vernoncoffee Reviews

Ye yan (2006)

The Scorpion Stings

[7/10 · 24 June 2009]

A 4th generation martial arts film in the Crouching Tiger style, with a surprise that took me a while to realize. It is a retelling of a quintessential tale of envy, betrayal, murder, doubt, revenge, and unexpected consequences; in a word Shakespeare's Hamlet.

There are numerous changes, generally of reasonable artistic license, for example the fair and innocent Ophelia character no longer has her well worn emotionally deranged scenes after being jilted harshly by Prince Hamlet, just anguish, then dieing in a different manner. The Prince is not at university, but acting school, practicing his craft in a fabulous open air theatre in the woods with a giant slide in the center of the stage; not very practical for a theatre, but excellent for a dramatic assassination attempt that is staged there. The queen has the largest rewrite, portraying her nearly sympathetically; originally a childhood playmate of Hamlet, she becomes the Prince's mother by marriage which obviates some of the awkward intimate scenes (though probably not awkward originally).

It is filial love that conflicts her as she realizes the King plans to kill him and this turns her finally against the King. Yet with these many changes and more, from the King's brother assassinating him for his wife, to the final corpse strewn stage of woe, it is without a doubt, Hamlet.

Like Crouching Tiger and House of Flying Daggers, it departs from true fight films, and melds martial arts, dance, and acrobatics; here most elegantly in a scene between the queen and Prince, as they practice one of their childhood Kata, an exercise to perfect their sword handling technique. Filmed in slow motion, the swirl of the huge sleeves and tails of their gowns and the flash of the swords truly weds martial arts & dance.

It is not surprising that one of today's innovative & talented young directors took a shot at one of literature's great stories, but though this is likely to register disagreement, in truth the martial arts were a distraction rather than an enhancement. Hamlet is full of physical action and sword play, but most of it is an explosive accent, usually with unexpected consequences, the sword play more a means to an end. Though beautiful and thrilling, the martial arts in Scorpion have suffer mission bloat, swelling from a single hasty stab, into a 12 man major engagement on several occasions. You begin wondering when the next big fight scene is, instead of when will Hamlet end his anguished debate and strike for himself and for justice.

I would offer Throne of Blood/ Macbeth and Ran/ King Lear, as examples of two Asian adaptations of Shakespeare where the new setting does not distract from the essential dramatic action.

The Realm of Fortune (1986)

acting by Cruz and Guerra is powerful, yet controlled... a wonderful chemistry

[8/10 · 26 February 2009]

A classic tale about the allure of wealth to the poor, whose enticement can lure them away from everyman's birthright, self-respect, appreciation of family, and the enjoyment of simple pleasures. The director, Arturo Ripstein, while restrained in dialog and acting, uses details in his settings to powerfully suggest to the audience what they will soon discover from the actors themselves.

* minor spoiler*

I don't know why it has no professional reviews listed, it is a fine little gem of a film. Not in the sense of length, running 2 hours, but in the sense of a simple, yet potent story. It is set in rural Mexico, where we see the average person living a squalid life, even a much admired large house of a successful gambler who is farther along on the conveyor belt of success, looks dirty and disheveled from the outside, and has a earth floor and unattractive furnishings on the inside. We visit several small town farmers markets/fairs that must be on the entertainers D-list, meaning Desperate; one food vendor, one band and singer, a few rides; the biggest attraction is a hosted cock fight, many of the roosters brought by the local residents.

Dionisio Pinzón (Ernesto Gómez Cruz) is a poor, middle aged man living in a one room, earth wall shack with his infirm mother. It is late in the night, Dionisio and his mother are both sleeping in blankets on the dirt floor, next to an empty, gleaming brass bed with new bedding. The light that fills the darkness is a bizarre red, like the inside of a film darkroom, which we discover is from a large, buzzing, Christmas wreath you might find in a commercial bar, hanging high on one wall. We have no hint why they choose to sleep on the floor or whether it is near Christmas time, and we never find out, but what is suggested, is there are strong cultural cross-currents at work. Dionisio is enticed with what he thinks represents money & success in an obvious, nouveau rich way. Yet after a long string of good fortune, what he pursues invariably disappoints him.

