Week 22 in film

La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
Somehow I never took the time to watch the entire film as I knew a lot of individual scenes (the fountain obviously). Great film that deserves its status. Never have I seen so much energy and glamour unable to cover up true sadness and emptiness. Ironically enough the protagonist is carrying his actors name, Marcello. The real Marcello led a similar life, something that gives this film an extra charge in retrospect. As ever with Fellini, the ending is superb.  9/10



Freaks (Todd Browning, 1932)
The use of a wide range of 'freaks' makes this a unique and at times touching film. Flipside of the coin is bad acting performances and a plot that feels secondary  7/10

Love Me Tonight (Rouben Mamoulian, 1932)
Most fun I had this week. Tailor chases playboy who owes him and is introduced to the family as a Baron. Of course he falls in love with a high society girl. Leads to some hilarious scenes. Made me nothing but happy. Who can resist lines like: "I fell flat on my flute" ?  8.5/10 



In Time (Andrew Niccol, 2011)
Time is money, actually time is time. Take away this intriguing concept, which brought up a lot of questions and improbabilities, and you end up with a standard Bonnie and Clyde goes Robin Hood kinda formula without any true depth. I expected more from someone who directed Gattaca and wrote the screenplay for The Truman Show. Justin Timberlake doesn't help much either.   5.5/10

Sliver (Phillip Noyce, 1993)
Written by Joe Esztheras and with Sharon Stone. In a lot of ways derivative of Basic Instinct. Lacking Paul Verhoeven, Michael Douglas and a good ending. Started off alright, ended as quite a deception. 5/10

Childhood of Ivan (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1962)
Tarkovsky's dreamlike first full feature is an anacrusis to his later masterpieces. Beautiful cinematography that  only lacks colour, maybe. On the other hand, the grim and dark feeling that goes with war is maybe better off without.  8/10

Week 21 in film

Busy week, so just a handful of films...

Le Feu Follet (Louis Malle, 1963)
Has everything Wilder's The Lost Weekend is lacking. Intense portrait of a guy who has been in rehab for his drinking problems. Follows our protagonist on his trip where he meets a lot of people from his past. Being a French picture he meets a lot of (ex)-lovers as well. Study of a depressed loner, life can be a struggle for some people. Subtle and touching with a great lead performance.  8/10



Paycheck (John Woo, 2003)
Yeah well, here's a Philip K. Dick story that's butchered. Ben Affleck as an engineer who has his memory erased after a secret operation. And guess what, he got ripped off but gave himself clues in the future. Poorly executed, even the action scenes were boring, Woo was in bad shape I guess. Affleck doesn't help either and I am not even talking about all the causality problems, which may be present in the original story?   3.5/10

Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
Like some other classics I only knew the key scenes of this film (the stairs!) but never saw the whole thing. Being able to see it on the big screen with live music I had to watch it, of course. Yes, it is good. The one scene I knew best again impressed me most. Some parts are simply hilarious nowadays.   8/10

Safe in Hell (William Wellman, 1931)
One of the cornerstones of pre-code, at least in its main theme. For my full review in dutch click here...8/10

Week 20 in film

Norwegian Wood (Anh Hung Tran, 2010)
What I remember best is the music by Jonny Greenwood and the Beatles. The rest of the film is, although on occassions beautifully shot, forgettable. The second hour is too dull in its narrative, where the first managed too grab me at times. Too bad.   6.5/10



All God's Children Can Dance (Robert Logevall, 2007)
Boy is told to be the son of God. When he is an adult he sees a guy with a weird ear, who he believes could be his father. Feels a bit like a Wim Wenders film, it certainly isn't. Ends up being an empty shell.   3/10

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (Frank Capra, 1933)
Un-Capra like story of a woman (the great Barbara Stanwyck) who is kidnapped by a Chinese dictator. Pretty racist to have a Chinaman played by an American actor.    7.5/10

Headhunters (Morten Tyldum, 2011)
This film about an art-thief is about a lot except the theft of art. Lots of improbabilities. Not everything from Scandinavia can be a success   5.5/10

