PUXZKKX

Weekly Roundup - 28/09/09 to 04/10/09

2009-10-05T02:07:00.009-04:00

Black Book (2006, Paul Verhoeven)

Grade: B

Cyclo (1995, Tran Anh Hung)
Grade: A+

Keane (2004, Lodge Kerrigan)
Grade: C

Memories of Murder (2003, Bong Joon-ho)
Grade: A

Repulsion (1965, Roman Polanski)*
Grade: B+

* x2

"Vinyan" (2008, Fabrice du Welz)

2009-09-17T07:01:00.001-04:00

"Is Anybody There?" (2008, John Crowley)

2009-09-13T04:22:00.000-04:00

"District 9" (2009, Neil Blomkamp)

2009-09-11T22:13:00.001-04:00

"Inglourious Basterds" (2009, Quentin Tarantino)

2009-09-11T22:12:00.000-04:00

"Orphan" (2009, Jaume Collet-Serra)

2009-09-11T22:11:00.001-04:00

"The Strength of Water" (2009, Armagan Ballantyne)

2009-08-30T04:43:00.001-04:00

"Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself" (2002, Lone Scherfig)

2009-08-28T01:15:00.001-04:00

"This Is England" (2006, Shane Meadows)

2009-08-28T01:14:00.000-04:00

"The Tracey Fragments" (2007, Bruce McDonald)

2009-08-24T08:02:00.000-04:00

"Chopper" (2000, Dir: Andrew Dominik)

2009-08-17T05:58:00.000-04:00

"A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints" (2006, Dir: Dito Montiel)

2009-08-16T09:11:00.002-04:00

Grade: A

"Croupier" (1998, Dir: Mike Hodges)

2009-08-15T10:51:00.001-04:00

Grade: A

"Lantana" (2001, Dir: Ray Lawrence)

2009-08-13T07:25:00.001-04:00

Grade: C+

"2 Days in Paris" (2007, Dir: Julie Delpy)

2009-08-11T06:28:00.000-04:00

Grade: B+

"The Home Song Stories" (2007, Dir: Tony Ayres)

2009-08-11T02:22:00.000-04:00

Grade: C+

"Yi Yi" (2000, Dir: Edward Yang)

2009-08-10T02:47:00.001-04:00

Grade: C-

"Dark Water" (2005, Dir: Walter Salles)

2009-08-09T08:31:00.001-04:00

Grade: C

"Singin' in the Rain" (1952, Dir: Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly)

2009-08-06T07:25:00.000-04:00

Grade: A

"The Brown Bunny" (2003, Dir: Vincent Gallo)

2009-08-05T06:32:00.000-04:00

Grade: A

"Spun" (2002, Dir: Jonas Akerlund)

2009-08-04T23:55:00.001-04:00

Grade: B+

"Series 7: The Contenders" (2001, Dir: Daniel Minahan)

2009-08-04T02:47:00.000-04:00

Grade: A

"The Piano" (1993, Dir: Jane Campion)

2009-08-03T10:45:00.001-04:00

Grade: C+

"Antichrist" (2009, Dir: Lars von Trier)

2009-08-03T10:43:00.001-04:00

Grade: F/D/C-/C/C+/B-/B/B+/A-/A/A+
... A

"Dead Man" (1995, Dir: Jim Jarmusch)

2009-07-31T23:44:00.001-04:00

Grade: A-

"The White Ribbon" (2009, Dir: Michael Haneke)

2009-07-31T23:43:00.001-04:00

Grade: A

"Manderlay" (2005, Dir: Lars von Trier)

2009-07-30T05:41:00.000-04:00

Grade: B-

"Cat People" (1982, Dir: Paul Schrader)

2009-07-30T05:40:00.002-04:00

Grade: D

"The Cell" (2000, Dir: Tarsem Singh)

2009-07-30T05:39:00.001-04:00

Grade: C-

"Morvern Callar" (2002, Dir: Lynne Ramsay)

