3 out of 5. Noah Baumbach's black and white film FRANCES HA pins down what it's like to go after ones dreams and fall short. In the easily likable character of Frances, played by Greta Gerwig, you get a sense of someone who's spirited outlook on life seems indomitable. Her forward motion doesn't take time to ponder to long before going onto the next thing. Which is easily frustrating for those around her. She won't be kept down for long before bouncing back into some other wish fulfillment. It makes those who are somewhat jaded (moi?) and serious long for that bit of adolescent naivete in their daily life. It's a very refreshing film and very New York.
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3 out of 5. Marius Holst weaves a dark tale based on a true story in the KING OF DEVIL'S ISLAND. Having Stellan Skarsgard in the lead role doesn't hurt either. He's as icy and bitter as the winter winds in this Nordic tale of a school for delinquent boys. Benjamin Helstad does an equally excellent job at standing his ground and foregoing the harshest conditions. It's not much different than Cool Hand Luke in terms of story but it does offer some really excellent situations and character development that is harrowing and heartbreaking. The ending...man...good stuff.
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4 out of 5. Satyajit Ray's THE BIG CITY marks a moment in time when a woman steps outside of her role as housewife in contemporary India and sets to earn to help out the family even more. His ability to capture very real and honest portraits of life is always mesmerizing to me. He's one of the few directors who I completely trust to get at the emotional center of his characters. The circumstances he creates for his characters elicit a universal response while remaining unique to that character. Like the Apu Trilogy, his power of listening is as great as his gift of showing. I can't wait to seek out more of his films.
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4 out of 5. This is one of those movies from the 70s I remember as a kid. A stranger in an even stranger small town and things just go wrong. Ted Kotcheff is bold and daring in WAKE IN FRIGHT. Gary Bond as the lead is great but Donald Pleasance somehow gets under your skin. There's some excellent cinematography and lens choices that really create paranoia and fear. I have to admit though, it's a little rough around the edges, especially during the kangaroo hunt which was relentless and real. There was a real mix of that relentlessly male dominant culture verging on the edge homoerotic and then obliterating that line. It's raw, it's rough and it's a significant Australian film worth a watch.
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4 out of 5. Masaki Kobayashi's THE HUMAN CONDITION 1-3 was a masterfully done almost 10 hour epic telling the tale of a pacifist in totalitarian Japan during WWII. The cinematography was gorgeous and the acting was fantastic. You follow the main character Kaji, played by Tatsuya Nakadai (of SAMURAI REBELLION) as he's given a job in a mining town after marrying the love his life. He doesn't want to run things the way his bosses want him to. It's a clash of ideals and he spends most of the film trying to keep the humanity of his men in tact while almost losing his. Having to watch it in 2 hour chunks a night, made it feel quite episodic and gave one much food for thought. Highly recommended.
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4 out of 5. I think Rupert Wyatt's RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES washed a bad taste out of most people's mouths that the sequels of the original left. I mean, if I was truly being honest aside, other than the killer score by Jerry Goldsmith, the Planet of the Apes is a well-made B-movie. This one however was a great popcorn flick. It had a nice story set-up, great set-pieces, and characters who's actions were believable given the extraordinary circumstances. It delivers on all cylinders and doesn't leave you with an empty stomach like most tent-pole movies. It was a wild ride that you didn't want to stop. The motion-capture and stunt acting is tremendous. What are you doing right? GO WATCH THIS, ALREADY!
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4 out of 5. Thomas McCarthy is a really fantastic director and THE VISITOR is just as good if not better than his other works. I think being an actor really helps if one sets out to direct. I generally see better performances overall and Richard Jenkins does great as the lead. Usually I find a lot of unique story situations come out of South East Asia or especially when they are culturally specific. This is a unique story where the recently widowed main character finds illegal immigrants living in his apartment. The setup is great and possibilities keep you guessing, making this film feel fresh and believable as everyone finds their way. It's a great film with deep repercussions.
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3 out of 5. David Frankel's THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is an infectious comedy that you can't stop thinking about. Maybe it's because of the under-dog lead played by Anne Hathaway that most people can identify with. Or it's her high-status boss played by Meryl Streep who's performance seems to diminish everyone under her affecting gaze. Plus, Stanley Tucci is always fun to watch. Overall it's a fairly predictable storyline but the journey is what makes it fun. By the third act it does lose a little bit of the snap and bite of the opening but it's because the character arcs are converging. Great fun.
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3 out of 5. Hong jin-Na's THE YELLOW SEA is a crazy, violent ride taken by a former taxi driver looking for his wife. The directing is really good and the stakes just keep piling on top of each other until they reach a very crazy apex. The lead, Jung woo-Ha plays a great everyman character whose mission is believable and who continues to surprise by his choices. Yun seok-Kim is also great to see as he brings real weight to the screen. He was great in The Chaser and is always fun to watch. South Korea has had a lot of violent films come out on Netflix, this one is little less violent and maybe not as pretty but it's still quite good.
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4 out of 5. Wolfgang Petersen's DAS BOOT should also be called a psychological thriller as it messes with your aural senses the entire time. This WWII film has a unique perspective of taking place for the most part in a German submarine. The claustrophobia and grime of living and making choices in close quarters grips you the entire time. Relief doesn't come until near the end where things open up and without warning the real Hell breaks loose. The cinematography choices were excellent all around especially in the sub. The detail could have easily overwhelmed the frame but choosing to use atmospheric fog and variations in saturated and desaturated lights to evoke mood was smart.
