Change Your Image
E_D_N
FAVORITE DIRECTORS:
- STANLEY KUBRICK
- MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI
- FEDERICO FELLINI
- FRANCESCO ROSI
- JOHN CASSAVETES
- FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
- SAM PECKINPAH
- LUCCHINO VISCONTI
- BILLY WILDER
- OLIVER STONE
- AKIRA KUROSAWA
- KENJI MIZOGUCHI
- ALFRED HITCHCOCK
- ROBERT ALTMAN
- MICHAEL POWELL
- MARTIN SCORSESE
- DAVID LYNCH
- SERGIO LEONE
- BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI
- RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER
- DAVID LEAN
- CLAUDE SAUTET
- JEAN-LUC GODARD
- FRITZ LANG
- G.W. PABST
- ERNST LUBITSCH
- G.W.F. MURNAU
- PIER PAOLO PASOLINI
- ELIA KAZAN
- INGMAR BERGMAN
- ROBERT BRESSON
- MARTIN RITT
- ROBERT ROSSEN
- KRZYSTOFF KIESLOWSKI
- DOUGLAS SIRK
- MARCEL L'HERBIER
- LOUIS FEUILLADE
- JEAN RENOIR
- JOHN HUSTON
- NICHOLAS RAY
- ROMAN POLANSKI
- JACQUES DEMY
- PETER GREENAWAY
- PETER WATKINS
- ALAIN RESNAIS
- ERROL MORRIS
- PATRICK WISEWAN
- ANTHONY MANN
- MICHAEL MANN
- JOHN BOORMAN
- ROBERT WISE
- JEAN-JACQUES BENEIX
- MILOS FORMAN
- MIKLOS JANCSO
- BELA TARR
- JANE CAMPION
- VOLKER SCHLONDORFF
- PEDRO ALMODOVAR
- TERRY GILLIAM
- PETER BOGDANOVICH
- THE TAVIANI BROTHERS
- CLAUDE CHABROL
- GEORGE CUKOR
- SAMUEL FULLER
- ROBERT ALDRICH
- ANDREJZ WAJDA
- MARGUERITE DURAS
- JOSEPH L. MANKIEWICZ
- GLAUBER ROCHA
- WILLIAM WYLER
- VITTORIO DE SICA
FAVORITE FILMS:
- 2001 - A SPACE ODYSSEY
- THE MATTEI AFFAIR (IL CASO MATTEI)
- THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
- LA DOLCE VITA
- 8 1/2
- A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
- THE GODFATHER I/II
- THE KILLING
- BARRY LYNDON
- FANNY AND ALEXANDER
- HUSBANDS
- LANCELOT DU LAC
- THE WILD BUNCH
- SANSHO THE BAILIFF
- UGETSU MONOGATARI
- SHADOWS
- LOVE STREAMS
- A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
- INDIA SONG
- IN A YEAR WITH 13 MOONS
- THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES
- PIXOTE
- A STAR IS BORN (1954)
- NASHVILLE
- THE LONG GOODBYE
- McCABE AND MRS. MILLER
- THE VIRGIN SPRING
- SHAME
- THE SEVENTH SEAL
- FELLINI SATYRICON
- JOHNNY GUITAR
- RAGING BULL
- MANHATTAN
- AMADEUS
- THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
- NOTTE DI CABIRIA (NIGHTS OF CABIRIA)
- APOCALYPSE NOW
- M
- TAXI DRIVER
- HEAT
- THE DEER HUNTER
- BADLANDS
- VERTIGO
- DR. STRANGELOVE
- REBECCA
- SCARFACE: SHAME OF A NATION
- HOUSE OF STRANGERS
- CLEOPATRA
- THE BIG COMBO
- PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET
- NOTORIOUS
- LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS (400 BLOWS)
- SALVATORE GIULIANO
- ON THE WATERFRONT
- AMERICA AMERICA
- RASHOMON
- SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
- DOUBLE INDEMNITY
- SUNSET BOULEVARD
- WEEKEND
- LE MEPRIS (CONTEMPT)
- Z
- IL CONFORMISTA (THE CONFORMIST)
- O THIASSOS (THE TRAVELLING PLAYERS)
- LA NUIT AMERICAINE (DAY FOR NIGHT)
- PRIMA DELLA REVOLUZIONE (BEFORE THE REVOLUTION)
- THE LEOPARD
- WAR AND PEACE (d. SERGEI BONDARCHUK)
- ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA
- RAN
- EXCALIBUR
- LA PIANISTE (THE PIANO TEACHER)
- BRIEF ENCOUNTER
- BRAZIL
- THE RED AND THE WHITE (JANCSO)
- NOSTALGHIA