2009-07-21T18:38:00.000-04:00

Grade: A

"Lars and the Real Girl" (2007, Dir: Craig Gillespie)

2009-07-20T07:28:00.002-04:00

Grade: B-

"Trouble Every Day" (2001, Dir: Claire Denis)

2009-07-20T03:33:00.000-04:00

Grade: B-

"The Libertine" (2005, Dir: Laurence Dunmore)

2009-07-17T10:34:00.002-04:00

Grade: B+

"The Truman Show" (1998, Dir: Peter Weir)

2009-07-15T08:21:00.001-04:00

Grade: A+

"Respiro" (2002, Dir: Emanuele Crialese)

2009-07-10T06:23:00.000-04:00

Grade: A-

"The Exterminating Angel" (1962, Dir: Luis Bunuel)

2009-07-10T02:29:00.000-04:00

Grade: B+

"The Devil's Backbone" (2001, Dir: Guillermo Del Toro)

2009-07-03T06:16:00.001-04:00

Grade: C

"Angel" (2007, Dir: Francois Ozon)

2009-07-03T00:55:00.001-04:00

Grade: C-

"Marie Antoinette" (2006, Dir: Sofia Coppola)

2009-06-30T04:53:00.005-04:00

Grade: A

"Death By Hanging" (1968, Dir: Nagisa Oshima)

2009-06-30T02:30:00.000-04:00

Grade: A+

"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1969, Dir: Ronald Neame)

2009-06-29T16:26:00.000-04:00

Grade: B+

"Cherry Blossoms" (2008, Dir: Doris Dörrie)

2009-06-25T22:49:00.002-04:00

Heavily inspired by Ozu's "Tokyo Story", this German film is undeniably moving but somewhat tonally uneven. Despite some cliches in the story telling, there are sequences (such as the lead character's final moments - this isn't really a spoiler, so don't worry) that have a beautiful, understated grace. The ensemble is very good all-around, but I was most impressed by legendary German actress Hannelore Elsner as the lead character's wife, who is featured in the beginning and is the impetus for most of the 2nd and 3rd act events.

Grade: B-

"It's Easier for a Camel..." (2003, Dir: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi)

2009-06-25T06:14:00.001-04:00

Grade: B+

"A Way of Life" (2004, Dir: Amma Asante)

2009-06-25T03:54:00.001-04:00

Grade: F

"The Son" (2002, Dir: Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne)

2009-06-23T21:24:00.000-04:00

Grade: B-

"La Moustache" (2005, Dir: Emmanuel Carrère)

2009-06-23T17:40:00.000-04:00

Grade: D

"Live-in Maid" (2004, Dir: Jorge Gaggero)

2009-06-23T03:22:00.003-04:00

This gentle, perceptive character study is a breezy, poignant delight buoyed by two fantastic performances. Norma Argentina gives a wonderfully generous, open take on her character here, but for me the better of the two was Norma Aleandro. She wisely chooses not to play her self-absorbed ex-businesswoman for laughs, because her character, Beba, is funny to begin with. She's impossibly deluded, vain and self-centred - all very funny and very real traits in Aleandro's hands. But she lets us see how her relationship with Dora changes her. The role could have been incredibly shrill and grating in a lesser actress's hands, but Aleandro wisely chooses not to condescend to or judge the admittedly difficult character, playing her with insight, compassion, honesty and understanding. This film is definitely worth a look, it's a lovely little gem. The ending is perfect.

Grade: B

"Late Marriage" (2001, Dir: Dover Koshashvili)

2009-06-23T01:32:00.000-04:00

Grade: A-

"Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams" (2006, Dir: Jasmila Zbanic)

2009-06-21T19:27:00.001-04:00

Grade: B+

"In the City" (2003, Dir: Cesc Gay)

2009-06-21T16:42:00.001-04:00

This Spanish ensemble drama is smartly written and correctly acted, but the direction is so cold and impersonal, the visuals so ugly and the overall tone so static that it is nigh-impossible to get involved. There are a few properly tangible performances in the mix - Maria Pujalte is an open presence but paints her characters strokes too broadly, Monica Lopez gives a sad, ambient performance but one wishes she didn't underplay so much. Eduard Fernandez's performance is the only one that truly captivated me, he hints at many roiling emotions under his cool exterior. On a technical level quite fine, but unutterably dull.

