Change Your Image
ifredpr
Reviews
Life of Pi (2012)
Visuals yes, ending no.
Pi by Ivette Fred-Rivera The beginning sets partially the premises of the narration: a pond, animals, birds, humans, interacting serenely in a natural setting. A mural displayed at the background, a very common element in the Indian landscape, reiterates this atmosphere. Indian landscape is one of the first things that capture our eyes, strikingly exuberant, shrubbery, trees, flowers, animals, green everywhere. On the left of the screen, we can see an image of god Ganesha, son of Hindu gods Shiva and Parvati, whose head is that of an elephant, showing the divine nature that animals can have in the Hindu pantheon. "I was prepared for the first day of classes. I'm Pi", he explains about his school life in Pondicherry. Boys and girls are separated at classrooms. Pi is an irrational number. Never settles into a permanent repeating pattern, as the teenager Pi. Indian newspapers publish student's high scores on national academic tests as a way of expressing national pride. Religion was the only contact between Pi's mother and her culture. "I knew Krishna first", explains Pi. Krishna contains the entire universe in his mouth. 'Animals have souls. I have seen them in their eyes', Pi says to his father. "Animals do not think. The tiger is not your friend. You are projecting your eyes on him ", the rationalist father responds emphatically. We have to be careful. Tigers are called 'big cats' but are not pets. Richard Parker is a digitally created Bengal tiger, though looks amazingly real. Who does not want this tiger in the garden? The protagonist is the tiger. His first appearance is phenomenal. Indians are very resilient people. Pi wants to know what happens, whatever it is. "Thank you for giving me my life", he says during the storm. Watching in another previous scene the beautiful innocence in the eyes of Pi and Anandi –which I have seen so many times all over India– reminded me that the Delhi gang rape victim watched this movie just before being raped. She fought desperately for her life, but, very sadly, could not survive as Pi did. 'We have to let things go, but the worst is not being able to say goodbye. Appa was right. The tiger was not my friend. He did not look back to say goodbye." But, Pi, remember, Richard Parker was in captivity from the very start. It was his time to be free. The Japanese bureaucrats, who came to the hospital after Pi's rescue to ask him about the ship wreckage, did not like Pi's story, found it unbelievable, how the tiger did not eat him? It did not explain also why the ship sank, the technical reason involved. Pi invents a flat story and then asks them: 'Which story do you believe: the fictional or the true one?' Pi asks, in turn, the writer: 'The one with no animals, no island, no carnivore islands? In both stories, my family dies, I suffer. Which one do you prefer? So it is the same with God', Pi affirms. 'It's an amazing story. The story has a happy ending', answers the writer. 'It depends on you, The story is up to you now', says Pi. I do not like the end. It should have ended when the tiger disappears on the island. This is a fatal error, it weakens the narrative. Although the idea of choosing between the stories illustrates the belief issue, it could have been presented more creatively. Pi equates believing in the story with the tiger with believing in god. The alternate story is so boring that no one will like it. So we become believers trivially. Work on India is very hard. We, non-Indians, run the risk of being superficial, either dismissing or idealizing it. The cultural imaginary conceives India as the land of spirituality and magic realism. India is the last place to find god since it is the last place on earth that he will abandon. The majority of Indians are very good people. No other way is possible for us to see them. A very good Bengali friend in Kolkata once told me: "We are not that good, you see us better than we are". "Through our gaze you may see your better self", I insinuated. I am surprised this movie has 11 Oscar nominations. This is excessive. Animal lovers should see it! Excellent visual effects, the tiger, the storms, and the music. In this respect, Philip French has expressed it beautifully: "The movie does for water and the sea what did Lawrence of Arabia for sand and desert."
Lincoln (2012)
Fitted for Eternity by Ivette Fred-Rivera
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. (Last passage of the Address Delivered at the Dedication of the Cemetery at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863.)
