Week 43 in film

La vie d'Adèle (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013)
This years Palme d'Or winner tells a very powerful and universal love story. There was quite a fuzz in Cannes about the controversial lesbian sex scenes. Compliment to the director, he made this a film that is about a relationship, not specifically a same sex one. Where he could easily have chosen a different (perhaps more moralistic) path he managed to make a film that takes for granted that the two lovers are both female. The acting performances are stellar and by strictly focusing in depth on the portrayed relationship Kechiche proves to be a very skillful filmmaker. I was fascinated for almost three hours. The only negative point I can think of are some of the ridiculous seafood metaphors in regard to Adele's new found sex experiences. Nevertheless, impressive. 8.5/10



The Wire - Season 4
After the first season I was completely hooked by what might be the best series ever made. Unlike the first season, I try to spread out the episodes, having some time left for film. Towards the end of the 4th season I couldn't resist and had to invest a couple of hours to finish. This is the best season so far (one more to go). It is more ruthless and compelling than before and the investments made as a viewer in the previous seasons are paying off. So many characters, so many motivations and backgrounds. All of them can be felt and understood with ease. What an achievement in writing this is. I'll try to enter season 5 slowly, even though I am curious I don't want this to end. 10/10

I fidanzati (Ermanno Olmi, 1963)
Stylish love story that shows how love over a long distance can be so much stronger than up close. It takes a while before this film makes its powerful point. A bit too long which made me lose interest in the middle somewhere. Not a bad film at all, but there are so many better ones in what may be the best European film era ever. 7/10

The Company (Robert Altman, 2003)
Altman's 2nd last film is as Altman as it can be. This is what a Busby Berkeley film would have looked like if he directed one. No clear narrative, as so often,  but a good impression of the world behind some beautifully portayed ballet. The highlight of the film is a ballet scene which I find pretty breathtaking, of course Julee Cruise (yes, Twin Peaks) helps a great deal. Just see for yourself. 7.5/10

Week 42 in film

Dans la maison (Francois Ozon, 2012)
French teacher recognizes the writing talent he never was in one of his students and his new found protege (and his story) is slowly getting into his head. For the first half this film was heading for a big score, but at some point it loses its strength a bit by making the story (too) complex. Do have to give the film maker credit though, this film is suspenseful and has more depth (social commentary etc) than meets the eye at first. 7.5/10



Prenom Carmen (Jean-Luc Godard, 1983)
Godard is a big name for a reason, he made some excellent films in the 60's. This later film in his oeuvre however is an artsy-fartsy piece of crap. We see two lovers (they meet at a bank robbery...) and later as a metaphor for their states we see two ships crossing or two passing trains driving apart. Come on...I honestly wonder if Godard had a plan or meaning with this film. It won some prices, so perhaps I am totally missing the point.  2.5/10

Kids (Larry Clark, 1995)
Was this shocking in '95? The film, treating the issue of HIV to some extent, feels a bit outdated although some of the scenes are still very effective. I would say half of the movie impressed me, the other half is a bit boring but adds to the atmosphere which feels very pessimistic and dark. Highlight is the performance by Chloe Sevigny. One of the writers, Harmony Korine, made a much better and more styleful take on youth this year.  6.5/10

Together (Lukas Moodysson, 2000)
Cute little 'hippie' film from the director of Fucking Amal and Lilja-4-ever, both very good films. This film disappointed me a bit, the story about a 70's community has a heart and some moving parts but Moodysson incorporates too many characters to make it a truly insightful film. 6/10

The best 100 films according to myself

The dutch website What I Watch asked for the yearly list of favorite films ever. Since I love to make lists I took the time to adjust my list from the previous year resulting in a few newcomers and shifts. Great, this means there have been enough quality movies for me in the last year. I wonder how next years list will be changed, lets hope for some more pearls. A snapshot.

01 Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001)
02 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968]
03 Zerkalo [The Mirror] (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975)
04 Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966)
05 Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
06 There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
07 Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1984)
08 The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
09 L’année dernière a Marienbad [Last Year in Marienbad] (Alain Resnais, 1961)
10 Yi Yi [A One and a Two] (Edward Yang, 2000)



11 Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
12 Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder, 1950)
13 Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
14 Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
15 Il deserto rosso [Red Desert] (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1964)
16 Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)
17 Le notti di Cabiria (Federico Fellini, 1957)
18 Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958]
19 Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
20 Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

21 Le trou (Jacques Becker, 1960)
22 Se7en (David Fincher, 1995)
23 Efter brylluppet [After the Wedding] (Susanne Bier, 2006)
24 Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946)
25 Inland Empire (David Lynch, 2006)
26 Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
27 The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1947)
28 3 Women (Robert Altman, 1977)
29 Seppuku (Masaki Kobayashi, 1962)
30 Trouble in Paradise (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932)



31 Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
32 Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)
33 The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)
34 Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)
35 Idi I Smotri [Come and See] (Elem Klimov, 1985)
36 Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
37 Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
38 Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)
39 Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958]
40 Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968]

41 Il buono, il brutto,  il cattivo [The Good, the Bad and the Ugly] (Sergio Leone, 1966)
42 Anatomy of a Murder (Otto Preminger, 1959)
43 Schichinin no samurai [Seven Samurai] (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
44 Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)
45 Amadeus (Milos Forman, 1984)
46 M (Fritz Lang, 1931)
47 Viridiana (Luis Bunuel, 1961)
48 Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)
49 Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
50 To Be or Not To Be (Ernst Lubitsch, 1942)