Grade: D

"Birth" (2004, Dir: Jonathan Glazer)

2009-06-19T15:32:00.002-04:00

Birth - Random Thoughts:

Interesting but flawed. Nicole Kidman deserves props for picking the diverse films and complex roles she does, but unfortunately she's quite untalented. She is a clear case of an actress who tries desperately to break free from her own mediocrity but fails almost every time. Even in her good performances it is so clear that she's stretching herself to the limit. She's perfectly adequate here but the script required someone a lot more interesting and a lot more capable at playing both character and emotion... I can't understand those who say that she gives one of the decade's best performances here. Her opera scene is only impressive if you consider someone keeping their eyes open until they cry interesting (Maggie Cheung needs to know this after ITMFL, as well), and her efforts in it are hindered by the fact that she can't move her face anymore. I must, say I was quite impressed with Anne "Princess Celestia" Heche, however. The score was great also, it was the first thing that jumped out at me. Interesting visuals, too. Lauren Bacall is rancid as usual, no matter how small her part is in any film she's convinced its all about her. I'd like to see what else Glazer will do in the future, I quite enjoyed "Sexy Beast" (and I thought it had better acting on the whole).

Grade: C+

"Double Happiness" (1994, Dir: Mina Shum)

2009-06-19T13:30:00.002-04:00

Good fun showcasing a little-heard-from section of Western culture (Asian-Canadian families) is sweet enough, but on a craft level its pretty rote. The writing is rife with cliches and the acting is stilted and school-play-esque (although Oh makes an appealing frontwoman and I quite enjoyed Alannah Ong's perceptive supporting performance).

Grade: C-

"The Day I Became a Woman" (2000, Dir: Marzieh Makhmalbaf)

2009-06-17T18:41:00.000-04:00

Grade: A-

"The Barbarian Invasions" (2003, Dir: Denys Arcand)

2009-06-16T21:50:00.001-04:00

Unwatchable. I nearly died. I don't even want to talk about this disgusting piece of filth movie.

Grade: F (minus minus)

PS: MJC (<3) was ok.

"The Aura" (2005, Dir: Fabián Bielinsky)

2009-06-16T18:19:00.001-04:00

Grade: B

"Alexandra's Project" (2003, Dir: Rolf de Heer)

2009-06-15T23:41:00.000-04:00

Not an entirely successful film, but one that definitely deserves to be seen and discussed. Will post more thoughts later if I have time.

Grade: C

"L'Iceberg" (2005, Dir: Dominique Abel & Fiona Gordon)

2009-06-15T21:33:00.000-04:00

Grade: C+

"Daisies" (1966, Dir: Vera Chytilová)

2009-06-15T21:24:00.001-04:00

Visually brilliant but nowhere near as fun or interesting as it should be.

Grade: C

"Innocence" (Dir: Lucile Hadzihalilovic)

2009-06-14T19:06:00.000-04:00

Grade: A

"Time to Leave" (2005, Dir: François Ozon)

2009-06-13T20:07:00.001-04:00

Grade: D

"Irreversible" (2002, Dir: Gaspar Noé)

2009-06-12T19:17:00.000-04:00

Grade: B

"Wendy and Lucy" (2008, Dir: Kelly Reichardt)

2009-06-11T22:31:00.003-04:00

Grade: B-

"The Other Side of the Street" (2004, Dir: Marcos Bernstein)

2009-06-10T21:43:00.000-04:00

Grade: C-

"Suely in the Sky" (2006, Dir: Karim Ainouz)

2009-06-10T19:44:00.001-04:00

Grade: B-

"Princesas" (2005, Dir: Fernando Léon de Aranoa)

2009-06-04T21:21:00.001-04:00

de Aranoa's follow-up to the far better "Mondays in the Sun" is incredibly well-acted (especially by Candela Peña, now one of my favorite actresses) but is too precious and cloying by half. It touches on different issues and subplots without really delving deep into them, and the entire giggling prostitute gal-pals scenario comes off as exploitative, as more of a millennial Boys' Own fantasy than the gritty slice-of-life (check those blurred license plates in one scene...) it so clearly wants to come across as. Basically a Lifetime-style drama shot in a verité style with better actors.

