white film about the five years of Frederick Delius' life when Eric Fenby, after hearing a piece of Delius' music on the radio and the fact that he was paralyzed and blind, offered to act as his amanuensis and aid him in composing new works. "Song of Summer" is lyrical and poetic and wonderfully fresh. Delius was not self-pitying or morose: he was rude sometimes and unkind to his wife, and to Eric, but he was also spirited and enthusiastic in spite of his disabilities (which were mainly caused by syphilis-- he frequently cheated on his wife, Jelka during the early years of the marriage). Once he and Eric worked out a method of composing together, their partnership became quite productive. The scenes of their collaboration reminds one of the scene in "Amadeus" where Salieri plays the same role as Eric Fenby to Mozart, in composing the "Requiem". I was delighted to see actor Christopher Gable actually play the piano during those remarkable scenes. Nor is Eric Fenby the passive sympathizer we expect: he attends church which invites Delius' mockery, and he is offended on behalf of Jelka when Delius ridicules the institution of marriage. Quite the opposite of "The Sea Inside": Delius, paralyzed, blind, nevertheless embraces what is left of his life and continues to compose and listen to music and enjoy the nature around his beautiful home in France. And in spite of their differences, Fenby was inspired by him and later established himself as a music teacher and composer. Ken Russell himself believes this is his best film.
Max Adrian, Christopher Gable, Maureen Pryor, David Collings, Norman James, Roger Worrod, Elizabeth Ercy
Charming film about an old man who indulges in a whacky crusade to get the British government to provide free BBC to older people. He tries petitions and civil disobedience but when a famous painting of the Duke of Wellington disappears from a London museum it is clear he may have gone too far. There is a trial, and a twist, and rousing finish that doesn't come off as too contrived-- it is a true story-- and it's an enjoyable film at least partly because you are not likely to know the outcome of this below-the-radar story from the 1960's. Kempton Bunton was autodidact who wrote plays and drove a taxi and annoyed his long- suffering wife, Dorothy, with his tilting at windmills. He even spent 13 days in prison for refusing to pay the TV licensing fee. Broadbent and Mirren are very good in performances utterly free of vanity or pretense, and the recreation of that drab era in Britain is effective if depressing. It's a feel-good movie that doesn't make you feel compromised.
Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Matthew Goode, Jack Dandeira
Impressionist biographical story of Monsieur de Sainte Colombe, a French composer who refused, by 17th century standards, to sell out (by taking an appointment at the court). Colombe's wife dies young leaving him with two daughters, Madeleine and Toinette, whom he schools devoutly in music, while composing baroque masterworks of his own. The family give concerts and come to the attention of Versailles (Louis XIV) but de Colombe rejects the facile trinkets of the world for a pure devotion to his music. His student, Marin Marais, is constantly castigated for his shallow artistry: "you make music; you are not a musician". But Marais develops well-enough to be called to Versailles and unlike de Colombe succumbs to vanity and materialism and becomes famous. And, of course, he breaks Madeleine's heart. Her love for Marin is as pure as her father's for music and she starves herself to death in desolation. Beautifully filmed, demanding of the listener, lavish with the music that made de Colombe famous after his death.
Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Anne Brochet, Guillaume Depardieu, Carole Richert, Michel Bouquet, Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Fascinating piece of arcana, a film shot in the Ukraine with mostly people of the Hutsuls from the local villages where the film was shot, "on location", featuring richly detailed customs and practices of the Hutsul people. Ivan falls in love with Marichka, his childhood friend and crush, gets her pregnant, but while he is off shepherding in the mountains, she drowns in an accident and he is forced to live out his life in tragic deprivation, though he eventually marries a lustful village girl without really giving up his love for the dead Marichka. When Palagna, his new wife, fails to conceive, he becomes even more obsessed with Marichka's grave. Completely un-Hollywood in film technique (like panning quickly, from right to left, through a forest to find various actors in costume on horseback). And some very striking images of villagers in costume, or enacting marriage ceremonies.
Ivan Mikolaychuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva, Spartak Bagashvili, Nikolay Grinko, Aleksandr Gai, Nina Alisova, Aleksandr Raydanov, Neonila Gnepovskaya
Yusuke Kafuku is a director/actor whose life begins to play out like the Chekhov play he is eventually tasked to direct in Hiroshima. His wife, who has had several affairs that he knows about, dies suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. Their only child died years early, when she was four. He is beset by melancholy when he arrives in Hiroshima, where, because of theatre policy, he is attached to a driver, a young woman named Misaki Watari, who becomes his taciturn companion and, increasingly, friend, as he navigates his sorrows, the process of casting and rehearsing "Uncle Vanya". Among the cast is a young man he knows had an affair with his wife. Slow-moving at times, or elegiac, "Drive My Car" proceeds with stately sequences, patiently building a drama about loss and sorrow and the role of drama in exploring our own feelings about our past in future. In one remarkable scene, a deaf actor, who communicates in sign language, delivers a keynote speech from the play, and her hands and face become a marvel of tonality and subtlety. The sequence goes on far longer than you expect, and resonates far more deeply.
Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Reika Kirishima, Yoo-rim Park, Dae-Young Jin, Masaki Okada
George and Phil Burbank, brothers, own and manage a large ranch in Montana, and have an uneasy but settled relationship: George is a bit overweight, and not as capable as his brother, and Phil likes to call him "fatso". When George meets a woman named Rose Gordon, a single mother with a teenage son, Peter, and takes a serious interest in her, the effects reverberate through the ranch in unexpected ways. Rose plays piano but her loneliness is not obviated by her new relationship. Peter is so obviously gay that the drama doesn't even start there. He's also smart and tactful and he understands more than he lets on. Plemons and Cumberbatch are simply wonderful as brothers who don't like each other much but have learned to accommodate each other well enough to manage. George is used to the insults, and Phil knows better than the press too far. George takes a risk with Rose but then he is inattentive and insensitive and you realize that anything more than that was never in the books and Rose seems to realize it too. Haunting; superbly acted and tense, beautifully filmed with a striking musical soundtrack, "Power of the Dog" is one of the best films of 2021.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Unkind film about two self-centred parents who split up and squabble over custody of Maisie, a seven-year-old, who is remarkably adaptable without being too remarkable. While both parents claim to adore her, they each make decisions that clearly place their own ambitions ahead of her welfare. In steps a babysitter and the mother's new lover. Beautifully acted, especially by Onata Aprile as Maisie, and wonderfully intelligent: with the exception of a coda, the relations between adults and children are believable and compelling. In the end, a bit of idealism intrudes but not enough to spoil the over-all impression of a smart, insightful look at a separation from the child's point of view.
Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Joanna Vanderham, Alexander Skarsgard, Onata Aprile,
Searing drama about a Republican political leader who is forced into hiding after Franco's forces seize the government in 1936 Spain and start executing members of the opposition. He is prepared and has built a small space behind a shelf in his house. Eventually he moves to slightly larger space in his father's house. And there he remains for 30 years as Franco rules and continues to persecute leftists. But the story is really about Higinio's insularity and fear of exposure like something that could simply be a personality trait. His wife, Rosa, wants to stretch out, have a child, go to the coast, but is inhibited by Higinio's fear of being caught and executed. The film keeps us in his claustrophobic environment to the end, with a focus on how it has left him with a constricted, wasted life, and how it has robbed Rosa of the full expression of her marriage and love. Complications-- give the film strong tension-- ensue, including an amorous Rodrigo, a soldier in Franco's guard, who tries to rape Rosa, and Gonzalo, whose brother may have been betrayed by Higinio (and executed) It's a haunting, sad portrait (based on, or inspired by fact) that leaves you considering what opportunities in your own life you may have passed over out of fear or timidity. Key to this understanding is the fact that Higinio is no hero of the revolution: he appears to have been complicit in some of the excesses of the Republican government, and, perhaps, a coward, for hiding instead of finding a way to escape or fight.
Antonio De la Torre, Belen Cuesta, Vicente Vergara, Jose Manuel Poga, Emilio Palacios, Joaquin Gomez
I knew nothing about this film, except that some critics liked it, before we started watching. It got better and better. Very well-written and acted, and far more reliable than the usual "true story". Katherine Gun was a young analyst with British Intelligence when a memo crossed her desk that clearly implied that the U.S. was asking the U.K. to assist them with compiling a dossier of communications between some of the temporary members of the Security Council and others that could be used to leverage them into endorsing the war on Iraq. Gun thought it was an attempt to start a war with deceit and leaked the memo to an anti-war activist who leaked it to the press. This created a sensation, but also provoked an investigation by the British that eventually snared her, leading to the charge of violating the "Official Secrets Act". Knightly gives a vanity-free performance; names are named; and the film as a taught, efficient tempo to it that is riveting. Kudos to Nicole Mowbray, the real life journalist at the Observer, who spell-corrected the memo into British style which temporarily discredited the entire story to the Drudge Report, who cooperated with actress Hanako Footman to make her own humiliation as authentic as possible.
Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, Adam Bakri, Ralph Fiennes
Compelling documentary about the one-child policy in China from the 1970's to 2000's when it was finally rescinded. Hi-lights the role state officials played in securing sometimes forced abortions and sterilizations on women who disobeyed the directive. Striking interviews with officials involved, including the film-maker's own family members (they were often women). Points out that orphanages that supplied children to Western couples were making money on the supply of unwanted (mostly female) children that were abandoned by families trying hard for a male.
Nanfu Wang, Zaodi Wang, Zhimei Wang, Tunde Wang, Huaru Yuan
Allegedly the greatest concert film of all time (I would rate "The Last Waltz" as better), "Stop Making Sense" is a tour-de-force of David Byrnes dynamic, solipsistic personality: quirk with energy, imagination with discipline. From the very first moments, he dominates the film, with his dance moves, his voice, his face, and his music. The Talking Heads is very good band, but it's clearly the David Byrne Show, and he carries it off. This is early in the Talking Heads' career, so we miss some of their later classics like "True Stories", but it's still a collection of brilliant pieces, beautifully staged and filmed, and recorded. Collected from several different live shows (one night shot from one side of the stage, the next night from the other, in order to minimize disruption of the cameras).
David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, Bernie Worrell, Chris Frantz, Alex Weir, Steven Scales
On October 30, 2015, a fire tore through an underground music club in the basement of a factory in Bucharest. There were no fire exits. Twenty-seven people died in the fire itself while another 37 died in hospitals afterwards. How could that be? Most of them did not die of their burns but of infections. The editor of a sports magazine attended a news conference on the issue and became skeptical of the official explanations. Director Nanau followed him throughout the next couple of years as his investigation uncovered scandal after scandal, and as more and more whistle-blowers came forward to tell him what they knew about the medical system in Romania. Eventually, it is always political: an appointed Health minister, Vlad Voiculescu, with integrity who confronts the corruption head on (but without illusions) becomes the hero of the story though we learn, sadly, that his reforms may not persist after the next elections. But the most chilling scene is a whistle-blower doctor telling the Health minister that doctors "don't give a fuck" about patients; only money. They accept bribes from patients to ensure they receive decent care, and ask to be transferred to surgery departments because that's where the most money can be made.
Liviu Iolu, Razvan Lutac, Mirela Neag, Vlad Voiculescu
Clarence Worley, who improbably (by the standards of later developments in the film) comes off as a mealy-mouthed loser, encounters a beautiful girl at the theatre who wants to sleep with him. And so it starts, a chain of events that will lead him acquiring a suitcase full of cocaine and the girlfriend, and a trip to Los Angeles to try to fence the cocaine. Worley is unexpectedly ruthless at times, and unsurprisingly stupid at others. He checks with his father ( who has connections to the police) to see if he is on the radar of local law-enforcement, but then he gives his father the address of his connection in LA. This is a Tarantino film, but Scott is also a brilliant director (watch the Sicilian scene for a generous sample of brilliant direction and acting) and the acting is uniformly brilliant-- with one notable exception. Christian Slater. I am completely allergic to whatever charms as an actor he possesses. To me, he never comes off as not putting it on, even when he is supposed to be conveying sincerity. His looks strike me as sugar-coated, how a lousy criminal would make his face look, if could, while melding into a shopping mall crowd. But Arquette and the others are so good, you can ignore Slater and still enjoy the movie. This is smart action, bloody (yes, truthfully, over the top, like most Tarantino films), but convincing enough to keep you watching.
Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Bronson Pinchot, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, Saul Rubinek, James Gandolfini
Odd, unpredictable story about a drummer, Ruben, in a touring metal band (consisting only of him and his girlfriend, Lou) suddenly losing most of his hearing. He resists real help--a residential service that requires him to turn over his keys and cell phone for unexplained reasons-- and wants expensive cochlear implants, but eventually recognizes his limited options. Lou, meantime, has moved to Paris to live with her French father-- though we understand she is not really French, having lived with her mother-- who committed suicide-- in America most of her life. The early scenes with Lou and Ruben are utterly compelling, richly nuanced, and strikingly expressive of young relationships and their fragility and intensity. Lou badly wants Ruben to address the issue realistically and he resists until Lou gives him an ultimatum. The scenes in the residence are almost from a different movie. The residence director is almost creepy in his assured attitudes towards this difficult individual, but Ruben responds to the training in sign language and establishes a relationship with the children in the attached school. But he still yearns for a return to the life of a touring band. All of the characters-- many of whom are deaf in real life-- are believable and convincing. "Sound of Metal" is riveting almost from beginning to end-- there are moments in the middle where I wondered if it shouldn't have been a separate movie. There are scenes near the end that are so delicate and subtle you almost want to cry, for the fragility of relationships and life itself.
Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric
Lisa Cohen is a beautiful, bratty high school student troubled by everything. One day, she sees a bus driver wearing a cowboy hat she wants and runs alongside the moving bus waving and gesticulating to the driver. He is paying more attention to her than the lights and crosses an intersection on red and strikes-- and kills-- a woman. Lisa ends up holding the hand of the dying woman and promising to call her daughter, but when the police interview he on the scene she gives a statement that the bus went through a green light. It was an accident. No one was at fault. This increasingly troubles her and we ride along as she attends school, flirts with a boy, flirts with a teacher, flirts with another boy, offers her virginity to one of them, ridicules her mother, screams at her brother, screams at a Syrian classmate for arguing that Moslems do have a justified grievance against America, and just carries on tormenting herself and the world around her. Few films present as unfiltered and caustic a view of humanity. Almost everyone she appeals to for righteousness or justice is compromised or compromising, or just motivated by selfish interests. She acknowledges her own guilt, but is never confronted with the possibility of her punishment for her actions-- he only wants the driver to suffer. The mysterious conclusion-- attending an opera with her mother -- Renée Fleming and Susan Graham singing "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann. It seems to imply a reconciliation with the ways of the world. It brings her to tears, this realization, and the embrace of her mother with whom she has been feuding constantly. Commenting on the music, Carl Dahlhaus said "Offenbach used the Barcarolle's very consonance to give a sinister feel to the act throughout which it recurs." Dahlhaus attributes this effect to the contrast between the "physical" presence of the vocal line and the ethereal feel of the instrumental introduction, creating a "mirage." "Beneath the music we hear, there seems to be a second musical level descending into the abyss."
Anna Paquin, J. Smith-Cameron, Mark Ruffalo, Jeannie Berlin, Jean Reno, John Gallagher, Allison Janney, Kieran Culkin, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick, Hina Abdullah, Kenneth Lonergan
Wonderfully anachronistic film about a pair of ten or eleven-year-olds who fall in love: Daniel and Melody. They endure the ridicule of classmates and then their admiration and collaboration. The film is decisively channeled through the perceptions of the children (the director spend months recording children of the age of Melody and Dan in preparation for the film) and vibrates with the children's energy and enthusiasm, irreverence, and physicality. The three leads are charming and convincing (though Ornshaw was played by 17-year-old Jack Wild), and the rest of the students-- played by real students at a local school where it was filmed-- seem totally onboard with the rambunctious feel of the large crowd sequences. There are moments of hilarity and frivolity but also a sensitive, moving moment when Tracy appeals to the adults around her who tell her she can't get married yet: why not? Why are you all trying to stop us from doing the one thing that really means anything to us? The ending is over-the-top, of course, but the film is mythic, after all. Well-filmed-- some breath-taking scenes appear to have been shot guerrilla style, and there are lots of long-lens close-ups of actors obviously unaware they were the focus of the shot.
Mark Lester, Tracy Hyde, Jack Wilde, Colin Barrie, Billy Franks, Sheila Steafel, Kate Williams
Police officer Asger Holm did something bad and he has a court date Monday but expects to be back on regular duty Monday night, because his loyal partner, Rashid, has agreed to cover for him. He hasn't told Rashid, or his supervisor, that his wife, Patricia has left him. Until he is cleared, he is assigned to desk duty, taking emergency calls in a room with other desk jockeys. He is perhaps unusually firm with the callers, telling a drunk he got himself into trouble, and woman with a bicycle injury to call her self an ambulance. But he gets a call from a woman in serious trouble: she has been abducted. She is pretending to talk her child, Matilde, while he cleverly obtains as much information as he could to pass on to the patrol station. The dialogue here is clever, believable, and compelling. In fact, for the entire 90 minutes of the film, we never leave the two rooms in which he works. Asger's desire to help the woman, and her child left alone in her home, leads him to exceed his authority and interfere in ways he and we know he shouldn't. But the situation becomes more complex than he imagined and he stumbles into perplexing conundrums. Brilliantly acted and staged, Moller's camera finds slight variations in angle and distance to build suspense without needing externals or graphics or sweeping vistas. The situation Asger is drawn into subtly parallels his personal situation, his mental state, and his sense of virtue: are his successes due to his good character or blind luck; is his failure due to his bad judgement or also luck-- bad luck. Compelling and never dull.
Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Omar Shargawi, Johan Olsen, Katinka Evers-Jahnsen
Stunning exploration of the life of a wandering soul, Fern (Frances McDormand in a stunning performance). Fern was married but her husband died and the sheet-rock factory she worked at shut down-- indeed, the whole town of Empire, Nevada, which depended on it for employment, ceases to exist. So she acquires white van and modifies it and travels around the country, parking where-ever she can (Amazon provides expenses while she works there), and resisting any kind of attachment beyond her friendly interactions with fellow nomads. She works at Amazon for a while (nothing negative is said about her employer) and then travels on, working at a sugar-beet yard, or "harvesting bees", or other seasonal jobs. But the film spends generous time giving space and words to the people she meets, who tell their stories and their tragedies and share their goods. When we see an old, weathered man, with bad teeth and hollow face play piano and sing, we see the pasts of these wanderers in capsule form: at one time they belonged to families, went to school, took lessons, worked jobs, but all of them ended up wandering the back- roads, working occasionally, and resisting attachment. You wonder about the enduring values we think we believe in-- home, job, material acquisitions, health care. I don't think any film I've seen has done a better job of making you actually wonder if there is something to a lifestyle that appears to be wretched and deprived on the surface, especially when one character describes watching swallows nesting in a cliff, the shells of eggs falling into the water, and the birds flocking wildly so that, watching them, you had the illusion of flying yourself. Reminiscent of the exceptional work by Kelly Reichardt and Terence Malick.
Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Gay DeForest, Patricia Grier, Linda May, Charlene Swankie
Minari is a plant that Monica's mother plants along a creek bed near the family farm in Arkansas. Jacob and Monica have moved there from Los Angeles for the promise of a future. They are both chicken sexers, and Monica, is not as adept as Jacob, can make more money there than in Los Angeles where the competition is more fierce. She is ambivalent about the move. Their new home is a trailer. But Jacob is very excited about the possibilities of farming and he sets out to plant diverse crops and look for a market for his goods. Their two young children find the new home both challenging and rewarding, though the younger boy, David, wets his bed, and is not pleased when his grandmother has to share his room. The film unfolds without too many shocking developments. They dream, they struggle, they remain a family. The most striking character is a local religious fanatic who becomes their handyman. Paul resists the stereotypes. He is kind and loyal and works hard, and he speaks in tongues and persuades Jacob and Monica to bring their family to his church, though they also seek friends and connections to the local community. Jacob doesn't want to pay the local dowser and finds his own well but it runs dry, so he steals water from the county. A local reseller hedges on an arranged deal for his crop so he must seek a new arrangement further afield. Wonderful, low-key tone to the film, an intimate portrait and character study that has life to it, even if the performances are not as good as in, say, "The Nest", which we saw the next night.
Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Youn Yuh-jung, Alan S. Kim, Noel Cho, Will Patton
Evocative, textured drama about a Polish-Jewish family, the Krichinskys, who immigrate to America in the early 1900's, told from the point of view of the fifth brother, Sam, who is brought over by the first four, because they are family. And they operate as a family, with a family council, and with hard work, and donations to charities, and support for other relatives who immigrate to America, the land of promise and freedom. They do work hard, starting with nothing, and eventually prosper, but the changes to society and technology begin to wear at the family bonds. Marriages, children, and grand-children come along, along with moves to suburbia, and television, and cousins changing their names to sound more assimilated as they expand their business (which eventually becomes one of the first discount department stores). And finally Gabriel, one of the original brothers, is enraged when, one Christmas, they cut the turkey before he has arrived (though he is always late and the younger children are restlessly waiting). Sam ages and eventually ends up in a nursing home and surveys his tiny room and observes that everything he acquired was left behind so he could be in that room. He remembers the beautiful lights and the fireworks when he first arrived, on Independence Day. Beautifully acted and filmed. I did see this film much earlier, but had not entered it in the database.
Leo Fuchs, Eve Gordon, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright, Kevin Pollak, Aidan Quinn, Israel Rubinek, Lou Jacobi, Elijah Wood,
Powerful, austere drama about two women in Stalingrad in 1945, immediately after the end of World War II. Stalingrad, of course, was in ruins, with enormous casualties from the attempted German invasion. Iya (Beanpole of the title) is a tall, lean, icy-cold blonde with an serious aversion to sexual intimacy. She is looking after Pashka, the son of a dear friend, Masha, but, inexplicably, smothers Pashka to death and disposes of the body. When Masha arrives, she only understands that Pashka died, in his sleep, and immediately decides to have another baby. But she can't, due to injuries from repeated abortions, from her checkered past. She persuades Iya to bear a child for her. Iya has been instrumental in other deaths at the hospital at which she and Masha work as attendants. When a man with severe injuries just can't bear it anymore, she slips into the ward late at night and administers a fatal dose of something, with the tacit approval of her supervisor, Nikolay, whose face radiates the relentless forceful despair of a doctor facing a bottomless queue of mutilation, psychosis, and death. Masha strikes up a relationship with Sasha, whose mother is wealthy-- and has a dog (we learn, earlier, that Pashka would not know what a dog sounds like because all the dogs have been eaten)-- and he wants to marry her and takes her to a disastrous meeting with his parents. If there is any redemption in the film, it is that the two women resolve some of their tensions and seem to find each other in the detritus of a shattered world.
Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Masha Perelygina, Andrey Bykov, Igor Shirokov, Konstantin Balakirev, Kseniya Kutepovna, Timofey Glazkov
Brilliant creation-- not a "re-creation"-- the Chicago 7 trial before the notorious Julius Hoffman. Quite fictionalized, but, in fairness, it's about the issues, the contrast between Hayden's moderate approach and Rubin and Hoffman's more radical "revolutionary" impulses. Does a great job of summarizing the events leading up to the trial, and then goes into high gear showing the actual trial, before a disappointingly contrived and ridiculous finish-- which doesn't quite harm the whole. All of the main actors, but especially Rylance, Cohen, Lynch, and Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, are very impressive, and the writing, of course, is brilliant as long as you don't tire of Sorkin's endlessly witty dialogue. How powerful resonance today, with the same debate between Sanders' supporters and Biden's, and they, like the Hoffman - Hayden polarity in "Chicago 7", have reached an accommodation.
Mark Rylance, Eddie Tremayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Frank Langella, Michael Keaton
Two hours of exquisite banality that will break your heart. The Mamiya family in Tokyo gets by, thanks to Noriko's income as a clerical worker, and her brother's income as a physician. The household consists of Noriko, father Shukichi and mother Shige, sister-in-law Fumiko, brother Koichi, and her brother's two young spoiled sons. Noriko is 28 and the pressure is on, from everybody, to accept an offer. Her boss knows a director of a company, Mr. Manabe, who is well-off but is 12 years older than Noriko. Noriko is not sure she wants to get married in any case; in friendly banter with married friends, she lauds the single life, and her independence. But just as the pressure increases to accept Mr. Manabe's offer, she impulsively accepts an offer from Kenkichi Yabe's mother, to marry her widowed son, a life-long friend of Noriko's, and move to a rural area in Northern Japan. The family is shocked and very disappointed. Without her income, they will have to move to a rural home with Shukichi's elderly brother. They take a family portrait together-- one last time that they will be together before Noriko's departure. Regarded as one of Ozu's greatest films, and one of the greatest films, period, "Early Summer" is touching, sensitive, beautifully composed and paced, and heart-rending in the delicate revelation of attachment and separation, of subtle jealousies and resentments, and the emotionally devastating consequences of seemingly momentary life decisions. One cannot ignore the reverberations of war on the family dynamic either: Shukichi, at one point, alludes to a son who he does not think is ever coming back, though his mother persists in believing he is alive somewhere. Was there ever a more delicate, perfect suggestion of "haunting"? Noriko, in the end, seems to be the only one optimistic about the future, possibly because she has exercised real agency over her future, though it's not clear if she does this to forestall the arrangement with Mr. Manabe, or because she has decided, after all, that she would be happier with Kenkichi.
Brilliant fictional recreation of the life of legendary Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev, a monk who traveled far and wide within Russian and painted some of the most esteemed works of religious art during a time of political and social instability. They don't make films like this anymore: a cast of thousands, hundreds of horses, fabulous castles and cities, a recreation of the process of casting a huge bell in medieval times, and the horribly violent incursions of Tarters into the region. Clearly modern rules about the treatment of animals, and the safety requirements for stunt men, were not in place at the time, and it shows. Sweeping vistas and long stretches of philosophical and theological debates, between Rublev, with his humanitarian instincts, and other monks and artists who had become more cynical about human nature. The legendary Greek artist Theophanes is a critical part of these discussions. Some sequences seem unrelated except through the expression of the passion for new and exotic experience and visions of beauty, and depictions of the cruelty of mankind: torture of a criminal, the brutal arrest and punishment of a kind of jester, for his disrespect of authority, a woman who chooses to become a Tarter's concubine because at least there would be enough to eat. Stunningly filmed and brilliantly acted-- a true classic.
Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Ivan Lapikov, Nikolay Grinko, Irina Tarkovskaya, Bolot Beyshenaliev, Hikolay Sergeev, Nikolay Grabbe, Nikolay Burlyaev
Brilliant musical combining a multitude of musical styles with an irreverent revision of history, focusing on the career of Alexander Hamilton who, in some visions of heroism, is responsible for the good things in the Constitution and administration of the United States (he established, for example, a central bank, an funding for the army), in opposition to Jefferson and others who placed a primacy on the rights of federated states to manage their own affairs. Terrific, lively, never dull. Miranda is obvious a genius for his music, his lyrics, and his vision.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Goff, Chris Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Daveed Diggs
Marvelous, quiet, superb film about two lonely men travelling with trappers in Oregon sometime in the 19th century. Otis ("Cookie") is a skilled cook from Maryland whose parents died when he was young. King-Lu is a Chinese immigrant who ran afoul of some Russian traders and murdered one of them. They meet and form a friendly alliance, living in King-Lu's hut. When a local big shot brings in the first cow in the region. King-Lu suggests stealing it's milk in the night, and then, after discovering Otis' "oily cakes" steers them into business, selling them to the locals for a good price. The "oily cakes" look a lot like Dutch Oily-Boilen. Eventually, of course, their larceny will catch up with them. The story ends enigmatically, as if it cannot be advanced beyond a poetic image of their friendship and mutual support, of their place in time and history, and of the fundamental need of all men to make a living, honest or not. Beautifully acted and directed, with startling fidelity to historical milieu, in buildings and costumes and close-attention to the details of life for people in this time. Nobody makes films like this except Kelly Reichardt, and perhaps Agnes Varda and some other European art film directors. John Sayles or Robert Altman, perhaps.
John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Scott Shepherd, Lily Gladstone
Searing drama about a young girl, Autumn, who finds herself pregnant at 17 and in an abusive relationship. She goes to a clinic for help and we quickly realize it is a pseudo-clinic dedicated to persuading girls not to get abortions. Her friend and cousin finds out and decides to help her go to New York (she lives in Pennsylvania, with serious restrictions on abortions for under-age girls) to get an abortion, where she finds out the local clinic seriously underestimated how far along she was. They encounter creepy men and one decent young man who helps them. A very raw depiction, sometimes genuinely frightening, but never contrived. It is an intimate portrait of a young woman in a predicament navigating her constricted options (at one point she rejects an offer of help that the viewer emotionally urges her to accept-- a convincing, I think, expression of her personality, her fear of being, once again, obligated). Beautifully acted, if not strongly artistic. Balanced and thoughtful and fair, I think.
Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Lizbeth MacKay, Mia Dillon
Powerful relatively authentic portrait of an ambitious broker, Bud Fox, who persuades a rich investor, the infamous Gordon Gekko, to employ him in a number of takeover bids using unethical tactics. Stone gets the culture of the rich, powerful investor class in New York, the perception of wealth and taste, the women, the social relationships. Bud craves wealth and success and will step on almost anyone to get it, at the behest of Gekko. Yet he is sometimes reluctant, because of the influence of his father, a head of the machinists union at an airline. Marvelous scenes of stock brokers in the pit (real footage Stone arranged to get, with his actors inserted among real stock brokers), Gekko's fabulous properties and art, and a girl who decorates the mansions and penthouses of the rich (one of the few unconvincing roles in the film). The turnaround at the end is not completely convincing, and a tad self-righteous. And do we really believe that any of these psychotic characters would really go to jail for their crimes? Clearly Michael Douglas' best film: a riveting performance that deservedly holds your attention, for nuance and subtlety as well as the big picture.
Michael Douglas, Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen, John McGinley, Hal Holbrook, Franklin Cover, Josh Mostel
Startling, compelling drama and comedy about a randy southern governor running for president, and how his campaign team deals with his marital infidelities and lies while believing in his principles and vision for the country. So we immediately have the complexities of real life. Jack Stanton has an amazing rapport with black people and the working class (epitomized by a wonderful sequence in which he visits a donut shop and chats with the proprietor), and his team really believes that he is the most ethical choice for president, but he is also a serial womanizer. His wife is smart and astute but not a passive victim and she lets loose at times in response to new disclosures. One of his opponents, Governor Fred Picker, is presented as a wonderful campaigner and a person of great integrity- - with a skeleton in his closet. A really remarkable film, far more accurate in terms of the dynamics of a presidential campaign than any film since "The Candidate". Searingly funny at times, and full of insight about the political process, with multi-dimensional characters. Obviously about the Clinton's and written by Klein after his experience following the Clinton campaign in 1992 (you can identify most of the major characters, Carville, Vince Foster, Hillary, Bill) and Picker appears to be Tom Harkin. Marred by an unfortunate sequence near the end when Libby Holden steps completely out of character to provide a lecture of ethics in politics-- after clearly embracing a far more pragmatic and sophisticated view throughout the rest of the movie: sequence that feels like it was imposed on an otherwise authentic narrative.
John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Maura Tierney, Larry Hagman, Rob Reiner, Adrian Lester
Maria is "ice-cold", a new employee at a slaughterhouse, an inspector, who catches the eyes of the men but quickly repulses them. Except for Endre, who is patient, and clever, and also has strange dreams in which he is a buck in a snowy forest hanging out with a doe. When a psychologist is called in to investigate who might have stolen some kind of substance used to stimulate the reproductive urge in bulls, and then spiked the drinks at a local bar with it-- Endre reveals his dream to her, and then so does Maria. The psychologist thinks they are playing a joke on her, but they're not: they are in each others' pastoral dream. But Maria is very shy and inexperienced and must try to summon the courage to enter into a relationship, while Endre shows signs of tiring of the chase. Moody, suggestive film, that includes some rather brave sequences of cattle being slaughtered and processed for meat, that provide a jarring, frightening contrast to Maria's delicate manners and Endre's measured discussions with his friends. And intelligent, provocative film that may haunt you for days.
Alexandra Borbely, Geza Morcsanyi, Reka Tenki, Zoltan Schneider, Ervin Nagy, Itala Bekes, Pal Macsai
Quietly understated performances underpin intense emotional states in "Louder Than Bombs". Isabelle, a world-famous news photographer, who take great risks in her job, has died in a car accident. Her son Jonah is married and his wife has just given birth. Conrad, much younger, is morose and self-absorbed, and openly hostile to his father, Gene. Gene is emotionally drained, scarred by years of Isabelle's long absences and risky adventures, and unable to reach Conrad except by furtively following him around. The three live with the haunted past, offered us through flashbacks, and struggle to come to terms with each other. They are boldly flawed characters, and audacious normal to us: petulant, self-absorbed at times, and gradually kinder to each other, even if they never come to believe than any of them deserve kindness. A haunting, meditative story, compelling restrained and sensitive. It forces you to accept that nobody has to be pure, or a hero, or a victim, in the stories most of us live.
Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid, Amy Ryan, Ruby Jerins, David Strathairn, Rachel Brosnahan
As the Joker flees from a hospital file clerk with a copy of his mother's medical records, turns around quickly, looks over his shoulder, looks back to make sure no one is following him. It's the kind of detail in acting totally absent from our double-feature, "Harriet", and it enriches "Joker" with the kind of life and energy lacking from Tubman adventure. This is an origin story: the Joker is Arthur Fleck, a man who has never been happy his entire life. He lives with his mother and earns money as a clown, until a group of thugs beat him up one day. A friend gives him a gun and the next time, he takes action. In the dystopian city, his murder of a group of stock managers hits a chord and people start wearing clown masks in tribute (evoking the Occupy movement unflatteringly). Arthur tries his hand at comedy and is a disaster which gets invited onto the Murray Franklin show. Just after budget cuts have eliminated his therapy sessions and medications. Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant as Fleck, pulling dance moves, a twisted, forced laugh that explodes at the wrong moment, and a touching vulnerability at times: he tells his mother that he has never been happy for a single day in his life. He fantasizes a relationship with a beautiful young mother in his building, just as he fantasizes being a hit on the Murray Franklin Show. This is a very dark film about the very dark corners of human pathology that resists the cliches and sentimental tropes of most Hollywood treatments. And, refreshingly, most of the riot scenes and car crashes are practical effects-- not CGI. Made for $52 million, it may well be the best major film of 2019.
In 2008, GM shut down a truck plant in Dayton, Ohio, throwing 3000 workers-- at almost $30 an hour-- out of work. Many lost their homes, their cars, their careers. In 2014, Fuyao, a Chinese auto-class manufacturer, purchased the plant, to the ecstatic pleasure of workers, government officials, and the city, offering "good" jobs and steady employment for at least some of the former auto-workers-- at $12.84 an hour, even after receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in government subsidies. But delight gave way to consternation as the clash of cultures played out in the plant: the Chinese, totally devoted to a "beneficent" employer (shown at a mother plant in China singing anthems to their bosses, and working 12-hour shifts six days a week) found the Americans lazy and self-centred and incompetent. When Sherrod Brown, at the plant opening, declared he would support unionization activities, Fuyao's leader, Chairman Cao, vowed to close the plant if it ever unionized. Pro-union employees were selectively fired and Fuyao spent a million dollars on union-busting consultants who succeeded in scaring a majority of workers into voting against the UAW. Fascinating film because it explores the contrasting cultures and attitudes towards employers, between the hard-boiled older GM workers and the Chinese and their near slavish devotion to corporate success.
Searing documentary about the rise and fall of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, sort of Brazil's Bernie Sanders, who rose from labour leader and activist to President of Brazil. While in office, a major scandal involving kickbacks to politicians by construction firms associated with the oil and natural gas industries exploded. Lula was never implicated but when his successor, Dilma Rousseff, an activist who had once been imprisoned and tortured by the Junta, allowed the investigations to continue, a corrupt politicians and judges conspired to impeach her and remove her from office. Beautifully filmed (especially the drone shots of the capital) and edited, resonant with the current political debate in the U.S. (in a reversal, the left wing leader is impeached by right wing populists), and evocative of the fake news hysteria sweeping western countries.
Very unusual, deeply embedded documentary about a woman, Hatidze Muratova, who lives alone in a remote area of Macedonia where she raises bees and sells the honey in Skopje. We see her delicate techniques as she obtains bees from a wild hive and brings them to her own home-made hives and sings to them to welcome them. She also cares for her aging mother, feeding her, and dressing an eye wound. It is a bleak, primitive existence (no power, no radio, no luxuries of any kind), but one that gives her sustenance and a balanced relationship with the world. Until, a family of Turks moves next door (into semi-abandoned stone houses) bringing their cattle and children and noise and disruption. The Turkish family sees her success with honey and decides to take up the vocation, but without her acute sensitivity to the bees, and to the cycle of hives and honey production. They plunge in thoughtlessly, using her expertise at first, then resenting her when she warns them that taking too much honey too quickly will disrupt the lives of the bees an cause them to attach her hives-- which they do. Hatidze at first befriends them and her interactions with the children are charming and awkward at times. The documentary crew remains distant to events, never giving us clues about their own role or relationship with the subjects-- we see a bee land on a very young child, and sting her. We see a child almost drown in the river, and another older child pushed violently into the stub of a fence pole. It's more than a little shocking and disturbing, and riveting. If the best function of documentary is to open up a hitherto unknown world to the viewer, "Honeyland" succeeds in spades. Wonderful. Is it also a commentary on capitalism: the Turks that come into this environment, heedless, almost violent in their desire to exploit its resources? Yes.
Beautiful, sensually filmed epic about Franz Jagerstatter, an Austrian farmer who stubbornly refused to take the required oath of loyalty to the Fuhrer when called up for service in Wehrmacht during World War II. The first half is a serenely captivating recreating of rural life in a remote area of Austria in the 1930's, threshing, planting, harvesting, managing livestock, all shown in leisurely detail (one is impressed by the actors' dedication). When Franz is finally arrested and imprisoned, his wife and her sister and his mother carry on, with his three children, all under 6 years old. Through letters and voice-over, Franz discusses his reasons, his conscience, and his determination, and declares that God does not give any man's conscience a pass because he is married and has children. Powerfully poses that fundamental question: is Franz right to impose the consequences of following his own conscience upon his family and village (who hate him for it)? By implication, is every man entitled to determine his own conscience? Nobody agrees with him, not even his own church (which today appropriates his esteemed memory). It is even made clear to him that nobody will know about his principled stand, so he won't even be an inspiration to others (at least, not in his own time). Beautifully filmed, and brilliantly acted, if somewhat slow-moving and self-consciously arty at times. But how can one gripe about that when the artistry is so successful? Some scenes filmed in the real locations of the family's home and bedroom.
Astounding 4 hour film about four individuals in a medium-sized industrial town in China who are all at a moment of crisis. Bu, defending a friend he thought was innocent of stealing a cell phone, accidentally pushes Shuai down a stairs. Ling's caustic mother is riding her for growing sexual awareness, unaware of her affair with a married teacher. Cheng, Shuai's older brother, is reluctantly pressed to seek revenge for Bu's attack, and causes a friend's suicide by having sex with the friend's girl. Mr. Wang's children are pushing him out of their apartment and into a ridiculously dreary nursing home. They interact with each other, indirectly at first, then more immediately. Their worlds are explored with long steadicam shots over their shoulders, watching and seeing what they see, and long steady close-ups of their faces showing their inner turmoil and despair. All of them become aware of a legendary elephant at a zoo in Manzhouli, who sits still watching the world with calculated indifference. Everything unfolds in one day as each of them tries to get a ticket on the train to Manzhouli. There are absolutely wonderful "pay-off" scenes: Ling eating (really eating) while her teacher-lover explains why he hasn't left his wife for her yet; Cheng trying to decide whether to finally take revenge on Bu when he has him helplessly (and decidedly passively) in his sites; Mr. Weng touring the old age home. The film asks, what are we all doing here? You wonder about your own marvelous luck, living in Canada, prosperous, secure, in a world that is eternities removed from the world of these characters who seem to have no hope of any pleasure, other than seeing the elephant sitting still and contemplating his posture of resignation and observation. The film-maker, Hu, tragically took his own life shortly after the film was completed.
With the incessant fabrication of hyped details of so-called "true stories" and the absorption of these myths into popular culture, does it matter any more what "really" happened? When Tarantino mythologizes a real event, is he simply reflecting our culture back at us-- this what we really think or wish happened, so does it really matter if it didn't? Oddly enough, there are enough accurate details in "Once Upon..." to make Tarantino's effort more interesting than you might think. Tarantino smartly starts with a more prosaic tale about actor Rick Dalton whose career is in the process of being washed up and out, and his relationship with loyal stunt double and aide Cliff Booth. Dalton desperately wants a big film role again but is only offered major roles in Italy, in spaghetti westerns. Booth sees the end coming to his own employment but is stoic about it. Dalton lives next door to a real director, Roman Polanski, and his beautiful, pleasant wife, actress Sharon Tate. But the movie is about movie culture and kitsch and the relationships between the actors and agents and money and their audience. These characters actually watch tv- something hardly anyone ever does in any Hollywood film though it is something most Americans spend hours doing every day. They bump into Manson's tribe and Booth remembers working for George Spahn, the owner of the ranch that Manson has infiltrated with his acolytes, and looks him up. Tate goes to see her own film, and smiles with delight at her own performance.
Kim Ki-woo is a poor college student who has a valuable friend, Min, who has a good gig tutoring Park Da-hye, the daughter of a rich, upper-class family in Seoul. When Min decides to go overseas for a time he offers Kim the job on condition he ensure that Park is available for dating to him once she reaches college age. Kim is resourceful and quickly seizes the opportunity to persuade the gullible Mrs. Park to hire his sister (concealing the relationship) as a tutor for their younger son, Da-song. Then the father is brought in as a replace for the driver, and the mother is brought in to replace the maid after they convince the Parks that she has TB. All goes well for the Kims until the maid, Moon-gwang, returns once rainy night and begs to be let in to retrieve something she forgot. Soon after, all hell breaks loose. It is Da-song who first suspects something is up when he notices the same smell-- of poverty-- hovering around the new tutor, the new maid, and the driver. But these are not the virtuous, humble poor: the Kims are ambitious, greedy, and sometimes ruthless in exploiting the situation for their own benefit. Director Joon Ho chose this story line, he said, because it was one of the rare possible avenues through which an upper class Korean family might actually encounter someone from the lower classes with any kind of intimacy. "Parasite" has an uncommonly clever plot, striking sequences (particularly the search for wifi at the beginning and the flood at the end), and a subtle message about the social pathology of inequality.
Startlingly raw and intense study of a divorce gaining emotional momentum when the woman, Nicole, consults a ruthless lawyer. Nicole and Charlie seems like an utterly compatible couple: he's a play director and actor, and she's an actress, and they live together in New York enjoying a vibrant social and artistic life. But something rekindles Nicole's desire for an independent career, in television, in Los Angeles. That last aspect is telling: we're familiar with the well-known perceived cultural rift between the coasts. When Charlie goes West to visit Nicole and their son, Henry, he immediately encounters the kind of shallow, flaky people we've been trained to expect. The couple meets with a mediator who asks them each to write down a list of the things they loved about each other when they first met. But Nicole doesn't want to read it. "Marriage Story" is bitterly even-handed. We never get that release, that absolution of finding out, dammit, that one of them is right or just or more fair or virtuous than the other. Just many close-ups-- like Bergman-- of characters speaking their minds. Neither of them turns into a monster. Neither of them forgives. Along the way, Laura Dern does present a villain, and a slithery one at that, whose work is so subtle and couched in pleasantries you almost never see the stiletto. Charlie at first tries for an expensive, cool, cynical lawyer, Jay, but is repelled by his rough suggestions, and his fees, and ends up going with Bert Spitz, the most unexpected character in the movie. Recommended by Nicole's mother, of all people, he is a former criminal lawyer who may have been "demoted" in some way to family law. He openly and shamelessly contradicts himself, telling Charlie, at one point, to take Henry back to New York to fight for custody, and then acknowledging that that would be a bad idea. Alan Alda's best performance-- perhaps, ever. But it is when "Marriage Story" gets into the increasingly desperate, even savage arguments between Charlie and Nicole that it becomes most searing. They hold nothing back, Nicole telling Charlie how repelled she was by even his skin, and Charlie accusing her of frigidity and hypocrisy-- of using him and his stage success to build credibility as an actress (though she was famous before she met him). Baumbach's gift to us is that they never become inhuman to each other: they back away, they seem conscious of their own dishonesty and cruelty, and seek tiny gestures of reconciliation. This is a heartbreaking film that borders on the territory of art that tells you what you may, finally, realize that you don't want to know. Incidentally, Johannson plays a role here that would perfectly complement, and bookend, her role in "Ghost World" when she was 16. She was a young, naive, but worldy and somewhat cynical adolescent trying to find some value in her prospects, for love and marriage and a career. In "Marriage Story", it credibly tells us where Rebecca ended up.
Original and odd story about a group of America students who decide to accompany a friend, Pelle, to a small northern town in Sweden about to have a "once in a lifetime" festival. Dani and her boyfriend, Christian, were about to break up when Dani's sister committed suicide taking her parents with her. Dani, seeking a healing experience, insinuates herself into the group. The festival is being celebrated by a commune in an isolated village, and the creep is attenuated by many sequences of seemingly normal interactions. Aster has the good grace not to telegraph events in the script that only the writer should know. Inch by inch, the community insinuates itself into the visitor's interactions with each other, dividing them, sometimes offering help that isn't helpful. Florence Pugh as Dani carries the film brilliantly, convincingly expressing change and confusion and disorientation, as she becomes more and more absorbed into the rituals. The actions of the community, horrifying as they are, are absorbingly compelling, gradually making you wonder if all religions don't ultimately consist of arbitrary, seemingly absurd rituals. Powerful and haunting.
Should be quadruple featured with "Heavenly Creatures", "Ghost World", and "Book Smart", as films of different eras that feature adolescent girls who develop a passionate, secretive relationship of fantasy and adventure, and whose misadventures provoke crises among the adults who care or don't care so much for them. Fourteen-year-old Marian and Valarie (actresses real ages: 15, 16) meet at school and quickly establish a rapport based on the fact that they both have braces and both hate the same teachers. Valerie's parents are married but rich father Frank travels the world on behalf of his business and his faithless wife Isabel appears to be having an affair with a pianist. Marian's parents are divorced and she barely knows her father. Her mother lives with friend "Boothy" and they look after Marion. The two girls embark on harmless misadventures until Val begins to fixate on a concert pianist, Henry Orient, who is himself trying to seduce a very nervous, very reluctant Stella. Orient notices the girls spying on him and becomes paranoid, while Stella is irrationally fearful of her husband catching her-- and doesn't seem all that interested in the actual sexual aspect of the affair in any case. Henry Orient gives a concert for which Marian's mother buys tickets and takes the girls. He gives a sloppy performance-- in a lingering, remarkable scene-- of an avant garde concerto that bewilders most of the audience. Complications develop when Val, angered by her mother reading her personal tribute book to Orient, disappears one night. Val's father, Frank, and Marian's mother, Avis, are both enlightened but not too enlightened, and they step in at the right time to resolve what can be resolved. Very well-written (back when they bothered with good writing), adeptly filmed and directed, and generally well-acted. Sellers in particular is very good as Henry Orient, though his accent wanders, and Paula Prentiss is very funny as his girlfriend. The young actresses are decent if not quite remarkable. It's a film from a very different world and time and some of the social behaviors would cause one, nowadays, to suck in a breath. The resolution is a bit Hollywood happy-- Frank resolves to be a better parent-- but not too jarring.
I cannot think of another film like this, though "Remember My Name" is not without flaws. It's greatest asset is Crosby himself-- no fucks given-- telling us all--without self-pity-- about how he deserved to be hated by his former band-mates and lovers. That's him on the couch, and in a limo, touring the faces and places that played a role in his career, particularly as part of CSN and then CSNY. He's old and cranky now and has 8 stents in his heart, and takes insulin because he's a serious diabetic, and still touring-- by himself-- because he needs the money. (Among others, he takes you to the house depicted in Nash's "Our House", which is kind of moving.) He's still a bit manipulative and never really not self-serving, but it is deeply refreshing to see the focus on an artist who was part of a group that produced real music-- not light shows, not dance, not theatrical bs-- and still, to this day, sticks to that ethic. There was one really amusing moment: CSN playing "Silent Night" for the White House, Christmas, and seriously, horribly botching it.
Lionel is a widower who has raised his daughter, Josephine, alone; they are very close. When a close friend of Lionel's retires from the transit job they both have, he begins to contemplate the inevitable separation from Josephine. There is a clue here about film history: at one point, Lionel, after dinner, takes two apples from a bowl in the kitchen, a direct allusion to the inspiration for this film, "Late Spring" by Ozu. In another gesture of rich allusion: Lionel buys Josephine a rice cooker, just after we see her purchase the same thing (but a different model) on the same day. Later we see her at night contemplating the unfortunate coincidence with a smile, and the two appliances reappear meaningfully at the very end. But Denis does more than acknowledge or imitate: she sets her story among the African immigrant community in the suburbs of Paris, in a large apartment building, where two other residents, Gabrielle and Noe, carry torches for Lionel and Josephine, respectively. They are the external vibrations affecting the relationship between Lionel and Josephine, with good and bad results, and it is clear that both Lionel and Josephine don't want them too close. Does Denis even draw either conclusion? Lionel watches carefully when a colleague, Rene, retires, feeling lost, believing that his life is now pointless. Later, he rides with Lionel in the cab of a train and Lionel tells him that whenever he feels depressed he thinks about his daughter. But he also tells his daughter, in a profoundly intimate moment, that she must feel free to go if the time comes. What Denis achieves in this film is to reveal nuances in relationships that we are only dimly aware of normally, but immediately find revealing when we see them, specifically, the flaws in Gabrielle and Noe that create annoyances for Lionel and Josephine-- annoyances, and yet with the heartbreaking character of failing relationships. At times, there are flashes of cruelty and indifference. In a compelling sequence in a bar late night, the horizons for them is invoked in a lyric, "Night Shift", by the Commodores: "You found another home, I know you're not alone, on the nightshift". Yet it would be a mistake to see that as closure: nothing is closed at the end. We are left with sadness for the human condition. One of Denis' finest films.
Thoughtful, prosaic portrait of a woman who spends almost all of her time helping others, including her addict son, but realizes very little satisfaction in her own relationships. Her husband died long ago, and her son is nasty to her and resents her intrusions into his life. She is not a saint, and that's what makes her such a compelling character: she betrayed her cousin, and her own son, and a lot of her interactions with those two rub a wound that is still raw. Is she compensating? Sometimes, she seems to wonder if she is really as kind and generous with her time as she herself hopes she is. The narrative covers a lot of time-- sometimes, clumsily so-- as people she knows and cares about die and deteriorate, she herself grows older, and her son changes, partly for the worse, and the film courageously lets her be a real person, without great moments of realization or emotional satisfaction. It is a rare film: a realistic portrait of the kind of life most of us could expect to lead, and in that vein it is, at times, very moving, and powerful.
This is the one I should be using. The Category should be Science Fiction.
There is a wedding in a small town and the family and friends arrive from afar; we are introduced rapidly to numerous relationships, all of which hover over a backstory, a family controversy that simmers underneath, and which explodes when the relationships are suddenly put under enormous pressure when Laura's vivacious daughter, Irene, disappears from her room after taking sick the night of the wedding. Paco, a former boyfriend, steps in do what he can since Laura's husband, Alejandro, is still in Argentina. He is believed to be rich and the target of the kidnapping but we find out his status is not what it seems, and we also find out that Paco and Laura used to be in a relationship. We have been trained by most movies to expect a hero, and violent revenge: we get nothing of the sort. And we find out the movie is less about the kidnapping than it is about the relationships between all of them. The remarkable thing about Farhadi's films is the way tensions illuminate the past and the way each character's choices reveal something about secrets and lies and hidden grudges and outright deceit. In the end, we are left with a resolution of the machinery of the story and the messy detritus of scattered relationships.
Compelling, long term documentary (12 years) about three skateboarders, Keire, Bing, and Zack, who grow up or don't in a small town in middle America (Rockford, Illinois). They each have issues, and one them is a father, and they move, and look for jobs, but their real passion is always skateboarding. What distinguishes this film is that it was made by one of the youths who got into film-making early on and kept an ongoing record of the lives of the three as they grew older. The lack of a agenda or over-arching theme generally benefits "Minding the Gap"-- the structure is freer, more intriguing in many ways, and often diverts into interesting side trips, as when Bing explores why his mother didn't split with an abusive husband. Bing obviously had resources-- he travels to Colorado for some segments-- and he has a crew for some sequences, as when he interviews his own mother. Never dull, and not as self-serving as most.
Fabulous documentary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, from launch to return, using 65 and 70 mm films shot at the time for a documentary that was never made, and extensive audio that has been cleaned up and clarified for archival purposes. Wonderful footage especially of the launch, and post-return-- the footage in between is less entrancing, due to the quality of the originals, and the film flags a little during that mid-section. The film leaves you feeling two things about Apollo: one, that, as Frank Borman observed, it wasn't that big of a deal. The moon has nothing; this was all just an extension of flight, and mostly intended for the propaganda value of beating the Soviets in space, and, two, that the trip itself was remarkable, dangerous, and visually stunning. Really, three men in a tin can on top of a million tons of explosives, launched an unimaginable distance from the earth and returned safely.
Remarkable fable about a young man, Lazzaro, who is so purely good and well-intentioned that he is not for this world. He grows up among an extended family of sharecroppers who don't know that their way of life has been abolished and remain exploited by the Marquise de Luna. Lazzaro is asked to do everything and he does so without complaint. When the son of the Marquise, Tancredi, finds him, and uses him for his own ends, he starts a chain of events that lead to the family being expelled from their exploitative sharecropping lives to an exploitative urban existence. Not politically correct by any means: the peasants are mean and petty and unethical and foolish in the way they have absorbed the order of things and become complicit in them-- even offering the bankrupt Tancredi their expensive pastries after he has stiffed them for lunch. A fable in the tradition of magical realism, slow-moving but beautifully filmed and acted.
What is family? A couple, Osamu and Nobuyo live with his mother, and a boy, Shotu, and a niece, Aki. They work at low-paying, temporary jobs, and live in a small apartment, and shoplift to make ends meet-- but only from stores that are not going bankrupt. Osamu has trained Shotu on the art of shoplifting. One night, as they are return with their loot, they spot a young girl on a balcony shivering in the cold. They deduce that she is neglected or abused and take her home for some food and warmth. Then they decide to keep her. They already host a niece whose parents think she is away at school-- she actually works as a kind of sex hostess. There is nothing sentimental about this portrait of arrangements, for that is what is: the authorities expect family and respect family as the ordering principle of society. But the Shibatas and their guests challenge that orthodoxy: in a way, the arrangement meets the most important needs of everyone in the family: love, acceptance, nourishment. It is only when society's rules intrude on their accommodation that a tragic situation ensues. Even so, Koreeda doesn't want you to believe that all would be bliss if the family was left alone: when Shota is caught shoplifting, they make a decision that proves that they are completely loyal to each other after all. This ambiguity serves the movie well-- there will be no fantasy of the underdogs winning in the end. Just respect for the struggles ordinary people take on just in order to get by.
Superb drama about a French family owning and managing a coffee plantation in an African country in the middle of a revolt. Maria Vial is a daughter, sister, ex-wife, the most active manager of the estate. When her employees flee the oncoming rebels, she tries to insist on normalcy, hiring more workers, processing the coffee beans, while hiding the leader of the rebellion in one of her buildings. We follow her activities with dread as the violence and terror spreads around her, and her own family proves to be her deadliest foes. Claire Denis was born and raised in French Colonial Africa and it shows in her detailed knowledge of processes, habits, gestures, and the reserve on the faces of the people around Maria as they contemplate her mad determination to endure in the face of frightening circumstances. Her husband has the sense to know it's time to get out; her son is lazy, self-centred, and unexpectedly takes surprising actions. Her father-in-law is ill and seems anchored to the farm. The rebels include insolent child-soldiers, fascinated by the tokens of wealth-- the "White Material"-- owned by the Vials. There are no platitudes, this is not a fable about white domination or oppression or justice: it's a portrait of a woman trying desperately to maintain control while trapped by circumstances beyond her control. This is a mysteriously entrancing film, resonant beyond the surface facts: it's the dilemma of white colonial Africa, in which the whites manage a society designed to service their needs and ambitions and in which the baffled natives know they are being exploited but are not quite sure what to take away from the privileged class. Huppert, incidentally, wanted to play the lead role in a film version of "The Grass is Singing" by Doris Lessing, a novel that echoes some of the themes of "White Material".
Superb drama about a French family owning and managing a coffee plantation in an African country in the middle of a revolt. Maria Vial is a daughter, sister, ex-wife, the most active manager of the estate. When her employees flee the oncoming rebels, she tries to insist on normalcy, hiring more workers, processing the coffee beans, while hiding the leader of the rebellion in one of her buildings. We follow her activities with dread as the violence and terror spreads around her, and her own family proves to be her deadliest foes. Claire Denis was born and raised in French Colonial Africa and it shows in her detailed knowledge of processes, habits, gestures, and the reserve on the faces of the people around Maria as they contemplate her mad determination to endure in the face of frightening circumstances. Her husband has the sense to know it's time to get out; her son is lazy, self-centred, and unexpectedly takes surprising actions. Her father-in-law is ill and seems anchored to the farm. The rebels include insolent child-soldiers, fascinated by the tokens of wealth-- the "White Material"-- owned by the Vials. There are no platitudes, this is not a fable about white domination or oppression or justice: it's a portrait of a woman trying desperately to maintain control while trapped by circumstances beyond her control. This is a mysteriously entrancing film, resonant beyond the surface facts: it's the dilemma of white colonial Africa, in which the whites manage a society designed to service their needs and ambitions and in which the baffled natives know they are being exploited but are not quite sure what to take away from the privileged class. Huppert, incidentally, wanted to play the lead role in a film version of "The Grass is Singing" by Doris Lessing, a novel that echoes some of the themes of "White Material".
Guido Anselmi is a famous Italian movie director besieged by actors, agents, producers, production staff, wife, mistress, and dreams and visions. He has a kind of breakdown and checks into a spa where the crowd of needy people follows him and interrupts. His producers and production staff beg him for an idea of what kind of film he is going to make, who is going to be in it, what story it is. He invites his wife to come and join him even though his married mistress is also at a nearby hotel. He seeks approval from the church and fends off needy, aging actresses who crave a prime role. Yes, all a little narcissistic but Fellini is never dull, and never takes half-measures. Entertaining and confusing and rich in character and drama. Beautifully filmed and directed, though the dubbing is sometimes clumsy: all of the sound was dubbed afterwards so Fellini could shout directions at his actors during filming. In fact, he would even change the dialogue afterwards.
Will and his daughter Tom (short for Thomasin) live in a forested park off the grid, near Portland, Oregon. We don't know why exactly, and we don't know what happened to Tom's mother, though we learn that Will is a veteran, and he has a problem dealing with people, any people. When Tom is spotted by a jogger one day, local social services, with police help, intervenes, for unclear reasons. It's a weak spot in the film: are they arresting them for trespassing? Is the issue Tom being out of school? Are they breaking the law in some other way? Why does Will respect their direction when there is no clear legal reason why he should? They are moved to a rather generous house owned by a nearby tree-farmer who just wants to be kind to them (and "encourages" them to go to church with him). But Will clearly wants to get back into the woods. The question is, is it time for Tom to consider her options? A maturing teenager, does she want to spend the foreseeable future living off of wild mushrooms and canned soup? There are several weak spots in the film-- you don't ever feel that they've really been living in the wild for a long time, and we never find out really why Will is so hostile to social life, even when it is a kind of funky, outlier community. The weather changes so quickly, it's hard to explain what time of year they are in. And conversations with outsiders start with this clear awareness of the story-- the woman who helps them after Will is injured, for example, seems instantly to ask questions you would ask if you are the audience and you know about their past. But the movie is fresh and sensitive and unexpected and there is very touching, very real emotion at the end... and sadness. Granik, who directed "Winter's Bone", as a great sensitivity for people living outside of the mainstream, and sympathy for their reasons, and their states of mind.
Zula is a young girl who auditions for a special choir in Poland just after the war. Wiktor is the choir director and pianist of the Mazurek school. Together with his wife partner, a musicologist named Irena, they manage this artsy school that produces an impressive company of dancers and singers-- and the director does not stint on the production quality of the sequences showing them. Real productions, real audiences. Zula, it is rumoured, murdered her father after he attempted to abuse her (she claims he was only wounded). She is attracted to Wiktor and they begin an affair that stretches through the 50's in Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia, and Paris. Kaczmarek represents the company and sells them out to the propaganda machinery of the Polish Communist Party, where they are forced to endure absurd presentations of abject worship of Comrade Stalin. They are separated and reunited, and intruded upon by the political imperatives of the Soviet Block, and by Wiktor's dubious judgment of career strategies. The ending is a bit abrupt: I didn't totally buy it. But the story is exquisitely filmed in black and white in 4-3 ratio, beautifully composed and lit, and marvelously well-acted. The musical performances by the choir are outstanding. Inspired by the life story of Pawilkowski's real parents. Pawilkowski also made "Ida".
Wonderful, moody look at the city of Los Angeles as depicted in movies, and how it's locations are used for movies, with an unerring eye for the revelatory moment, the insinuation, the political and social angle. Surveys movies from the earliest days of Hollywood to recent films like "Killer of Sheep" and "L.A. Confidential". Examines how myths and legends come to expression in films like "Chinatown", and looks at the real stories behind them, and how Los Angeles consistently rejected public transit and housing in favor of the massive freeway system and new, expensive towers, and how its architecture reflects its obsession with the trivial and superficial instead of the potential richness of history and beauty. Anderson examines the mythology of the police department and the violent confrontations with blacks and Latinos.
Very still, very quiet movie about a family under stress for the most natural, plausible reasons. Jerry Brinson is fired from his job at a golf course because he is too friendly with the customers. When they offer to hire him back, out of spite, he refuses. And he refuses other jobs as beneath his dignity. His wife, Janette, at first loyal, becomes increasingly distressed with his lack of initiative and is disillusioned with him when he takes a job fighting forest fires. But "Wildlife" is mainly about Joe Brinson, their son, and we see the marriage through his eyes. Jeanette looks for an alternative support and doesn't bother to conceal it from Joe. This small very believable tragedy of a broken relationship unwinds slowly, elegantly, with moments of brilliant clarity accentuated by the tasteful music. Exceptional performances from the three leads, and exquisite direction by Paul Dano.
Stillman, a preppy himself, specializes in wistful comedies about young men and women forging identities and character in that cauldron of simmering emotions and impulses of the early 20's college grad unmarried milieu. They are articulate, educated, generally well-mannered, and physically attractive because they are young, not because they are selected from a pool of models. They are unusually conscious of their own consciousness, acknowledging verbally what other characters might leave implied. They squabble, brag, experiment with attitudes, and are not particularly loyal to their group: they know they are all moving on. In this case, a group of preppies generously take in a young man, Tom, who happens to be standing near a taxi they want. They invite him to a party, and the girls like him, so he is invited to more parties. Nick, the leader of this group-- or what passes for dominance-- realizes he's not of the same class as the others and helps him acquire a tuxedo for some of the deb balls and dances he is invited to. He doesn't know it, but Audrey, a relatively self-effacing girl in the group, has developed a rather passionate interest in him, and he inadvertently slights her several times, almost breaking her heart without even trying. These debs and courtiers unselfconsciously discuss Fourier and Marxism and class and the bourgeoisie because they want to be cultivated and smart and respect education and anticipate becoming full members of the moneyed class -- if it isn't doomed.
