We attended the Canadian premiere of the film recently, in Vancouver, where the film was shot. It was a fund-raiser for future research, which I'm all for (MAPS Canada) and future marketing and promotion of the film. Really the only reason we went was to hear mycologist Paul Stamets speak on in a panel discussion after the film.
The film itself is pretty superficial. It's one story, about Adrienne, a hard-core junkie who happens to live in West Vancouver, one of the highest-income postal codes in Canada. Which begs the question: If Adrienne and her film-maker buddies can afford to drive around in $60k Jaguar vehicles, why do they need to pass the bucket after the film (which I've just forked out $35 to see) to beg for more cash donations for the marketing and promotion of their film?!? Don't bother if your main interest is to learn about micro-dosing.
Reviews
31 Reviews
brilliant film-making....
18 July 2016
Wow....all the negative reviews suggests this falls in the "love it or hate it" category...any time people react so negatively (or sometimes positively) to something, one should watch it again 2 years, or 5 years later...I suspect some of the reviewers would reverse their opinions completely! I generally avoid 95% of Hollywood films, and picked this up off the shelf at the library...
I watched it twice, first by myself, and then a day or two later with my mother...all the hype, for once, IS justified...it's brilliant! Start with the music: lush romantic classic orchestral for his fantasies, and on-stage, then solo jazz drumming for the harsh reality of here and now, the anxiety-filled present (and since it's set in NY, what music better represents NY than jazz?). Great drum score composed by Antonio Sanchez, but played by Brian Blade? (two shots of the drummer in the film, on the sidewalk and in the theatre lunchroom).
The camera movement and the way shots are blended and seamless is fantastic! The acting is great, as one would expect, and the action-hero theme is nicely complemented by some symbolism and allegory, like the shot of Icarus burning up in the atmosphere....or two shots of squid or something washed up on a beach, (which I can make no sense of)....
Yes, its a Hollywood film, but written and directed by a Mexican, it has an immediacy that draws you in...and rewards multiple viewings!
I watched it twice, first by myself, and then a day or two later with my mother...all the hype, for once, IS justified...it's brilliant! Start with the music: lush romantic classic orchestral for his fantasies, and on-stage, then solo jazz drumming for the harsh reality of here and now, the anxiety-filled present (and since it's set in NY, what music better represents NY than jazz?). Great drum score composed by Antonio Sanchez, but played by Brian Blade? (two shots of the drummer in the film, on the sidewalk and in the theatre lunchroom).
The camera movement and the way shots are blended and seamless is fantastic! The acting is great, as one would expect, and the action-hero theme is nicely complemented by some symbolism and allegory, like the shot of Icarus burning up in the atmosphere....or two shots of squid or something washed up on a beach, (which I can make no sense of)....
Yes, its a Hollywood film, but written and directed by a Mexican, it has an immediacy that draws you in...and rewards multiple viewings!
Avant l'hiver
(2013)
upper-middle class ennui....
20 June 2016
This film has many fine elements, but suffers from the same ennui as the couple it portrays. I picked this up at my library, and knew immediately I had seen it before, but couldn't remember the end, and had to ride the "fast forward" to get through it! It didn't get better with a second viewing! A bored neurosurgeon "hits a rough patch" with his trophy wife, who sublimates her loneliness with her trophy home and garden! It reminds me of a flaccid remake of Haneke's "Cache", with Auteuil reprising his role as the stone-walling husband, who is smitten by a young Moroccan woman, who may be stalking him with roses instead of surveillance! Kristin Scott Thomas plays the long-suffering wife, instead of Juliette Binoche.
The film also has a couple of disparate elements that could easily have been cut, mainly Lucie's psychotic sister, and a Polish patient's Holocast survival story.
This is a fine distraction, if you have nothing else to watch!
The film also has a couple of disparate elements that could easily have been cut, mainly Lucie's psychotic sister, and a Polish patient's Holocast survival story.
This is a fine distraction, if you have nothing else to watch!
Mars and April
(2012)
disappointing....
21 September 2013
Embarrassingly bad, especially for a Quebecois film with Robert Lepage. Flat, uninteresting characters, weak story, weak and simple dialogue masquerading as profound, no plot to speak of...looks a lot of attention was paid to the bartenders' outfits, though....