Grade: C-

"Gypo" (2005, Dir: Jan Dunn)

2009-06-02T20:54:00.001-04:00

This Dogme 95 film is just another example of the style's inability to foster a good, or even an interesting, film. Pretty much highlights all of that movement's failures, and even though the direction and plotting is sophisticated it is let down by the uninspired camerawork, shoddy editing and by most of the actors, none of whom have a lick of improvisational talent, save for the luminous Chloe Sirene who gives the film's only truly good performance. The improvisation is supposed to make for "real" dialogue but the actors' lines just come off as stilted, weird and unrealistic. A really poor film from a really misguided film movement.

Grade: F

"Look At Me" (2004, Dir: Agnès Jaoui)

2009-05-31T22:57:00.000-04:00

Grade: C

"Year of the Dog" (2007, Dir: Mike White)

2009-05-30T22:32:00.002-04:00

Involving flick suffers from being a bit too self-conscious with its gags at first, but becomes more comfortable in its own skin as it crosses the line from "quirky indie comedy" to poignant drama. Takes great pains not to judge its lead character's behavior, but Molly Shannon's painfully honest performance largely guarantees that our vision of her character isn't going to be spun by any of the script's manipulations.

Grade: B-

"Duel in the Sun" (1946, Dir: King Vidor)

2009-05-30T19:05:00.002-04:00

Grade: C-

"Red Road" (2006, Dir: Andrea Arnold)

2009-05-30T14:15:00.000-04:00

Grade: B

"Mondays in the Sun" (2002, Dir: Fernando Léon de Aranoa)

2009-05-29T22:12:00.000-04:00

Grade: B

"Angela" (2002, Dir: Roberta Torre)

2009-05-29T20:06:00.001-04:00

Maudlin Italian drama is bereft of any real appeal save for Donatella Finocchario's nuanced perf. Roberta Torre is an observant director, but she has no sense of flow or rhythm, and her episodic treatment of the film's potentially steamy plot makes it drag on and on... All in all, horribly boring but proficient enough on a craft and acting scale to keep this from sliding any lower on the grade scale.

Grade: D

"Torremolinos 73" (Dir: Pablo Berger)

2009-05-25T22:07:00.002-04:00

Spanish comedy juggles multiple themes and moods and ends up dropping all of them in the final act. Well-acted, especially by my newest cinematic woman-crush Candela Pena, who brings a bit of grace to the maudlin proceedings.

Grade: C

"Backstage" (2005, Dir: Emmanuelle Bercot)

2009-05-25T19:42:00.001-04:00

Bercot's debut film showcases some hella good acting (Le Besco, Seigner, Lvovsky etc) but the intense, almost operatic emotional tone of the film is sustained for so long that it begins to become seriously overbearing.

Grade: B

"The Cuckoo" (2002, Dir: Aleksandr Rogozhkin)

2009-05-25T02:39:00.002-04:00

Interesting historical exercise benefits from some excellent tech work but a lack of driving force and a ludicrous third-act plot insert make this little more than a curio.

Grade: C+

"The Cranes Are Flying" (1957, Dir: Mikhail Kalatozov)

2009-05-24T21:23:00.001-04:00

Sweeping Russian war/romance manages to provide big, filling, old-Hollywood-style entertainment while cutting to the core emotionally multiple times. Camerawork is brilliant, with some great use of light and shadow and magnificent tracking shots.