His co-star, La Caponera, (Blanca Guerra) is also on a journey of mis-fulfilment; she was an orphan who came of age already on the move, living by her wits and her attraction. Like Dionisio, she is searching too, not for money, but a secure relationship, and like Dionisio, she chooses the illusion of what she wants, rather than the real thing, to her deep disappointment.

The acting by both Cruz and Guerra is powerful, yet controlled and there is a wonderful chemistry pairing Dionisio's timid hunger and La Caponera's playful sensuality; however the film is for those who can appreciate a slow revelation of character, subtle humor, and a distinctly different cultural setting.

coreydv, 2009, Feb

Heading South (2005)

Powerful, provocative cultural drama, a sex film only to the myopic

[8/10 · 9 June 2008]

spoilers

We are at a small Haitian beach resort in the 1970s, which is frequented by North American, middle-aged, single women looking for readily available Haitian boy-toys, cheap and attentive, to enliven their vacation. Two women from the U.S., Ellen and Brenda, meet and become casual friends in the bonne homme of a small resort, but their friendship is soon strained to mere politeness as they find themselves competing for the attention of the same beautiful, young man, Legba, with whom they are both infatuated.

There are scenes of genuine eroticism and sensuality between the young man and the two women, but what seems lost on both women as they allow their competition to escalate their attachment, is that neither is of significant interest to Legba. He is a seasonal worker, like roofers and house painters back home; his trade happens to be gigolo during the tourist season. When the season is over, he has his normal life with a mother struggling to make ends meet, a girl-friend, and the pervasive strong-arm government corruption that haunts the lives of the island country. As the women increasing fling themselves, money, and other enticements at Legba's feet, it does not occur to them that he is not in love, nor in danger of falling in love with them, which makes their passion all the more poignant and pathetic.

An interesting point is made as the 3 leading women are having a frank, after dinner discussion about the fun of having boy-toys at the disposal, summed up with the statement, " …the difference is that the white men our age back home aren't really horny." This was met with knowing grins and chuckles. The ironic point is that you can be sure at tables of other sex-tourism locations, men are having after dinner conversations agreeing that… the difference is that the white women our age back home aren't really horny. I find this film difficult to peg as it doesn't fit the usual genres: drama, romance or sex-comedy. 2 days reflection later I added this:

Heading South may be a problem for some viewers, it was for me; of the type, not seeing the forest for the trees— because I forgot what frames all. The film opens to an earnest, middle-aged Haitian woman offering her teenage daughter to a stranger she thinks is leaving the country, because she believes it is only a matter of time before the girl will be kidnapped, raped and murdered by one of the bands of thugs which the Haitian government used to help rule the country by terror. This mother figures her daughter has a better chance surviving with a nice looking stranger in another country, than staying with her own mother in violent and corrupt Haiti. Then near the end of the film we see the bodies of two Haitian dumped on the beach at night because they had offended some government sponsored thug of one of the death squads. When focused through these two horrific lens, the middle-aged, middle class ennui of three vacationing white women, so absorbing to them, becomes pathetically self-indulgent, as they use their petty cash unthinking to add yet another exploitation on the poor 3rd world people who work at the resort.

Sin vergüenza (2001)

enjoyable and better than the Hollywood version

[7/10 · 15 December 2007]

By coincidence two film DVDs arrived at the same time that were similar in topic, a comic look at college level schools that ostensibly prepare young people for a career in the arts. No Shame/Sin vergüenza, a 2001 Spanish production and Art School Confidential, a 2006 Hollywood product, both using the device of a jaded group of instructors, played off against the naive enthusiasm of aspiring students. While each film reflects the cultural differences of the two countries, there is a significant difference in depth.

