Week 47 in film

Far from Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002)
Imitation of Sirk. Not a bad one at all. Has the melodrama and settings of the fifties, but the use of color and overall visual style is impressive and perhaps how Sirk would have made it if he could. As so often, Julianne Moore is stellar. The themes are interesting but not very original or never done before, even though I am not sure if Sirk would have dared to adress them in the fifties. Downside: can a black gardener be more stereotypical and one-dimensionally good?  7.5/10



Children of Heaven (Majid Majidi, 1997)
Cinema from Iran can break your heart sometimes. This story is so powerful in its simplicity. A boy loses his sisters shoes and since their family is poor they decide to secretly share a pair of sneakers. A trivial problem in most western countries but the end of the world for our young protagonist. It strongly displays how matters of life and death can elevate your achievements. This film manages to let us understand each motivation of its key players. Nuanced and honest film making as we've seen before from this country.  8/10

Amos & Andrew (E. Max Frye, 1993)
Well, here is another film with Nic Cage that is somewhat ridiculous. Its story, filled with dumb police officers and bystanders can only be saved by being over the top and funny. Unfortunately this film doesn't feel self aware enough and most of the stuff that was probably supposed to be funny isn't. Has its moments, mostly with Cage, but disappoints for a film from the early nineties.  5/10

Week 46 in film

Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)
Ranks really high in some of the notorious lists on the internet (they shoot pictures). I can see why but at the same time some elements here are not that good, some are even bad. The love interest of John Wayne isn't a brilliant actress and there is hardly any chemistry between them. The plot is as thick as an episode of the A-team but boy is it fun. Not a masterpiece but way too entertaining and funny too miss. 7.5/10



Mallrats (Kevin Smith, 1995)
Saw this film years ago, so its always a good indication of how my taste may have changed. To be honest, it didn't change much for as far as this movie goes. Funnier than most films, but definitely not the best or funniest film from Kevin Smith, who I still consider to be one of the funniest guys in Hollywood.  6.5/10

Fail-Safe (Sidney Lumet, 1964)
"These are Marxist fanatics, not normal people. They do not reason the way you reason, General Black. They're not motivated by human emotions such as rage and pity. They are calculating machines. They will look at the balance sheet, and they will see they cannot win."  7.5/10

This Must Be the Place (Paolo Sorrentino, 2011)
Sean Penn as a retired lethargic rockstar (inspired by Robert Smith and Ozzy Osbourne, I believe) who wants to track down the nazi who humiliated his father in WW II. Sorrentino manages to incorporate some of his trademarks making this a very poetic and humanistically interesting film. Sean Penn is great and I am surprised this film didn't get more attention because it deserves it. 8/10

Zabriskie Point (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1970)
One of Antonioni's American films. This one clearly against the consumer society. I like Antonioni. I like his cinematography but this film is not his best in this respect. Has a couple of great scenes (the love-making in the desert, the explosions) but not my favorite by the director. 7/10



The Counselor (Ridley Scott, 2013)
Scott reaches a low in his respectable oeuvre with this film. Despite an impressive cast, the script is crappy and Scott never manages to elevate this. Forgettable, tedious dialogue and lacks focus. 4/10

Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam, 1981)
Welcome to the ever wonderful and original world of Terry Gilliam. Through the eyes of a child we travel through history with a team of dwarfs called 'Time Bandits'. I would have loved this film as a child, as an adult it's still amusing. 7/10

Predator (John McTiernan, 1987)
One of the action classics that slipped my mind when I was consuming a lot from the genre. I can see why this is considered a classic. Schwarzenegger shows his 'Commando' skills in the first half hour. When the Predator comes into play the film actually feels quite serious. This works for a bit but the ending lacks suspense. Proves that not showing the danger works much better than showing it, especially when it looks a bit ridiculous. 6.5/10

Sombre (Phillipe Grandrieux, 1998)
Ok, I believe Grandrieux is talented. Inspired by film makers like Lynch he manages to enter the darkest corners of humanity and portray them in very original manner. The beginning feels promising, the middle does and then....nothing. Keeps repeating itself instead of going in depth of the why and motivations of the twisted protagonist. Boring.  3.5/10

Week 45 in film

Celeste & Jesse Forever (Lee Toland Krieger, 2012)
Jesse and Celeste were best friends since high school. Have been married, now divorced and still good friends who hang out together. When Jesse starts dating other girls things seem to work out less and Celeste is trying to do the same. This synopsis cries for a predictable and cliche ending but Krieger manages to make it a bit more realistic and emotional. Reminded me of 500 Days of Summer at times, with the difference that this films focuses on the female, which is ok, since I am not a big fan of Andy Samberg. 7/10

Nights and Weekends (Joe Swanberg, 2008)
Mumblecore. Low budget production played and directed by Swanberg and the lovely Greta Gerwig. Their relationship feels natural and believable, so do their conflicts and issues. Unfortunately these events are not interesting enough to make up for some of the extremely tedious and stretched scenes. Portraying boredom shouldn't bore your audience.  3.5/10

The Dukes of Hazzard (Jay Chandrasekhar, 2005)
As I recall the series was childish but pretty amusing. This film is horrible, not even slightly like the series. Jessica Simpson might be the worst actress ever. 2/10

La grande bellezza (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)
A modern take on Fellini's La Dolce Vita. Especially the first hour is fantastic. Combines some Malick-like imagery with Spring Breakers avant la lettre. The second part is suffering a little bit from the lack of structure, the ending hit the right spot for me and makes up for the little flaws. One of the best films of the year.  8.5/10

Week 44 in film

The Silence (Ingmar Bergman, 1963)
Bergman and female leads, sometimes a brilliant combination. This film has all the ingredients but somehow it doesn't work as well as for instance in his Persona, 3 years later. Tystnaden is at times too slow, it is however beautiful and the mystery between two sisters and one of their sons tickles the mind at times but it is not as convincing as some later films from the Swedish master. Feels like a warm up exercise for what I consider to be one of the best films ever. 7/10



The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1938)
Best known British film from the master of suspense. It takes a while before the mystery unravels but when we arrive at this point the suspense is as Hitch would make it his standard. Some of the story elements are a bit of a stretch and the shoot out scene is, as funny as it is, ridiculous which reduces the urgency of the plot. I did very much enjoy this film though. 7.5/10

Le rayon vert (Eric Rohmer, 1986)
Talk, talk in french. Somewhat lonely and clearly unhappy Parisian is left by her fiancee 2 weeks before their planned vacation. She plans to have a vacation anyway but is having a really hard time enjoying herself. Rohmer effectively portrays the bores and void of everyday life. The unhappy mood felt somewhat transferable and I am not sure if I find this a quality. All in all I expected more. I can see what the director wanted to do here and for most it might work but I felt bored too often.  6.5/10

Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)
One of the last big titles in film noir. If I wouldn't know any better I would say this film was based on a play. As good as it is there is a relatively large amount of lively dialogue. Much of the action is left out and inferred events are therefore now shown. What remains are great performances by the two evil leads (Lancaster and Curtis). A good film and solid criticism towards show business but not in the same league as some great noirs from this era, if you ask me. 7.5/10

Moonrise (Frank Borzage, 1948)
Best film I saw this week. Borzage already surprised me with his Man's Castle (1933) and his great style can be seen here again. Emotionally layered and nuanced film which also managed to incorporate some beautiful cinematography. I will surely watch more from Borzage in the future.  8/10