- LA BAIE DES ANGES (BAY OF ANGELS)
- LOLA
- THE GODFATHER
- DERZU USALA
- THE LAST PICTURE SHOW
- THE HIRED HAND
- TROIS COULEURS: ROUGE (THREE COLORS: RED)
- THE AMERICAN FRIEND
- KINGS OF THE ROAD
- THE LOST HONOR OF KATHARINA BLUM
- DAS BOOT
- THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS
- THE BICYCLE THIEF
- IL POSTO (THE JOB/ THE SOUND OF TRUMPETS)
- SATANTANGO
- THE OUTSIDER
- THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT
- UN MAUVAIS FILS (BAD SON)
FAVORITE PERFORMANCES:
- PAUL SCOFFIELD - A Man For All Seasons
- FREDRIC MARCH - The Best Years Of Our Lives
- GIAN MARIA VOLONTE - Il Caso Mattei (The Mattei Affair) - Todo Modo -
- JAMES MASON - A Star Is Born - Bigger Than Life
- ROBERT MITCHUM - Night of The Hunter - The Lusty Men
- HENRY FONDA - The Grapes Of Wrath - The Wrong Man - The Lady Eve - The Tin
- MARLON BRANDO - On The Waterfront - A Streetcar Named Desire - Last Tango
- BURT LANCASTER - The Sweet Smell Of Success - The Leopard
- JOHN CASSAVETES - Love Streams - Husbands - Edge Of The City
- ROD STEIGER - The Pawnbroker - In The Heat of the Night
- BEN GAZZARA - Husbands
- PETER FALK - Husbands
- PETER LORRE - M
- NIGEL TERRY - Caravaggio - Excalibur
- KLAUS-MARIA BRANDAUER - Mephisto
- DIRK BOGARDE - Victim - The Servant - Death In Venice
- ELLIOTT GOULD - The Long Goodbye - California Split
- HUMPHREY BOGART - In A Lonely Place - Casablanca - Key Largo - The African
- LEE MARVIN - The Big Heat
- GLENN FORD - The Big Heat
- JAMES DEAN - Rebel Without A Cause
- RICHARD WIDMARK - Kiss Of Death - Pickup on South Street
- MARCELLO MASTROIANNI - 8 1/2 - La Dolce Vita
- JEAN-LOUIS TRINTIGNANT - Il Conformista (The Conformist) - Un Homme Et Une
- PATRICK DEWAERE - Un Mauvais Fils (Bad Son) - Serie Noire - Beau-Pere -
- PHILIPPE LEOTARD - La Balance - Tchao Pantin
- DAVID THEWLIS - Naked
- MICHAEL REDGRAVE - Time Without Pity
- CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - The Sound of Music
- JAN MALMSJO - Fanny And Alexander
- RICHARD BURTON - Cleopatra
- REX HARRISON - Blithe Spirit - My Fair Lady - Cleopatra
- ROBERT DE NIRO - The Deer Hunter - Heat - 1900 - Taxi Driver - Raging Bull
- JACK NICHOLSON - The Shining - Chinatown
- BRUNO GANZ - Die Marquise Von O- Der Amerikanische Freund (The American
(Circle Of Deceit)
- VOLKER SPENGLER - In a Year With 13 Moons
- LAWRENCE OLIVIER - Rebecca - Wuthering Heights - Spartacus
- PETER O'TOOLE - Lawrence Of Arabia
- RICHARD HARRIS - Red Desert
- JAMES STEWART - Vertigo
- JAMES CAGNEY - White Heat
- DUSTIN HOFFMAN - Midnight Cowboy
- EDWARD G. ROBINSON - Little Caesar
- ROGER LIVESEY - The Life And Times Of Colonel Blimp
- ANTON WALBROOK - The Red Shoes
- RAYMOND MASSEY - Things To Come
- HERBERT MARSHALL - Trouble In Paradise
- RAY MILLAND - The Lost Weekend
- WILLIAM HOLDEN - Sunset Blvd. - The Wild Bunch
- STERLING HAYDEN - The Killing
- FRANCOIS PERRIER - Notte Di Cabiria - Orphee
- AL PACINO - Dog Day Afternoon - The Godfather - Scarface
- PAUL NEWMAN - Hud
- JOHN MILLS - Hobson's Choice - Tunes Of Glory
- JAMES CAAN - Lady In a Cage
- F. MURRAY ABRAHAM - Amadeus
- ROBERT DUVALL - Apocalypse Now - M.A.S.H. - The Godfather