I realize making a sci-fi on a limited budget is an immense challenge, but this seems like someone's vanity project; maybe they should have tried a short film to start.
And for a film with the main focus on music and musicians, it's a totally unremarkable, forgettable score.
Sometimes films remain obscure and off-the-radar for a good reason!! Pass, unless you're looking for s "hoot-fest"....
I realize making a sci-fi on a limited budget is an immense challenge, but this seems like someone's vanity project; maybe they should have tried a short film to start.
And for a film with the main focus on music and musicians, it's a totally unremarkable, forgettable score.
Sometimes films remain obscure and off-the-radar for a good reason!! Pass, unless you're looking for s "hoot-fest"....
The Temptation of St. Tony
(2009)
Sadly ignored
11 May 2013
I have to agree with all of the previous Positive reviews (only 6 right now...) with the references to Roy Anderson, Kubrick, Buñuel and Tarkofsky - I also thought superficially of Eraserhead by David Lynch. Shot in black and white, except for his Bentley and modern house, this film looks like it could have been made in the 1960s. A masterful effort, disturbing but with "painterly" composition and good acting. Some of the references, religious and otherwise (like a black dog he accidentally hits with his car, then reappears alive, only to be killed by his wife), escape me, but I would definitely see this a second time. I'm amazed a film like this can be so ignored and unknown.
Eastern Promises
(2007)
Favours Called In !
3 October 2011
God, I don't know how the "masses" could give this a 7.8 rating. What a waste of time...I couldn't recommend this to anyone. A friend loaned this to me on DVD, and I was interested strictly based on casting, having seen Viggio in History of Violence, and The Road, and Naomi Watts in Haneke's "Funny Games" (THAT is a film to see...).
I didn't even know it was a Cronenberg film till I saw his name. It must have looked good on paper, but between the bad script (particularly the scenes of Anna at her mothers' house) and gratuitous violence, it sure put me off. Gratuitous, meaningless, desensitizing violence, I might add. The scene where Nikolai is cutting the finger tips off the dead body is a perfect example. He advises the other people in the room to leave before he starts his dirty work, yet it perfectly fine to traumatize the audience with it! and to what effect?
Cronenberg must be really desperate for a hit, to make this. Even the music, by Howard Shore, utterly bland and forgettable.
For Cronenberg devotees only!
I didn't even know it was a Cronenberg film till I saw his name. It must have looked good on paper, but between the bad script (particularly the scenes of Anna at her mothers' house) and gratuitous violence, it sure put me off. Gratuitous, meaningless, desensitizing violence, I might add. The scene where Nikolai is cutting the finger tips off the dead body is a perfect example. He advises the other people in the room to leave before he starts his dirty work, yet it perfectly fine to traumatize the audience with it! and to what effect?
Cronenberg must be really desperate for a hit, to make this. Even the music, by Howard Shore, utterly bland and forgettable.
For Cronenberg devotees only!
Shutter Island
(2010)
Great soundtrack!
29 April 2011
This film is way too long. The flashback sequences of both his wife and Dachau death camp need to be edited down, or out completely. The pacing is very slow- I just about shut it off after the first hour. A friend says it gains on a second viewing, which normally I'm open to, but I don't know if I have the patience to sit through it again.
The film is very well cast - especially Kingsley and Max von Sydow! Leonardo and Mark Ruffalo are also very good.
Actually the best part of this film is the soundtrack - mostly modern 2oth Century composer such as Ligeti, Penderecki etc. As a rule, I don't buy soundtracks, but this is an exception! The music supervisor was Robbie Robertson, from the Band. I'm impressed!
The film is very well cast - especially Kingsley and Max von Sydow! Leonardo and Mark Ruffalo are also very good.
Actually the best part of this film is the soundtrack - mostly modern 2oth Century composer such as Ligeti, Penderecki etc. As a rule, I don't buy soundtracks, but this is an exception! The music supervisor was Robbie Robertson, from the Band. I'm impressed!
Belle toujours
(2006)
self-indulgent twaddle
17 March 2011
Our film festival in Vancouver keeps bringing his films (which I have sat through a few and never been impressed), so he must be a critic's darling, but this is terribly dull.