Ted and Fred are cousins. Ted is a salesman living Barcelona while Fred is military, and advance man for the fleet which is headed to Barcelona. Fred arrives unexpectedly and expects to stay with Peter for an indefinite period. They go out, meet girls, talk about love and politics (how the Europeans mock and ridicule America) and religion. Their dialogue is extraordinarily self-conscious, witty, and deliberate. The girls are impeccable: smart, beautiful, charming, and sexually available (Ted tells Fred that the sexual revolution hit with more force in Europe, and did not retreat). Ted is attracted to Aurora because she is not attractive, but she retreats from his interest and he develops a relationship with Montserrat, who doesn't necessarily feel she should give up her boyfriend. Fred hooks up with Marta, who also has her own agenda. Stillman has a gift for allowing debates to run their course without seeming to be invested in either side. The characters in "Barcelona" are exploring, themselves and others, and meandering among the possible outcomes of relationships and interests. Entertaining, witty, and sometimes mesmerizing. The flattering portrait of the women is no accident: Stillman met and fell in love with a woman in Barcelona and married her.
Rachel and Richard are both getting older--she's 41-- and desperate to have children, any children, any child. They have applied for adoption but haven't given up yet on the possibility of natural birth-- with all the assistance modern medicine can muster, at whatever the cost (and "Private Life", to its' credit, does not pretend there is no cost). Their marriage is stressed as each takes turns being the driver for the next phase of their quest. At one point, they enter a serio-comic discussion about whether Feminism is responsible for their predicament, because Rachel waited to have a baby, and wanted to have a career first, and always believe it was possible to have it all. At the right moment, a niece, Sadie, enters their lives. She appears to be an ideal candidate to donate an egg, and she is enthusiastic about the idea-- to the consternation of her mom-- but she is something of a narcissist and raises a few alarms along the way. But "Private Life" is mainly about the stress on Richard and Rachel's relationship. For more than a year, all of their energies and attention have been focused on the jaded rituals of doctors' visits, injections, tests, extractions, and whatnot, at the expense of their emotional lives as marital partners. This extraordinary film exposes not only the cost of their pursuit, but, with some caustic relish, the selfish interests and cluelessness of the people around them. Sadie's mother almost implodes with fury when she announces that she has consented to provide eggs for Rachel. Richard complains that they haven't had sex more than once in 11 months. Rachel screams her rage at the clinicians who don't care or care for the wrong aspects of their lives as they consider adoption. A young girl in the South courts them as potential adoptive parents but doesn't show up to their first face-to-face meeting and disappears from the web: she was probably never pregnant. She just wanted the attention. Which is what everybody in "Private Life" wants. The film ends on an enigmatic note, and a gesture of optimism. All the tension between Rachel and Richard arises at least partly because they still care deeply about each other and what each other thinks.
The astounding series continues: every seven years, Michael Apted re-interviews a select group of 13 individuals, having started in 1963 when they were all seven years old. The implied argument was that class determines future; and even as one of the boys insistently denies it-- arguing that his mother, widowed, was poor-- he mentions his scholarship to Cambridge or Oxford, as if, of course that was possible for anyone. Many of the individuals have become somewhat ambivalent about the program, having become celebrities in Britain, and had their privacies invaded. One of them openly admits he rejoined the program to get publicity for his band (The Good Intentions). And one of them, Neil, whose strange life was often the most compelling story-line in the series, insists that people think they know him from the series, but they don't, really. Well-- we know we don't really know them in the full dimension of their lives and personalities, but who thought we did? I don't think the series has been unfair to them, as long as you understand, as every informed viewer should, that this is not the totality of their lives. What matters is how, stepping back, you get a sense of the full dimension of a life span, of people who went from adorable child to wary retiree before your eyes.
Immensely enjoyable six-pack of stories that are more like parodies of traditional westerns than they are westerns themselves. A singing gunslinger, an armless rhetorician, a young pioneer whose brother dies on the trek to Oregon, a gold-miner. All told beautifully, with wit and imagination, and the sharp edges the Coen brothers are known for. We meet a ridiculously confident singing cowboy, and gold-miner who faces an attempted robbery after a determined effort to find the motherlode in a remote valley, a man who travels the west with a man with no arms or legs who recites poetry and famous speeches, and a tragic young woman headed to Oregon and potential marriage to a stranger. There is an unlucky bank robber, and a pair of suave bounty hunters. And there are the hauntingly beautiful landscapes of the west, lovingly filmed, miraculously dramatic and rich with lore. A beautiful, delightful film.
Delicate, thoughtful, expressive film about the lives of a well-off family of a doctor and their two maids in Mexico in 1970-- (confusing me because of references to the Olympics which were held in 1968). Director Cuaron has stated that almost everything from the film is directly from his own memories and the film is dedicated to the family maid, Libo, whom he grew up with, and set in the neighborhood, Roma, in Mexico near the city center. The doctor, Antonio, sets off to a conference in Quebec but does not seem to be returning. A maid, Adela has troubles of her own: she's pregnant and her boyfriend disappears. The city has problems: there are wild demonstrations in reaction to the corruption around the Olympics, the seizure of property, and police brutality. But the film stays focused on Sofia's family and the maids. There are several utterly remarkable sequences, including childbirth, and a swim at the beach in Tuxpan-- long, continuous shots of remarkable drama and beauty. In fact, some of them were "stitched together" seamlessly from different takes. Like Ozu, Cuaron here is concerned with the intimacies of daily life, or relationships, of care. Cleo, the maid who gets pregnant, is a loving, compassionate presence in the family. And the mother, Sofia appreciates her value to the family and takes her with on vacation. The children respect her and look to her for guidance, especially after Antonio has abandoned them.
Delicate, thoughtful, expressive film about the lives of a well-off family of a doctor and their two maids in Mexico in 1970-- (confusing me because of references to the Olympics which were held in 1968). Director Cuaron has stated that almost everything from the film is directly from his own memories and the film is dedicated to the family maid, Libo, whom he grew up with, and set in the neighborhood, Roma, in Mexico near the city center. The doctor, Antonio, sets off to a conference in Quebec but does not seem to be returning. A maid, Adela has troubles of her own: she's pregnant and her boyfriend disappears. The city has problems: there are wild demonstrations in reaction to the corruption around the Olympics, the seizure of property, and police brutality. But the film stays focused on Sofia's family and the maids. There are several utterly remarkable sequences, including childbirth, and a swim at the beach in Tuxpan-- long, continuous shots of remarkable drama and beauty. In fact, some of them were "stitched together" seamlessly from different takes. Like Ozu, Cuaron here is concerned with the intimacies of daily life, or relationships, of care. Cleo, the maid who gets pregnant, is a loving, compassionate presence in the family. And the mother, Sofia appreciates her value to the family and takes her with on vacation. The children respect her and look to her for guidance, especially after Antonio has abandoned them.
Rachel Weisz called this a "funnier, sex-driven 'All About Eve'", which sounds right. Lady Sarah is Queen Anne's confidant, adviser, and first minister of sorts, her indispensable aide, because Anne is unhealthy, incompetent, and clueless. Abigail is a former Lady who has been cast out through unfortunate circumstances. She is accepted, generously, by Lady Sarah as a servant, but devises various stratagems through which she begins to win the attention and support of Anne. By the time Lady Sarah recognizes the threat, she has been placed in a vulnerable position. The two women are cynical, calculating, and ruthless in their work, which oddly imbues the shrewd men around them with the impression of virtue and honesty. Very well-acted and beautifully filmed in Hatfield House, Hertfordshire and Hampton Court Palace-- the palaces are truly amazing to behold. In a revealing bit of trivia, Emma Stone states that it was her idea to show her breasts in the scene in which Sarah discovers her in bed with Anne: it's a middle finger to Sarah.
Documentary about a veteran who was severely beaten one night at a bar. He lost most of his memories, including of his wife, and had to relearn to walk, eat, speak, and so on. On the way, he began to retreat into a world of G.I. Joe and Barbie dolls, that he build in his back yard and then photographed. This became a form of therapy for him, discovered by an editor for an exotica magazine, and eventually a New York gallery. Odd, sometimes amateurish-- which works in its favor. We meet many of his friends who hold the dolls that represent them in front of themselves to lead into the interviews. Some surprising developments, pertaining to women's shoes. Hogancamp is free of artifice and coyness and quite talented artistically. His photos became a bit of a sensation (thought not for all), and the documentary led to a feature movie in 2018 starring Steve Carrell. But we are left the ambivalence Mark feels towards his fame, and his expressed desire to continue to live in his fantasy, doll world.
John Keats was part of a flurry of Romantic poets in the early 19th century (he died in 1821, at 25), along with Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, and Shelley. We meet him living with Charles Brown, a Libertarian, who enjoys tormenting neighbor Fanny Brawne for her triviality and obsession with fashion. John is drawn to Fanny and she to him, almost instantly, but we are never allowed to forget for a moment the harsh strictures of 19th century social life, the fact that he is in debt and has no prospects, and the requirements of public virtue in all concerned. They talk and fence verbally and she begins to acquire a taste for poetry-- or so, she badly wants Keats (and Brown) to believe. She is often accompanied by her brother but she and Keats do find time alone, but there will be no bodice- ripping in "Bright Star". (Though, in his letters, Keats made it clear that he at least wished for a consummation). Campion has an exquisite sense of the right visual touch, the timely edit, and pace, that gives this film a slowing sense of delicacy and joy and inquisitiveness. We see how others watch Fanny and John, what they pay attention too, what their interests are. This introduces an almost unbearable tension for we know that the gestures in this relationship are fundamentally consequential and potentially tragic. Campion's film echoes "A Quiet Passion", the challenging film on Emily Dickinson, that also handled well the task of making a poet's life interesting. Though, let's not forget, he was a romantic poet, which means he was responsible for much of the silliest verse ever foisted upon a high school class: Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades Past the near meadows, over the still stream, Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep In the next valley-glades: and: "For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells." Alas, alas, 'tis silly and trite And only a modern English teacher Treacly and blathering, could bite.
And what a deal!
Powerful docu-drama (it is a drama that looks very much, at times, like a documentary, with handheld cameras and improvised scenes, though the sound quality is a giveaway) about a group of AIDS activists in Paris in the early 1990's. They meet and argue and discuss strategies and the moral and ethical principles they must apply, and there are personality clashes, and the desperation of individuals who see their lives at stake in the outcome. They sneak into pharmaceutical company offices and disrupt their business and splatter fake blood on their doors and windows. They confront executives and government officials and sometimes expel them even when they appear to be offering dialogue and shared concerns. Eventually, we focus on Sean and Nathan and their love affair as Sean shows symptoms of AIDS and he moves back in with his mother for care. Almost uncomfortably intimate at times, and does not shy away from the sex, unlike most Hollywood movies about AIDS (director Campillo recruited only gay actors for the major roles). Really, a terrific film.
Stunning script about a American, Charlie Madison, in charge of wrangling supplies and other benefits for the brass, in England, on the eve of the D-Day invasion. Madison is unashamedly a coward who will do anything to avoid being drawn into an actual battle, and he has a taste for good food, wine, and woman. He meets his match in Emily, a British driver, who finds his hedonism offensive, but is attracted by the fact that he is far less likely than her first husband, brother, and father, to be killed in the war. What is so stunningly refreshing is that there is no redemptive moment really, or twist, in which we learn that courage and the willingness to die for a cause really is better. It's a direct challenge to the culture of militarism, the fetishist worship of death. Madison loves life. He loves women and he loves good food and he has no intention of putting his life at the disposal of some general or admiral who may very well be a lunatic-- as his own boss, Admiral Jessup proves to be. In a dissociative moment, Jessup plans an absurd strategy to make a film about the first navy man on the beach, to promote the cause of keeping the navy a distinctive service to Congress. Madison is dragged into with apparently tragic results. Caustic and provocative. Not particularly artistic in presentation (this is Arthur Hiller, after all) but tasteful and down to earth.
When Veronica's husband, Harry, is killed, along with his com-padres, in a botched robbery attempt, she discovers that he owed millions of dollars to a vicious gangster, who expects to be paid. Desperate, she recruits the wives of the other gang members to follow up on a heist planned in Harry's notebooks, that looks rich and simple. Turns out the gangster is a black politician running for ward counselor in Chicago. What starts out as over-exploited heist concept turns into a dark exploration of politics, race, poverty and class. And then ends not uncomfortably with a more conventional heist outcome. At one point, it seems to turn into an empowerment trope, but the story is more complex than that. The women don't become surrogate men, or learn to excel at masculinity: they are determined and clever, without obviating their gender. Jack Mulligan, who first appears to be the white, racist demagogue, turns into a more complex character, with some distaste for the corrupt politics of his father, and his opponent, Jamal Manning, is not what he first appears to be either. All is handled deftly by McQueen, adding nuance to characters and situations, and exploring the personal circumstances of the women at some length. In particular, Alice grows pleasingly as a character, believably, from a naive, helpless debutante, into a determined, enthusiastic conspirator. The ending has echoes of "12 Angry Men", in which two of the key protagonists finally feel free to acknowledge each other's humanity in a subtle, brief encounter. Actress Elizabeth Debicki, incidentally, looks a lot like Mira Sorvino. Neither Viola Davis, who is over-rated in my opinion, nor Liam Neeson distinguish themselves here, but the rest of the cast, including Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall do.
(I did see this much earlier but didn't review it at the time.) "The Candidate" is a stunning film. It shares with "Bullworth" the conceit that the only way a real man of integrity could enter politics is on the assumption and acceptance of the fact that he will lose, (or has nothing to lose), and his primary virtue is the willingness to tell unpopular truths to voters. Redford, who also produced, is Bill McKay, a rather pure (except for a mistress) community organizer and lawyer, and son a former governor. When Marvin Lucas, a political campaign manager without a candidate, offers to manage a campaign for the Senate-- which he will surely lose-- he agrees on condition that he can stay true to his values. But he immediately begins to accept the small compromises asked of him-- cutting his hair, moderating his positions-- and as his campaign begins to catch momentum, he succumbs to more and more pressure to mainstream his positions and style. His father, the ex-governor, appears reluctant to support him, and he tells an important labour leader that he "has shit in common" with him, causing aides to stare in stunning silence until one, then all of them, start laughing. He gets the endorsement. We given full view of the awkward and shabby parts of the campaign: his wife posing for pictures for parade magazine, an aide trying to hustle his way into a conversation with Natalie Wood (as herself), voters that appear to be clueless about the race or his policy positions, a campaign speech to an empty room. At one point, he begins to mouth inane parodies of his own speech in the back of a car. He gets 15 minutes free air time from a radio station but arrives late and can't stop giggling. It's a bravura performance by Redford, and brilliant direction and writing. It is full of those random, unpredictable moments you encounter in real life but rarely in film. It is by far the most realistic campaign movie I know of.
A melancholy, stately story about a couple, Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow, who, with their spouses, occupy rooms in a boarding house in Hong Kong in 1962. Mr. Chan travels a lot, to Japan and elsewhere, and so Mrs. Chan is often home alone. Mr. Chow's wife works late and one night he discovers that, actually, she hasn't been working late: she's been somewhere else. And his friend, Mr. Ping, has seen her walking with another man. Gradually, the two, Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan, discover-- through clever detail-- that their spouses are having an affair. It's 1962, remember? They don't even want to reveal the scandal to anyone, so they suffer loneliness and neglect in silence. But they discover each other and very slowly develop a level of intimacy that we wrongly expect will lead to consummation at some point. But they have decided that to sleep together would make them like their unfaithful partners. There are clear indications that both want to fulfill their relationship, but not at the same moment. There is a world of detail in their relationship, their meetings, their small gestures, their intimate looks, and we focus on that because there are no explosions, no melodrama, no rage. In some ways, "In the Mood for Love" is all the more explosive for the way it constrains the two of them, magnifying each smaller moment. There is one magnificently chilling moment: Mrs. Chan decides to finally confront her husband about his affair. So she looks at him and asks if he has a mistress. At first, we think it is her husband, but then we discover it is Mr. Chow. She wants to rehearse it first, with her trusted lover. But, knowing that he wants to sleep with her but she does not agree, the question takes on a double meaning, and when she repeats it, without the firm demeanor of the first attempt, it's as if she is staring into the soul of Mr. Chow, wondering how he could stand to go so long without any physical affection: do you have a mistress? Music is used beautifully throughout, with characters almost posing in tableaus that dramatize the state of their lives. In the end, we are left with the tragedy of emotionally constrictive social conventions that deny two intelligent, sensitive persons the opportunity to live well, to fully experience love and companionship. Nat King Cole's "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" is prominent, as is Bryan Ferry's "I'm in the Mood for Love", of course.
Based on book by James Hansen. Extraordinary account of Neil Armstrong's career culminating in the moon landing in July 1969. One must be grateful that the filmmakers inexplicably chose not to commit the foulest errors most space films make, like putting tiny lights inside the helmets to show the astronaut's faces, or making sounds in space. "First Man" has an eye for the shabby, darker side of space exploration. Indeed, some scenes of the astronauts being prepared for the launch suggest hamsters being put into test buckets-- no romanticized, pseudo heroic pretense here. Most fascinating as a study of Neil Armstrong, a self-effacing, diligent man, who held his emotions in check (his sons collaborated on this film) and didn't try to exploit his privileged career for personal gain (he only very reluctantly agreed to James Hansen's biography, and insisted on accuracy). The music is particularly good, featuring Armstrong's own favorite, the theramin, on a lot of tracks. Excellent special effects, particularly the dramatization of the near disaster of Gemini 8.
Haunting documentary about Linda Bishop, a woman who abandoned her adolescent daughter and wandered the streets under delusions and paranoia, until apprehended for several minor offences, and institutionalized for three years at the New Hampshire Hospital. In the end, the state is no longer able to hold her (it's not really clear if they couldn't or wouldn't) and she is released without notification to her sister or any other relative. She finds an abandoned farmhouse and lives out the winter there until she eventually runs out of food and starves to death. The film-makers advocate for more rights for the state and guardians to forcibly institutionalize cases like Linda, or force them to take medications, but her stay in an institution was not anodyne: she didn't like the lack of freedom, the lack of privacy, the interactions with the other people there. Nor do the interviewee's acknowledge that part of her delusion was that God would take care of her. Or is it a "delusion"? Or is it a religious belief?
In one of the most engaging sequences of alluring conversation between two leads in a romantic/not-romantic film, Elle and James meet at a book signing, go to her antique store, and drive out to a museum, while arguing over whether an exact copy of an artwork-- or marriage, perhaps-- is just as good and serves to create just as much pleasure as the real thing. It is only after an hour or more that we realize that this couple might already be married-- or not. Maybe they are role-playing the marriage; maybe they are role-playing two strangers who meet and (re)discover what they like about each other. There is no definitive answer but all the pleasure is in the journey they take us on, very reminiscent of "Before Sunset", in which they taunt, ridicule, flatter, and fight each other, and consider an elderly couple leaving a church, after considering a very young couple getting married who insistently ask them to pose with them in their wedding pictures (for luck). James ridicules the young couple: they have no idea what will hit them with children and responsibilities and age. Elle rather suggests that the copy of love, the appearance of loyalty and commitment, are just as good as the real thing-- something James claims to have proven in his book. They tell each other stories, that might be true, about each other, about a woman who falls asleep while driving with a child in the back seat, or man who almost abandons his family and forgets to even acknowledge a child's birthday, who is "cold" on his wedding day. We never get the definitive goods on them: are they really talking about each other? Kiarostami has a history of portraying impostors and fakes, and this one is a marvel of opacity. The two leads are obsessively watchable here, and Kiarostami uses long, continuous takes that never drag.
We meet Brady Blackburn as he removes the bandage from a severe head wound and covers it with plastic wrap so he can take a shower. He is a rodeo rider whose career is endangered by the injury, but he doesn't have much else to fall back on, not even high school. His relationship with his father is rocky-- he gambles and drinks-- but his developmentally-delayed sister is close to him. He is also a good horse trainer and we get to see his remarkable skills with an untrained horse, patiently filmed and explored. We understand why his temporary job in a local store leaves him feeling robbed of his identity. Chloe Zhao met Brady (the actor) when he taught her how to ride a horse and when the real person suffered the real injury, she built this remarkable film around him. What a find! Brady is a compelling, subtle, convincing screen presence. Most of the other actors are clearly real people who probably play themselves for the most part, but it all works beautifully because of Zhao's austere, sparse style, the exquisite photography, and the riveting sequences with the horses and with a friend, Lane, who has suffered a grievous accident and is now paralyzed. Not a cheap shot or trick in the film and when we arrive at the tragedy unresolved at the conclusion, it arrives with the full weight of believable characters.
Lovely, contemplative film about life on a farm called "Paridier" in wartime France (WW I) from the point of view of the women who have to do most of the work while the men are away fighting, and the social conflicts that arise due to the absence of the men. Hortense is the owner and dominant force on the form, hiring and firing, and managing affairs. Solange's husband is off fighting and is eventually taken prisoner by the Germans. They need more help and get it from Francine, who is sent by a bank. Francine is an orphan and glad to have a place, and is a dedicated, self-less worker. "Guardians" patiently lets us watch farm life for them, milking cows, plowing, seeding, chopping wood, making some weird dish with bread and wine, so that we become accustomed to the rhythms and textures of their lives-- before they are disrupted by Solange's actions and their consequences, and George's interest in Francine (when the family expected him to become engaged to Marguerite, a family ward, instead). There is more disruption from the Americans who haven't entered the fighting yet but buy food from the farm, annoying Georges, who thinks they should be off fighting. This is a wonderful recreation of a time and place, sensitive, and revealing.
Bleak and depressing at times, but also hilarious and biting, Mike Leigh's take on Thatcherism is never dull, never stagnant. Cyril and Shirley live in a small apartment nursing their disillusionment with hashish and touching affection for each other. Shirley wants a baby but Cyril feels the world is too cold and harsh to bring another life into it. Cyril's sister Valerie, is an incredible piece of work-- over-the-top, perhaps-- as a shrill, giggly poseur whose husband has nothing but contempt for her (at one point he even pushes her hard into the couch) and doesn't treat his mistresses much better. Cyril's mother, Mrs. Bender, is the depressing element: old, ill, and depressed, when she loses her purse one day a neighbor, Laetitia, reluctantly lets her in while Laetitia phones for help. Laetitia and Rupert are nouveau riche and have upgraded a council apartment next to Mrs. Bender's. They are exhilarated by wealth and its accoutrements (they are headed for the opera when Mrs. Bender asks them for help), and they are put off by Valerie's pushiness in trying to see what the apartment looks like when she comes for her mother. All of the family tensions come boiling over at a party Valerie throws for Mrs. Bender's birthday, into a screaming match, mainly between Valerie and Martin, as Valerie tries to shove cake into Mrs. Bender's mouth and make everyone drink champagne. At times while watching a Mike Leigh film, even I wonder if too much reality can be too much to take. He is determined to reveal the lives of real people as they are really lived. Characters are physically flawed, the homes are dreary and lived in, and Mrs. Bender clearly doesn't feel she has much to live for. But that makes his movies all the powerful and often moving, as when Shirley and Cyril discuss having a baby. You can tell that they aren't just reading a script: she is thinking about how his words correspond or not with what he's feeling, and how far can she push, and how really, really badly she wants a child. It is art being art, authentic and revealing and often powerful.
Corrosive, dark comedy about neighbors who squabble over a tree (it casts shade on the deck where Eybjorg, the young second wife of Konrad, likes to work on her tan). Inga, the older wife of Baldvin, resents the young woman, partly because she's beautiful and young, and partly because she seems to represent the loss of one of her sons who has gone missing and may have committed suicide. When Inga's cat disappears, she assumes Eybjorg is responsible and sequence of events begins that lead to a macabre denouement. In the background, we watch Atli and Agnes's marriage fall apart when Agnes catches him watching porn-- which turns out to be Atli himself and a former girlfriend. She considers this an infidelity and regards Atli now as a threat to their young daughter, Asa. But Atli later on turns out to be sane one in this assemblage. Not the most polished film, and the cinematography seemed cold and lifeless at times, but some scenes of wonderful black comedy, and a strong performance by Edda Bjorgvinsdottir bring it to life. She steams all through the film, furious at her attractive neighbor whom she calls the "cycling bitch", at her husband for being a wimp, and her son for cheating on his wife. A compelling portrait of hateful, unhappy soul. Reminded me of Norman Mclaren's famous brilliant animated short, "Neighbors".
Yes, that's 197 minutes. And it's great. It has an odd, cumulative effect, in which you become enamored of all these people, customers, users, guest speakers, hosts, managers, directors, of the massive New York Public Library. As always, Wiseman eschews narrative and formal interviews, and just films what he sees, and edits into a lingering love letter to the institution.
Based on novel by Antonio Di Benedetto. Don Diego de Zama is an absurd creature in an absurd universe and the purpose of "Zama" is to reveal this to him and to us. In what appears to be the 18th century, Zama, disgraced in some way, has been relegated to a colonial outpost by the Spanish government, as a minor magistrate. He longs to be restored to a position in a city, and influence and prestige, but has a ridiculously difficult time even getting the local governor to write a letter on his behalf. In the meantime, he encounters indigenous tribesmen and other minor functionaries and ravishingly scenic vistas on the river and the hills and forests nearby. He also has a few social visits with Luciana, played by the very charismatic Lola Duenas. She highlights the tantalizing lure of the social life Zama is missing out on, even as we discover that he has had a child with a local Indian, who, in one scene, refuses to even give him a shirt ("Who am I? Your wife?). His downfall begins in earnest when a local outlaw, Vicuno Porto, who is blamed for every crime, it seems, within 500 miles, comes to believe that Zama knows the location of the "coconuts", which he believes hold precious gems. Zama tells Porto that he is going to do something for him that nobody has ever been honest enough to do for him: shatter all your dreams right away instead of lying. There are no valuable coconuts. You and your men will never get rich. For this, he is labelled a traitor and punished appropriately. This is a slow-moving, sometimes bewildering film, but if you just wait for it to reveal the details necessary to understand what is happening, it is reward, and exquisitely beautiful.
The opening scene of "Tuesday After Christmas", a Romanian film largely made in Bucharest, is strikingly intimate, confident, and bracing. Paul and Raluca in bed, nude, in her apartment, cuddling, teasing, playfully touching, mocking, and laughing. It lets you in on what Paul sees in his affair with this young, beautiful (but not unrealistically so) dentist, and why he might consider leaving his wife of ten years for her. The nudity is not filmed in the traditional coy manner, with sheets covering the sensitive parts, or even waist-up only shots: they are stark naked and the camera remains stationary, unblinking, as they move around. Adriana, Paul's wife, the woman he is cheating on, is neither shrill nor unattractive-- more like average-looking. And director Muntean doesn't want to let you off the hook: "Tuesday After Christmas" is, above all else, an affront to the Hollywood style of presenting ridiculously schematic treatments of serious issues. TAC is gentle, sensitive, insightful, patient, and evocative. You are bombarded with relentless detail of the normal average lives of its subject, including the heartbreaking moments in which one realizes that one's life has changed forever, and not necessarily for the better. Paul is a not a monster, but he's no saint either: he can be rude and mean at times, but he is very sweet to Raluca. Raluca isn't innocent or naive and one can see how she might just be nothing more to Paul than a younger version of Adriana, after all, Is this new affair going to end differently? And we don't get to escape the practical consequences, the daughter, the ski trips cancelled or changed, the legalities. I watched a good chunk of the film a second time; it did not lose an ounce of energy. Another foreign (Romanian) film: "Tuesday After Christmas", that, in it's simple respect for the rich complexities and nuances of marital infidelity, in which no one is a caricature or villain, makes most Hollywood films seem childish. I think we've been trained from childhood to want to see someone get smacked at the end of every story.
Usually, we meet the star as he begins his career, follow his early set-backs, wallow in his success and excess, and then watch as he is corrupted and falls and then is redeemed by his second wife, or a child, or father. "Tender Mercies" starts at the bottom, with Mac Sledge broke and drunk and his girlfriend driving off leaving him stuck with the motel bill. Fortunately, for him, it's the right motel: redemption awaits in the form of Rosa Lee, a widow, with a photogenic young boy, who hires him to do some maintenance work and then is sensibly receptive to his offer of marriage. Sledge was a great country singer but he is perceived as washed up. Still, a local band looks him up and he gets back into writing. His daughter looks him up too. Sledge gradually finds order and purpose to his life and that's really the heart of this well-written, well-acted movie. Duvall did his own singing for the part and is almost credible as a country singer. The movie smartly doesn't over-play it's hand. Foote (the writer) has said that the whole film is encapsulated in an exchange he heard about between a real country artist and a fan: "Were you really..." "Yes ma'am, I guess I was." But his most acute writing touch is demonstrated in Rosa Lee's response when Sonny asks how his father died. She tells him she doesn't know. They just found him dead. He'd been dead for days. It might have been a sniper or a battle. Her dialogue in this scene in haunting and compellingly real. So are the scenes at church, an important part of life for a large portion of the population that is almost never acknowledged for render authentically in film. Unfortunately, Universal, the distributor, had no faith in the movie and refused to promote it. Duvall thought they were clueless about middle America and he has a point. When Willie Nelson offered to promote it, they were like "Willie who?"
Lucy and Barkley are an elderly couple living together in their lovely home, as they have been for most of their 50-year marriage. Their children are all grown up, married, some with children. One day they are all summoned to the house to hear the bad news: Barkley, having lost his job, is unable to keep up the payments on the house. They are being evicted. Could anyone take them in? And thus is slowly laid bare the real characters of their children. All of them claim to be well-meaning, and assert their generosity towards their parents, but it all becomes rather inconvenient for them. The first thing they do is split them up. Then Lucy becomes annoying for George and his wife Anita and daughter, Rhoda, talking to guests, sitting in her squeaky rocking chair during bridge lessons, offering unwanted advice. Cora and her husband take in Barkley but look for any excuse to send him off to Addie, his daughter who lives in California, but who has never, over the years, even sent a grapefruit. In the end, the children's wishes prevail and Barkley and Lucy get to spend a few hours together before Barkley gets on the train. This experience provides a poignant contrast to the children, as they walk to a park and then downtown. A stranger persuades them to let him drive them around thinking he might sell them a car; when they make it clear they misunderstood, far from being chagrined, he is charmed by the couple and tells them it was his pleasure to drive them to the hotel. The hotel, likewise, is pleased to entertain guests who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their honeymoon at the same hotel. When they dance, the orchestra switches to "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to acknowledge them. A truly heartbreaking ending precisely because the Coopers, Barkley and Lucy, are flawed humans, quirky, annoying at times, even whiny, and yet they win our sympathy. Their children are not monsters-- just selfish and insensitive and, really, rather believable as we too would find the circumstances they are put in difficult. McCarey fought the studio to preserve the ending and he was right. It would have lost its punch if he had changed it to something "uplifting". A really remarkable, satisfying film, in spite of the anachronistic dramatic style, the staginess at times, and the acting.
We have a pretty good idea now of what is going to happen after the ending of "The Holy Girl", as the two teenagers swim in the hotel pool, one of them with knowledge of an impending disaster that she withholds, and the other clearly intent on preventing that disaster but unable to because she doesn't know it is imminent. Neither of them leave the pool and we hear them swimming and murmuring as the credits role. Amalia is 16 and lives with her mother, Helena, in a busy hotel that is hosting a medical congress of sorts. While watching a musician perform on a theremin in a store window, a man creeps up behind her and, aroused, presses against her. She turns suddenly and sees him slink away quickly. The man is Dr. Janos, a married man with children, who is attending the congress and who also arouses the interest of Amalia's mother, who finds him compelling and sad, and flirts with him. Amalia is confused, interested, disingenuous. She tells her friend, Josefina, what happened but swears her to secrecy. They both attend catholic school and we see them at some kind of religious class comically discussing vocations and missions and sacrifice with Ines, who tries to steer them to more serious consideration of the issues. One reviewer said, "their teen imaginations conflate the erotic, the religious, and the lurid". I would add that Martel simply refuses to expunge the ambiguities at the heart of the #metoo issues raised in the story and it is very striking that this female director gets so much of how these teens interact with each other, push each other's imaginations, how they mock the rigid Inez and accuse her of hypocrisy because Josefina has seen her with her boyfriend. In fact, this film brought back vivid memories of girls I knew at that age whose behavior was strikingly similar-- behavior so rich with mixed motives, dramatics, masochism, provocation, and incongruity that it almost impossible to figure out what they really wanted or intended out of it all. Indeed, Josefina, striving to remain pure outside of marriage, nevertheless invites her boyfriend to use the backdoor, appears to have a sexual attraction for Amalia, and makes a terrible decision, a betrayal, when her mother catches her and her boyfriend in bed. This is an echo of "The Crucible" and "The Children's Hour". Is this suggested dynamic really anachronistic, today, or more true than we would like to admit? Is Amalia really a saint, or is she complicit in a culture that allows men to escape accountability for offensive behavior?
Katherine marries Alexander, a wealthy landowner much older than her, whose only request, on their wedding night, is that she undress. Later he adds a detail: face the wall. Then he apparently masturbates. He leaves soon after and Katherine, unsatisfied, has a rude encounter with a farm-hand named Sebastian, who understands what she wants and gives to her. In this 19th century community, this creates a deadly dynamic, especially since secrets are not kept in this household. Like the movie's namesake, Katherine is no victim, no shrinking violet: she is "thick-skinned" she says, and she proves it as her desires lead to increasing complications and disasters. Through it all, Pugh, as Katherine, is riveting-- you can't take your eyes off her. Her performance is austere and never showing, yet it builds in intensity and conviction as Katherine continues to surprise us. It twits our sympathies: after all, she is clearly an oppressed victim of a brutally patriarchal society, but we are never given an out to excuse her choices and as she refuses to compromise with her own desire. Based on the Russian novel, "Lady MacBeth of the Mtsenk District", which, of course, is inspired by the play. An extraordinary if harsh film.
The much esteemed novel "Ragtime" brought to film by esteemed director Milos Forman, who, justifiably condensed the sprawling story down to a few major characters. Even so, the film seems episodic at times, and slightly disjointed, but not to my annoyance. The centerpiece of the story is true: a man named Henry Thaw, aware of a past sexual relationship between his wife, Evelyn Nesbit and a famous, wealthy, influential architect Stanford White (who designed the Washington Square Arch, among other achievements), strode into a New York club one night and shot and killed White. His trial was a tabloid sensation, with lurid accounts of White's numerous affairs, and the claim that Thaw had been temporarily insane at the time of the murder. But the more important characters are peripheral to this story. Younger Brother falls in love with Nesbit and has an affair with her. A negro baby is found in the garden of Father's house and Mother takes in the baby and it's mother to protect them from incarceration. The father of baby arrives, self-sufficient in his owned Ford Model "T" and declares that he is the father of the baby and intends to marry the mother. He is later humiliated by a group of racist volunteer firemen and the latter half of the story centers of his unyielding passion for justice, and here the story rides somewhat improbably into melodrama. Yet the characters are so well-drawn, and well-acted, that the power of the film is not diminished. If that isn't enough, we have a stellar James Cagney in his very last role, and Donald O'Conner as a dance instructor (apparently, he was having financial troubles at the time and Forman gave him a break, at the request of Cagney). We have the iconic Pat O'Brien playing-- very well-- a slippery but competent lawyer for Thaw. And an uninhibited Elizabeth McGovern frolicking naked for a good five minutes while negotiating with the lawyers. Jeff Daniels makes and appearance, as does Debbie Allen, and several other actors in their first significant roles.
Soulful story about Courgette, a young boy whose father has abandoned him and whose mother is an abusive alcoholic. When tragedy strikes, he is shipped off to an orphanage, driven by a kindly police officer, Raymond. His developing relationships with the other children and with Raymond are traced, along with a "romantic" interest, Camille. What is truly extraordinary about "Courgette" is the way adult-sized problems are treated with respect and telescoped in a child's sensibility without sanitizing or homogenizing the drama. The children talk to each other about murder, drugs, abuse, and so on, as children. The delicacy and sensitivity with which their relationships are explored and revealed is a marvel. A beautiful, sad, but ultimately hopeful film, and antidote to every Disney Princess out there.
Soulful story about Courgette, a young boy whose father has abandoned him and whose mother is an abusive alcoholic. When tragedy strikes, he is shipped off to an orphanage, driven by a kindly police officer, Raymond. His developing relationships with the other children and with Raymond are traced, along with a "romantic" interest, Camille. What is truly extraordinary about "Courgette" is the way adult-sized problems are treated with respect and telescoped in a child's sensibility without sanitizing or homogenizing the drama. The children talk to each other about murder, drugs, abuse, and so on, as children. The delicacy and sensitivity with which their relationships are explored and revealed is a marvel. A beautiful, sad, but ultimately hopeful film, and antidote to every Disney Princess out there.
An actor, Hendrik Hofgen, must navigate the changing politics and culture of Germany, first in Hamburg, then Berlin, from a Communist Workers' Theatrical company to the patronage of a Nazi Minister-- modelled on Hermann Goring-- who loves theatre but pressures him to work on behalf of the party and purge the theatrical community of Jews and malcontents. Klaus Maria Brandauer is brilliant as Hofgren, a brilliant actor and a volatile personality. The film is a study of his willingness to compromise to further his career, and just how much he will tolerate in exchange for the privileges award him by his Nazi keepers. The theatrical performances are expertly staged, the acting superb, and panorama of incidental characters to the history of the war is breath-taking. Author Klaus Mann, grandson of Thomas, is said to have been clearly inspired by his brother-in-law, Gustaf Grundgens (married to Klaus' sister Erika Mann). Grungen's son Peter Gorski succeeded in getting the book banned in Germany for years after the war. He remains controversial: a number of other actors insist that he protected them and saved lives during the war.
Okay-- you got the smart nerd misfit, the virtuous, nice girl, the jock, and the mean girl. Cliche-city, right? Not in David Seltzer's affectionate and authentic treatment of adolescent angst in "Lucas". Lucas meets 16-year-old Maggie at a tennis court, entranced by her tennis skirt, and charmed by her friendly demeanor: she's new to the high school, her dad has left her mom for a 19-year-old, and, well, she is simply a peach of a person. They hit it off but Lucas clearly would like a romance. The trouble is, Maggie is entranced by jock Cappie, who, in defiance of the canon of teen-movies, is a nice guy, who actually likes Lucas and protects him from the other jocks. This leads to complications that are not neatly resolved: Maggie needs Lucas to understand that she only wants friendship with him, but he doesn't give up. There are wonderful, elegant moments in the film: a drive in the country where cicadas crash into the windshield of the car, band rehearsals, choir rehearsals, and a few realistically awkward teenage conversations. The acting is superb throughout, especially Kerri Green as Maggie, but even Sheen gives a sensitive, thoughtful rendering as the jock (echoing his performance in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"-- two years later!). In one scene, his girlfriend (at the moment) gives a long, assessing look at Maggie that is a triumph of subtlety and understatement. A marvel of a film, rare, and special. When the big football came arrives, you anticipate the worst, but Seltzer manages to come up with a splashy ending that dodges the cliche's and somehow remains believable. The surprise at the end is ringingly sensible the minute it happens.
Hilarious romp through the last days of dictator Joseph Stalin by the director of "In the Loop". Feisty, provocative, and yet fairly close to the facts. Stalin falls over in his study from a stroke but his guards are too terrified to open the door to see what happened. He lies there in a puddle of his own urine for hours until a maid comes to bring his morning tea. Then all hell breaks loose as Beria, Malenkov, Molotov, Khrushchev, and others circle the dying man trying to position themselves for the inevitable power-struggle, while acknowledging the need for reforms-- most specifically, to stop the incessant murder of suspected political opponents that reached a state of madness as Stalin's paranoia grew and grew. Beautifully acted and filmed; riveting. And a huge blessing: they speak English, in normal accents. No ridiculous Russian accents at all. It's wonderful, if not quite as good as Russian with subtitles.
There's no suspense about Zhenya and Boris's marriage at the start of "Loveless". It's on the rocks. And no, they will not be friends. Zhenya in particular is absolutely scabrous in her condemnation of poor Boris. They shout and scream at each other because neither of them wants to take 12-year-old Alyosha who, unbeknownst to them, is listening from the bathroom (in a scathing scene, Zhenya relieves herself in the bathroom and as she closes the door behind her, we spy Alyosha, unseen by Zhenya, hysterically but silently crying in the darkness.) When Zhenya returns from a late date, while Boris is on his own date, and rises late in the morning, Alyosha has disappeared. "Loveless" carefully depicts the contrast between Zhenya and Boris's callousness and the determination and commitment of the volunteers who search for the boy. This is Zvyagintsez acidic comment on Russian society. Everyone is totally absorbed by their smartphones and their own image in the mirrors they pass, but they barely noticed the missing son. They are both, in the end, left with what they wanted, and the flat, resigned expressions on their bodies tell us the cost. This is what "The Guardian" calls "a spiritual catastrophe".
Extraordinary film that doesn't feel like almost 2 and a half hours. Christian, the curator of a prestigious Stockholm museum, is trying to arrange publicity for a new show, about a square in the square, in which participants are invited to feel a sense of brotherhood and peace with the world. From within the square, you can ask a passerby for anything, and the passerby, in theory at least, is obligated to give what you ask for. A consulting firm is working on the publicity for this project, when Christian loses his wallet, cellphone, and cuff links downtown. On the advice of an assistant, he puts a letter in the mailbox of every apartment in a complex in the vicinity of where he has detected his stolen phone. The letter says, "I know you stole my phone and wallet-- return it now". Unfortunately, the parents of one child assume he is guilty and punish him, and the boy seeks out Christian for justice. Christian also has a one night stand with Anne, who later demands to know what it meant to him-- a #metoo moment in the film. But the most remarkable sequence is a dinner held for patrons of the museum at which an artist, Oleg, pretending to be some kind of primitive chimp-like beast, enters the hall. The guests have been instructed to not move, and not run away, for the "beast" will give chase and devour you. It's an art "happening" and, at first, everyone, intrigued, plays along. But Oleg becomes increasingly threatening and one guest flees, and another woman can't stay still. It's a incredibly tense scene because no one even knows if the two respondents were part of the event, or innocent guests. Christian's two daughters view these events with interest and ambivalence and, in the end, we are left with their gaze, and the questions that must be raised in their minds about how "good" their father his, how altruistic, in comparison with the ideals represented by "The Square". From Ostlund (the Director) "It's about the bystander effect. The reason we don't have the ability to take responsibility in situations like that is because we are herd animals and we get scared, and when we get scared we get paralyzed. And we're thinking, don't take me, don't take me, take someone else."
Mesmerizing and hypnotic at times: Alma is a waitress at a small restaurant in the country. Reynolds Woodcock is a premiere fashion designer from the city, out for some respite from his incredibly busy life. He is also something of a psycho-- constantly passive aggressive and bullying. When he asks Alma out for dinner, she offers a wonderfully unambiguous but considered "yes", in a throaty, compliant voice. They begin a complex relationship disturbed, almost immediately, by Reynolds' sister, Cyril, who regards Alma as just another way-station to be measured and packaged and discarded in the end. Let the games begin: Alma is not the passive, obedient type, and a strange game begins between the three of them. Vicky Krieps as Alma is brilliant, needy and independent; understanding but demanding at times. She resists and he resists her resistance and at times, "Phantom Thread" suggests that this is what love is: secret damage, manipulation, and manipulation of the manipulated.
In Tbilisi, Georgia, middle-aged Manana lives with her husband, daughter and husband and son and girlfriend, and parents, in a small apartment. Her mother does most of the cooking. Manana teaches. Nothing big or shocking happens in this movie except life: Manana wants a change and she goes looking for an apartment. Her family is convinced that someone has deeply offended or hurt her and they are determined to find out who it is, but she insists she just wants a space of her own. Her husband, Soso, is mysteriously demur about the issue, but her children and parents are shocked. We follow her encounters with her family, her students, her brother, and friends as she un-tethers herself and enjoys sweet moments of solitude and reflection. A former classmate runs into her and invites her to a reunion where the only really surprising revelation occurs, in a clever, circumspect manner. Does it change anything? "My Happy Family" is a study of ordinary people coping with life, trying (and mostly failing) to understand each other. Filmed in gorgeous, long continuous takes of ensembles moving and interacting with conviction, the steadicam shots never annoy-- they entrance and suck you in and you seem barely aware of the art of the director: it just feels like you are in the apartment with the family, and your instinct is to duck or move out of the way.
In 1967, as Detroit was convulsed with riots, a group of (white) policemen heard shots coming from a building and entered the building to find the "sniper". What they found was a group of black men and two white women who were having a party and hanging out. Astonishingly, the police rounded them all up and began beating and terrifying them. At the end of the night, three of the blacks were dead, and the rest of them, and the two women, traumatized. Bigelow goes for a lot of handheld camera-- which I'm not fond of-- but it allowed her to push the ensemble cast to a high level of intensity and conviction: not a moment goes by that is unconvincing or slack. Almost all of the performances are exceptional, and the constricted environment conveys the tension and unease of the victims of this violent episode. The outside scenes of rioting and looting and police and National Guard stratagems is very impressive, as blended with news reports, black and white photographs, and close-ups of the actors. Really a very remarkable film that should be in the running for best picture Oscar, best director, and best actor (for Will Poulter and Algee Smith). Even John Krasinksi turns in a creditable out-of-persona performance as a lawyer for the police-- ruthless, but not really bad.
I cannot help but connect this film to our trip to see the Viet Nam Veterans memorial in Washington D.C. a few years ago, in 2009. There was the long black scar in the landscape, and every name, in random order, a wound on the nation. The Pentagon Papers showed that the government of the U.S. knew, by 1965, that the war was not winnable, yet it continued to send thousands of young men to be wounded and killed in a vain effort. All because Johnson and Nixon did not want to admit the truth. Because they couldn't bear the political cost of being the administration that "lost" Viet Nam to the Communists. "The Post" tells us how Daniel Ellsberg, a Pentagon analyst who worked with the Rand Corporation compiling a history of the war, after hearing Robert McNamara continue to insist that the war was going well, decided to leak the report to the media, Parts went to the New York Times, which was immediately served with an injunction to cease publication, and a reporter, Ben Bagdikian, at the Post, who knew Ellsberg personally, acquired huge sections of it. The problem was that the court order from New York appeared to apply to any Newspaper publishing information from the same source. Kay Graham, publisher of the Post, was really not very familiar with the journalistic side of the paper, and was confronted with the real possibility of jail time if she supported Ben Bradlee and published the report. Spielberg's talent for suspenseful but sometimes schematic sequences works well here, to explain a complex but dramatic series of conflicts, between editors and reporters, reporters and lawyers, the government and the press, and the courts and the press. Surprisingly powerful dramatic build as the players head for a major showdown with the Supreme Court, and the conflict between Graham's financial interests (the Post was about to go public) and her respect for the journalistic side of the business (which she inherited after her husband, Phil Graham, a close friend of John Kennedy's, committed suicide). Streep nicely underplays her role, which makes her co-stars more effective in theirs.
Mildred Hayes' daughter, Angela, was raped and murdered and she is not satisfied with the police efforts to find the culprit. On a whim, she rents three billboards outside of town and announces her dissatisfaction to the world. Sheriff Willoughby takes exception, and his deputies are angry: Willoughby is not a well man and they feel Mildred is being unfair. The elements of stereo-types float through this movie and all of them are subverted by McDonagh's clever, literate plot. The music is funky, alt-country. Peter Dinklage makes a tasteful cameo and everyone resists caricature. "Three Billboards" is about intemperate anger and impulse and the disasters we cause when we think we are seeking justice, and the judgments we make when we let emotion guide our perceptions. Superbly acted all around, well-edited, well-filmed-- surely an Oscar candidate in three or five categories-- this is a rich, thoughtful, provocative film that deserves far more attention than it has received so far.
You would not have expected Cathleen to want to be a nun. Her mother smokes and drinks and has men over (her father has abandoned the family). She swears and mocks and embraces worldly amusements. They go to church once because they had nothing better to do that day and Cathleen's mother wants her to make her own decision about religion. But it is enough for Cathleen who becomes intensely curious about religion, mesmerized by the statues and ritual, and fascinated by the idea of being a bride of Christ, of being in love, and loved, personally, by God. So, against her mother's wishes, she signs up, at a very strict convent, and is introduced to the severe Reverend Mother who gives them a welcome, asks for questions, and then remonstrates with a girl who dares to ask one: "postulants don't have questions". "Novitiate" follows this class of young girls as they struggle with identify and self-discipline and devotion, and try hard to repress natural desires that sometimes can't help but overflow towards each other. Cathleen, brilliantly played by Margaret Qualley, observes and absorbs: she's one of the better prospects, with good self-discipline. Other girls are humiliated or evicted with cruel relish by the Reverend Mother. In one powerful scene, one of the girls, Evelyn, is forced to kneel in the center of the group and confess to her weaknesses. Untidiness is not sufficient for Reverend Mother: let's get the real dirt! But Evelyn ends up expressing painful doubts about her own mission. The scene is so well directed, her expressiveness so naked, you feel awkward for the actors. The postulants are not allowed to touch anyone, of course, and we see some of them, desperate for some affection, make furtive gestures towards each other, or more. In the middle of all this, Vatican II emerges, and Reverend Mother rages against the changes, convinced, not completely incorrectly, that it will mean the end for her order, especially since a core component of Vatican II was the idea that nuns are no more beloved by Christ than other Christians.
Incredibly charismatic performance by Brooklynn Prince as a 6 year old girl living in a seedy (though freshly painted) motel in Florida, near Disney World, but utterly apart from it. Moonee and her friends wander from hotel to hotel, to ice cream stands, nearby farms, abandoned condos, and the detritus of shattered American dreams as their mother struggles to assemble the rent, and under the casual protection of the building manager, Bobby-- a refreshingly reliable and wise male character. Prince gives an absolutely stunning performance: she is mouthy, amused, energetic, insightful, bubbly, and cynical. She is loyal to her mom who is more of an irresponsible playmate than a mother, and respectful of Bobby who keeps an eye out for her, but is reaching the end of his tether at her mothers' shenanigans. Most of the adults relate to the kids realistically: annoyed but indulgent, impatient, sometimes, sometimes nurturing. But don't overlook the bleakness of this landscape. Moonee and her friends are largely abandoned by failed parents, and by a society that is more interested in hyper-gratification at Disney World than in the problems of a dissolute young woman and her child. There are no great moments of resolution here, or climatic conflicts, other than the intervention of the authorities at one point. Just a vivid portrait of life on the underside of our empty culture. "The Florida Project", incidentally, was the original development name for Disneyland. Some scenes were clearly shot guerrilla style, without the consent of civic or corporate authorities.
Vital, energetic, and sophisticated portrait of five young Italian men in a small Italian village in the 1950's. Unemployed, bored, living with their families, they live to hustle women and hang out together, until one of them, Fausto, gets a girl, Sandra, pregnant and leaves for a honeymoon in Rome. Fellini was open about the biographical elements of the story-- it's the story of his youth in Rimini. You can see why his films appealed to American critics: it's far more adult and sophisticated than almost anything from Hollywood at the time, and is more comparable to film like "Slackers" much, much later. Nobody with the exception of Moraldo is admirable in any serious way. They all live with their mothers and become weepy when thinking about how much they have sacrificed for their darling boys. Leopold is a writer: when a famous actor comes to town for a performance he unexpectedly considers one of Leopold's plays and then leads him on a strange, even more unexpected walk. Alberto likes wearing dresses and goes wild at the annual carnival-- a vibrant scene directed with gusto, and provides the movie with late momentum.
Jim and Amanda had a great high school romance going 20 years ago. Now both of them happen to be back in the California town they both left and they bump into each other at the supermarket, and carefully, almost reluctantly, agree to have a coffee together. And so begins a delicate dance fraught with emotional peril, and layers are peeled until we begin to approach the core event that drove them apart, and their regrets and ambivalence about it. Consistently startling and disturbing-- you almost wish you could step in and steer them away from exposure-- Jim and Amanda recreate the extraordinary rapport they had to the point where you almost expect them to fall in love. They role-play and dance and convincingly narrate their own myths, but are inevitably driven to the unresolved tensions they also created. Neither of them are perfect-- Amanda clearly has it more together than Jim-- but you can understand how they might easily have married and settled in together, if not for the mistakes. Beautifully acted-- mostly improvised-- by two leads who develop an extraordinary rapport with each other. They are obviously compatible and funny and they obviously adore something about each other. Which makes the story all the more tragic. Riveting. Nothing like it out there-- complex, adult, almost frightening in its acute dissection of how relationships work and fail.
Happy happy, joy moy.
Testing Howard's Ending. Hoo Haw! "Hoo" haw! with quotes.
Norwegian poet and novelist Knut Hamsun won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1920 but nursed a vitriolic grievance against the English for their complicity in the massive starvation in Norway during the first world war. As such, he welcomed Hitler to power and continued to support him to the bitter end, while acknowledging some ignorance about his treatment of the Jews. He went from Norway's poet laureate to a despised, completely marginalized personality after the war. Yet he remains acknowledged as a major influence on writers such as Isaac Singer, Henry Miller, Hermann Hesse. "Hamsun" is about the man-- manifestly-- but also about marriage and family, and his maddening inability to provide his own children and wife with love and support. He met Hitler-- according to the movie, disastrously, when he insisted on Norway's preeminent role post war greater Germany, and objected to some of Terboven's harsh responses to resistance. His wife, Marie, however was a more enthusiastic, less reserved cheerleader for the Germans and toured Germany extensively reciting Hamsun's works. He didn't really repent of his views and famously wrote a fawning obituary for Hitler after he died.
Ingmar Bergman wrote this biography of the early years of his parents' marriage, their struggles against familial disapproval and class differences (Henrik was poor, Anna was from a rich family), and Anna's struggle to adapt the austere environment of a rural norther town where Henrik has been appointed pastor. Beautifully filmed and acted and heart-breaking-- August's sensitivity to delicate scenes of intense emotional weight is unparalleled. Conversations sometimes sear and then both sides draw back in the palpable fear of permanently destroyed relationships. Anna flatly tells her mother that she will never forgive her for reading a letter she secretly sent to Henrik, which had been intercepted by her father. Yet "Best Intentions" always steers within the plausible, the realistic contours of family relationships. We are always surprised--as in real life-- at the compromises people make to preserve relationships when it may be all they have, or, at least, the most important thing in their lives.
Maria Larsson is married to a brute, Sigfrid, a hard-working but hard-drinking man with traditional views of the family and a volatile temperament. Before they were married, she won a lottery, with a ticket purchased by Sigfrid, for a camera. She discovers, with the help of a sympathetic local professional-- who is immediately fond of her--, that she has a knack for photography, even developing her own prints. Later, with hard times, she discovers that she can eke out a bit of a living by photographing locals, store-owners, even the body of a young girl who committed suicide, partly because of an act of cruelty by Maria's daughter. Sigfrid joins a worker's union, becomes implicated in radical terrorism, serves in the army, and eventually serves time for his abuses of Maria, but, surprisingly, isn't all bad. There will be no comeuppance in this subtle, sensitive, beautifully crafted film-- a mature Jan Troell displaying his gifts with patience and generosity. What shines most brightly is the remarkable character of Maria Larsson, her determination, and endurance, and curiosity, in the face of discouraging prospects.
One of the best high school movies of the lot, Richard Linklater's fine sophomore film dissects the last day of school in May 1976, as seniors set out to paddle the next year's freshmen boys on the day they graduate, and the senior girls humiliate the freshman girls (we are given to understand that this is an annual ritual-- a hazing). The structure of the film seems free-wheeling and episodic but actually reflects a fine-tuned sensibility of graduated experiences, mainly seen through the eyes of Mitch, a freshman, who is unsuccessful at evading the punishment, but is then taken in by a few seniors, escorted around town in a car, taken to the local games emporium, and introduced to dope and beer with the in-crowd at a late night party. Linklater--we should all be grateful-- uses actors who are close to or at the age of the characters they play. They may not be as smooth as older professionals, but they are far more convincing: part of being that age is the awkwardness, the desperation to be cool, to fit in, and that comes through in spades, as when Tony and Sabrina stand next to each other, obviously interested, but silent. Mitch is a gem: a nice, decent kid, who handles his new social network with quiet grace, partly thanks to the kind, basic civility of Pink, who is refusing to sign a pledge to abstain from all drugs so he can play football next year (he's the star quarterback and his team-mates are not pleased at his reluctance). He makes allies of the seniors by buying a six-pack for one-- looking very cool for a 14-year-old-- and having the guts to show up at the party when some might still be hunting for hazing targets. You can see why a couple of girls take an interest in him. There is a striking honesty about drugs and beer, drinking and driving, dangerous stunts, fighting and bullying. None of it is approved or disapproved: this is not for your edification. It's a pretty authentic take on high school in the 70's, and the feeling of being on the brink of some new part of life without the conviction that there is any clear plan forward, or any meaning to it beyond having a good time and getting laid. A really remarkable, lovely film, even if the soundtrack consists mostly of exactly the kind of music most of these kids would been listening to: Kiss and Aerosmith and Sweet. (There is even one Dylan tune: Hurricane.) Draws comparison with the earlier "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", but "Dazed and Confused" is the real thing, a superior film. Incidentally, Linklater has stated that he wanted to make something the opposite of the John Hughes films.
Brilliantly written evocation of the tensions between Henry II and his three surviving sons, and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, during Christmas, December 1183. Henry-- who is slippery and cunning-- appears to favor his younger son John as his heir, to the displeasure of Richard. Geoffrey makes an accommodation: he wants the Chancellorship if John becomes king. John is a weak, vacillating putz, while Richard is virile and decisive. Eleanor favors Richard and attempts to out-maneuver Henry on the issue. Indeed, the substance of the movie is the moves by all characters-- including King Phillip of France-- to get their way. They often openly acknowledge their plotting to each other, which is just another expression of their cleverness. At one point, Henry seems to sincerely promise his mistress, Alais, Countess of Vexin, (who is Philip's half sister!) to Richard, but later we realize he never intended to follow through. Alais had been promised to Richard earlier as part of a package including the region of Berry. In background: in 1173, Henry's first son, Young Henry, rebelled against his father and attempted to seize power, supported by Richard and Geoffrey. Eleanor supported Richard. Henry prevailed but was generous in victory and allowed his sons increased powers and tax revenue, including giving tax revenue from Aquitaine to Richard. In 1183, Young Henry tried again but was defeated by Henry with Richard and died of a fever. And so this fictional meeting at Chinon of the remaining male family members and Eleanor. Goldman compresses a number of historical events into a dramatic sequence taking place over few days. Most of the incidents and developments are based on fact-- at least, what we know of them-- and interpretation of the characters involved. For example, John did not betray Henry until much later than 1183. The relationship with Alais is founded on popular rumor and might well have been true. She was raised in Henry's household and betrothed to Richard but he never married her. The script is brilliant: witty, insightful, evocative. Most of the acting is superb, even the usually over-rated Katherine Hepburn appears to be fully committed to her role. Katherine Hepburn was the same age Eleanor of Aquitaine would have been during the events in the story.
Rarely does a film about an artist, poet, or musician lower your opinion of the subject. "A Quiet Passion" left me with a distaste for Emily Dickinson and her puritanical hypocrisy, her reclusive personality, her timid disengagement from the world. We know that that was not meant: Davies loves poetry, and believes Dickinson to be a genius. But his faithful portrait of the poet, who lived in Amherst, Massachusetts from 1830-1886, while powerful artistically, does not endear her to the viewer. The language sometimes sounds as if the entire film took place inside her poems: characters talk to each other like Victorian protagonists, with frequent references to fate and eternity, and reactions as if a language we all recognize as melodramatic is actually very direct and powerful. One reviewer called it "strangely mannered" and that captures part of it. "Stilted"? Oh, but the camera creeps along with such exacting gracefulness! Beautifully scanned, with details of the homestead and taffeta skirts and embroidered gowns and thick, dark outerwear, it becomes constricted-- like Emily's world-- into the mansion where Dickinson hid from society and the world. There is--as in every great film-- at least one truly extraordinary, transcendent moment: she writes about a haunting, a vision of a man ascending a stairs towards her bedroom. The camera movement and the music and Emily's wanton expression-- fearful and greedy at once-- build to an unforgettable peak of emotional risk, which, true to her character, dissipates.
Lively, fascinating presentation of James Baldwin's comments, writings and speeches, and debates, on the meaning of the deaths of Martin Luther King, Eldridge Cleaver, and Malcolm X, mostly read by Samuel L. Jackson. Baldwin lived in Paris for many years and eventually returned to New York because he missed his family. But he never forgot or forgave America for it's race problem and never ceased to address it head on. He was critical of those who would ask for respect, as if it was something that was theirs to give or not give, according to their disposition.
Frantz Hoffmeister, a German soldier, is killed at the front in 1919, and his parents and fiance grieve and put flowers on his empty grave (his body was never recovered but the family set a gravestone anyway). One day, the fiance, Anna, notices a strange man crying over the grave. It turns out to be Adrien Rivoire, a French soldier. Frantz had lived in Paris before the war while attending school, and Adrien was one of his best friends. Eventually, after some resistance, the Hoffmeisters and Anna bring him into their lives, as a kind of vicarious substitute for Frantz, and he brings healing to their souls. But all is not as it seems here and "Frantz" is allusive and deceptive and subtle-- what really was the nature of Frantz relationship to Adrien? Anna is forced to investigate and her discoveries lead to some indelicate secrets. Frantz raises the question of when is deception called for, or justified in order to spare feelings, and when does it merely lead to even more deception and more grief? A beautiful, measured production, exquisitely filmed and acted.
Director Andrea Arnold recruited teens from the streets to form the cast of this film, and then obviously worked them into a tight, convincing unit that almost never hits a false note. The story is about Star, a young girl at loose ends, who is recruited by a sexually alluring young man into a troupe of magazine subscription salesmen. They roam from town to town-- America in profile-- hitting the streets, going door-to-door, and learning about themselves and others. Mostly we learn about Star dealing with a poverty of expectations of the American deal. She wants Jake but Jake is only using their relationship to keep her on the street-- he's sort of a pimp to her. She is picked up by three older, rich cowboys, and by a truck-driver, but-- thank God-- we don't get a cliche-ridden victimization story. The troupe ride together in a van, sing, shout, dance, set off fire-works, wrestle, and fuck, with conspicuous gusto, while Star sometimes seems along for the ride, waiting for something big to happen to her. Beautifully filmed and acted, and remarkably compelling for a very long film. Really an amazing work that defies categorization.
"The Salesman" puts the viewer into a wringer and never releases him for the entire 2 hour running time. From the director of "A Separation", which was equally gripping, comes this bitter, tense story about a couple who work in the theatre (he is a teacher as well) and the strain put on their marriage when the wife is attacked. As in "A Separation", the couple are, on the surface of it, enlightened, progressive, intelligent, and rational, as is their social circle, their friends. When their apartment is damaged by construction, a theatre associate offers a place in his apartment building-- seemingly unaware that the previous tenant, a single woman, had a dubious reputation. This leads to a sequence of events and complications that end with a confrontation between Emad, and an elderly man with a bad heart. There is no doubt that everyone involved possesses some guilt for the manner in which things unfold, and there is some ambiguity about just who is at fault for certain developments: the viewer is never let off the hook, or offered a simple moralism or piety to resolve uncomfortable and distressing actions. Beautifully, convincingly acted and scripted-- deserves the Best Foreign Film Oscar it won.