- JOHN SAVAGE - The Deer Hunter - The Killing Kind
- YVES MONTAND - The War Is Over - The Wages Of Fear
- MICHEL SERRAULT - Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud
- TATSUYA NAKADAI - Ran
- CHRISTOPHER WALKEN - The Deer Hunter
- ROBERT RYAN - The Wild Bunch - The Racket - On Dangerous Ground
- GREGORY PECK - Duel In The Sun - To Kill A Mockinbird
- JOHN GARFIELD - Gentleman's Agreement
- PETER FINCH - Network - Sunday Bloody Sunday
- ALBERT FINNEY - Saturday Night Sunday Morning
- FRED MCMURRAY - Double Indemnity - Remember the Night -
- JOSEPH COTTEN - Duel In The Sun - Shadow of a Doubt - The Third Man
- ARTHUR KENNEDY - The Lusty Men
- DONALD SUTHERLAND - Fellini Casanova
- TIMOTHY HUTTON - Ordinary People
- GEORGE C. SCOTT - Dr. Strangelove
- JOEL McCREA - Sullivan's Travels - Dead End
- DAVID NIVEN - Stairway to Heaven
- JAMES WOODS - Salvador
- DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - There Will Be Blood
- RALPH FIENNES - Spider - The English Patient
- TREVOR HOWARD - Brief Encounter
- SERGIO CASTELLITTO - Va Savoir - Non Ti Muovere
- TREVOR HOWARD - Brief Encounter
- WARREN OATES - The Hired Hand
- CLINT EASTWOOD - Unforgiven
- KEVIN COSTNER - Dances With the Wolves
- DENNIS HOPPER - Der Amerikanische Freund (The American Friend)
- BILL PULLMAN - Lost Highway
- HELMUT BERGER - The Damned
- RENATO SALVATORI - Rocco And His Brothers
- RUDIGLER VOGLER - Kings Of The Road
- JEAN-HUGHES ANGLADE - Betty Blue (37.2 Le Matin) - L'Homme Blesse
- STELLAN SKASGARD - Breaking The Waves
- CHRIS COOPER - Matewan - Lone Star
- RENEE FALCONETTI: T. DREYER'S JOAN OF ARC
- ANNA MAGNANI: MAMMA ROMA
- ISABELLE HUPPERT: LA PIANISTE (THE PIANO TEACHER)** - PASSION - HISTOIRE DE FEMME (STORY OF WOMEN) - MADAME BOVARY -
- DAME MAGGIE SMITH: THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE - The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
- DAME JUDY DENCH: IRIS
- PATRICIA NEAL: HUD
- JANE FONDA: KLUTE
- EMMANUELLE RIVA: HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR
- RUTH CHATTERTON: ANYBODY'S WOMAN
- KINUYO TANAKA: LIFE OF OHARU
- CELIA JOHNSON: BRIEF ENCOUNTER
- CLORIS LEACHMAN: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW
- KIM STANLEY: THE GODDESS
- JUDY GARLAND: A STAR IS BORN (1954)
- EMILY WATSON: BREAKING THE WAVES
- BJORK: DANCER IN THE DARK
- GIULIETTA MASINA: LA STRADA, NOTTE DI CABIRIA (NIGHTS OF CABIRIA), GIULIETTA DEGLI SPIRITI (JULIET OF THE SPIRITS)
- DELPHINE SEYRIG: JEANNE DIELMAN, 1080 QUAI DU COMMERCE, INDIA SONG
- MARIA CASARES: ORPHEE (ORPHEUS)
- ELLEN BURSTYN: REQUIEM FOR A DREAM
- OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND: LADY IN A CAGE
- ELPIDA CARILLO: BREAD & ROSES - SALVADOR
- MIRANDA RICHARDSON: FATALE
- BEATRICE DALLE: 37.2 LE MATIN (BETTY BLUE)
- JOAN FONTAINE: REBECCA
- JULIETTE BINOCHE: THREE COLOURS: BLUE, FATALE
- MIEKO HARADA: RAN
- JULIANNE MOORE: SAFE - BOOGIE NIGHTS - THE END OF THE AFFAIR
- ROSALIND RUSSELL: HIS GIRL FRIDAY - AUNTIE MAME
- JANET GAYNOR: SUNRISE - STREET ANGEL - SEVENTH HEAVEN - SUNRISE
- MIRIAM HOPKINS: TROUBLE IN PARADISE
- CLAIRE TREVOR: KEY LARGO -STAGECOACH
- STEPHANE AUDRAN: THE BUTCHER, LES BONNES FEMMES
- HOLLY HUNTER: THE PIANO