I agree completely with Moustache review. Someone else suggested Elegant, but Decadent might be closer to the mark. What does an old man make a film about? An old man, of course! Not that an old man can't be interesting of course, but he seems to have nothing to say that I can decipher. There's certainly no fire in the belly, candles burning out would be closer! The female lead is completely successful, but I can certainly see why Catherine Deneuve would have given this a pass! Edward Dardis Van BC
I agree completely with Moustache review. Someone else suggested Elegant, but Decadent might be closer to the mark. What does an old man make a film about? An old man, of course! Not that an old man can't be interesting of course, but he seems to have nothing to say that I can decipher. There's certainly no fire in the belly, candles burning out would be closer! The female lead is completely successful, but I can certainly see why Catherine Deneuve would have given this a pass! Edward Dardis Van BC
Troubled Water
(2008)
Making the Pipe Organ sexy
21 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This is a very good film. It should have been called "Atonement", except that title was taken! Very good acting, especially by mother character Trine Dyrholm, and young man Jan, who uses his middle name Thomas, once released from prison (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen).
It is a little long- the scenes of the mother in swimming pool, and dinner scene in restaurant, both could easily have been cut. Also the gratuitous sex scene, however tastefully done.
One of the final scenes has the mother touch Thomas's check in the car, and we know at that point she has forgiven him, and both can move on with their lives.
Edward Dardis Vancouver BC
It is a little long- the scenes of the mother in swimming pool, and dinner scene in restaurant, both could easily have been cut. Also the gratuitous sex scene, however tastefully done.
One of the final scenes has the mother touch Thomas's check in the car, and we know at that point she has forgiven him, and both can move on with their lives.
Edward Dardis Vancouver BC
Nine
(2009)
what a mess!
14 February 2011
I tried watching Nine. I remember the reviews said the best thing about it was the lingerie - how true! I couldn't get through it - bailed after about 60 min. Pales in comparison to All That Jazz, about Director/choreographer Bob Fosse. It's all down-hill after the big opening number, which also pales in comparison to the opening in Moulin Rouge.
Did this film have a script?!?!
Daniel Day Lewis must have been desperate for a film. He's not a character we care about, and still carries the Oedipal complex for his dead mother. Viva L'Italia! Marion Cotillard is great, as others have noted. Also Penelope Cruz and Judy Dench acquit themselves well.
Did this film have a script?!?!
Daniel Day Lewis must have been desperate for a film. He's not a character we care about, and still carries the Oedipal complex for his dead mother. Viva L'Italia! Marion Cotillard is great, as others have noted. Also Penelope Cruz and Judy Dench acquit themselves well.
The White Meadows
(2009)
masterful and mysterious
18 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this recently at the Vancouver Film Festival, and was blown away. The visuals are stunning, and the characters interesting. Of course, there's a lot of symbolism that went over my head - hopefully others will explain here in later reviews.
The final scene is an enigma wrapped in a riddle. Who is the old man, why are his feet washed, and wasn't the young woman pushing the chair the virgin who was sacrificed earlier? Also notice the painting on the wall, with the red sea.
For those with an open mind, this represents the best aspects of International, or "foreign" cinema.
The final scene is an enigma wrapped in a riddle. Who is the old man, why are his feet washed, and wasn't the young woman pushing the chair the virgin who was sacrificed earlier? Also notice the painting on the wall, with the red sea.
For those with an open mind, this represents the best aspects of International, or "foreign" cinema.
Synecdoche, New York
(2008)
Terrible...Avoid!!
22 March 2010
I watched this movie with positive expectations- what a huge disappointment. About one hour was enough- I turned it off (which is rare for me- I nearly always stick it out to the end!) Philip Seymour Hoffman is making a habit of playing these "loser" characters, as in The Savages from 2007 (also way over-rated). Actually, I turned that one off, too. The character is preoccupied with his poor health, when he has no one but himself to blame. This is what happens when you get overweight and get no exercise! Deal with! There's nothing memorable about either the characters or the film-making. More Hollywood hype- the machine at work.
Appaloosa
(2008)
Vanity project....needs editing!