Grade: A+

"The Earrings of Madame de..." (1953, Dir: Max Ophüls)

2009-05-23T18:39:00.002-04:00

Visually sumptuous and well-acted, but I'm not sure I buy the humanity beneath all that sheen. There are moments of vapidity and moments of stunning dramatic power (the end, for instance) but altogether I'm not sure it coheres. Not completely to my taste, but a worthwhile work to check out.

Grade: B

"Au Hasard Balthazar" (1966, Dir: Robert Bresson)

2009-05-23T18:36:00.001-04:00

Transcendent cinematic parable satisfies on both an emotional and spiritual level, using a deceptively simple story to put forward some potent truths about human nature and the lives of the faithful. It's enough to make one born again!

Grade: A+

"Merci pour le Chocolat" (2000, Dir: Claude Chabrol)

2009-05-22T18:44:00.001-04:00

Enjoyable but unsettling thriller showcases Chabrol's unique grasp of mystery - here he unravels the layers of the narrative's central conceit like someone husking corn - and excellent talent with actors (all of whom, but especially Isabelle Huppert and Brigitte Catillon, are brilliant), but we never really get a feel for the characters' motivations and the overly-expository dialogue is pretty heavy-handed.

Grade: C+

"Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" (1927, Dir: Walter Ruttmann)

2009-05-21T18:06:00.002-04:00

Dazzling montage is more restrained than Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera but, in some ways, more impressive. Ruttmann uses less techniques than Vertov did, but it is no less innovative - the composition and editing here are far more creative than the madcap, joyful but unfocused camerawork & cutting in Man with a Movie Camera. Also interesting is that Berlin predates the Vertov film by two years, and it clearly influenced it.

Grade: A+

"Clean" (2004, Olivier Assayas)

2009-05-20T21:17:00.003-04:00

Well-acted, written and edited. Its rather clinical directorial approach can both benefit the film and hurt it (we can never feel really connected to the characters, even the [miscast] Maggie Cheung's pivotal lead). I don't know how I feel about Maggie Cheung as an actress. She has her moments here (her teary scene with Beatrice Dalle is impressive but seems spliced in from another point in the film) but in this, as in In the Mood for Love, the mechanics of her performance are really clear. She never really seems comfortable or credible in this character, and I'd like to have seen a less poised, more earthy, intuitive actress (like, perhaps, Yang Kuei-mei, or Bai Ling [who is a good actress, actually]) in the part.

Grade: B

"Look Both Ways" (2005, Dir: Sarah Watt)

2009-05-20T19:03:00.002-04:00

Sweet little romance has a likeable cast (save for the obnoxious Anthony Hayes) and some funny moments, but leans altogether too much on dramatic irony to push its plot along. However, this is a promising debut, and I'm excited to see what else Sarah Watt (perhaps a little bit too assured in her directorial ability here) has up her sleeve.

Grade: C+

"Room" (2005, Dir: Kyle Henry)

2009-05-20T19:02:00.001-04:00

An intriguing but incredibly oblique premise and a disappointing, cop-out ending could make this a tough sit for some viewers, but I found myself bewitched thanks to some coolly creepy soundwork and an impressive, lived-in performance from the lead Cyndi Williams (a voice and stage actress who works mostly in her hometown of Austin, TX). The director is interesting and could do something really cool with a bigger budget ($$ constraints really show here), and he definitely has a good hand with actors, but he needs to really refine his vision if he wants to make more films.

Grade: C+

"The Spirit of the Beehive" (1973, Dir: Victor Erice)

2009-05-18T20:43:00.002-04:00

A absolutely magnificently directed and shot exploration of a young girl's yearning to understand the nature of life and death. A must-see for fans of mid-century Spanish-language cinema. (I can't believe Victor Erice has only made, what, three feature films?)

Grade: A+

"Common Wealth" (2000, Álex de la Iglesia)

2009-05-18T18:25:00.001-04:00

Enjoyably corny Spanish thrill-omedy starts off awkwardly but gets funnier as the subject matter gets darker. Worth a look if you just want some entertainment.

Grade: C

MY NEW CRUSH Luis Tosar is in this film in a small role!