Art School Confidential has an impressive cast for the instructor generation, the likes of Angelica Huston, John Malcovich, and Jim Broadbent who all put in yeoman's duty to provide some gravitas, yet for the film as a whole, there is only one degree of separation from it's humor and a typical teen comedy, as students compete for top grade to win a private show are distracted by something every budding artist must contend with- a mystery strangler terrorizing the town and student body and an unscrupulous, married, undercover cop posing as a student who seems a shoe-in to win the competition and snag the female lead while he's at it.

In contrast, No Shame's plot device is more straight forward, a previous lover of the head of the acting school is in town casting his new film. The school head invites him to watch the finale exam performances, which throws the acting class into disarray as many of the students hope to impress the director and score a part in his film. Verónica Forqué and Daniel Giménez Cacho do the heavy lifting for the instructor's generation and though a comedy in the Almodovar vein, the acting during the performance scenes and before are at a higher level all together than Art School Confidential, and the humor is generally more sophisticated.

I won't say that Art School Confidential is plagiarism, but coming five years after, it simply lacks the creative vigor and zest of No Shame.

Atonement (2007)

If you're looking for yet another WW2 romantic tale with gorgeous leads

[5/10 · 11 December 2007]

If you're looking for yet another WW2 sad/romantic tale with two gorgeous leads, a precocious point of view, and dependable turns and twists, then this movie will be your cup of chi. I think a second look will reveal a number of significant problems.

First, there are trronged party or thoubling improbabilities at the key plot point of the movie. Two young children have gone missing in the English countryside at night. What does the household do; send everyone out in groups or at least in twos to search? No, they go out alone, including the boys' sister who is a stranger in the area. That my friends is a setup straight out of the B horror flick manual.

Second, after a supposed dastardly act has been committed against the sister, when Robbie Turner, the male lead and fall guy, returns later that night with the missing children, he doesn't act reasonably. Returning with the goods, one would expect him to call out something like, "hey everyone, I found them. They were in the south meadow, in a haystack; cold and tired, but no worse for wear," or something along those lines in typical British casual humility. Instead, he is suspiciously mute and cautious for no reason at all.

Third, it seems no one including the police found it unlikely that an upstanding young man and semi-member of the family chose the night of a hunt for lost children to rape a visitor and then, as an after rape distraction, go out and actually find the missing children when no one else could.

If we can suspend disbelief about these several points, then it works fairly well as a WW2 sad romance, until the end that is, where it attempts a deeper moral aspect. The story jumps to the present, where we discover what we thought was the action, was actually a visualization of the plot of a new book by another member of the household, Briony Tallis, a now elderly author who is flogging her latest and possibly last book, on tour. The book is semi-biographical, in that events which happened to her and her family are the backbone of the plot. The author has waited till the end of her life to admit a great wrong she committed as a girl to several people and had never taken responsibility for. Now that she has completed a successful literary career and is safe behind age and a disabling disease, she will write about her fell deed. Well almost; actually the book has a happy ending or as the author puts it, a more hopeful ending. The truth will be revealed only in a cable channel book tour interview.

The question I pose is, did she alter the truth to make the book more hopeful or to be more sellable? That is, if she were genuinely interested in using her terrible experience to warn people about being overly romantic and leaping to serious conclusions based on impressions, then why wouldn't she have written the book telling the truly tragic result of her actions. Instead she manufactures a Happy Ever After Ending, just as she manufactured a HEAE so many decades before by purposely jumping into a weed filled pond when she couldn't swim so she could be "saved."

Which leads me to a second point, is it because Briony never outgrew the fanciful view of life and herself in it, that she confuses confession for atonement. Atonement is making amends or reparation, or paying for someone elses wrong doing. What she did was make a confession, an admission of guilt, and she did that half-*ssed.