- CATHERINE DENEUVE: REPULSION - PLACE VENDOME
- CATE BLANCHETT: ELIZABETH
- PATRICIA ARQUETTE: LOST HIGHWAY
- EMANUELLE BEART: NELLY ET MR. ARNAUD
- JEAN CRAIN: PINKY
- BULLE AUGIER: LA SALAMANDRE
- ANGELA WINKLER: THE LOST HONOR OF KATARINA BLUM
- SYLVIA SIDNEY: MERRILY WE GO TO HELL
- SANDRINE BONNAIRE: LA CEREMONIE
Reviews
The New World (2005)
Superb. I recommend it... but with some reservations...
... it's very much a TERRENCE MALICK movie, and by this, I mean, not the Malick of BADLANDS, but the Malick of DAYS OF HEAVEN and THE THIN RED LINE, i.e., Malick at his most naturalist and contemplative.
THE THIN RED LINE esp., has much in common with THE NEW WORLD. We see the Natives inhabiting a sort of primeval earthly paradise, a place filled with joy and innocence but pregnant with foreboding: the inkling that somewhere, somehow soon, paradise will be lost.
And lost it is.
From the first glimpse of the sailing ships, the atmosphere of supreme beatitude that permeates the Native enclave is tarnished. Fear, curiosity, and ambivalance draw both settlers and Natives toward each other.
Perhaps, some will fault Malick for depicting a Native world seemingly free of internecine conflict. It looks much too innocent and most inhabitants are too carefree. That some will shrug it off as yet another instance of "noble savages" being by the evil white man is inevitable. I say to them, give Malick more credit. In my humble opinion, he proves to be even balanced in his depiction of both sides. There are a couple of caricature-ish soldiers among the newcomers, but on the whole, these are just a bunch of tired and hungry seafarers content to reach what they believe to be a safe haven -- no cartoonish, bloodthirsty white man.
It's a strange and new experience for everyone and the first contact between them is surprisingly gentle, a process of mutual self-discovery -- that is, until the hostilities begin...
Beauty applies to the film in many respects. The images and the colors are breathtaking. Malick more often than not uses a hand-held camera and shoots in tight compositions, close to the faces, in order to better grasp the expressions on the faces upon first contact.
As could be expected, the gorgeous images of nature succeed themselves for most of the 150min running time, and that, apparently was a problem for many, as quite a few people walked out during the screening. I for one applaud Malick's approach and could not conceive of such movie without the contemplative shots. Wide commercial appeal seems limited, however.
Anyways, I like that he uses spare dialogue with only minimal subtitles, to further emphasize the initial problems of communication.
The battle sequences are swift and superbly edited for maximum impact. However, one thing I found strange is the lack of blood. I looked hard, but couldn't spot any blood flowing -- not very realistic given the otherwise VERY naturalistic approach.
The problem with the script might be its lack of focus. There are three POVs throughout: SMITH's, POCAHONTAS's, and JOHN ROLFE's (each with V.O. narration) and though the story pretty much starts where one expects it, it does meander for stretches on end.