Opening shot: the American Civil War, the first person we see and hear is a young black man, soldier during 10 long years, the second we hear is Lincoln -whom we don't see yet, we will see him very soon from the back, the audience's position, asking about his situation, the third that speaks is another black soldier. They are paid less than whites. But in a hundred years, they will vote. This visionary soldier recites words of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of 1863, the most quoted words in American political history. Lincoln, in turn, asks and listens to the Other: "Abraham Africanus the 1rst", as his detractors called him. The movie shows Lincoln's distinctive command of language, his good sense of humor, his ability to tell stories and to make the political issue personal to others by narrating an anecdote or a parable. Also his capacity for argumentation, guided by a clear vision. For example, his knowledge of Euclid's self-evident principles gives him a case for visionary imagination. Mathematics and logic as well as ethics have to do with the imagination, with seeing the consequences of the premises, and seeing the consequences of one's actions. Lincoln strongly believed that we had to end first slavery, then the Civil War, as the first was the cause and the second the effect. This seems simple, self-evident reasoning, but it is really difficult to recognize the order of priorities, which comes first and what comes next. His advisers saw it exactly reversed. Lincoln is emphatic: the passing of the thirteenth amendment is a military necessity. Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Field) advised him after the reelection: 'you are loved by people, you can do whatever you want now, do not waste this opportunity'. The depiction of the relationship between Mr. President and Mrs. President (as she names herself) is an asset in the characterization. Mrs. Lincoln says that her experience will help ordinary people, presumably like herself, to understand what meant to be with an extraordinary man during extraordinary times. (The irony involved reminded me of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.) The characterization of Lincoln is well balanced because of these interactions. Though Lincoln is very conscious of his solitude, calls himself "the king of infinite space", and prefers to think alone. Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), the most powerful abolitionist in the House, takes the House approval of the thirteenth amendment original document to his maid-mistress. For a moment I thought he would take it to Lincoln, at the top, to celebrate their triumph, but instead he brought it to whom this resolution will directly affect in real life, the people who are at the bottom, with no voice as are not even considered people. Very tragic and ironic for the Democratic Party to have been so blind and troglodyte in this historic moment. Lincoln is not afraid of the future, the unknown, the challenges ahead, he recognizes that he does not know black people and that he defends their freedom as a matter of principle (as a Kantian would do); he will learn from them in the process. Interesting, Lincoln needs to experience the sight of the victims, of their corpses. 'Never have seen anything like this.' Excellent cinematography by Janusz Kaminski; mastery of light and shadow, chiaroscuro, of the composition of cinematographic space, the interplay of interiors and exteriors, of angles, particularly, the diagonals that give movement, depth and the impression of a larger space. These techniques were masterly used by Vermeer and Murnau. The windows, outside light coming through the window to the interior space, and the exterior seen in the distance. Father and young son, their shadows reflected as a vision of future free generations. Excellent performance by Daniel Day-Lewis. Very handsome and stylized Lincoln!! "How tall is he?" The height, the attitude, the physical and moral heights. It is a very difficult challenge to perform "Lincoln", he is very iconic and heavy. Father Abraham wants to travel to the Holy Land after so many years of suffering. A black servant is the last person seeing President Lincoln walking away from the camera after his Amendment has been passed. Lincoln's death, the first US president assassination, is presented briefly. It reminded me of the Iliad where neither the death nor the funeral of Achilles appear. In the penultimate shot, dead Lincoln is lying on a small bed, nestled as a boy, his face quite calm, obviously, his murder has not astonished him; then in the final scene at the Capitol, Lincoln is standing erect, in action, delivering a speech to the multitude in the middle of the frame. Again, command of composition, of inner space and outer space. The joy for such a victory and the sadness for his tragic death. For Lincoln, as a remarkably responsible president (like king Oedipus), both spaces, both bodies -the political and the private- are only one.
Thank you very much for the beautiful gift, director Spielberg.
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party duly shall have been convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." (Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Section 1)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Worth seeing
"The Dark Knight Rises" by Ivette Fred-Rivera The film industry, like the city museums, have taken the task of making art in NY to revitalize the city after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They have succeeded, the city is as vibrant as ever, and this film shows paradoxically its endurance with other attacks that do not destroy Gotham, thanks to Batman, of course! The aerial vehicle of Batman seems an ufo over the city. The camera movements makes it to simulate a bat. Excellent. The sound track too. Although Bane (Tom Hardy) announced at the beginning that what matters is his plan, it is unclear what the 'revolutionary' plan is. Much less is understood that he is a necessary evil. How would a revolution take place when no one knows where is heading? A revolution requires strategist planning, clear strategies, defined purposes. Similarly, many protests end up as parades because at the end of the day nobody knows what the next step is. Meanwhile people get tired in the process. A pleasure to enjoy such strong chemistry between Bruce (Christian Bale) and Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). They have to really attract each other! Selina's naked neck is spectacular as shown by Bruce's mother stolen pearls on her neck. Also, in one scene, Bruce turns his back to Selina, showing his trust, which she honors by not attacking him from behind but disappearing instead. The film works with the fragility of good over evil in both Bruce Wayne's as well as police commissioner Gordon's physical fragilities. The street battles are improbable for our Batman. This theme is dealt brilliantly by Hitchcock's villains. Seeing the movie gave me the impression that the author of the massacre in Colorado had seen it earlier because of the strong similitude with the scenes of violence Bane performed on Wall Street and in the crowded stadium. It is noticed that Bane is not at the level of evil, misuse of intelligence, that the Joker reached in the second part of the trilogy. I think because evil is divided into two characters, Bane and Miranda, for the alleged advantage of adding the element of surprise when we learned at the end that she – a woman - was the real villain. The effect is not good because her acting is loose. She had the challenge of playing the role of an ordinary looking woman, hiding her extraordinariness. But she played the role, ordinarily. Another issue: the importance of a good teacher, and her noble teachings, the movie reminds me of the acclaimed film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". It is not knowledge, the technology alone but the use we make of them, what puts ethics over science and tech. Some critics complain of the film lack of coherence, its confusing narrative. Even if this were true, I do not consider it a problem (apart from the prejudice of considering coherence as always a benefit). Usually artists and thinkers wait some time for a critical appraisal of the past. The movie talks about the present and shares the same confusion of the moment. It has the freshness and vitality of being current. I'll paraphrase lines of the libretto - by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan - that I find memorable: Bain: 'No one was interested in who I was until I got the mask.'