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Bridget Jones is Pride and Prejudice Reworked

[6/10 · 14 May 2007]

... Mark Darcy , the name and the character are boldly stolen from Pride and Prejudice, and in fact, in an inside joke, Firth played Jane Austen's Darcy in a famous BBC version of the book… an excerpt from a 2001 film review of Bridget Jones's Diary. Like most others reviews, it didn't look very far below the surface to see that screen writers' Richard Curtis and Andrew Davies borrowed far more from Austen than Mark Darcy; they stole the entire plot. Proceed if you dare:

1. In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bennet, the heroine's father, kindly, satiric and unambitious; spends most of his time hiding in his study from his silly wife. Is it a coincidence that in Bridget Jones's Diary, Mr. Jones, kindly, satiric and unambitious, spends most of his time hiding in front of the TV from his silly wife? OK, one coincidence does not plagiarism make.

2. In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet's main concern in life is to find eligible bachelors for her gaggle of five daughters, doing so in such transparent schemes and so much mindless chatter as to constantly embarrass her husband and two oldest girls; in Bridget Jones's Diary, Mrs. Jones main concern in life is to find eligible bachelors for her daughter, doing so in such transparent schemes and so much mindless chatter as to constantly embarrass her husband and Bridget. Another coincidence you say, your smile becoming less relaxed.

3. In Pride and Prejudice, the two youngest girls are foolish and flirtatious, Mary is awkward and studious, Jane is kind spirited and Elizabeth has discernment and common sense. If you were lump all these personalities into a single character, it would look a lot like Bridget Jones's odd amalgam of traits: foolish and discerning, flirtatious, yet awkward and kind. Beginning to see a pattern... anyone, anyone?

4. In Pride and Prejudice, the main action revolves around a contest between Mr. Wickham, a handsome soldier/cad who woos his way into the youngest daughter's heart and bed, and besmirches the character of his rival, Mr. Darcy; in Bridget Jones's Diary, the main action revolves around a contest between Daniel Cleaver, a handsome publisher/cad who woos his way into Bridget's heart and bed and besmirches the character of his rival, Mark Darcy. Anyone, anyone?

5. In Pride and Prejudice, Mark Darcy defends his good name poorly because of his reserve, fastidiousness, and taciturn nature; in Bridget Jones's Diary, Mark Darcy defends his good name poorly because of his reserve, fastidiousness, and taciturn nature. Blinders, remove... anyone, anyone?

6. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy eventually manages to show Wickham for the cad he is, restore his own good name, and win Elizabeth's love in the process; in Bridget Jones's Diary, Darcy eventually manages to shows Daniel Cleaver for the cad he is, restore his own good name, and win Bridget's love in the process.

This isn't a send up, a nod or a homage; to put it bluntly, Bridget Jones's Diary is simply Pride and Prejudice reworked for 2000, and if Jane Austen is not given a writing credit in the film, it's plagiarism.

The Spanish Prisoner (1997)

looks like a movie, sounds like a play

[6/10 · 8 May 2007]

If you've seen any trailers, you already know this film is about a confidence-game. Yes, the basic concept is pretty clever and the cast is good. Like the Oceans series, most viewers will be distracted enough by the action not to notice numerous plot flaws which I will discuss in a later; however, there is something else which bothers me.

In Roger Ebert's review he describes Mamet & Tarantino as two writers whose dialog is distinctive. While that may be true, I found most of the characters occasionally sounding as if they were speaking lines in a play. The exact repetition of phrases, the hesitations, sounded like a stage actor speaking for effect, rather than a regular person talking. The writing/directing, both by David Mamet, was just too theatrical.