7 January 2009
I saw this with 2 friends in the theatre, and we were all disappointed. One cliché after another, terrible dialogue, too long. Definitely a vanity project for Harris. I stayed to the very end to see who was singing the song for closing credits (Tom Petty) and then I hear another song with a familiar voice - it's Ed Harris! I knew it was him before I saw the credits! He can't sing. If that isn't a sure sign of a VP I don't know what is.
Terrible dialogue "I've known you a long time...as long as you've known me..." was actually repeated twice!
There was one good line, after a good "shoot 'em up" Everett says something like "that happened fast" to which Virgil replies, "that's cause everybody could shoot."
I agree with most of the other comments- it kind of went off the rails when Zellweger came into the picture.
Might be okay at home on DVD. 3:10 to Yuma was better.
Terrible dialogue "I've known you a long time...as long as you've known me..." was actually repeated twice!
There was one good line, after a good "shoot 'em up" Everett says something like "that happened fast" to which Virgil replies, "that's cause everybody could shoot."
I agree with most of the other comments- it kind of went off the rails when Zellweger came into the picture.
Might be okay at home on DVD. 3:10 to Yuma was better.
Confessions of a Superhero
(2007)
snooozer....
17 November 2008
Wouldn't go out of my way to find this one...okay for late-night viewing if you channel-surf to it.
I think Morgan Spurlock dresses up in the Superman suit in the telephone booth to introduce the film, but that also falls a bit flat.
The characters and their stories just aren't that exceptional or interesting. The small-town history of the Wonder Woman character is a perfect example. Whether Christopher Dennis is really Sandy Dennis's son is somewhat interesting, but left unresolved.
Also interesting is that Christopher Dennis certainly doesn't have the Superman physique. Margot Kidder mentions this in a roundabout way. He should wear a padded-suit-image a 98lb weakling instead!
His obsession with Superman reminded me of another film called Cinemania (2002 Angela Christlieb) about NY city film obsessives.
I think Morgan Spurlock dresses up in the Superman suit in the telephone booth to introduce the film, but that also falls a bit flat.
The characters and their stories just aren't that exceptional or interesting. The small-town history of the Wonder Woman character is a perfect example. Whether Christopher Dennis is really Sandy Dennis's son is somewhat interesting, but left unresolved.
Also interesting is that Christopher Dennis certainly doesn't have the Superman physique. Margot Kidder mentions this in a roundabout way. He should wear a padded-suit-image a 98lb weakling instead!
His obsession with Superman reminded me of another film called Cinemania (2002 Angela Christlieb) about NY city film obsessives.
Pleasant Slice of Life
22 October 2008
The hyperbole over this film is really over the top. I found it a bit tedious- it took two nights to watch it, and the last night I used the fast forward as I watched it on DVD.
There is no conflict, no drama, no character development. Just the scenery and a look at their way of life. And animal husbandry is certainly at the center of their life. Would be a nice film to watch with kids.
A much better film, IMHO, is Himalaya or Caravan, from 1999 and I will quote from someones IMDb review: The French director, Eric Valli, made this incredible film( nominated for Academy Award as Best Foreign Film in 2000) in the Dolpo region of northwestern Nepal on the Tibetan border using native people instead of professional actors. It is a fictional account of how those people actually live there in extreme isolation and is documentary in the sense that it records a way of life which will gradually disappear as more modern influence comes to the area as it has in so much of Nepal. The filming is extraordinary, the scenery is spectacular, the action is lifelike, the characters are real and the mysterious music is intriguing.
So in some ways very similar to Weeping Camel, but with more drama, a real conflict to be resolved, better acting, yet also a great film you could watch with kids.
There is no conflict, no drama, no character development. Just the scenery and a look at their way of life. And animal husbandry is certainly at the center of their life. Would be a nice film to watch with kids.
A much better film, IMHO, is Himalaya or Caravan, from 1999 and I will quote from someones IMDb review: The French director, Eric Valli, made this incredible film( nominated for Academy Award as Best Foreign Film in 2000) in the Dolpo region of northwestern Nepal on the Tibetan border using native people instead of professional actors. It is a fictional account of how those people actually live there in extreme isolation and is documentary in the sense that it records a way of life which will gradually disappear as more modern influence comes to the area as it has in so much of Nepal. The filming is extraordinary, the scenery is spectacular, the action is lifelike, the characters are real and the mysterious music is intriguing.