'No true despair without hope.' 'I am not afraid, I am angry.' Bain to Batman: 'You think the darkness is your ally? I was born in the shadows, you adopted it. ' 'No need for heroes in peace time.' Selina: 'When you do what you gotta do, then nobody let's you do what you want to do.' Precisely the problem of Carlito (Al Pacino) in Carlito's Way. The older man to Bruce, 'Your problem is that you lost your fear of death believing it is better. Come up without the rope, as did the child, so will return the fear of death that will make you brave.' (Note the importance of the collective and individual mantra while trying to escape from the cave.) Robin: "Sometimes structures become barriers.' (So you have to leave them!) Bruce: 'There is nothing out there for me.' Batman to Robin: "If you work alone, use a mask. ' Bruce to Selina: 'There is more in you than that.' In the end, going out to sea, we recognize the infamous image of a mushroom as a direct quote of the atomic bomb explosion on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Can one man really save Gotham city? Bruce insists that he is an ordinary man and that anyone with good deeds can be a hero. Underneath his mask, Batman's green eyes symbolize hope. Do you believe him? The movie is worth seeing.
Un cuento chino (2011)
Chinese Take Away by Ivette Fred-Rivera
"Chinese Take Away" ("Un cuento chino") by Ivette Fred-Rivera
"Chinese Take Away" ("Un cuento chino" in Spanish) is a comedy written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein, and winner of the international awards of Best Film by the public at the Festival in Rome and Best Latin American Film at the Goya Awards, both in 2011. It is the third time that excellent Argentinian actor Ricardo Darín stars in a film of Borensztein, the other two, Oscar winning "The secret in their eyes" and Oscar nominated "The Son of the Bride". The title in Spanish is curious because a Chinese story means a story improbable, incredible, I think because it's a place so far away, that we cannot believe, how do we know if China exist? The film opens in Fucheng, China, in Hebei province —we can enjoy the already well-known beauty of the Chinese landscape— when a Chinese man, Jun (Ignacio Huang), takes his girlfriend on a boat trip on a picturesque lake surrounded by mountains to propose to her when a cow falls from the sky, killing Jun's girlfriend. Ironically, what falls from the sky is usually a sign of good luck in Latin America. A reverse shot makes the transition to hardware "De Cesare" in Buenos Aires, Argentina because it is going around the world. In the beginning, Roberto (Ricardo Darín) shows that theft is a string, a trader sells him fewer screws per box and he sells his client less per pound. But as Mari (Muriel Santa Ana) explains, Roberto, although suffered, is noble. A chance encounter in the street prompts Roberto to help Jun. Roberto sees Jun being expelled from a taxi after being robbed while he was watching the landing of airplanes in the airport. The toy plane flying inside of Roberto's car takes him to China.
It is the story of Roberto and Jun brought together in Buenos Aires where Jun goes in search of his only living relative. For the Chinese, even in the diaspora, the family is sacred, as it is stipulated by Confucianism ancient texts. Jun insists on finding his uncle to start a new life after his tragedy. Both Jun and Roberto are orphans, but Jun has insisted that his tapo (uncle) is his family.
Though Roberto's life is totally dominated by repetition, he is fascinated with coincidence. Roberto collects quirky news from around the world and permutes the characters with the people he knows in his imagination, taking revenge on their enemies as Dante did in the "Divine Comedy".