Yes… it was too theatrical. And so, I would fall out of the film thinking, that exchange sounded like a play; it sounded just like a play. You can see the problem. I mean… what is a discerning viewer to do? What exactly is a discerning viewer to do? **spoiler alert** Now for those plot issues: 1. As Joe is leaving the hotel for the airport, Jimmy Dell gives him a small package to give to Joe's sister who also lives in NY. Most people would slip the small package into their carry-on bag right away so it won't get lost, not Joe. At the ticket counter he is still clutching the package. After confirming his reservation, most people who hadn't already, would slip this package into their carry-on bag so their hands are free to do the boarding rigmarole, but not Joe; while seating in the plane, we see him clutching the little package in his hot hand. At this point, most people who hadn't already, would slip the little package into their carry-on bag in the overhead compartment, but not Joe; he slips it into the elastic pocket on the back of the seat in front of him. Why all this unnatural behavior? Well, the package has to be readily available for a crisis of belief. Some viewers might call this heavy handed. Then I begin to think about the entire concept, remember this is a con game flick. Let's imagine weeks before Jimmy talking to his gang during a planning session: "OK, we want to build trust with the mark. Anyone have any ideas, George?" "You could go boozing and womanizing together." "OK, boozing; Susan?" "You could take him for a ride in your seaplane." "Seaplane, good; Shawn?" "You could have someone pretend to mug him and you come along in the nick of time and save him like what happened to Sandra Bullock in The Net." "Pretend mugging, good, Henry?" "You ask him take a package to your fake sister and he won't put it into his luggage because that's just the kind of guy he is. Then the secretary will spook him with mule stories and in a panic he'll open the package in the toilet. When he finds it's legit, he'll be embarrassed at himself for doubting you." "Henry, you've been working on that mystery novel again, haven't you. Come on, admit it. OK, anyone else?" 2. Joe has been stood up by Jimmy Friday night. Saturday morning he is out walking and sees Jimmy's assistant/body guard on the street going into a large commercial garage. Instead of hailing him, math geek Joe decides to follow him in. The garage belongs to a dealer of classic older cars where Jimmy has an appointment with a salesman. Now lets look at this realistically, this is an either/ or situation. Either the entire garage is a scam set, full of borrowed fancy cars and fake sales people, which is going to cost a lot of money and effort to set up, for what; Joe's 65 seconds in the garage? Or it is a real company near Joe's apartment, and the scam team just happened to set an appointment when all the real employees were away and when Joe just happens to be walking, and just happens to see Jimmy's assistant on the street. Is either one plausible? 3. Joe visits Jimmy's posh condo. Jimmy has just come out of his personal indoor swimming pool in the next room to say hello and then leaves Joe to wait while he dresses. Joe is going to sit for 20 minutes reading old magazines and not take a peak around the corner to see what a personal swimming pool looks like? 4. After the scam goes down Joe goes to the local police to report it. Since the scammers were impersonating the FBI, wouldn't you consider going to the FBI? 5. The NYPD bunko squad investigate the scam and immediately have facts they couldn't have had? The entire Swiss Bank acct. business would require them to know which bank to question, which they wouldn't know. They also wouldn't have known to go to the Venezuelan Consulate to ask for information; the consulate would most likely not given them confidential information, and they certainly would not have given them an official document.

6. We have a fake girl-friend on the island, plus a fake personal staff at the condo, plus a fake maitre d', waiters, cooks, and a room full of fake guests at the restaurant; we have a fake car dealer staff and a fake tennis club staff and a fake FBI team. Not only is this getting costly, the more people involved, the more chance for mistakes, leaks or double crosses. I don't think a real scam would have a cast of thousands.

But other than these things, it's a pretty good scam/comedy.

Seven Beauties (1975)

part anti-war film, part medieval morality play, part black comedy

[8/10 · 18 December 2006]

Lena Wertmuller has created a fascinating cocktail, one part anti-war film, one part medieval morality play, one part black comedy, shaken vigorously and poured over plenty of fine acting.