As far as the acting is concerned: Kilcher is quite a find. She's perfect for the role. I've read some of the reviews by some critics who complained that she may not be the most "trained" of actresses and I think it's an erroneous comment, for Pocahontas here is presented as the fleeting object of two men's desire and a elfin spirit of nature, fleeting through the tall grass, dreamy and the girl has such natural radiance that her standing there is enough. Her performance is organic, natural, perfect. She doesn't "act", she is, and that's wonderful. She has a marvelous face and holds the camera and us, the audience in rapt attention.
Colin is excellent as well. However, the role as written doesn't give him much leeway. He's basically in brooding mode and does it well, it's just that his character remains a bit of a cipher throughout. Still, he does make a solid SMITH even though I couldn't help thinking that maybe Christian BALE should have played the lead.
BALE's JOHN ROLFE appears late in the movie, and it's to his credit that he completely eclipses FARRELL. It might just be that his character is better fleshed out and is easier to empathize with. In retrospect, the casting is good as it is, because I'm not sure FARRELL could have given such a sympathetic reading of ROLFE's character.
I have been waiting for this movie since it was first announced that Malick would be at the helm and I'm not disappointed -- but then, I've been a Malick fan since BADLANDS. I recommend it to all, but many, I'm sure, won't like it.
Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
Good, but fails to enthrall
. Memo to the filmmakers: If you are going to make a film called Mangal Pandey please concentrate all your energies on the central character, Not on his friend Capt. Gordon and other insignificant characters/events. Is it me, or Toby Stephens had more screen time than Aamir? .No need for the bookending/flashback structure. Movie could have been told in a fairly linear fashion up to the hanging. Narrative, as it is, seems to disjointed/distended.
. Om Puri's voice-over narration was redundant. (It came to my attention that he was there to narrate the events to non-English speaking Indian audiences, but that only goes to show that the script was not well thought-out -- not enough was shown VISUALLY and Dialogues and situations alone should have been enough anyway.) . Why make the central P.O.V., Capt. Gordon's? The movie centers around Mangal Pandey, yet we spend too much time around Gordon, which results in a certain lack of focus. The film takes too many tangents. I would have loved to learn more about Mangal Pandey the Man, not about his life and interaction with people as seen through others' eyes. Again, he should have been the focus -- and that would have required a first person POV -- i.e. the camera sees what HE sees. How much more effective it would have been if the camera had been in his head (figuratively speaking) and at the hanging scene for example, shown us what he sees -- i.e. the people massed around him at the last moments of his life -- and not the people and Gordon looking at him die. It removes us too much from the central experience. Damn.
. Like the use of imagery/symbolism/metaphors (i.e. black man/white man, Brahmin/untouchable, white baby feeding off the Indian nanny, etc
) though too much is made out of them sometimes. Also like that it's emphasized that Gordon is a Catholic Scot, thus an outsider among his own peers.
. The romance angles were too incidental to the story -- they felt tacked on like an afterthought, and literally go nowhere. 30 minutes could easily have been trimmed off the total running time without the Suttee incident.
. Rani, Amisha, and Khirron Kher have nothing to do. Liked Rani's Main Vari Vari, but it doesn't come anywhere close to Madhuri's mujras in Devdas for instance -- lacks oomph -- and it's further spoiled by the director's decision to cross-cut with Aamir toward the end of the song (to mask Rani's lack of dancing abilities perhaps?) . Songs are randomly placed, picturization is average. Apart for the Mangala Ho and Maula songs, this must be one of A.R. Rahman's least memorable score in a while. Was the HOLI song necessary? . Aamir makes up for what he lacks in stature with sheer presence and gravitas. However, I cannot help but feel that he's been short-changed as Toby Stephens is given more opportunities to out-act him, lack in that court trial scene for instance -- Aamir doesn't have a big stop-the-movie-in-its-tracks scene, though that changes after intermission when his character is (finally) given prominence. That the "rising" happens after Mangal's death is a double-damn as it robs Aamir the chance to pep talk the masses and show himself a true leader (that said -- those Braveheart type scenes have been done to death, so maybe it's a blessing in disguise as it saves us another 20-minute battle. Couldn't have taken it so late in the film.) . Movie fails to generate much excitement for and stir feeling from audiences the way Lagaan did -- though both have a theme in common, i.e. ALL Indians (regardless of faith or caste) unite against the common oppressor -- cricket as a sport had that populist appeal that had audiences root for the heroes, something that doesn't happen here.