Toni Erdmann is the name used by Winfried to intrude upon his daughter's very planned, calculated life. Maren Ade was apparently inspired by Andy Kaufman and his performance art personas to create Toni Erdmann, a strange, ridiculous older man who wears awful fake teeth and carries out a series of impersonations and charades in order to disrupt other people's unconscious lives. He claims to be the German ambassador, or a life coach, or a consultant, and his daughter, Ines, is flummoxed; sometimes she plays along-- because it seems to least catastrophic way to deal with him-- and other times she tries to evade him, but his impact on her life is unmistakable, as when she throws a birthday party for herself and greets the first guests with a shocking choice of wardrobe. "Toni Erdmann" was rehearsed, and rehearsed on location, and Ms. Maren retained complete control over the production process and it shows (particularly in the running time of over two and half hours). North American audiences will be as disturbed as Ines by Maren's choice of actors-- none of whom are as cosmetically beautiful as traditional Hollywood actors (except for Ingrid Bisu as Anca) and the indulgences she takes with Ines sex scene, and the awkward, very funny party scene. It's a gem of a movie, not for every taste, but provocative and rich and with an undertow of real emotion.
Surprise: "Jackie" is a terrific movie. With just one damaging flaw-- Portman's weasily insistence on method-mumble acting. Which should have been a bigger problem than it was. But "Jackie" is beautifully directed and paced and wonderfully edited and delightfully snarky about the esteemed former First Lady and her narcissistic devotion to the image of the tragic beautiful emblem of broken Camelot. I have personally never found her as "fascinating" as the tabloids have, except in the way "Jackie" finds her fascinating, as a vain, smart, self-centered, self-doubting symbol of a nation obsessed with image and style and drama, who confronts a real tragedy with the resources of a cultured and well-educated and determined snob.
Frontline's usual excellent research and perspective on the polarization in U.S. politics in 2016 and the election of Donald Trump.
Troy Maxson played baseball in the Negro Leagues and never forgave the world for denying him the chance to play in the majors. Now he's a sanitation worker in Pittsburgh, with two sons, Lyons, and aspiring jazz guitarist whom he regards as a needy failure, and Cory, an athlete, who is being scouted by some colleges. Troy was too old to make the transition to the Major Leagues by the time Jackie Robinson had broken the color barrier and he harbours a lot of bitterness, and he believes Cory is in for the same kind of disappointment and forbids him from trying out. Words are Maxon's defense against a world that baits him and teases him with promises that are never kept, but he himself is responsible for the most bitter disappointments in this drama. Brilliantly acted (Denzel Washington performed the play over 100 times on Broadway) by all of the principles but especially Washington and Davis and Henderson), and beautifully rendered (you can tell this was a very wordy play but Washington nicely adapts-- and doesn't over-adapt-- the production to film), and intense. An unforgettable portrait of an African-American family at a crossroads, in the full depth of their experiences.
The Commune is facing a crisis: it's performance space is going to be shut down and they can't afford most alternatives. They are a tight- knit family, but the stress of dealing with the end of their careers in live improv begins to wear on them, especially when one member gets an audition with "Weekend Live" (an obvious allusion to SNL). Entertaining, especially since the improv pieces are basically real improv pieces performed live by the cast, and are believable enough to sustain the credibility of the film. No single aspect of "Don't Think Twice" is outstanding, but every part is pretty good, and the cast is likable and charming and extremely collaborative-- as they should be.
The Commune is facing a crisis: it's performance space is going to be shut down and they can't afford most alternatives. They are a tight-knit family, but the stress of dealing with the end of their careers in live improv begins to wear on them, especially when one member gets an audition with "Weekend Live" (an obvious allusion to SNL). Entertaining, especially since the improv pieces are basically real improv pieces performed live by the cast, and are believable enough to sustain the credibility of the film. No single aspect of "Don't Think Twice" is outstanding, but every part is pretty good, and the cast is likable and charming and extremely collaborative-- as they should be.
Meticulously directed and edited, well-acted, scrupulously adult in the best sense of the term. I was as surprised as anyone to find that I not only liked it, but I think it might be one of the finest films of the year. This in spite of the most obvious disadvantages: Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone can neither sing nor dance, really. But "La La Land"carefully weaves it's story around those shortcomings to the point where you neither notice nor care-- a lot-- about the fact. Sebastian is a jazz pianist (shorthand for "deep" and "authentic" and Mia is an actress, both frustrated and discouraged when they meet. She is stunned by a piece of (his own) music he is playing. He doesn't even notice her. Eventually they do meet and converse and tease and then encourage each other forward. The film never pretends that if she gets a role, it will be a great role, the fulfillment of dreams, success, or that anyone will ever appreciate Sebastian's brave jazz compositions (judging from the film, he's actually pretty mainstream) and neither does their relationship fall into broad strokes. The most touching moment is when she thinks he thinks she wants him to fail, to think better of herself. And when someone intrudes on their relationship, he's not a villain-- he's just someone else. And when Sebastian has to compromise for a while to make a living, he's complicit in his own sell-out. A really terrific film.
Among Obama's most damaging legacies is the extensive, outrageous, and unconstitutional powers of surveillance he fought for and defended while in office. Now handed over to a psychotic idiot. Snowden does a decent job of telling us about Edward Snowden, first of all, an then about the stakes. Snowden, adequately played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, starts out his career with the military as a patriotic, loyal American. He bombs out of the military because of weak bones-- Stone is at pains to establish these kind of details less once think Snowden has an axe to grind-- and, determined to serve his country after 9/11, joins the CIA. Stone dramatizes his increasing awareness of the CIA's illegal activities with a bit too much foresight: we keep thinking Snowden has already swung to the other side when, probably, he was disturbed by these issues significantly at this time of his life. It is later, when he returns to the CIA as a contractor, that he becomes so disturbed by the Agency's unconstitutional surveillance of the lives of all Americans, and foreigners, that he decides to copy gigabytes of data and release it to the media, through The Guardian, and a trusted documentary film-maker, Laura Poitras. With assistance, he then escaped to Moscow where he currently lives, ironically, under the protection of Vladimir Putin.
A "Godfather" for Rio De Janeiro (or-- even better-- "The Wire"), dramatizes the lives of a group of boys who grew up in the "City of God", an area in Rio De Janeiro reserved for outcasts and the poor. Based on the reminiscences of Paulo Lins, very similar to "Once Upon a Time in America", in scope and tone, but far, far better. "The Rocket"-- Buscape-- is our narrative voice, a citizen of the underground but with aspiration to become a photographer (like a friend of Paulo Lins, the author of the book "City of God" did). He describes the struggles of the children to survive in a brutal environment and how they grow up to be tough and join gangs to control the drugs coming in and out of the favela. Multiple story lines are developed and multiple characters explored, always with compassionate, and with an attempt to fully understand each characters predicament. At times seems "over the top" in terms of violence but, according to some accounts, the violence itself in the "Cidade de Deus" was over the top. Filmed in areas of Rio De Janeiro close to where the real events took place using non-professional actors, most of whom came from that background.
Documentary about cooperative venture between U.S. and Israeli intelligence services to create a virus, eventually known as "Stuxnet", that would infect the Iranian centrifuges at one of their nuclear research labs. Essentially, an act of war, about which almost nobody is willing to talk. Gibney tracks down some dissidents, experts, and U.S. government officials, including Michael Hayden, for comments on it. A lot of them say they can't comment on something they don't acknowledge exists-- other than, by implication, with the fact that they would obviously be very free to comment on it if there was no government role. The drama ratchets up a notch when investigators become aware of the virus having gone wild, thanks, probably, to a rogue Israeli participant at the behest of Netanyahu. Surprisingly suspenseful and exciting.
This was going to be a fabulous documentary about the amazing come-back and resurrection of Anthony Weiner, from disgraced congressman to Mayor of New York-- and who knows what else lay in his gilded future. Until... a rewarming of the sexting scandal destroyed his career, made him the object of ridicule, and almost destroyed his marriage (subsequent to the film, it did). Which is why Weiner and his wife gave such privileged access to Kriegman-- this was going to be his very own "War Room".
Huma Abedin
Based on short stories by Maile Meloy, who definitely owes something to Alice Munro-- which is a compliment. A young woman looking after a horse ranch in the winter stumbles into a night class on law at a local high school and is mesmerized by the teacher, a young lawyer who accepted the assignment by mistake, only to discover that the location was 4 hours from her home. A lawyer's client lurches towards violence after having a compensation claim denied. And a young couple feel tension as they try to buy a lot of sandstone for their new home. Meloy's stories are delicate, incisive explorations of character and meaning in a modern environment, but with such close scrutiny you almost feel like you need to be lifted out of them to make sense of them in the end. Reichardt is one of America's most important directors right now. Together they make this film subtle and rich and nuanced, and ultimately heart-breaking. This is what it feels like to have your life close observed. Is this everything? And it's magnificent.
A movie that reeks the possibilities of hackneyed tropes and stereo-types and consistently overturns them. The five girls are orphaned daughters living with their grandmother and uncle, and defiantly free-spirited and mischievous until Uncle Erol angrily decides to suppress and cage them and marry them off one by one, with the connivance of Grandma. Lale, the youngest, is most defiant and independent and begins plotting her escape as the sisters are taken away. One of them, at least, gets the man she wants, but one of them takes drastic measures to avoid being trapped in a loveless marriage. There is a completely unnecessary subplot involving sexual abuse that undermines the theme more than a little though I suppose the film-makers would argue that it's an integral effect of this kind of repressive religious culture (I say "religious", not "Islamic", because it is very similar to some Christian cultures as well). And there's more than few implausible plot points: the girls take off to see a football game while a group of men and other women are visiting-- would none of them have been required to assist in the preparations or service? And the ability of Lale to barricade the house, successfully, and then sneak out and steal the car is really quite a stretch. Some of the girls talk of fleeing to Istanbul but one waits in vain for any of them to try to imagine just what they would do in a large strange city, on their own. And the Uncle Erol is less than one-dimensional. The older women are a mixture: they are obviously complicit, but one aunt at least tries to protect them from Erol's wrath. There is the ghost of "Virgin Suicides" here but this film is far less ridiculous and contrived. And Gunes Sensoy as "Lale" is a gem!
Gunes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan, Ilayda Akdogan, Ayberk Pekcan
Exquisitely beautiful, tragic story of a Scottish girl in early 1900's in Aberdeenshire, with a monstrous father who drives her mother to suicide and his son to emigrate to Argentina. Chris Guthrie is beautiful and smart (we see her recognized in class in one of the many detailed period reconstructions Davies is so good at) and not spectacularly different from any of us. She just wants a life and when an opportunity comes to shuck off some of the constraints of her role in that society at that time, she takes it. She's no saint, and the men around her-- and some women, like her aunt-- are not particularly evil or good. They are mixed up like the rest of us. Her mother is a rather exotic personality as well-- not the expected martyr or passive victim. She laughs at awkward moments, and makes a nominal effort-- but no more -- to prevent some of the abuse of her son. There are missteps: towards the end, there is a melodramatic turn that reminds one of some earlier disappointments from Davies (disappointments because his early films were so good). Filmed in sumptuous, Rembrandtesque colours and compositions, almost every shot a beautiful work of art. Superb performances by everyone but especially Agyness Deyn.
Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan, Mark Bonnar, Ron Donachie, Jack Greenless
Famously filmed in a single continuous stream, about a young Spanish girl, out one evening dancing at a club, connecting with some guys who might be up to something dangerous. She hangs around because she likes Sonne, and there is obviously a spark of romance there, but Sonne's friend, freshly out of prison, owes a debt and will have to repay it soon. It's an exhilarating ride-- you find out what's up at the same pace as the characters, and absorb their excitement and fear and the enormous tension created when Victoria is drawn into a complicated situation, which is not what you might have expected. Flags a little in the last bit, as some developments seem improbable and even conventional, after a very unconventional first 90 minutes. Deserves a lot of credit for an original idea carried through brilliantly at times.
Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Francz Rogowiski, Burak Yigit, Max Mauff
Brandon works for a rich corporation in downtown Manhattan and lives the good life for a single corporate drone: lots of money, fabulous apartment, good looks, lots of available women. Then his needy sister-- Sissy-- comes to visit, and begs him to let her stay in his apartment for a time. This seems to unbalance Brandon and his bottomless cravings for sex and porn begin to gnaw away at him. He is-- for no apparent reason-- viscerally ashamed when Sissy interrupts his masturbation or sees some of the porn he has been watching. Is it because he is embarrassed that none of the sex he has has even the slightest emotional component? He experiments with a serious girl from the office, Marianne, and just when we begin to sense a real emotional connection is possible, he puts her off with his declaration that marriage is pointless: why have just one romantic partner. Still, he clearly likes her, and perhaps realizes that her smarts and her congenial personality are partly connected to her views on romance and love. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this portrait is how Brandon's business self seems integrated with his personal morality-- his own boss, married with children, exuberantly hits on Sissy. Brandon is appalled, seemingly unconscious of the hypocrisy. He is disgusted by Sissy's weakness and messiness and you wonder with him, at the end, if he can ever rise above it. Filmed in unpleasant, drab grays and blues, superbly acted, especially by Fassbender and Mulligan-- a 6 minute argument between the two (continuous take) is brilliant-- , and absolutely one of the best films of 2011.
Carey Mulligan, Michael Fassbender, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie
Seen earlier but not noted. This was the 3 hour version, "Director's Cut". Intense, patient, honest story of a U-boat crew in 1942, and the horrors of life on a floating coffin (more than 30,000 of 40,000 U-Boat crew members died in action). Doesn't shy away from showing the boredom, the long, dreary hours of waiting, and the intense terror of being depth-charged, as well as the crew's ambivalent attitude towards their own government. Occasionally melodramatic and sophomoric, and occasionally brilliant, but always concerned with giving the viewer a relatively authentic experience. Most of the actors dubbed their own English lines, badly (so the accents have a reason). And the wider views of the u-boat at sea, and the shaken camera effect on depth charge attacks, don't always convince (they used scale models generally). But really marvelous at times and tells a story that needs to be told. Very detailed attention to the nuts and bolts of how u-boats worked, the claustrophobic feel of being in them, the crowding, the stench, and the long boring periods of inactivity.
Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Gronemeyer, Klaus Wenneman, Hurbertus Bengsch
Based on book by Michael Lewis, brilliant, tour-de-force on the financial meltdown in 2008, beginning with some clever traders who-- ostensibly for ethical reasons-- decide to play against the bundled subprime mortgage industry by betting against their viability. Sometimes impressionistic and comical, sometimes tragic, always mesmerizing, takes you on a ride through the roller coaster of massive financial transactions as the markets react to perceived or imagined developments.
Ryan Gosling, Rudy Eisenzopf, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei
Based on a book by David Lipsky of Rolling Stone (and not flattering to him), an account of a book tour by David Foster Wallace from his home in Bloomington, Illinois, near Chicago to Minnesota and other environs accompanied by Lipsky who was doing a Rolling Stone profile. What do writers do when they are not autographing copies of their books and answering stupid questions on talk shows? Watching junky tv shows and movies and eating at the food court in monstrous shopping malls. Interesting to get a look at how speaking tours are arranged: Joan Cusack is charming as a driver for one of the dates. Foster is completely unexpected: forthcoming, honest, self-deprecating, and very self-analytical, as he muses about the relationship between famous author and fan and biographer and media, and how manipulative it can be to not be manipulative, or to be manipulative and admit it, thereby suggesting that one is not manipulative. The film is conversation, most of which was recorded by Lipsky and so accurately represents Wallace's thoughts and feelings. Lipsky admits, through this script, that he was jealous and envious, and not entirely honorable in his relationship with Wallace, who committed suicide 13 years later. Brilliant conversation by a brilliant novelist, nicely wrapped in a road trip movie, and well acted, particularly by Jason Segel.
Jason Segel, Jeremy Eisenberg, Joan Cusack, Anna Chlumsky, Gummer Mamie, Ron Livingston
Based on the book by Walter Isaacson. Focused intensely on Jobs' obsession with product vs. his attentiveness to his family, including a daughter he insisted, at first, was not his. Fassbender is excellent, as is Winslet and Waterston. Sorkin's trademark witty banter and in motion dialogue hasn't entirely worn out it's welcome, and suggests an under-story here that makes the movie seem more than the sum of it's parts: what kind of person was Jobs? The movie doesn't argue for or against his brilliance (having Wozniak ask what exactly he brings to the product) but does dissect his vanity and vision, and the complex personality that both tickled and aggravated so many people. A difficult movie to assess apart from the personality of Jobs himself, which is even more difficult to assess. I think he really was brilliant, and I think the defects in his character are the defects of a visionary, confident, brilliant mind.
Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Katharine Waterston
Exquisitely beautiful proto-feminist story of a young woman of noble birth who disgraces her family by falling in love with a mere retainer. She and her family are exiled and her father, to try to save the family fortunes, sends her off to be a concubine to Lord Matsudaira, whose wife cannot conceive. The family thinks their fortunes are saved, but she is discarded immediately after a male child is born. This initiates a chain of disasters in her life as she becomes a courtesan and finally a prostitute, a ruin of a soul, begging for scraps on the street. Fascinating study of the life and roles of women in 17th century Japan, as Oharu tastes all of them, from privilege and honor to the disgrace and humiliation. But this film is a diatribe: its often other women who are her worst enemies, and sometimes men who are her saviors, including a fan-maker who, just as she has found a stable, assured life, is murdered, and their shared property is seized by his brother. Exquisitely photographed-- of course-- and staged, in rich detail and lavish scale. Perhaps melodramatic by today's standards, but consummately watchable.
Kinuyo Tanaka, Tsukie Matsuura, Ichiro Sugai, Toshiro Mifune, Toshiaki Konoe, Hisako Yamane
Compelling documentary on the Church of Scientology and it's brutal methods of dealing with dissent and criticism, and their determination to extract as much money as possible from adherents. Also highlights the struggle with the Internal Revenue Service of status as a church, which, shockingly, they win. Recruits are sometimes assigned to tasks on Scientology's ships, for which they receive very little pay. Features interviews with Paul Haggis and others who eventually left, and, of course no interviews with any current officials or spokespersons. Spends considerable time on Tom Cruise and John Travolta and one former official with Scientology asserts that he broke up his marriage to Nicole Kidman because she was seen as a threat. Many of the interviewees acknowledge deep embarrassment, especially after finding out more of Hubbard's mythologies-- the volcanoes and the thetans and the aliens.
John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Paul Haggis
From the director of "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia". Eerily evocative of Tolstoy-- particularly "Anna Karenina"-- tells the story of a rich former actor who owns a hotel in a small town in central Anatolia, with an acerbic sister, a loyal assistant, and a young, idealistic wife. Aydin is faultless in everything he does, his management of the properties he shares with Necla, his sister, his handling of a stone-throwing incident, his solicitation for the welfare of his guests. But when his wife, Nihal takes on some volunteer activities, to give herself a sense of purpose, and Aydin tries to help, his real character is revealed, and it is a tribute to the director's skill that it is one of those things that looks like a surprise but which, upon reflection, seems like it shouldn't have been surprising at all. Beautifully acted and filmed in a very strange place: the homes are carved into rock faces, and the surroundings seem bleak and bare. As Village Voice remarked, "worth" the 192 minutes: rich, compelling, wondrous at times, and bitter. An unforgettable portrait of a disintegrating marriage.
Haluk Bilginer, Melisa Sozen, Demet Akbag, Ayberk Pekcan, Serhat Mustafa Kilic, Nejat Isler
An Albanian girl is on the run from Christian villagers in Macedonia during the war in Bosnia. A young monk finds her in his bedroom and tacitly agrees to shelter her, while observing a vow of silence. We don't know exactly what she has done, but her hunters are bent on blood revenge. Aleksander arrives, returning from London where, as a renowned photographer, he has just broken off a relationship with a prominent photojournalist, and intervenes in an attempt to give his life fresh meaning in the midst of violent ethnic conflict. Every relationship in this story is ambiguous and fraught with peril and even the girl's family cannot be trusted in this context. Yet the tricky circular plot line doesn't seem, to me, to resonate with the lively investments of the characters, who struggle with personal morality and cultural shadings that lead one after another to disaster. It's a powerful, relevant story that doesn't, in the end, seem to get as much traction as it deserves. Anne, Aleksander's lover from London, bears witness, but what she sees is less of a revelation than an exclamation mark. Perhaps what we are meant to absorb is that this kind of ethnic hatred can only always be cyclic and unresolveable. A worthy film, but not quite great.
Katrin Cartlidge, Rade Serbedzija, Gregoire Colin, Labina Mitevska, Josif Josifovski, Petar Mircevski
Tomas and Ebba and their two children, Harry and Vera, are on a ski vacation in the French Alps. Their stay is bucolic and uneventful until a controlled avalanche threatens to flow into the lunch area of the a restaurant where the family are eating, and Tomas grabs his cell phone and flees. The tension created by this incident is almost unbearable, as the the children and Ebba say nothing for a time, wondering if Tomas will bring it up and apologize or acknowledge it. When he fails to, Ebba brings it out into the open, with friends present, and the family is truly endangered. Richly compelling and suspenseful and really quite horrifying. Another couple, Mats and Fanni, are affected by the revelations, when Fanni wonders if Mats would have done the same thing. The children are distressed, sensing not only father's humiliation, but the risk to the marriage. Can a marriage survive the sudden revelation that all the illusions and stereotypes of the all-protective, powerful father figure are just that: illusions and stereotypes? At one point, see a group of men indulging in one of those braying, aggressive, group rituals that, we now see, is just facade. A hollow attempt to restore father's place in the family becomes comical, as mother, after being "rescued", quickly trots off to fetch her skis.
Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Vincent Wettergren, Clara Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju
Tomas and Ebba and their two children, Harry and Vera, are on a ski vacation in the French Alps. Their stay is bucolic and uneventful until a controlled avalanche threatens to flow into the lunch area of the a restaurant where the family are eating, and Tomas grabs his cell phone and flees. The tension created by this incident is almost unbearable, as the the children and Ebba say nothing for a time, wondering if Tomas will bring it up and apologize or acknowledge it. When he fails to, Ebba brings it out into the open, with friends present, and the family is truly endangered. Richly compelling and suspenseful and really quite horrifying. Another couple, Mats and Fanni, are affected by the revelations, when Fanni wonders if Mats would have done the same thing. The children are distressed, sensing not only father's humiliation, but the risk to the marriage. Can a marriage survive the sudden revelation that all the illusions and stereotypes of the all-protective, powerful father figure are just that: illusions and stereotypes? At one point, see a group of men indulging in one of those braying, aggressive, group rituals that, we now see, is just facade. A hollow attempt to restore father's place in the family becomes comical, as mother, after being "rescued", quickly trots off to fetch her skis.
Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Vincent Wettergren, Clara Wettergren, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Metelius
Powerful, dark story about a Russian man named Nikolay (but called Kolya) whose lovely house on the coast of the Barents Sea is being seized by the civil authorities in order to build a new resort, clearly intended for the pleasure of Mayor Vadim Shelevyat, whose behavior seems to echo the real-life actions of Valdimir Putin. Kolya secures the help of an old friend, Dimitriy, who is able to obtain some "dirt" on the mayor. But he is entering a dangerous game, complicated by the relationship between Kolya's wife, Lilya, and Dimitriy, his son's disdain for Lilya (his step-mom) and everyone's obsession with vodka. As the pressure increases, Kolya desperately tries to stand up to an implacable, ruthless, authority while keeping his family intact. Subtle and nuanced, and always believable, explores the dark corners of corruption, where figures with the right connections and strings to pull are able to manipulate events to their favor no matter how unfair, or how angry or determined the opposition. Pessimistic, without doubt, but compelling and rich, and set in the stark beauty of a decaying small town on the coast. Superbly well-acted, especially Elena Lyadova as Lilya and Roman Madyanov as the Mayor.
Elena Lyadova, Aleksey Serebryakov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Roman Madyanov, Anna Ukolova, Sergey Pokhodaev
Exquisite dramatization of the later life and times of J.M.W. Turner, the British painter whose work was so bold and innovative, I assumed, for a time, that he belonged to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, not the late 18th and early 19th. We follow Turner as he meets with potential customers and patrons, travels to the countryside or Holland to study landscapes and sketch, and, occasionally, seizes the moment with his housekeeper, Hannah Darby, or a landlady in Margate, a seaside town, with whom he later moves to Chelsea. Every cliche about artists is dodged: Turner is abrupt and impatient but he is never a monster; he can be shamed but he never apologizes for being distracted by his passion. When he is snubbed by Queen Victoria, his feelings are hurt, and she does not get her comeuppance in the film. "Mister Turner" is scrupulously authentic, and surprisingly detailed in its reconstruction of the era. There is even a moment with an authentic steam train, which inspired Turner's most famous painting. Over all, this may have been the finest film of 2014 but the Academy will never go this far out on a limb to honor it.
Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Ruth Sheen, Martin Savage
Tense, powerful drama about an investment firm suddenly discovering a massive failure of investment stocks (in garbage bundled mortgage securities) just as 80% of staff are being fired. One of them understands what is happening and desperate attempts are made to locate him and persuade him to come back to work. Unusually astute and wise perception of power dynamics at an investment firm, the roles of managers and executives, and the inevitable scapegoating of the risk assessment staff. Some, like Sam Rogers, do have some ethics and they struggle with the question of whether the firm should sell off the toxic funds without disclosing their true status to potential buyers. Others radiate the poisonous cynicism that actually governed the industry in 2008. Some of the best performances by actors like Demi Moore and Spacey and Simon Baker are offered, all of them pleasantly restrained and believable. Some minor errors-- computers would never have continued to display live data when employees are out of the building, and Eric Dale would never have been permitted to take a USB drive with him-- but more than compensates with it's smart script and performances. Appears to be inspired mostly close by the Lehman Brothers failure in 2008.
Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell
Mohammad lost his mother and now his father, Hashem, is late to pick him up for vacation time from the school for the blind. Turns out, he is in a bind. He wants to court another woman but feels that a blind son will be in the way, even with granny to help look after him. He wants Mohammad to start an apprenticeship with a blind carpenter. In one of the most heart-breaking scenes in the film, Mohammad fights back tears as he talks with the carpenter. He thinks his beloved granny has betrayed him, and he knows his father does not really care for him. This follows lovely, slow-paced scenes of Mohammad with his sisters, running through meadows, listening to the sounds of woodpeckers and other birds and brooks and horses. It is unfair, to Mohammad, that he should be deprived, be made blind. A simple, moving, powerful film.
Hossein Mahjoub, Mohsen Ramezani, Salameh Feyzi, Farahnaz Safari
From the musical by Stephen Sondheim. Interesting, visually stunning rendition of Sondheim's strange, dark musical about various fairy tale characters, including Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Prince Charming, interacting with each other in various subplots that eventually connect to each other, and involve various journey's through the dark woods. There are witches and giants and beanstalks, but it's really more about betrayal, deceit, and selfishness. Each character has an angle, as they say, and attempts to manipulate events to his or her own maximum advantage, and evade blame for various disasters that happen. Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood is particularly winning with her mixture of spunk and curiosity and moral assertiveness, while admitting that there is something a little exciting about being pursued and eaten by a wolf. Central to the plot is the determination by the baker and his wife to get a child, which they can only achieve by fulfilling the wishes of a nasty, neighboring witch. They are willing to steal and deceive to meet the requirements: not your usual Disneyfied version. And the Baker's wife is not really very resistant to the advances made by Prince Charming, who, of course, is cheating on Cinderella (he admits he was raised to be charming-- not sincere). The only problem is that Meryl Streep really can't sing very well and Anna Kendrick is a bit shrill, but the others do well with Sondheim's sophisticated, complex score.
Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Tracey Ullman, Johnny Depp
Reviewed in 2024: I missed this somehow when I originally saw it, probably in 2014 or 2015. Abel Morales owns a heating oil business and competes honestly against numerous corrupt competitors, and even his father-in-law. Abel is confronted with the challenge of staying honest and suffering significant losses, working with the DA to "clean up" the industry, or striking back, something his wife, surprisingly perhaps, advocates. Very well acted, dark, powerful drama.
Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Elyes Gable, Lorna Pruce, Albert Brooks, Jerry Adler
Mark Schultz and his brother David both won gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (when Eastern Block nations boycotted). As they trained for the World Championships and the 1988 Olympics, in poverty, a wealthy benefactor named John Du Pont contacted them and offered them a stipend, a place to train (all expenses covered) on his farm in Pennsylvania, and all the support they could ask for. Mark accepted the offer immediately, Dave a few years later. But Du Pont was a strange, disturbing man who had a habit of wandering in and out of training sessions, of insisting on being treated as a coach, and on a personal friendship with all of the wrestlers he brought on board. Most of them thought he was a time-bomb. In real life, he was dismissed from coaching at Villanueva because of sexual improprieties: Foxcatcher merely hints at his sexual orientation and possible abuse of his athletes. Beautifully filmed, with impressive wrestling sequences, editing, music-- the whole package. One of the finest films of 2014.
Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Michael Hall
(Second time we saw it). Lovely, austere, beautifully rendered story about a French woman, Babette, who has to flee her home because of a civil war and takes up residence with two very pious, self-denying sisters belonging to a small, dying religious cult formerly led by their father. She agrees to work for them as cook and maid in exchange for shelter and bed, and does so without complaint for 15 years. When she wins a lottery, she persuades the sisters to let her cook them a feast in celebration of the 100th anniversary of their father's birth. They and their fellow parishioners are reluctant, fearful of the temptations of the flesh, but as the sumptuous feast unfolds they all begin to find ways to embrace life, friendship, joy, and beauty. And entrancing, wonderful story, resonating with themes of religious faith and sensualism and sin and miracles. Favorite film of Pope Francis.
Stephane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel, Jarl Kulle, Bibi Anderson, Vibeke Hastrup
(Second time we saw it). Lovely, austere, beautifully rendered story about a French woman, Babette, who has to flee her home because of a civil war and takes up residence with two very pious, self-denying sisters belonging to a small, dying religious cult formerly led by their father. She agrees to work for them as cook and maid in exchange for shelter and bed, and does so without complaint for 15 years. When she wins a lottery, she persuades the sisters to let her cook them a feast in celebration of the 100th anniversary of their father's birth. They and their fellow parishioners are reluctant, fearful of the temptations of the flesh, but as the sumptuous feast unfolds they all begin to find ways to embrace life, friendship, joy, and beauty. And entrancing, wonderful story, resonating with themes of religious faith and sensualism and sin and miracles. Favorite film of Pope Francis.
Michael Keaton is Riggan, an actor who, like Michael Keaton, is most famous for a role as a superhero in a bad series of Hollywood blockbusters. But it's years later and he wants to put on a self-penned play based on Raymond Carver's "What we Talk About When we Talk About Love". And everything is bulging and stretching and pushing him to the limit: his daughter, fresh out of rehab, doesn't think he loved her enough; his ex-wife is worried that he'll start drinking again. His manager worries about money. One of his co-stars in the play has a psychotic need to bring real life to the stage, and a pretentious attitude about the superiority of New York stage actors to Hollywood celebrities. But the real star of "Birdman" is the camera, following characters around, swooping into position for a revelatory moment, closing in on the actor's faces. Is this about the role of art in everyday life? About the audiences blood-lust for expiation and sacrifice? About the cost of authenticity? Nothing unfolds exactly according to any of these schemes. Mike really can act, and the "Birdman" movies obviously fall into the realm of trashy spectacle, and Riggan doesn't seem inspired to produce great art by his travails, though it leads him to a pitched moment of dubious bloody intensity. He gives us a man who has never reconciled his celebrity status with his aspirations as an artist, and thinks the Carver play might be his ticket to a kind of artistic redemption-- a work that will "mean something" and vindicate his entire life. If so, Inarritu suggests it's a fool's quest, a futile attempt to resolve the unresolvable: to be loved for revealing a truth that no one will love? Some very, very funny scenes (as when he locks himself out of the theatre), and great acting from the entire ensemble. And the first time I've ever really liked Galifianakis in anything.
Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, Edward Norton
As Ebert observed, all of Ozu's films seem extraordinarily even and unified, as if they are all pieces of one large puzzle, each of which contains it's own particular puzzle. In Floating Weeds, the tableau consists of a travelling actors troupe which returns to a town with special meaning for the master: it's where he fathered a boy with a young woman, and where she waits faithfully for his visits, accepting payments for the boy's schooling, and tolerating his infidelities and absences. The boy, Oyoshi, thinks Komajuro is his uncle. But the master's mistress is jealous of Oyoshi's mother and bribes a fellow actress to seduce him. When the boy and the seducer fall in love, complications ensue, and Komajuro reveals himself to be selfish and hypocritical. Beautifully filmed, as always, if somewhat static and picturesque. More sensitive to the slights and modest indicators of familial and collegial love and affection than almost any other director.
Ganjiro Nakamura, Machiko Kyo, Ayako Wakao, Haruko Sugimura, Hitomi Nozoe, Chishu Ryu
Rich, compelling 4-part portrait of an unpleasant woman who remains unpleasant: I don't think she really has a heart of gold under that cynical and acerbic exterior. Her husband does, and her son, who ends up resenting her does. But her only real passion is for a colleague who is killed in a car accident. Olive's abrasiveness, of course, is a shield against the inevitable hurts of life, but that doesn't quite cover it. She simply has a little patience for the courtesies and niceties of life and doesn't see what she gets out of it anyway. We follow her over a period of twenty years or more, as the people she knows grow up and marry and people her age die off, and she is inevitably left alone, digging in her garden, until Jack comes along and they establish a kind of entente to grace the last moments of this story. McDormand is a producer, but also gives a performance that is, as they say, without vanity. One wonders if a different producer might have elicited something perhaps a bit richer, but one really can't complain when a drama resists so many temptations to homogenize this story.
Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkens, Ken Cheeseman, Ann Dowd, Bill Murray
Documentary about the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan and their efforts to control the Korengal Valley. Basically looks like found footage and interviews, but does provide a gripping, visceral look at the activities of these soldiers, including segments when they come under fire, without any kind of perspective or insight into why they are there or what they hope to achieve. But that's good-- it has it's place here, and it works as a document about the actual boots on the ground and how they work and interact.
Juan Restrepo
Two and a half hours of exhilarating special effects and some of the best space action sequences ever filmed, and a giant dubious pile of sci-fi quantum mechanics and relativity hokum: once again, we have a clever director going, "who needs a writer? Nobody cares", and writing a script so marred with cringe-worthy dialogue (especially the parent-teacher meeting), pompous, self-important half-baked theories about time and space and gravity and humanity-- that it almost destroys the film. Yes, there are moments of elegance and beauty, and mystery, and solitude. And there are loads of preposterous situations, as when astronauts are sent all alone to colonize prospective planets, and Professor Brand conducting a major hoax on his team of scientists, engineers, and astronauts that just beggars belief, psychologically, logically, and dramatically. And (spoiler alert) when Brand goes on to visit Edwards on his planet and seems marooned there, everyone waited for Cooper to recover so he could personally go and rescue her? Worse, Nolan tries to make the case that some weird concept of "love" might be part of a 5-dimensional universe and can transcend space and logic and save mankind from itself. In one of the weirdest scenes in any movie, Cooper even travels back in time-- except he doesn't-- he sends some kind of vibrations or psychic energy. It began to remind me of Scientology after a while. And the worst thing that happens is that by the last half hour I didn't even care anymore: it had lost all narrative coherence and believability. And yet, there are exquisite moments of human feeling, as when they arrive back at the mother-ship after a few hours on a planet on which, due to relativity, each hour is seven years in earth time, to find Romilly, who has just spent 23 years alone. On second viewing, I was more generous about he sci-fi parts, and less than ever sold on the melodrama: what was the point of Cooper slamming the principle who wouldn't recommend his son for college, even though Cooper paid his taxes-- as if that is what qualifies you for college? I suspect somebody involved in the movie had a long-standing grievance about a teacher judging him in school. And a bizarre reference to the government rewriting textbooks to assert that the Apollo program was a sham, used only by the U.S. Government to drive the Soviet Union into bankruptcy trying to compete. What the heck?
Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Wes Bently, Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, Michael Caine
Delicate, unsentimental animation about an old man named Emilio sent to a retirement/nursing home by his son and daughter-in-law, suffering possibly from Alzheimer's. His new room-mate, Miguel, is a bit of a hustler, stealing money from the other residents, while espousing a very individualistic, pragmatic philosophy: he believes he does no harm because he provides the other residents with harmless fantasies, that they can call their children, or acquire a pet. Quietly, without fuss, we see Emilio, who is generally accepting, adjust to his newly constricted life, adopting illusions -- that he will use the pool some day-- and forgetting more and more. All of the people on his floor dread the fate of those on an upper floor: the hopelessly senile. Miguel makes many bitter, incisive observations, noting, for example, that the pool is mainly a theatrical piece designed for the families who feel guilty about shunting their loved ones off to oblivion. Touching, honest, and quietly brutal. The animation itself-- very traditional-- is rather pedestrian, but the story is so worthwhile you forgive the deficiencies.
Martin Sheen
The first drug czar in U.S. history proposed making drugs like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana illegal because they had the effect of enticing white women into sexual relations with blacks and Hispanics. And from there, it gets worse. Dynamic, sardonic, powerful documentary about the drug wars, using the ironic device of an instructional video, with numerous experts, telling us how to make a lot of money selling illegal drugs. Really fascinating segment with a former cop named Cooper who turned on the enforcement culture and wrote a book on how to fight convictions for drug possession, and setup a trap for police to catch them planting evidence, which he then used to get a young woman released from prison on the basis of police misconduct. Looks at the prison system, which created a very interested corporate interest in continued incarcerations, and at Portugal which recently legalized most drugs.
Mysterious, haunting, harrowing account of an alien seductress who lures unsuspecting Scottish men-- loners-- to their deaths, possibly as a form of food to other alien beings. Scarlett Johannsson is daringly cast as the alien who is partnered with several other beings on motorcycles who clean up after her and, eventually, form a posse when she goes rogue. The alien is merciless and so is the film, depicting an abandoned child that the alien ignores, but stirrings of compassion arise when she encounters a man with a horrible facial deformity who is deeply moved by her interest in him: it is clear that she doesn't see the deformity. She asks why he doesn't have a girlfriend, and then, if he's ever touched a girl. And eventually we begin to ask who the monsters really are. The shabby Scottish urban landscapes and wet, dank lowlands form a darker counterpoint to the alien's activities. Notable that the men she lured into the van were not actors: they were real people who were told afterwards that they were in a movie.
Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay
Austere, contemplative story about Ida, a young novitiate, who is ordered by her Mother Superior to visit her only relative, a judge named Wanda, before taking her vows. Set in Poland in the early 1960's, Wanda is her aunt and knows a lot about Ida's family, about whom she knows nothing. The first shock: Ida is Jewish. Wanda agrees to take her to where her parents lived and they uncover disconcerting facts about their fate. But this is not a mystery story as much as a character study: how does Ida respond to this new information, and to the worldly behaviour of her aunt who lives a life of sensual abandon. She has lived her entire life in a convent-- can she keep the faith, while confronting the darkness of her own past? Intriguing and beautifully filmed in black and white, but a bit slow-moving, and perhaps not as richly realized as it should have been.
Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik
Delightful documentary about the legendary Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama, it's founder and master recording genius Rick Hall, and the astounding roster of singers and bands who recorded there. Rick Hall's own story is amazing, from the death of his younger brother, abandonment by his mother, his impoverished childhood, to the hit records with Arthur Anderson and Aretha Franklin, the Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, Paul Simon, and others. Generous helping of music samples and interviews with a pretty terrific list of artists, and continuous revelations about Hall's personal life that enrich the presentation.
Rick Hall
Wonderful documentary about a band formed of seven brothers, all of whom are children of jazz "legend" Phil Cohran. The boys started playing at 3, 4, 5 and father Phil had his own very strong ideas about what they should play and how they should live. These ideas have worked their way uneasily into the boys show-- there was a traumatic break with the father when one of the songs announced he no longer wanted lessons, and the father, miffed, stopped the lessons for all of them. The music is terrific -- too bad we are often shown them playing while the sound track is not from the performance we see. Still, a likable, rich, intriguing document about a very intriguing band.
Phil Cohran
Said to be Dwight Eisenhower's favorite film-- he showed it four times consecutively in the White House--this long, spectacular Western tells the story of a feud between two clans, the Terrills and the Hannasseys, who come into conflict over access to water owned by Julie Maragon, a river called "The Big Muddy". Into this ongoing feud steps James McKay, an Easterner, former sea captain, and fiancé of Patricia Terrill. McKay doesn't play by Western rules. He stands down instead of fighting when challenged, and disdains the macho culture of the West. Patricia is deeply disappointed. When he tries to find a peaceful solution to the water issue, both sides turn on him. But Terrill's foreman, Steve Leech, begins to respect McKay, and grows tired of the bloodletting. Intelligent, thoughtful movie, understandably interpreted by some as an allegory of the cold war. In contrast to "The Searchers" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", asserts that the idea that evil can only be confronted with ruthless force-- Ethan, in the Searchers, for example, is challenged. The bloodletting is revealed a creating an endless cycle, and the Hannasseys are revealed as more complicated than the Terrills want McKay to believe. In fact, Major Terrill himself is not the kind of man he seems to be. But this is not a naive or idealistic film: McKay recognizes when he must really fight and confront those who seem determined to cause harm. Well-acted, beautifully written and filmed. One of the best Westerns ever.
Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Burl Ives, Charles Bickford
Isadora works at the Central train station writing letters for illiterate people. In this "Wings of Desire" mode, we encounter brief capsules of peoples lives, personal disasters, disappointments, longings, as they send letters to abandoned family members, distant friends, absent husbands and fathers. But one little boy, Josue, wants to send a letter to his alcoholic father, a carpenter named Jesus. Isadora usually simply tears up the letters and throws them away after taking the money but, when Josue's mother is killed in a car accident, Isadora reluctantly takes him home, where her neighbor, Irene, is far more sympathetic to the boy than she is. Isadore at first decides to send him away to an adoption agency, but after a shocking discovery, she takes him back and then takes on the task of bringing him to his father in a far-away city. Predictable, perhaps, but the pleasure is in seeing how the inevitable softening of her heart unfolds, and the travelogue, to small towns in Brazil as they search for the long lost Jesus, encountering an evangelical truck driver whom Isadora tries to seduce, a lovely spiritual event involving thousands of pictures of lost or wounded relatives and commemorative candles and chanting, and surprising details about the father's luckless life. The ending is a bit too precious for my taste, but this is a lovely, rich, and enriching story.
Fernanda Montenegro, Vinicius de Oliveira, Marilia Pera, Oston Bastas
Meg and Nick travel to Paris for their 30th anniversary, Nick hoping to re-ignite some passion, and Meg hoping to let Nick know that she's had enough. They bicker but then they play, and when she accidentally knocks him down, she is kind and concerned, but their relationship is clearly waning. Nick is devoted to Meg and holds a strong conviction about one person being the right person for him and that person can only be Meg. They bump into an old friend of Nick's-- Morgan-- whom Nick mentored at one time-- and he invites them to a party that turns somewhat emotionally explosive for them. I kept feeling as though someone put a nail in place and positioned a hammer perfectly to drive it in and then missed. The elements of a powerful story are there, and partly realized, but there are a number of flubs and some scenes just seem ill-conceived, as when Nick gives his speech at the party. What is his attitude towards Morgan? I believe the director thought we would admire Nick for his courage in confessing that he is broke and has failed as a father and in his career and has just been sacked for an inappropriate comment to a young female student (he told her that if she paid as much attention to her studies as her hair she could escape her background). But the speech is really quite self-serving and would seem more calculated to evoke pity than admiration, and that is not as attractive a result as I think the film-makers intended. The short, flamboyant escapades (trying to weasel out of a dinner bill, or the hotel bill) also seem jarring in film that seems, at first, headed into Mike Leigh's territory of oblique confessional, exposition. Is there some improvisation going on here? The actors inserting themselves into the narrative?
Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum
Fabulously realized story about a fabulous concierge at the fabulous Grand Budapest Hotel during the golden age of great European hotels, the murder of an elderly patron, the theft of a valuable painting, and other shenanigans. Wonderful and brilliantly filmed, and yet, in the end, more chase sequence than story, and more montage than narrative. And yet, the shots are so beautiful and witty, you almost want to ascribe something more to it yourself-- it seems so deserving. But other than the portrait of the roguish, refined, cultured concierge, and his loyal lobby boy, and intimations of World War I creeping into the action, I'm not sure there is much else there. The cast is absolutely sterling, from Bill Murray to Saoirse Ronan to Adrien Brody.
Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Willem Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Lea Seydoux
Odd, impressionist documentary on the inequality between the Tanzanians who fish for Nile Perch in Lake Victoria and the affluent Western nations who import it by jet. Looks at the fishermen, the airport staff, the prostitutes, and the children of the small towns that rely on fishing this exotic species for their livelihood (the fish, which is destroying all other species, was dumped in the lake by a single person 60 years ago). The obvious analogy here is the Nile Perch consuming all other species, and even it's own young (!) in the same way that global capitalism consumes the young of the Tanzania communities that services European demand for the fish. Europe gets the fillets; the locals get dried out re-processed heads and spines. As Village Voice called the image of it, "Brueghelian". As we might the revelation that the jets do not return to Tanzania empty: they bring weapons for sale to the battling tribes and warlords in neighboring countries.
Raphael Wagara, Dimond Remtulia, Elizabeth Nsese
Fascinating look at a Japanese sushi chef who owns and manages a tiny restaurant in a subway station that seats 10, yet has received a remarkable 3-star rating from Michelin. Jiro Ono is a master chef and has been working at his craft for 75 years (he is now 85) and wants to pass on the business to his son. Details the remarkable care and craft that goes into preparing sushi, from the purchase of tuna and octopus, to the preparation of the rice, and the presentation. Glowing tribute to obsessive craft and dedication, if almost comical at times in Ono's fanatic dedication to standards.
Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono
Three cars navigate a winding country road in the dark. They pull up to small park. Is it here? A man in handcuffs answers, maybe. There was a round tree. Is that it? I don't know. And so it goes for the first hour of the film, the three cars take the road, they stop, frustration. But all the while, small conversations between the doctor and the police chief and the prosecutor and the others take place, and a mystery within this larger mystery begins to predominate: a young, pregnant, beautiful woman told her husband that she would die on a certain date, after giving birth. And she does. For no reason at all. The doctor is not convinced. It must have been suicide. Nobody dies because they know they are going to die. The prosecutor is bothered by this. Maybe it was a heart attack. And so it goes on as this crew, determined to make a case against the forlorn suspects, travels on through the night. Beautifully filmed and acted, grim at times, mysterious, and allusive. A beautiful girl appears and somehow becomes a talisman for the range of guilt and deception that pervades this disturbing exposition.
In 1965-66, the Indonesian army under General Suharto overthrew the elected government and went on a mass killing spree of anyone they suspected of being communist, or liberal, or simply democratic. It is thought that over 500,000 people died and Suharto ruled with an iron fist for 30 years. Forty years later, documentary film-maker Josh Oppenheimer persuaded some members of the death squads to re-enact their atrocities for a Hollywood type film, sometimes as drama, sometimes as a musical (!). The result is one of the most bizarre, stunning, compelling documentaries I've ever seen, "The Act of Killing". I mean, really bizarre, as if Goebbels teamed up with Liberace to celebrate The Third Reich in music and dance. There are painfully uncomfortable sequences, as when the paramilitary seem to coerce or attempt to coerce local residents into participating in their "movie", by screaming "don't burn my house down", and begging for mercy. Or when an older man's grandchildren scream at the actors to leave their grandfather alone. One of the killers has a soft spot for "Born Free", the song, because, he says, the word gangster means "free man" in American. There are segments of the envisioned film that are westerns and musicals, and one of the killers dresses in drag for several sequences. Disturbing and jaw-dropping. Is this another variant on Arendt's "banality" of evil, or something worse. The killings that took place in 1965 and 1966 were incomprehensible, frenzied, and irrational. Up for an Oscar for best documentary, I believe.
Anwar Congo
Ah, Woody Grant is a rude, unlovable old coot. That means we get to see that he really has a heart of gold, right? Or that he is rejuvenated by some miraculous event or substance and starts break-dancing? Or chasing younger women? Wrong. Woody is truly incorrigible, even when someone does something nice for him. But he thinks he's won a million dollars in a contest that looks a lot like the old "Publisher's Clearing House" scam and he persuades a reluctant David, one of his sons, to help him get to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his prize. Along the way they visit Woody's childhood home and meet up with a pack of his relatives who think David is trying to hide the fact that Woody really won the money and hatch their own schemes for getting a shared. David also meets an old girlfriend of Woody's, who, in spite of his alcoholism, has fond memories of their brief romance. "Nebraska" never caves, never looks contrived, never surrenders to pastiche or cliche. It's a bracing film that isn't always smooth or clever but stays true to its subject and the to the heartland it evokes, and to fraught relationships. Touching, beautiful, sad.
Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach
Jeb Gambardella is a writer, famous for one book he wrote 40 years ago. Since then, he has partied and socialized and indulged in every form of pleasure, while his friends wonder when he will get back to his vocation. He is not unoccupied: he adores beautiful women and music, and the fantastic architecture and monuments of Rome, and meditates on life: what is the point of it all? What is the point of him? He is savagely critical of hypocrisy and pretense (especially towards a rather likable Stefania, whom he later embraces) but freely admits he isn't much better than anyone else. A friend's son commits suicide, another friend gives up his ambitions of presenting a play, and a famous saint, a nun clearly modeled on Mother Theresa, wants to meet him because she found his book beautiful and "fierce". He is told that Elisa, a young woman he loved more than 30 years ago, has died. Her husband is disconsolate, and tells Jeb that Elisa always only loved Jeb. All of this before exquisitely filmed vistas of Rome, of gorgeous buildings and terraces and parks, set to music that wobbles from the most sensual, heated disco to sparse and inspiring cantos and beatitudes. In the end, he means something after all: the endless battle against the blah, blah, blah of the incessant noise of humans struggle, scratching, and wailing their way through life, through despair, and disappointment. The most beautiful, impressive movie of 2013.
Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Galatea Ranzi, Pameal Villoresi
Llewyn Davis is not a movie story like the films about Ray Charles or Johnny Cash or Dianna Ross-- someone who's personal behavior, recklessness, and infidelities get to be passed over because there is a mass audience out there just waiting for them to perform high ART so they can fall over themselves grovelling at their own good taste. No no no-- Llewyn Davis is, in the words of a discarded lover, Jean, an asshole, who thinks only of his own immediate needs and desires, and very little of anyone else. He's trying to make it as a folk singer in Greenwich Village, 1961, in the middle of the folk boom, with a talent that isn't embarrassing but isn't really very marketable. It is a tribute to the good taste and desire for authenticity of the Coen brothers that we accept Llewyn's talent as respectable but no more. The Coen brothers recorded all of the music "live"-- what we see is what we hear, and it's a delight. We follow Davis as he has a very bad couple of days, from allowing a friend's cat to escape, to a confrontation with a pregnant x-girlfriend, to a pointless trip to Chicago to seek stronger representation. There are in jokes and teasers: a manager named Bud Grossman is trying to assemble a folk trio-- would he consider trimming his beard to a Van Dyke and joining? But mostly it's personal, a confrontation between the exceptional and the desire to be exceptional and the relentlessly mediocre, which seems to include even Llewyn's own fans, the Gorfeins, who ask him to sing after making him supper and offering him a couch to sleep on. "Inside Llewyn Davis" is relentlessly cynical about audiences and performers and life generally, immersing us in the tasteless company of Roland Turner, played with consummate vulgarity by John Goodman, for a good portion of the trip. And just when Davis seems ready to throw in the towel and resume his career in the merchant marine, he visits his father, a retired sailor, imprisoned in a bleak retirement home, stewing in his own shit. No bright side, no redemptive moments. Just miles of authentic experience that feels lived in and worn out. A terrific period piece, with all the trappings of inchoate movements and trends and attitudes, momentarily as shapeless as Davis' career and love life.
Oscar Isaac, John Goodman, Carey Mulligan, Ethan Phillips, Jeanine Serralles
Astute, warm interpretation of Louisa May Alcott's classic children's novel-- though here, it doesn't look like a children's story. Four daughters of an unsuccessful teacher, preacher, medic, struggle amid poverty to define themselves and root out their future lives. Meg is the family beauty and wants nothing more than to marry and have her own family; Jo wants to be a writer, likes horsing around with the boy, Laurie, next door, and moves to New York where she meets an educated German who mentors her; Beth contracts scarlet fever, and spends her days in domestic chores; Amy, the most self-interested of the four, is a budding artist who goes to Paris with her aunt. The men really have no existence in this melodrama, but Armstrong has found a warmth and richness in the story, expressed in cleverly devised sequences that feel natural and charming, and lovely settings, costumes and lighting. Marred somewhat by Bale's incessant whispering -- method acting, which, remarkably, seems anachronistic.
Winona Ryder, Clare Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Trini Alvarado, Christian Bale, Eric Stoltz
Hannah Arendt is strikingly famous for a rather thin but resonant observation about Adolf Eichmann being "banal"-- that he represented the "banality of evil". This movie acknowledges the proportions-- saving that comment for nearly last-- but expands on Arendt's philosophy and experience rather audaciously: this is the most intelligent film of 2013, though certainly not the best. Part of the problem is that, like many biopics, the film-makers are somewhat in love with their subject, so they front-load the film with scenes that seem to justify her, or, at the least, make her suffering and sacrifice seem exceptional. All writers, philosophers, and artists are criticized, but when someone as controversial as Arendt is shown as a victim of criticism, audiences tend to forget that. Audiences tend to feel that she is being picked on unjustly. Still, Arendt seemed to be defending Eichmann-- which she clearly did not do-- by asserting that Eichmann and persons like him were not the cause of the evil of the Nazi regime, but merely cogs in the machine, a mindless bureaucrat who was, as he claimed, simply following orders. (Astonishingly, we now have evidence that it was never true: Eichmann's diaries show that he was an avid, passionate Jew-hater and Nazi true-believer). Martin Heidegger, who joined the Nazi party and spoke in favor of Hitler as Rector of the University of Freiburg, and where he led the expulsion of Jewish professors, maintained a good relationship with Arendt (they were lovers, once) to the end of his life.
Barbara Sukowa, Axel Milberg, Janet McTeer, Julia Jentsch
Mesmerizing series of intimate close-ups of Adele and Emma (neither of them wearing make-up) revealing Adele's journey into obsessive passion and discovery, erotic desire, rejection and despair, and endurance. Probably the most intimate film I have ever seen, pushing the boundaries of erotic performance to the point where I really did ask myself if it wasn't too much, too explicit-- if real love-making was not, perhaps, meant for the screen, for that is what you get: the slurping, groaning, grunting, slapping urgency of desire, in two extraordinary performances by Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos. (Seydoux has made it known that they were wearing prosthetic vaginas during the oral sex scenes.) Adele discovers boys at first, making some tentative explorations, and then she finds herself erotically attracted to a blue-haired woman she spots on the street. They meet again at a bar, strike up a friendship, then love, move in together, but Adele is young and impulsive and not sure she is ready to nullify her yearnings for men. As the movie persists over it's long running time, we see her teaching, socializing with her colleagues, yearning for more and more intimacy. There is a devastating break, and one of the most convincing performances of broken longing and despair I have seen from a young woman. Powerful performances that do, however, at times have the aimless, vague feel of improvisation (in fact, many scenes were improvised): when Adele is invited to join some colleagues for drinks after dinner, neither she nor the man seem aware of the need to actually arrange a specific time or place. And Emma's comments after making love in Adele's bedroom in her parents house sound trite. And Emma's paintings, which seem to be provoking a frisson of elite interest, appear to be decidedly mediocre. They diminish the power of the film at times, in comparison, say to Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's movies (like "Boy with a Bike") but, as a portrait of young desire, Blue is the Warmest Colour" is almost unparalleled.
Lea Seydoux, Adele Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Mona Walravens
Based on the book by Solomon Northup who, living as a free negro in New York in 1840, was tricked into coming to Washington D.C. where he was kidnapped and sold as a slave. Northup quickly realized he had to conceal his education and literacy and pretend to actually be an escaped slave from Virginia named Platt to survive. The image of quaint, colorful plantations, happy-go-lucky slaves, and beautiful, cultured Rhett Butlers and spunky Scarlett O'haras... swept aside by the brutal reality of lashings and lynchings and brutality. Great movie. Fassbender is terrific, magnetic, riveting, as a lunatic, lascivious brute, who stands up to his wife after she viciously attacks a slave he favors. This film has to courage to show the co-opted slaves, a woman, Mistress Shaw, who happily runs a plantation with her white husband, now being served the very institution she has escaped, and a white man forced to pick cotton because he has drunk his fortune away, whom Northup hopes will help him get a message to his family. Beautifully filmed with long, lingering shots that elicit the flow and ebb of daily life on the plantation, its abuses and indignities, the way manners play into the master-slave relationship, as when Epps's wife uses Northup to fetch food supplies. More tellingly, the scenes with William Ford (Cumberbatch) preaching to his slaves compellingly suggest the role of religion in oppressive societies, to convince the victims of oppression that God himself ordains their submission.
Chiwetel Eijiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Paul Dano
Eva and Albert are divorced, middle-aged, sensible people, willing to give each other a chance after meeting at a party. But when Eva realizes that the woman she is giving massages to is Albert's ex-wife, she accepts information and criticisms from her about Albert and the relationship is poisoned. Holofcener observes women with more rawness and honesty than most directors/writers, and her acerbic points about Eva's attempts to manipulate and "improve" Albert are well made. More importantly, she gets at the heart of this relationship: two people finding something wonderful later in life, and struggling, amid expectations and false perceptions, to forge something valuable to both of them.
Catharine Keener, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Toni Colette
Powerful and important story about Oscar Grant, a black man who was shot and killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit cop in front of dozens of spectators, many of whom were filming the encounter with their cell phones. Fruitvale carefully reconstructs Oscar's last day, showing him interacting with his girlfriend (whom he has recently cheated on), his daughter, Tatania, his mother, who, we see in flashback, has been smartly disapproving of Oscar's activities, and a woman he helps at the supermarket. Oscar is shown as impulsive and angry at times, but also as a caring father and son and a popular friend. The rapport between Jordan and child actor Ariana Neal is extraordinary. There's no dazzling technique here, some hand-held work, but mainly the drama of loss, accentuated by convincing, rich relationships. A beautifully realized, affecting film.
Michael Jordan, Melanie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Ariana Neal
Lovely, compelling, meditative documentary of a one-room school in France. Follows students and the male, middle-aged teacher through a session, picking up moments of humour and quiet sadness and conflict and the delicate, proper, but sometimes intimate relationship between teacher and students. There is a young boy who struggles with making letters and doing math, and two older boys who have conflicts, and a there is amusement and camaraderie (the teacher takes everyone tobogganing at one point). But what impresses the viewer the most is the intimacy of the portrait, the expressiveness of gesture and facial expression, and the humanity of teacher and students as they struggle through their curriculum. Unforgettable.
George Lopez
A really unusual film for Allen-- would you even know it was his if you didn't see the credits? Cate Blanchett is Jasmine whose husband, Hal, has just been busted for fraud for his business dealings. Some reviewers suggest Bernie Madoff as the model, but his downfall doesn't quite unfold like that. In any case, Hal was also cheating on her and had planned to leave her so Jasmine is now broke and single and forced to move in with her sister, Ginger, in San Francisco for a time. She does not cope very well with disaster until she meets a rich, budding politician. Ginger, in the meantime, perhaps influenced by Jasmine, has dumps her earthy boyfriend in favor of a gentler, nicer schmuck. Jasmine's discontent seems to rub off on her, but may be leading her to make the same mistakes. This is an intelligent, subtle, complex film that is too smart to just dump on Wall Street without exploring the complicity we all have with corruption and greed. And Cate Blanchett's performance is utterly without vanity, subtle, and rich.
Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Louis C.K., Peter Sarsgaard, Andrew Dice Clay
Wonderful, rich, intelligent documentary on life as a back-up singer, mostly in the 1950's and 60's, on many of the most successful pop songs of the era. Extensive interviews with legendary singers you never heard of, women like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Claudia Lennear (who was featured by the Stones), and The Waters Family. Most of these women learned their chops in gospel choirs and a lot of them were children of ministers. They often sang lead as well as background, though never credited of course, and they were paid strictly by the session. In one instance, the Crystals were on tour while Phil Spector laid down a completely new track with the backup group and released it, all credited to the Crystals. Loaded with music and live video of performances.
Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Claudia Lennear, Darlene Love
Compelling documentary about the five black youths charged and convicted of the Central Park Jogger assault and rape case in 1989. All of them, except one, "confessed" and all of them served time, and were eventually paroled. One of them encountered a prisoner who marveled at the fact that he was serving time for a crime the prisoner knew he hadn't committed-- because he had. Eventually, a DNA match was made and City officials ordered a re-examination of the case. The prosecutor continues to insist that she was right and that the new DNA evidence merely proves that there was at least one additional assailant.
Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, David Dinkens, Kevin Richardson, Angela Black
Superb drama about a kindergarten teacher accused of molesting one of his students, a young girl named Klara. We learn early on that the accusation is false: the drama is about how Lucas' friends, including his best friend Theo (Klara's father), react to the accusations. We see the entire community turn against him, refusing to even sell him groceries, while, increasingly frustrated, Lucas insists on clearing his name.
Mads Mikkelson, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Susse Wold
Written by Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, an enchanting portrait of a young, confused and confusing dancer in New York, at odds with her boyfriend who wants her to move in, and her girlfriend who wants to move out to Tribeca (leaving Frances unable to afford the rent), struggling in her career as a dancer, and just not very astute about social graces. Gerwig carries the movie as believably quirky, impetuous woman, fresh out of college, not really comfortable with romance-- she calls herself "undateable", and amusingly amused. Baumbach has the grace to surround her with believable, livable friends and acquaintances, and, delightfully, offers parents who behave like real parents, neither oppressive nor condescending or ideal. They wish they could help her more financially but she immediately parries this with "you've already done so much". She impulsively flies to Paris but this is not a lush Hollywood romance: she sleeps a lot and wanders around aimlessly, charging it all to a credit card she just got in the mail. A really interesting film, shot unfussily in black-and-white. It's nostalgic in a way, but not in a dreamy, delusional sense: it's too real and honest to lie to us about what is ahead for Frances, but I really want to see a sequel.
Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Michael Esper, Adam Driver, Patrick Heusinger
Beautifully filmed story about a man who can't give love, and a priest who can't believe in God, and how both struggle to find an authentic emotional connection through awareness of naked human need. Exquisitely filmed with rapturous steady-cam shots of fields and the women dancing, cavorting, gazing with wonder at natural beauty. More poetry than narrative, with snatches of dialogue and voice-overs. Weirdly adult in the way complex, mixed emotions present themselves when a conventional Hollywood narrative calls for simplification and distillation. Never without nuance or subtlety or shadings.