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3 out of 5. In CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa spin a very fun tale that doesn't leave your brain at the door. This is one of those films where the casting works so well for the story that the chemistry sparkles between the actors. It shows yet another facet of Ryan Gosling's abilities if you're tired of the gloom and morose work he's done lately. But really all the acting is quite good. I think the only thing that probably worked against this film is the title. In a sea of "like" marketing it's easy to miss this great little film when it's up against Eat. Pray. Oh, and the ending is actually pretty damn good.
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4 out of 5. It's hard to imagine it but Gavin Hood who just completed Ender's Game actually made an amazing crime/drama in TSOTSI. It was reminiscent of City of God with it's music and atmosphere. The cinematography was sharp and clear and I loved the palettes overall. But Presley Chweneyagae was the real diamond in this tragic storyline. Man, what a great performance. The subtle qualities and shifts of emotion constantly telegraphing everything he's thinking without saying a word. What a treat. The casting was excellent all around and the acting was really top-notch with clear defined motivations and character. There was only one technical hiccup for me that didn't make sense otherwise this was a near perfect film.
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4 out of 5. Yasujiro Ozu's minimalist approach continues to be timeless and expressive in letting characters breathe, especially in AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON. I haven't seen anything of his since TOKYO STORY. His strong locked camera choice is so signature that it showed me possibilities of characters and their relationship to the space around them. There was nothing wasted in frame and it all served the scene. The cinematography, costumes and production design are equally deft in illustrating this point. When you watch a simple story like this in the hands of an artist there's a lot more that is peeled back and revealed. In that is where Ozu truly shines.
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4 out of 5. BLAST OF SILENCE, by Allen Baron is raw on every
level. I'll admit it I flinched a little, I'm not proud. Allen Baron is
not only ambitious but he portrays a really tough bastard of a killer
who takes on the world with equal
heavy-handedness. There's a lot of great scenes in this film and the
story is compelling. All of it combines if a very textural piece that
has a teeth-clenching finale that you won't want to miss. Universal
Studios buried this for years but now it's been finally released by
Criterion. There's a reason for it. This isn't polished hollywood
noir...it's the stuff crime novels are made of.
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5 out of 5. THE BURMESE HARP by Kon Ichikawa
was a surprising film. There's a lot going on here and the backdrop of
Burma is well-suited to it. The male chorale aspect of the film is both
haunting and uplifting. I'm not a fan of
musicals but this was incredibly effective. The lone character of
Mizushima, the harp player was the antithesis of change brought on by
the conflicts of war. But how he changes is really intriguing and the
way Ichikawa films it is quite masterful. If you like the Apu trilogy or
Frank Capra films, you will totally dig this. Try not to weep too much.
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3 OUT OF 5. Paddy Considine's TYRANNOSAUR burns white-hot with some great acting It's interesting when good actors direct other good actors. The fidelity of truthfulness comes across with amazing texture. The story of this film is creatively veiled and reveals itself slowly over time. This in itself is quite rewarding. There's a terrific moment of discovery when your perception is rocked and things just come crashing down. Very raw and powerful stuff. The dialect is a bit strong and at times you lose a lot of what is said but it is well worth it. If you like the strength of Todd Field's filmmaking you'll really dig this.
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4 out of 5. Fatih Akin's THE EDGE OF HEAVEN seamlessly weaves together a Gordian Knot of words and pictures without making it look overly clever. Through careful cutting he shows us that we are watching the film in a different order than we realize. Or that we perceived it correctly and it served the through-line but that it was transmutable. Thus giving it a different meaning. The way characters are brought together make this story really interesting and unique. Luckily, would could have been a drastic coincidence is smartly avoided. The acting is really good, too. At times, many of the characters have such ferocity that the domestic setting they're in seems on the brink of destruction. There's good energy in the film even if there is a slow and easy pace. The movie is an hour fifty-five but feels longer. Beautiful ending.
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4 out of 5. Director, Majid Majidi's CHILDREN OF HEAVEN is a deceptively small film with big talent just under the surface. For the two Persian child-actors, who have never acted before or since, to carry this film was amazing. Their sincerity rang true. As brother and sister, their characters were genuinely caring of each other, which I haven't seen the likes of in a very long time. Maybe, because it lacked the cynicism of the west. The cinematography had me wondering time and again whether this was shot in the 70s. The lighting was gorgeous and the film grain grounded us in reality. Nothing slick here, except for the smart engaging script and storytelling. The ending asks a lot of the viewer but really, we all know the outcome.
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4 out of 5. Hirokazu Koreeda's NOBODY KNOWS constantly walks the line between documentary and ficiton. A single mother with kids from different boyfriend's is a great setup for a story that I'm surprised I have not seen before. The non-acting that is going on in their interactions and the handheld close-in camera-work makes it feel like a documentary. There's so much to like about this film and yet the crushing sensation of where the story takes you is really tough. Artistically, Koreeda's handle on the writing, directing and editing score really high marks. The believability of the situation and how well the kids handle it tend to be what pulls you back from the edge of realism.
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4 out of 5. Fabián Bielinsky's THE AURA is a quiet minimalist crime thriller that gives you very little clues as to what happens next. It's austere atmosphere also helps to make this film very engaging. The main character, played by Ricardo Darin embodies all these elements as his dialogue and acting are both understated. His face reveals a man who is thinking through the decisions and yet he gives away nothing of what's to come.This is one of those films that are full of surprises in terms of acting, directing and overall filmmaking. There's a transition in here from Esteban's home to a traveling sequence that I've only really seen used in comics and works wonderfully here, too. If you want something different and evocative this would be it.
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