Sunday, May 12, 2013

Week 19 in film

Sisters (Brian De Palma, 1973)
One of the early chapters out of De Palma's "How to imitate my favorite director". Derivative of epic is still good enough.   7/10

Soldaat van Oranje (Paul Verhoeven, 1977)
This two and a half hour Dutch classic somehow failed to amaze me. Based on a true story but never as compelling or intense as many other WWII pics. Nevertheless a well acted and interesting enough film. Not Verhoeven's best, not his worst.   7/10


Criss Cross (Robert Siodmak, 1949)
An unreliable romance, suspense, bars filled with witty men and cigarette smoke. This film has all the elements that make me a noir-lover.   8/10

Another Earth (Mike Cahill, 2011)
This science fiction film feels realistic not because of the concept but because the concept is just on the side. Well acted and intimate drama where the 2nd earth should be seen mostly as a metaphor before people start complaining about scientific inconsistencies.  The last shot is simply awesome.   7.5/10

Werckmeister Harmoniak (Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky, 2000)
My second encounter with the Hungarian master and this film proves why he is considered a master. It has a very slow pace but where other films might put you asleep, his extremely long takes start to fascinate me more and more. The black and white cinematography is extraordinary, same holds for the musical score by Mihali Vig. The plot is secondary, but a clear metaphor for the repression in Eastern Europe. Regardless, Bela Tarr is a unique filmmaker and I love his style.   9/10



Lockout (Stephen St. Leger & James Mather, 2012)
It's like Die Hard in space with a hint of The Rock. Not very original...    5/10

Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
Supposedly the version Spielberg always had in mind now it's in 3D, yeah right....3D, as usual, doesn't add a thing accept to the price of your ticket. On the other hand, pretty cool to watch this classic on the big screen.  7.5/10

Platinum Blonde (Frank Capra, 1931)
Typical Capra. Rich girl falls in love with 'normal' guy who has a hard time adjusting to his new-found class. "Like a bird in a golden cage". Not bad, but I was hoping for some more pre-code, which I couldn't spot to be honest, despite Jean Harlow's presence.   7/10

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