Ben Afflect, Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Tatiana Chiline
Malick's first film, inspired by the story of Charles Starkweather and his 13- year-old girl friend, Caril-Ann Fugate (some reports say 15-years-old) and their chaotic murder spree across Nebraska and Wyoming. Kit and Holly are shockingly blase about the murders of Holly's father and various other people who stood between Charles and his girlfriend, or escape, and explore the world like naive children. He dresses and looks like James Dean, and she wants to be wanted. Beautifully filmed and acted-- great performances from everyone--, languorous, subtle, and really quite shocking, precisely because it strikes out on its own path, following the jarring reality of Starkweather's story. In some ways, far more disturbing than a later, bloodier incarnation, Natural Born Killers, because Malick doesn't allow any melodrama: like the real Charles Starkweather, Kit is dispassionate and unemotional about his crimes, a bit of a braggart, a child, a killer, and even a bit charming when he realizes he's made an impression.
Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri, John Carter
Scintillating documentary featuring interviews with five leaders of Shin Bet, Israel's secret service, on terrorism, security, and peace. The interviewees are remarkably candid and articulate and thoughtful. And the discussion of terrorism, war, and peace extremely provocative: what, they ask, has Israel really gained by assassinating Palestinian leaders, or imans, and by infiltrating terrorist organizations? All of them seem to drive to the conclusion that the only long-term solution is a Palestinian state, and that the settlements in disputed areas are a political disaster. It's more than just personal stories. The discussion sometimes rises to the level of moral philosophy deeply connected to real events, real individuals, always tethered to specific stories of terrorism and counter-terrorism.
Ami Ayalon, Ami Dichter, Yuval Diskin, Carmi Gillon, Yaakov Peri, Avraham Shalom
Brilliant, cutting, abrasive account of two pairs: a couple, Kate and Alex, who buy furniture from children of people who recently died and resell it at a considerable profit, and two sisters, Rebecca and Mary, who care for a cranky grandmother, Andra, whose apartment is coveted by Kate and Alex, who live next door. It is never explained why or how Kate and Alex will get the apartment: it is assumed by everyone that they are waiting for Andra to die, and this sets the tone for all the characters who are generally selfish and rude and unkind, particularly at a dinner party they throw for Andra and her grand-daughters. Kate thinks she's not mean-- she hands out large bills to homeless people and feels guilty about taking advantage of the people selling them their old furniture. And Rebecca may actually be the only decent person in the story. But the conversations are delightfully blunt and perceptive and revealing and it's astonishing to see people claw at each other in a way that seem both shocking and utterly familiar.
Catharine Keener, Oliver Platt, Amanda Peet, Rebecca Hall, Ann Guilbert
Writer and director swapped roles and share credits. Strong drama about various people living under or about Israeli occupation and struggling to earn a living, pay bills, and provide medical care for an ailing mother. In some cases, these are good people forced to do bad things out of economic necessity, but there are also people who are loyal to a code or system that doesn't necessarily provide for humane outcomes. Things are set in motion when Omar's uncle refuses to pay "protection" money one week and shoots the thug coming to collect it. The family is suddenly draw into a serious quandary and may be forced to pay thousands in compensation-- money they don't have. Malek's mother is serious ill and has been released from the hospital because she can't pay for treatment. Malek steers Omar to a package of drugs left by Binj, who was killed in a police double-cross. Dando, an Israeli cop, is furious at the Arabs who murdered his brother who was in the army. All of them eventually crash into each others' orbits with tragic results. Similar in some ways to "Crash" but much better and more authentic, and, actually, more clever in the way that various story lines intersect and influence each other.
Fouad Habash, Nisrine Rihan, Ibrahim Frege, Scandar Copti
Riveting documentary about a woman named Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming, who stalked and kidnapped a Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson in the early 1980's. She claims it was the church that kidnapped and brainwashed him and she was trying to get him to realize that she was the only woman for him and that he ought to accept her love and marry her. But the story keeps getting better and better as reporters uncover shocking information about Joyce's past, and Joyce herself offers strange explanations. Kirk wisely refused to be interviewed, so it's hard to assess his role, but, in court, he admitted that he was at least a partly willing accomplice to the sex weekend in Devon. Strange, strange, strange story. Worthwhile if only for the salacious discussion of the Mormon's magical underwear.
Kirk Anderson, Joyce McKinney
Riveting documentary about a woman named Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming, who stalked and kidnapped a Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson in the early 1980's. She claims it was the church that kidnapped and brainwashed him and she was trying to get him to realize that she was the only woman for him and that he ought to accept her love and marry her. But the story keeps getting better and better as reporters uncover shocking information about Joyce's past, and Joyce herself offers strange explanations. Kirk wisely refused to be interviewed, so it's hard to assess his role, but, in court, he admitted that he was at least a partly willing accomplice to the sex weekend in Devon. Strange, strange, strange story. Worthwhile if only for the salacious discussion of the Mormon's magical underwear.
Superb, elegant, visceral dramatization of the activities of the Camorra crime syndicate in Naples in the Scampia quarter (where director Garrone lived for two months). Beautifully acted and filmed. Follows five tales of individuals caught in the cross-fire of organized gangs fighting for territory and the spoils of corruption. Toto (wonderful child actor Salvatore Abruzzese) delivers groceries but longs to move into gang life. The gangs do not condescend to children they can use. He is a beautiful boy who plucks his eyebrows but is eventually forced to choose his loyalties. Marco and Sweet Pea are two remarkable and ridiculously naive teenagers, in love, who steal guns from one of the gangs and eventually become a serious nuisance to them. They dramatize scenes from "Scarface"-- thus mocking the Hollywood glamorization of criminal gangs. Ciro delivers money to the families of incarcerated gang members but eventually decides to join their rivals. Pasquale is a tailor who sells his services to a Chinese sweatshop competing with the "owned" Italian sweatshops, with grave consequences. And Roberto is a decent college graduate whose father gets a job with Franco, in waste disposal. Franco happily accepts toxic wastes from cost-cutting companies and disposes it illegally in quarries and on the side of the road. All the stories are based on rigorously documented research by Saviano, who now lives under permanent police protection. Brilliant film. Robbed of an Oscar by
Salvatore Abruzzese, Simone Sacchettino, Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Cantalupo, Marco Macor
Fine but restrained film about a woman in Ireland who became pregnant out of wedlock in the 1950's and was forced to move to a home for unwed mothers and give up her baby for adoption. A BBC journalist, hears about her story and decides to do a series on her search for her child. In the process, he uncovers a rat's nest of dark secrets about the homes, including the fact that maybe babies died in their care and may have been buried without proper documentation. Yet, does Philomena still believe in the church? How can she?
Sixto Rodriguez was a promising singer-songwriter in 1971 who released two well- reviewed albums in the U.S. Unfortunately, for inexplicable reasons, they failed to sell, and Rodriguez disappeared. Unbeknownst to him, one of his albums made it's way to South Africa where it became a monster hit. Twenty five years later, a documentary film-maker set out to find out what happened to him, and if rumors of his suicide were true. This story is all the more fascinating because of the dark mystery about the man himself, his family life, his zen-like approach to his career and working life, and the elusiveness of his character. His music is raw and compelling and powerful, and he is a terrific singer, though he was known to perform facing away from the audience. Wonderful story.
Powerful, savage documentary on the U.S. practice of torture and abuse of prisoners after 9/11. Focuses on Dilewar, an Afghan citizen who, it becomes clear, was involved with nothing other than driving his taxi. When he passed through a check-point, a corrupt Afghan militia commander arrested him and passed him on to U.S. authorities who sent him to Bagram prison where he was beaten and abused until his legs had become, in the words of an autopsy, "pulpified". Incisively demonstrates how the chain of command, from Cheney down to the military police, tacitly or overtly endorsed the use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques-- absolutely a euphemism for torture, and absolutely illegal. Convincing and devastating indictment of the Bush administration, Rumsveld, Cheney, John Yoo, and others who laid the groundwork for the abuse. McCain stood up to them for a time until he was co-opted by legislation granting immunity to the parties concerned.
Powerful, savage documentary on the U.S. practice of torture and abuse of prisoners after 9/11. Focuses on Dilewar, an Afghan citizen who, it becomes clear, was involved with nothing other than driving his taxi. When he passed through a check-point, a corrupt Afghan militia commander arrested him and passed him on to U.S. authorities who sent him to Bagram prison where he was beaten and abused until his legs had become, in the words of an autopsy, "pulpified". Incisively demonstrates how the chain of command, from Cheney down to the military police, tacitly or overtly endorsed the use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques-- absolutely a euphemism for torture, and absolutely illegal. Convincing and devastating indictment of the Bush administration, Rumsveld, Cheney, John Yoo, and others who laid the groundwork for the abuse. McCain stood up to them for a time until he was co-opted by legislation granting immunity to the parties concerned.
Powerful, savage documentary on the U.S. practice of torture and abuse of prisoners after 9/11. Focuses on Dilewar, an Afghan citizen who, it becomes clear, was involved with nothing other than driving his taxi. When he passed through a check-point, a corrupt Afghan militia commander arrested him and passed him on to U.S. authorities who sent him to Bagram prison where he was beaten and abused until his legs had become, in the words of an autopsy, "pulpified". Incisively demonstrates how the chain of command, from Cheney down to the military police, tacitly or overtly endorsed the use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques-- absolutely a euphemism for torture, and absolutely illegal. Convincing and devastating indictment of the Bush administration, Rumsveld, Cheney, John Yoo, and others who laid the groundwork for the abuse. McCain stood up to them for a time until he was co-opted by legislation granting immunity to the parties concerned.
A family joke in the Polley family was that Sarah didn't look at all like her dad-- who was the real father? Turns out that that was no joke. Sarah brings her cameras and meets with various family members and friends to unravel the mysterious life of her mother, who died of cancer when Sarah was 11, and who was in Montreal by herself doing a stage play around the time Sarah was conceived. There are surprises and revelations but mostly intelligent inquiry and reinterpretation of events by a family with equanimity and grace. If there is a quibble to be had, there is a bit of a tendency to make something monumental of a rather common-place betrayal. Forgivable for the remarkable candor the participants bring to the project and the clever use of archival super-8 footage and re-enactments.
Sarah Polley, Rebecca Jenkins, Diane Polley, Harry Gulkin, Joanna Polley
Clever, compelling documentary about hacker-activists who use their hacking skills to wreck havoc on enemies of social justice and liberty, as they see it. Their targets seem sympathetic to me-- big corporations, neo-nazi groups, rapists-- but their methods are definitely extralegal. There is some naivete in the group-- when the police come calling, it seems like some of them didn't really think what they were doing was illegal, or likely to get them into trouble. Extraordinary people on the fringes of the law and justice, taking actions that are sometimes dramatically effective.
Julian Assange, Aaron Barr
Clever, compelling documentary about hacker-activists who use their hacking skills to wreck havoc on enemies of social justice and liberty, as they see it. Their targets seem sympathetic to me-- big corporations, neo-nazi groups, rapists-- but their methods are definitely extralegal. There is some naivete in the group-- when the police come calling, it seems like some of them didn't really think what they were doing was illegal, or likely to get them into trouble. Extraordinary people on the fringes of the law and justice, taking actions that are sometimes dramatically effective.
Julian Assange, Aaron Barr, Anonyops, Anon2world
Brilliantly directed and acted story about an incipient cult leader, Lancaster Dodd, and his meeting with a psychologically unstable ex-serviceman, Freddie Quell, and their strange, enduring relationship. More an examination of the relationship between the two men, and how a cult-leader exerts his magnetism, than of the cult experience itself. Quell's life is a mess and he's a bundle of bad impulses and reckless choices. Dodd is slick, smooth, and confident, and needs Quell's admiration and respect as much as Quell needs his leadership. But Dodd also needs his wife, Peggy, who, it turns out, knows much more about Dodd's visionary philosophy than even he does-- because she's writing it. Yet their relationship comes off as extremely collegial and collaborative-- a subtlety that deepens and enriches this portrait.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquim Phoenix, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons
Bitter, powerful drama about a celebrity concert pianist, Charlotte, returning to visit her daughter for the first time in seven years. Her daughter, Eva, is bitter about her upbringing, and her mother's absence from her life. She has also brought her disabled sister, Helena, home, without telling Charlotte, who, she says, would never have come to visit if she knew. There is a searing, extended scene of Eva relentlessly detailing all of the slights and hurts and neglect she has experienced, and caustically assessing her mother's selfish personality. Her mother, in turn, describes her own childhood: her parents never showed affection. There is a suggestion that Eva's need to nurture and "spoil" people, including Helena, is just as narcissistic as Charlotte's need to perform and receive public approval for her art. Bears consideration that Bergman himself neglected his own family for his "art"-- if so, he certainly doesn't spare himself.
Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullman, Lena Nyman, Halver Bjork
The world is coming to an end, at midnight on a specific day, and "Last Night" follows assorted individuals as they try to find a meaningful way to spend the last few hours of human existence. Some embrace sensuality, some want to party, some riot,and some quietly pray with family members. Craig tries to cram all of his sexual fantasies into a few days, including a black woman, a virgin, and his high school English teacher delightfully played by Genevieve Bujolds. Patrick Wheeler just wants to be alone and sip wine and listen to music but Sandra desperately needs a ride to her home where she plans to meet her husband, after her car is overturned and destroyed by revelers. Meanwhile, the head of "the gas company"-- he husband, I think-- calls all of his customers to thank them for their patronage and the radio counts down the "top 500 of all time". Lovely, funny, subtle movie that follows no predictable path, and occasionally delights and startles with invention and insight. Unabashedly filmed in Toronto, with proper names and places, and a soundtrack of Canadian pop (but who would believe Edward Bear would have #12 on the "all-time top 500", as they count it down to zero hour. Wayne Clarkson used this movie to illustrate the difference between Canadian and U.S. films: when Sandra goes into a looted grocery store to buy wine, she chooses a bottle from two, and carefully puts the unchosen bottle back on the shelf!
Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, Roberta Maxwell, Sarah Polley, David Cronenberg
Based on a true story, about an actor performing in Orestes who gradually loses his grip on reality and murders his real mother with an antique sword. Herzog directs films intuitively and includes strange scenes from Peru and what appears to be Tibet to suggest the disintegrating inner mind of Brad McCullum, a story we are guided through by a detective named Hank Havenhurst. He interviews Brad's fiance and the director of the last drama production Brad was involved in. Every character is fascinating in a twisted way, and charming and disarming and consciously rational, in contrast to Brad, whose deteriorating mental condition is revealed through flashbacks. Yes, Herzog can be flippant and irreverent and sometimes provocative, but he is also never not entertaining. Excellent musical sound-track, superbly filmed and acted and directed.
Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Michael Pena, Udo Kier
Bernie Tiede moves to Carthage, Texas, from Louisiana and takes a job as assistant funeral director. He soon becomes the most popular man in town, especially to the widows of the men he buries, and especially to one widow, Marjorie Nugent, who is the least-liked person in town. But Marjorie is rich and Tiede soon becomes her best friend, her confidant, and constant companion, travelling with her all around the world. One day, Marjorie seems to disappear. Her estranged family don't notice for months, while Bernie gives away her money and continues his cheerful participation in every event in town. Eventually, her body is discovered in her freezer and Bernie is arrested. Utterly improbable but true, and it emerges that most of the people in Carthage would probably have acquitted him if the trial had been held there. Brilliant evocation of Texas-Americana, small town values, and the ambiguities in the moral simplifications that sometimes prevail over our view of American culture and society. Bernie is probably gay and most of the town knows it-- he's "a little light in his loafers" as one man put it-- but they don't care. They almost feel it was understandable that he would eventually murder the old "bitch". Very funny and rich and delightful.
Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine, Matthew McConaughey
An oddity about a group of preppie girls and their social lives, their culture, their taste, their emotional tribulations, stylishly rendered with self-irony and self-conscious-irony and disingenuous ironic detachment-- it's very hard to figure out where on the spectrum this dialogue sits. Violet leads the cabal of tasteful suffragettes, pioneers at a formerly all-male school, providing support to suicidal students and tap-dance therapy. She's also in love, sort of, at least with the idea that she suffers for love of Frank. There is a point somewhere in the relentless triviality of their lives but I'm not sure you need to know it to enjoy the razor-sharp wit of the dialogue.
Greta Gerwig, Carrie Maclemore, Megalyne Echikunwoke, Analeigh Tipton, Ryan Metcalf
Saw this at Varsity in Toronto. One of the most charming, freshest films of the year. It's the 1960's, Sam and Suzy are about 12-years-old and both feel alienated from friends and family. Sam, in fact, is an orphan, whose foster parents have decided they don't want him anymore. They meet at a performance of Noyes Flood and strike up a correspondence. A year later, they decide to run off together, taking some food and books, a record-player, and a cat. This sets off a panic among Sam's boy scout troop, Suzy's parents, and the local police, who set out to find them, while Sam and Suzy set up camp, dance, swim, experiment with French kissing and get to know each other. Always amusing if a smidgeon over-long, and remarkably un-coy and unpretentious.
Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand
Beautiful Korean film (set in Taipei) in the tradition of Japanese director Ozu, chronicling the life of a family through one year, from a wedding to a funeral, particularly through the eyes of a young boy, his sister, and father. The grandmother is in a coma-- the daughter, Ting-Ting, thinks it's because she forgot to take the garbage, forcing her grandmother to do it (her parents actually did it). Yang-Yang, the boy, uses a camera to try to see what he cannot see: the backs of heads, for one thing. The father, NJ, is in the middle of business failure, but is also reconnecting with a love from 30 years previous (his wife has fled to a Buddhist retreat to find herself). Like Ozu, Yang likes his characters and wants you to see the richness of the possibilities in their lives, and to love them for who they really are. Honest, and rich, and nuanced.
Nien-Jen Wu, Elaine Jin, Kelly Lee, Jonathan Chang, Hsi-Sheng Chen
Compelling story about Karen and Martha, two young teachers who open their own school in a refurbished farmhouse. Karen is engaged to Joe, a doctor, and nephew of Mrs. Tilford, an influential member of society. When Karen disciplines Mary, Mrs. Tilford's granddaughter, Mary takes revenge by giving a salacious spin to some gossip a classmate, Rosalie overheard: Karen and Martha are lesbian lovers. All of the children are withdrawn from the school and the two girls are ruined. They confront Mrs. Tilford but she is unrepentant and they sue. This is adult in the best sense of the word: subtle, compelling, and believable, and horrifying. Hellman has said that it's more about gossip than lesbianism, and that rings true. Angela Cartwright is notable as Rosalie, but Karen Balkin as Mary may be a little over-the-top. An important social document.
Shirley Maclaine, Audrey Hepburn, James Garner
Superbly written drama about a group of twenty-something yuppies struggling to be cool and fulfilled in New York City in the 1980's. They experiment with drugs and sex and form various attachments without ever seeming to find a happy balance, all while eloquently expressing their dis-illusionments and dis-satisfactions. Fresh and unexpected and, at times, poignant.
Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman, Mackenzie Astin, Jennifer Beals
Woody Allen's nostalgic but meticulous tribute to the late 1930's and 40's, popular music, and the radio age. A portrait of his family and extended family, interacting with the usual coarseness, vulgarity, and, occasionally, grace, and an astute commentary on the first mass media, how it became central to family life, presenting news and entertainment, sometimes enthralling, sometimes shocking or frightening (as in Orson Welle's "War of the Worlds"). Not a single false moment in the film, and some extraordinarily striking transitions, as when his father, in the middle of giving him an old-fashioned spanking, stops to hear about a girl who has fallen into a well (based on real story of Kathy Fiscus), which ends unexpectedly. Sometimes we are taken to the broadcast itself, the studio, or a baseball game where a one-legged pitcher (also based on a true story, of Monty Stratton), makes a memorable appearance. The casting is note perfect--- with a minor quibble: neither Mia Farrow nor Diane Keaton can sing, and when contrasted with Kitty Carlisle Hart, they look slightly embarrassing. A beautiful, funny, evocative film, one of Allen's best.
Mia Farrow, Seth Green, Julie Kavner, Diane Wiest, Michael Tucker, Josh Mostel
Twelve years after "This is Spinal Tap" came "Hard Core Logo", a mockmumentary about a troubled Canadian punk band led by Joe Dick embarking on a revival tour across Western Canada, playing out their tensions and jealousies and dysfunctions before the cameras. Actually, quite compelling at times, bitterly raw and sometimes unhinged, but always watchable. The polarities between Dick and Billy Tallent, the lead guitarist, build to a volcanic eruption of tantrums, anger, and soul-searching. The music never feels faked or gratuitous or fey. Superbly acted and filmed. Some questionable diversions along the way-- this is not without significant flaws-- but worthwhile.
Hugh Dillon, Callum Keith Rennie, John Pyper-Ferguson, Bernie Coulson, Bruce McDonald
Cyril's father has abandoned him to a home for youths. Determined to find him-- convinced that he is still wanted-- he runs into a hairdresser, and clings to her to avoid being dragged off by workers from the institution. She says, "you can hold me, but not so tight". When he asks if he can stay with her, she impulsively agrees to take him on weekends. He is more than a handful and challenges every kindness she offers with anger, defiance, and rebellion. But Samantha is just as determined to give him the stability he needs, and it is a tribute to the Dardenne Brothers (Jean-Pierre and Luc) that we believe it. A terrific film, sometimes frightening in it's level of authenticity, and always compelling.
Thomas Doret, Cecile De France, Jeremie Renier
This is not what you'd expect: inspirational teacher leads troubled students to triumph over adversity. Monsieur Lazhar, somewhat improbably, is hired to replace Martine, a teacher who has committed suicide, in her classroom, and whose body is discovered by Simon, a student who may have played a role in her demise, and by another student, Alice, whose relationship to Simon is complex and ambiguous. And that's the strength of Monsieur Lazhar: it doesn't attempt to explain everything, and doesn't try to force it's characters into a mold. Lazhar isn't hip or innovative-- in fact, he's rather stodgy and old-fashioned in his approach. And the other teachers and the principal are not villains or representatives of some kind of repressive reactionary culture: they are simply trying to do their best and struggling with managing the crisis. The film does take a refreshing shot or two at the psychologist brought in to help the students grieve. And the film deftly pokes at the over-protective culture around schools and teachers: no hugging is permitted. Lovely, honest little film.
Mohammed Fellag, Sophie Nelisse, Emilien Neron, Danielle Proulx, Brigitte Poupart
One of the strangest films I have ever seen: black and white, all sound recorded live in the field, odd, trivial dialogue followed by long silences... What IS this about? Willie lives in a dowdy apartment in New York, watches TV, hangs out with his friend Eddie. One day his 16-year-old cousin, Eva, comes to visit from Hungary. At first, he is demonstrably annoyed with her presence, but after she steals some food and cigarettes for him, he is intrigued and warms up to her. She leaves one day and goes to live with her aunt Lotte in Cleveland, who is a lively piece of work. A year later, Willie and Eddie drive down in a borrowed car to pick her up, go to a movie, and then drive off to Florida, where they encounter both good and bad luck. In one of the few displays of emotion, she is glad to see them. In Florida, they take off and leave in the hotel room and lose all their money at the dog track. And that's about it. Never uninteresting, nor ever particularly coherent. Reminds me mostly of Guy Maddin's work: oblique, richly suggestive, sometimes compelling. Like an entire symphony of one or two chords with two or three striking melodic solos that seem to come out of nowhere. Are the solos really striking or just a relief from the chords? What is the meaning of Screamin' Jay Hawkins "I Put a Spell on You"?
John Lurie, Ricard Edson, Ezster Balint, Cecillia Stark
Rich, sweet, wonderful portrait of passionate Italian brothers who run an uncompromising Italian Restaurant in Keyport, New Jersey, in the 1950's. They happen to be across the road from the Hollywood restaurant, that dumbs down Italian food and culture for undiscriminating customers-- and does a booming business. The Paradise, unfortunately, is about to fold because the chef, Primo, won't cater to philistine tastes of the broader public. The manager of the rival restaurant, who admires the brothers, promises that famous singer Louis Primo will come to their restaurant for a particular meal, and, as in "Babette's Feast", a monumental gourmet experience is prepared. Tasteful, rich, and subtle, "Big Night" is one of the best of the "food orgy" movies, second only, perhaps, to "Babette's Feast", but way ahead of "Waitress" and "Mystic Pizza". (Campbell Scott co-directed)
Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Ian Holm, Minnie Driver, Alison Janney
Very unusual film about a slightly unbalanced ex-con hooking up with a vivacious 17-year-old high school majorette. He convinces her that he is some kind of secret agent, and she badly wants excitement-- and a bit of freedom, in her life. Tuesday Weld is just about the most delectable jail-bait ever filmed, and Perkins is quirky and flustered. The transition from light-hearted romp to dark satire is smoothly managed by Weld's daring and amusing performance. She really does need to be seen to be believed, as when she steps in to handle the night watchman as she and the "secret agent" are sabotaging the chemical plant, and the shocking way she finishes him off.
Tuesday Weld, Anthony Perkins, Beverly Garland, John Randolph, Dick O'Neill
Superb rendering of John Le Carre's brilliant take on Kim Philby. Someone at the top level of British Intelligence seems to be leaking to the Russians. Control suspects a mole but can't trust anyone in his inner circle to unmask the traitor. When something goes seriously wrong with an operation in Budapest, the government brings in George Smiley to root out the double-agent. Smiley is also dealing with memories of his broken marriage, but resolutely engages in the pursuit. This is not about glamour: it's about the corrosive, toxic effects of secrecy and duplicity, and questions whether or not we end up becoming the very things we despise while fooling ourselves into thinking we're in a righteous war.
Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch
The movie begins with Nadar and Simin in some kind of small court, in Teheran, appealing directly to the judge: Simin wants to leave Iran and take her daughter, Termeh, with. Nadar needs to stay where he is to look after his father, who suffers from Alzheimers. Simin moves back in with her mother while Termeh stays with her father and grandfather. Nadar hires a poor woman named Razieh to look after his father while he is at work and Termeh at school, but she leaves his father tied to bed one day to run an errand. Furious, Nadar shoves her out the door where she falls and appears to have a miscarriage. The pressure on all the characters ratchets up as Razieh's enraged husband Hodjat-- who sees this as a bit of a class war against the middle-class couple-- demands money to compensate him and Razieh. Not everything is as it seems, and Farhadi refuses to take any sides. A subtext of this movie, and a compelling facet of the story, is the roles of women in Iran. Exceptional. Leila Hatami is striking, and the daughter is played by the director's daughter, Sarina Farhadi.
Peyman Maadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini, Sarina Farhadi
Riveting story about a working man in a mid-western town who becomes increasingly fearful of some kind of apocalyptic doom stalking him and his family, expressed in terrible nightmares. His mother is schizophrenic-- is he hallucinating, or just prescient. There\'s not a slow moment in a film that seems, on the surface, slow-moving. The tension winds tighter and tighter as his wife becomes more aware of his obsessions, culminating in the expansion of a shelter in his backyard. The ending is enigmatic, as the film connects his fearfulness to real horrors-- the loss of his job, the lack of medical coverage for his daughter with a hearing impairment, his betrayal of a close friend. Jessica Chastain should be nominated for an Oscar for her performance, but probably won\'t be.
Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain
Elegiac, lingering, meditative document of the infamous trek by a group of settlers misled by Stephen Meek into an arid wilderness, allegedly a shortcut that would lead them away from dangerous natives and difficult mountain climbs. Reichardt meticulously recreates the wagons, the clothing, the habits of the settlers as they oh so gradually become aware of their predicament and consider what to do. When they capture a lone native and he seems to know the way to water, they debate relegating meek to fellow passenger (in real life, they almost lynched him). Reichardt pays a lot of attention to the roles of the women in this group, the way they are sidelined from the discussions, at least at first. No easy answers provided, just an exquisitely textured experience.
Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood
Chen Changhua and Zhang Changhua are a Chinese couple trying hard to support their young family, two children, Xin and Yang, a 16-year-old girl and eight-year-old boy. But to find good jobs they have to travel 2400 kilometers away to Guangzhou where they work long shifts sewing western clothes for an exporter. They are away so often, over 16 years, that their own children regard them as near strangers, and Xin in particular has become resentful of their demands upon her. She doesn\'t want to stay in school and fulfill their dreams: she wants to get her own job and save her own money. In a startling moment, she swears at her father and he swats her in the head and she fights back. Really makes you wonder about the price China is paying for their great leap forward into manufacturing and industrialization: what kind of life do Chen and Zhang have? Does it matter, when, clearly their own children no longer share their values?
Tu Lie Che Gui
Clever, amusing little comedy about some jewel thieves out to double-cross each other, and then, aware of the double-cross, outwit each other. The complication is when one of them is caught (turned over by one of their own) after moving the goods. Archie Leach (John Cleese), the lawyer for the incarcerated gang member (Tom Georgeson) becomes key to the plot as Wanda Gershwitz (Curtis) must -- not entirely unwillingly-- seduce him for the vital information. It\'s all red herrings and just a vehicle for some relatively witty repartee and joyful character humour, especially with a jealous Otto (Kevin Kline) doing his best to keep Wanda from hooking up with Archie.
John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis
Made a sensational impression at Cannes until Von Trier, at a press conference, with Kirsten Dunst at his side, made a few breathtakingly moronic comments about Nazis. Justine and Claire are two sisters (with different accents!) and two polarities: Claire loves life, plans things, arranges Justine\'s entire wedding, and seems to lead a successful life. Justine is paralyzed with depression and barely bring herself to get through the day. The movie opens with her wedding, a disaster, and the volatile relationship between the two women, and Claire\'s husband who also seems to thrive on order and preparation. Until... a planet appears in the sky, headed towards earth. Will it hit the planet destroying all life? Justine: nobody will miss it. The dialogue seems improvised, often, and Von Trier seems to like method actors, and the hand-held camera work is more than a little annoying, but it\'s an exploration of despair, and Von Trier wants to suggest that depressives are more prepared for what life throws at you-- including the disaster of marriage-- than more functional people are. Really a beautiful film in many ways.
Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgard, Udo Kier, Kiefer Sutherland
Terrific adaptation of the Michael Lewis book on Billy Beane, manager of the Oakland As and how he used Bill James' theories about the value of ball players to build a competitive team at about 1/4 of the budget of the Yankees and Red Sox. Written by Aaron Sorkin and shows -- the dialogue is punchy, idiosyncratic, rich in the flavor or lingo of professionals in a specialized vocation. Pitt is barely adequate as Beane, and sometimes diminished, but the supporting cast are very good, and the blend of tv footage and film is clever and engaging. I can't quite bring myself to declare that the film is really about Billy Beane exorcising the demons of his own failures as a ball player (he was a top prospect but never fulfilled his promise) because I just couldn't see it as I was watching the film, though the pieces are there. The song at the end definitely asserts that kind of interpretation: just enjoy the ride.
Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt
Absalon is an older pastor in a small 17th century village in Denmark whose wife has died. As the result of his intervention to save a woman from being burned as witch, he is able to marry her young daughter, Anne. We are introduced to her when another woman, Herlofs Marte, being persecuted as witch, flees to the pastor's house and begs Anne for protection, because she knows that her mother was also a witch, and that the pastor protected her. We don't know the details, but we know about debt and obligation, and when the pastor's son from his first marriage, Martin, returns from overseas and falls in love with Anne, the sense of doom is palpable. Beautifully filmed-- in an archaic, theatrical style, but beautiful nonetheless-- and directed. Scene after scene demands your attention, the luminous meadows, the horrifying children's choirs, the trial and torture of the "witch", the execution. Does it matter if Herlofs Marte really was a witch? Does Anne begin to believe that she may have magical powers? Anne is mesmerizing and convincingly "bewitching", while Martin is torn between his conscience and his desire. Wonderfully illustrates just blurred the distinction between magic and mystery can become, and how otherwise rational people can believe in something absurd. Note that this was filmed in occupied Denmark in 1943. Dreyer had to flee to Sweden shortly afterwards.
Thorkild Roose, Anna Svierkier, Lisbeth Movin, Preben Lerdorff Rye
Terrific adaptation of the Michael Lewis book on Billy Beane, manager of the Oakland As and how he used Bill James' theories about the value of ball players to build a competitive team at about 1/4 of the budget of the Yankees and Red Sox. Written by Aaron Sorkin and shows -- the dialogue is punchy, idiosyncratic, rich in the flavor or lingo of professionals in a specialized vocation. Pitt is barely adequate as Beane, and sometimes diminished, but the supporting cast are very good, and the blend of tv footage and film is clever and engaging. I can't quite bring myself to declare that the film is really about Billy Beane exorcising the demons of his own failures as a ball player (he was a top prospect but never fulfilled his promise) because I just couldn't see it as I was watching the film, though the pieces are there. The song at the end definitely asserts that kind of interpretation: just enjoy the ride.
Siigrid Neiiendam
Absalon is an older pastor in a small 17th century village in Denmark whose wife has died. As the result of his intervention to save a woman from being burned as witch, he is able to marry her young daughter, Anne. We are introduced to her when another woman, Herlofs Marte, being persecuted as witch, flees to the pastor's house and begs Anne for protection, because she knows that her mother was also a witch, and that the pastor protected her. We don't know the details, but we know about debt and obligation, and when the pastor's son from his first marriage, Martin, returns from overseas and falls in love with Anne, the sense of doom is palpable. Beautifully filmed-- in an archaic, theatrical style, but beautiful nonetheless-- and directed. Scene after scene demands your attention, the luminous meadows, the horrifying children's choirs, the trial and torture of the "witch", the execution. Does it matter if Herlofs Marte really was a witch? Does Anne begin to believe that she may have magical powers? Anne is mesmerizing and convincingly "bewitching", while Martin is torn between his conscience and his desire. Wonderfully illustrates just blurred the distinction between magic and mystery can become, and how otherwise rational people can believe in something absurd. Note that this was filmed in occupied Denmark in 1943. Dreyer had to flee to Sweden shortly afterwards.
Sigrid Neiiendam
Amazing documentary about ill-conceived attempt to raise a chimp, Nim, as a human baby, hoping that he would learn language thus proving Noam Chomsky wrong when he asserted that only humans have that faciltity. This is a tragedy of confused science and cruelty and misguided attempts to "rescue" Nim (his full name is "Nim Chimpsky"). His handlers care for him but are ill-prepared for the sometimes violent outbursts of this very powerful, sometimes ill-tempered creature. Lots of stunning footage from the study and his later life in a rescue shelter. In spite of his occasional violent outbursts, you begin to sympathize with this creature who, after all, never asked for any of it.
Powerful dramatization of the infamus Katyn massacre of Polish officers, intellectuals, and other potential leaders by Stalin's NKVD in spring 1940, after the Russians, in a prearranged deal with Germany, seized the eastern half of Poland. The Germans, after launching Barbarossa in 1941, and seizing the terrirtory previous occupied by the Soviets, first exhumbed the bodies, launched an investigation, and blamed the Communists. The Russians denied it for years until Gorbachaev and Yeltsin officially acknowledged it in the 1990's. Follows closely a Polish officers Andrzej and his wife and daughter and sister and parents as events unfold. The officers, held as "hostages" had no idea of the fate being planned for them. They are interrogated and moved around and frustrated at their inability to form a resistance. The Germans and Russians both seek to exploit the families of the victims for propaganda purposes and the families resist at their peril. Even-handed and meticulous, beautifully recreated. Outstanding historical drama.
Maya Ostaszewska, Artur Zmijewski, Jan Englert, Magdalena Cielecka, Agnieszka Glinska
Very amusing travelogue: two friends (one a substitute for the other's girlfriend) travel around the Northern English countryside sampling high-end restaurants and talking, joking, arguing, doing imitations of famous actors, and enjoying each other more than they care to admit. A good deal of improvisation involved, relying on the entertainment value of the two actors, their wits, their charm. They are engaging and different: Steve is quieter, more introspective, and more of a womanizer. Rob is happily married and misses his wife and calls her every night. They rub each other the wrong way at times, but a sense of joy of companionship gradually emerges, given poignancy by the ending, when each goes back to their homes as they are.
Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon
Agnes is dying of cancer and her two sisters, Maria and Karin come to visit. Also present is the maid, Anna, who, at times, seems to be the only one capable of providing comfort to the dying woman. As the tension increases as Agnes approaches her painful death, Karin and Maria raise long suppressed grievances and jealousies, which prevent them from providing real love and comfort to their dying sister.
Harriet Andersson, Kari Sylwan, Liv Ullman, Ingrid Thulin, Erland Josephson
Powerful documentary abouy Danish troops in Afghanistan, and a specific encounter they have with Taliban insurgents that scars all of them for life. You get to know the soldiers, get a sense of their routine, their challenges, and then you get to see them in action.
Richly imagined satire of everything to do with writing and awards and celebrity and love, with Allen as Harry Block, and various familiar faces as his fictional characters, or the people in his life, or both, as he sets out to receive an award-- an obvious allusion to Bergman's "Wild Strawberries"--from the college that expelled him. His three ex- wives are enraged by allusions towards them in his novels. He hires a hooker because you don't have to discuss "Proust or films" with them. But he's in love with Fay (Elizabeth Shue) who is headed for a marriage to Billy Crystal. My favorite is a fantasy sequence in which a wife discovers that her husband has a colorful past which might have included cannibalism.
Woody Allen, Elizabeth Shue, Billy Crystal, Hazel Goodman, Demi Moore, Robin Williams
Saw this is New Haven, Connecticut. Beautiful, exquisite, meditative, unorthodox film about a family struggling with death, acceptance, and love, in 1950's U.S., and the cosmos and the universe and life itself. Ostensibly about nature vs. grace (authority/father vs. nurture/mother), the film dwells a lot on interactions with friends and family of Jack O'Brien, as a 10-year-old, and later in life as an architect, as he tries to resolve his feelings about his bullying, strict, humourless dad, and the tragic death of his younger brother. Mom, played by Jessica Chastain, is almost angelic but never not grounded. Her struggle to accept the death of Jack's brother-- which is unexplained in the film-- relates somehow to the introductory quote from Job, "where were you when I laid the foundations of the universe", which is alluded to by the scenes of exploding stars, the dinosaurs (including a T-Rex who places his foot on the head of a defeated dinosaur). In real life, Malick's brother went to Spain to study with Segovia, who, apparently, was a relentless task-master. He broke his own hands in frustration and then committed suicide. Terence had been asked by his father to go to Spain to help him and had refused.
Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, Hunter McCracken, Fiona Shaw
Well-filmed look at the issue of school choice among parents in neighborhoods with dysfunctional school systems. They are forced to enter a lottery to try to get their children into decent schools. Takes a broad look at the system, teachers and teachers unions, tenure, and why it is so difficult to reform the public system. In particular, the Washington D.C. school system is examined when a determined young superintendent, Michelle Rhee, sets out to make things right. As many critics have pointed out, Guggenheim seems oblivious to the fact that the parents of the children in the successful schools are clearly motivated and involved and he side steps the fact that most children in the impoverished urban areas don't have the luxury of motivated and involved parents. Still, he highlights an issue that many people have been angry about for years and seem unable to solve. And the scenes towards the end, as the children we have come to know wait to see if they will win the lottery to get into the school they really want to get in to, are heartbreaking and moving.
Plot lifted by Tom Twyker for "Run Lola Run": Witek, shortly after his father dies, runs to catch a train. Does he catch it? Apparently-- and leaves his medical studies to become a Polish Communist Party functionary, negotiate an end to an uprising by addicts in an institution, and betrays his friends. He ends up unhappy and unfulfilled, and caught in moral ambiguity. Or does he catch the train? He is placed back where he started but this time he misses the train and runs into a guard. He is arrested and later joins a resistance movement, but is suspected of betrayal again and loses his friends, and seems trapped in an equally unsatisfying arrangement. He runs after the train again, and the outcome is again different. Kieslowski explores the idea that one's philosophical and religious beliefs tend to conform to the perceived advantage of position and culture. His relationships with women are also twisted as a result of his compromises and failures. This is an adult movie in the best sense of the word: complex, subtle, and rich in meaning.
Boguslaw Linda
The obvious inspiration for "Run Lola Run" by Kieslowski's admirer, Tom Tyvek. Subtle, rich study of fate and how worldview is shaped. Witek, as his father is dying, drops out of medical school and heads to Warsaw where he joins the resistance to the communist regime and but ends being suspected of betraying the cause by his friends, including his lover. Or does he miss the train and join the communist party, rising through the ranks to become a dissastisfied functionary or does he return to medical school? Each twist of fate alters his worldview, his values, and his satisfaction with life, with the implication that, really, neither of the first two options are particularly satisfying. A mature, subtle, complex film; very satisfying performances.
Boguslaw Linda, Lomnicki Tadeusz, Trybala Marzena
A gem of a film about a gem of a guy: Bill Cunningham, 82, a street fashion photographer for the New York Times, who still rides his bike to work every day, and lived in a tiny apartment in Carnegie Hall until he was recently evicted. Bill is as cheerful and optimistic as anyone, yet not afraid to declare that someone is not wearing anything interesting and therefore not worth shooting. He also likes to post photos of new dresses by cutting edge designers alongside a 30 years old picture of the same design by someone else. He receives a Legion of Honour award in France and spends most of the time snapping pictures of the other guests. He refuses a large check for his share of Details Magazine when it was sold to Conde Nast because he doesn't want to be "owned". The film itself is prosaic and a bit raw; it's the odd discoveries about Bill Cunningham that make it worth watching, particularly a moment later in the film where the interviewer briefly, carefully gets personal.
Brilliant, concise documentary about the financial meltdown in 2008, with a cast of depressingly familiar characters-- Henry Pauls, Timothy Geitner, Lawrence Summers, who all ended up in the Obama administration instead of the outhouse after guiding the U.S. banking system to a catclysm.
Tomek watches Magda with binoculars from his fifth floor window. He sees her meet various men, make love, cry, and decides to rig up a meeting through his job at the post office. Magda catches on teases and provokes him, but Tomek is more comfortable watching than he is participating. As their relationship develops, it becomes clear that this is a rather dark view of "love", probing that aspect of it that involves the terrifying surrender of personal identity, of need, and desire, and the way we resist.
Grazyna Szapolowska, Olaf Lubaszenko, Stefania Iwinska, Piotr Machalica
Needs notes.
Brilliant, searing story about betrayal, romance, and deception, in Victorian America.
Well acted and filmed story about a struggling black family of sharecroppers in Louisiana in the 1920's. When they are not able to sharecrop, Nathan, dad, hunts for game. One night, when he can't find game, he steals an animal from a white family, is caught, convicted, and sent to a brutal workcamp. His son, David, sets out to find him (they are not told which camp he is sent to) and, in the process, discovers that he has an aptitude and desire for education.
Stately and delicate study of a man living in the early 20th century engaged to a lovely, refined woman of utter conventionality named May. When he meets her cousin, and adventurous non-conformist named Ellen Olenska, who has left her abusive Polish husband, a count, he begins to imagine greater possibilities for his life and struggles to free himself from May. But the family, conscious in some undefined way of the danger, closes ranks and, indulging in rank hypocrisy of the highest order, suppresses the danger. Beautifully acted and filmed, subtle and rich.
Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfieffer, Winona Ryder, Alexis Smith
Keaton tells three parallel stories, set in pre-history, the Roman empire, and modern times. In each, Keaton courts the same girl, with various frustrations and setbacks.
Buster Keaton, Margaret Leahy, Wallace Beery
Buster as a young suitor who finds out his rival is a thief and, like Walter Mitty, fancies himself a private eye. Beautifully polished physical comedy, pathos, and story. Astounding stunts filmed, obviously, in real time without special effects.
Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire
An odd combination of Groundhog Day and Total Recall-- Colter Stevens suddenly finds himself on a train. After 8 minutes, the train explodes. A feminine, directive voice tells him he is going back-- he has to find the bomber. He's suddenly back on the train, reliving those eight minutes. What is happening? Turns out Stevens has been connected to the brain of a victim of the explosion, to relive his last 8 minutes, so he can try to find the bomber who -- for reasons known only to the writer-- is announcing that he has a bigger bomb which will go off a little later. If you can suspend your disbelief long enough, there's actually a compelling story here, a humanist paean to life's small pleasures, to the beauty of life and of the sorry lot of us we call human, and the desperate desire to keep it all in spite of the fatal reality that everything is already gone. That said, the idea that he could relive anything but the exact 8 minutes of experience of the deceased's brain is a stretch no matter how far you suspend your disbelief. So, okay, this is a fantasy, a parable, if you will, but what saves it is the fact that you end up caring for the characters and moved by their plight.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farminga, Colleen Monaghan, Jeffrey Wright
Powerful drama about the last days of the Warsaw uprising, focussed on Polish partisans and their desperate attempts to evade the inevitable German reprisals that left Warsaw in rubble. They engage in one last confrontation then take to the sewers to try to claw their way back to the center of the city. There is romance and despair, and some lose their minds, including the artist, the pianist, who wanders the sewers alone playing his pipe. This is a journey through hell to another hell, and existential meditation on the futility of resistance that barely even leaves its characters with dignity.
Powerful five and a half hour long dramatization of the career of Ilich Ramirez Sanchez also known as Carlos the Jackal, the Venezuelan terrorist, who was active in Europe and the Middle East for 20 years in the 1970's and 80's, highlighted by his sensational kidnapping of the Opec oil ministers in 1975, apparently at the behest of Saddam Hussein. Ramirez worked mostly for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine under Waddie Haddad, and the film is instructive on the complexities of his relationships with Moslem fundamentalists, German revolutionaries, various factions in Lebanon and Syria, and the East Block, which still had hopes of world wide revolution. "Carlos" explores his love life, his serial relationships with women involved or not with this terrorist activities, his vanity. Carlos is vain and egocentric, but he is also at times dutiful and ambitious, but he is always ruthless. When events overtake the movement, washing it out in a wave of corruption and decay as the East Block crumbles, Ramirez becomes a pathetic figure, begging rogue governments like Libya and Algeria for admission and protection.
Edgar Ramirez, Alexander Scheer, Alejandro Arroyo, Fadi Abi Samra, Ahmad Kaabour, Talal El-Jordi, Nora Von Waldstatten, Christoph Bach, Rodney El Haddad, Julia Hummer, Antoine Balabane
Fascinating true story-- in the Hollywood sense-- of Steven Jay Russell, con man, impersonator, master fraud artist-- and his relationship with Phillip Morris, whom he met in prison and fell in love with. As the movie version has it, driven by love for Morris, Russell escaped, impersonated doctors, lawyers, judges, and anyone else he could use, was arrested, escaped, arrested, and so on. Carrey's best performance, but the support cast is also excellent, including various prisoners, especially the prisoner janitor who makes it a point of personal honor to play a romantic song on his stereo for Phillip and Steven in exchange for a blow job even after the guards tell him to turn it off. Russell paid a heavy price for his irreverent mockery of the law in Texas: he received a 144 year sentence, of which 23 hours a day is solitary confinement. It has been said that a touch from an admiring fellow prisoner was the first in ten years.
Jim Carrey, Ewan MacGregor
Exquisitely patient, meditative study of a group of monks in 1990's Algeria subject to possible attacks by Moslem extremists, an annoyance to the French government who want to evacuate them. They decide to stay true to their mission, fully aware of the danger. The film is really a study of their meditative lifestyle of service and prayer and song, their communal relationships, and the characters of each of the monks as they consider their predicament. Not especially well-filmed, but well-acted and courageous.
Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin
Powerful film on the effects of civil war, developed around the death of a Lebanese Christian woman in Montreal and her legacy to her children: she asks them to find their father and brother, neither of whom they believed was alive. As they set out to track them down, they uncover their mother's tragic past, and it's ongoing threads to the present. The story is told in parallel, revealing the destructive fragments of ethnic and religious hatreds. One scene, reminiscent of "Sophie's Choice", was nearly explosive.
Lubna Azabal, Melissa DesormeauxPoulin, Maxime Gaudette, Remy Girard
Lovely, low-key film about four sisters. One has a severe mental disability and one, Marta, looks after her. When Marta dies, Paulette and Cecile must decide what to do with Pauline. When it is discovered that Marta's will splits the inheritance three ways only if one of the sisters looks after Pauline in her home, the two struggle with the responsibility. Neither of them really wants Pauline in their lives, Paulette because of her fabric shop and opera (she is a performer) and Cecile because of her boorish boyfriend, Albert. The film never cheapens the narrative with sentiment or manipulative plot turns. Choices must be made the emotional consequences are real and poignant. A wonderful "small" film.
Dora Van der Groen, Anne Peterson, Rosemarie Bergmans, Julianne DeBruyn
Moving, unsentimental version of a graphic novel about Marjane Satrapi's life as a precious child and then confused adolescent, from the fall of the Shah to the repression following the Islamic revolution.
Lovely, sensitive film about a boisterous record producer, Rip Torn, who meets and marries a Russian woman 30 years young than he is. They have a child. When his estranged son returns for visit, contemplating splitting from his pregnant wife, the relationship becomes unbalanced. She becomes more self-aware, and begins to question her position, while surprisingly grateful for the blessings of life in the U.S. with a well-off sugar-daddy. No one goes quite where you expect. Rip Torn plays a lout but he's not unaware, and he's not unkind to Laura. And the son, Michael, is not the redemptive presense he seems at first. Above average, with a interesting sound-track to boot.
Rip Torn
Lovely if occasionally clumsy portrait of a misfit adolescent, Billy, who finds solace in the art of training a falcon to hunt. In conflict with this brutal teachers and a bullying older brother, Billy is cipher: he is small and unathletic but smart and he has a soul that is expressed through his patience with Kes, the Falcon he patiently trains. There are astonishing scenes-- a group of boys being punished for misbehavior including a beautiful lad who only came to deliver a message from another teacher, a scene on the soccer pitch, Billy with his bird-- and the film is rather rough at times, obviously cheaply filmed, but it's a gem.
David Bradley, Brian Glover
Tom and Gerri are happily married, nearing retirement age, settled in, stable, solid. But in the orbit of their lives friends crash and burn, wallow in despair, and struggle to find some coherence to their lives. In particular, Mary longs for a long-term relationship-- preferbly with Tom and Gerri's son, Joe. The movie takes you through four seasons with Tom and Gerri, the ups and downs of their friends, and illuminates how the stability of their relationship both inspires and frustrates their friends. Beautifully acted and filmed-- one of the year's best.
Jim Broadbent, Leslie Manville, Ruth Sheen, Oliver Maltman, Peter Wright, Imelda Stauton
Kingo Gondo-- yes, that's the name-- is a wealthy businessman, a factory manager for National Shoes. One day, someone tries to kidnap his son, just as Gondo is about to close a bold deal to take control of the company. But the kidnapper mistakenly takes his chauffeur's son instead. The tension created by Gondo's sudden disinterest in paying the ransom is a marvel-- the chauffeur knows his place but must beg, at one point, for Gondo to acknowledge his humanity. But then, it becomes a thrilling police procedural as the police, impressed by Gondo's ultimate sacrafice, determinedly pursue the kidnapper. There is a wonderful sequence where the kidnapper goes out to acquire drugs and then tests them on a pathetic junkie. Really lesser Kurosawa, but still a marvel.
Toshiro Mifune
Unexpected pleasure about a young high school student who happens upon Orson Welles putting together his cast for "Julius Caesar" at the Mercury Theatre. He is auditioned and assigned the role of Lucius and he bravely goes after the loveliest girl in the company. Along the way, we watch the magic of the bellowing, over-bearing, impulsive genius, Orson Welles, as he assembles his brilliant production, a legendary production of Julius Ceaser, while pursuing chorus girls and raising money. Very entertaining. Not in the same league as "Topsy Turvey", but a real gem.
Zach Efron, Clare Danes
Shrewd, tight remake of the 1969 film that gave John Wayne an Oscar for a jokey performance as an over-the-hill marshal who helps a young girl track down the killer of her dad. Jeff Bridges does better here as Rooster Cogburn, and so does Damon as LaBoeuf, replacing the ridiculous Glen Campbell. True Grit is told from the view of a woman with convictions, the now elderly Mattie, well-played as a 14-year-old by Hailee Steinfield. In this world, God's grace is arbitrary-- virtue is not rewarded. Mattie isn't even really interested in justice-- she just wants revenge. And Cogburn doesn't often bring men back in to be tried, which is why she chooses him for the job. Be it noted that it is essential, in such movies, for audience satisfaction, that the fantasy of instant, flawless identification is perpetuated, lest the audience become concerned that this kind of vigilante practice might lead to the deaths of innocents. Mattie spots Tom Chaney and instantly recognizes him because, hell, it's James Brolin.
Hailee Steinfield, Matt Damon, Jeff Bridges, Barry Pepper, James Brolin
Based on a successful play which was itself based on real events, "The Winslow Boy" is about a 13-year-old royal naval academy cadet accused of stealing a 5 shilling postal money order from a classmate and forging the classmate's signature. His family-- especially his old- school father and his independent sister, Catherine-- are convinced of his innocence and choose to fight it. They appeal to parliament for the right to appeal to the crown. The battle stretches over years and ends up costing far more than their money, as Catherine's scandalized fiancee urges them to quit. Superbly written and acted, it's really about the cost of being a true believer, of being passionate about causes (Catherine is also a suffragette), and about why it matters to be right.
Rebecca Pidgeon, Nigel Hawthorne, Gemma Jones, Jeremy Northam
Powerful documentary about 7 sailors based in Norfolk who were each charged with murder and rape, almost all of whom confessed, and were convicted even after an eighth man confessed to the crime, whose DNA matched evidence from the crime scene, and who insisted he did it alone.
This is the first film I've seen-- in spite of "The Social Network" that really integrates social networking, Google, and Facebook into the story. And it is a deeply surprising story, in that the twist is not what you expect, and there is a bigger, but more subtle twist on the twist. It's basically about Nev Schulman, a New York City graphic artist, who connects with a young girl named Abby in Michigan, who renders amazing artistic renderings of some of his photographs. Eventually, Nev connects with Abby's mom and her sister Megan, for whom Nev begins to have a romantic attachment, which is enthusiastically reciprocated. Anything beyond that is a spoiler, except, of course, that Nev and his brother and Henry Joost, their collaborator, set out to meet Megan and Abby and their mom, and that's where things get interesting. Let me say that you might be left wondering who is conning who at the end, or if the con really matters at all. As with "Grey Gardens", you may discover that the richness and complexity of human social behavior is far more interesting than the tabloids could possibly tell you.
Arial Schulman, Nev Schulman, Henry Joost
Quiet, meditative, poetic look at changing Liverpool, the troubled past, the even more troubled future, through the lens of Terence Davies' repressive upbringing in a Catholic family. Lovely old film footage and the music in a Davies film is always special. There is a point at which it meanders a little, but that's forgivable. Davies' acute sensitivity, and no-holds barred comments on royalty and privilege-- make it all worthwhile.
Three children grow up together at a British boarding school, only dimly, then more clearly, aware of their fate. The premise is sci-fi but the film is so naturalistic and so quietly matter-of-fact that you focus on the personalities, the feelings, and the attitudes of the three protagonists, Ruth, Kathy, and Tommy. They form a triangle of longing and frustrated desire, and the film is so quietly insinuating that a "shocking" development appears inevitable, after all. Weepy at times, or is it haunting? This is a delicate study of what we accept or don't accept about our lives, and how fateful decisions can be immersed in time and place and seem beyond our grasp. Incidentally, the actors playing the three major roles as young children look fabulously like younger versions of the adult actors in those roles.
Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightly, Sally Hawkins, Andrew Garfield
Spike Lee's caustic look at Katrina and it's after-effects and the government mismanagement afterwards.
Wonderful animated film about a cur who grows wings that seem to have a mind of their own-- they want to do good. Angel hates people. He's selvish and peevish and lives alone. One day, a caterpillar lands on his head and grows into a butterfly, which Angel crushes in his hand. Before you know it, Angel has wings budding out of his back. His doctor plots to steal them for himself, as does his bartender, and others. He just wants to get rid of them, because they keep making him do "good", stopping a robbery, rescuing a bullied girl. It's an odd story-- not really parable, and not really rich psychologically, but the animation is wonderful, the music is very striking, and the story never flags.
Brilliant adaptation of the book by Ben Mesrich that has the smarts to move beyond the biopic into the important social issues raised by new technologies-- Mark Zuckerberg doesn't have many friends and his girlfriend dumps him because not only does he lack any basic social skills-- he's an asshole. Zuckerberg gets revenge by creating a website to rate girls at Harvard, which leads to an offer from a pair of twins called Cameron and __ Winklevos who want to create a social networking site for Harvard grads. Did that idea evolve into Facebook? (The Winklevos' idea itself seems derived from MySpace). Lawsuits follow success and Sorkin pegs his story to the depositions given during the legal process. Tight, funny, and dynamic, and, for once, technically astute. When Zuckerberg describes how he builds his first version, the mashup page, most of the descriptions are recognizable Unix commands that appear accurate. And the Winklevos' confrontation with president of Harvard, Laurence Summers, features Sorkin's famous wit at it's finest. The film never loses sight of the ironies: Zuckerberg's only friend, Eduardo Saverin, is actually wrong about how to exploit the new application, while bad boy Sean Parker (inventor of Napster) is usually right.
Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara, Arnie Hammer, Andrew Garfield
Searing, realistic drama about an out-of-sorts teenager and her spiteful, uncaring mother, and her struggles to create an identify for herself amid poverty and confusing social situations. Mia is no wall-flower: she's tough and provocative and sometimes just asks for it, indulging in risky behaviors, while quietly ambitious to pass an audition for a dance show. Arnold is meticulous about capturing her life in all of its facets, its pace, its ambifuities. She pulls no punches when Mia indulges in a possibly inappropriate relationship with her mother's boyfriend-- remarkably without self-pity. Memorable and affecting, beautifully, dynamically directed-- some scenes are almost astonishing, while others, including a poignant farewell scene near the end, are transcendent and magical.
Katie Jarvis, Rebecca Griffiths, Kierston Wareing, Michael Fassbender
Ree is 17 and is stuck with caring for her two siblings, 12-year-old Floyd and Ashlee. Her mother has given up on life and is of no use to her; her father cooks and deals methamphetamine, and is on the run from the police. When Ree finds out that her house and land will be seized if her father is not found before his court date, she sets out to find him and discovers that her relatives are more devoted to the outlaw code than they are to their impoverished cousins-- they try to discourage her from looking further, and threaten violence when she refuses to quit. Stark, realistic, authentic, if occasionally patchy, this is a memorable film about a striking heroine whose stubborn determination is far more believable than usual.
jennifer lawrence, john Hawkes, Dale Dickey, Garrett Dillahunt
Powerful, rich, compelling version of the Thorton Wilder classic about life in small-town America, continent of North America, western hemisphere, the world. There is a not a false note anywhere in this extremely polished, well- developed production (for PBS), and moments of pure magic, and great sadness at the blindness of mankind.
Oddly engaging story -- once it's gets its momentum-- about a solid couple who announce to their friends that they are getting divorced, causing the friends (Woody Allen, Mia Farrow) to begin to question their relationship, and Allen to consider an affair with an admiring student.
Lovely, thoughtful film about children of a lesbian couple deciding to look up their sperm-donor "dad" and finding out that he's pretty cool.
Enchanting, affectionate look back at Spike Lee's neighborhood, growing up in the 70's, with a generous helping of soul music, Sly, Jackson 5. The Carmichael's are a family of 4 boys and a girl, and it is the girl, Troy, who gives us the point of view of this unsentimental journey. Colourful neighbors, money troubles, surprisingly intense family squabbles that are settled quickly with screeching, wrestling, and parental intervention. The scenes of the neighborhood children all playing games outdoors on the street at the beginning are remarkable and exquisite.
Bergman's brilliant homage to the world of art and story and creativity vs. the world of religious certitude and self-denial. Fanny and Alexander are born to Oscar and Emilie Ekdahl, a theatrical family. The early scenes of the movie are lush with bawdy jokes, sumptuous meals, mischievous sensuality, and the wholesome unwholesomeness of an enlightened family. Not that we don't see warts-- Carl is cruel to his German wife, especially when she is most forgiving and loving, and Gustav has an open adulterous relationship with the maid, Maj. Then Oscar dies of a heart attack and Emilie remarries, to a charismatic Lutheran Bishop. The Bishop has a surprise in store: he expects Emilie and the children to live by his own severe code, in deprivation and discipline. The Ekdahls eventually discover Emilie's straits and attempt to remedy the situation and save the children. Beautifully acted and staged, with lavish recreations of 1905 Swedish life, and rich in themes of magic and spirituality that resonate through all of Bergman's films.
Pernilla Allwin, Bertil Guve, Borje Ahlsted, Ewe Froling, Gunn Wallgren, Jarl Kulle, Jan Malmsjo
Typical Terence Davies film: lyrical, delicate, patient-- a study of a young boy at a British school who doesn't fit in, is bullied by his classmates. At home, his abusive father is ill, and his brother struggles with sexual identify. Familiar enough, from "Distant Voices, Silent Lives"-- of which this looks like a rough draft at times.
Elegiac, sensitive mediation on growing up working class in Liverpool in the 40's and 50's, with a sometimes violent father and saintly mum, and everyone singing show and pop tunes at every opportunity. A little strange and exotic but it works. Many scenes also look like photographs come to life, complete with sepia tones and formal positions.
A film that completely lives up to it's reputation: Walter Neff is an insurance salesman who drops by the Dietrichson house one day to update an automobile policy: there he meets Phyllis Dietrichson, a bombshell, looking for mischief. They connect and she makes it clear she'd like to get rid of her boring, unsuccessful oil executive husband. Neff thinks he's got the inside track because he knows how his astute colleague, Barton Keyes, usually spots a fraud. The fun is watching Keyes and Neff try to figure out how much each of them knows or should know about the murder. You can't quite forget that it's a classic film noire, and the blonde wig is a miscalculation, and it's full of the conventions often parodied in the 1960's, but it still holds up very well, is well- acted and directed, and amusing.
Edward G. Robinson, Fred McMurray, Barbara Stanywyck, Tom Powers, Jean Heather
Jennifer Jason Leigh also contributed to the story. Compelling story about a neurotic man named Roger Greenberg who goes to LA from New York to look after his brother's house for a time. He meets and instantly falls for his brother's personal assistant, Florence, a sweet girl who is unduly accommodating even as Roger shows more and more signs of unresolved issues. Roger also reconnects with a former bandmate-- a gem of a character-- who now works in computers because Roger turned down a promising record deal because it gave the company too much control. This is an astute, funny, moving story. Florence is a such a charming, believably likeable character that when Stiller, who plays Rogers a s genuinely unlikable character, attacks her, you want to smack him. This film is a gem-- beautifully written and developed and honestly filmed.
Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ivans, Susan Taylor, Chris Messina
Meditative, somewhat bleak study of a college professor who seduces a student and is called before a disciplinary hearing. He refuses to make the usual excuses and is forced to take a leave, during which he visits his lesbian daughter on her farm. There is an incident which she handles in a way that disturbs him and leads to soul-searching and reflection-- but not in the usual directions. Unusually intelligent and provocative, well-acted, and written. Based on play by J. M. Coetzee.
A gentleman named Odd Horten retires as engineer on the railroad and has an eventful night during which he rediscovers something of a soul within himself-- in a very low-key, restrained way. He encounters an insistent child when he sneaks through a strange apartment on his way to a party, a demented "diplomat", the wife of a tobacco shop owner- all of whom contribute to his transformation, from passive, sedate, engineer, to a man with a renewed sense of pleasure in activites in life other than work.