So in some ways very similar to Weeping Camel, but with more drama, a real conflict to be resolved, better acting, yet also a great film you could watch with kids.
After the Wedding
(2006)
Unfinished Business
12 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I really liked this movie, and would recommend it without reservation.
There's more drama in the opening credits than there is in all of Things We Lost in the Fire (God, the director, Susanne Bier, sold her soul to make that thing! Maybe the $$ allowed her to pursue other projects closer to her heart.)
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER! The acting is superb, the characters very believable. I didn't quite get the "eye close-ups" especially of the animals mounted on the walls. My girlfriend didn't like it as much as me, she thought it a little to melodramatic and didn't like the story-book ending.
But the ending is ambiguous- it may not be as happy as it appears. Just as Pramod, the east-Indian boy whom he raised, was happily independent at the end, there's nothing to show Helene or Anna need Jakob as a permanent fixture in their lives, either.
In returning, he may find himself a fish out of water.
There's more drama in the opening credits than there is in all of Things We Lost in the Fire (God, the director, Susanne Bier, sold her soul to make that thing! Maybe the $$ allowed her to pursue other projects closer to her heart.)
MAY CONTAIN SPOILER! The acting is superb, the characters very believable. I didn't quite get the "eye close-ups" especially of the animals mounted on the walls. My girlfriend didn't like it as much as me, she thought it a little to melodramatic and didn't like the story-book ending.
But the ending is ambiguous- it may not be as happy as it appears. Just as Pramod, the east-Indian boy whom he raised, was happily independent at the end, there's nothing to show Helene or Anna need Jakob as a permanent fixture in their lives, either.
In returning, he may find himself a fish out of water.
Monsieur Hire
(1989)
Classic - Rewards repeated viewing
10 March 2008
Patrice Leconte is one of my favorite French directors. His films seem to be be very similar in that they are intense character studies of the two central characters. My favorites are Girl on a Bridge, Man on a Train, and this, one of his earliest dramatic efforts.
This film was my introduction to Leconte, and I have seen it 3 or 4 times over 10plus years. It never fails to engage. The acting is fantastic, especially Michel Blanc as the lonely man, & Sandrine Bonnaire, but also minor parts such as Andre Wilms as the police inspector. Everything is near perfect, camera work, editing, the pacing, the music, as other posts have well-articulated.
Coincidentally, I had just previously re-watched Intimate Strangers, another more recent Leconte film with Sandrine Bonnaire. I had forgotten she was the Femmma Fatale in Mr. Hire. It was interesting seeing her in these films, as they are about 15 years apart. It is another good role and performance from Bonnaire, but definitely lighter fare compared to Mr. Hire.
This film was my introduction to Leconte, and I have seen it 3 or 4 times over 10plus years. It never fails to engage. The acting is fantastic, especially Michel Blanc as the lonely man, & Sandrine Bonnaire, but also minor parts such as Andre Wilms as the police inspector. Everything is near perfect, camera work, editing, the pacing, the music, as other posts have well-articulated.
Coincidentally, I had just previously re-watched Intimate Strangers, another more recent Leconte film with Sandrine Bonnaire. I had forgotten she was the Femmma Fatale in Mr. Hire. It was interesting seeing her in these films, as they are about 15 years apart. It is another good role and performance from Bonnaire, but definitely lighter fare compared to Mr. Hire.
The Log
(1999)
Non-Traditional Fare- Season's Beatings
29 January 2008
The English title is a good one, as despite the great opening scenes in Paris, it really is a film about how people deal with the extra stress Christmas seems to bring, or as the characters describe it, a "hostile depression". I could enjoy seeing this as a Christmas tradition! My rating is actually a 7.5, if that was an option. The film is a little understated, in that typically French way.
I like the way the actors do a reminiscence directly to the camera and the audience, especially Francoise Fabian and Claude Rich, who play the couple who have been split up for 25 years but who have not seen each other since, even though they have 3 daughters.