If growing up in Fascist Italy doesn't give a young boy a slightly distorted sense of manhood, having your bricklayer father die leaving you the sole male in a family of a mother and seven sisters, made sure of the fact; so we find Pascolino, a handsome but strutting ladies' man who carries a pistol in his belt to "command respect." And so begins a roller coaster of events both comic and tragic that deliver him like so many other young men, into the maw of WW2, completely unprepared to cope with the stupidity and inefficiency of large governments at war, the contempt for both the sacred and the profane, the massacre of civilians unlucky enough to be in the way, the destructions of villages, towns, even entire cities, in short these young men are overwhelmed by the evil that is created from both sides of every war as surely and repetitively as an ocean beach is overwhelmed by the incoming tides.

Seven Beauties makes its anti-war thrust accessible like another more famous film, Catch-22, by blurring it's humor into the absurd. When Wertmuller shows us the vapidness of Pascolino's life as he struts around the family business or ghoulishly dismembering a body he killed, I think she is taking a more profound view of human existence than just an anti-war film, by showing us the inconsistencies, follies, and sin that inhabit everyday life, might even be the building blocks of national wars. Pascolino's supposed credo is respect, yet where is the respect in defending your sister's honor, if she is in love with her pimp; of challenging the pimp mano a mano, only to kill him by accident ; of volunteering to fight for his country, as a way to escape from a psychiatric ward; of shooting your friend, to save your own life; of finally returning home from defending your country, to find your seven sisters have become prostitutes? The inevitable question becomes, what is there to respect? Even the representative of authority and control, the prison camp commandant, is swept away by the follies of her own system and the temptations of power, while Pascolino is an Everyman, demonstrating the inevitable folly humankind falls into trying to live apart from God.

Russian Ark (2002)

the significance of the tittle

[7/10 · 14 December 2006]

Intense negative reviews like some listed here reminds me of something I learned in advanced literature classes, analysis of art pieces often reveals as much about the critic, as it does about the work. The critic may reveal their own political bias, cultural education or lack of it, and their personality, assuming they are discussing that of the artist.

As for this film, I would not hesitate to suggest many will not like it:

!st not being made in Hollywood, 2nd subtitled, 3rd no car crashes, 4th it is not so action/special effects driven that acting ability or plot are minor components.

Beyond these major deficiencies which will alienate the majority of American viewers, I would suspect the viewers who truly enjoy this film will be mostly limited to those with an interest in the 18th Century or Russian history, art history or cinematography. While not a small group, it measures in the tens of thousands, rather than tens of millions. I do think that too much is being made of the "one take," not that it isn't a logistics phenomena, it isn't an end in itself, it is a technique to tell this story. But I will leave film criticism behind and offer two thoughts on the film.

Russian Ark is similar to one of my favorite recent films, the Dreamers, in that it is heavy with reference and allusion to contemporary social & cultural events and other artistic works. If you are someone with an interest in the 18th Century, Russian history, art history or cinematography, educating yourself on these references will give added depth and enjoyment to the film.

After I finished watching Russian Ark, I saw the tittle somewhere in the credits (I am one who believes credits should always be at the end of a film) and I asked myself, what was the significance of the tittle? My reflection was this, the Ark was a shelter for a remnant of humans and animals to escape a natural cataclysm and so perpetuate animal life afterward. I propose this metaphor is being used for the Hermitage, a shelter for Russian architecture and culture to escape the political cataclysm of the Communist era and so perpetuate Russian heritage afterward.

Broken Flowers (2005)

In fact, we really aren't sure of anything

[7/10 · 11 December 2006]

Bill Murry plays Don Johnston, a successful, later middle-aged man with a crumbling romantic relationship on a journey which gives him time to think about his life. If that sounds a lot like the theme of Lost in Translation, you're correct; unfortunately, the similarity ends there.