Jaw-dropping documentary about the lengths and breadths black American women go through to make their hair look more "beautiful", including weaves, straighteners (relaxers), and other tools. Apparently nobody likes African American hair, least of all, African Americans. Chris Rock is your guide and wisely refrains from drawing out any political implications-- it's all self-evident in any case: there is a huge industry out there (obliquely owned by white corporations now) that caters to the desire of blacks to look more European. Black men complain that their women don't want them to touch their hair; nor do the women swim or go into hot tubs. Rather shocking and disturbing.
Malik is a young French Arab sent to prison for assaulting a police officer. He claims he is innocent of the crime and he is, at the very least, innocent of the world. He quickly learns that to survive in prison he must make deals with those who control the guards and the other inmates. He eventually becomes a close confidante of Cesar Luciani, though he is regarded as a dirty Arab by Cesar's gang, and as a turncoat by the other Arab prisoners. The Prophet is a coming-of-age film, under the most brutal circumstances. Malik learns not only to survive but to prosper, at the expense of those who cross him or fail to fulfill their parts in his schemes. He has the twisted honor of the Mafiaso in "The Godfather": respected and feared. Ultimately, the audience is invited to admire his determination to take control of his life. "The Prophet" is a vivid, dark, powerful portrait of prison life in France, and the world of the criminal underclass.
Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup
Mina's mother fails to meet her at school after dismissal, so various acquaintances and passer-bys help Mina try to find her way home. She is not exactly a passive participant: feisty and willful at times, she gets on the wrong bus and heads in the opposite direction of home. Along the way, Panahi offers up a vivid portrait of life in Tehran, and an assortment of characters who speak about their lives, their problems and their greivances, and you wonder if Mina is the kind of girl who will grow up to accept the control and authority imposed upon Iranians by Islamic law. Then, the film changes into a comment on the relationship between the child actor and the film-crew, and on the "mirror" image of fantasy in the reality of Mina's life. Mina the actress refuses the role imposed upon her by the director-- he makes her cry-- and flees to her home and doesn't want much help-- she knows the way if you would just point her in the right direction. Remarkable performance by Mina Mohammad Khani as the child.
Mina Mohammad Khani
Beautiful and beautifully creeply stop-motion animation about a young neglected girl who discovers a parallel universe through a small door in a spare room in her new house. At the end of a long tunnel, her parallel parents treat her much better than her real parents do, and the world seems brighter, more colorful, more enchanting. But there is a dark side, she discovers, she struggles to save herself, and her parents from a deadly evil. Wonderful animation, wonderful audio-- listen for how often there is no sounds at all-- and a clever story that doesn't seem at all aimed at children, really.
Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher
Elizabeth Taylor is searing as Martha and Burton is very good as George in this uncompromising version of the Edward Albee play that was nominated for every Oscar award category it was eligible for. George and Martha don't just fight-- the word doesn't do justice to their elaborate and ruthless attacks on each other, their sacrcasm, virtriol, irony, and, oddly, amusement and appreciation of each other. George Segal and Sandy Dennis play the unwitting casualties of their warfare, who become complicit in their own twisted way, before being strongarmed into full collaboration. Unsually powerful film, and unusually timeless: survives very, very well the years.
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
I thought we saw this earlier but I didn't review it. Powerful, realistic drama about the treatment of allegedly miscreant young girls in early 20th century Ireland by an association of institutions run by the Magdalene Sisters. Documents the abusive relationship between the sisters and the girls, many of whom were guilty of nothing more than flirtation or independent spirit. Some astonishing moments seem too odd and unexpected to have been based on anything other than honest recollection. The Mother Superior decides to show she has a sense of humanity by confessing a terrible sin, a "love"... for movies. So she obtains a movie to show the inmates: "Going My Way" with Bing Crosby as an adorable priest. It is clear she uses this to affirm just how generous and kind she really is-- and "mischievous"-- and Frears makes it look like the sick joke that it is. At another moment, inmate Bernadette is caring for a terminally-ill elderly nun-- well, not really "caring". The nun asks if she could stay a few moments just to keep her company. Margaret snarls at her: you never cared about us-- why should we care about you-- and leaves. Powerful and compelling and bitterly relevant. Denounced by a Vatican official who admitted he never saw the film.
There is not a false note anywhere in this elegiac, studied, and contemplative analysis of a small village in northern Germany in the early 1900's. The Baron rules benevolently; the local parson is loving but fiercely moralistic; the children seem to be harbouring secrets. When a series of inexplicable acts of violence break out, the cruel character of this society is revealled. Petty acts of vindictiveness and repression take place, and powerless individuals seek revenge or spite. Only the school teacher seems immune to this character flaw and it is through his eyes we recall the events years later, and he sees them as clues to the unfolding of Germany's history. Perhaps the best film by a very good, powerful director.
If you accept that this is not really a suspense film-- more like a psychological thriller-- it plays better, at least afterwards. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a police detective called into a prison to investigate the disappearance of a female inmate. Everything is askew right from the start-- everyone, from the guards to the housekeeping staff- is acting strange. By the time we see the twist coming, the suspense has given way to mere curiousity and then, finally, to boredom. In retrospect, as an exploration of demented psychology, with a somewhat twisted, disingenuous 50's perspective to it, it plays nicely as exploration
Sometimes exquisite drama about a man operating a mining operation on the far side of the moon by himself, on a three-year-stint. He accidentally crashes a moon vehicle into a mining machine, and then makes a shocking discovery. Implausible developments early on become more credible as you discover more and more about his circumstances on the isolated moon base, and we begin to see the depths of his longing for home, and his confusion about his identity.
Sam Rockwell
Lovely, not entirely honest portrait of the young Queen Victoria, and her struggle to assert herself against her own family, the court, and the British political establishment, all of whom wish to control or manipulate her. Victoria famously stood up for herself, made a few mistakes, and then found a life partner who could both respect and protect her, in young Albert of Belgium. In real life, Albert was not wounded in the assassination attempt, and Victoria, supposedly interested in the plight of the poor, actually persuaded the Sultan of Oman to reduce his donation to the Irish (from 10,000 to 1,000 pounds) during the potato famine so as to not show her up (her donation was 1,000). The true part of the movie, perhaps, is Victoria's passion for sex, and her unwavering anger at her mother for imposing "the Kensington System" upon her in her childhood. She banished her mother to some remote chambers and generally refused any contact with her for the rest of her life.
Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany
Fascinating documentary about two challenged young men in Appalatia
Entrancing, expertly directed silent movie about silent movies and a matinee idol who refuses to adapt to sound, and the girl who loves him who does. Not quite "A Star is Born" but certainly reminiscent of "The Comic" at times. Clever use of music, then sound, effects, but not quite, and beautifully acted with meticulous attention to pace and body language. I didn't find the ending entirely satisfying-- not quite plausible-- but the gentle evocation of Peppy's devotion to George was quite moving at times, as when she sends an employee to buy up George's artifacts at public auction and then saves them for him.
Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell
Elegant, low-key, and remarkable film about the life of Emperor Hirohito, the "Sun God", during last days of the World War II in Japan, his surreall daily routine, his meetings with McArthur and contacts with American GI's. Hirohito is an enigma-- studious, polite, and introverted, he writes poetry and quotes poems to his aids. McArthur sees him as childlike but criminal, but realizes he must be used to maintain order and stability in post-war Japan. He studies marine biology and actually published several papers on the subject. According to historians, he was not initially in favor of the war, but gradually became more and more involved, and may have been implicated in atrocities. His continued authority was, famously, one of the rejected conditions Japan offered for a peace settlement in May 1945, before the bombings.
Issei Ogata, Robert Dawson, Shiro Sano
Based on a story by Kazuo Ishiguro, a wildly hallucinagenic tour-de-force twirled around a contest held by a beer company owner to find which nation can produce the saddest music in the world. Using black and white, out-of-focus, blurry, 8mm film and various other degradations (except dialogue, which is pristine ADR), Maddin creates a vivid, eclectic montage of bizarre sequences. It's actually more of a straight narrative than, say Eraserhead, and often funny and charming. Mark McKinney is superb as Chester Kent, a Canadian entering on behalf of the U.S., who is shacking up with his brother's ex-wife. And the brother, Roderick, enters the contest on behalf of Serbia, inspired to sadness by the death of his son and loss of his wife, Narcissa (Maria De Madeiro-- Bruce Willis' girlfriend from "Pulp Fiction"). It all ends with a fabulous, over-the-top, production number that almost seals the deal until Isabella Rosellin's glass legs … well, you just have to see it.
Isabella Rosellini, Mark McKinney, Maria De Medeiros, David Fox, Ross McMillan
Powerful indictment of media personalities, in the form of Andy Griffith as a glad-handing good old boy who rises to the top of the celebrity heap on a recipe of folksy "wisdom", parochial attitudes, and masterful manipulation.
Based on the memoir by British journalist Lynne Barber, this is a fresh look at the relationship between a young, smart girl and an older, sophisticated man. Without a doubt, he uses his sophistication to manipulate her, but "An Education" isn't shy about showing us the collaborative elements from the girl's angle, or how her parents may buy in for their own selfish reasons. Jenny is tired of her full life in Twickenham-- the 60's hasn't happened yet--and she wants to stretch beyond her parents' constricted horizons. David is a gentleman, polite, and affable to her parents, and wins them over. He takes her to shows, to jazz clubs, and to Paris. But he isn't completely awful-- he's a cad, really-- and dishonest. And part of her reaction to revelations about his behavior is an acknowledgement of how her own ambitions played a part, and how the adults around her who tried to warn her off revel in their own hypocrisies. Lesson learned. This is a film about growing up in the nicest sense-- provocative and nuanced.
Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike
Fascinating documentary on factory farming and alternatives.
Wonderful, historically accurate depiction of the 1972 confrontation between civil rights marchers (not IRA) and British troops in Londonderry which resulted in 14 demonstrators being killed. The army claimed that they were shot at and that the demonstrators they shot were armed but numerous witnesses and photographs appear to show the contrary, and several were shot in the back. Marvelous film-making-- riveting and compelling, and soberly restrained.
As with many Ozu films, the drama concerns a family, what holds it together, what drives it apart. In this case, 28--year-old Noriko is yet unmarried. Her brother, her father, and others all seem to have potential husbands for her, but she is ambivalent. Ozu's films are a close study in how the seemingly small details of life--making a tea, eating an apple, sharing a piece of cake-- carry emotional connections to the bigger issues: love, death, marriage. After nearly 45 minutes of quiet, pensive detail, we are shocked with the revelation that Noriko's brother has disappeared during the war; mom thinks he's still alive, but dad has no more hope. The two parents hold their grief inside, just for a breathtaking moment, then life moves on. Ozu is famous for decrying the modern family, the independence of daughters, and so on, but he is such a careful study of his subjects that you almost don't notice it. Noriko really thinks she'll be happy with Kenkichi Yabe, but he only reluctantly acceeds to the arrangement.
Setsuko Hara
Superb film takes on an astounding challenge: make a comedy about a bunch of jewish soldiers assassinating Hitler during World War II and made it fun to watch.
The plan was this-- Lorna would marry a two-bit loser, a drug addict, Claudy, for money, to give Lorna Belgian citizenship; then Lorna would marry the Russian mobster Andrea, to give him Belgian citizenship. Andrea would pay Lorna so that Lorna and real boyfriend, Sokol, could open a small restaurant. She's even picked out a location. The problem is that Claudy, perhaps only dimly aware of who he's messing with, picks his brief moment in the sun to go straight, and begs Lorna to help him. With time of the essence, the Russians decide that a divorce from Claudy might just take too long-- it would be quicker and less suspicious if he would just die of an overdose. The problem is that Lorna, in spite of herself, doesn't want to see Claudy killed and decides to help him go straight. Very down-to-earth, realistic drama from the Dardennes brothers who gave us the compelling "L'enfant" a few years ago (about a junkie who sells his child for drugs and then tries to get him back). Arta Dobroshi is a find-- she's like an adult, serious Ellen Page.
Arta Dobroshi, Jeremie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, Alban Ukaj, Anton Yakovlev
Superb narrative about an Archer-Daniels-Midland employee, a vice-president, who tips the FBI off to price-fixing and other shenangins at the corporation. They decide to use him to spy on his own company but he suffers what looks like a nervous breakdown in the middle of the investigation. Then he appears to join the crooks. The FBI was bafffled. Tightly woven film that supplies enough detail to give a rich texture to Matt Damon's character study, while efficiently propelling the story forward.
Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Rusty Schwimmer
It's difficult to understand why one half of the segments in the film-- the Julia Child segments-- could be so good, while the other half is almost entirely bad, more like a sitcom. Is it Streep? Or is a bad idea being forced upon Amy Adams?
Meryl Streep, Amy Adams
Excellent but very fast-moving thinly-desguised exploration of the political dynamic that led to the invasion of Iraq. There are characters corresponding to all the real players: Blair, Powell, Rumsveld, Perle-- but it's really about ham-fisted ambition and media manipulation. Maybe the most astute film on war since Dr. Strangelove. No one person seems intent on causing a war that no one seems to really want for it's own sake-- instead, a number of lower level government officials struggle to use Tucker's gaffe to their own advantage, and if that means advocating for war, so be it. Cooler heads do not prevail in this heated environment.
Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Anna Chlumsky
Very patient, thoughtful movie about a 13-year-old substitute teacher who takes over an elementary school for one month in a rural Chinese village, which is so poor she is only allowed one stick of chalk a day. The teacher, who is leaving to visit his sick mother, promises her a bonus if she manages to keep all of the children in school to the end of the month. "Teacher Wei" is no Hollywood construction: she can't teach at all and barely manages to even keep the children in the classroom. And she doesn't miraculously improve overnight. The film patiently documents her failures and struggles-- and also her stubborness-- as the days pass, until one of the students, Zhang Huike, is sent away by his parents to go work in the city. Wei sets out after him, determined to keep him in school, and earn her reward. American audiences will probably find the patent unfolding of the story trying, but it pays off in the end with a wrenching scene at a TV station. Beautifully filmed and acted-- obviously, but not distressingly by amateurs-- and a wonderful story.
Minzhi Wei, Huike Zhang, Zhenda Tian, Enman Gao, Zhimei Sun
A father drives his son to succeed in basketball but a semi-accidental shove fatally injures his wife, the boy's mother, and he ends up in jail. When the boy becomes a top prospect, the Governor of New York, a big fan of a certain university team, arranges for the father to be released temporarily to try to persuade the boy to sign with that team; if he does, the father's sentence will be shortened. Wonderfully directed, rich, nuanced realization of a compelling story, with real-life prospect Ray Allen playing Jesus.
Denzel Washington, Ray Allen
All the familiar elements are there -- middle-aged or later repressed man, devoted to work and career, suddenly realizes his life has been missing that important sense of spiritual meaning and sets out on a quest. He's a fish out of water, in this case, a German technocrat named Rudi whose wife has recently died, in Japan to visit an alienated son. Yet Cherry Blossums packs a wallop because of it's uncompromising depiction of deeply flawed humans groping to connect to each other, and to some sense of purpose. Sort of a cross between "About Schmidt" and "Lost in Translation", except that in this case, there is a lovely epiphany that lifts the narrative in the end.
Elmer Wepper, Hannelore Elsner, Aya Irizuki, Maximilian Bruckner
Tight and well paced story about a pair of Irish killers hiding out in Bruges after bungling a hit. Ken tries to make the best of their exile and thrills at the beauty and culture of the city of Bruges, but Ray complains bitterly and sulks. What Ray doesn't know -- or appreciate-- is that their boss, Harry, wants him to relish the beauty of the city once before he dies to pay for his bungled hit. A series of wild, improbably complications ensue, including a rude Canadian, a dwarf, and an actress. Strikes an intriguing balance of the comic and tragic and raises issues of sin and repentence and guilt, and suggests a not convincing idea that a killer might still be decent human being if he at least has good taste.
Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson
Dissects the dissolution of the plea bargain between Polanski, convicted of having sex with a minor, and the judge in the case, whose motives were, at best, mixed. Includes interviews with the 13-year-old victim, Polanski's lawyers, and the District Attorney, who eventually joined with Polanski's lawyer to ask that Judge Laurence J. Rittenband be removed from the case for misconduct. Smartly lays out the political and cultural issues that caused the issue to spin out of control and led to Polanski fleeing into exile in France-- where he is honored, as well as desired, while he remains "wanted" in the U.S. Also delves into Polanski's own sensational biography, his childhood in Nazi-occuped Poland, the death of his mother in a concentration camp, the murder of his wife by followers of Charles Manson, and so on.
Roman Polanski
Low key, gentle film about a young woman travelling to Alaska with her pet dog, Lucy. Through misfortune and bad choices, she ends up in police custody and her dog is lost. The story could not be simpler, yet this is a rich movie full of quiet nuance and dimension, particularly her relationship with a security guard wonderfully played by Wally Dalton. It's a slice of life we don't often see very much of, delivered with patience and taste. Not a great film, but in some ways, indispensible. Cost $200,000 to make. Michelle Williams really did go without makeup or washing her hair for two weeks.
Michele Williams, Will Oldham, Wally Dalton
Breath-taking, experimental collage of home video, pictures, text, and audio, diagramming Caouette's own hyper dysfunctional family, including his mother, Renee, once a beautiful child model, driven through electro convulsive therapy into chronic depression and instability.
Deeply moving, sad account of four children abandoned by their fun-loving and careless mother for nine months, in an apartment in Tokyo. Based on a true story that was even more grim than this version. The story follows the efforts of the oldest son, 12-year-old Akira, to find food and pay the bills with the very limited funds left by his mother. He appeals to his biological father who pays him off but is clearly disinterested-- the other children are not his. The movie follows the real-life case fairly closely-- nothing is exaggerated or manipulated-- making it all the more powerful and sometimes grim. But also unforgettable.
Powerful, gritty drama set in Memphis about a would-be pimp (he's really more of a driver) who aspires to be a rap artist. Don't let the rap angle keep you away from a fine film with terrific performances and a heart of gold, and some very funny scenes. Everyone sweats, and everyone has that tired beaten down look that slowly rises as D-Jay drives towards his goal of recording his raps and getting them heard. The ending is a bit Hollywood, perhaps-- but I didn't mind. The setup was so good, the secondary characters-- especially Trayn Manning as Nola, his one productive hooker-- compelling and believably hard-edged. Reminds me of the better Spike Lee films like "Do the Right Thing".
Terence Howard, Anthony Anderson
Searing documentary style film about a teacher and his class of minority students in Paris, and his struggles to invest the students into a respectful adherence to mainstream French values. The students- - real students-- worked with Cantet for a year to develop their stories and identities. None of it is predictable, and all of it mocks films like "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Freedom Writers" with simple reality. The students do not exist as a mere foil for the teacher's awesome visionary dedication: they have their own agenda and until the teacher connects with their real values he is frustrated and defeated. Probably the most realistic teacher film ever made.
Beautiful, sometimes dazzling science fiction about a crew of earth astronauts sent on a mission to fire a bomb "the size of Manhattan" into the sun to prevent it from decaying due to some obscurely explained process. The "Icarus" of course encounters some challenges, including a distress call from a mission that failed seven years earlier. The crew are conscious of beauty and purpose, and there are moments of effusive poetic joy in the pure experience of the sun's light and warmth, and other moments of sheer terror at the ferocity of it's power. Sometimes dark and violent, but always intriguing.
cillian murphy
Austere, slow-moving account of Bobby Sand's hunger strike in 1981, to protest against Irish nationalists not being treated as political prisoners in British jails. Highly reminiscent of "Therese", the Alain Cavalier film, also about a fanatical young person who straddles the line between suicide and martyrdom-- though "Therese" is more objective about its subject.
Michael Fassbinder
Astonishing, sometimes brilliant and hilarious epic about two men, Marko and Blackie, who fall for the same woman, and actress named Vera, in World War II Yugoslavia. Marko succeeds in getting Blackie to hide out from the Nazis in his basement-- for 20 years. Blackie eventually emerges, right into the middle of a film set working on his biography, with Nazi soldiers in costumes marching around-- one of the most hilarious scenes I've seen in years. There's also a brass band that follows Marko around to put an exclamation point behind all of his actions-- they don't seem all that out of place after a while. Kursturica has a visual imagination that could give Terry Gilliam a run for the money, and that's something.
Lyrical, evocative meditation on love, expressed in the relationship of poet John Keats to Fannie Braune, who lived next door to him for a time in Hampstead.
Superb drama about a soldier accused of murdering a man who raped his wife. Jimmy Stewart is his lawyer, who nudges him towards a defense of temporary insantiy. Lee Remick is the wife, Ben Gazarra the husband: both carefully elucidating the ambiguity at the heart of the event: was she raped or was she cheating on her husband? Very unsual commitment to accurate details about court proceedings.
I do not believe I actually saw this film. I simply noted it.
Intense, searing account of the relationship between a dresser and the egocentric star of a dowdy touring Shakespearean company in England during World War II.
The tragedy in this tragicomedy is caused by the limitations in knowledge by the protagonists-- they don't really understand what they're up against. And the people they are up against don't understand how far the protagonists will go to achieve their aim. Mayhem results. Though roundly criticized for its cynicism, I find "Burn After Reading" oddly believable. Certainly more believable than most action thrillers that posit a kind of deliberate linearity to the action, as if events actually regularly unfold in a schematic way.
Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, George Clooney
From the story by Upton Sinclair: Daniel Plainview is a prospector, miner, who eventually moves into oil and negotiates a number of deals with small-town land-owners, most of whom are not as gullible as he had hoped. With his adopted son, H.W. (played as a boy by a remarkable Dillon Freasier) at his side, he pushes forward, building derrecks and pipelines, and antagonizing local preacher Eli Sunday (son of one of the owners he swindled). There are echoes of "Citizen Kane" in here-- so much so that at times you wonder if the variations in plot developments aren't there just to throw you off the scent. The recreations of period oil wells and other buildings and machinery are stunning. Absolutely superbly directed. The ending is a bit puzzling and not entirely satisfactory, but an astute viewer will be enthralled by the journey there.
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, CIARAN HINDS, DILLON FREASIER, PAUL DANO, SYDNEY MCCALLISTER
Wonderful dramatization of the Bauby memoire about his stroke and sudden incapacitation-- the former editor of Elle Magazine is suddenly only able to move one eyelid. A sympathetic therapist devises a way for him to communicate using an alphabet in order of most frequently used letters which is read to him until he blinks. Using this slow method, he is able to write a book about his experience, his thoughts and feelings about his "locked in" state. The movie is unusually frank and unsentimental, and you have a feeling Bauby would be repulsed by the traditional Hollywood take on the issue (which probably won't stop them from doing a remake with Tom Hanks). Has echoes of "The Sea Inside" about Spanish writer Ramon Sampredro, who fought for 30 years for the right to commit suicide, and "Passion Fish". The acting, especially by Croze, is superb, and this is a film that is carefully, imaginatively directed and edited. One of the best films of 2007.
MARIE-JOSEE CROZE, MATHIEU AMALRIC, EMMANUELLE SEIGNER, ANNE CONSIGNY, JEAN-PIERRE CASSEL, MAX VON SYDOW
They don't make them like this anymore-- actually, they don't. This is an adult film about a mature subject matter-- no, not sex. What I mean by "mature" is that the film carries out a complex and subtle narrative about an important subject. Slow-moving, by today's standards, but also richer and more nuanced. Buddusky (Nicholson) and Mulhall (Otis Young) are tasked with taking Meadows (Randy Quaid) from Virginia to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to be incarcerated for 8 years for stealing $40 from a charity box. Along the way, Buddusky and Mulhall decide the waif can't be locked up for that long without having experienced a bit of life, and, perhaps, learning to stand up for himself. Sure, it's a road movie, and a bit of a buddy picture. We learn that while Buddusky and Mulhall begin to question their orders and feel doubt about their vocations (they are both career navy men), they may not have what it takes to really step away from constraints of habit and accommodation. Ironically, the timid Meadows learns from them-- too late-- that he might have it. They are all outsiders, trying to stay true to their own values, never really completely outside or inside the system.
CAROL KANE, JACK NICHOLSON, OTIS YOUNG, RANDY QUAID, MICHAEL MORIARTY, GILDA RADNER, NANCY ALLEN
Stunning look at how the Bush administration managed-- or mismanaged-- the occupation of Iraq, ignoring advice of soldiers on the ground, experts in other government departments, and the intelligence service, in favor of ill-conceived schemes by political appointees, contractors, and ivory-tower neo-cons in the White House.
Brilliant and very, very odd, take on the city of Winnipeg by Guy Maddin, combining archival footage and degraded new footage, and an eerie blend of the real and the imagined. Unlike anything you have ever seen.
Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage
Dylan liked Todd Hayne's previous work (Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven) so he did an extraordinary thing. He gave Haynes the rights to his life story and all of his music and carte blanche to make the film he wanted to make, without anyone from Dylan's camp vetting the final product. Dylan specifically decreed that he did not want anything like "Walk the Line" or "Ray", both of which were flawed by a coy reverence for the subject that compromised the integrity of the film. The result is a truely extraordinary film that explores Dylan's many phases with daring and wildly imaginative sequences. Dylan is played by a 12-year-old black boy named Woody Guthrie, by Christian Bale as the folk-singer who becomes a fiery preacher, by Cate Blanchett as a self-obsessed rock icon, by Richard Gere as Billy the Kid, and Heath Ledger as an actor playing an actor playing Dylan as a movie star. Ben Whishaw adds an enigmatic poet named Arthur Rimbaud, while Kris Kristofferson narrates. This is one of the few films of the year I will definitely see again, but it is a challenging, confusing work that takes huge risks with its material, and the theatre was mostly empty when I saw it. The New York Times gave it an 8 page treatment, without once declaring it a great film-- that tells you something about how provocative and interesting it is, without necessarily being completely successful. Someday someone may do a conventional biopic on Dylan, but it won't be as brilliantly realized or poetic as this.
RICHARD GERE, CATE BLANCHETT, BEN WHISHAW, MARCUS CARL FRANKLIN, HEATH LEDGER, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG, JULIANNE MOORE
The celebrated, strange documentary on the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, "Little Edie" Bouvier, aunt and cousin to Jacqueline Kennedy, formerly upper crust and rich, and now impoverished and clinging to shreds of dignity in a 28-room-mansion they can't maintain or even clean. Little Edie steals the show with her dancing and singing, but Edith Bouvier can also sing; the two screech at each other and talk over each other constantly. Exploitive? Little Edie didn't think so, but I doubt her opinion is decisive-- bad attention is better than no attention at all. Eventually, the Kennedy's kicked in some cash and fixed up the place to meet city regulations, after they were embarrassed by this film.
EDITH BOUVIER BEALE, LITTLE EDIE BEALE
It is asssumed but never directly revealed that Shukichi Somiya's wife died in the war (the film was made in 1949). This poignant fact hovers over the unfolding events in "Late Spring" (Banshun), as we watch Shukichi and his 27-year-old daughter Noriko negotiate a delicate arrangement in which she must finally leave the home and marry, and Shukichi live the rest of his life alone. Ozu's masterpiece is so simple, so picturesque, that you never notice the building emotional resonance. Shukichi and Noriko are so sensitively drawn and acted, you may find yourself changing your mind about what you think should or should not happen. The plot is simple: Shukichi is convinced by his sister-in-law that Noriko must find a husband and marry. But she refuses-- who would take care of her father? So her father convinces her that he plans to remarry, though Noriko finds the very idea distasteful. Noriko reluctantly gives in. It is only after watching this marvel of film-making, and other films like it, that you begin to realize just how spoon-fed we are-- how even films that claim to be about serious, adult topics (like "The Notebook", "Shawshank Redemption", "Philadelphia", and so on) can't really bear to present adult realities to their audiences. Ozu never compromises his determination to present an authentic picture of a complex relationship, and the tragic outcome of the conflict between two person's desires to give themselves up for the other. A really exquisite masterpiece.
SETSUKO HARA, CHISHU RYU, YUMEJI TSUKIOKA, HARUKO SUGIMURA, HOHI AOKI
Quiet, slow-moving, but rich portrait of the members of the White Rose group that opposed Nazism in Munich in 1942-43, were caught and convicted in a show-trial, and executed. The lead investigator comes to have seconed thoughts about the prosecution, as he realizes that these young German students are admirable in many ways, with courage and strong moral convictions. Superb performances that build to a compelling tragedy. And if you think the German prosecutor at the end was a little over-the top is his schrill, hysterical voice, check videos of Roland Freisler on Youtube. (It was reported that when he died in a bombing attack, a hospital orderly pronounced that it was God's will, and no one disputed her.) Rewards patience.
JULIA JENTSCH, GERALD ALEXAND HELD, FABIAN HINRICHS, JOHANNA GASTDORF, ANDRE HENNICKE, FLORIAN STATTER
In May 1990, Chris McCandless graduated from Emory University with great marks from a program focussed on world poverty and the environment. Instead of proceeding on to Harvard as his ambitious and accomplished parents wished, he gave away $24,000 of his savings to Oxfam and set out on the road, to survive on his instincts, and to experience nature, and to meet other people on similar journeys. His remarkable odyssey ended in tragedy in Alaska where he starved to death in the wilderness only a few miles away from help. Jon Krakauer wrote an exceptional book on McCandless and Sean Penn read it and loved it and spend the next several years trying to turn it into a movie. The result is as exceptional as the book. This is a beautifully filmed story that doesn't take any shortcuts. Penn travelled to most of the actual locations McCandless travelled to (though the final scenes were filmed about 20 miles away from the actual location, due to its remoteness). He has recreated a tableau of dissonant Americans, breathtaking vistas, and the sweep of unplanned adventure, and the mystery of why a privileged young idealist like McCandless would seek solitude with such determination and, in the end, such foolhardyness. A remarkable, moving film that is one of the best of the year. The supporting cast, including Hal Holbrook as a lonely widower who wants to adopt McCandless, give some of the best performances of their careers.
EMILIE HIRSCH, MARCIA GAY HARDEN, WILLIAM HURT, JENA MALONE, BRIAN DIERKER, CATHERINE KEENER, VINCE VAUGHN, KRISTEN STEWART, HAL HOLBROOK
In some ways, the Royal Tenebaums on a train in India, but less clever. Francis, Peter, and Jack (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman) are three brothers from, you guessed it, a dysfunctional family. Dad has recently died (there are flashbacks to enlighten us) and mom is a recluse in a convent deep in the heart of India. The three brothers travel by train through Rajasthan to bring her the news, and iron out their dysfunctions against the very colourful background of rural India. They announce their spiritual quest and then undercut every spiritual aspiration with ironic self-detachment and petulant grievances against each other and their parents. The message, without too much sentimentality, is that family relationships are like democracy: awful, but better than any possible alternative, and therefore, something we're stuck with whether we like it or not. The three brothers are charmingly open to experience, participating in village life and Buddhist rituals with restrained but affable enthusiasm. There is a suggestion of the Beatles here-- Jack looks like Ringo with his moustache, his bare feet, and suit--and allusions to Renoir's "The River", another film that took seriously the local colour and culture. The simplicity of the plot mechanics is a bit deceptive-- this is genuine post-modernism-- ritual and family and spirituality don't really carry much weight, but it brings colour and texture to our life passages to nowhere and we might as well bear it all with friends and wit. The luggage they lose at the end is timid symbolism that doesn't mess up the charm of this excursion.
OWEN WILSON, ADRIEN BRODY, JASON SCHWARTZMAN, AMARA KARAN, WALLACE WOLODARSKY, ANJELICA HUSTON
Based on Dennis Lehane novel about a young child that goes missing from a downbeat Boston neighborhood. Casey Afflect is Patrick Kenzie who, with his professional and personal partner Angie, is hired to "supplement" police efforts to find the child by the child's aunt. This is the first clue that something is amiss-- the mom is not enthused. The police gather around the house and bide their time, and Patrick uncovers evidence that the mom has not been forthcoming about her activities the night the child went missing. This is a dark, sometimes bleak film that raises the question of bearing the consequences of being right, in truth and in perception. I'm not sure I buy the plot twists at the end, but the rich, detailed exposition of life at the bottom is compelling and the performances are outstanding. Ed Harris and Amy Madigan are sensational and- surprise-- Morgan Freeman comes up with a character more complex and ambiguous than his usual wise old black dude schtick, and Amy Ryan, as the mom, is standout.
CASEY AFFLECK, AMY MADIGAN, ED HARRIS, MICHELLE MONAGHAN, MORGAN FREEMAN, AMY RYAN
Absolutely wonderful animation about a gourmet rat who only wants to prepare and enjoy fabulous meals, and a young dishwasher who becomes his proxy in the kitchen of a formerly glorious French restaurant. Lovely story and outstanding graphics, especially the rapid-fire chases sequences through walls and sewers. More substantial than Shrek or Toy Story or Nemo, and less prone to cheap humour and wise- cracking side-kicks. Question though... why does Linquini not have a French accent? Obviously he is French... the other French characters have accents... bizarre. And the annoying trope of having the elite, the sophisticated reviewer, Anton Ego, play the evil snob (the heroic Gusteau died after getting a negative review)-- while simultaneously craving his approval. (In fact, earlier in the film, the characters are shown to be joyous when another food critic lavishes praise on Remy's soup.) And why is the chef, Skinner, so short, and vaguely ethnic? And what's with the idea that people shouldn't discriminate against rats? Just a cheap platitude to add some moral authority to the tale? The truth is Remy is brilliant precisely because he has elite skills, precisely because not everyone can cook or should cook.
JANEANE GAROFALO, PATTON OSWALT, IAN HOLM, LOU ROMANO, BRIAN DENNEHY, PETER O'TOOLE
Exquisite, delicate little film about a busker on the streets of Dublin and the young Czech girl who takes an interest in him. She is married and he still pines for a former girlfriend living in London, but they have music in common, and some scenes of them collaborating are marvelous, and utterly compelling. "Once" resists every temptation to turn this into a crappy Hollywood fantasy. Audiences don't rise up in acclaim, record company executives don't fall over themselves, and egotistical rivals don't even enter the picture. Just about gets everything right, from the forlorn, melancholy of their relationship, to the thrill of jamming in the studio, and the carefully attuned respect of the recording engineer. One of the best films of 2007 so far.
GLEN HANSARD, MARKETA IRGLOVA, ALAISTAIR FOLEY, BILL HODNETT
Fine film shot from the Japanese point of view of the battle for Iwo Jima, a companion piece to "Flags of Our Fathers". Interesting comparison to 300 in that both armies, Sparta and Japan, are determined to fight to the death on behalf of a greater cause, but Eastwood has the humanity to show at least one soldier who values his life, who craves to be reunited with this wife and daughter, and doesn't totally embrace the culture of death of the Japanese army.
KEN WATANABE, KAZUNARI NINOMIYA, TSUYOSHI IHARA, RYO KASE
Somewhat deliberate and occasionally sophomoric discourse on "the right to die", based on the real-life case of Ramon Sampedro, who fought for this right for 30 years. He recruits a lawyer, Julia (Belen Rueda), to take his fight to court. Most of his family and close friends, naturally, are ambivalent about his wishes.
JAVIER BARDEM, BELEN RUEDA, LOLA DUENAS, MABEL RIVERA
Starring the amazing Louise Brooks, one of the most compelling figures of the silent era, and certainly one of the most alluring, as a the femme fatale who seduces a doctor, and his son, into ruin. Pictorially splendid, superbly acted and filmed. The look on Brook's face when the son and the father's fiance discover her with the doctor in her arms-- amazing.
LOUISE BROOKS, FRITZ KORTNER, FRANCIS LEDERER, CARL GOETZ
Intriguing rotoscoped drama about an undercover narcotics agent named Bob Arctor, in the future, who begins to doubt his identity, and starts wondering if he is actually a narcotics user impersonating a cop. His confusion becomes even more acute when his superior, who doesn't know his real identity, orders him to investigate himself, as a possible drug dealer. Whenver Arctor interacts with his police handlers, he wears a "scramble suit" that protects his identity. Meanwhile, his paranoid drug-user friends are descending into their own webs of insecurity and paranoia. Donna Hawthorne is Arctor's girl, but she doesn't want to be touched. James Barris develops sophisticated theories of global conspiracies. And Charles just completely loses it. Not always coherent or focused, but always interesting, and one of a handful of really original films in the last few years.
WOODY HARRELSON, KEANU REEVES, ROBERT DOWNEY, RORY COCHRANE, WINONA RYDER
Absolutely the best movie of 2006, the Departed be damned. Ofelia and her mother are moving to a town somewhere in the Spanish countryside. It\'s nearly the end of the civil war and Ofelia\'s new step-dad is an army officer in charge of mopping up operations. And he is a brute, though Ofelia\'s mother pleads with her to accept him as he is their only hope for a good life. Ofelia instead retreats into a fantasy world-- or is it real-- in which she is a princess-- maybe. A faun demands that she complete certain tasks to prove her worthiness. She bravely undertakes them, and the challenges she confronts parallel her growing awareness of her step-father\'s brutal activities, and the unjust world she has been thrown into. Beautifully filmed and acted, great music, and a story with meat on it: what more could you ask from a film not directed by Martin Scorcese?
IVANA BAQUERO, SERGI LOPEZ, MARIBEL VERDU, DOUG JONES, ALEX ANGULO, MANOLO SOLO, ARIADNA GIL
Doug Block discovered that his mother had a secret life, in her letters and diaries, and that his parents' marriage may not have been what he and his sisters had always assumed it was. As he peels away layer after layer, from interviews with his father, and his mothers letters and diaries, he reveals a complex relationship that resonates in ways he did not expect, with his own marriage, and his own experience of his family. His parents are both articulate and relatively open on film. Their friends and children also provide insightful commentary. He has done us all a service by offering a rare glimpse at a marriage that was faulted but functional-- and perhaps he reveals more about the compromises that make up our lives than he ever intended. A moving, quietly powerful film.
DOUG BLOCK
Superbly written drama about the tension that develops in a group of friends when three of the couples are rich and the one, single woman who is part of the group (Aniston) is not. Christine and David are writers who work together at home. While writing, they sometimes begin to argue, and it can be difficult to sort out which is which. They decide to build an ugly addition to their home that will block their neighbor's view of the ocean. Richard and Franny get along pretty well, make good money (she is a home-maker and he does something that makes him a lot of cash: they are, unexpectedly, happy together-- one of the movies' most original ideas), and have frequent sex. Jane has stopped washing her hair and gripes about everything, while her husband is frequently mistaken for gay, by both men and women, including women who know him well, Christine and Franny. Jane also delivers one of the most poignant lines of the film: what pisses her off is that there is no more waiting to see what it will be like. But Olivia (Aniston) is the one who points out that the lavish dinner they are attending to raise money for ALS is a waste of the cash needed for the cause. These people are narcissitic and self-absorbed, but this is not a cruel portrait. They just don't seem aware, anymore, of how their wealth and privilege isolates them. Beautifully written and filmed.
JENNIFER ANISTON, CATHARINE KEENER, JASON ISAACS, JOAN CUSACK, GREG GERMANN, SIMON MCBURNEY, FRANCES MCDORMAND, TIMM SHARP
Compelling drama about Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, the 80's new wave band. Similar to Party People, in terms of era, personalities, and locale.
Jose is a smart young boy growing up in Martinique in the 1930's. His mother has died and his grandmother, M'Man Tine looks after him. She is determined that he will get a better life than hers through education. She works in the sugar cane for subsistence wages. Jose is a bright, creative student and teachers Carmen, a sailor, in his spare time. They face many challenges especially when Jose has a chance to win a scholarship to a school in Fort De France, a large nearby city. The child actors are very good, and the wonderful sensual detail of their lives makes the story compelling. Lovely, charming film.
GARRY CADENAT, DARLING LEGITIMUS, DOUTA SECK, JOBY BERNABE
Incredibly audacious comic excursion into the repressed bigotted conscious in America. Is this offensive? Undoubtedly? Is it brilliant? Also undoubtedly. If it were not for the fact that it's hard to discount the racist comments made by unguarded subjects in the company of Borat, this film could be seen as simple Tom Green style rudeness. But the story itself, of Borat seeking his true love, Pamela Anderson, and seeking advice from a range of American types along the way, actually becomes sort of compelling.
SACHA BARON COHEN
Absolutely fabulous performance by Helen Mirren-- dignified, subtle, majestic-- as Queen Elizabeth dealing with the election of a new, populist, middle-class prime-minister, Tony Blair, and then the sudden death of Princess Diana. The Queen believed Diana's death should be barely acknowledged, if at all, by the Royal Family. After all, the stinging scandals and Diana's embarrasing disclosures to the tabloids and on television were still fresh in her mind. But as the British public clamoured for some kind of official commemoration, she rethinks her position. Blair urges her to play to the public, to address the correct image, as he himself scores a victory by proclaiming Diana the "people's princess". This is an extremely well-written, well-acted movie, which creates surprising tension in what is, after all, a question of taste. You are never quite sure how much the film-makers sympathize with the Royals, though, when Blair proclaims that someone should save them from themselves, it's hard to regard them as anything but immeasurably stupid-- especially Prince Phillip, who absolutely opposed any concession to popular taste. Diana herself is seen only through video clips, from the news, and we become aware of how clever she was as presenting an image to the public that may or may not have corresponded to the reality behind it. Remarkable film.
HELEN MIRREN, MICHAEL SHEEN, JAMES CROMWELL, SYLVIA SYMS, ALEX JENNINGS, HELEN MCCRORY
Rivetting chronological dissection of the Enron scandal, how the company was put together by Delay, how Jeffery Skilling took it to new heights of bamboozelment, and how Andrew Fastow took the fall, in vain, for this massive flim-flam operation. The thesis of this film is that arrogance and pride led to Enron's downfall-- and greed, of course-- but how bad is greed if merely applied to legitimate business? That is a question not answered because Enron's downfall started with a prescient article by Bethany McLean at the Financial Post, who couldn't figure out where Enron's stock got it's value from. Excellent archival footage and audio files from Enron, phone calls, stock-holder and employee presentations, and testimony before congress, especially by Delay and Skilling. Anderson Consulting seems to have given short shrift, but that, perhaps, is a different movie.
Absolutely brilliant, mind-boggling film about race, in inimitable Lee style. And like many of Lee's brilliant films, deeply flawed-- yet unforgettable. Damon Wayans plays Pierre Delacroix, a black tv producer, whose boss, Thomas Dunwitty (Michael Rappaport) demands a hip hit. Everyone knows that black culture is cutting edge, so Pierre decides to resurrect a minstrel show, with Manray whom he renames "Mantan" and "Sleep'nEat" ((Savion Glover and Tommy Davidson). He holds auditions-- a brilliant, audacious sequence-- and brings a house band in, and Aunt Jemima and Junebug and others, and produces an absolutely repellant program that, of course, becomes a hit. There are big echoes of "Network" here, but also some utterly amazing, "in your face" revelations about race in America, including a brilliant sequence of old film clips and toys at the end that have surely been consciously or not suppressed for decades. (All apparently from Spike Lee's own collection). Some people-- not unexpectedly -- hated this film. Others loved it. I can understand both points of view, but I can't see how Lee's talent as a director/writer can be denied, and I can't see how anyone can avoid encountering the only films that comment honestlly on race issues in America today.
DAMON WAYANS, SAVION GLOVER, JADA PINKETT SMITH, TOMMY DAVIDSON, THOMAS JEFFER BYRD, MICHAEL RAPAPORT
Extraordinary movie about two cowboys who fall in love with each other, but, for obvious reasons, can't live together. They marry, have children, work, but every year they spend a few weeks together "fishing". Their wives begin to suspect the truth. Works as a poignant love story, with superb performances, especially from Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams as his wife. A lot of scenes feel just right-- like Ennis' daughter asking him to come to her wedding, and Lureen explaining to Ennis over the phone-- and Jack's mother sending Ennis up to Jack's boyhood room. Striking score.
JAKE GYLLENHAAL, HEATH LEDGER, RANDY QUAID, ANNE HATHAWAY, MICHELLE WILLIAMS, VALERIE PLANCHE
Brilliant but flawed masterpiece about the battle to take Guadacanal from the Japanese in 1942-43, filmed in Malick's inimitable style. Thin Red Line is sprawling and sometimes diffuse, but never, for one second, uninteresting to watch. Odd that a such a filmaker's filmmaker would use so many name actors in bit parts. But he draws such good performances from them-- especially Harrelson and Cusack and Penn-- that it generally works. If there is a center to this story it is probably James Caviezel, as private Witt, who goes awol at the beginning and provides mystical reflections in his narration throughout. Some critics felt the film failed in the last hour, because it didn't stay with a single character or point of view. It definitely seemed a bit unfocused for the last 30 minutes-- mopping up the adventure, the way the soldiers mopped up after their successful advance to the west coast of the island. It also left the unfortunate impression that the viewer could identify with this continuous series of victories while meditating rather pointlessly on the pointlessness of loss, of war and conflict. Themes revisited with the same mixture of success and failure in "New World" seven years later.
JOHN CUSACK, JAMES CAVIEZEL, ADRIEN BRODY, SEAN PENN, JOHN TRAVOLTA, WOODY HARRELSON, DON HARVEY, ELIAS KOTEAS, GEORGE CLOONEY, JARED LETO, JOHN SAVAGE, BEN CHAPLIN
Why is someone leaving video tapes at the Laurent's front door, which consist of a steady, unblinking, view of the front of their house. Nothing unusual happens. We watch with the Laurents and then draw back as they try to make sense of it. More tapes come, along with macabre child-like pictures of a person vomitting blood or having his throat slit. Now Georges Laurent is disturbed. Unlike "History of Violence", we observe our protragonist examine his own life-- what did I do that would have made someone so angry and hateful that they would torment us like this? Even George's wife, Anne, begins to wonder if George has been hiding something from her. When George spots a clue in one of the videos, he goes to visit the man he thinks is responsible, setting off a chain of events that ends in disaster. Contrary to "Crimes and Misdemeanors", Cliche asserts that you cannot escape an evil deed,; in it's own way, it is every bit as convincing, but ultimately Woody Allen is right: life is not just. It's a bit difficult at times to accept that Georges would not develop some kind of rationalization for what he did so long ago, and cling to it as we all do, in the belief that somehow we can always and inevitably will define ourselves as virtuous.
DANIEL AUTEUIL, JULIETTE BINOCHE, MAURICE BENICHOU, ANNIE GIRARDOT, BERNARD LE COQ
Also written by George Clooney. Filmed in black and white, in claustrophobic editing rooms and camera bays, an intense study of Ed Murrow's famous confrontation with Senator Joseph McCarthy at time, it must be remembered, when leading politicians like President Eisenhower were afraid to take him on. Murrow, with the tentative backing of William S. Paley, chaiman of CBS, did a series of stories about McCarthy's unjust persecutions of various army and government personnel. The movie taps into the famous confrontation with Joseph Welch at the Senate committee hearings (the ones that finally investigated McCarthy). David Strathairn, the wonderful sherriff of "Matewan", is marvelous as Murrow-- dry and intellectual, but resolute. "Good Night and Good Luck" alludes to modern times with several pointed jabs at the danger of a docile, unquestioning media, and television that seeks to endless entertain rather than enlighten.
DAVID STATHAIRN, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., PATRICIA CLARKSON, RAY WISE, FRANK LANGELLA, JEFF DANIELS, GEORGE CLOONEY, GRANT HESLOV
Impressive, sensual portrait of Cuban ex-patriat poet Reinaldo Arenas, based on his memoire of the same name, which he completed shortly before his suicide while in the late stages of AIDS in New York City in 1990. Traces his early life in the countryside, his growth as a writer, his intensifying conflicts with the Castro regime, his arrests and his eventual escape to the U.S., where his new life was somewhat less than the idyllic refuge he had imagined. In real life, Arenas was somewhat more political than the film portrays him, possibly because his criticism's of Castro might be perceived differently if weighed against the experience of El Savador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. Well-acted, well-written, and beautifully filmed, and tragic.
JAVIER BARDEM, OLIVIER MARTINEZ, JOHNNY DEPP, MICHAEL WINCOTT, OLATZ LOPEZ GARMENDIA, SEAN PENN
Spielberg has finally completed a movie in which his cinematic talents are allowed to unfold without a last minute desperate lurch into the sentimental. This is the story of Avner, a Mossad agent recruited to inflict Israeli justice on anyone they can find who is associated with the kidnappings and murders at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Avner assembles a team and, with information largely supplied by a private rogue French intelligence agency, proceeds to assassinate their targets one by one. As the Palestinians, in turn, inflict new casualties on Israel, and other western powers, Avner begins to question his role. Where does this cycle take us? This is a gutsy movie for Spielberg, and one that is sure to make him more unpopular than ever with conservatives. But the movie crackles with suspense and narrative drive, and the major characters are richly multi-faceted. One of the best movies of the year.
ERIC BANA, DANIEL CRAIG, CIARAN HINDS, MATHIEU KASSOVITZ, HANNS ZISCHLER, GEOFFREY RUSH, MATHIEU AMALRIC
Terence Malick spent two years editing this film, after shooting all of it in Alberta, at dusk or dawn only. He abandoned his script and had his actors generally improvise, and it shows, and it works. But this is also one of the most exquisitely photographed films I have ever seen, and should be seen in the theatre if at all humanly possible. Both Nestor Alemandros and Haskell Wexler worked on the cinematography, which is literally stunning. Even Richard Gere is serviceable, though Linda Manz, as his younger sister Linda, steals the show with her dry, shrewd narration, and Brooke Adams is compelling and more beautiful than lovely. Concerns migrant workers who help a wealthy but lonely Texas land-owner harvest his grain. He falls in love with Abby (Brooke Adams), whom Bill (Gere) has been passing off as his sister. This leads to complications and ultimately tragedy, when Bill gets an idea for extricating himself and Abby from poverty. Doug Kershaw makes an extraordinary appearance as a fiddler. Saw again in 2023: yes, an utterly beautiful, compelling film, with extraordinary sequences of grain harvest many steam-powered tractors and threshers. Just exquisite.
RICHARD GERE, BROOKE ADAMS, SAM SHERPHERD, LINDA MANZ, STUART MARGOLIN, ROBERT WILKE, DOUG KERSHAW
Powerful film based on the memoirs of Robert Baer, a former CIA agent, about the incestuous relationships between oil, politics, and big business in the U.S. and the middle east. George Clooney is a CIA analyst working in Iran, who gets taken, on the sale of a guided missile, and recalled to the U.S. The narrative then shifts to Bennett Holiday, an auditor investigating irregularities at a large oil company that really believes that profits are utterly sacred and everything else is a matter of buying people off. A pair of young Palestinians face the frustrations of life as refugee workers in an anonymous Arab state. Matt Damon is Bryan Woodman, a futures buyer and seller, who develops a connection with an Arab state ruling family through tragedy, and inadvertantly gets mixed up in intrigue as the father's health declines. No quarter is given. The movie follows its own trajectory without apology, without stopping to offer explanations no character within the movie could reasonably expect to acquire. This is an important film, that is about what our elected governments are probably really up to.
AMR WAKED, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, JEFFREY WRIGHT, CHRIS COOPER, MATT DAMON, AMANDA PEET, ROBERT FOXWORTH
Oddly compelling documentary about producer, and former actor, Robert Evans, who carries the picture with this bravado, cynicism, and disingenous faith in his own success. It's never clear exactly how big, or beneficial a role he played in successes like "The Godfather" and "The Sting" but he was clearly a central figure in many, many Hollywood moments.
ROBERT EVANS, EDDIE ALBERT, HENRY KISSINGER, JACK NICHOLSON
Absolutely charming, real, intriguing, resonant small film about a Chicago art dealer who marries a rather mysterious man from the deep south, and then travels with him to meet his family. She stumbles upon a folk artist nearby, while he grapples with the legacy of a rustic life he may or may not have entirely shucked when he met her (Madeleine). But the real center of the film is Junebug-- Ashley, played by an astonishing Amy Adams, who is married to George's unhappy brother Johnny, and is completely infatuated with her George's new wife, Madeleine. (When Madeleine tells Ashley that she was born in Japan, she stares at him in stunned disbelief and says, "you were NOT".) Johnny has always felt that George was the prince of the family, privileged and favored, the golden boy, and he deeply resents it. Nor does that stop him from doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, a slight betrayal of Ashley that she enthusiastically forgives. It's George that knows what to do at the moment of crisis, and he, in turn, is disappointed by Medeleine. One of the most provocative and rich films on the relationship between the two solitudes in America, to this day.
EMBETH DAVIDTZ, ALESSANDRO NIVOLA, WILL OLDHAM, FRANK HOYT TAYLOR, SCOTT WILSON, BENJAMIN MCKENZIE, AMY ADAMS, CELIA WESTON
Rivetting documentary about Timothy Treadwell and his disastrous love of Alaskan grizzly bears. Treadwell was a very strange, interesting man, with an off-kilter view of his relationship to the bears-- hear clearly wanted to be one. But he also wanted to save them from poachers and industry and government. But it was really all about Timothy Treadwell and after 13 years of camping and living among them, the bears did what bears do and ate him. Treadwell is a compelling subject, but so is a slightly looney medical examiner, Franc Fallico, who waxes eloquently about the subject of Treadwell's demise. The music, but Richard Thompson, is exquisite.
TIMOTHY TREADWELL, FRANC FALLICO
Very entertaining, funny story about Andy, a stock boy at a technology store, who has never had sex. When his co-workers and buddies discover the fact, they resolve to put an end to the deprivation by setting him up with someone. This story doesn't quite hang together and feels episodic, but there are some hilarious moments and Steve Carell is likable as Andy. Much is made of him really having his chest hair removed in that scene but, oddly, it's not that funny as he curses his cosmetologist and screeches. Nice idea but didn't work. And Catharine Keener is loud and brassy and not entirely adorable when we clearly should find her the right match for Andy. It's in the vein of "Something about Mary" and even borrows the ending from that film, but it's amusing and generally fresh and well-acted.
STEVE CARELL, CATHARINE KEENER, PAUL RUDD, ROMANY MALCO, SETH ROGEN, ELIZABETH BANKS
The very definition of quirky, idiosyncratic, independent film. Miranda July plays a performance artist (Miranda July is a performance artist) named Christine who becomes interested in a shoe salesman named Richard who is recently separated from his wife. Richard has burned his hand in a ill-advised attempt to impress his boys, who trade off between him and his ex-wife. The boys, and a pair of neighborhood girls, and a co-worker of Richard's, provide interesting sub-plots, but the film is about love and sex and connecting with people in suburbia. Christine in fact provides a driving service for elders and helps an older man romance an older woman in a wheelchair. Like many independent films, the film is technically clumsy at times, and unevenly performed, but more than compensates with the strong personal vision of it's creators.
JOHN HAWKES, MIRANDA JULY, MILES THOMPSON, BRANDON RATCLIFF, NATASHA SLAYTON, NAJARRA TOWNSEND
Riveting drama about the Odessa Texas high school football team, the Permian High Panthers, in the year of 1998, during which they took a run at the state championship. Billy Bob Thornton makes John Travolta's "Bobby Long" look like caricature, with his subtle and rich characterization of Coach Gary Gaines, a decent man capable to inspiring his team, but with quiet observance of the cost of victory, and maybe the price the town pays for being obsessed with the sport. The book for this movie did not inspire kind thoughts from the residents of Odessa, who saw it as mocking. The movie surely toned it down-- it's generally flattering. And the story of Boobie Miles' fate is utterly compelling. One of the best sports movies ever made. Incidently, most of the important facts are correct, but not the final score, or the sequence of events in the final game.
BILLY BOB THORNTON, LUCAS BLACK, GARRETT HEDLUND, DEREK LUKES, TIM MCGRAW
Charming, likeable story about a very young boy who lives with his grandmother. His mother has abandoned his family-- his grandmother calls her a "slut"-- and father only reappears rarely, and then is stern and angry. Valentin is transformed after a meeting with one of his father's new girlfriends, with whom he develops a real rapport-- with disastrous results. Bittersweet story, realistic and true to life, and admirable.
JULIETA CARDINALI, CARMEN MAURA, JEAN PIERRE NOHER, RODRIGO NOYA, MEX URTIZBEREA
Comic books might be known for graphic excellence, and original and innovative visualizations, but they don't generally strike me as particularly subtle or wise about morality or psychology. Sin City is true to Frank Miller's superior comics in all respects. Visually, it is stunning at times, exciting, dynamic, and original. The shots of cars rising into the air going over curves is particular fresh and unusual. There are three inter-weaving stories here. Mickey Rourke is amusing as Marv, a dim-witted, earnest brute who gets framed for murder. Hartigan (Bruce Willis)_ likewise suffers unjustly for his virtue but gets his revenge, of course. Rutger Hauer makes and appearance, as does Powers Boothe as a Senator, and Elijah Wood as an unervingly slimey abuser, Kevin. Dark and disturbing at times. The morality is dark, of course. The good guys behave largely like the bad guys, except that we're supposed to be on their side. There is an interesting subplot about a group of prostitutes that have taken over their part of town and maintain an uneasy detente with police and pimps.
MICKEY ROURKE, BRUCE WILLIS, JESSICA ALBA, CLIVE OWEN, NICK STAHL, RUTGER HAUER, ROSARIO DAWSON
Powerful and sometimes engaging story about a young woman determined to become a boxer and the aging trainer who reluctantly takes her on. Yeah, now that you describe it like that, maybe you can see why Warner Brothers turned it down. Thanks to Swank, however, this film is far more involving than expected, and Eastwood is establishing a reputation for honest, hard-working films that, while rarely showing flashes of brilliance, never feel cheap or manipulative.
HILARY SWANK, CLINT EASTWOOD, MORGAN FREEMAN
Powerful, compelling, important drama about gay life, aids, and political hyprocrisy in New York City. Al Pacino is Roy Cohn (a right wing zealot, aide to Senator Joseph McCarthy, who died of aids in the 19980's) who becomes patron to Joseph Pitt, a young conservative who is in the process of discovering his gay self. Justin Kirk is Prior Walter has aids. His lover, Lou, bolts and ends up with the unsatisfying job of dealing with Joe's religious (he's a mormon) conscience.
AL PACINO, EMMA THOMPSON, JUSTIN KIRK, BEN SHENKMAN, MARY-LOUISE PARKER, PATRICK WILSON, JAMES CROMWELL
Brilliant, rollicking, compelling film about dogs , dog fighting,and life being a bitch.
I will be shocked if Imelda Staunton does not win an Oscar for this role. Not only is her performance absolutely stellar, compelling, and heart-breaking-- but it comes in an important film that deals with a controversial issue. Vera is a kindly middle-aged woman who works as a maid at several homes, pays visits to the elderly and shut-ins, and looks after her amiable husband, son Sid, and daughter Ethel. And she also performs abortions for those who know about her and are in desperate need, using a syringe and lye soap. She does pretty well, apparently, until one girl continues to bleed and is hospitalized. Her family is utterly stunned when the police turn up. And up until this point, the movie was not merely excellent-- it was absolutely outstanding. The detailed, meticulous recreation of life in Britain in the 1950's, and the recreation of family life by the actors, was head and shoulders above anything else I've seen this year. Every character was believable, and interesting, and fully realized. Then... and then. I don't know what came over Mike Leigh. The last half hours of the film is one long scene of Vera Drake weeping. And something miraculous happens. All the accumulated believe in the credibility of this character deflates. Instead of respecting Vera has a good woman, we are urged to pity her as a victim of a heartless system. Even the police officers that arrest and process her, at first sympathetic (obviously responding to the obvious fact that Vera isn't really a felon), start to get tiresome as they look so profoundly sensitive to Vera. You finally ask yourself if they have never arrests a woman before, never seen someone weep at their predicament. There are still moments, but the film sinks under the weight of Vera's martyrdom. There are still a few flashes of inspiration. Reg, the bachelor who courts Vera's daughter Ethel, is more supportive than Vera's own son (and the subplot of their courtship is charming). Vera Drake is still an amazing film, and inspiring at times. It just could have been perfect.
IMELDA STAUNTON, PHILIP DAVIS, PETER WIGHT, RICHARD GRAHAM, EDDIE MARSAN, ANNA KEAVENEY, ALEX KELLY, LESLEY MANVILLE, HEATHER CRANEY, SALLY HAWKINS, RUTH SHEEN
Catherine Breillat is becoming known for controversial films about sex and identify. What's controversial about it all is not just the fact that she films some of the most explict sexual interactions in mainstream cinema (if you could call her "mainstream"), but that she is so intent on being honest about her subject matter. She is the very definition of "unflinching". In this case, her subject is adolescent sexuality, from a female perspective. From Anais' perspective. Anais is 12 years old and fat. She is graceless and homely and unromantic. Her sister, Elena, is the opposite: beautiful, slim, and romantic. They meet a boy, Fernando, who is interested in Elena, of course, and this sets off a chain of events that end in tragedy and irony. Elena wants her first lover to be a man she truly loves. She wants to offer the gift of her body to someone worthy and deserving of it. Anais, more cynical, says she wants her first experience to be with someone she hardly even knows, because it would be so awful to find out you were used by someone you thought loved you. And so we watch Fernando, versed well in all the tricks of the trade, ply Elena with sweet promises and expressions of feelings, which she surely knows are not sincere, but which she wants to believe are real. The seduction takes place in her bedroom, with the lumpy Anais watching, with mixed emotions. She scorns Fernando, and envies Elena, and weeps with jealousy. When mother finds out that Elena has accepted a valuable ring from Fernando, she knows exactly what's up and the vacation is cut short and they are on their way back to Paris. And that's when the shocker comes. Anias gets her wish, unexpectedly, and makes a last enigmatic statement to the police, to the camera, to us. "I don't care if you believe me or not." Outstanding, original film, though a bit stately at times.
ROXANE MESQUIDA, ANAIS REBOUX, LIBERO DE RIENZO, ARSINEE KHANJIAN, ROMAIN GOUPIL, LAURA BETTI
This is a Dogme 95 film: no special effects, no objects or views not found in the setting of the action, etc. And it is absolutely rivetting. The Klingenfeldt family gathers at the family-owned inn for the 60th birthday of the patriarch, Helge. In the middle of the festivities, eldest son Christian stands up to propose a toast, in memory of his late twin sister, who had committed suicide only a few months before. He blithely informs everyone that his father had sexually abused him and his sister from the time they were young children. The reaction of the gathered family and friends is amazing. Half the room pretends they didn't hear anything, and many didn't, and others do what they can to hustle the obviously demented Christian away from the party. When Christian seems to regain his senses and offers to make an apology, instead, he elaborates on his allegations and accuses his father of murder. Celebration is fresh, exuberant, outrageous, and provocative.
ULRICH THOMSEN, HENNING MORITZEN, THOMAS BO LARSON, PAPRIKA STEEN, BIRTHE NEUMANN, TRINE DYRHOLM, HELLE DOLLERIS, THERESE GLAHN
Morgan Spurlock, after investigating American obesity, decides to try to live for one month on nothing but McDonald's food. He immediately begins to grain weight, go through depression and mood-swings, and ends up endangering his own life. along the way, he tooks an interesting and provocative look at the state of nutrition in the U.S., the complicity of the media and the education system, and discusses who is responsibe.
Strong film featuring one of the earliest performances of Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts, both of whom are very good. Essentially, a story about life in a boarding school in Australia in the early 1960's, though the plot is driven by the relationship of Danny (Noah Taylor) and Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton) a coloured student whose father is a high ranking official in the Ugandan government. There is a bit of racism, and a bit of Victorian repression, but, to the credit of director/writer Duigan, neither becomes the dominant motif of the film. It really is about flirting, about connecting someone at an awkward age in which the roles of the peers can be unhelpful, to say the least. Danny is a misfit, and intellectual who isn't a geek or wimp-- just different, and not very popular. Thandiwe is smart, liberated, and daring, and she intuits that Danny is about the only boy in the school likely to find her appealling for more than physical reasons. Charming-- but the ending is a let-down. They had something good going here and I suspect the makers lost their courage or ran out of ideas. Still worthwhile and enjoyable.