I also liked Sabine Azema, who I just realized I had seen very recently in Coeurs (2006)... aka Private Fears in Public Places... as Charlotte, and didn't even recognize her. Claude Rich does the voice for Arthur. While Charlotte's character is interesting, I couldn't recommend Coeurs.
La Buche, however, yes.
I like the way the actors do a reminiscence directly to the camera and the audience, especially Francoise Fabian and Claude Rich, who play the couple who have been split up for 25 years but who have not seen each other since, even though they have 3 daughters.
I also liked Sabine Azema, who I just realized I had seen very recently in Coeurs (2006)... aka Private Fears in Public Places... as Charlotte, and didn't even recognize her. Claude Rich does the voice for Arthur. While Charlotte's character is interesting, I couldn't recommend Coeurs.
La Buche, however, yes.
Things We Lost in the Fire
(2007)
Thin...Don't believe the hype...
22 January 2008
Disappointing...I've seen some of the Danish director's films. To go from the Dogma Creed to this just goes to show the pressure to toe the Hollywood line.
Del Toro is the only interesting face in the whole show- always watchable. His battle with addictions is believable and gripping.
The rest? Halle Berry has a few believable moments, Duchovny is bland as ever; the whole thing "family" thing is so clichéd. Ironically Halle's character's inability to move on with life reminded my of a similar local story (in West Vancouver where the film may well have been shot) with the widow of a man killed by a young man at a house party actually befriending the man who killed her husband. As a way of dealing with her loss.
I found the music especially hackneyed - the use of some kind of Middle-Eastern clarinet to signify melancholy especially annoying.
Pass unless you have to see Del Toro.
Del Toro is the only interesting face in the whole show- always watchable. His battle with addictions is believable and gripping.
The rest? Halle Berry has a few believable moments, Duchovny is bland as ever; the whole thing "family" thing is so clichéd. Ironically Halle's character's inability to move on with life reminded my of a similar local story (in West Vancouver where the film may well have been shot) with the widow of a man killed by a young man at a house party actually befriending the man who killed her husband. As a way of dealing with her loss.
I found the music especially hackneyed - the use of some kind of Middle-Eastern clarinet to signify melancholy especially annoying.
Pass unless you have to see Del Toro.
The Cooler
(2003)
stealing ideas from other films
4 August 2006
This it typical Hollywood fare. Baldwin and Macy are predictably good, the love affair is of course fare-fetched, but it's done well-enough. But keep it simple, not too complicated...
Good for watching video at home, but don't expect too much.
Once again, Hollywood doing what it does best...stealing original ideas from others, and remaking it for a larger audience. For a different and more interesting take on the same phenomenon (only here people have the ability to steal other people's luck, to their advantage) search out a a Spanish film from 2001 called Intacto, with Max von Sydow.
The premise is dealt with here in a meatier, more complex way.
Good for watching video at home, but don't expect too much.
Once again, Hollywood doing what it does best...stealing original ideas from others, and remaking it for a larger audience. For a different and more interesting take on the same phenomenon (only here people have the ability to steal other people's luck, to their advantage) search out a a Spanish film from 2001 called Intacto, with Max von Sydow.
The premise is dealt with here in a meatier, more complex way.
Should be better known...
1 May 2005
According to the Kino DVD, this film won the Cannes Jury Prize upon its release in 1979. Oleg Tabakov brings sensitivity to the title role- we actually feel sympathy for this lovable loser who has lead a rather unproductive life. He has worked in the past, but none of his dreams or goals (if he ever had any) have come to fruition. As the character develops, we discover that this isn't from laziness, but more that he's afraid to take any risks in life. The director, Nikita Mikhalkov, won the Oscar for Best Foreign film in '94 for Burnt By The Sun, but I think Oblomov is actually the better film, with the caveat that it is a little long. The films share a common theme of two men in love with the same woman. And he also returns to E.Artemyev for the musical score of the film (also includes Bellini's "Casta Diva" and music by Rachmaninov).
