3 out of 5. Raoul Walsh would have given James Cameron a run for his money with his epic THE THIEF OF BAGDAD. The energy that Douglas Fairbanks brings to this film must have been how we feel watching parkour today. It had to have blown people's minds. If not that then the sets that were just out-freaking-standing. This film played with scale in so many ways. Incredible production design. It reminded me of other grandiose films like INTOLERANCE. Also, Anna May Wong's magnetism is hard to beat. She was execellent. The story is pretty epic as well to the point of collapsing in on itself. Even for a silent-movie which many may feel impatient about, I assure you there's a lot of great elements that do keep on moving. I had dreams of emotive hand gestures for the next two days.
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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. Don Bluth's THE SECRET OF NIMH is
one of the first films that proved that animation could be taken so much
more seriously. Go ahead, rewatch it and you'll be taken with the
lushness of it. The animation...the
backgrounds, direction, character development. This film has so much
going on that it's endlessly rewatchable. So much to learn about staging
and light. Anyway, check out what Pixar got hip to early on: STORY. If
it's not bullet-proof then you're just building on a bad foundation.
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4 out of 5. Marc Forster captured the ethereal
in his FINDING NEVERLAND. This is probably the closest thing to Johnny
Depp playing a fairly straight-forward character. Full of life and
whimsy, this piece captures the
imagination and pulls you in for a fun ride. I like how this really
didn't get a lot of play; a real sleeper hit if there ever was one. Kate
Winslet is particularly good as is always Julie Christie. If you want
good-hearted film then this might be for you.
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