THANDIE NEWTON, NOAH TAYLOR, NICOLE KIDMAN, BARTHOWLOMEW ROSE, FELIX NOBIS, NAOMI WATTS
In "Decline of the American Empire", Arcand explored the meaning of human relationships in the materialistic world of post-modern American materialism. With the dissolution of traditional values, can love and marriage survive? What is the meaning of fidelity? Is it even important? In "Barbarian Invasions", Arcand reunites the same cast of intellectual, philosophical men and women, and plays out some of the issues raised in "Decline...", but this time the stakes are higher. Remy is dying of cancer. His son, Sebastien, has come back to Montreal to make his peace with the old man, and see to his care. His old friends gather warmly, to celebrate friendship, and honor his life. It is a bitter sweet passage, filled with even more ambivalence than "Empire...". Utterly intriguing.
REMY GIRARD, STEPHANE ROUSSEAU, DOROTHEE BERRYMAN, LOUISE PORTAL, DOMINIQUE MICHEL, YVES JACQUES, MARIE-JOSEE CROZE, MICHELINE LANCTOT, MITSOU GELINAS
Sometimes powerful drama about a young girl who dreams of a better life-- and is willing to take risks to achieve it. She agrees to be a "mule", to carry pellets of cocaine in her stomach to New York. The drug dealer isn't evil incarnate. Like her, he's just trying to make some money. But the two men waiting for her and her friend and another girl in New York are not as reasonable. When one of the girls doesn't readily regurgitate or pass the pellets, there are dire consquences. When Maria flees, she ends up getting help from a Columbian expatriate, Orlando Tobin, who does the same in real life.
CATALINO SAND MORENO, YENNY PAOLO VEGA, JOHN ALEX TORO, PATRICIA RAE
Sequel to the intriguing "Before Sunrise", in which Ethan Hawke and July Delpy play cross-cultural lovers. In this installment, they are reunited as Jesse tours Europe promoting a book he has written on the events covered in "Before Sunrise". Celine comes to the book-signing in Paris. They had lost contact because he never did get her address, and one of the suspenseful factors here is -- who did or didn't show up for the six-month promised rendevous? As in "Before Sunrise", most of the movie consists of talk between two intelligent, thoughtful, passionate individuals, who reflect on their lives, on what they look for in relationships, on the meaning of love. If the story is a trifle contrived-- they are both "available"-- the discussions are so interesting you don't mind.
ETHAN HAWKE, JULIE DELPY
Truly amazing, technically amateurish, striking debut by Richard Linklater, depicting a bleak and amazing day among a subculture of outcasts and misfits in Dallas. Most of the performers are amateurs, and not particularly brilliant, but some scenes are amazing because of Linklater's demended conspiracy-theory obsessions and the unexpected charm of a move that relies so purely on dialogue for the advancement of the non-story. The version we saw at home was a VHS copy with bad soundtrack. I would presume that a better copy would improve in that area, but the sound is probably originally recorded with some technical flaws. For example, footsteps in an apartment keep drowning out the voices.
RICHARD LINKLATER, RUDY BASQUEZ, BOB BOYD
Jesse is travelling by train to Vienna, from whence to depart back to America, after an unsatisfying and broken trip through Europe. His girlfriend dumped him in Spain. Celine is on her way to school. They mneet, begin talking, take a liking to each other. Jesse proposes that Celine get off the train with him in Vienna and spend one day together. No obligations, no weighty involvement. Just an extraordinary day together in Vienna, and a night, and then... never see each other again? The film consists almost entirely of their dialogue, along with some sparkling encounters with others, some rich experiences, and the tension of the building relationship. Though at times you wish for a more mature hand at the director's wheel, the film is so rich with personal meaning and emotional interplay that it becomes riveting and satisfying.
JULIE ELPY, ETHAN HAWKE, KARL BRUCKSHWAIGER, ERNI MANGOLD, KURTI
The second half of Taratino's masterful homage to martial arts films, film noire, and a thousand outher elements of American junk culture. Every frame of this film for the first hour or so is reveting. Highly original use of colour, motion, desaturation, and sound. Won't get consideration for it, but should be nominated for an oscar as best film and best director, wehn the time comes.
UMA THURMAN, DAVID CARRADINE, MICHAEL MADSEN, DARYL HANNAH, MICHAEL PARKS
Controversial, unpleasant, hostile but absolutely unique film about a small town in the Colorado mountains during the depression, and the way the citizens at first welcome then abuse a beautiful girl on the run from the law. Filmed entirely in a studio, using chalk markings to demarcate the individual houses and even pets. All actors are on stage at all times, visible through their transparent walls.
NICOLE KIDMAN, BEN GAZZARA, LAUREN BACALL, PATRICIA CLARKSON
Lesser Altman, but still Altman. A close-up look at the day-to-day lives of a group of ballet dancers in Chicago, members of the Joffrey Ballet Company, and their trials and tribulations. You must like ballet if you want to enjoy sitting through the entire movie-- I did and I did. And Neve Campbell gets a big thumbs up for accepting a relatively minor role even though she was the producer of the film. She seemed to accept that the film would be better with Altman judging the over-all balance of performance components.
NEVE CAMPBELL
This is a dysfunctional family. Phil is an overweight taxi-driver who sleeps in too late every day to make an serious money, and who can't seem to manage his own family, let alone the household budget. Penny is his wife, who works at a grocery check-out counter. She's the only one in the family who isn't fat, but she has begun to lose her feeling for Phil. Their son Rory lays on the couch and watches television and eats all day. When he plays soccer with some neighborhood kids, he gets into a fight and is accused of bullying. Rachel works in a nursing home, putting up with the sexualy insinuating conversations of a fellow worker, a war veteran. They live in something that looks like a housing project, though it's not nearly as run-down. They fight, scream, cry, and flail away at life, frustrated and depressed by how things have turned out for all of them. There is a crisis and a low-key resolution. This film is so bitingly real, that it is unlike anything else you will see this year. It is powerful, if a little slow-moving at times, and haunting. The acting is absolutely convincing, with the possible exception of the ending, when Penny must accept or reject Phil, and both devolve into copious tears. It's not jarring, but a bit broad, and bit more demonstrative than you will see in real life, which is odd for this film.
TIMOTHY SPALL, LESLEY MANVILLE, ALISON GARLAND, JAMES CORDEN, RUTH SHEEN, MARION BAILY
Wes Anderson is without a doubt one of the most extraordinary directors working today. Not only are his films unpredicatable and wildly unusual-- they constantly raise questions about traditional expectations about what a character will or will not do. Not only does he shatter Hollywood cliches, but he turns around and inverts cliches about challenging Hollywood cliches. Max Fischer is a student at Rushmore. It's what he wants to do more than anything else, and he even says he'd like to be a student at Rushmore for all of his life. Unfortunately, he an academic failure, though he also writes plays and participates in almost every club imaginable. His best friend, Dirk, acts as a kind of retainer secretary. He befriends a wealthy businesman, Herman Blume (Bill Murray), who gives a cynical but franks speech at an assembly. But he is also smitten with Rosemary Cross, a teacher at a local elementary school, who wrote down a striking piece of wisdom in a Jacques Cousteau book that Max happened to check out of the library. In the course to pursuing Rosemary, Max creates ripples of disturbances, among his friends and classmates, and Rushmore itself, and he is expelled. Nothing flows as predicted. He is expelled but it's not an unjust expulsion, and the principal, Nelson Guggenheim (Brian Cox) rather likes him. Max's dad is reasonable and sweet. Rosemary tells Max frankly that she could never have a relationship with him-- it's on the table immediately, instead of skulking below the surface as you might expect. His rival for Rosemary (one of them), Peter, an intern, is rather nice and pleasant to Max even after he has been rude to him. Another example of how clever by half Anderson is, he uses cheesey songs from the '60's-- and some good ones-- to maximum effect by playing them loud. They aren't background. When Donovan's "Jersey Thursday" gets this kind of full frontal exposure, you think, for a moment, that it's a brilliant song-- but it isn't. It just works. As in "The Royal Tenebaums", characters in Rushmore seemed to have steered themselves into ruts and have trouble getting out, but they might, and things might go well, but then again, they might not. It's clear that Max at least does things-- he plunges in, with all his energy and passion, and that is what clearly keeps his circle of friends and acquaintances admiring and respectful, even as he sometimes alienates them with his demands. A remarkable, charming, delightful film.
JASON SCHWARTZMAN, BILL MURRAY, OLIVIA WILLIAMS, SEYMOUR CASSEL, BRIAN COX, LUKE WILSON, DIPAK PALLANA, STEPHEN MCCOLE, SARA TANAKA, MASON GAMBLE
Absolutely rivetting tragic documentary about a former street kid, Sandro De Nascimiento, who took passengers hostage on a bus he was trying to rob in June 12, 2000. Sandro has a gun and the police are disorganized and confused and generally incompetent. As the drama unfolds over about 4 hours, the film recounts Sandro's personal history, the murder of his mother when he was 8, his life on the streets, his incarcerations and escapes, his drug use, and his survival of the infamous Candelaria Massacre of street children in 1992 (he was sleeping among the group that was attacked probably by off-duty police). Builds to an inevitable but stunning climax. In Portugese with English subtitles.
Talk about being in the wrong place and the wrong time. Not only is Berlin resident Felice Schragenheim Jewish, and female-- she's also a lesbian, who happens to fall for a sturdy German housewife, Lilly Wust, mother of four children, and husband of a soldier in the Wehrmacht. To call this affair "ill-fated" is to call the pope catholic. Based on a true story, by Lilly, who survived the war and lived into the late 1990's in Berlin, Aimee and Jaguar are the pet names Lilly and Felice gave each other. Felice, amazingly, is a secretary to the editor of a Nazi newspaper, while feeding information to the underground, and shoot pornographic photos for the troops. She is a party girl, a charmer, funny and witty and exuberant, you can see why Ilse, her lover, becomes jealous of Lilly's relationship with her. (Remarkably, the film does not conceal the fact that Lilly probably contributed to Felice's doom with a well-meant but thoughtlessly stupid act after Felice had been arrested.) You don't get the sense-- really odd here-- that the film presents any kind of romanticized or homogenized view of Lilly. It's pretty straight. Perhaps because she did far worse things that she continues to conceal, or, more likely, because as an aging, spirited woman, Lilly didn't care what people thought of her. Either way, the story is carefully balanced, beautifully unfolded, touching and compelling.
MARIA SCHRADER, JULIANE KOHLER, JOHANNA WOKALEK, ELISABETH DEGEN, HEIKE MAKATSCH, DETLEV BUCK
The Japanese original of the creepy "Ring". Unusually, this time the original is not as creepy or edgey as the Hollywood remake. The same basic storyline, even some of the same basic scenes, but doesn't build quite as intensely. A very, very clever story that hangs together well right up to the exceptionally rich twist at the end.
NANAKO MATSUSHIMA, MIKI NAKATANI, YUKO TAKEUCHI, HITOMI SATO
Highly entertaining legendary first film by Robert Rodriguez, about a guitar player mistaken for a gangster. Shot for about $3,000 (allowing for exaggeration and Hollywood spin), the film is remarkably entertaining, paced well, and well-edited.
Remarkably compelling story of Jeffrey Wigand, a former tobacco company scientific research and vice-president, who was fired, and eventually agreed to spill the beans, about the tobacco industries admitted knowledge of the addictive properties of nicotine-- to CBS's 60 Minutes. The first half of the story focusses on Wigand and the personal costs of his decision. The second half becomes a bit iconography-- Lowell Bergman, the producer whose determination saw the story through a number of obstacles, is rather sainted. The story exaggerates his role in the Wall Street Journal's decision to pick up the story after CBS executives ordered 60 Minutes to drop it. Absolutely essential for understanding self-censorship and control of U.S. media-- even 60 Minutes was afraid of Big Tobacco for a time. Superlative performances by every one.
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, AL PACINO, RUSSELL CROWE, DIANE VENORA, PHILIP BAKER HALL, LINDSAY CROUSE, MICHAEL GAMBON, RIP TORN, BRUCE MCGILL
Incredibly prosaic and exquisitely mundane film about an aging couple, Shukishi and Tomi Hirayama, who travel from their small rural town, Onomichi, to Tokyo to visit their son, Same, a doctor, and his wife, and their daughter, Shige, who runs a beauty salon, and her husband, and the widow of another son. They discover that their children are self-absorbed, polite, but not attentive. The children send them off to a spa for a few days-- to get them out of the way-- but the spa is too noisy and they return to an ambivalent welcome. Ironically, their widowed daughter-in-law, is the kindest to them. They return, a little saddened and disillusioned, to their home village, where the mother becomes ill, and the children must return to her bedside. Everything in this movie is subtle and low-key. The children are dutiful and polite, but not very caring. The daughter-in-law, Noriko, is kind, but lavishly kind. There is little outward emotion expressed in the film, but the story builds so carefully, completely, and delicately, that the conclusion is shattering. Beautifully filmed. Yes, it's about the deteriation of the family unit in post-war Japan, but Ozu resists simplification. Tokyo Story shows that things could not remain as they were, but sheds a tear for the loss of family intimacy, the distance between family members, in the modern, mobile, self-absorbed family.
CHISHU RYU, CHIEKO HIGASHIYAMA, SETSUKO HARA, HARUKO SUGIMURA, SO YAMAMURA, KYOKO KAGAWA, EIJIRO TONO
Searing portrait of a rebellious thirteen-year-old girl, based on the reminiscenses of Nikki Reed, who also plays the role of Evie Zamora, who, in the film, leads Tracy Freeland (9Evan Rachel Wood) astray. There's no concealling the fact that Tracy's mother's life isn't all that much better than the disaster she appears headed for: mother drinks, is divorced, scrapes by doing some babysitting and hairdressing, and has no idea what Tracy does with her spare time. Tracy's motives are obviously peer-acceptance, with some family issues thrown in (Dad is neglectful; mom is manipulative), but the causes of her behavior are, thankfully, not much elucidated upon. "Thirteen" is mostly just about the nightmare Tracy inflicts upon her mother, her self-destructive impulses, and the chaotic world of adolescent girl-hood in America. Superbly acted. The cinematography is more than occasionally contrived and annoying.
EVAN RACHEL WOOD, NIKKI REED, HOLLY HUNTER, JEREMY SISTO, BRADY CORBET, DEBORAH UNGER
There's an odd story about a previous version of this film, from 1940, starring Anton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard, and Frank Pettingell. Apparently, MGM tried to have all negatives of the 1940 version destroyed when they released this, the 1944 version. At least some critics think that that is because the 1940 version was superior. In any case, the 1944 version with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer is superb, taught, compelling, and fastidiously filmed in a good way. Think about the challenge of trying to depict a husband trying to drive his wife mad. How would he do it? You think, as you watch this, precisely as Charles Boyer did it-- by pretending to have your wife's best interests at heart while slyly noting that she had become forgetful and delusional on occasions. The pinnacle of this approach is when she seems to have taken his watch and put it in her purse, a fact he discovers at a music recital-- the poor woman has to be led from the room in hysterics, most of which are actually rooted in her awareness of how he is manipulating her. The ending is cheesey. Looks like they wanted the image of Ingrid holding a knife to Boyer's throat in there somewhere, and the only way they could reach it was to stage a rather preposterous sequence wherein a detective leaves a suspected murderer alone, tied to a chair, in the attic, so whis wife can have a word or two with him. Surprise-- that's a very young and sexy Angela Lansbury playing Nancy, the maid. And she's very good. Marvelous film, a classic. Based on the play by Patrick Hamilton.
INGRID BERGMAN, CHARLES BOYER, JOSEPH COTTEN, DAME MAY WHITTY, ANGELA LANSBURY, BARBARA EVEREST
Outstanding remarkable documentary on a family torn apart by accusations of child molestation against the father. But this family is already severely dysfunctional and the pressures of the prosecution, against a son as well, create unbearable tensions for the whole family. Undoubtedly, Arnold Friedman, the father, is guilty of something-- or is he? Hard to be sure. What is beyond question is the incompetence of the presecuting attorneys.
Not very many movies tackle the inner-city life and culture of the black community with any degree of authenticity. For that alone, 8 Mile deserves special praise, but this is also a well-directed, well-acted drama about a young man's struggle for self-respect under caustic circumstances. Famously played by Eminem, Jimmy Smith jr. ("Rabbit") is a budding rap artist, competing against tougher, rougher blacks, in Detroit. He tries to keep his job at a manufacturing plant, and his girl, while living with his mother in a trailer park. Mother has taken in a jerk, but not all of Jimmy's troubles are the result of external circumstances. He himself is volatile, temperamental, and abrasive. Exceptional.
EMINEM, KIM BASINGER, MEKHI PHIFER, BRITTANY MURPHY, EVAN JONES
Amazing drama/documentary about Harvey Pekar, a friend of Robert Crumb's, an all-american shlep who became famous for his stories about his own personal life and frustrations, illustrated by Crumb and others. Pekar even appeared on Letterman several times (before a melt-down on-air), but never seemed to make enough money to quit his crummy job at a VA hospital in Cleveland. The film is an odd combination of dramatized episodes and actual on screen interviews with Pekar himself and some of family and friends. The movie tries to make drama out of his bout with testicular cancer, but the interesting part is Pekar's own "everyman" experiences, his caustic, irreverent wit, and the compelling story of how he and his third wife, "adopted" the daughter of one of his illustrators. Best double feature with: Crumb.
PAUL GIAMATTI, JAMES URBANIAK, HOPE DAVIS
Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, an aging film star from Hollywood in Tokyo to film some commercials for whiskey. Scarlett Johansson, who played the soulful counterpoint in "Ghost World", is Charlotte, the wife of a hip rock'n'roll photographer, staying in the same hotel. Harris spots her in the elevator one day and finds her face intriguing. After bumping into each other in the hotel bar, they begin talking, and talking, and spending time together. This is what the movie is about-- their relationship, which begins to touch on the most important issues in their live, and how they ease each others' disillusionments for a short time. Murray is absolutely superb-- the kind of marvelous, nuanced performance you sometimes see from a great comedic talent after they jettison the mannerist baggage from their careers and focus on character and feeling. Johansson is compelling as a thoughtful, curious, sensitive soul, who likes Harris' attention (and is hurt when he beds a lounge singer instead of her) but isn't quite sure where the relationship fits. She doesn't know the man she married, but "Lost in Translation" is too honest to force the story into a pat ending. This is a gentle, intelligent, lyrical film that deserves to be seen twice.
BILL MURRAY, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, GIOVANNI RIBISI, ANNA FARIS
Exquisite and moving Japanese fantasy about a little girl lost in a kind of underworld of gods and spirits. To survive, a little boy advises her, she must seek work in the bathhouse of the gods, where she meets an array of terrifying and amazing creatures. The ruler of the bathhouse, Yubaba, tolerates her for a while, but is determined to turn her into a pig and eat her eventually. Chihiro (the little girl) also makes friends with Lin, who helps her find her way. One of her jobs is to assist a horrible monster with his bath, and this sequence, one of the movie's best, is remarkable. She discovers a "thorn"-- actually a bicycle handle-- in his side, which Yubaba orders her to remove. All the attendents pitch in and a cascade of pollution gushes from the monster. I saw both the Japanese version subtitled into English, and the english-dubbed version, and preferred the subtitles. Language is not a neutral transport of ideas-- it works better with Japanese sounds and syntax.
Very entertaining "small" movie about a high school election for student council president. Reese Witherspoon is Tracey Enid Flick who is running for president. She is a natural leader, an over-achiever, who actually is nice if somewhat insufferable. Up against her is Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) who broke his leg in a ski accident and was persuaded by a teacher, James McAllister (Matthew Broderick) to enter the race. Motives are a bit shadey here. McAllister doesn't like the toadying Tracey, thought it's never very clear why. And Tammy Metzler (Jessica Campbell) enters the race against her brother as revenge for a broken lesbian relationship. Not what I expected. The film is wonderfully shot, and the sound is remarkable for it's astute use of background music and incidental noises to set atmosphere and even build suspense. This is a smart film that doesn't give in to obvious temptations. The teachers and principal are about what you'd expect from a real school, and most students behave as most students really do. Even Tracey's affair with a teacher is handled with tact and impressive restraint. And "Election" is not a heavy-handed political allegory either. It stays with it's likeable, fully-dimensioned characters right to the end.
MATTHEW BRODERICK, REECE WITHERSPOON, LOREN NELSON, CHRIS KLEIN, PHIL REEVES, MARK HARELIK, JESSICA CAMPBELL
Adam Sandler is Barry Egan, a small self-employed businessman, with "issues". Emily Watson is great. She gives Egan these slow, lingering, assessing looks, and you can see how she becomes a centre of calm sanity in his life. Brilliant, unusual film, with extraordinary sensibilities of time and space. The camera lingers and hangs and follows complete motions-- Barry running down the alley behind his warehouse, to his desk, back to the door, back to the road, or looking for an apartment, or carrying a harmonium to this desk. Very daring, intriguing film, about the the intoxication of feeling of the title. Large meaning in small moments.
ADAM SANDLER, EMILY WATSON
Pacino plays an LA cop sent to Alaska to help with a murder case, of a young girl. What makes this film unusual is that we not only realize who the murderer is fairly quickly, but we see that the Pacino character himself has layers of duplicity, and even self-doubt. The suspense is provided by Hilary Swank as an upright local officer, who begins to doubt LA cop's integrity. The usual stupid Hollywood ending, but well-written, and well-acted. Pacino is particularly good.
AL PACINO, HILARY SWANK
Polanski's masterpiece based on true story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist and his astounding story of survival in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. I believe Polanski even set out to make a corrective to the compromised "Schindler's List". No cheap moments in "The Pianist", no child in a red coat, no weeping over a grave, no gathering of grateful people. Polanski made a large point of being as faithful to the real history as possible, especially since he himself survived the occupation of Warsaw as a child.
John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote the music and lyrics for Chicago, and with Bob Fosse created Cabaret. The lineage is there but Chicago is a discrete work with a kind of cynical edginess to it that even Cabaret couldn't match. The story is based on a play based on a book based on newspaper accounts of the real--life Chicago trials of Belva Gaetner, a show-girl who shot her lover, and Beaulah Annan. Both shot their married lovers who were trying to leave them. Gaertner famously quipped, about shooting men: "They aren't worth it. There are always plenty more". That that's the heart of Chicago.
RENEE ZELLWEGER, RICHARD GERE
I never liked Jerry Lewis' "acting" in the films in which he made his mark. He clowned by making idiotic expressions with his face and body and generally acting like a blithering idiot. For this, France has given him their highest honor in the arts and someone some day is going to have to try to give me a coherent explanation of that. But Lewis is brilliant in "The King of Comedy", and Sandra Bernhard steals every scene she's in in this under-rated comedy from Martin Scorsese. Rupert Pupkin (De Niro) is a tediously unfunny comedian who wants to take a shortcut to stardom by convincing television variety show host Jerry Langford (Lewis) that he is talented enough to be featured in his nationally broadcast late-evening show. He manages to trick his way into Langford's limo one night (with the help of Masha-- Bernhard) and makes his pitch. It is Scorsese's genius to imbue the subsequent events with an almost unbearable tension by making Langford, and his staff, as reasonable and reasonably accommodating as they can possibly be. You can see the wheels turning here-- they don't want to encourage upstarts to intrude on Langford's space, but they want to be reasonable, and they want to get Pupkin off their backs. So they accept his tape and review it and make some encouraging remarks and then, quite sensibly, urge him to polish his act in nightclubs before trying to leap to the big time. Langford's assistant even promises to attend one of his shows and you know that she means it. But Pupkin isn't satisfied with this arrangement. He really wants to supplant Langford overnight. So he kidnaps him and tries to blackmail the studio into putting him on the show. The King of Comedy is utterly plausible. You can see that Langford likes to occasionally walk in public and be recognized and doesn't want unnecessarily ham-fisted security around him all the time. And you see that they see what you see-- that Pupkin might be harmless, but always presents the potential for a truly deranged outburst. They stay back, while entertaining his propositions. The result is a fascinating, and sometimes very funny comedy about celebrity and fame. De Niro is the least funny actor I can imagine, except maybe for Clint Eastwood, but he's effective, and his odd relationship with Masha is believable and intriguing. Note-- according to commentary on the DVD, some of the scenes shot on the streets of NY were recorded as they happened, with people calling out to Jerry Lewis as he played Langford walking down the street.
ROBERT De Niro, JERRY LEWIS, DIAHNNE ABBOTT, SANDRA BERNHARD, SHELLEY HACK
Somebody finked on Monty Brogan and he is convicted of dealing in narcotics and receives a seven year sentence. 25th hour dramatizes his last 24 hours of freedom as Brogan (Edward Norton) evaluates his options, and his life, and considers who it is that might have finked on him. He ruminates, in disturbing detail, about what will happen to a skinny, weakling white boy like himself in a state prison, cast to the wolves. His two close friends privately discuss how he will never recover from prison, and their comments are knowing, streetwise, and shattering in a way that no prison movie has ever achieved. Frank, whose apartment overlooks the remains of the World Trade Centre, considers how disproportionate the punishments are for drug-dealers and for businessmen who bilked people out of their pensions. At least, he observes, the drug user knows what he's getting for his money. His other friend, Jacob, a nerdish high school teacher, considers putting the make on a student of his whom he thinks is flirting with him. He is tempted though he knows that society reacts almost as hysterically to men who abuse positions of trust for sex as they do to drug dealers. Another of Frank's observations: currency dealers could throw tens of thousands of people out of work without suffering the slightest approbation. A remarkable movie, the first I know of to openly consider the results of 9/11, the moral implications of Enron, and the harshness of our drug laws, frankly, honestly, and disturbingly.
EDWARD NORTON, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, BARRY PEPPER, ROSARIO DAWSON, BRIAN COX
Spike Lee is one of the five best directors in America and this film demonstrates why in every respect. A hot day in Brooklyn ending in tragedy at Sal's pizzaria, when misunderstandings, anger, and tension boil over into an unfortunate confrontation. Absolutely rivetting because it is so obviously like something Hollywood has ever done.
SPIKE LEE, DANNY AIELLO, JOHN TUTURRO, OSSIE DAVIS, RUBY DEE, JOHN SAVAGE
Powerful, depressing film about misfortune, hubris, and destructive passion. Naomi Watts is a greaving housewife, Sean Penn is dying of cancer, and an ex-con, Benicio Del Toro, is the culpable driver. They collide in a disaster that is partly the result of guilt and partly the result of arrogance. Great performances, especially by Watts. The 21 grams refers to some kind of myth about the weight of the human soul leaving the body.
NAOMI WATTS, SEAN PENN, DANNY HUSTON, BENICIO DELTORO
Michelle and Elizabeth are the two grown-up daughters of Jane Marks. Annie is an adopted black girl who has also joined the family. Jane decides to get liposuction, which leads to one of many crises that seem to flow naturally from one incident to another in this story. Well-acted, well-filmed, and honest and occasionally raw. There is an amazing scene in which Emily Mortimer playfully asks her lover to tell her if there are any imperfections in her body. He reluctantly starts, then grows in enthusiasm, as if pleased to have risen to the challenge. But the look on Mortimer's face is stunning-- but very subtle. A flat, trifling, but devastating wave of disappointment and hurt crosses her eyes. It's actually heart-breaking. Really about what is beautiful and desirable but mostly from the point of view of women disappointed in themselves.
CATHERINE KEENER, BRENDA BLETHYN, EMILY MORTIMER, RAVEN GOODWIN, JAKE GYLLENHAAL
Amazing, hilarious documentary about Americans and their obsessions with guns.
Lee Holloway has some problems. She is emotionally unstable, self-destructive, and timid. She takes a job as a secretary to E. Edward Gray, an arrogant lawyer with his own problems. When he spanks her after she botches the spelling on a letter, their relationships comes to life. She discovers that she likes being spanked, and she likes him. He plays the game, but is apparently unsure of whether he is really interested in her, or just interested in being sadistic, and feeling the grim satisfaction of taking out his frustrations on a ready victim. Not as tacky or sensationalistic as it sounds, Lee's emotional development is carefully nurtured along by the plot, and her final triumph is a defiant assertion of personal emotional fulfillment against political correctness.
JAMES SPADER, MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, LESLEY ANN WARREN, STEPHEN MCHATTIE, OZ PERKINS, AMY LOCANE
Very intriguing low-budget film about a disturbed teenager who has visions of a giant rabbit. The rabbit, Frank, tells him that the world is going to end in 28 days.
MARY MCDONNELL
Striking film about a woman from Canada who tries to find her sister in Afghanistan before she commits suicide because of the hopelessness of her life under the Taliban. Fresh and unusual and compelling, particularly for the scenes of Islamic traditions and practises that are rarely seen on Western television.
Strong Woody Allenesque comedy/drama about the vicissitudes of love and romance in New York, focussing on a group of interconnected people seeking, finding, and losing partners. Has an improvisational feel to it and definitely owes a lot to Allen films, especially Manhattan. But fresh and interesting and well-acted.
STANLEY TUCCI, EDWARD BURNS, PENNY BALFOUR, MICHAEL LEYDON-CAMPBELL, HEATHER GRAHAM, DENNIS FARINA
Extremely unusual film-- an art film musical with dancing workers and downtrodden-- with Bjork as Selma Jezkova, a single mother with a really hard life. She is cheated of her savings for her son's eye operation by a neighboring cop (her own eyesight is deteriorating) and ends up going to extreme lengths to recover the money. If only the movie hadn't strayed quite so far into melodrama, it might have been a gem, a rather intriguing combination of forms. But by the time you get through the two hours of over-wrought tragedy and self-flaggelation, it becomes a bit too much. Bjork is fine-- audacious-- and the cinematrography is more than interesting. But "over the top" might be the applicable phrase here.
BJORK, CATHERINE DENEUVE, DAVID MORSE, PETER STORMARE, JOEL GREY, CARA SEYMOUR
The usual outstanding Altman style, utterly compelling because it is so devoid of Hollywood artifice and predictability. Set in an English manor in the early 20th century, dramatizes the decline of class and corruption of privilege. Uniformly wonderful acting performances and Altman's incomparable style. What's it about? Ostensibly a murder, but really about class and privilege.
MAGGIE SMITH, MICHAEL GAMBON, KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, CAMILLA RUTHERFORD, CHARLES DANCE, TOM HOLLANDER, BOB BALABAN, ALAN BATES, HELEN MIRREN, DEREK JACOBI, EMILY WATSON, STEPHEN FRY, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Bitty Smitty
Gene Hackman plays Royal O'Reilly Tenenbaum, a bad father, and an "asshole", who suddenly decides he wants his family back together. Why? Because he's dying, maybe, of stomach cancer (which doesn't stop him from scarfing down three cheeseburgers a day). So he weasel's his way back into his wife's house (they aren't divorced yet) and brings about a family reunion, of three children and an important family friend-- four of the most dysfunctional people imaginable. Ben Stiller is Chas, a prodigious money manager whose youthful investments were pilfered by Royal. Gwyneth Paltrow is Margot, a writer who smokes (her family hasn't noticed) and is married to Bill Murray (Raleigh St. Clair), and may have an incestuous desire for her brother Richie (Luke Wilson), a star tennis player who broke down in the middle of his biggest match. Eli, who has a thing for Margot, is the family friend, a writer of pulp westerns. "Madcap" doesn't do the movie justice. The story rushes like a roller coaster through one crisis to another, never letting up until it reaches it's hysterical conclusion. Never do you detect the cast and crew stopping to admire themselves-- it rolls on to the next confrontation, disaster, or revelation. Terrific film. Reminds me of Altman and Mike Leigh, though it is more frantic and bizarre than either of them.
BEN STILLER, GWYNETH PALTROW, OWEN WILSON, LUKE WILSON, GENE HACKMAN, ANJELICA HUSTON, DANNY GLOVER, BILL MURRAY, KUMAR PALLANA, ALEC BALDWIN
The usual Altman-- utterly compelling, unusual drama with a stellar cast.
Very lively, playful, and imaginative story about a waif, Amalie, living in Paris, who decides to be a force for good in the world, and begins with those around her. We learn that her mother was a harsh disciplinarian who prevented Amelie from having friends, and her was an unaffectionate but likable doctor (who never hugged his daughter). Amalie kidnaps her father's gnome and sends it on a 'round the world excursion. She nudges a lonely clerk into a relationship with a jealous former lover of a waitress she works with. She takes revenge on a cruel grocer. Most of all, she flashes those beautiful eyes and charms her way through various misadventures. What is it with the strain of "chaos theory" on film in recent European films? From Kieslowsky's "Red" to "Run Lola Run", European directors seem recently enamoured with the idea that the tiniest little variation in events can have enormous consequences. In Amelie, it is when she drops a bottle stopper after hearing that Princess Diana has died. It dislodges a tile which reveals a little box with several keepsakes in it. She decides to track down the owner, which leads her into her other misadventures. As in other recent European films, the style is free-wheeling and inventive. Photographs talk, and we sometimes see what Amelie is thinking. And, as in the same director's earlier "Delicatessen", there is a scene in which a couple's vigorous sex causes ripples throughout a building. Not everything works out. The jealous man remains jealous. But her father embarks on his own journey, and she starts a relationship with a young man who collects rejected photos from photobooths. Very likeable, witty, and wry. Doesn't insult your intelligence or smoothery you in phoney emotions. Crisp and charming.
AUDREY TAUTOU, MATHIEU KASSOVITZ, RUFUS, YOLANDE MOREAU, ARTUS DE PENGUERN, URBAIN CANCELIER, MAURICE BENICHOU, DOMINIQUE PINON, CLAUDE PERRON
Uniquely terrifying and unusual horror film about a strange video tape that falls into the hands of some teenagers out for a weekend of fun at a cottage. After playing it and watching it's strange disjointed images, a phone call informs the viewers that hey are going to die in one week. And apparently they do die. Naomi Watts plays Rachel Keller, the aunt of one of the victims, and a journalist, who hears the story, watches the video anyway, and then investigates. She uncovers a creepy story about a rancher and his wife and daughter. Well-acted, and well filmed. Genuinely creepy.
NAOMI WATTS, NOAH CLAY, DAVID DORFMAN, BRIAN COX, JANE ALEXANDER, LINDSAY FROST, DAVEIGH CHASE
Ever since "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", astute directors have been aware of the plastic nature of time in a movie. The director can control the movement of time, the sequence of events, the audiences consciousness of time (as when an event that is supposed to occur in 60 seconds, for example, actually unfolds over five minutes). Run Lola Run is an enthralling exercise in the manipulation of time. Lola receives a phone call from her boyfriend, Manni. He is deep shit. Seems he had 100,000 marks from a drug deal in his hands and then he lost it, and his boss is probably going to kill him. He has twenty minutes to come up with the money. He tells Lola he is going to rob a store across the street but Lola urges him to wait until she gets there. She will find some way, anyway to get the money. And then she sets out, on foot, to her father, how has a high position with a German bank. And here the fun begins. When her first effort results in catastrophe, she says "stop" and time, magically, does stop. She starts again, with slight differences. On the way, numerous people-- some connected with the drug deal and some not-- are affected by her minute decisions (to dodge a car or jump over the hood? Go left or right around a gaggle of nuns?). In Run Lola Run, these diversions are more than just plot twists. The people she runs in to have their own desperations. They are also trapped in warped time, in which the sequence of events spins a web of consequence that can barely be controlled. There are subtle nuances to these diversions. Lola's father is making a profound decision about his personal life, and Lola discovers a shocking fact about him-- or doesn't, depending on a split second decision she makes as she runs to his office. This is a smart, exciting film that is one of a very, very few that is worth seeing twice.
FRANKA POTENTE, MORITZ BLEIBTREU, HERBERT KNAUP, NINA PETRI, ARMIN ROHDE, JOACHIM KROL, LUDGER PISTOR
Todd Solondz took some heat for the way his unusual characters in "Happiness" were portrayed. Was he exploring unusual indiosyncracies of some exotic personalities? Or was he exploiting people's fascination with dysfunctional humans? Exploitive? Storytelling is two movies in one. The first is about a college writing student who describes a rather brutal affair with her professor, and then reads the story to her class, with the professor present. Her class-mates ridicule the story, driving her to tears and she burst out-- "it happened!". The second is about a documentary film-maker doing a study of a dysfunctional family. But they don't know that they are dysfunctional. When the son who is the primary focus of the story stumbles into a screening and sees the audience roaring with knowing laughter as his comments about wanting to be a television star like Conan O'Brien, he observes that, well, the film is a hit. Fresh and imaginative and funny.
SELMA BLAIR, LEO FITZPATRICK, ROBERT WISDOM, MARIA THAYER, ANGELA GOETHALS, JOHN GOODMAN, PAUL GIAMATTI
There is a more than a little "Bonnie and Clyde" in this film, but Altman is such a distinctive stylist that you don't feel cheated by the resemblence. It's Altman's take on a caper film, on the misadventures of three interesting cons, and their relationships with thier girlfriends and families as they live life on the lam. Bowie (Keith Carradine) and Keechie (Shelley Duvall) are at the centre of the story. Their unlikely love affair begins when the three cons hideout at her gas station. As usually, Altman's film doesn't follow a predictable trajectory, and Keechie is never demeaned by her hodd, skinny physical appearance. There is a lot of authenticity in the delicate scenes between her and Bowie, and lot natural yearnings and sensibilities.
KEITH CARRADINE, SHELLEY DUVALL, JOHN SCHUCK, BERT REMSEN, LOUISE FLETCHER, ANN LATHAM, TOM SKERRITT, AL SCOTT, JOAN TEWKESBURY
Do we need another graphic illustration of how drug abuse can destroy your life? No, but do we "need" any movie, or novel, or poem? Requiem is more graphic and powerful than most, and features one of the most compelling faces in film, Jennifer Connelly, and one of the best actresses, Ellen Burstyn. It also has one of the most intriguing websites. It's about just how far people will go to satisfy urges and desires that arise from that nebulous centre of the soul, the real self, which doesn't necessarily seek what is good or pure or right, but what we need at any given moment. Sara Goldfarb (Burstyn) lives alone in her apartment, a dreary life that seems empty and pointless, until she is led to believe she has been selected to appear on a television gameshow. She begins to diet so she can fit into her best, most glamorous dress for the occasion, and resorts to diet pills to drop pounds. Her son, Harry, (Jared Leto), has stolen her television set (she pawned it back) to feed his own addiction to smack. He and his lover, Marion (Connelly) are on a vicious downward spiral of their own, and the movie shows us in graphic detail what they will do to feed their habit. And that's about it. It's awful, of course. The interest lies in the fresh personalities, and the link between Sara's addiction to television and diet pills and the false self-image she has been sold by tv, and the simpler, more direct appetites of Marion and Harry.
JENNIFER CONNELLY, ELLEN BURSTYN, JARED LETO, MARLON WAYANS, CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD, LOUISE LASSER
Terry Zwighoff directed the acclaimed documentary, Crumb, on the dysfunctional Crumb family featuring the acerbic but sometimes scary comic artist Robert Crumb. "Crumb" was brilliant so hopes were high for Ghost World. Based on Daniel Clowes comic book. Enid obviously has the chops but never quite cuts to the quick. Once you move past the disappointing lack of acid, the film is actually quite likable and tries to be quirky and definitely tries to be honest. There is no pie in the face at the end, and there is definitely aspirations to poetry, in the man, Norman, who waits eternally for a bus that never arrives, and Enid's own peculiar fade-out at the end, which reminded me not a little of Chaplin's wandering tramp. Enid's escapade in a fast-food outlet must have been tempting for some very broad, vicious humour, but Zwighoff stays within the characters. He is too honest to cheat reality for sensationalism. The result is more low-key but, in a way, more satisfying as Enid emerges as a well-rounded character with real and compelling aspirations. Watched again 2019-11-03: Really a rather exceptional study of existential despair. What I missed is the subtle but powerful indictment of modern culture: the film is full of references to corporate brands like Radio Shack and East Side Mario's, and snide references to chains and marketing and the drab, treacly, dreary reality of everyday life in America-- a true nod to Robert Crumb's cynical take that led him to move to France. Uncompromising in its vision, nobody gets off here. There is even a shot of a horizon clouded with electrical wires that evokes famous Crumb cartoon. Enid's cynicism, which can be grating at times, is exactly the point. It's corrosive and pointless at times-- something that Rebecca seems to realize, even as she says "some people are okay but mostly I just feel like poisoning everybody". She's destructive too, to almost everyone around her, and she begins to realize it. Everyone she knows is either pretentious and self-centred, or unlovable and isolated. Spoiler alert: kudos to Zwighoff for having the guts to have Enid have sex with Seymour, ruining his relationship with the charming Dana. And then that dark ending. Clowes claims he didn't consciously mean for the ending to suggest Enid's suicide, but doesn't discount the idea either (he suggests he may have unconsciously intended it).
THORA BIRCH, SCARLETT JOHANSSON, STEVEN BUSCEMI
Saw this at the Imax in Toronto. Not all of the additional material is brilliant, but an incredibly rich experience.
Very remiscent of "Bicycle Thief" or "Shoeshine"-- about a poor family in Iran struggling to get by. The young son loses his sisters only shoesand the two them decide to share his running shoes until they can get them back. Marvelous low-key film with remarkable performances from the children though I'm guessing that most of the tears were induced with glycerine. Straightforwardly filmed-- all the charm is in the details of life and the emotional involvement of the characters.
MOHAMMED AMIR NAJI, AMIR FARROKH HASHEMIAN, BAHARE SEDDIQI
Every few years a new animated feature raises the bar. Shrek is the latest. The animation is so good that at times you forget that the human figures are not real. It has reached the point where one rightly wonders why animate at all, at least, for the scenes that only involve interactions between human characters. The answer is really not all that complicated. You can do things in animation that you can't do with real actors. Although, the impressive achievements in special effects lately have altered that equation as well. Shrek is an ogre living in a smelly swamp somewhere. He likes being alone. He likes bathing in mud and farting in the pond. He enjoys nothing quite so much as peace and solitude. Later, we're given something of an explanation for his solitude, and yeah, it's pretty much what you'd expect. One day, Shrek's swamp is invaded by hundreds of fairy tale creatures, including Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, the three pigs, Cinderella, etc. Shrek is infuriated and when informed that they are there on the orders of Prince Farquaad, he sets out to demand an explanation. Farquaad convinces Shrek to set out on a quest in exchange for the removal of the fairy tale creatures: he is to rescue the Princess Fiona from a fire-breathing dragon who is holding her in a castle high above a lava river. Shrek sets out with his donkey sidekick to complete the quest. He succeeds but, inevitably, begins to fall in love with the spirited princess. There is a misunderstanding, of course, and a fight, and the princess prepares to marry the Prince Farquaad. And then, astonishingly, the melancholic chords of John Cale's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" begin and we are treated to an extraordinary moment of grace and beauty. At least one verse is omitted, but the effect is rather impressive. The story is funny, and the script is sharp and witty, and the animations, of course, are breath-taking. The parodies of Disney are cute and to the point. Extremely entertaining and amusing.
MIKE MYERS, JOHN LITHGOW, CAMERON DIAZ
Altman is as faithful to Chandler here as he is to anyone else who provides source material: it's just raw colors, pigments, like Marlowe's (Elliot Gould's) face, or the windows in Wade's mansion. This is a meandering, undpredictable, delicate, and trying experiment, mixing elements of film noire with Altman's post-modern sensibilities. Gould plays Philip Marlow, a private detective who leads an aimless kind of life in a gorgeous apartment next to four lovely "candle-dippers" who like to sunbathe topless and tell him what a nice neighbor he is. One night a friend of his, Terry Lennox (played by Jim Bouton, if you can believe it) drops by unexpectedly and begs him to drive him to Tijuana. When he returns, he finds out Lennox's wife has been murdered and he is suspected of aiding and abetting a felony by helping Terry Lennox escape. Shortly afterwards, he is off the hook when it is reported that Lennox committed suicide in Mexico. Complications ensue, including a possible affair between an alcoholic writer and Lennox's wife, and a dope dealer named Marty Augustine who is owed a considerable sum of money by Lennox. Those are the basic elements of the story, and Altman, as always, executes stylishly. You get the feeling that he is utterly unlike any other director in his insistence on taking the time he wants to make every shot, and to give the actors room to create their characters. I never much liked Elliot Gould in anything. I didn't dislike him, but, aside from M*A*S*H (another Altman film), I've always found him a bit supercilious and mannered. But the rest of the cast is outstanding, especially Sterling Hayden and Henry Gibson. The world Altman creates here bears study. It's a murky, post-modern world if there ever was one. What is the anchor that holds any character together in this, or any other Altman film? Why does Marlowe do what he does at the end-- surprising us-- why does he care? Part of the problem is Gould-- he doesn't give us that inner light that would tell us.
ELLIOT GOULD, STERLING HAYDEN, HENRY GIBSON, DAVID ARKIN, TERRY LENNOX, WARREN BERLINGER, MARK RYDELL, NINA VAN PALLANDT
This film was once selected by French critics as the best French film of the 20th Century. You can see why. It is the very definition of "fully realized", for it's era. It is spectacular and serious and profound, at times, but also romantic and sentimental. The story concerns Baptiste, a mime, and his career at French Theatre, and Frederick, an actor, who begins his career at the same time. They are both in love with Garance, a beautiful woman who also enters the stage, fortuitously. She has a third love: the Raskolnikovesque Lacenaire, a thief and genius, who writes plays, but also aspires to murder, out of principle. Garance-- standards of "beauty" evidently change-- she looks old to me-- is a free spirit, ahead of her time. She doesn't want to be tied to any man, though, in the end, it is clear that she is truly in love with one of them. Faced with charges of complicity in murder, she demonstrates an pragmatic, opportunistic streak, leaving Frederick and Baptiste to fulfill their careers without her for a time. There must be a subtext to this story-- it was produced in France in 1944-43 under the nose of Vichy. But it's not clear to me what exactly the subtext is, except that clearly audiences will attribute to the Nazis all the unattractive, authoritarian characteristics, and to themselves the libertarian values of Baptiste and Garance. But Lacenaire is a more complicated character-- a nihilist, who steals and murders and implicates Garance, and boldly confronts his own fate. Would I rate it France's best picture ever? It is certainly a great movie, and a classic, but it is also quite theatrical and occasionally pompous. As a movie, no.
ARLETTY, QEAN-LOUIS BARRAULT, PIERRE BRASSEUR, MARCEL HEMAND
Obviously inspired by the Republican jihad against Bill Clinton's sex life, the Contender is a well-written, thoughtful, meditative take on personal morality and public office. Karen Allen plays a nominee for Vice-President, a Senator, who may have taken part in group sex at a frat party once. The Republicans, slyly leaking documents and allegations so they don't appear to be "sensationalizing", try to use the information against her, and to place a more congenial Governor into the position of Vice President instead. This is a snappy, smart movie. It's walks the edge sometimes in terms of credibility, but most of the story is quite plausible, given what we know about recent presidents. This president swears a blue streak, as do many of the other politicians involved, but we know from the Watergate tapes that shocking language isn't a novelty in the Oval Office. Does the film cop out at the end? After arguing for two hours that a person's private sexual behavior has no place in public political discourse-- the movie wants to have it both ways. It's like arguing for acceptance of homosexuality while showing, at the end, that the person wasn't really homosexual after all. This is a movie that may not believe in it's own premise. Confirming that impression-- the President's ridiculously improbable speech to Congress at the end, demanding an immediate confirmation vote. After a very tight, very plausible script, this ending seems tacked on and phoney.
KAREN ALLEN, JEFF DANIELS
Powerful film about the effects of the drug trade on dealers, users, parents, and government and police. Superbly filmed and acted.
Very slow moving but elegant science fiction story about a mysterious planet that has the effect of calling forth memories from astronauts and bringing them to life. The story follows Kris Kelvin whose dead wife, Khari, is brought back to life-- and death-- by the mysterious landscape. This causes the other scientists at the base, Sartorius and Gibaryan, to question Kelvin's motives and rationality. Mysterious, contemplative, sometimes a bit tedious, but intriguing.
NATALYA BONDARCHUK, DONATAS BANIONIS, JURI JARVET, VLADISLAV DVORZHETSKY, NIKOLAI GRINKO, ANATOLI SOLONITSYN, SOS SARKISYAN
On May 6, 1828, a strange man appeared on the streets of Nuremberg. His name was Kasper Hauser and he could not speak or understand language and he seemed completely ignorant of even the simplest rules of social interaction. He was adopted into a local family and taught the rudiments of language and behavior, and eventually he revealled that he had been kept locked up for his entire life until then, until he mysteriously found himself in the Nuremberg town square. The story created a sensation, but the most shocking was yet to come. Hauser was found bleeding and wounded after a mysterious attack by unknown assailants. Eventually he was found murdered. This is one of Herzog's rawest, most energetic films, featuring a rivetting performance by Bruno S., who suffered from mental illnesses himself.
BRUNO S, WALTER LADENGAST, BRIGITTE MIRA, MICHAEL KROECHER
Ben Stiller plays a male nurse in love with a beautiful, charming teacher. He is about to propose to her when her sister announces her own wedding. Apparently, it is important, in this family, to get the consent of the father, played by Robert Deniro.
BEN STILLER
Beautiful and remarkable film about several people who have badly messed up their lives, and the potential for healing as each encounters a need from another, and odd coincidences. Well-acted, well-written, and exceptionally well directed. Even Tom Cruise plays well, as a ruthless self-help preacher who can't reconcile with his dying father (Robards). Best film of 1999? Probably.
TOM CRUISE, JULIANNE MOORE, PAT HEALY, GENEVIEVE ZWEIG, WILLIAM H. MACY, PHILIP BAKER HALL, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, JASON ROBARDS, JOHN C. REILLY, MELORA WALTERS
Kubrick's last film is about the integrity of the marriage relationship. Can it survive the truth when one partner discloses an imagined or possible infidelity? Nicole Kidman is the wife who almost cheated on her husband; Cruise is the husband, a doctor, who, we are to believe, was so demoralized and shocked by his wife's disclosed fantasies that he decides to take a walk on the wild side. This leads him to a strange club meeting in a huge, private mansion. He stumbles through a strange sequence of ritualized encounters that leads to someone's death. What's the point? You want to credit Kubrick with something here, because, on the surface, this appears to be a standard fable about infidelity-- you'll pay for it some day, a sentiment that seems a tad simplistic for this director's reputation-- for the director of "Lolita" and "Clockwork Orange". On the other hand, nothing in Kubrick's past suggests he wouldn't be sympathetic to this point of view.
TOM CRUISE, NICOLE KIDMAN
Powerful and haunting documentary about the Kuwait in the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion. Unforgettable images of flaming oil wells and ruined forests.
Four men set out to canoe a wilderness river before a new damn floods the area, destroying it's natural beauty. This romantic gesture sets off the tension in the film: these men are dilettantes, intruders, interlopers, with their own romantic delusions about nature. The famous "dualing banjoes" theme, with one of the men playing an impromptu duet with a mountain boy, foreshadows darker collisions. He wants to shake the boy's hand, and play another number, but the boy just looks away with an expression of malevolent ignorance. The four men set off and quickly become pleased with themselves after negotiating some mild rapids. They begin to act as if this wilderness life aint so challenging after all-- until they encounter a pair of hostile hunters. The disaster that follows is meant, I suppose, to tell us that nature is not benevolent or innocent. It is no eden of recovered virtue. The survivors are changed men. They have lost their innocence. And if that sounds a bit pat, so is the movie. The moral of this parable is laid on a little thick at times. Other moments-- Jon Voigt climbing the cliffs, for example, or Burt Reynold's wailing in pain in the canoe-- are pure Hollywood. A fine film, well-acted and filmed, and stocked with haunting moments, but not as edgy as it might have been.
JON VOIGT, BURT REYNOLDS, JAMES DICKEY
One of the more prominent "anti" westerns, follows Butch and Sundance as they flee Pinkerton's detectives all the way to Argentina and Bolivia, together with the mysterious Etta Place. A lot of the film is consumed with chase scenes, and a nebulous nostalgia for the "old" west. Some respect for actual fact is shown, along with some exaggeration and some tongue-in-cheek.
ROBERT REDFORD, PAUL NEWMAN, KATHARINE ROSS
Charming, lively film about Shakespeare, more than a little tongue-in- cheek on historical details. Beautiful sets and costumes, and a relatively fresh take on the old bard. Complicated plot that parallels numerous plays by the real Shakespeare, including women disguised as men and men disguised as women, falling in love with the disguised or undisguised counterparts, a nefarious high-born villain, and a feud between rival theatrical houses. All of which, of course, inspire the play, "Romeo and Ethel"-- er-- "Romeo and Juliet".
Raw and gutsy portrait of an aging professional wrestler at a crossroads. Mickey Rourke is
Mickey Rourke, Marissa Tomei, Rachel Evan Wood
Amazingly innovative comedy about a pathetic loser, who does puppet shows about Heloise and Abelard, who discovers a secret tunnel into-- John Malcovich. He also happens to be hot for Maxine, whom he lets in on the secret, and who persuades him to start selling access to it. All of this takes place in an office that is between floors, and only about 5 feet high, forcing everyone working in it to crouch. Craig Schwartz also has a wife, Lotte, who begins to suspect something is amiss. Maxine is less interested in Craig than in Lotte, at least, when Lotte is "John Malcovich". The complications are rich and endless culminating in a stunning sequence with Malkovich himself entering the complications. One of the best films of the year.
JOHN CUSACK, CAMERON DIAZ, NED BELLAMY, CATHARINE KEENER, JOHN MALKOVICH, ORSON BEAN, MARY KAY PLACE
Some films, like some great meals, are meant to experienced in one long, continuous sitting. The Leopard builds slowly, with stately progress, until it reaches a passionate climax in the final grand ball, and the dance between Prince Salina and Angelica, with echoes of what might have been had history not run it's course. (The movie takes place during the late 19th century and Garibaldi's attempts to unify Italy under a single monarch form the intrusive backdrop of the story.) Burt Lancaster, in his best role ever, was made for this role: the wise and wistful, fatalistic Prince Salina, who sees the tide turning on his class and his position in society, and makes the deal that will at least give his nephew some prospects in the coming republic. Angelica (Cardinale) is sometimes vulgar and earthy, but in her moments with the "leopard" she seems to simulataneously absorb and apprehend his graciousness. As with many films that wax nostalgiac about lost class and culture, the film encourages you to sympathize with the wrong side of history, from the Samauri to the antebellum mansions to the Leopard-- they glamourize the culture, position, and values of a society that also exploited and oppressed other races or classes. They rarely indulge in dramatization of their lot. The Leopard is guilty as well, but it's a lavish, exquisite film, with realistic but wistful appreciation of a bygone era.
BURT LANCASTER, CLAUDI CARDINALE, ALAIN DELON
Very, very slow, stately, gorgeous exploration of life on the underside in Kuala Lampur. A Chinese man is beaten by a gang, then rescued by a foreign worker who nurses him back to health. Meanwhile, a young woman tends the needs of a comatose man, while enduring abuse and exploitation by his family. Very picturesque, but dismal and dark, yet beautiful. I don't believe there is a single camera movement in the entire film. Mozart's music is featured prominently as this film was commissioned for some kind of commemoration of Mozart's 250th anniversay.
Beautifully filmed, mysterious, allusive film about the disappearance of three school girls at Hanging Rock, a tourist site in Australia. The film is less interested in explanations and clues than in the mysterious interactions between humans and the harsh, wild environment of the wilderness, and the submerged desires and affinities that drive people to irrational acts.
Beautifully written and acted drama about a striking woman named Judith Moore, played by Holly Hunter, coming to grips with getting dumped by her physician husband-- the man she gave up medical school to marry-- before finding out he didn't want children. Danny DeVito is Pat, the doorman, whose own daughter is dying, and whose wife has left him. The two connect, tentatively-- a lot of the fun in this movie is watching it avoid Hollywood convention. Some scenes happen only in Judith's head. Then you find out that a scene you thought only happened in her head actually happened. Just when it looks like the two will get together they don't. Then they do. Then they don't. Some scenes-- like the orgiastic dancing at the lesbian after hours club-- are contrived: everyone is gorgeous-- but then, we're not quite sure how much of it is Judith's fantasy. Extraordinary and unusual.
Danny DeVito, Holly Hunter, Queen Latifah, Martin Donovan, Elias Koteas
Universal Pictures' CEO, Ron Meyer, dropped this film when he became aware of the fact that it portrayed a pedophile as a human being-- that is, with realism and sensitivity. This film emerged with controversy after it's award winning screenings at Cannes and Toronto. Oddly enough, it comes off as far more refined and sensitive than you expect. The acting, first of all, is uniformly excellent. The structure of the film is reminiscent of Nashville, though Solondz isn't as daring or innovative as Altman. Allan is a shy computer data specialist who makes obscene phone calls and fantasizes about his neighbor, Helen. Helen is one of three sisters, the brilliant one, who has published novels and had extraordinary success in life. She has a sudden epiphany, finds her life hollow and inauthentic, and begins to enjoy obscene calls (from Allan). Her other sister, Trish, seems to be living the other American dream: a happy housewife with two children (though three are sometimes suggested), a successful husband, and social life. What she doesn't know is that her husband, Bill, a psychiatrist (who is treating boring Allen) is a nascent pedophile, lusting for some of his son's friends. The part of the film that some audiences find so shocking are the scenes of Bill being a good father to his son. These scenes are extremely well acted and written-- they are convincing. I suppose what people find offensive is the suggestion that a sinner could be honest and wise, and possibly redeemable. It offends our desire to see him strung up. Joy, the youngest sister, is a living disaster. The loser she breaks up with commits suicide (her co-workers argue about who he was and what he looked like) and her next lover robs her parents' house and beats his other girlfriend. Finally, we have Kristine, who lives down the hall from Allen, and Helen. She is immensely overweight and needy, yet she has a believable attractiveness that finally begins to have an effect on Allen, who finds Helen (hooked on his obscene calls, remember) too much to handle. The title, of course, is ironic. These characters are all miserable. Even more ironic than the title is the music, which sounds like it belongs on "Father Knows Best" or "Leave it Beaver"-- and I mean that in the nicest way. The music makes the movie work for me. It guides scenes from pathos to irony to comedy and finally, to black farce and tragedy. "Happiness" is, without a doubt, one of the most offensive films of the past few years. Lest you think this is a sign of the times, think back to Andy Warhol's "Bad", and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". But "Happiness" is far more sensitive, evocative, and meaningful than either of those. It is worth seeing, but not for everyone.
JANE ADAMS, CYNTHIA STEVENSON, LARA FLYNN BOYLE, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, DYLAN BAKER, BEN GAZZARA, LOUISE LASSER, JON LOVITZ, CAMRYN MANHEIM, RUFUS READ, JOSE RABELO, EVAN SILVERBERG,
Very strange, black and white, Swedish film about a brother and sister who live in New York as aristocrats by day, and vampires at night. Unusual camera effects and morbid scenarios, and sometimes compelling and allusive. Exploration of the dark side of human impulses. A film like this suggests that humans, beneath that thin veneer of civilization, are violent, craven animals, seeking gratification of their blood lusts at every opportunity.
ELINA LOWENSOHN, JARED HARRIS
What is unique about John Sayles' films, above everything else, is the robust humanity at the heart of his narratives. Yes, Sayles has some strong beliefs, about violence, and justice, and society, but he never loses sight of the fact that at the heart of every issue is a human being trying to live his or her life with dignity. Men With Guns is about a doctor-- his name is Fuentes, but no one in this film really goes by a name--who, facing retirement alone, decides to seek out some of the young idealists he trained for a special project, to provide medical care to the poor indigenous people of the mountains, far away from his comfortable city. He hears many rumours about what happened to them. A police Captain tells him that the guerrillas have killed or kidnapped them, and that the peasants make up stories about army atrocities to server their own purposes. His son-in-law laughs about the very idea of helping people who don't want help, and wouldn't be thankful for it in any case. He decides that he has to see for himself. His voyage of discovery is a painful eye-opener. Many of the villages he sent his charges to have been eradicated by the army. Villagers are intimidated or fearful. They tell him they never liked the doctor-- he wasn't "one of us". The army and police threaten him. He links up with a young orphan named Conejo, and a renegade priest, and an army deserter named Domingo. They introduce him to the real world, of brutality and ruthlessness, where power is held by "men with guns" who terrorize and exploit the people. While Sayles absolves no one, it is clear he has more sympathy for the guerrilla's than for the army. This could be any Latin American country in the 70's or 80's, where peasants are forced to grow coffee instead of food, and where the descendents of the Spanish have seized the land and driven the native population into the infertile mountainous regions. The doctor's quest, to find his "legacy" is frustrated in one sense, but Sayles never gives up on humanity. There are signs of hope at the end, especially in the redemptive act of the deserter, who learns something about the people he used to oppress. As in many of Sayle's films--particularly Mattewan--most of the actors are amateurs, selected primarily for their authenticity and honesty. There is little to be dissastisfied with. Sayle's never sells his stories short, or compromises his vision. He is clearly one of the most important directors in America today, yet he does his thing without Hollywood money and, generally, without big-name Hollywood talent. Some notes: Sayles is audacious-- this film is in Spanish (filmed in Mexico) with English subtitles, but don't let that put you off. The subtitles are very readable and the film tells most of its story in powerful visuals.
FREDERICO LUPPI, DAMIAN DELGADO, DAN RIVERA GONZALEZ, TANIA CRUZ, DAMIAN ALCAZAR, MANDY PATINKIN, KATHRYN GRODY
Made for just $25,000 (almost unbelievably), this brilliant update of CARNAL KNOWLEDGE is about two aggressive businessmen, Chad and Howard, who decide to wreck revenge on one vulnerable woman, a deaf secretary named Christine, to avenge all the dissatisfying relationships they have had with women in the past. Chad is almost psychopathic in his devotion to this cause, while Howard, who is really more inept with the opposite sex, has mixed feelings. Indeed, he begins to fall for the girl, while she falls helplessly in love with Chad. This is an emotionally brutal film, extremely well-written and acted, and sure to provoke interesting discussion. It allows women a rare glimpse into how a great many men actually feel about women. On another level, it is about business in general, the "company of men": Chad is as eager to cheat and lie to his customers and co-workers as he is to women. Does he hate women? Or does he really hate the world? It is suggested that he is covertly doing to Howard what he suggested they both do to Christine, and he "dresses down" another employ whom he feels hasn't "balls" enough to succeed in the business world. An intriguing, amazing film. See also CARNAL KNOWLEDGE for an equally vivid, and equally depressing, look at male/female relations.