Through the stylish Chinese food delivery guy – looking like the Chinese youth dressed in the cities in China, very modern —who serves as a translator, Roberto explains to Jun that life is absurd, does not have any sense, and shows the news he had collected, including one about some men stealing cows in China with a plane and how a group of peasants follows and shoots the plane in flight, the plane's back door is opened, and two cows are dropped, one of them killing a girlfriend in a boat, who happens to be Jun's, as the translator then explains to Roberto. On the other hand, for Jun, everything in life has meaning. It all makes sense. The absurd is for those who can't understand meaning. Very touching the drawing Jun makes for Roberto before he departs to meet his tapo with a frontal cow head on the wall that he had repaired and cleaned. He is an artist who worked painting toys in China. Jun draw it with what was left of a pencil that Roberto discarded. The Chinese are very resourceful people, indeed. No waste, the most hardworking people in the world.
I liked the film very much because it is a proof of the universality of body language. In China itself, being so vast, there are several languages in the different regions, that's why Jun is not understood by the Chinese he met in Chinatown. However, when he talks on the phone with his uncle in Chinese, we understand perfectly what he is saying because of the depiction of emotion. Language is really a matter of our genuine interest to understand each Other. I have just returned from China, I can assure you that.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Must see.
Moonrise Kingdom by Ivette Fred-Rivera
I loved the movie, I recommend it.
Excellent ambiance of the sixties era, great music used as a narrative element adding drama and rhythm, the use of the reading of the letters by Sam (Jared Gilman) and Susy (Kara Hayward) to show how their friendship as pen pals progresses into love in a linear sequence, actually, excellent performances of both, dynamic and unusual camera angles such as the ones seen when two scenes in different places are presented simultaneously because the screen is visually divided in half, and how we spectators identify with the left side of the screen where the good and concerned characters about the welfare of Sam are located because we have already identified ourselves with orphan Sam! (how could we not)? Exquisite composition and use of light. Very careful visual arrangements to advance the plot. I have to say that the detail of the mother's pin placed in Sam's boy scout uniform is really very moving. Director Wes Anderson is definitely very fond of detail. I want to draw attention to the symbolism in Susy's constant use of binoculars: as she herself explains, 'to be near while being far', and the security that such optical viewpoint provides. With the binoculars placed in her makeup stylish eyes (which gives her a deeper and inquisitive look), she learns at a safe distance about her mother's (Frances McDormand) infidelity with Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis). A question very present is how one can enrich life through fiction, and how life without fiction is not worth living. At the same time, the need for real life adventures. For example, the geography of the island where Susy and Sam escaped seems both real and imaginary. Issues concerning technology are displayed as well. Do we share Susy and Sams' spirit of adventure with our more advanced technology? A very interesting and controversial issue: the insinuation of intercourse between Sam and Susy. The director luckily saves us from watching teen sex, we see their French kissing and touching, so issues of child pornography are bypassed completely. Anderson tells us, with a dose of black humor, of course, that is so present throughout the film, that Sam is already an adult when Captain Sharp offers to him a plate of sausage for dinner in his dining table, and he has none. Captain Sharp tells him that he's more intelligent than most people including himself. He ends up being abandoned by Susy's mother; Susy marries Sam. The guy who marries them looks gay, so another outsider is in. Being a 'misfit' is a matter of degrees, even Captain Sharp is very lonely despite being the captain. The film is about people of different ages, youth, children, adults. It is very well done. Because it gets you to think, of being more tolerant of differences so we can integrate better collectively.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
Sadly disappointing by Ivette Fred
The movie is not that good, unfortunately. It was highly recommended to me by a friend and I was disappointed during the entire film. It is very superficial and unbalanced, it shows for long the supposed British prejudices while does not show enough how Indians are, present them as talking English on the streets which is not usual, it treats premarital sex and romantic love between young people of different backgrounds in a very light way, and highly underestimates the prejudice and rejection Indians have for homosexuality. Kissing is not common on the streets for heterosexual couples. Physical affection is widely exhibited in public like holding hands, for example, but among heterosexual men who are the ones that occupy the streets. Dev Patel's acting was regular. The best part of the film was the acting of the great British actresses Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. No surprise, of course. And the insinuation of problem solving collaboration and friendship between people of the East and the West. I do not recommend it. It is plain, too romantic, thus, simplistic. All the problems were happily resolved 25 minutes before the ending so the film rhythm is unrealistic. By Ivette Fred-Rivera