Oblomov and his best friend Stolz are so different in character that the film uses flashbacks to their upbringings to discover why. Stolz's relationship with his father is much more interesting than Oblomov's with his mother, and perhaps some editing here would help. The acting is great throughout, especially Oblomov's relationship with his servant Zakhar. The film has a couple of emotional climaxes, when Oblomov confesses his shame to Stolz in the sauna, and when he confesses his love for Olga on the gazebo. Olga's weeping at the end of the film suggests she has some regrets for past decisions. Oblomov's son running across the fields to visit his mother, well, someone else will have to elucidate that for me.
Oblomov and his best friend Stolz are so different in character that the film uses flashbacks to their upbringings to discover why. Stolz's relationship with his father is much more interesting than Oblomov's with his mother, and perhaps some editing here would help. The acting is great throughout, especially Oblomov's relationship with his servant Zakhar. The film has a couple of emotional climaxes, when Oblomov confesses his shame to Stolz in the sauna, and when he confesses his love for Olga on the gazebo. Olga's weeping at the end of the film suggests she has some regrets for past decisions. Oblomov's son running across the fields to visit his mother, well, someone else will have to elucidate that for me.
When National Security is perceived as threatened....
18 April 2005
Excellent film, well-worth searching out. According to the director's feature on the DVD,Boll wrote the novel after being smeared by a journalist who claimed Boll was a spiritual father to the terrorists, when in fact Boll was only trying to establish a dialogue with them.
Excellennt acting throughout, with Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot, English Patient) as the terrorist Ludgwig. And a true sign of a great film, it doesn't feel dated at all (other than the clothing- dig those crazy bell-bottoms!).
I think some commentators are over-stating the obvious as far as civil liberties and left-wing/right-wing agendas. Governments always over-react that way. Our own Prime Minister Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act in the 1970s when the FLQ in Quebec kidnapped and killed a British diplomat.
And Katherina herself is not totally without guilt, as she does aid and abet Ludwig. Also there is a scene with her in detention where she pulls a hankerchef out of her purse and what look like raw diamonds fall out onto her lap.
I think the worst slime in the film is the print journalist, and the way the police collaborate with him, allowing him to get the "inside" first.
The impressive funeral, complete with boy's choir, sponsored by the journal owner-manager, and his "spin" on freedom of the press show the propaganda war at work. Those in attendance include her "mystery lover", whose main concern is obviously protecting his reputation, understandably perhaps after seeing up close how the press destroyed Katherina's life.
A great score by the German modernist composer Hans Werner Henze adds to the surreal Carnival atmosphere and environment.
Excellennt acting throughout, with Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot, English Patient) as the terrorist Ludgwig. And a true sign of a great film, it doesn't feel dated at all (other than the clothing- dig those crazy bell-bottoms!).
I think some commentators are over-stating the obvious as far as civil liberties and left-wing/right-wing agendas. Governments always over-react that way. Our own Prime Minister Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act in the 1970s when the FLQ in Quebec kidnapped and killed a British diplomat.
And Katherina herself is not totally without guilt, as she does aid and abet Ludwig. Also there is a scene with her in detention where she pulls a hankerchef out of her purse and what look like raw diamonds fall out onto her lap.
I think the worst slime in the film is the print journalist, and the way the police collaborate with him, allowing him to get the "inside" first.
The impressive funeral, complete with boy's choir, sponsored by the journal owner-manager, and his "spin" on freedom of the press show the propaganda war at work. Those in attendance include her "mystery lover", whose main concern is obviously protecting his reputation, understandably perhaps after seeing up close how the press destroyed Katherina's life.
A great score by the German modernist composer Hans Werner Henze adds to the surreal Carnival atmosphere and environment.
My Uncle
(1958)
Leisurely Viewing - But Charming and Delightful !!!
27 March 2005
It is true that this film can be difficult to view in a single sitting. Don't expect fireworks or fast-cut editing. But pleasures increase with subsequent viewings.
The first time I borrowed it, I only got through the first half hour. I borrowed it again, not remembering I had already tried it, but immediately recognized the house and the fish fountain. The second time I could only get through the first hour!
But this is a film I would love to own and go back to again and again!
It's gorgeous to look at, the colors and production values; it really does have a timeless look. One minor example is the scene where Hulot sneaks back to the house in the dead of night, and the "eyes" of the house follow him out! Simple, but brilliant. The soundtrack is gorgeous, with jazz representing the modern world and traditional French music for Monsieur Hulot's world.