AARON ECKHART, STACEY EDWARDS, MATT MALLOY, EMILY CLINE
True story of Don Lope de Aguirre, a commander under Gonzalo Pizarro during the Spanish exploration of South America in the 15th century. Hopelessly lost while searching for El Dorado, the city of Gold, Pizarro sends Ursua out with 40 men, including Ursua's wife, and Aguirre, and Aguirre's daughter Inez, to search for food and help. After disaster strikes when a raft is caught in a whirlpool, Aguirre successfully leads a rebellion against Ursua. They continue downstream hoping to find and capture El Dorado all by themselves. Aguirre proclaims that he himself with be King of El Dorado, and he will bring Spain itself to its knees with his power and might. Unfortunately, the reality is that a bunch of brave but foolish European soldiers are trapped in the jungles of South America without the slightest idea of how to deal with the hazards of nature or the deadly attacks of the natives with blow guns. One by one, soldiers are picked off, become ill, or desert. Aguirre becomes delusional and pathetic, drifting down the river on a raft of death, all the while proclaiming his domination of the world. Aguirre is at once a fascinating story of misadventure and disaster, and a metaphor for Europe's relationship with the new world. The native peoples, even those who offer friendship, are enslaved or killed. Nature is defied, in vain. The priest offers anemic rationalizations for their behavior. Ursua's wife stalks off in the middle of the jungle to meet her fate with the natives, rather than endure another day with Aguirre. A powerful, haunting story, which must have been a horrific filming experience for cast and crew. You see, hear, almost feel the jungle and smell the sweat of the men as they slog through swamps, down impossible glades, carrying Ursua's wife in a sedan chair. The dialogue is more than occasionally stiff: bad translation or weak script? Herzog also directed Nosferatu, which was more stylish and affecting than Aguirre.
KLAUS KINSKI, PETER BERLING, CECILIA RIVERA, HELENA ROJO, EDWARD ROLAND, DAN ADES, DEL NEGRO, RUY GUERRA
Early Kurosawa film about a petty bureaucrat at a city department whose life has been a monotonous sequence of evasion and trivial diversion until he finds out that he has less than a year to live because of "gastric cancer". He suddenly, desparately tries to make something meaningful out of his life, first by living to excess, with the guidance of a worldy novelist, and then by assisting a group of women who wish to build a park in their neighborhood. Kanji Watanabe is not a bad man, in his previous life, nor is he any good. His wife died when his son was very young and he refused to remarry in order to ensure a proper upbringing for his boy, Mitsuo. Through flash-backs, Kurosawa shows you the important details of Watanabe's life, and then, in an unusual shift, follows his funeral with more flashbacks, as his co-workers and city politicians discuss his accomplishments during the last few months of his life. They argue over whether he was really responsible for the success of the park, and whether the change in his life was due to his cancer, and if he even knew that he had it. His co-workers pledge to honor his memory by working with greater diligence to bypass red tape and bureacratic delays, but Kurosawa is no Capra. Not as sumptuously filmed as Kurosawa's masterpieces, but a significant and illuminating story about a subject rarely treated in popular film: old age, dignity, and mortality.
TAKASHI SHIMURA, NOBUO KANEKO, KYOKO SEKI, NOBUO NAKAMURA, YATSUKO ITO, MIKI ODAGIRI
Mike Leigh is beginning to accumulate a very impressive opus of distinctive, idiosyncratic films that defy Hollywood convention and illuminate the obscure little corners of quirky lives. Career Girls is about two women, tall, hyper-kinetic Hannah and, shy, spastic Annie, who share an apartment for four years at college. The narrative follows Annie on her way to visit Hannah six years after both have graduated, and the two days they spend together, smoothly switching from present to past to show us the events they shared. Perhaps "events" is too strong a word: this film is about their relationship, how they talk to each other, share with each other, and occasionally flail at each other when their lives become frustrated. Hannah is aggressive and outspoken, and starts a relationship with Adrian, only to lose him to Annie. The relationship doesn't last long and whatever bitterness Hannah may have felt has been subsumed by her friendship for Annie. Ricky makes a shy, tentative move towards Annie, but is rebuffed, and disappears. He provides the film with it's most poignant moment as the girls, genuinely caring for him, seek him out at his home. Neither of the two leads are classical "Hollywood" types, but that is part of the strength of many Mike Leigh films: they look like you and me. Hannah's nose is too big; Annie suffers from a skin disease. Ricky, their friend and temporary room-mate, is over-weight and stutters. But as they talk and as we are shown episodes of their lives together at college, we learn more and more about what makes them tick, how they felt about life, and how they learned to accommodate each other until they discovered they were best friends. The film succeeds in making this a rich journey of discovery. Perhaps Leigh isn't the most brilliant director in the world today, but his films are indispensible for the light they throw on everyday lives. And there are moments in them when you will catch your breath because they touch so close to the nerve.
LYNDA STEADMAN, KATRIN CARTLIDGE, MARK BENTON, KATE BYERS, JOE TUCKER
Sensitive, literate study of a Czech musician, Frantisek Louka, unmarried, leading a very active romantic life, who agrees to marry a Russian woman for a large sum of cash, in order to spare her from being returned to the Soviet Union. After the marriage, she disappears into West Germany, leaving her son with her aunt. When the "Babushka" is hospitalized with a stroke, the five-year-old, Kolya, is brought to him. Louka tries to unload the boy at first but gradually comes to be accommodated to him. The boy is Russian, and gets excited when he sees Russian soldiers driving by, though the Czechs, and especially Louka (who has been fired from his job in the state orchestra because of a minor indescretion) of course, can't stand them. Kolya avoids the usual cliche's and sentimentalities attached to this scenario by Hollywood films. The boy is cute, but he behaves like a boy, and Louka behaves like a frustrated Romeo, who nevertheless has a heart. You never lose the sense that these people all have real lives that don't centre around the problems of a little boy. In the end, the musician learns a little humanity, and the as political events over-take his personal problems, finds liberation on two levels. Sverak (Louka) is the father of the director.
ZDENEK SVERAK, ANDREJ CHALIMON, LIBUSE SAFRANCOVA
Low-key but fascinating story about a family struggling to make life bearable for themselves and each other. There is Wendy, losing her looks a little as she ages, spirited and funny and a little smart-ass, and her husband, Andy, a dreamer, but a reliable provider. Their two daughters, Nicola and Natalie. Nicola has some serious problems of her own, but Natalie, who is apprenticed to be a plumber, and seems to have life firmly in her grip, is a ray of sunshine in the home. Their friend, Aubrey, occupies a sub-plot: he wants to open an exclusive French restaurant, with Wendy as his waitress. Leigh's films always feel like they are bound to earth, but there is always a moment of shocking revelation-- as when we get at look at Nicola's sexual preferences. You almost feel uncomfortable for a moment, but you realize that these quirks are not beyond the realm of possibility for the character.
ALISON STEADMAN, JIM BROADBENT, CLAIRE SKINNER, JANE HORROCKS, STEPHEN REA, TIMOTHY SPALL, DAVID THEWLIS, MOYA BRADY, DAVID NEILSON
Most science fiction films get so wrapped up in special effects they neglect character development and story. Blade Runner is an exception. I'm still not sure how good exactly it is. It is a much-discussed film, and justly respected. Whether it's brilliant or not, I don't know. It is the year 2019. Mankind has created genetic duplicates called "replicants" who are used as slave labour on colonies on distant planets. Unfortunately, some of the replicants have become too human and rebelled against their masters. Harrison Ford plays one of the cops employed to track down and "retire" them. Here the movie takes an unusual twist. These replicants are no "terminators". They are very close to human and they begin to acquire emotions and even memories. These developments prevent the Blade Runner from carrying his tasks with model efficiency. In fact, he even falls a bit in love with a replicants, a new demonstrator of the Tyrrel Corporations cutting edge technologies. The point of the movie becomes blurred when this happens. You would think there would be very serious political, social, and moral consequences if the replicants were substantially like humans. By what right do we then enslave them? Because we created them? By that logic, our children could also be our slaves. It seems to me that a society capable of creating replicants like these would also be capable of ensuring that they did not correspond too closely to ourselves. In that sense, the movie seems glib. Yet the story also focuses on the problem created by the fact that these androids do become "human-like", and the Blade Runner's awareness of them changes. The sets are the star of this film: brilliantly atmospheric and spooky. Belongs to the "future disaster" genre of sci-fi, but this was one the first to create a comprehensive scenario of the disaster. If the replicants are close to being human, why aren't they protected? After watching a later edit, considerably revised my view of the film upwards: there is a scene near the end in which Roy Blatty, a replicant, grieves the loss of his experiences, the things he has seen (that "you wouldn't believe the things I've seen..."), and his life. It's an utterly transcendent. And at heart, the movie appears to be about the absolute and fierce instinct for life itself-- Blatty tells his "maker", the genius behind the Tyrrell Corporation, that he wants more life. Then commits a violent act that becomes emblematic of the human dilemma.
HARRISON FORD, SEAN YOUNG, RUTGER HAUER
Sober film about the sober life of Ingmar Bergman's father and mother. Bergman's mother's family opposed the match but relented when her father died. They moved to a small town in Northern Sweden and led an austere life-style. His father turned down a post in Stockholm, to his mother's misery. A miserly little boy joins their family. Full of the heart-breaking little details of real life. A fight on the even of the marriage was particularly searing.
Lena Stolze is Sonja, a popular high school student in the small Bavarian town of Pfilzing, who wins an essay contest and a trip to Paris, and then selects, as her next essay topic, "My Home Town in the Third Reich", under the assumption that she will find stories of heroic resistance to the Nazi regime. To her surprise, she finds the stalwart citizens of Pfilzing reluctant to talk about the Nazi era. Her curiousity piqued, she takes the archives, but when she begins to uncover evidence of complicity, the city government passes new regulations-- to "protect the privacy" of certain citizens. She goes to court and wins but the city continues to delay and obfuscate. When she finally does get access and publishes a book about how the town cooperated with the Nazis, she is beat up by neo-Nazi youths and sued by the editor of the city paper. In the end she wins, but in the moment of triumph, she realizes that the same spineless people who joined the Nazis 40 years ago have seen the wind change direction and now support her. Verhoeven pushes the story along with perky flourishes and odd sets--sometimes using back-projection, and even has the characters sitting in a "living-room" on a moving platform, driving through Pflizer as they listen to the hostile messages on the answering machine. The flippancy of these scenes, and the comedy in some of the confrontations between Sonja and various citizens, don't prepare you for a conclusion that attempts to draw some deeper truth out of the town's sudden embrace of the their young heroine, who has courageously exposed their own shady past. They want to erect a monument to her and she has some kind of epiphany and suddenly turns on them. Why? Because the same shameless weasels would be erecting a monument to Hitler if the wind were blowing the other way? That's a profound, deeply disturbing conclusion, but, coming as it does on the heels of a brisk narrative, and at the end of a film that begins with a rather nostalgiac but enjoyable look at Sonya's life as a teenager in the early 1960's, it seems lighter than air. Based on a true story, that of Anja Rosmus of the town of Passau, who did indeed prove that the local newspaper editor who had claimed to be a resistance hero had once written pro-Nazi editorials, and whose husband did leave her at the height of tension.
LENA STOLZE, MONIKA BAUMGARTNER, MICHAEL GAHR, FRED STILLKRAUTH, ELISABETH BERTRAM, MARTIN GIGGENBACH, HANS-RICHARD MULLER
Paradise Lost is one of the most compelling documentaries I have ever viewed. Film-makers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky were sent by HBO to cover the trial of three teenagers accused of the ritualistic murder of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. They expected their story to be about Satanic rituals, the occult, and the struggle of a small town to recover from the trauma of the crimes. Instead, they found Resevoir Dogs crossed with the Beverly Hillbillies. The film-makers were given unprecendented access to the police, the courts, the victims' families, and the accused. The story they tell is not pretty. There is no evidence linking any of the suspects to the killings. In fact, the police ignored compelling clues leading to other suspects. Instead, you have Damien Echols, an intelligent, unique teenager given to meditating aloud on weird topics, having an interest in Wiccan, and dressing in black. He also, foolishly, relishes the attention he receives as a suspect and makes cryptic remarks that only entire the police further. He did not seem to expect the frame-up the police concocted for him by persuading a developmentally delayed youth, Jessie Miskelley Jr., to confess to the crime implicating Damien and his friend Jason. The confession, extracted through very questionable means, is never presented at Damien's and Jason's trial. In fact, there isn't any real evidence at all but the jury doesn't hesitate to convict and the Judge sentences Damien to death. The pervasive igorance, foolishness, and self-importance of all concerned appears to have contributed to a tragic injustice. The film takes you there for the ride and it is utterly fascinating and horrifying. At last report, Damien had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court after the Arkansas State Supreme Court had ruled against him.
Winner of the People's Choice award at Toronto film festival in 1997, this is an intimate look at a highly dysfunctional family. Father Whiskey Mac is a drunken abuser. His senile mother, Grace, lives in the attic and is obsessed with porcelain statuettes of the virgin Mary. His daughter, Rosemary, cusses like a garbageman, and his son, William, is gay and harbours deep-seated resentments towards his father. The only "normal" member of this family is the mother, Iris, who leaves Whiskey Jack right after the daughter's wedding. Meanwhile, ghosts of the past haunt William, along with memories of abuse, sexual confusion, and his father's garden, which he enumerates name by lovely name. Sometimes the movie veers towards magic realism; other times it inhabits a visceral, edgy naturalism, as when the family members put drunken dad to bed, or feed Grace in the attic. What is the family? A group of people linked by blood and history, or an accident waiting to happen, or both? The conclusion leaves open the suggestion that it may be hell, but it's all we have, and it does matter. There are a few moments that could have been developed better, but this film is also fresh and unusual and deserves a look.
PETER MACNEILL, TROY VEINOTTE, KERRY FOX, JOAN ORENSTEIN, SEANA MCKENNA, TROY VEINOTTE
Co-directed by Marc Caro. One of the strangest movies I have ever seen. Concerns a group of people who live in a subterranean world beneath a small apartment building, and the inhabitants of the building who live in some bizarre tensions of their own. Some astonishing scenes, some breathtakingly funny and jarring collisions of ideas and images. Unforgettable scene of water pouring out of a bathroom down the stairways. Excuse for a plot consists of a butcher who murders repairmen and then serves up the meat to the residents of the apartment building. Subplots include a philandering clown, a murderous father out to protect his daughter's honor, a lonely woman bent on committing suicide through various bizarre contrivances, usually tied to someone opening the door of her apartment or ringing the buzzer, two boys playing mischief on everyone, and a group of men in rubber suits with miner's hats trying to kidnap the clown. Filmed in sepia on what must have been a very interesting set. Remarkable and phantasmagoric.
DOMINIQUE PINON, JEAN-CLAUDE DREYFUS, TICKY HOLGADO, RUFUS, JEAN-FRANCOIS PERRIER
Horrifying German version of the Dracula story (ripped off at the time, and banned from England for that reason), featuring Max Shreck as one of the most frightening monster's of all time. The sets dominate as much as the actors do, with expressionist shadowy settings, dark corners, and sharply contrasting horizons. Murnau is unusually patient (by Hollywood standards) with his story, allowing the actors to build scenes slowly, with subtle gestures and movements. Story ends with a hiss, when a "pure" girl keeps Nosferatu by her side until the sunlight appears and dissolves him. Associates Nosferatu with the plague and rats. This version was later faithfully remade by Fassbinder with Isabelle Adjani and Klaus Kinski.
MAX SHRECK, GUSTAV BOTZ, RUTH LANDSHOFF, GUSTAV VON WAGENHEIM
More appropriately translated as "Heaven Over Berlin". This is a stunning achievement, an extraordinary film that challenges conventional movie structures and formal design. Don't look for the virtuosity of a Hollywood techno-geek-- look for the poetry... of your favourite painter or musician. Wings of Desire concerns two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, who watch over the citizens of divided Berlin. They love these failed humans, and display enormous compassion for their frailties and despair, but are not always capable of saving them. Damiel becomes intrigued, out of love, with human experience and desires to become mortal. He also has his eye on Marion, a beautiful trapeze artist, who is about to lose her job because the circus she works for is going broke. Peter Falk makes a startling appearance, apparently as himself, an American actor working on a movie in Berlin. He senses the presence of the angels, unlike most others in the film, and becomes a very odd but credible connection between them and the mortals. One of Damiel's first mortal experiences is to drink a cup of coffee. This scene was filmed so beautifully, so movingly, that it affected my feelings about coffee for weeks afterwards: I relished every cup. The film is shot in black & white, and spoken in various languages, sometimes subtitled, sometimes not. If you have the patience for subtle artistry and dense, rich, emotional textures, this could be one of the most intriguing films you will ever see.
BRUNO GANZ, SOLVEIG DOMMARTIN, OTTO SANDER, CURT BOIS, PETER FALK, LAZLO KOVACS, HANS MARTIN STIER
Sepia-toned drama about growing up in working class Liverpool in the 1940's and 50's with a domineering, harsh father and martyr mom. Affecting and lovely, with extraordinary choral music throughout, and be-bop and popular music sung by cast characters at wedding and funeral.
The concluding installment of Kieslowski's trilogy based on the colours of the French Flag-- fraternity. Valentine is a beautiful model whose boyfriend travels a lot and plays mind games with her on the phone. One day, she accidentally hits a dog with her car. She is obviously a sensitive, kind person and tracks down the dog's owner and ask him if he wants to take the dog to the vet, or if he wants her to. The man doesn't care. Valentine is challenged by the man's indifference and, ironically, is drawn to him, to find out more about him. What she finds out is not very appealling: he is a disillusioned retired judge who uses electronic equipment to eavesdrop on his neighbor's conversations. She is appalled but when he challenges her to do something about it, she realizes life is more complex than she imagined. Meanwhile, Auguste, a man who doesn't know Valentine but lives across the street from her, is involved in a love affair of his own. Eventually, fate, or coincidence, or what-have-you, will mysteriously bring these two together. Kieslowski has a discernible vision about life, about how it works, about the mysteries of human relationships, chaos, and coincidence. And he has a remarkable ability to create strong images of people's lives changing decisively for various reasons. And the sensitive viewer will reflect on how the most significant things in his or her own life might well have never been, or might have been different, if one thing had changed.
IRENE JACOB, JEAN-LOUIS TRINTIGNANT, FREDERIQUE FEDER, JEAN-PIERRE LORIT
Breathtaking film about "liberty" and love. Juliette Binoche plays Julie, a 33-year-old woman involved in a car crash that kills her famouse composer husband and her 5-year-old daughter. Julie responds by renouncing her life, giving away or selling all her possessions, and seeking anonymity in downtown Paris. The movie follows her struggle to define herself in terms of her new "liberty", her freedom from relationships and love. She meets a stripper, a street musician. She maintains some contact with a former colleague of her husband's, and eventually discovers a mistress. We find out that she may be the real musical talent in the family. This sounds like a Hollywood plot, but Kieslowski peels away layers of Julie's loneliness in ways reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman at his very best. Sometimes frames go out of focus, and become washed in blue light. Sometimes the camera merely freezes on her face, letting us look closely at the psychological scars. There is brief link to "White", another component of the trilogy, when Julie finds her dead husband's lover, a lawyer, in a courtroom where Karol protests that he is not being treated fairly by Dominique because he is a foreigner. A brilliant, powerful film, that is adult in the most important, wonderful sense: it means something.
JULIETTE BINOCHE, BENOIT REGENT, FLORENCE PERNEL
Story about a man who marries a beautiful woman, and then is unable to consummate the marriage. His impatient wife quickly divorces him and takes all his property. He returns to his native Poland, becomes rich, and plots to win her back. This is one/third of Kieslowski's trilogy about Liberty (Blue), Equality (White), and Fraternity (Red). The inequality at the beginning of the film is that Karol still loves Dominique but she doesn't love him. She divorces him and takes his property, and ruins him. His actions that follow are aimed at addressing this imbalance, exacting a revenge of sorts, though he still adores her. The conclusion is ambiguous: did he obtain his revenge? He may have changed his mind but has no choice, because his compadres would be ruined as well if this scheme were exposed. Beautifully lit, wonderfully shot film. Eerie soundtrack. Lingering camera shots create a mood of fatalistic beauty and terrible isolation, but what does it mean? That love is prison? We never sense that these characters have anything but each other, and because they can't have each other, they are extremely lonely. The ending is enigmatic.
ZBIGNIEW ZAMACHOWSKI, JULIE DELPY, JANUSZ GAJOS, JERZY STUHR, JULIETTE BINOCHE
Tahei and Matakeshi are two bums on the lam from the victorious armies of Hyoe Tadokoro. They have just escaped after having been conscripted to bury bodies, and plan to flee to a neutral country. They hit upon the inspired idea of travelling right through enemy territory because the enemy would never suspect that that's where they would be headed. On their way, they inadvertantly stumble into an intimidating stranger who, unbeknownst to them, is actually the famous Rokurota Makabe, the defeated general. Rokurota is accompanied by a girl, a mute, who actually happens to be the princess Yuki, whom Tadokoro is trying to hunt down and execute. With the princess comes a large pile of gold disguised as firewood. They combine forces and undertake a hair-raising journey, hunted by Tadokoro's soldiers. The brave Rokurota faces down physical threats, while the duo of Tahei and Matakeshi --sort of a Japanese Abbott and Costello--keep trying to escape with the gold. Any film by Kurosawa is likely to be beautifully filmed and this is no exception. No other director has as pure or as grandiose a pictorial vision as Kurosawa does, even in black and white. And Kurosawa's warrior epics also feature a sense of purity about human character: men and women are greedy or stupid or brave or wise, and each plays his part in the unfolding drama. The two fools, Tahei and Matakeshi, are fools right to the end, though, interestingly, they may be shrewder than Rokurota gives them credit for-- they end up with some of the gold. And the princess is difficult to hide because she can't stop being a princess even when surrounded by the colorful slobs of a hotel, or a crowd of ecstatic fire-worshippers. There are some wonderful moments here: the princess watches a wrenching business transaction involving a captured woman, the fools, the general and the princess are forced to join the festival of fires, including a frantic dance, in order to maintain their cover, the two generals battle it out, one on one... and the rhythm of the editing and the action, though slower than a comparable Hollywood film, has a grandeur to it. This is the acknowledged source of much of the Star Wars trilogy, including the two robots, who were based on Tahei and Matakeshi.
Deserving winner of 1997 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Katadreuffe is a troubled young man. He has just achieved his goal of becoming a lawyer, but there is an albatross around his neck. He confronts a powerfully built, older man named Dreverhaven in a large warehouse, and tells him that he will never speak to him again. The man argues with him, claiming that he is responsible for his success. Enraged, Katadreuffe returns with a knife. Hours later, Dreverhaven is found dead. The police arrest Katadreuffe and he tells them his story. The murdered man is his biological father. Character is used two ways in this film. On the one hand, Katadreuffe has inherited some of his father's characteristics. On the other hand, he has also developed "character" by the end of the relationship. He is a strong man, capable of great achievements. But his father, who claims to have bestowed this "character" upon him, is a ruthless, vindictive, cruel man-- a monster. The film takes you through the process by which his character is built. His birth to Jobu Katadreuffe, a maid to his father, who vows never to marry the man. His upbringing, amid the cruel taunts of his class-mates. His first business experience, through which he is cheated by his father. His work at a lawyer's office. All of this is lovingly rendered in surprisingly rich detail, filmed in beautiful earthy tones that grow less dim and dark as Katadreuffe grows older. He becomes interested in Lorna, an office assistant, but he is clumsy in romance and, mistakenly believing she has become interested in someone else, vows to singlemindedly-- without distraction-- pursue his education. There a lot of parallels in this film. Katadreuffe's interest in communism, while his biological father-- a bailiff--evicts poor tenants and workers, suggests that his idealism offends Dreverhaven's authority as a father. And Katadreuffe seems no more capable of romance than his father is. Katadreuffe is astonished to find that his father carries out services for the legal firm through which he has risen to office manager. There is a suggestion here that the moderate socialism we have embraced in Canada and Western Europe is possible only because the ruthless capitalism of the 19th and early 20th century has made our nations rich enough to be able to "afford" compassion. In the same way, Katadreuffe is able to be a more compassionate and kind man than his father, because he has absorbed the bitter lessons about betrayal and deceit that his father has taught him. Yet... is Katadreuffe really all that different from his father? Perhaps that is the question Van Diem wants to leave us with, for it is clearly unresolved at the end. The first comment his communist friend makes, after the death of his father is, "now you can become a capitalist". We really don't know if that is, in fact, what he will become. Character is an excellent, rich film. Jan Decleir is a powerful, dominant figure in this movie. When he speaks, he dominates the screen, and you can sense Katadreuffe's terror. Yet, when he has a nightmare about appearing naked in front of a mob of evictees, you get a glimpse of the terrified man that he is, underneath that fearsome visage. Character is about borders, and how we place them, between our abilities to love and feel compassion, and our desires to succeed and dominate.
FEDJA VAN HUET, JAN DECLEIR, BETTY SCHUURMAN, VICTOR LOW, TAMAR VAN DEN DOP, HANS KESTING, LOU LANDRE, BERNARD DROOG
Have we become too sophisticated? Contrast "Ice Storm" with a similar movie from ten, or fifteen years ago, like "Ordinary People" or "Kramer vs. Kramer" and you have something that exists on an entirely different level, and talks to your in an entirely different language. A lot of psycho-babble about generational anxieties is, thankfully, absent. No Judge or psychologist arrives to straighten things out. But what do we have instead? Moral connundrums without apparent solution, and without even the redemptive consolation of self-discovery or actualization. The story centres on the Hood family. Ben is a decent husband and father, but is having an affair with an attractive neighbor. Elena is starved for affection, and shoplifts on the side. Fourteen-year-old Wendy is experimenting with sex, with two brothers, Mikey and Sandy Carver. Paul is a student at a private high school, and lusts for class-mate Libbets Casey. The stories run in parallel, and invite a comparison between the liberating personal values of the sixties and the amoral, anchorless experimentation of the 80's. There is a moment of epiphany, when Ben invites Wendy to say grace at the family thanksgiving dinner. Instead of a nostalgiac expression of religious thanks, she turns it into a diatribe against the inhumanity of her parents' generation. These people are in emotional trouble. The obvious metaphor is the ice storm itself, and the ice cubes the director repeatedly aims his camera at during parties and family gatherings, but it is an image not wholly adequate for what is taking place. There are more than a few kludges in the film: Ben Hood, over at the neighbor's house for an affair with Mrs. Janey Carver--a 70's Mrs. Robinson (who seduced another Benjamin -- Braddock -- and also didn't care for small talk afterwards) --discovers his daughter experimenting with one of the boys, and asks her what she thinks she's doing there. A swinging Reverend signs up for a "key party" (where guests put their car keys in a bowl and go home with whoever fishes them out). Wendy shoplifts, stares down an alert clerk, and gets away with it, but her mother is humiliatingly caught. Ben collapses drunk in a bathroom, while his son experiments with a friends' parents' tranquilizers. What is the point? That the adults are acting like kids, but, unlike the kids, they aren't experimenting: this is what they really are-- dishonest, immoral, and pathetic? So the Hood family is lost in an ice storm, and the pretty little molecules of lost attachments is beginning to freeze them in place. The depressing implication is that their futile efforts to break free consist mostly of wreckless, impulsive gestures. This is a terrific movie in many ways. It is authentic and raw, and rich in the nuances of family life and mature adult relationships. I think it is probably a pretty accurate portrait of where America is at, in terms of ethics and ideas (at least, for the professional class). An interesting thought occurred to me after this film. The church still sends missionaries to Africa, and Asia, and Turkey. Why? There are more Christians in Africa today than there are in America. But think about this: if you were a missionary, how would you try to reach a family like the Hoods? They are far too sophisticated and informed to be persuaded by Salvation Army tracts, or the emotional appeal of swinging-and-swaying outreach services? They are skeptical of miracles and theology. How do you reach them? Is the reason we send missionaries to Africa because we can? Because we know how to communicate the gospel to the poor and uneducated. What does it mean, if this is true, that we have not found a way to make the gospel intelligible to the rich and smart? I don't know.
KEVIN KLINE, COURTNEY PELDON, JOAN ALLEN, HENRY CZERNY, ADAM HANN-BYRD, DAVID KRUMHOLTZ, TOBEY MAGUIRE, CHRISTINA RICCI, ELIJAH WOOD, SIGOURNEY WEAVER, KATIE HOLMES
Daring, shocking depiction of the worst excesses of feminism up against a patronizing, manipulative college professor. A student, Oleana, failing a critical course required for her graduate program, visits a professor in his office to seek help. Or does she really want help? It is never very clear what she wants, or what he thinks she should do. He is a humanities lecturer, but one of the weaknesses of the film is lack of definition here. Some of the scholarly dialogue sounds purposely vague. When professor and student fail to understand each other, Oleanna launches an attack, filing a complaint against the professor with the tenure committee, on the basis of sexual harassment. With her complaint, the relationship descends into all-out warfare, add righteous fuel to her fire, and blind rage to his. Is he really trying to sexually harass her? Is she trying to use feminist politics for personal advantage? Consistently surprising and compelling, disturbing, and occasionally confusing. Worst date movie of all time.
Powerful drama about a black cop named Virgil Tibbs (Poitier) who is seconded by his department in Philadelphia to assist southern sherrif, Rod Steiger, in solving the murder of a wealthy industrialist . In the process, he seriously aggravates the good old boys who run the town, endangering his own life, and the reputation of the sherrif. Brooding and suspenseful, beautifully written by Stirling Silliphant, and well-acted. Holds up well after 40 years.
ROD STEIGER, SIDNEY POITIER
A young black optometrist decides to look up her birth mother, setting off a chain of emotional revelations within her mother's and brother's families. Every one here is profoundly unhappy with themselves and each other, leading unsatisfying lives, because, so the film-maker would have you believe, of the "secrets and lies" that abound in their relationships. Leigh develops his story with patience and delicacy, smartly underplaying the race issue, until he reaches the climatic birthday party for Roxanne. Not a masterpiece by any means, but a substantial examination of family and the need for love and acceptance.
Sprawling, spectacular recreation of the lives of two opera singers from childhood at the beginning of the century, through the madness of the Cultural Revolution, to the present day. Midway, a woman enters the picture, with diastrous consequences for all three. Brilliantly photographed (Oscar for cinematography) and acted, rich and sensuous with detail. The concubine is the operatic creature who cuts her own throat rather than surrender to her king's enemies. Throughout the movie, the sword appears over and over again as a simple of fidelity between the two men playing the parts, and the rift that develops when Juxian, the beautiful prostitute, becomes wife of the king.
Fidgety, cinema-verite story of a woman whose husband, Donald, dies, leaving her with 12-year-old son and loads of problems. She tries to find herself, moving away from Phoenix to Tucson, hoping to get to her childhood home of Monterey. Along the way she meets various interesting people, of course, and ends up working as a waitress in at Mel's diner with an assortment of colourful characters. She also meets David (Kristoferson), an appealing, divorced man. They don't make them like this anymore: patient, studious, non-exploitive. There is a real heart-rending story here, a slice of life so bitter and unexpected that it makes you bite your lip. Burstyn is terrific. This movie, oddly enough, became the basis of the television show "Alice", which, of course, homogenized the most interesting parts of the movie.
Riveting, tense exploration of intellectualism and crime. Two friends murder a third and then hold a party in the apartment with the body in a trunk, to prove their superiority to other human beings. Tension increases as former girl-friend of one of the friends-- and present lover of the victim-- begins to get anxious about missing beau, while fending off renewed attentions of former love, manipulated by one of the murderers. Only weakness is Rupert's (James Stewart's) renunciation of his own ideals, the key influence on the murderer.
Very unusual film about a middling, financially troubled car salesman who carries out a bizarre scheme to arrange for the kidnapping of his own wife so he squeeze his stingy father-in-law for a million dollars, while paying the kidnappers a small fraction of it. Things quickly go awry however when the kidnappers are forced to kill a trooper. The heat is on and the thugs demand more money. The father-in-law is reluctant to hand over the money. And a pregnant cop, hilariously played by Frances McDormand, is hot on their trail. Odd and interesting combination of violence and humour, with amusing characterizations of colourful local characters. Claims to play close with the facts of a real murder case in 1987. Uniformly well-acted, written, and wonderfully filmed, and the music is original and fresh. One of the best films of 1996.
WILLIAM H. MACY
Landmark documentary of Dylan's 1965 English tour, shows the artist backstage, onstage, and on fire, savaging a London Times reporter who dared to call him a "spokesman". One of the most intriguing music documentaries because everything is new-- there were no standards to follow, no landmarks to take off from. The musical performances-- especially of The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll-- are rivetting-- Dylan in his prime really was a compelling performer. The candid view of life on the road for a group of powerfully influential musicians in their prime is irreplaceable.
BOB DYLAN, MARIANNE FAITHFUL, JOAN BAEZ, DONOVAN, ALLAN GINSBERG
Mira Sorvino is a revelation-- fulfilling the promise she showed in "My Cousin Vinny" -- as the tart who supplied Lenny (Allen) and Amanda (Helena Bonham Carter) with their adopted baby boy, who is a genius. Lenny strives to make Linda Ash (Mira Sorvino) a worthy genetic progenitor, by giving her some culture and training. Meanwhile, his own wife is cheating on him, and a hysterically funny Greek chorus keeps issuing dire warnings about Lenny's course of action.
WOODY ALLEN, MIRA SORVINO, JACK WARDEN, F. MURRAY ABRAHAM, OLYMPIA DUKAKIS, DAVID OGDEN-STIERS
Stark, seering portrait of compulsive man, Johnny, who abuses his women and revolts against domestication, wanders the streets encountering strange, obsessed people, and patters on endlessly about morality, time, death, and God. Strange film, repellent yet mesmerizing. Well-acted and directed, sometimes brilliantly acted and directed. David Thewlis is stunning as Johnny, and supporting cast is uniformly great. Not for the weak at heart. There is a mesmerizing sequence with a moronic Scots teen looking for his girlfriend, Maggie, who shows up later and goes to eat with Johnny. Written by Mike Leigh (director).
Raw but moving account of a rebellious teenager who gets himself, and his girlfriend into deeper and deeper trouble as he tries to sort out his feelings about life, work, and independence. Made on a showstring, was panned in Toronto, then reassessed after it won New York Critics award as best film. Echoes some elements of the French New Wave. Seen again 2023-- see separate review. This is rather generous, inspired, perhaps, by New York critics approbation.
Intriguing sci-fi production about a military experiment that accidentally destroys all life on earth, except for people who died precisely at the instant it happened. One of them is a scientist involved in the experiment, who searches the country for any other life. Eventually a young girl finds him, and a Maori tribesman from the country's south. Well-filmed and convincing, sometimes compelling, with an intriguing premise, and generally well-directed. Acting, especially by Routledge and Smith, is a little stiff.
Terrific illustration of what is wrong with Hollywood and what is right about European films, whatever virtues Hollywood does have (and it has a few) and whatever failings art films have (also a few). Victor Seastrom is 78 year old Dr. Isak Borg, about to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. He has a disturbing dream the night before he sets out in his car, along with his daughter-in-law, Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) to receive the award. On the way, he stops at a childhood summer home and relives some painful memories about a young woman, Sara (Bibi Andersson) he almost married. A young woman (played by the same actress) meets him and asks for a ride for herself and two male friends, a Christian and an atheist. They drop in to visit Borg's mother, then proceed to the ceremony. Borg finds out that his daughter-in-law is about to leave his son because he won't accept her pregnancy. His son claims is dead already, living without feeling in an empty shell. How can he take responsibility for bringing children into the world. Borg reaches an epiphany of sorts: that he has been selfish and unfeeling, and makes a mild but significant attempt to make amends. Compelling, real, and powerful. The only short-coming is the somewhat dated technique and a flavour of contrivance in the scenes from Borg's youth.
Evocative, highly entertaining life's story of Antonia, a Dutch middle-aged woman, who moves back to her childhood village after her husband dies, to raise her daughter, and get on with her life. Through a series of incidents, we come to know the people of the town, the local philosopher, and the local fools, a Romeo/Juliet romance (he's protestant, she's catholic), a mean local farmer and his sons, and the handsome widower with a discrete shack on the back of his property. Beautifully filmed, filled with colourful, interesting characterizations. Lovingly made, ultimately pessimistic -- life is just a cycle. We are born, we live, experience joy and sadness, and die, with bittersweet resignation.
Powerful, gripping, unsentimental drama about death row convict reaching out and connecting with urban nun. Sometimes wanders too close to "balanced" documentary, and sometimes close to a "movie of the week", but no compromises are made, no concession to Hollywood values. Especially compelling for its portrayals of families of victims and desire for revenge, and for Sarandon's stately commitment to her course. Based on book by Sister Helen, the model for the central character, and her real experiences.
Powerful, haunting, raunchy film about a boy growing up in poor section of Montreal, and his ecstatic dreams of beauty and love, contrasted with brutal, vulgar realities. His family ends up in an insane assylum, his brother is a cowardly body-builder, and the girl of his dreams, Bianca, bites his grandfather's nails for money. Includes a shocking scene of sex with a cat... Yet this film is poignant, powerfully moving. The ending is an epiphany of despair. Beautifully filmed; the music is hauntingly beautiful.
Memorable, austere version of the terrific book by Ondaatje, who also wrote the screenplay. Was rescued by Miramax after producers refused to put Demi Moore in lead role.
RALPH FIENNES, KRISTEN SCOTT-THOMAS, JULIET BINOCHE, NAVEEN ANDREWS, WILLEM DAFOE, COLIN FIRTH
Powerful, gripping drama about court intrigue surrounding marriage of Margot Bourbon to Henry of Navarre in 17th century France. France is wracked with turmoil as protestantism gains adherents. Catharine de Medici sets off the St. Bartholemew's Day Massacre with her attempts to maintain control over her son, Charles IX. Henry subsequently ruled France. Isabelle Adjani is luminous as Margot and imparts a feminist sensibility that barely escapes anachronism at times. The film is uniformly lush, rich, and gripping.
DANIEL AUTEIL, JEAN-HUGUES ANGLADE, VIRNA LISI, VINCENT PEREZ
Low-key but compelling film about retired, elderly teacher and his cat crossing America after his apartment is torn down, looking for a new home. He visits his sons, encounters assorted oddballs and other lost souls, and grows no wiser. Restrained and tasteful, and never descends into cuteness or contrivance. Art Carney renders title role with great dignity. Very likeable film, some strong language and sexual situations.
Classic film about bored housewife with strange sexual fantasies, takes up work at a bordello. No rationalization or explanations offered, except subtle clues about childhood. Blends reality and fantasy at times. Beautifully filmed and acted. Jeanne Moreau is an astonishing presense.
Good film about mentally handicapped garbage man (just "slow") and his medical student brother, living together in Pittsburgh, sharing trials and tribulations. Good performances, though it takes some getting used to to accept Liotta as nice guy. Not sentimental or gushy, but not always as crisp or incisive as it could be.
Brilliant, caustic study of hustler publicist (Curtis) trying to crony up to big shot columnist, and willing to do anything to score big. Literate, sharp, and unlike anything Hollywood ever does anymore.
Wonderful satire of war. WW I soldier (Bates) must enter a French village and disarm booby-trap bomb. Unknown to him, the residents have abandoned the village. He inadvertantly releases the inmates of an insane assylum, who take over the town and the roles of its leading citizens. Elegant, poetic, richly suggestive and textured. Must be one of Genevieve Bujold's first films.
Powerful, haunting film about a young junkie who murders a policeman during a bungled drug store robbery. She is convicted and sentenced to death only to be "rescued" by French Intelligence who want to train her for high risk missions. She resists, fights back, providing propulsion for first hour of film. Scenes of her defiance and self-destructive loathing of society give punch to first part of film. In second part, she undertakes missions. Now straight, feels ambivalent about the violence of it, and establish a love relationship. Intriguing, suspenseful, and horrifying at times.
Compelling, well-directed drama of the Apollo 13 mission and the near tragedy that resulted. Sticks pretty close to the facts. Exceptional special effects (especially the launch), and superb explication of technical activities. Hanks is good but miscast-- you just can't over the person behind the role. Ed Harris plays what everyone knows he should play and isn't bad but we've seen this characterization a few too many times (tough but sensitive, caring macho man). No possible Oscars for acting, but an all-round excellent film with some historical importance.
Fascinating, rivetting film about unpopular girl named Pauline who becomes the best friend of newly arrived Juliet, whose parents have immigrated to Christchurch, New Zealand, from England, due to Juliet's poor health. The two become inseparable companions, locked into their own mysterious gothic fantasies, linked by the experiences of loneliness and serious illness. When their parents become alarmed and attempt to separate the two, their relationship becomes even more intense and desparate and they driven to attempt a drastic solution. Acting, script, and cinematography are first-rate. Winslett, as Juliet, is a compelling, gifted actor, capable of exhibitionist emotional displays but also of the most subtle shifts in perception. Based on a true story. One of the best movies of the year. After the events of the story, the two girls emigrated to different countries. Juliet became the noted author Anne Perry. Pauline lived in obscurity until a tabloid tracked her down. According to journalists, the movie is remarkably accurate down to the smallest details.
KATE WINSLETT, MELANIE LYNSLEY, SARAH PEIRSE, DIANA KENT, CLIVE MERRISON, SIMON O'CONNER
True story of child suffering degenerative nerve disease which physicians seem unable to cure. Husband and wife, through obsessive diligence, are able to find a relatively effective treatment, at least for those diagnosed early. Film dramatizes without halos-- you think at times that this couple really is crazily obsessed, beyond human endurance, beyond rationality. Well-acted and filmed.
Beautifully acted and directed film about soap opera star who is paralyzed in an accident and retreats in apparent bitterness to her Louisiana home. She is caustic and cynical and refuses to invest any effort into her rehabilitation. She drives away one attendent after another with her shrill peevishness until a stubborn black nurse arrives who can't afford to quit, because of her own abject position. The nurse gradually weans her away from self-pity and begins to inspire her with renewed confidence. Invites comparison to some of the most cliched stereo-types in the Hollywood playbook, but this movie is a class act all the way. It defies convention, takes delightful, poignant turns, and delves beneath surfaces. Rich character study, carefully nuanced. The authentic Cajun background music is a real treat.
Rivetting, compelling drama about a boy, Olivier, who disappears at age 9, reappears in Paris six years later... or does he? His sister, possibly side-tracked by sibling jealousy, suspects it's NOT him. Mother believes it is him, passionately. Father returns from overseas to rejoin family. Based on a true story from France. Rich, subtle, sometimes shocking. Raises questions of what is a family, what is a son? To what extent are family ties illusory and based on parental wish rather than reality? How do emotions begin to determine what we believe or disbelieve? Beautifully filmed and acted, from the rich grain-fields in the early shots (ripeness, a maturing of time?) to the harsher lighting as the family disintegrates.
FREDERIC QUIRING, FAYE GATTEAU, EMMANUEL MOROZOF, BRIGITTE ROUAN, FRANCOIS CLUZET, GREGOIRE COLON, MARINA GOLOVINE
Harrowing account of alien abduction of Travis Walton in Arizona, witnessed by five fellow lumber-jacks. Authorities were so skeptical of their stories that they contemplated charging the men with murder until Walton suddenly emerged from the forests, mysteriously dehydrated and malnourished, and offering the incredible, terrifying details of his abduction and examination by alien beings. Based on one of the more credible alien abduction stories floating around, and certainly a compelling film regardless of how you treat the UFO angle. Surprisingly well-filmed.
Wonderful fable about a young pig who charms a wry old farmer into making him his "sheep pig". While a gaggle of other farm creatures prophesy doom and gloom, Babe works hard to learn the trade, provokes some professional jealousy in the dogs, and finally impresses his master enough to make an auspicious debut at a sheep-dog contest. What's great about this film is the way the director resisted the temptation to sentimentalize the story or caricature the humans. Watch for the scene where the farmer dances himself silly at some good news and suddenly realizes the farm animals are watching him through the window.
JAMES CROMWELL, MAGDA SZUBANSKI
Wondeful, quirky, unpredictable film about a black man who wanders into the lives of several wealthy families, through contacts with a friend of their children. Though occasionally slightly mawkish, more than makes up for it with fascinating twists in plot, stylish interpretations, and unusual dialogue. Refreshing and biting, and sometimes sardonic, as when the college-aged children enter the action.
We saw this long ago, but watched it with the kids on this date. Yes all three of them-- a mistake in judgement. Neither Paul nor Danielle liked it and Christopher found it scary.
Very, very funny, intelligent comedy about New York shyster "lawyer" (Pesci) coming to small Alabama town (Wazoo) to defend cousin and friend charged with murder. Well-written and filmed. Gwynne is a delight as stern but fair judge-- and nicely counter-points the stereo-typical cliches about "Southern Justice". Film relies on veneer of believability for laughs, and coasts on fine edge throughout. Filled with delightful, low-key comedy, and the rapport of two leads is believable. Marisa Tomei is utterly charming, though her other films don't display the kind of spark she displays here. Supporting cast is excellent. No deep message: just a fresh and entertaining story.
MARISA TOMEI
Tragic story of Polish man who shelters a Jewish woman, owner of the shop he works in, during Nazi roundup of Jews. I saw only last hour. Seen from the start 2018-11-22. Brilliant dissection of a small Slovakian community's response to occupation by the Nazis and imposition of the race laws. Tono Brtko is a indolent carpenter with a shrill wife, Evelyn, whose brother is an enthusiast of the new order and becomes a member of the puppet police force. He gets Tono the position of Aryan manager of Jewish shop on main street. But the elderly Jewish woman who owns it thinks he is a employee and is fundamentally clueless about the Nazis and the war and the occupation. Tono eventually is drawn to the woman and undergoes an intense moral crisis as the Nazis close their snare around the Jewish residents, rounding them for extradition. Unusually close and credible dissection of the differing attitudes of the townsfolk, and the real moral dilemma of people like Tono, who were not heroes but understood what was wrong with Nazi regime. Exceptionally well-acted and filmed, beautifully written, and intense.
Powerful true story of the imprisonment of the Irish Conlon family on trumped up charges of IRA activity. Day-Lewis is superb... uniformly good cast. Stretches a bit a times, but maintains high level of intensity throughout. Final court scene seems abbreviated.
Mysterious, compelling film about a California woman who nearly dies in a car accident, recovers, meets a strange man with a two-headed snake living in the desert, and discovers that she possesses a mysterious ability to heal sickness and wounds. She returns to conservative small town home in Kansas to a mixed reception. She moves in with an impulsive loner who pushes her to acknowledge that her gift is spiritual in character. Very eerie, powerful, raw, intelligent film. Superlative performances by Burstyn, Shepherd, Farnsworth. Reverberates. Neither the director nor the writer ever produced anything remotely like this before or since.
Another Altman masterpiece, with a bit more flare for the satirical than most. Tom Robbins is a Hollywood producer, surrounded by comers, disposing of ideas and inspirations with cruel Hollywood efficiency. One day, a writer starts sending him threatening postcards. He narrows the field of suspects and ends up inadvertently killing him, then has an affair with his lover. Notable cameos by established stars has desired effect: they become part of the casual background upon which Altman sketches his fable.
Haunting biopic, about the scupltoress Camille Claudel, who came under the influence of Rodin, became his lover, but left him when she discovered he would not leave his wife for her. Was she a mad genius, or just mad? The film doesn't necessarily make the case one way or the other, though it makes it clear that she didn't gain the popular esteem that Rodin had, allegedly because he was better at politics and gladhanding. Adjani is outstanding, a rivetting presense, an astounding beauty who can act. Depardieu never seems to inhabit Rodin, the way the rest of the supporting cast inhabits their characters.
Brilliant, sardonic portrait of rebellious prisoner, "Cool Hand" Luke in Southern Chain Gang. Luke keeps escaping and the sadistic guards keeping capturing him, beating him, punishing him. The other prisoners begin to idolize Luke, while Luke begins to resent the role thrust upon him, bearer of their hopes and dignity and fantasies of beating the system. Newman's best performance; Kennedy is also superb. Tense, exciting drama, and an unforgettable portrait, suggestive of Christ story: the prophet who bears the sins of the world, betrayed by his own, crucified. Kennedy won an Oscar for supporting actor.
Stunning film, far more visceral and dramatic than 1976 version. Kong is fidgety, nuanced, a primitive volcanic beast. Once action starts, film never lets up. Some of the animation is quite startling. Obviously, animation, but more poetic and suggestive than the remake. Willis O'Brien did special effects.
Hilarious, terrific farce, with Groucho as operatic impresario trying to help a young couple of singers out. Famous stateroom scene is not as funny as I expected, given it's reputation, but Chico explaining how he and his two friends flew across the Atlantic (they almost made it but then they ran out of fuel and had to turn back) is hysterical, as is the chaos at the opera house at the end.
Impressive, grandly scaled biography of Pu Li the last emperor of China, his priveleged seclusion in the forbidden city in Bejing, and his disastrous flirtation with Japanese after they conquered Manchuria. Beautifully filmed, but marred by excessive detachment, probably because Bertolucci was oblidged to be politically correct in his portraiture.
Hilarious, funny, and surprisingly provocative (after all these years). "Plot" concerns Groucho as head of a small college trying to beat rival at football, while keeping his son out of trouble.
Entertaining but surprisingly predictable-- if there is such a thing. About a basketball coach in small Indiana town who leads his team to State Finals. You keep thinking there is going to be a big surprise, but there isn't, though the movie also avoids the most contemptible forms of audience manipulation. Rugged, honest style.
Taut thriller about mild-mannered professional who moves into an apartment recently rented by a suicidal young woman. He begins to take over her identity, and is eventually driven to madness by paranoia, obsessions.
Brilliant, though not without shortcomings. A lot of Allen's power derives from the simple honesty of his presentation. Reminds one constantly how contrived most Hollywood emotional dramas are.
Fascinating documentary style parody of senatorial campaign by a new wave conservative, Bob Roberts, who models himself on Bob Dylan (even releasing albums called "The FreeWheelin' Bob Roberts" and "The Times They Are A'Changin' Back". Hilarious, wise, and sometimes wicked. Great songs very well performed, by the director, writer, .... Fun.
Entertaining, erotic comedy about a widow who takes over husbands restaurant but is a terrible cook. One day, truck-driver Goro and sidekick drop in, take on a rude thug, and stay to help her cook the best noodles in Japan. Many scenes parody well-know westerns and musicals. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Dark, fascinatingly filmed story about a deeply religious girl who is raped and murdered and how her father exacts his revenge when the perpetrators inadvertently arrive at his house expecting to be housed for the night. Explores the nature of religious belief, violence, revenge, and grace (or the lack of it).
Intense study of a disaffected youth, Antonine Doinel, who slides from school miscreant to juvenile delinquent. Autobiographical elements from Truffaut; authentic and honest and low-key. Last scene is justly celebrated as one of the most memorable in film. It may strike the viewer quite so intensely today, due to the way it has been shamelessly stolen by other directors. The Truffaut films, especially this one, are important to cinema buffs for the tremendous influence they had on film-making around the world, and still do today, especially on independent films. Truffaut, like other members of the French "new wave" shot outside, away from the studio, frequently improvising his story along to accommodate the immediate, dynamic environment. As a result, New Wave films, like independent films today, seem far more "real" and less contrived and packaged like Hollywood films.
Compelling composite portrait of a Mafia crime family in New York from the 1940's to the mid 1960's. Well-acted and filmed, except, of course, for Marlon Brando's miscalculated cotton-mouthed mumblings as the senior Corleone (which MAD magazine lampooned so deftly in thier "The OddFather"). The film is vulnerable, however, to charges that it glorifies crime. It is clear that the "heroes" of the film are the Corleone family, and the villains are rival families and corrupt police. The film staggeringly omits dramatization of the pain and suffering of the victims of organized crime, while inviting the audience to grieve when a Corleone takes a hit. Yet it does raise legitimate questions about the source of authority and justice in a society in which the police and city governments are sometimes indistinquishable from criminals. Violent and suspenseful and Coppola never lets the action rest too long.
A brooding, dark, austere, colourless look at life in a convent. This is a biography of Therese, a fifteen-year-old girl who receives special permission to join a Carmelite convent, endures privations, contracts tuberculosis and dies. She was later canonized by the church. The film is very simple and static, mysterious at times, often fascinating, but also frustrating. Does it really tell us enough about these women, or Therese? It certainly attracts attention, but I'm not sure it delivers. It certainly does give you a fascinating glimpse inside a Carmelite convent.
Set in 16th century Japan, a thief is persuaded to take the place of a dead warlord by his circle of generals/allies, who fear a general uprising if word leaks out. Every scene is a pictorial gem, the action rivetting. Kurosawa puts more implied action in static shots than anyone after Chaplin.
KENICHI HAGIWARA
Charming, serious look at modern relationships. Demi Moore plays Debbie, who meets and quickly sleeps with Danny (Lowe) and then struggles to establish a relationship with him, with usual ups and downs. Perkins and James Belushi are cynical counterpoints and try to sabotage the relationship for selfish reasons. This film is more poignant than it deserves to be, because of Moore's sexy vulnerability and Lowe's convincing ambivalence, and probably because it was written by the formidable David Mamet (See Glengarry Glen Ross). The film is striking because it was one of the first to present a frankly modern view of relationships. This is not the 50's or early 60's. People fall in lust with each other and then move in, without necessarily knowing all that much about their new partners. Both Danny and Debbie are ultimately self-interested. It is plain that the minute the relationship doesn't work for either of them, it is over. Mamet makes it seem as if it is important they give each other chance, without the interference of friends or family, but it is not clear that there will be anything to hold them together once the initial physical attraction wears out. They are giving up the one-night-stands for one extended night stand. But the dialogue is punchy and compellingly believable and frank (discussing, at one point, Tampax, periods, and who sleeps on the wet spot on the bed after sex) the film's greatest asset is its de-romanticization of romance, and fundamental honesty about the factors that go into young relationships.
Very amusing film about two men, Curtis and Lemmon, on the lam from the mob, hiding out disguised as women in an all-girl orchestra. Filmed in black and white because make-up made actors hideous. Marilyn is luminescent and the script is taut and very funny. Hilarious last shot when Joe E. Brown as millionaire discovers that the "woman" he's been courting is Jack Lemmon in drag-- and doesn't care.
Shocking, well-made film about IRA terrorist who falls for the girl-friend of the British soldier he murders. He sneaks off to England to visit her and becomes obsessed. She is fascinating. The film pulls off a difficult feat in achieving an extraordinary shock. It also manages to hang that shocking revelation on some interesting ideas about violence and revenge and politics.
Intriguing, unusual film about a man's obsession with videotaping women about love and sex, leading to marital problems for his friends. Andie MacDowell is intriguing and provocative.
Didn't see entire film-- saw about an hour of it. That hour was visually stunning, gripping, funky, and original. Background music is big surprise. Acting is very good. Highly original and worthwhile. Need more info. 2018-03: finally watched the while thing. Superb dramatization of the explosive tension that results when Flipper Purify, happily married with a daughter, indulges in a workplace affair with the seductive Angie Tucci, an Italian girl engaged to Paulie Carbone. The overt, violent racism of her family, and Paulie's family, is a little shocking, because it isn't smoothed out for white, liberal viewers: it's raw and uncompromising. Paulie's friends urge him to take drastic measures; his father ridicules him. And Angie's family would almost certainly beat Flipper to death if they had the chance. But there isn't a single one-dimensional character in the film. Everyone lives and breathes their own sweaty heartbreaks and frustrations. The dialogue is political and provocative, searingly expressive of roots and culture and burning grievances. Everything expertly filmed, beautifully acted, with a soaring soundtrack of Stevie Wonder songs, written for the film, and, often, a classical orchestra.
A very powerful, tightly written, very intelligent, well-acted thriller. Mia Farrow is fine. John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon excellent. Cassavetes is the husband who may have made a very bad deal with the devil-- but wife Rosemary has trouble convincing anyone about it. One of the great, genuinely creepy films of the era. Watched again 2023-10-06. Really brilliant thriller. Guy Woodhouse is an unsuccessful actor and Rosemary is his very young wife. They move into a very nice apartment with some strange, creepy-- but not too creepy -- neighbors. Suddenly, Guy's career takes a turn for the better, but their neighbors, Minnie and Roman Castevet are more than a little nosy and intrusive. Guy and Rosemary decide to conceive a child and here the story takes a very dark turn. An astonishingly challenging narrative is handled brilliantly by Polanski, without camp or parody. Is this the secret origin of the current fetish for conspiracy theories? In a sense, Guy and his cohorts do to Rosemary what Trump supporters think liberals are doing to the nation. Everywhere Rosemary turns, every apparently anodyne interaction, merely confirms the complicity of all. She is ridiculed for her quaint, traditional beliefs. She is ridiculed even more when she perceives (Rosemary is quite smart) what is really going on and attempts to seek help from outsiders who are uninvolved. There is also a potential feminist subtext here: Guy is a bully, and Rosemary is forced to become Satan's handmaiden.
MIA FARROW, JOHN CASSAVETES, RUTH GORDON, SIDNEY BLACKMER, MAURICE EVANS, RALPH BELLAMY, CHARLES GRODIN
Delightful comedy about a film troupe making a movie about love, with serio-comic overtones. A pleasure to watch, for the affection Truffaut shows for his own industry, the behind-the-scenes look at film-making, and the sense of irony and humour. In the end, the movie plot and the characters "real" lives begin to intertwine, suggesting that fact and fiction mix with equal measure in our romances and self-image.
Brilliantly evocative, very honest portrait of labour problems in Matewan, West Virginia, in the 1920's. Visually rich, strong characterizations, well acted and directed. A rare true left-wing film, with only the slightest bit of contrivance in the race to prove Joe's innocence.
Affecting film, very well-done, but I wondered if it wasn't too similar to Paths of Glory: vainglorious generals order men to execute risky and fruitless maneuvers on the battlefield. Unpretentious, intelligent, and well-acted and scripted.
MEL GIBSON
Brilliant animation, beautifully crafted storey.
Powerful, stunning, astounding German-French co-production about a decaying slum and labour problems in Brooklyn in 1950's. Photographed with loving detail and luminence, by same cinematographer who did Thin Blue Line. Film depicts violence and lust with dispassionate but sanctifying detachment. Depressing, yes, but also illuminating. Helen stopped watching half way through. Stephen Lang as Harry Black is obsessively watchable.
Brilliant, stark documentary style film about the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas in 1960. Riveting performances by Blake and Wilson as the two miscreants whose personalities seem to weld into a single psychopathic entity. The film is shocking in the way it refuses to caricature or excuse the violence, or moralize about injustice or violence. The police, in John Forsythe's smug, "father knows best" austerity, come off as dull, lifeless conformists. All the verve and life seems to emanate from the criminals, along with dark urges and desperation. Stylishly but not obtrusively filmed. Based on book by Truman Capote.
Fascinating and influential sci-fi drama said to have been based on Shakespeare's Tempest. An intellectual scientist lives alone on a planet with this beautiful daughter, warning off strangers. When they come, a horrible alien beast appears, kills, and disappears. Well acted, well-scripted, and the effects are pretty good. An obvious source of inspiration for Star Trek. Seen again 2018-08. Really smart science fiction but not so clever melodrama. Typical example: when a significant character tries an alien machine out on his brain and collapses, and offers some last words, of course, Commander Adams makes no attempt to seek medical help for him. He behaves exactly as if he was an actor who knows that the character dies in this scene. There is also a romantic subplot that seems to appear out of nowhere. The early scenes of Adams' men ogling Anne Francis are creepily anachronistic-- she is seen as a hot potential mate by everyone, dramatizing, perhaps, a very progressive view of sex awkwardly presented. Robbie the Robot was a brilliant conception, except for the horribly clumsy way he moved, with feet in big rubber rings. "Lost in Space" wisely gave their robot treads, but neither is as intriguing as Boston Dynamics' current projects. And the sets with extensive electronics and effects are impressive. "Forbidden Planet" projected human travel to the moon as occurring far in the future, in 2096, not in 13 years! Anne Francis wears a very short mini-skirt in the film: the first time Hollywood dared. But it definitely started a trend (see "Star Trek", the original TV series).
Low-key but powerful depiction of fatal influence of a pair of lovers on adolescent boy's emotional life, in 19th century England. Beautifully filmed in English country-side. The boy is used by Marion (Christie), an upper-class woman engaged to a respectable but boring man, to bring messages to a local tenant-farmer with whom she is having an affair. The boy adores Christie at first but comes to resent the burden he carries. When the other adults pressure him to reveal what he knows, disaster results. The film is really an indictment of certain upper class sentiments about the "rugged poor". Christie--who seems a romantic character at first--is revealed as a self-centred, self-serving romanticist, with no consciousness of the effects of her actions on others. Somewhat archaic in the development of dramatic scenes, (and boys rough-housing can be so hard to reproduce in film it almost always fails), but otherwise superbly acted. The music also is a trifle over-bearing but tolerable. Very unusual perspective on romantic trysts and class difference.
Moody, atmospheric, and graced by the presense of Genevieve Bujold. From the novel by Anne Hebert, based on a true story, about a woman in 18th century Quebec who rebels against her brutish husband, the Squire of Kamouraska, and falls in love with a doctor. When they murder the husband, the Doctor escapes across the border and she is charged with the crime. Her aunts testify to her good character and she is released and marries a stodgy, reliable sort and the doctor is not heard from again.
Great, entertaining character study: Bogart as an earthy, individualistic steamboat captain; Hepburn as prim missionary. They are in Africa during the war, and circumstances bring them together with an opportunity to help the cause by attacking a German gunship. Script by James Agee, from novel by Forster.
Hilarious! But also beautifully filmed.
Modern retelling of Jesus story, takes potshots at commercial advertising and crass materialism, politicians, the police. Unsurprisingly, a liberal humanist slant on the Christ character but with touches of mysticism, and the occasional oddly humourous touch of realism, as when Jesus, posing on the cross in a tableau of the crucifixion, is arrested and has to climb down.
Beautiful sequel to Jean de Florette: simple, elegant, true, and profoundly resonant of humanity and redemption. Great film.
Very affecting drama about Malle's childhood in a boarding school in Southern France, and the Jewish boy who is hidden from the Nazis there. Well-acted and filmed, in soft, rich hues. Intimate and sometimes provocative, and ultimately tragic. Suitable for adolescents.
Charming, thoughtful fantasy about "real" Kris Kringle getting hired by Macy's, bringing true spirit of Christmas to corporate bureacracy. Could have been shmaultzy, but isn't, thanks to literate script and fine performances, especially by Gwenn and Payne, Frawley. Also notable for young Natalie Wood.
Powerful indictment of American free enterprise hi-lighted by Gig Young's facetious emodiment of capitalists aggression, cheer-leading determined efforts of dance contest contestents while exploiting them. Sometimes regarded as existential drama about life in general. Probably about both, but references to capitalism are unmistakeable. Sarrazin may be miscast, but Fonda is good, Buttons is amazing, and Gig Young is brilliant.
GIG YOUNG
Brilliant, beautiful film about fanatic Jesuit priest making his way to Central Canada in 17th Century New France, intending to convert the Hurons. Honest, lovely, and moving. Brilliantly acted. Sometimes horrifyingly explicit about savagery of some natives and of the French.
Fascinating, rambunctious account of adventures of Baron Munchausen in the "Age of Reason". Scary at times, for kids. In a fortified town fighting for its life against an invading Turkish army, an actor performs a dramatization of the life of the Baron, complete with the usual exaggerations. The Baron himself shows up, however, and drives the actors from the stage, and decides to tell the true story of his adventures, which are even more far-fetched than those of the impresario. Like Gilliam's Brazil, Munchausen is wildly imaginative, and often brilliant. And sometimes the gags misfire. Behind all the adventures, the question of whether a life lived by Reason is worth living at all. The Baron's enchanting adventures seem far more interesting than the dreary life under the bureaucrats who run the town.