. Hate the inclusion of flag-waving newsreel footage at the end. Makes the movie shamelessly more bombastic/patriotic than it already is.
Verdict: the film Feels substantial, has some gorgeous images (Aamir rising from the water, etc...), but overall, conception/treatment/execution of film is too pedestrian/ancient. For these kind of historical epics, one needs a fresh angle to explore the story -- a unique perspective of events that would make it stand out, the way APOCALYPSE NOW stands out from all the other Vietnam pics. It merely makes the film good, and not the great epic one expected.
A Sublime Love Story: Barsaat (2005)
For Bobby/Priyanka/Bipasha/Nadim Shravan fans only.
. This is my first Darshan movie -- and last -- unless it stars Bobby (Dosti is next).
. Don't think I've seen a recent movie so indifferently directed, scripted, and lensed. Photography in particular is off-putting. Flat-lighting, out-of-focus, grainy film-stock, etc... movie looks like it was shot in 1978.
. The mise-en-scene is haphazard, the actors don't look as if they got much in the way of direction from Darshan.
. Script is strictly by-the-number. Lacks internal logic. The situations are contrived (too many coincidences, etc...) and the characters' motivations are questionable (and predictable). The dialogue must be the worst part -- very clichéd, too much irrelevant banter, attempts at comic relief fall flat.
. Random song placement -- they follow each other without much contextual logic -- and the picturization of songs doesn't take full-advantage of potential opportunities. That said, the music is enjoyable and Bipasha and Priyanka make for nice eye-candy. The Nakhre, Saajan Saajan, and Barsaat Ke Din Aaye songs are best.
. The saving graces of the movie are the actors, who try their best to imbue their sketchy characters with any semblance of life. Bobby looks like a million bucks. He is his usual earnest self and does his damned best to make his Arav ring true, but the character does come off as unlikeable in the end due to the awkward changes of heart the script dictates. The "ravishing" (trailer quote) Bipasha looks ravishing indeed -- the best I've seen her look thus far -- and that's saying a lot! This is strictly a look-pretty kind of roles as she doesn't have much to do acting-wise. Unlike most, I like the "sensuous" Priyanka in her role. I did not find her "amateurish" as some have said. She had the most difficult role of the lot as it required her to go through a gamut of emotions, something she achieved quite well in my opinion. I find her truly lovely, very feminine, very soft-spoken, a good contrast to Bipasha's more "modern" city girl.
On the whole, the film is too breezy (read: desultory) to leave much of a mark and is instantly forgotten once one is out of the theater.
Kristin Lavransdatter (1995)
A superb film -- romanticism at its height
I absolutely agree with your assessment, ladyscarlet18705 and can't for the life of me fathom the low score that this film has garnered.
LIV ULMANN and UNDSET have done a marvelous job adapting the novel to the screen. The script is sensational, melding Middle-Age pagan beliefs with an awareness of supernatural powers lording over men's lives, an awareness of the hold unseen forces have over men's lives.
The actors, esp. ELIZABETH MATHESON in the title role bring an honesty and such transparency in their performances -- the emotions are raw and heartfelt.
SVEN NYKVIST's cinematography is superlative in every sense of the term and it succeeds in making alive even the most inanimate of objects, thus showing us that there may be life in all things. The movie almost seems like a WATERHOUSE painting come alive. It's the height of romanticism for a love story as grand and poignant as the mythical tale of the knight TRISTAN and the maiden ISEULT (ISOLDE).
The most important, of course, is how ULMANN was able to show that each action in time will have its repercussions in the future. Each of these characters are bound by fate, by the will of unseen deities, and to a greater degree -- by their own free will, live down the consequences of their choices in life and here, most of these said choices revolve around emotional attachments to a beloved, attachments that may erode in time. Thus, the core of the relationship between two people is examined, and the betrayals and regrets that come once love is gone and a new one has come to take its place are shown to be part of the cycle, the cycle that is love -- a force as synonymous with birth, healing, and life as it is with destruction.
Bullitt (1968)
Good, but somewhat charmless
The film is a somewhat charmless police procedural that hasn't aged well. The plot is sketchy, the romance angle is not well developed enough and seems like an afterthought, and much of the action is too cut-and-dried, like our hero himself.