While both films have a reflective, quiet tone, Lost in Translation had an underlying drive and focus that is lacking in Broken Flowers, which seems stuck in the same lethargy that keeps Don in his 1980s style living room, on his garish orange leather couch, watching TV he really isn't interested in. And while Broken Flowers does have its comic moments, they are almost all the painfully awkward type, which Don draws out masterfully and yet routinely, by refusing to make any effort to change the situation; in contrast to the comic scenes of cultural discontinuity which clearly amused Bob Harris in Lost in Translation. Finally, while refreshingly different and positive, Winston, Don's African immigrant neighbor, does not provide the relationship development or intensity that Scarlet Johansson does in LiT.

synopsis: Don Johnston spends his retired days wearing exercise suits and watching 125 channels in a 1980s decorated house, which causes his younger girl-friend to finally pack her suitcases and leave. She doesn't know what she wants in life herself, just not his middle-aged, $ecure, out of shape, butt.

The same day she leaves, he receives an anonymous pink letter telling him he fathered a son 19 years ago and the young man has gone on a road trip, so don't be surprised if he turns up. Don tells his mystery writing, African immigrant neighbor, the only bit of life in the film, what has happened and his action oriented neighbor sets up an itinerary for Don to visit the 4 women he dated 19 years ago because for some reason (never convincingly explained) it is important to find out who the mother is of a theoretical grown child, who may or may not show up, even though she clearly wanted to remain anonymous.

Don doesn't have anything else going on, so he hits the skies to hunt down 4 women whose lives have long since moved on from him. After two decades, without warning he drops in successively on: a recent widow with a teenage Lolita daughter; a redhead who traded-in her hippie card to sell upscale manufactured homes with her boring husband; a lesbian, animal communicator; and a woman living on a rural, trashy farm with a biker boyfriend. If these women sound like they are at a slightly younger stage of life than Don, they all look like they are about ten years younger than he is.

When the last one dramatically slams the door in his face, we think we have finally discovered the mother and when Don returns to his small town and bumps into a hitch hiking, sensitive lad who could use a meal, we think we have met the son, but when Don tries to connect with him and boy runs off, we begin to have doubts. In reflection, it is hard to image that particular boy was raised on the "Nugent family farm," so we are left in the end not knowing if Linda was the mother who wrote the letter and even if she was, whether the boy who ran off was her son. In fact, we really aren't sure of anything, except that the film was a disappointment after Lost in Translation.

The Dreamers (2003)

Film Buff Challenge for those of you who like Dreamers as much as I do

[9/10 · 28 November 2006]

The Dreamers has two separate themes; the first is about the 1960s, in the West, though the eyes of youth: most particularly in Paris; the student movement, the cultural revolution; sex, drugs and cinema. The second theme is CoA (coming of age): a private world that an exceptional brother and sister have made, and into which they invite a kindred spirit, an American student. The themes intertwine, but they are distinct, which creates the richness of the film as each theme provides both background and motivation in the other.

I think most critical reviews miss the mark when they lock on to one aspect (usually centering on the sexuality) and overlook what else the film is saying. And just for the record, when it comes to the subject of incest, granted Theo and Isabelle take adolescent sexual exploration to the extreme; but in my opinion the film is clear that when Isabelle has sex with her new boy-friend, she is a virgin. Theo and Isabelle were simply consistent in their shared enthusiasm of exploring life together; the problem is they tended towards the excessive everywhere.

I find The Dreamers Historically Interesting, Deliciously Nostalgic, Sensuous, Sexy and Impetuous. So here is a film buff challenge for those of you who like it as much as I do. I made up a list of the films referred to in The Dreamers and watched them as a group, most of which I had not seen before; then watched The Dreamers again. It made it that much richer, (for example you understand why the sultry Greta Garbo so desperately wants to remember the details of that room and then you see how the apartment has become that same kind of fleeting refuge for the three students). Then there is Bande a Part, by Jean-Luc Godard; watching it on DVD along with the exhaustive reference notes in the extras, in my opinion The Dreamers is one long homage to Bande a Part. So here is a list of the 13 films for you to enjoy in themselves and added texture for The Dreamers:

Shock Corridor, the Cameraman, Breathless (a bout de souffler), Top Hat, City Lights, Band Outside (Bande a Part) Blonde Venus, Freaks, Scarface, King Kong, Queen Christina, The third Man, Les Enfante Terrible.