There isn't much in the way of plot or character development- it's more just a slice of life. But I love some of the minor characters, like the street sweeper who just sweeps the garbage into piles, but never actually picks any of it up. And the female teenage neighbor, who offers Hulot sweets. She definitely has feelings for him!
On the Criterion DVD, also check out the 1947 short L'Ecole des Facteurs. Tati plays a rural postman, which he would later develop into Jour de Fete. There's a couple of great scenes where he joins some dancers in a local pub, and also delivering the mail on his bicycle, he leads a group of professional "tour de France" cyclists.
The first time I borrowed it, I only got through the first half hour. I borrowed it again, not remembering I had already tried it, but immediately recognized the house and the fish fountain. The second time I could only get through the first hour!
But this is a film I would love to own and go back to again and again!
It's gorgeous to look at, the colors and production values; it really does have a timeless look. One minor example is the scene where Hulot sneaks back to the house in the dead of night, and the "eyes" of the house follow him out! Simple, but brilliant. The soundtrack is gorgeous, with jazz representing the modern world and traditional French music for Monsieur Hulot's world.
There isn't much in the way of plot or character development- it's more just a slice of life. But I love some of the minor characters, like the street sweeper who just sweeps the garbage into piles, but never actually picks any of it up. And the female teenage neighbor, who offers Hulot sweets. She definitely has feelings for him!
On the Criterion DVD, also check out the 1947 short L'Ecole des Facteurs. Tati plays a rural postman, which he would later develop into Jour de Fete. There's a couple of great scenes where he joins some dancers in a local pub, and also delivering the mail on his bicycle, he leads a group of professional "tour de France" cyclists.
Lathe of Heaven
(2002 TV Movie)
dreadful!!
7 February 2005
God, what a waste of time! I haven't read the book but knew of ULG's stature. Actually I picked this up at the local library. This being a co-production of Alliance-Atlantic and PBS, and AAC being a Canadian company is the only reason I can see why a library might have this.
First off, the acting is terrible!! Both Lisa Bonet and Lukas Haas are totally lame. No wonder this thing falls flat on its face with those two as the leads. I wonder if he's related to Philip, the director? Could that have something to do with it??
The only interesting bit of casting in this dog was David Straithairn as Manny, and Sheila McCarthy as Penny, Dr. Haber's secretary. (She's probably best known as Polly in I've Heard the Mermaids Singing.)
The sets and costumes are not bad, but the only reason to watch this would be as a laugh-fest, i.e. "this thing is so bad it's hilarious!!"
First off, the acting is terrible!! Both Lisa Bonet and Lukas Haas are totally lame. No wonder this thing falls flat on its face with those two as the leads. I wonder if he's related to Philip, the director? Could that have something to do with it??
The only interesting bit of casting in this dog was David Straithairn as Manny, and Sheila McCarthy as Penny, Dr. Haber's secretary. (She's probably best known as Polly in I've Heard the Mermaids Singing.)
The sets and costumes are not bad, but the only reason to watch this would be as a laugh-fest, i.e. "this thing is so bad it's hilarious!!"
Zelary
(2003)
Needs major editing!!!
6 January 2005
This film is worth seeing, but is much too long. It felt like a TV mini-series! The first half hour could have been chopped completely. Her work in the city with the underground or "resistance" is nothing we haven't seen before, and it's not even that dramatic. Her trip to the country is even less so. The viewer also has no emotional involvement with the heroine right at the beginning. It's really just "filler" that could have been achieved in other ways. I think the film would have worked better picking up the action from when the village priest meets with them before the marriage. The whole point of the movie is her adaptation to the village life, and the real relationship that develops with her husband from its "forced" beginnings. The film reminded me of another great Czech film called Divided We Fall, also set in WWII and about ordinary people going to extraordinary lengths to protect others. The films share an actor, Jaraslav Dusek, who plays Tkac the school-teacher, and the nosy,"go with the flow" German "sympathaser" friend in Divided. (Actually, his role is rather minor and probably could have been cut as well.) The casting is uniformly superb, including the little girl and delinquent boy, the film gets better as it moves along and is better than any similar Hollywood attempts, but could have been even more powerful.
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