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Reviews
Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965)
Remick magnificent, McQueen not so much
*****warning spoilers***** Being a Remick fan this was on my list to watch, don't expect something like "Experiment in Terror" (probably the best Remick in my opinion) in terms of movie-making.
The plot is not very well written and seems to be aiming nowhere. McQueen as an ex-con is somewhat ridiculous, he has preposterous fits of rage alternating with songs, yes songs, I defy anyone to think that the voice is really coming from him, the sliced in overdubs with a voice totally different than his are just ridiculous and from the first occurrence on it's impossible to take his character seriously.
The character development of McQueen is quasi absent. His anger at the old women from the boarding house is left mostly unexplained, the scene where he stabs at her graves after she is buried is also ridiculous.
There is a great beauty in Remick's sadness however, and we can relate to her being lost, she brings forth anxiety but it's hard to buy she was so in love with McQueen for most of the film, she then just moves on to yet another town perhaps realizing that he was a big mistake in her life. On that aspect I guess the film is successful. Her interactions with her daughter are at times poignant, especially when she stands with her in the winds and their hair get mixed together, (in the scene where McQueen tries to say goodbye before he his sent off to jail again) the bond of mother daughter strongest even in a dismal situation and poverty.
The photography is great, especially for the outdoors sequences where we do feel "the south" as is the editing, a few awkward post grainy zooms on McQueen McQueen (who is a competent actor) is wasted...
See it if you enjoy Remick, she delivers.
Enter the Void (2009)
Void indeed
First, Flicker is nothing new, many experimental filmmakers from the 60's made flicker films with more complex structures designed for psychedelic effects, their films were much more effective and cost very little to make.
Now 50 years later, this is hailed as new, and cost 10 million dollars.
Don't get me wrong, I was a big Noe fan before, loved Irreversible and I Stand Alone. The characters were interesting and in both movies somewhat driven insanely, taking the viewer along for a fun ride, with surprises, shock, and great cinematography. You were with them, cared about them even if you hated them.
This film fails because it lacks this drive, I could not care less about what happens to those characters (by the way all second rate actors), And when eternal overheads repeat and repeat themselves, pointlessly, it makes you care about the characters even less, and the story is then lost and so is the attention of the viewer.
I give it 3 because it was ambitious, but Noe really failed this time, I'll be looking forward to what he does next, once that crap is well behind him.