51 Imitation of Life (Douglas Sirk, 1959)
52 Umberto D. (Vittorio de Sica, 1952)
53 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
54 Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, 1992)
55 L’armée des ombres [Army of Shadows] (Jean Pierre Melville, 1969)
56 The Big Lebowski (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1998]
57 Walkabout (Nicholas Roeg, 1971)
58 Angel Face (Otto Preminger, 1952)
59 Suna no Onna [Woman in the Dunes] (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964)
60 Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)

61 Scener ur ett äktenskap [Scenes from a Marriage] (Ingmar Bergman, 1973)
62 Jules et Jim (François Truffaut, 1962)
63 Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944)
64 Nostalghia (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983)
65 Jodaeiyi Nader az Simin [A Separation] (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)
66 American Beauty (Sam Mendes, 2000)
67 La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
68 The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008]
69 The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)
70 Chelovek s kino-apparatom [The Man with the Movie Camera] (Dziga Vertov, 1929)



71 Scarlet Street (Fritz Lang, 1945)
72 Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003)
73 The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick, 1998]
74 Two Lovers (James Gray, 2008]
75 The Red Shoes (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1948]
76 Le mépris (Jean Luc Godard, 1963)
77 Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls, 1948]
78 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957)
79 Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
80 Werckmeister harmóniák (Béla Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky, 2000)

81 The Scarlet Empress (Josef von Sternberg, 1934)
82 Kiss Me Deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955)
83 Viskningar och rop [Cries and Whispers] (Ingmar Bergman, 1972)
84 Blowup (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966)
85 White Heat (Raoul Walsh, 1949)
86 Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997)
87 C’era una volta il West [Once Upon a Time in the West] (Sergio Leone, 1968]
88 Kong bu fen zi [The Terrorizers] (Edward Yang, 1986)
89 L’ Atalante (Jean Vigo, 1934)
90 Rashômon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)



91 Naked (Mike Leigh, 1993)
92 Showgirls (Paul Verhoeven, 1995)
93 Written in the Wind (Douglas Sirk, 1956)
94 Sanshô dayû [Sansho the Bailiff] (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954)
95 Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
96 The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999)
97 American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000)
98 Anna Karenina (Joe Wright, 2012)
99 Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)
100 Jungfrukällan [The Virgin Spring] (Ingmar Bergman, 1960)

Week 41 in film

Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001)
It has been over two years since I watched my favorite film and I was really curious if it would disappoint me after all the great films I've seen in the last years. Did it disappoint? Not a second. What a masterpiece. This time it really struck me how great some of the lines are in its context. The scene in 'Club Silencio' is still my favorite and probably the best scene I can imagine. Why I love cinema! 10/10
"It's strange calling yourself."  



Sex and the City 1 & 2 (Michael Patrick King, 2008/2010)
Needed something for the balance...A lot of years ago I saw some of the series and what I remember was much much better than this. What a Hollywood superficiality this is. Both films could have been an hour shorter if they didn't have to show off all the designer clothing which probably financed these films. I was hoping for some self-criticism somewhere. Forget about it, fashion should make you happy...
Number 1: 3.5/10, number 2: 2.0/10

This Gun for Hire (Frank Tuttle, 1942)
Decent, enjoyable noir, like so many in the genre (if noir is a genre). The density of the plot (book adaptation in 80 minutes) of noirs keeps surprising me. Compare this to modern day cinema, inventive film  making. 7.5/10

World War Z (Marc Forster, 2013)
Brad Pitt goes 28 Days Later vs. Independence Day. The zombie-invade-the-earth and have a virus is not very original but directed well and Pitt's performance is, as so often, pretty decent. I didn't believe there had to be action in every scene or set where Pitt appears, the last act was by far the best, probably because the action dropped a bit and the suspense could take over.  6.5/10

Week 40 in film

Jeune & Jolie (Francois Ozon, 2013)
The synopsis tells us something about four seasons and four songs. This is not very original and should not be the selling point of the film. On the eye this is the beautiful lead girl Isabelle, but there is a bit more. The viewer gets a grip on the life and mind of a prostitute and how scary, lonely but at the same time moving it can be. Film fits in the oeuvre of the director, a solid psychological French portrait that never reaches extreme highs or lows.  7/10



Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron, 2013)
One hell of a ride! Front row seat, 3-D glasses on (not my hobby...), and after 1,5 hours I felt I was back on earth from a stunning space trip. Visually probably the best thing I've seen this year. The long opening take alone makes this film a treat you don't want to miss. I totally understand the hype and high scores for this production. The only thing that doesn't make it a five star masterpiece is the emotional core (forced but carried solidly by Bullock) and unfortunately the Clooney-character lacks the dimensions that are visually present. But this can be forgiven easily by the technical perfection. Thank you Alfonso Cuaron and Emmanuel Lubezki!  8.5/10

De boekverfilming (Eddy Terstall, 1999)
Terstall is trying to criticize the Dutch film industry by portraying a young talented director who tries to sleep with the candidates for the female lead of his next film. I couldn't find much to like in this film, unlike some other productions from the director. Tedious, lazy directing, unnecessary sex and nudity (really), overall very uninteresting characters and plot. 3.5/10

Don Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 2013)
Definitely not the worst example of the actor gone director. Gordon-Levitt directs himself with confidence as a porn-addicted macho man. He makes quite a convincing case when he prefers his porn over a super hot Scarlett Johansson (go figure!). In the end he gets a bit too confident, the third act demands so many improbabilities that I didn't buy it for a second. I do believe this guy has potential, though.  5.5/10