"Ali: Fear Eats the Soul" (1974, Dir: Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

2009-05-17T00:02:00.002-04:00

Beautifully-shot drama (and companion piece to Sirk's All That Heaven Allows and Haynes's later Far from Heaven) deals with its subject in a refreshingly simple, straightforward way - which leaves more room for the script and actors to explore the emotional possibilities of the premise. Very well done. My first Fassbinder - and I look forward to seeing a lot more!

Grade: A+

"Take My Eyes" (2003, Dir: Icíar Bollaín)

2009-05-16T21:23:00.001-04:00

Brilliantly written and acted drama about spousal abuse is genuinely wrenching and very discussable with a keen, perceptive eye fixed on male-female relationships.

Grade: A-

"Hiroshima Mon Amour" (1959, Dir: Alain Resnais)

2009-05-16T16:55:00.001-04:00

A beautiful, beautiful film. Lost in Translation has nothing on this.

An interesting note: in An Affair of Love, Nathalie Baye and Sergi Lopez's characters were revealed in the credits to be named "Elle" and "Lui" - which are Emmanuelle Riva's and Eiji Okada's characters' names in this film.

Grade: A

"Common Ground" (2002, Dir: Adolfo Aristarain)

2009-05-15T21:54:00.003-04:00

Talky Argentinian drama that explores the marriage of an older couple and their lives after the husband is forced to retire from his post as literature professor at a university. Verbose as it is, and despite the slow pace, it is a consistently enjoyable watch, well-acted and very well-written with a real emotional core.

Grade: B+

"Rana's Wedding" (2002, Dir: Hany Abu-Assad)

2009-05-15T21:54:00.001-04:00

A very well-directed Palestinian dramedy with a great lead performance by the hawk-eyed, often scarily intense actress Clara Khoury.

Grade: B+

"Spring Subway" (2002, Dir: Zhang Yibai)

2009-05-15T21:46:00.003-04:00

A magnificently shot and breezily enjoyable Chinese melodrama that is nevertheless dramatically episodic and stiled, the director's past as a music video coordinator really shows. Still, sometimes all you are hungry for is corn, and this wouldn't be a bad choice if you are up for something entertaining and sappy, it is at the very least gorgeous to look at. I enjoyed the stories about the peripheral characters more than the leads - the burn victim, the baker, the health-food saleswoman (who was very good and very funny in her subway scenes), the photo girl and the roller-skating young man. The "reveal" about the young man's reasons for never talking to the girl was unexpectedly emotional and the closest the film gets to genuine feeling.

Grade: C-

"Lovely & Amazing" (2001, Dir: Nicole Holofcener)

2009-05-13T21:37:00.001-04:00

Grade: B-

"Intimacy" (2001, Dir: Patrice Chéreau)

2009-05-12T21:39:00.001-04:00

Grade: D

"Man with a Movie Camera" (1929, Dir: Dziga Vertov)

2009-05-12T21:36:00.001-04:00

Grade: A+

"Mademoiselle" (2001, Dir: Philippe Lioret)

2009-05-11T21:35:00.001-04:00

Lovely.

Grade: B+

"The Town Is Quiet" (2000, Dir: Robert Guédiguian)

2009-05-09T23:25:00.002-04:00

Grade: C+

"Shoujyo: An Adolescent" (2001, Dir: Eiji Okuda)

2009-05-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

Grade: D

"A Piece of Sky" (2002, Dir: Bénédicte Liénard)

2009-05-06T21:19:00.000-04:00

Grade: B+

"La Captive" (2000, Dir: Chantal Akerman)

2009-05-05T21:57:00.001-04:00

Grade: A-

"Claire Dolan" (1998, Dir: Lodge Kerrigan)

2009-05-03T21:02:00.000-04:00

Cerebral psychological study showcases Lodge Kerrigan's talents as a director - an uncanny eye for composition and a knack for amping up audience unease all the way to 11 - but he takes some gambles with the acting and pacing that don't pay off (although they make sense as directorial choices).

Grade: C