UMA THURMAN, JONATHAN PRYCE, STING
Very, very good, literate, well-scripted story of aspiring broadway actress, and how she uses all around her to achieve her goals. Lovely, low-key, rewarding film.
Brilliant western, with adult themes about politics, peace, and justice. Henry Fonda is excellent, Anthony Quinn also. Fonda is a hired gun for a little town, intended to put down rowdies. Richard Widmark becomes legitmate sherriff. Inevitable conflict, but admirably played, extremely well-written. Excellent for a high school class discussion on justice.
Intelligent, interesting account of an aging boarding school teacher who is ridiculed by his students, snubbed by his peers, and cheated by his employers, all while his cynical wife carries on an affair with a younger colleague. Mr. Browning comes to an epiphany, then tries to regain his dignity. A sleeper: a rewarding and satisfying film, that builds slowly but steadily into a complete picture of a man who suddenly realizes his own worthlessness, and thus begins to realize his truth worth.
In the 1960's, director Michael Apted filmed and interviewed a group of children in a small school in England. His low-key, non-intrusive style made for compelling drama all by itself, but when he followed up by catching up to his subjects eight years later, the story became a powerful analysis of lives lived. He was particularly interested in how class plays a role in people's lives. With some of his subjects, the story had become tragic. How rarely do we have the opportunity to see a person's life unravel before our very eyes?
Interesting plot: a fugitive stumbles onto a movie set accidentally causing death of stuntman. Director knows he law is after him, so he uses him as replacement stunt man, for very dangerous situations. Can't remember the ending: something vaguely dissatisfying about it all.
Set in the 1800's, Denmark, Pelle and his father are Swedish immigrants, struggling to achieve even the simplest pleasures in life. Heart-rending. Powerful, deeply sad ending, when Pelle decides he must leave, but his father lacks the will and strength and courage to go with him. This is almost definitively the saddest moment in film, as is the moment when Von Sydow tells the "widow" he is courting that his vision of contentment is to be served a cup of tea.
Japanese version of King Lear, with some astonishingly beautiful cinematography and direction. Story centers on dispute between sons of warlord for control of his empire. Lives up to its billing. Incredible staging of battles, almost like ballet, flowing colours, streamers... An awesome experience.
Beautifully acted film from Joyce novel, about family with paralyzed emotions, crippled relationships. A delight from start to finish, though there are no big developments, no major catharsis, other than the bitter revelation of a lost love.
Exciting, unusual drama about a radio talk show hostess whose personal life is chaotic and disordered. Very strange, off-beat sequences, and eerie out-of-body sense to the entire thing. Bujolds advises others on how to keep order and sensibility in their lives, but can't thwart the confused yearnings all around her. Carradine is impressive, Bujolds is startling. This movie just keeps coming at you and coming at you until you are convinced it's extraordinary. Director Alan Rudolph displays both a strong personal style and the influence of mentor Robert Altman.
Catherine Deneuve as the director of a Theatre Company in Nazi-occupied Paris. Intelligent, engrossing film that fizzles a little towards the end.
CATHARINE DENEUVE
Amusing, witty, highly original fairy tale, enlivened with cameos by Billy Crystal and others, but especially endearing because of the great performances by Wallace Stevens as the Sicilian and Andre' the Giant as his sidekick. The only flaws-- and they are significant-- is the uninspired casting of Cary Elwes and Robin Wright as the principals. Why do the bad guys get to have all the colour?
CARY ELWES, ROBIN WRIGHT, PETER FALK, MANDY PATINKEN, CHRISTOPHER WALKENS
Based on story by Joyce Carol Oates, about a young girl's sexual awakening. Fabulous performance by Dern. Moody, introspective, quiet, but packs a punch.
LEVON HELM
Beautifully filmed but marred by archaic dramatic style, like Bridge on the River Kwai.
Powerful and moving version of Maxwell Anderson's play?? Not Shaw, I guess.
I caught this late one night, in French. Looked absolutely brilliant.
Brilliantly atmosphereic medieval mystery. Connery plays a sort of private eye monk, who uncovers a plot to do away with Aristotle's theories of humour. Exactly. Beautifully filmed, intriguing, and provocative.
Judah Rosenthal is a successful optometrist with a wonderful wife and children and a tremendously successful practice in New York. But he also has a mistress, Dolores, who is becoming increasingly determined to marry Judah, something that can only take place if Judah divorces his wife. Judah, not surprisingly, doesn't want to end his marriage. He is finally compelled to turn to his brother, Jerry, who has underworld connections, for a drastic solution. But Judah is an intelligent, moral man, and he struggles with the question of whether life is just, if he will be punished for this evil act. In a parallel story, Cliff Stern (Allen) is a documentarist who consistently eschews the cheap, the vulgar, and the commercial, at personal and professional expense. He pursues a woman, Halley Reed, whom he thinks shares his high principles. But she is involved with a callow television producer, Lester (Alan Alda). Cliff meditates on the injustice of this, and Allen delicately brings the two parallel stories together at a wedding reception. This is Allen's usual witty way of raising fundamental questions about life, morality, and truth. There is a very powerful scene when he recognizes that the woman he has been idolizing has fallen for the shallow Lester, and all he can do is stare in wonder. Is life just? Answer: no. So how can we live? Resign yourself to the intolerable and find joy in the things you can. This is about as modern a sentiment as you can get.
Breathtaking and astonishing. Modernized version with rock score is especially powerful, intriguing, surprisingly sensual and provocative. The story is a futuristic fable about the very rich living above the earth in luxury while drone workers toil in excruciating oppression below. The "Master's" son investigates life of the working class, discovers a woman leader, becomes sympathetic. But a mad scientist replaces the woman with an identical robot, to sow conflict and chaos, and so justify the Master's renewed oppression. Spectacular special effects and sets. Some scenes rise to the level of visual poetry. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, Germany, 1926, rescored and tinted by Giorgio Moroder in 1984) Stunning, expressionistic German film depicting a futuristic society in which the fabulously wealthy live on the natural surface of the planet, while scores of oppressed drones slave away at steam-powered behemoths beneath the surface. There is an attempted revolt, a diversion by a charismatic religious leader, and a pivotal confrontation between the oppressed and their oppressors. This is simply one of the most visually stunning films ever made, and one of the most poetic and allusive. The ending is somewhat unsatisfactory-- if only owners and workers could work together to share the fruits of their labours, all would be well-but it would be interesting to explore how the events of the 20th century have changed the meaning of this film to modern viewers, with whom it has had a resurgence in popularity. (Why, for example, is The Grapes of Wrath, not as interesting to contemporary viewers, though it too is a powerful, artistic film?)
Moving, faithful adaptation of Harper Lee's novel about race relations in the old South. Peck plays a lawyer who breaks unwritten rules by defending black man accused of raping a poor white woman. Though occasionally stiff, gracefully filmed, lyrical, and affecting. That is indeed Robert Duvall making film debut as Boo Radley. But this is a film whose sum value adds up to more than that of it's parts. Mary Badham is very uneven as Scout, and some of the scenes with Boo Radley are nearly cringe-worthy (as when he sits with her on the rocking bench on the porch). The ending is really quite over the top in terms of contrivance, and this may be the original "white savior" film. On the other hand, at least one outcome, the fate of Tom Robinson, certainly resonates today with what we know about police and race.
Striking and memorable drama about an intelligent prostitute, Bree Daniels, (Jane Fonda) who is the only link to a missing businessman being sought by a private detective, John Klute (Donald Sutherland). Klute, from a small town, is not intimidated by the sophistication and danger of the big city, and he gradually wins Bree's trust in his determination to solve the case. In voice-overs and sessions with her psychiatrist, we get Bree's angle on events, and it is the most intriguing element of the film. Bree is ambivalent about her "work", but she likes being in control, and she sees men at their basest and ugliest. She sees what she believes is the truth about men: that they are completely vulnerable to their own strange desires. But what does she want? She doesn't know. When she begins to feel attracted to Klute, she simultaneously desires to sabotage the relationship, to withdraw from him. If you don't care, you can't be hurt. She is shocked at Klute's incorruptibility: he is the first man she has known who couldn't be easily manipulated sexually. Early in the picture, when she still thinks of him as a country bumpkin, she asks him what he thinks about her associates and herself, and the sophisticated life-style of the big city. He tells her she and her friends are pathetic, and she is surprised to be stung by his put-down. Bree makes it her challenge to corrupt him, to prove that he is really the same as the other men she knows. This is easily Fonda's best performance ever. Rarely has any actress so completely inhabited such an intriguing role. Powerful, brilliant, haunting film. Kael calls Bree one of the strongest roles for women ever. The ending is Hollywood but it's not what you will remember about this film. A christian website discussed the film in terms of dramatizing the exploitation of women. That's a bit like saying "Apocalypse Now" is about helicopters. At the center of "Klute" is Bree Daniels talking at length about how she, as a woman, empowers herself by manipulating men's desires. I suppose in a perverse way that affirms that women have no other avenues for controlling their own lives-- other than prostitution. But Bree is psychologically complex. She never proffers her life as an escort as an alternative to a career in, for example, plastics. Her other avocations are to be a model or actress. If you told her, you are being oppressed by men, I suspect she would laugh.
Stunningly filmed documentary, breaks new ground in terms of interpolation of subjective element, and direct advocacy of the cause of a hitch-hiker convicted of killing a Dallas cop. This acclaimed film ultimately led to a re-examination of evidence and subsequent exoneration of the man.
What is love? Seriously, what is love? I know-- sounds like a hackneyed phrase form some 60's beat poet. But it is a question that sounds trivial and absurd because it matters so much. It matters so much, but we understand very little about it. The Unbearable Lightness of Being takes on that question. It plunges you directly into the heart of need and want and lust and dependency, and asks you, which of these are love? Tomas is a doctor in Czechoslovakia. He has lost his license to practise because of his political views and now washes windows. Tomas is tall and suave and he finds many women willing to let him wash more than her windows. One day, a young woman named Tereza arrives on his doorstep, intending to stay. She is a photographer, and an incredibly needy, emotional woman, who quickly attaches herself to Tomas. She is the weight of love, the dependency, and she holds on to Tomas by virtue of this need. Tomas is also in a relationship with an independent woman named Sabina. The three form an unlikely triumverate of shifting amorphous desires and wants. Sabina, a painter, doesn't want to be tied down either. When the Russian tanks roll in (nother crushing weight) they flee to Geneva, where Sabina takes a new lover, and Tereza tries to learn Tomas' philosophy, unsuccessfully. In the end, Tomas, and Sabina have to choose: life with weight, attachments, anchors, location, but also with the weight of dependency, or love without anchors, a wandering lonely love, that, stark as it may be, offers the greatest amount of freedom.
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, LENA OLIN, JULIETTE BINOCHE, DEREK DE LINT
Freshman year at Harvard University. Bottoms falls in love with divorced daughter of tyrannical professor, struggles through difficult first year of law school. Ultimately, this film is made by two elements: the earthy style of the cinematography, and Houseman's tour de force as a nasty, demanding, but possibly brilliant professor.
JOHN HOUSEMAN
Brilliant TV movie about Salem witch trials, analyzes sources of stories, nature of rumour, outcasts, scapegoats. Redgrave is astounding. Striking resemblance to present-day stories of child abuse and Satanic worship.
Very compelling nostalgiac portrait of Fellini's youth.
Hilarious, amazing romp through the African bush with a naive school teacher, a bushman seeing civilization for the first time, and various other bumbling or conniving players. The plot centres on corruption in village as the result of a Coke bottle dropped from an airplane, and thereby revered by the tribesman. The hero is designated to bring it back to the edge of the earth and drop it off.
Well-acted and filmed story of Lindy Chamberlain, the Australian woman accused and convicted of murdering her baby at Ayres Rock. Because she kept her grief private, and made some odd comments to the media, the public and the police began to grow suspicious. She is arrested and charged with murder and languishes in jail until a shift in perception occurs. Streep has been criticized for her predilection for big parts with accents, but she does well here. Her Lindy is a little strange, smarter than she sounds, but not quite capable of hearing herself speak. She gets into trouble for saying what's on her mind instead what the public and media think should be on her mind. In real life, evidence later surfaced that provided convincing proof that she had told the truth about the dingo. She and her husband later divorced and she became a spokesman for animal rights.
Gentle, likable film about a boy who is sent to live with some eccentric relatives in the countryside while mother tries to recover from Tuberculosis. Mother eventually dies. The boy describes his life as being only slightly better than that of Laika, the Russian dog, who died upon re-entry from outer space. Great scenes with girl-friend who illegally plays on boy's soccer team and finds it increasingly difficult to hide her breasts.
Riveting retelling of the Watergate scandal from point of view of Woodward and Bernstein, with blended documentary footage. The film sometimes attributes an unwarranted degree of sinister importance to each tidbit of evidence the reporters uncover, but over-all the drama rings true, the details seem right, and acting is superb-- particularly Jane Alexander, who won an Oscar for a screen appearance that lasted less than 9 minutes. With this film, the image of the reporter as hero reached it's zenith, and distrust and suspicion of all things to do with government began in earnest. In many ways, the cynicism of the Reagan era can be directly traced to Watergate: if you distrust government, you want less of it, not more. It is interesting to compare the portrait of the media today, as a crazed hoard of grasping hyenas, in contrast to this near sanctification of Woodward and Bernstein. [Viewed again 2017-05] Note that the film is considered meticulously accurate with a few insignificant exceptions. The security guard that discovered the burglars was played by Frank Wills the real security guard.
Scrupulously accurate portrayal of the Titanic disaster. Acting, writing, cinematography are all first rate-- until Lightoller gets on his pulpit in the lifeboat. Vastly superior dramatically to Cameron's Titanic (1997). Based on the book by Walter Lord. Captain Lord of the Californian (no relation) sued the makers of the movie for libel but died before it went to court.
KENNETH MORE
Stunning, shocking, but interesting account of day in the life of a city brothel in New York. Works well as low-key realization of "normal" working day for the women.
Billy Booger, Billy Booger, Billy Booger, Dolly Dolores, Vlickky Vlasci, k kdkdk, ,
Gripping drama about young boy who witnesses a murder, and detective caught between corrupt superiors and mob. After betrayal by a fellow detective, Detective Book is wounded in an attack. He takes the boy and his mother back to the Amish community to protect them and recuperate. He is reluctantly taken in and gradually comes to understand and value the traditions and culture of the Amish community, but when the killers track him down he must resort to extreme guile and determination to take them on. Touching, daring almost seduction between Rachel and Book... Lukas Haas as the young boy is excellent. The ending is bittersweet. Really well-written, well-conceived story.
, , Harrison Ford, McGillis Kelly, Lukas Haas, Josef Sommer, Jan Rubes, Alexander Godunov, Danny Glover, Brend Jennings, Patti LuPone
Very authentic, grim account of Swedish immigrants in 19th century America. Ullman and VonSydow are both absolutely compelling. Dramatizes the hardships, both physical and emotional, and the small satisfactions. No patina of "the American dream", which couldn't have meant very much to the isolated farmers and their families who actually worked the land, fought off starvation, and struggled to make something of their lives.
Eerie suspense piece. A woman persuades her husband to kidnap a child so her predictions will come true. Attenborough is brilliant.
Murky, myserious pageant of evil. Astonishingly effective considering it's age. Filmed at the height of the German expressionist movement, featuring outsized shadows and sharp contrasts, misshapen buildings and sidewalks, and horrifying faces.
Brilliant, unpretentious film about a man who disappears when he goes off to war, only to reappear ten years later. He is accepted by his young bride and most villagers, until a jealous Uncle contests his identity. The church then tries to determine if he really is who he says he is. Profound film that resonates everywhere.
Interesting, off-beat film. Linda Hunt is riveting.
Sardonic look at the Korean War through the eyes of a cynical army surgeon, Hawkeye Pierce, and his boozing, womanizing buddies. Outward jocularity masks a dark view of humanity and war. The author of the book later disassociated himself from both the movie and the "wimpy" tv series because of it's shift towards a moderated humanism. The movie bears him out: it is far more raw and authentic, and sometimes disturbing. Some critics point out the misogyny and the retrograde attitudes towards homosexuality (a character is "cured" of his homosexual tendencies by a night with a sexy girl).
Brilliant, luscious film, centred on Salieri's frustration at his failures when young fop Mozart just coasts through one brilliant melody after another while he, having even foresworn sex for music, produces nothing but mediocrities. Abrams is superb, as is Jones as Emperor Joseph. About the fundamental mystery of genius-- on whom do the gods bestow their gifts and why? Has the wonderful audacity to make Salieri the only person in Mozart's life who really does appreciate his genuis. Even the other musicians are too obsessed with personal status to notice.
Brilliant evocation of sisters, love, and New York City. All actors are excellent. Woody is hypochondriac, tries to become Jewish, whatever. Michael Caine falls in love with his wife's sister. Warmth of family scenes contrasts-- and complements-- scenes of neurotic self-questioning and insecurities. A rich, fascinating pastiche of modern sensibilities and emotional frustrations.
Bizarre, sometimes astonishing storey about mother-son relationship, sometimes ranging into incestuousness. Startling, surprising, unforgettable.
One of the most interesting and oddball documentaries of the past twenty years. Ross McElwee set out to make a documentary on Sherman's last march through the confederate south. Instead, he takes the camera with him as he visits numerous women, friends, girlfriends, and others he meets along the way, in an impromptu investigation of the character of southern women in the modern era. He interviews, talks, narrates, cajoles. He even humiliates himself by trying to persuade one particularly attractive girl to explain to him why she can love a man who has dumped her several times but not him, Ross. A former teacher of his lectures him on how to approach women, and how to talk to them. She sets him up with an attractive girl but he discovers that she is a Mormon, and could only marry another Mormon. He meets a singer playing in front of a bar on a hot summer day and follows her around for a few days. Most poignantly, he revisits an unrequited love, a woman who appears to be interested in him, until her former boyfriend re-enters her life. She is bright and articulate and beautiful, and feminist. We get to watch the relationship disintegrate as Ross desperately tries to persuade her to let him deeper into her life, until she is plainly repelled by his desperation. Ross is a bit of a whiner. He's not particularly articulate or insightful. The virtues of this film are its honestly and spontaneity, and for that alone it is entirely refreshing.
ROSS MCELWEE
Seering portrait of disillusioned Jew, Sol Nazerman (Rod Stieger) haunted by memories of Holocaust and the loss of his wife and family. He runs a pawnshop in a tough neighborhood in the Bronx, lives with his sister and her husband, and seems to be completely bereft of emotion. Sensitively filmed with a strong jazz score. Steiger's performance is among the greatest of modern film.
Docudrama about a man wrongly hanged for murders committed by John Christie in London in the 1940's. Excellent cast, poignant and powerful.
JUDY GEESON, RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH, JOHN HURT
Absolutely stunning, shocking, outrageous story about World War II Italian soldier who will do anything-- absolutely anything-- to escape death. Incredible scene with incredibly obese woman commandant.
Austere but richly woven tale of a dying woman's last months, focussing on servant girl's relationship to her and her sisters.
Not sure of director... Wonderful film about homely butcher whose family and friends keep pressuring him to get married. Finally meets a nice girl, and male friends pressure him to break it off. Well-acted, beautifully written, superbly rendered. A classic.
About the backroom shenanigans at a beauty contest in a California town, the double-crossing, the ruthlessness, and three of young voyeurs determined to get Polaroid pictures of the contestants in the buff. But really a brilliant incisive satire of American lifestyles and culture and values, centered on the shallow character of Brenda, the supervisor of the pageant, and her obsessively upbeat, optimistic view of a crass exercise in trivialization of teen girls' aspirations. Perhaps one of the smartest satires you will ever see as the sequences wander from Big Bob's all-American Jaycee wisdom and participation in a weird club where men where white robes and kiss dead chickens, to the mean choreographer, Tommy (played by real-life choreographer, Michael Kidd) who turns out to have more humanity than most of the pageant organizers and managers. Most of the girls in the pageant were amateurs and as they talk to judges and present themselves and perform their presentations (one girl shows how to pack for a trip; another uses a butter churn for a prop), they are simultaneously ridiculous and completely believable. The audience shots reveal that Ritchie is not looking for broad caricature: they are sometimes flattering, sometimes not so much, and sometimes thoughtful. This is a rich, textured movie, that reveals far more than you might have expected.
Emotionally compelling drama, far, far superior to ABC's contrived epic "The Day After" (was that the name?). Jane Alexander and William Devane are exceptional.
Hilarious satire of U.S. politics. The testimony of Miss America at Allen's trial is not to be missed, nor is Cosell's "Wide World of Sports" coverage of the Central American assassination. Or the English to English translator at the airport. Or Allen interrogating himself in court...
Brilliant realization of John Steinbeck book, faithful, well-acted and filmed, and passionate. Fonda is lean and mean as Tom Joad. The supporting cast is uniformly compelling and convincing.
Enjoyable, off-beat tale about a black "alien" who lands in New York City and wanders around touching people's lives in unexpected ways, while being hunted by two inter-galactic bounty hunters. In one hilarious scene, the two hunters walk into a bar and show the alien's picture to the bartender. They explain they are looking for an "illegal alien". It is clear the alien is an escaped slave.
Moving anti-war film, the first major work by Stanley Kubrick. The setting is the German front, World War I, where both sides are well dug-in and frontal assaults are pointless. When a poorly planned advance collapses in disaster, the incompetent French officers responsible pick three innocent soldiers to die for cowardice. Kirk Douglas is Colonel Dak, a military lawyer who is oblidged to mount a nominal defence for the men and quickly becomes convinced of the fundamental injustice of the action. He wages a losing battle against the court martial--comprised of the very officers who chose the men to die--and the rest of the film deals with the men's varying responses to their fate. Kubrick got raked somewhat for the conclusion: a pretty German girl is forced to take the stage in a club to sing for a group of drunken, swaggering French soldiers. When she chooses a sentimental folk hymn, their eyes well up with tears.
Brilliant, biting satire of business morals and manners. An elevator girl named Fran Kubilek has an on-going affair with a heel of a married business executive, Mr. Sheldrake, frustrating schmuck C. C. Baxter, who genuinely adores her. Other executives at the large insurance firm use Baxter's apartment for tawdry little flings with underlings at the company, while promoting Baxter's employment record in return. When Fran tries to break off the relationship, Sheldrake convinces her that he is serious about leaving his wife-- until Fran discovers that he is not, and, further, that he's used this routine on several other women at the office. When she tries to commit suicide, Baxter rescues her. Beautifully, wonderfully, wittily rendered, perfectly directed by Wilder, and utterly timeless. There is not a careless shot or scene, or false note, except possibly for tone: Baxter can seem slightly obnoxious, singing to himself, insisting on boring Kubilek with gin games, and proposing a night on the town. But this is one of a handful of genuinely great movies in film history.
Absolutely the most brilliant thriller I have ever seen. Certainly deserves to be remade into a good english film.
Powerful performance by Ullman highlights a brilliant, intimate, compelling look at marriage relationships.
Powerful, stark parable about mob rule. A rancher races into town to report that his cattle have been heisted. Posse immediately forms, siezes three men hearding cattle through the region, and prepares to lynch them. Superb performances, especially by victims.
Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, edited, and composed the music for this silent era masterpiece, arguably one of the ten best films of all time. Chaplin is a tramp wandering around the big city, using his wits to survive. A poor blind girl mistakes him for a rich man and he impetuously tries to live up to the bluff. When he discovers that a potential cure for the girl's blindness exists, he tries to raise the money to get it for her. In the process, he is mistakenly accused of robbery and sent to jail-- but not before he gets the money to the girl. Years later, he is back on the street, even poorer and more pathetic than before. He stumbles into a flower shop-- and there is the girl. Her sight is restored thanks to the operation he paid for, but of course, she doesn't recognize him since she has never seen him. When some boys make fun of him, she chases them away and offers him a coin. Here, as she places it in his hand, she suddenly realizes.... A wonderful, wonderful film, and a consummate realization of all the best techniques and styles of the silent era. And when you watch a masterpiece like this, it is difficult not to agree with those who felt that the introduction of sound to films may have cost us more than it gained. Not impossible... but difficult.
CHARLES CHAPLIN, VIRGINIA CHERRILL, HARRY MYERS
Gennarino is a Marxist labourer who works summers on the yachts plying the Mediterrean Sea. Raffaella is the rich, right-wing, highly opinionated wife of the owner of one of these ships. Her favourite sport is berrating her husband, and the crew, of the boat, for their "idiotic" opinions on social and political issues. In fact, she goes at it non-stop, ridiculing all who disagree with her. She is a monster. One day, Gennarino has to take her to an island to swim, in a little rubber dighny. The motor fails, and while Raffaella lets Gennarino have it for his incompetence, another storm blows up, and they are "swept away" to a secluded island. At first, Raffaella continues to order Gennarino about, as usual, but gradually both come to the realization that the tables have turned. Instead being dependent on her wealth as an employer, she is dependent on Gennarino's skills as a forager and provider. And a monster of a master he becomes. Rather than liberating both from their slavery to an economic system, their roles become reversed with Gennarino acting the cruel master, and Raffaella becoming the submissive slave. Worst of all, she begins to like this new arrangement. I won't give away the ending, but it is a remarkable, unexpected twist. The film raises a host provocative questions about both economics and gender roles, leaving some of them unanswered.
GIANCARLO GIANNINI, MERIANGELA MELATO, RICCARDO SALVINO
Fine, quirky film. Never really gets of the ground but very entertaining attempt to state something profound about an everyday misery. Carrie Snodgrass is funny as the bored housewife who wants something interesting to happen to her, and thinks it might be an affair with hunky Frank Langella. Richard Benjamins is her stock-broker husband who hounds her to improve herself. This is a quietly subversive film-- the children are not cute, and Benjamins is not redeemable-- that suggests that madness lurks just beneath the surface of our lives of daily antiseptic normalcy.
Based on John Fowles book, a Harold Pinter script. Interesting contrast between liberated relationship of actors and the inhibited relationships of the characters in a period film set in the Victorian era. Stunning ending, in many ways. Brilliant performances.
Autobiographical film by dancer/director Bob Fosse-- including shots of his own open-heart surgery-- portraying driven, compulsive director and the women he uses and abuses as he pursues some elusive goal of immortality or perfection. Basically about how a man's work can become an all-consuming passion which may produce those wonderful moments of sublime beauty, but a deep personal and professional cost. Nothing new in that, but Fosse gives it renewed life with a touch of self-mockery and ironic detachment the keeps things from getting maudlin. Reach doesn't always meet grasp here, but the dance sequences are wonderful. Fosse directed Cabaret.
ROY SCHEIDER, JESSICA LANGE
Dark, cynical portrait of a school teacher who falls in love with a cabaret singer, and loses his reputation, job, and self-respect. He becomes a clown in the cabaret, humiliated and mocked by the musicians and other actors. Marlene sings her famous "Fall in Love Again", straddling a chair, in her black lace and garters.
MARLENE DIETRICH
One of the bleakest, darkest films on human relationships ever made. Carnal Knowledge follows the love lives of a heel, Jonathan Fuerst, and his sensitive friend Sandy, through their college years beginning in 1946 early 50's, their first courtships, their marriages, to middle-aged angst. These characters are richly realized, rounded, and subtle, so it doesn't seem fair to peg them as anything. At first, they seem most interested in scoring, but the relationship matters to them. They end up dating the same girl, Susan, and when she chooses the "nice" one, Sandy, over the heel, Jonathan becomes bitter and cynical. One of the most heart-rending scenes among many is Susan on the phone admitting to Jonathan-- whom she clearly prefers-- that she can't bear to break Sandy's heart by telling them about their secret relationship. Ann-Margaret is devastating as one of his later conquests, Bobby, who can't figure out what Jonathan wants, really, because he doesn't really know himself. Both Jonathan and Sandy are fundamentally immature and confused and cruel at times, in an endless quest to find sexual fulfillment (Sandy admits that it's hard to be sexually attracted to the woman you love and marry). Some critics savage the film for failing to find that profound comment on male sexual attitudes, but I think they miss the point. "Carnal Knowledge" is simply, bitterly, resolutely honest about both sexes: Susan is sweet and naive but attracted to the bad boy, Jonathan, partly because she can't manipulate him the way she can manipulate Sandy. She is wonderfully attractive character precisely because her attitudes are so obsolete, but real for the period. Bobby is shrewd, and also manipulative, and rather a competitive match for Jonathan, but in the 1950's (she wanted to campaign for John Kennedy), her life options are limited and she hopes for a marriage even though Jonathan is abuse and mean to her. She calls him a "prick". In the end, Sandy hooks up with a teenager half his age and Jonathan pays an escort to enact fantasies that-- sometimes-- restore his ability to get hard. This is the movie that really is about the truth people can't handle.
JACK NICHOLSON, ART GARFUNKEL, CANDACE BERGEN, ANN MARGARET
Great story about Indians, counter-acting cliches, with endearing self-mocking humour. And marred by the weird Hollywood convention, going back to Al Jolson, of having big name American stars portray the central character no matter what race or ethnicity. Eg. Marlon Brando or Shirley Mclaine portraying a Japanese character, Renee Zellweger and Natalie Portman portarying Brits. Hoffman portrays the title character, a native American who participated in many of the historical events involving native peoples in the American West, encounters with excitable missionaries, and so on.
"Fascinating" does not even begin to do justice to this gritty, bitter portrait of a naive Texan who moves to New York to try to make it big as a hustler. Along the way, he meets various depraved characters into "Ratso Rizzo", crippled bum, who takes him under his wing and tries to manage him. Filled with powerful images, evocative nuance, and grim tragedy. Unforgettable. One of the two or three best American films ever made. 113 minutes. Unusually audacious Oscar awards for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. Note the appearances of members of Andy Warhol's "Factory" and the Velvet Underground at parties.
Italian Neo-Realist film about an elderly citizen of Rome who lives alone in an apartment building with his small dog, Flike, and who is forced out by his landlord to struggle on the streets of post-war Rome. He desperately sells his remaining belongs and even attempts to beg, and to give his dog away to a little girl, and to children in a playground. Eventually, he decides to end it all but Flike runs away and he survives only to walk off, like Chaplin's little tramp, into the sunset and an uncertain future. Bergman's favorite film.
How much can a film owe to its score? Zither music sets tone and atmosphere for this haunting, affecting work. Touches you somewhere deep, cold, and chilling. One of the most haunting scenes of any movie: Lime's funeral, when his girl walks away from everyone, but especially Holly Martins. Holly Martins is an American writer. He creates westerns, slick entertainments designed to sell. When he gets a message from old school chum Harry Lime, to come to Vienna, he does so in a hurry. Unfortunately, he arrives only in time to attend Lime's funeral: he has been killed in a car accident. Martins is beside himself with a grief, though a British military officer tells him that Lime was into the black market. Martins can't believe it. He begins to suspect foul play. He plunges into a foolhardy investigation, but makes a shocking discovery. The real story is Martin's discovery of the unpleasant realities that govern life in post-war Vienna, the conditions that created a black market, and the nature of Lime's relationships. In a real sense, Martins' stands in for naive, well-meaning, but sometimes foolish America, plunging into Europe with black & white notions of good and evil, and in for a reckoning from the complexities of life under Nazi and Soviet rule. Martins resists these revelations until it is almost too late. And even then, he gives in to a foolish romantic impulse that results in disaster. And, of course, there is that famous scene in the ferris wheel: Lime looks down on the people below and compares them to ants-- what are they to you and I, he asks.
Taught thriller about heroin smuggling famously based on real-life reminiscences of New York copy "Popeye" Doyle-- who did not operate by the book and, in fact, got into considerable ethics problems and was dismissed eventually. The film does not soft-peddle his rather asinine techniques. But it does have one of the most thrilling chase scenes ever made. In fact, a good chunk of the movie is chase, and the dialogue, such as it is, is rather lame and was probably improvised at times by the actors. The car chase, incidentally, features what is clearly a real accident as a bystander drove into the movie shoot one day and rammed Hackman's car. Popeye and his partner, Buddy Russo, are on to a big import of heroin by a French crime syndicate. Alain Charnier is smart and cultured and a pretty good match for Doyle and Russo, and succeeds in evading them for a time. One should be grateful for Friedkin giving due respect for the tedium of law enforcement: Doyle and Russo spend a lot of time sitting in a car watching and waiting, and drinking horrible coffee and eating terrible food. But this is a crackling, compelling film that doesn't look anything like the pap and pro-police propaganda normally constructed around these stories (see "Dirty Harry", released shortly after this film.)
Brilliant but erratic film, suffers from undue self-absorption near the end, as if the fact that it thought it was important was enough to be important. Sheen plays a military officer assigned to locate a Colonel Kurtz, an army intelligence agent who has organized his own army in the interior and is conducting campaigns of unprecedented savagery against the enemy. Dramatic incidents on the journey highlight the corruptibility of man and the insanity of war. Somewhere lurking in the mess is the idea that evil can only be confronted with evil, but it appears that Coppola realized that the simple articulation of this idea doesn't necessarily involve a huge epiphany. The problem is that the Sheen character, the focus of the audience's interest in Kurtz, doesn't tell us what he thinks when it really matters. And Kurtz, mumbling vaguely allusive semi-poetic phrases, doesn't illuminate very much either. The filming itself, in Thailand, became a major story after Sheen suffered a heart-attack and the sets were plagued with natural disasters.
Brilliant, savage comedy. Not really a parody of Christ or the gospels so much as a parody of organized religion and religious fanatacism. A little heavy-handed in this respect at the end.
TERRY GILLIAM, TERRY JONES, JOHN CLEESE, GRAHAM CHAPMAN, ERIC IDLE, MICHAEL PALIN, CAROL CLEVELAND
One of the most wonderful, compact little films ever made, by one of the most under-rated Hollywood stars, Buster Keaton, Mr. Stoneface. Keaton plays Johnny Gray, a locomotive engineer, who is in love with Annabelle Lee. When the civil war begins, she expects her hero to march off and join, and he tries, but the army turns him down because the trains are necessary to the war effort. When his beloved locomotive, the General, is stolen by Yankee sabatoeurs, he gets his chance to contribute to the war effort. He pursues the train, and Annabelle- who has been kidnapped-- and rescues both, in some of the most hair-raising stunts ever committed to film. The General is an elegant, tightly focussed, marvelous piece of work.
BUSTER KEATON, MARION MACK, CHARLES SMITH, JOE KEATON
Musical based on the Isherwood period pieces about decadent Berlin in the 1930's. Peter York plays the alter ego, struggling with his ambiguous sexuality (which is not ambiguous in "I Am a Camera" or "Sally Bowles", the source material) while dealing with a number of eccentric and ambivalent social climbers. Wonderful atmospherics and occasionally illuminating. I like Fosse and I like his direction, and this film does a better job than most of explaining the attraction of Nazism to a demoralized German population. York is weak, and Minnelli's performances are right out of Las Vegas, but the rest of the cast--especially Joel Grey-- is sparkling, and the music is kept in context: as performances in the Kit-Kat club, or a beer garden. Note: in 2021-08-04, I watched the movie "The Damned", ("La caduta degli dei"). It was immediately obvious where Bob Fosse had lifted many elements from, particularly the eccentric link of archaic eroticism (the black lingerie), rigid German homeo-eroticism, and Nazi culture. You can't miss it. In addition, one of the actors, Helmut Griem, is in both movies, playing a similar character.
[was missing from reviews] Michael Cimino's epic take on Viet Nam has not aged well. Even when released, his depiction of violent, distasteful Viet Namese evoked the scorn of many critics. That said, the drama is often brilliant, evocative, and compelling-- if you can overlook the stereotyped Viet Namese. Michael, Nick, and Steven work their last day at the steel plant, then head over to Steven's wedding, and a last weekend in the mountains hunting deer. And then they are off to Viet Nam. The first hour of the film is an indulgent but interesting portrait of "deplorables": working class men and their women, enduring hard-drinking, pranks, ridiculing "fags", and hitting women. It's all very homey and reassuring, and flamboyant rejoinder to "Coming Home" (which competed for Best Picture Oscar that year). Michael is hard core, intolerant, and manly; Steven is week. Nick is somewhere in between. Viet Nam destroys Steven and Nick and only the hard-ass Michael survives relatively intact. When Nick disappears-- gone AWOL-- he returns to Viet Nam during the withdrawal to search for him and finds him playing Russian roulette for money (and sending the money home to the girl he impregnated). The concluding scene, of the remaining men and women at a funeral, singing "God Bless America", is so ridiculous I thought, initially, it was intended to parody the values expressed by the characters in the film-- I thought it was ironic. Apparently, it is not.
Very funny, often moving account of love affair between Allen and Keaton. She is a klutzy WASP; Allen his usual neurotic Jewish intellectual. Funniest scenes revisit Allen's youth, his family arguing and making sarcastic, insulting comments to each other, Allen's visit to Keaton's family, her suicidal brother, and her smug parents. Allen's take on California is also amusing. Among Allen's best films.
DIANE KEATON, Woody Allen
A nostalgiac movie with a bitter, perceptive edge to it. Set in 1961, on graduation night, in a small town, American Graffiti follows the adventures and misadventures of a group of grads as they try to sort out their futures. Curt Henderson (Dreyfus) is not sure about college. Steve Bolander (Howard) is being pressured by his girl-friend to stay home. "Toad" Terry Fields (Smith), receiving the gift of Bolander's car, just wants to score. He finds a likely girl, but she wants a drink, and he's underage. Carol (Mackenzie Phillips), a precocious 13-year-old, just wants a thrill ride, and John Milner (Le Mat) gets saddled with her for the night, while stalking an out-of-town racer, Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford!) who wants to challenge his hot rod. The stories of these four weave in and out in a superb pastiche of Americana-- drive-ins, radio, hot rods, drag racing, drinking, motorcycle gangs, and sex. Hanging over all the events is the viewer's consciousness of the disturbed 60's, the assassinations, race riots, war, drugs, and urban decay, that will follow this interlude of innocent pleasure-seeking. Somehow all the trivial concerns of Toad and John and Curt and Steve seem to matter. Maybe they even matter more, because we realize how poignant their unconcern for large issues is. These kids are not naive innocents, as the TV series "Happy Days" would have you believe. They are exploring uncharted territory: the freedom and mobility and prosperity of American suburbia in the late 50's. And they seem supremely unaware of the cost.
CANDY CLARK, MAKENZIE PHILLIPS, BO HOPKINS, HARRISON FORD, WOLFMAN JACK
This is the film that becoming known as the best film ever made because it is known as the best film ever made. Kane is a brilliant work. Script, cinematography, acting-- everything is top-knotch, and, indeed, it should make most people's top ten lists. It is, of course, Welle's thinly disguised take on William Randolph Hearst, the scandal-mongering newspaper chain owner, who single-handedly ruined Welles after this film came out, by ensuring that Kane was a financial flop, by denying advertising and promotion in his newspapers. Welle's himself plays Kane with understated glee. He documents Kane's rise from poverty and obscurity to become the most powerful newspaper publisher in America. He also documents the vacuousness and emptiness of his life, his famous indulgences (the castle he left stored with millions of dollars worth of classic European art, which he neither understood nor valued), and his attempts to turn Marion Davis into a legitimate movie actress, which, if anything, hurt her career. The smart thing, of course, would have been to go see the movie and announce to the press that he loved it. Largely because of his response, he remains, in public memory, a snivelling, thin-skinned, nasty old man with bad taste.
ORSON WELLES, JOSEPH COTTEN
Documentary style film about a poor man and his son and what happens when the man's only means of livelihood (he's a sign painter), his bicycle, is stolen. Humane and fresh (all the actors were amateurs). Part of the influential "neo-realist" movement in Italy after the way.
Sutherland is brilliant in this very stylish adaptation. Haunting, and visually stunning, though results, admittedly are somewhat ambiguous. Controversial! Outrageously staged, with plastic water and ridiculous, operatic supporting cast, but a rather savage indictment of Casanova's philandering, and his pretentious enlightenment intellectualism which Fellini seems to see as destined to end, inevitably, in isolation and despair. The sex, for which characters don't undress, is mechanical as a clock (which Casanova brings to every romantic event), and even Casanova's admirers are vulgar and frumpy. Does it work as a movie? It's never not lively or intriguing.
Fascinating account of two unbalanced individuals who meet, become enflamed with passion, then discover that they can't live with each other or without each other. Brando is at his finest; Schneider is riveting and ravishing. At first, they are two lonely misfits, clinging to each other in desparate desire for love. But Paul (Brando) becomes possessive and violent and when Maria (Schneider) tries to escape the relationship, he destroys both of them.
Richly sensuous exploration of split personality: Keaton as a Catholic do- gooder during the day, and adventurous junkie at night, finally done-in by her indulgence. Richard Gere is flamboyant, dangerous stud she meets at one bar; Tom Berenger is a conflicted gay hustler she meets at another. Tuesday Weld plays sister Catherine. [added 2016-07-23] Surprisingly powerful, authentic feeling dissection of a young woman's character. Teresa is the daughter of staunch Catholics, father very strict and demanding, and mother soft and conciliatory, who develops a taste for sex while conducting an affair with a married professor who employs her as secretary. He is abusive and she gradually learns to use men the way she was used. Unusual for the time, Goodbar shows her as raptly delighted by the physical experience: she craves it over and over again and chirps her pleasure when a man begins touching her. She does a few drugs, drinks a lot at seedy bars, and helps out her unstable sister, whom her father regards as perfect. Is this connected to her horrible experience of surgery to straighten her spine after a bout of sclerosis when she was a child? It is not made explicit. What is clear is the ambiguity of her personality-- which isn't really an ambiguity at all, in Goodbar-- she wants to teach deaf children during the day (and she's good at it, and those scenes are marvelously authentic feeling) while cruising bars for men at night. In the end, this leads to tragedy, and on second viewing, it feels more like the judgement of a society that just can't handle a woman in control of her own sensuality and pleasures, independent of the controlling men around her.
One of the very best films on music ever made. An intimate behind the scenes look at performers performing: craftsmen doing their work. Robbie Robertson occasionally dips into self-aggrandizing pretentiousness, but everything about this film is marvelous.
One of the most brilliant films ever made, which is astonishing considering its daring subject and tone. Made serious film on same subject, FAIL SAFE, into a commercial disaster by parodying its subject to death. Fonda is said to have had trouble keeping a straight face after seeing Strangelove during filming of FAIL SAFE. This sounds suspiciously like Hollywood myth but its appeal is understandable. Scott is mesmerizingly funny as General "Buck" Turgidson, Sellers is brilliant in three roles, as President Muffley-- clumsily apologizing to Soviet Premier "Kissov" for launching World War III--British attache Mandrake, and Dr. Strangelove himself, an ex-Nazi scientist now employed by the Pentagon to assess consequences of nuclear war and said to have been based on Wehrner Von Braun, the former Nazi scientist who came to head up the space program in the U.S. Supporting cast, especially Slim Pickens, is also superb and the script, by Buck Henry, outstanding. Wonderful sense of the absurdity of modern warfare, as when General Turdgidson takes a phone-call from his air-head mistress in the war room, and Colonel Bat Guano hesitates before shooting up a Coke machine for some change so Colonel Mandrake can save the world with a phone call to the White House. Few films from the early 1960's stand the test of time as well as this one does. Considering the later exploits of General Westmoreland, Alex Haig, Oliver North, et. al., this film is a timeless revelation of the massive, idiotic, egocentric stupidity of war. After the crisis is thought to have passed, General Buck Turgidson leads the assembled generals and officials in prayer and there is a palpable sense of dramatized embarrassment-- these powerful lunatics know the correct formulary, but you know that they are all too aware of how disjointed the concept of a moral law is with the realpolitik of nuclear war.
SLIM PICKENS, KEENAN WYNN, JAMES EARL JONES
Tremendously thoughtful, searing drama about the meaning of life. A knight, returned from the crusades, travels ravaged Europe seeking proof of God's existence while playing a game of chess with Death. At one point, he encounters the burning of a witch and obtains permission to talk to her, hoping for proof the devil exists, and therefore, so does God. The witch claims her beloved demon will rescue her from the flames, but when her feet begin to feel the effects of the fire, doubt and then panic cross her face, and the Knight departs in disgust.
Very good, superbly written film savagely attacks television and the ratings system. Dunaway plays network exec who will stop at nothing to win ratings war with the news. What's scary is that most of the absurdities of this parody have now become realized in fact. On reviewing in 2011, a trifle pompous and righteous at times: and tacky, in trying to pin the moral decline on the young, of course, when it's the old who taught them that material success was everything.
Surprisingly powerful drama, deceptive because of fundamentally simple plot: Quinn plays a brute who takes simple-minded girl with him on tour, meets a poor, but gentle acrobat: tragedy results. Massina has unbelievable range of facial expressions. Dazzling.
Brilliant silent comedy by Chaplin.
Brilliant film, demythologizes the old west by converting glamourous image of individualistic gun-fighters into pawns of ruthless competing commercial interests... which is like saying "Cabaret" is about an actress. Defines the word lyrical. An extremely poetic, romantic film, filled with the raw mystery and beauty of life. The drunken, cowardly townfolk, the whores, pathetically impoverished women with no other place to go, who help put out the fire in the church, the opium sedated Mrs. Miller, the crass but likeable McCabe, up against the big guys, the ruthless corporation with dissatisfied shareholders. Obviously some metaphorical intent, but it is overwhelmed by the startling faces of real personalities, disfigurement, death. A great film, enhanced by music from Leonard Cohen. Some reservations: the relationship of Mrs. Miller to her whores is romanticized a little. She acknowledges their birthdays, looks after their health. The film omits observation of the financial terms of this relationship. These women usually saw very little of the money.
I think I saw this in high school, or first years of college. Well acted, sometimes hilarious, and good story. Tightly directed. Warden and Randy Quaid and Dreyfus are good. Dreyfus playes Duddy, a young Jewish boy out to get some land, to please his grandfather, and to be somebody. On the way, he uses and abuses almost everyone he comes in contact with.
Tatum O'Neal's remarkable performance-- and Madeline Kahn's-- anchors this familiar tale (see "Little Miss Marker") with the pleasant spin of Addie being in on the larceny, rather than a moralistic correction to the major characters. The poverty and corruption of the 1930's is not soft-pedalled either, and the black and white photography works for it. Moses is a shyster selling bibles to unsuspecting recent widows (claiming that their late husbands ordered them, monogramed, especially for their lovely wives). When dropping in to an ex- girlfriend's funeral, he is dragooned into transporting little Addie, her seven-year-old daughter, to Missouri to live with an aunt. Addie shows exceptional skill in contributing to the bible frauds and sticks around while Moses gets even more ambitious. The story is that the filming of "Paper Moon" was a nightmare because Tatum O'Neal required up to 30 or 40 takes of particular scenes to get it right, to make it look effortless (which seemed to impress the Academy which gave her a supporting actress Oscar). Also said that Ryan O'Neal hit Tatum when he found out she had been nominated while he was not. Madeline Kahn also received a nomination and rightly observed that Addie was a lead role-- not supporting. Decent follow-up to "Last Picture Show", and Polly Platt was deeply involved sustaining the question of who really was responsible for Bogdanovich's success.
Deceptively breezy and appealing, this film actually packs a wallop. It was one of the first major films to use a pop music soundtrack (composed by Paul Simon, performed by Simon and Garfunkel). Secondly, it was one of the first genuinely anti-establishment films ever made by Hollywood, though that may not have been intended by its makers. Thirdly, the ending is shockingly, stunningly open- ended. Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) returns home from college with a vaunted degree and no sense of purpose or meaning whatsoever. He hangs around, frustrates his parents, and has an affair with the wife of his father's business partner, Mrs. Robinson. His parents pressure him to date Elaine, Mrs. Robinson s daughter. He finally gives in, reluctantly, only to discover a powerful affinity with the young woman. He decides to end his relationship with Mrs. Robinson and pursue Elaine. This leads to a mad sequence of obstacles, initiated by Mrs. Robinson informing Elaine about the affair. Elaine breaks off the relationship and, pressured by her parents, agrees to marry some shallow pre-med student, but Ben interrupts the wedding, breaks into the church, and drags her off, blocking the exit with a large metal cross. They race away on foot, then jump onto a city bus and make their way to the back seat. Here, one expects, in the Hollywood Tradition, the music to rise to signal happy ever after . Instead, the camera lingers on their faces longer and longer and longer, past the point of comfort. They look at each other sideways, shyly, doubtfully. The implication is clear: their future is uncertain, open, perhaps empty. It is a wonderful, poignant expression of existential doubt. The film completely undermines the values of the establishment , but balks at providing its own clear-cut solutions. It is suggested, yes, the system is corrupt, but what can take its place? Mike Nichols was no revolutionary. I'm sure he thought he had something "hip" on his hands, and maybe an intuitive sensitivity to earth-shaking cultural changes that were taking place in the 1960's. Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin is no hippie. He is just unsure. When a friend of his father's describes the career opportunities in plastics-- a hilarious, twisted scene-- Benjamin is repelled, a response that could not have been depicted ten years earlier. He gives in to Mrs. Robinson, out a kind of aimless lust, but he seems equally repelled by her. It is only when he connects with Elaine, who also feels alienated and disgusted with the world of her parents, that Benjamin comes to life. The ending is a miracle. Why did Nichols choose to leave the camera running, as Benjamin and Elaine shyly, doubtfully look at each other, sitting in the back seat of a city bus. It lingers and lingers. No music rises. No flourish. No satisfied smiles. In the 60's, you would have called it "an existential moment", for they seem to have been plunged into painful self-actualization. They have just moved beyond the mode of responding to forces around them, and, for the first time, have to invent a future for themselves, and the movie leaves you thinking that it's going to be painful.
ANNE BANCROFT, KATHARINE ROSS
Long-winded but effective drama of escape attempts by "the Butterfly", MacQueen, from Devil's Island.
Cybil Shepherd was cute. Wistful, affecting drama. Also, perhaps the most over-rated film in American history. On second viewing, of director's cut, in 2006, I was struck by how clumsy many sequences were, how poorly handled the actors were, and how much the film relies on Ben Johnson for any sort of gravitas at all. Without his acting, most of the film consists of tawdry scenes of titillation and groping. Some other fine actors -- Ellen Burstyn especially, but also Cloris Leachman and Clug Gallanger, but not really as great a film as many critics seem to believe.
Miss Jean Brodie, a strict, over-bearing Scottish girls school teacher, believes herself to be in her "prime", at the peak of ability and confidence in her life. She recruits a number of "special" students to be her private little club, to whom she imparts privileged and precocious studies of art and life. She subscribes to Italian Fascism and adulterous affairs. One particular group of "girrrrls", however, leads to her downfall, and the trajectory is wonderful to watch and full of fascinating insights into character and personality. Exceptional film-- excellent companion piece to later Robin Williams film, "Dead Poets Society". First-rate acting and script, and substantial theme: the power of "leaders" to corrupt and mislead, rooted in their own egotism. Acting is uniformly great, and the story, by Muriel Spark, is unforgettable. Maggie Smith won an Oscar for her performance as Jean. Unforgivably bad theme song though-- by Rod McKuen! "Run, if you will/ to the top of the hill" -- oh please!
Based on a story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, "In a Grove". One of the most powerful and moving films ever made. I saw this when I was about 16 or so and it had a decisive influence on my perception of truth and reality from that moment onwards. The movie is framed by sequences of three men gathered at the ruins of a temple, the Rashomon of the title, in the pouring rain. A priest and a woodsman are discussing a shocking trial. A thief joins them and listens to their story. The woodsman was the one who found the body of a murdered man. The story is simple--at first. A man, a samurai, and his beautiful bride are travelling through a dangerous part of the country. Shortly after they enter a forest, a thief, who has been following them, attacks and robs them, and rapes the wife. The husband is murdered. The thief is soon apprehended and a trial is held. To the astonishment of the court, all three of the participants (the husband is called back from the dead by a medium) claim to be the murderer. As each tells his or her version of the events, it becomes clear that each is motivated by shame, and is willing to confess to murder or suicide rather than accept dishonor. Each claims to have lived up to the noble purpose of his/her role in life, and to have fulfilled the demands of humanity under the circumstances. The thief, having won over the wife with his physical domination, challenges the husband for her, and kills her after an intense duel. The wife, disgraced by the rape, and humiliated by her husband's rejection, stabs him with her dagger. The husband, speaking from hell through a medium, insists his wife behaved dishonorably, and the thief fled, leaving him no choice but to commit suicide. But one of the men at the Rashomon admits that he actually witnessed the attack. All behaved with dishonor and cowardice. Even he did-- he stole the valuable dagger right out of the husband's chest. The importance of this statement should be considered in reference to its date and time: shortly after the end of World War II. This idea has been ripped off time and time and again, but never done as well. Roger Ebert says, "It's not about culpability or innocence. Instead, it focuses on something far more profound and thought- provoking: the inability of any one man to know the truth, no matter how clearly he thinks he sees things. Perspective distorts reality and makes the absolute truth unknowable." I think that misses the point. It's not about the men talking about the murder: it's about far each of the participants in the drama are willing to go to conceal their own weak and corrupt human nature. The importance of the wife's mocking laughter is not that we can't know for sure what she felt-- it's that she is so ashamed of being taken by the thief that she would rather see her husband dead than continue to exist in the cruel gaze of his knowing expression, and his refusal to kill the thief who has dishonored her. Consider the timing of "Rashomon": 1950, a mere five years after Japan's catastrophic defeat in World War II, and the atrocities they committed, and were committed against them (the bomb-- of course). Japan entered the war under the delusions of patriotic honor, of the emperor's god-like status, only to discover the writhing rot beneath the glistening surface.
Authentic look at the struggles of young, newly married couple, living with his parents. Husband is impotent, wife patient. Murray Head, who sang the part of Judas on the first Jesus Christ Superstar recording, plays the brother, who is probably more attracted to Jenny, the bride, than he should be. Funny but with a dark edge-- this couple really is in trouble after a while-- but the resolution is a bit glib. Upon re-watching in 2018-05, I upped the rating by .5. This is a remarkably, superbly well-written play, with a rather dark view of society. Secondary characters are uniformly nosy and vulgar, especially contrasted with the lovely young couple. This is a very well-developed story, with an authentic feel to it: the couple is forced to live with his parents because of a housing shortage, and their honeymoon is ruined by a dishonest travel agent. Frustrations at work and home, and in his relationship with his father, sap Arthur of the will or the ability to perform his marital duties. His wife, Jenny, is a peach: patient and kind and supportive, but she does break a promise to not tell anyone. His father, Ezra, is haunted by the disappearance of his best friend, Billy, the year Arthur was born. He's rather dense and his wife has had enough of it. "Family Way" is brutally honest and cynical at times, but the darkness is ameliorated by Mill's delicate and winning portrayal of the frustrated wife.
Very powerful film about the 1967 Greek coup. Jean-Louis Trintiganaut was especially brilliant as the magistrate who investigates an "accident" in which an opposition politician is killed. Yves Montand is the assassinated Deputy. The Magistrate, unwilling to be used by either side, is at first skeptical of claims of conspiracy. But as he slowly accumulates evidence and testimony from different witnesses, including an angry, arrogant General, he begins to realize that there has been a highly coordinated plan, and prepares to indict those involved. This is a political-action film: the dynamic is generated by developments in the investigation and the reaction of the government and the military to these developments. Superbly edited and filmed to create the sense of a bow being drawn further and further back. The release of tension is shocking, and ironic.
JEAN LOUIS TRINTIGNANT, YVES MONTAND, IRENE PAPPAS, FRANCOIS PERIER, JACQUES PERRIN, JULIEN GUIOMAR, PIERRE DUX, BERNARD FRESSON
Remarkable, violent film, about a group of hoods, led by Alex (Malcolm McDowell) who terrorize a London neighborhood until Alex is apprehended. An attempt is made to rehabilitate him using the latest psychological techniques and drugs. This procedure is not a success. And here's the message: could it be that violent tendencies are not only associated with genius, but essential to genuis? Could it be that our society would not be likely to survive if we really were able to eradicate all violence? And could it be that the aimless, random violence of gangs is merely a different expression of the violence every society harbours, whether it be through the police, the army, the economic system, or whathaveyou? Viewers should be warned: this is one of the most violent films of it's era.
MALCOLM MCDOWELL, PATRICK MACNEE
Very good dramatization of corrupt fundamentalist evangelist. Gantry, of course, is a fraud but fellow evangelist Jean Simmons doesn't know and uses him to her own advantage. Lancaster was born for this role. Shirley Jones plays a former girl-friend of Gantry's, who gave herself to him only to be disgraced when they were caught. She is now a prostitute, and, when given the chance, seeks revenge on the hypocrite. How odd and amazing that thirty years after this film was made, we can still end up with Baker, Swaggart, and company-- obviously the wrong people are seeing this film.
SHIRLEY JONES
One of the weirdest, most off-kilter films ever made. It starts out as a Hollywood \"B\" picture, veers into surreal fantasy, then finishes as a dark, satirical parody of American suburban mall culture. Tuesday Weld plays a kittenish blond vamp who wants everything, and Roddy McDowell is her enthusiastic slave. She gets everything, but isn\'t sure if it\'s satisfying or not. A genuinely twisted film.
I saw this probably about the year it was made, probably around Christmas. Watched it again 2017-10-02. Shirley Jones and Lloyd Bridges play a couple of lonely, married persons who, for various reasons, have been forced to live solitary lives. They meet and gradually come to an understanding with each other that a temporary "interlude" would do them both some good. Unusually sophisticated and progressive, for it's day, and quietly moving. They even filmed it with real snow, and real landscapes, near Amherst, Massachusetts. Katherine at one point expresses her utter embarrassment about feeling prudish while declaring that she has no intention of spending the night with John. When was the last time a female character acknowledged "prudishness" when considering going to bed with somebody? She is shocked at married men who hit on her. John replies that there are a lot of reasons to go to bed together besides love! She smiles at him and accepts another drink. She describes a man whose wife was dying and who hit on her-- she refused, and hated herself ever since. A weirdly amazing adult conversation about fidelity and marriage. Unbelievable that the movie was made, and shown on tv. There is nothing about the movie in IMDB. Real Christmas carols (referring to Christ). Really bad "steadicam" shots. She acknowledges that she expected that her husband, who travels a lot, would cheat on her. There are some misfires, especially around the issue of his lies about his wife (he says she's dead, when she's in a mental hospital). He keeps changing the subject, which is off-putting given Katherine's generosity to him. A young couple who don't believe in traditional marriage challenge their preconceptions. When John finally gives Katherine more details about his wife's breakdown, he suddenly backs off and rejects her, fearful of her pity. Challenging ending. Another reason why most people will hate it. Incredibly sad ending that will not please most people because it rather strongly argues against possessiveness and jealousy. You don't even get the satisfaction of a big splashy farewell-- it's frustrated by coincidence and randomness. In some ways, this is the most "adult" Christmas movie ever made. "In the Mood for Love" browses some of the same issues here, with more elegance.
One of the most important films of the 1960's for it's explicit violence and, more importantly, it's utterly subversive take on a couple of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history. Faye Dunaway plays Bonnie as a sensual, sex-starved, bored adventurist, who spots Clyde, fresh out of prison, trying to steal her mother's car, and impulsively decides to go with him. They set out on a crime spree, robbing banks, stealing cars, and shooting their way out of tight scrapes with the law. They are joined by Clyde's brother, Buck, and his wife Maye, and C.W., a mechanic. The banks are pathetically low on cash (this is during the Depression), and the gang makes a point of not stealing from the customers. They become folk heroes in the eyes of the dispossed, the farmers evicted from their land and the jobless migrants. As the film would have it, they kill reluctantly, only when it's "either him or me". They humiliate a Texas Ranger, who then makes it his life's work to apprehend them. What made this film so revolutionary, was the uninhibited admiration displayed for Bonnie and Clyde, who were, after all, bank robbers and killers. Clyde is suave and witty; Bonnie is sensitive and compassionate. We want them to succeed, to escape from the police, to get enough loot to go off somewhere and live in peace. Penn is careful to present society as fundamentally unjust. The farmer evicted from his land is presented as a paragon of hard-working virtue. Clyde offers him his gun to shoot out the eviction notice. The farmer asks if it's all right if his black hired hand takes a shot or two-- presenting an anachronism on race relations. These incidents make a subtle case for Bonnie and Clyde as social revolutionaries rather than criminals, but Penn deftly lets the reader know that there is some pointlessness to the bank robberies as well. Bonnie and Clyde see themselves as just folks. The government and the law are incomprehensible to them. Clyde claims to have cut off his own toes so he could get out of work detail (in real life, he had a fellow inmate do it) but he is parolled days afterwards. Bonnie leads a boring life as a small-town waitress until she meets Clyde (in real life, she was married). The truth is, conventional life bores them and they only feel alive when robbing banks or being chased. How much of this attitude is a reflection of the 1960's counter-culture? Isn't this the brother-in-arms of Dustin Hoffman's graduate staring incomprehensibly as his father's middle-aged business associate recommends he take the word "plastic" to heart? In this sense, the ending of the movie was prophetic: this mad impulse to live, to escape tedium and conformity, to challenge everything most people believe about law and order and good sense, is snuffed out with a hail of bullets fired by anonymous lawmen from behind a bush.
FAYE DUNAWAY, WARREN BEATTY, GENE HACKMAN, ESTELLE PARSONS, MICHAEL J. POLLARD, GENE WILDER
The classic, and probably best version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol, now known as "Scrooge" in some listings. Unparalleled performances from all the major cast, especially Sim as Scrooge.
ALISTAIR SIM
Superbly filmed dramatization of Frank L. Baum story. Great performances all around, magical special effects. Hollywood at it's best was capable of this kind of achievement, magical and endearing. The problem today is that most scripts don't come this close to a story-line.
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Two hours of exquisite banality that will break your heart. The Mamiya family in Tokyo gets by, thanks to Noriko's income as a clerical worker, and her brother's income as a physician. The household consists of Noriko, father Shukichi and mother Shige, sister-in-law Fumiko, brother Koichi, and her brother's two young spoiled sons. Noriko is 28 and the pressure is on, from everybody, to accept an offer. Her boss knows a director of a company, Mr. Manabe, who is well-off but is 12 years older than Noriko. Noriko is not sure she wants to get married in any case; in friendly banter with married friends, she lauds the single life, and her independence. But just as the pressure increases to accept Mr. Manabe's offer, she impulsively accepts an offer from Kenkichi Yabe's mother, to marry her widowed son, a life-long friend of Noriko's, and move to a rural area in Northern Japan. The family is shocked and very disappointed. Without her income, they will have to move to a rural home with Shukichi's elderly brother. They take a family portrait together-- one last time that they will be together before Noriko's departure. Regarded as one of Ozu's greatest films, and one of the greatest films, period, "Early Summer" is touching, sensitive, beautifully composed and paced, and heart-rending in the delicate revelation of attachment and separation, of subtle jealousies and resentments, and the emotionally devastating consequences of seemingly momentary life decisions. One cannot ignore the reverberations of war on the family dynamic either: Shukichi, at one point, alludes to a son who he does not think is ever coming back, though his mother persists in believing he is alive somewhere. Was there ever a more delicate, perfect suggestion of "haunting"? Noriko, in the end, seems to be the only one optimistic about the future, possibly because she has exercised real agency over her future, though it's not clear if she does this to forestall the arrangement with Mr. Manabe, or because she has decided, after all, that she would be happier with Kenkichi.
Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu, Chikage Awashima, Kuniko Miyake, Ichiro Sugai, Chieko Higashiyama, Haruko Sugimura, Kuniko Igawa, Hiroshi Nihon'yanagi
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