There is no denying, however, that STEVE McQUEEN is a charismatic actor, and the spectacular car chases have held up well. It's still a wonder to watch these cars speed down San Francisco's streets. The thrill is there, all that's missing is the emotional core, something to grasp onto -- and that applies to the movie as a whole.
A good movie when all is said and done, and a precursor to many of today's crime drams.
De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (2005)
Another Great Achievement For Jacques Audiard
*** SPOILERS ***
I liked him even before SUR MES LEVRES (READ MY LIPS). He had directed a film called UN HEROS TRES DISCRET, a sort of French FORREST GUMP starring MATHIEU KASSOVITZ, ANOUK GRINBERG, and SANDRINE KIBERLAIN, which was another beautifully-crafted film from this director.
These three are all superb and in all of them, what I admire the most about his films is on display: he has a command of the image and both the dynamic cinematography (most often shrouded in darkness, in medium plan or close-up) and the elliptical editing contribute to the narrative thrust of his stories. There is an energy and a fluidity about them that glue you to the screen. Electric, moody.
KASSOVITZ, VINCENT CASSEL, and now ROMAIN DURIS are his ideal (anti-)heroes as the characters they play share a common trajectory: somewhat marginal by the films' beginning, they seek (consciously or not) to integrate into the mainstream, into conventional society.
DE BATTRE MON COEUR S'EST ARRETE is another impressive achievement for AUDIARD as he manages to make us feel for his protagonist even though he starts out as unlikeable. DURIS is angsty, nervous, impulsive, always on the move -- dealing with scumbags by day while pining for the quiet serenity of a Haydn piano sonata at night. That Audiard and Duris succeed in making such a dichotomy work is a credit to their craft.
That last fight in the stairs was just a beautiful piece of macho aggression. Raw, visually stunning -- perhaps only CLAIRE DENIS could've come up with images as uncompromising...
A must-see. Now, I'm looking to see the original FINGERS...
Dark Water (2005)
A good, thoughtful movie with a splendid central performance
I had to be DRAGGED to the theater to sit through yet another HIDEO NAKATA-Japanes horror inspired movie. I'd suffered through the RING movies before and couldn't think I could stand this. But I was actually surprised. It's actually a GOOD FILM, very melancholy, and that a film of that sort -- which aspires and competes with mindless summer blockbusters a la FANTASTIC FOUR -- dared to tackle such somber issues as child abuse, bitter matrimonial feuds, and others of that sort shows you that this was not meant to be a simple succession of red-herrings stitched together. It actually dealt with issues many of us go through or have gone through in our lives and I thought it was very perceptive in some ways.
The script (when not dealing with the supernatural) was thoughtful and intelligent and each and every characters from CAMRYN MANHEIM's kindly teacher to TIM ROTH's benevolent lawyers were very well sketched out. The direction and rich photography helped keep the tension high throughout.
The bulk of praises, however, belongs to JENNIFER CONNELLY. I've always been in awe of her beauty and her talent, esp. in her last outings: REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, A BEAUTIFUL MIND (hated the movie, liked her AND RUSSELL), but here, she literally makes this movie worth sitting through by providing the necessary gravitas. I don't think I've been touched by a film character like this in a long while. She emoted so naturally and effortlessly, it was heartbreaking to watch her self-immolate in the prison that that new apartment of hers was.
Not only is she beautiful, she's truly a marvelous actress. She did for this what NAOMI WATTS -- and I love NAOMI -- couldn't for the RING movies. I always sort of thought that NAOMI was going through the motions in those films. Also, the problem with the RING movies is that they suffered much in the "remaking" process and the scripts, quite frankly, were sub-par both times around.
But back to DARK WATER. I was struck with the rapport JENNIFER had with the young actress who played her daughter. They were so natural together on screen... perhaps her having become a new mother in real life contributed to her being so effortlessly maternal on screen.
All and all, a wondrous performance in an erratic but good (if depressing) movie.
Dillinger (1973)
A relentless account of one man's downfall and the G-man behind it
John Milius's DILLINGER is a hardcore, fast-paced account of a G-Man pursuing and getting his man, one of the most notorious outlaws of the century.