All the Pretty Horses (2000)

this lovely film hasn't been dumbed down to a simple formula

[8/10 · 31 May 2005]

What sets this lovely film apart is that it hasn't been dumbed down to a simple formula. I looked up a number of reviews for this picture and found many of them gave it mediocre ratings, complaining it wasn't a good western, adventure flick or romantic film. They are correct, it isn't; thankfully because it isn't suppose to be. These reviewers have become benumbed by Hollywood's usual coarse handling, and misunderstand the subtly of this picture, ironically their criticism is praise.

The film isn't a Western, it uses the West as a setting to develop its two main themes, the first a celebration of being young and open to the vast possibilities of life, of diving in over your head. The second theme is commitment, what does it mean to be committed to the land, to a way of life, to family, to a buddy, to your word? How does commitment in one area effect your commitments in other areas? minor spoiler The film begins with two young men in west Texas laying on their backs, starring up at the stars and talking about the possibilities of life. John Grady Cole is about to head out for Mexico to look for work on a giant cattle spread, the kind that have largely faded from the American landscape, but still exist across the Rio Grande and he wants his buddy, Lacey Rawlins, to come along.

Personal difficulties add impetis to their fantasy and the two young men head south on horseback, where they meet up with a younger boy on the trail, Jimmy Blevins, full of spit and vinegar, but not much sense. Lacey immediately suspects Blevins is trouble, the John Grady is more friendly and sympathetic than wise, and they invite this accident waiting to happen to join them, who eventually gets himself and them in far more trouble than any of them are able to handle.

For those viewers who are looking for another quick action or romance fix, they will be seriously disappointed, but for someone, perhaps more literarily oriented, reflective about the meaning of life, this film is a delight.

Against the Wind (1990)

This gritty topic is poignantly presented with understated acting by

[7/10 · 23 January 2005]

This gritty topic is poignantly presented with understated acting by Banderas and Suarez and occasionally sensual camera work.

Those few stories that deal with incest usually have the nasty secret discovered by others with calamitous results. Here also, calamitous events transpire, but only indirectly the result of the incest; that problem is more subtly resolved. While a disturbing topic, sometimes graphically portrayed, the film does present a moral picture of how devastating the effects of domestic disharmony and incest can be, perverting Ana's sense of what familial love should be, and giving Juan great psychological distress as he struggles with his guilt.

spoiler alert:

Juan (Antonio Bandera) is working at a Spanish nuclear dump site located in the boondocks repackaging decaying drums which may be leaking and has struck up a friendship with a local girl Rosario. One evening returning from work to his lonely, broken down rented house he finds his stunning sister Ana (Emma Suarez) waiting for him, having arrived unexpected from their family home in Madrid. He seems pleased to see her, yet also disturbed. That evening the local town is having a fiesta and he takes both Ana and Rosario. He makes accommodations for Ana at a local inn, having asked Rosario to spend the night with him. Ana is angry at being packed off and hooks-up with an adviser to the nuclear site.

The next evening Ana is back at Juan's place. Apparently the couch is not appealing to her, because she matter of factly climbs into his double bed. When he settles down to sleep, she requests a good night kiss which quickly resolves into passionate, familiar sex revealing the cause of Juan previous unease.

It seems Juan and Ana have been engaged in incest through their teen years, perhaps partly a refuge from their parent's highly dysfunctional marriage. A few years older than she, he decides he can no longer stand the family situation and left without discussing the reasons. Unfortunately Ana's confused sibling love cannot stand the loss of him from her life, nor will she admit to herself the incest needs to end. She keeps asking him why he left home and her. He never can tell her straight out that incest is wrong, only that they can't be together any more, but she responds that relationships with other men leave her cold and now that they are away from home, that they can live their own life together as lovers.