The problem the writer/director faces when dealing with historical figures is what kind of movie do I want to make? Do I want to lionize the protagonist, make him bigger than life, a living myth? Or do I want to show a man with all the failings that implies, struggling with the same emotions the rest of us do? Milius here chooses the latter approach, and Warren Oates as Dillinger is never less than human exudes the requisite bark and menace but lacks, to some degree, the gravitas that would have been needed to make him a more imposing figure.
The film, unlike most of its kind, doesn't bother to probe the psychological impulses that first drives an individual to crime. There are no flashbacks to Dillinger's childhood (we are only shown his coming home to an average, middle-of-the-road American family) and those unfamiliar with the true story will have to assume that John Dillinger, the bank robber and outlaw, is a natural by-product of the Great Depression and the poverty that sweeps the nation. That sentiment is echoed in the scene in which Ben Johnson confronts a little boy. Used to be that cops, cowboys, and firefighters were boys' heroes. Well, not no more they're not. The kid, when told he has to go to school to be a G-Man, bluntly retorts that "Dillinger didn't." "But he's in jail!" Purvis shoots back. The kid waves and walks away. Purvis is puzzled. Things have changed.
Only later on, during Dillinger's confrontations with "Babyface" Nelson do we get hints that Dillinger's bank-robbing spree is fueled by growing megalomania: "You can't kill me, punk! I'm immortal!" He has embraced the myth that sensationalized press accounts of his exploits have created and it becomes clear that Dillinger fancies himself a hero of the people, a rebel fighting Hoover, Roosevelt's New Deal, and Big Government. The films remains even-handed though, never passing judgment on the central figure's morality or lack thereof (though Dillinger himself is a little too often referred to as "nice" despite some proofs to the contrary). Purvis is not necessarily portrayed as an Elliott Ness-like paragon of morality either, he's no arbiter of all that's just and good, he's just a man on a mission -- to avenge the Kansas City massacre in which several FBI agents perished at the hands of gangsters. DILLINGER is almost documentary-like in this way; the viewer is presented with the facts (however fictionalized for creative purposes) and it's up to him to make up his mind, though I'll admit I found myself rooting for Dillinger and his gang during the shootouts (is the failing on my part or Milius's?)
Like all bank-robbery films, the movie tends to be somewhat shapeless, events happen in an elliptical fashion to mark the span of time between hits and the tension in-between what is basically a succession of set-pieces, is relieved by quiet interludes of the wild bunch enjoying the fruits of their labor in the peaceful countryside.
Another problem with the film is that, Harry Dean Stanton apart, none of Dillinger's partners in crime fully register with personalities of their own, not even -- most egregiously -- Richard Dreyfus's "Babyface" Nelson.
Ben Johnson, as tough, stone-faced FBI Agent Purvis, brings the cool veteran assurance of a man biding his time to his role. If anything, Johnson makes Purvis too tough, almost invulnerable -- never once letting a crack in his armor show -- that it's hard to believe that such a man would later in life commit suicide with the gun he used on Dillinger.
Michelle Phillips, in her debut, does a creditable job as a half-breed former prostitute turned Dillinger's girlfriend and her attachment and devotion to her man is never less than credible, bringing a certain kind of poignancy to her scenes with Oates.
Aesthetically, the film's compositions are pleasant (if a tad too tight-cropped) and take full advantage of the barren, scorched earth landscapes of Depression-era little towns. The archival footage, newspaper clippings, and (older) movie clips interspersed in the narrative gives the film its of-the-era feel and further its newsreel-like quality. As for the violent action sequences, they are the highlights really, staged Old West style a la Peckinpah, fast and furious bouts of carnage, mayhem, and death punctuated by the mighty roar of Tommy guns.
DILLINGER may, in the end, be too narrow in scope to fully do justice to as fascinating a figure as its eponymous anti-hero. Nevertheless, it is a very watchable actioner a la Joseph H. Lewis's "DEADLY IS THE FEMALE" (a.k.a. "GUN CRAZY") or the FBI STORY and true crime story fans should give it a try AFTER having seen such gangster classics as LITTLE CAESAR, SCARFACE - SHAME OF A NATION, PUBLIC ENEMY N.1, WHITE HEAT, etc...