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
With a new film from Malick upcoming I had to re-watch his masterpiece again. It overwhelmed me even more than before this time. Goosebumps on multiple occassions, especially during the first hour. The editing is superb, pure poetry. Very hard, almost impossible for To The Wonder to live up to my expectations.   10/10



True Grit (Coen Brothers, 2010)
Good old 'the dude' Jeff Bridges delivers a good performance again. Entertaining, witty and probably better than the original, which I haven't seen. Not the best and not the worst Coen-film.   7.5/10

Izgnanie [The Banishment] (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2007)
Russian cinema almost never disappoints me. This dense picture has a slow pace, as we know from this director and it is beautifully crafted. Clearly quotes Tarkovsky, almost even literally. Is this a bad thing? Not at all.   8.5/10

The Lost Weekend (Billy Wilder, 1945)
Disappointing 'classic' from one of my favorite directors. The acting is great, but somehow the plot isn't moving forward and keeps repeating itself. Perhaps this is the point, but how to explain the un-Wilder-like ending? No, I expected better.   6.5/10



The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
Great action from Hong Kong. Woo would never deliver this kind of quality in Hollywood. Not even with Face/Off. Chow Yun Fat is supersolid. A film with 'the usual' friendship, snipers and one-bullet-left situations.  7.5/10

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

Week 18 in film

Ok, a decent selection of my filmweek:

Il grido (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1957)
Man gets dumped by his girlfriend and starts tramping into a handful of different lovers. Feels way too straightforward for an Antonioni, not too bad though.   7.5/10

Serpico (Sidney Lumet, 1973)
Solid Pacino. Solid Lumet. Not as good as the later collaboration Dog Day Afternoon. Breathes the comforting and rich atmosphere of the cinema of the seventies.   7.5/10



Repulsion (Roman Polanski, 1965)
First film out of Polanski's apartment trilogy. Catherine Deneuve is as beautiful as dangerous in this 'descend into madness' horror. A film that proved to be very influential in later decades and combines the best of nouvelle vague and horror. Probably the darkest film out of the three (others being The Tenant and Rosemary's Baby). I enjoyed all three of them but Mia Farrow giving birth to Satan's baby still ranks best.   8/10

Force of Evil (Abraham Polonsky, 1948)
Capitalism cannot be good for the world. This notion was already clear in the 40's. At least according to this noir, which feels a bit too short.   7/10

Cellular (David R. Ellis, 2004)
Not even William H. Macy can save this crappy film...or can he?   3.5/10

Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
Second viewing of this early Anderson which is just about as fun as Moonrise Kingdom. Extremely light and entertaining. Bill Murray rocks as always!   8/10

Miller's Crossing (Coen Brothers, 1990)
As much as I like most of the Coen films this one never really grabbed me. Not a bad film, a lot of talking, neo-noir, not sure what turned me off. Gabriel Byrne perhaps?   6/10

Different concept...weekly overview

Alright, it's been quiet for a couple months here. Since I am a working class hero nowadays and I am still writing for a Dutch filmsite my blog became priority nr. 23765.

My resolution: a short weekly overview of what I watched and how I experienced it in a short review, sentence or quote. And if I feel like it I might still write the incidental review or analysis perhaps.

Let's see how it works out...

Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012)

Finally, after a lot of studio trouble James Bond is back. The fans (including myself) had to be patient for 4 years. The expectations were high, Sam Mendes (American Beauty) would direct and Javier Bardem would play villain (remember No Country for Old Men?). Yesterday was the day, premierenight, a venue full of excited people. Two and a half hours later I had to conclude I was slightly disappointed. I’ll try to explain without spoiling.

In 2006 Casino Royale was a revelation. After a couple of mediocre and even horrible Bondfilms (Die Another Day) Bond was back. Daniel Craig replaced the somewhat slick Pierce Brosnan and gave Bond a more raw and realistic look. Two years later Quantum of Solace was disappointing. It picked up where CR left off but somehow the makers made a lot of wrong choices. The story was missing a core, the villain was a bit dull, same for the Bondgirl. It did raise some expectations for a continuation of the story revolving around a worldwide criminal network. And this is where my first point of criticism towards Skyfall lies. It ignores its predecessors outlined story.

The opening of the film, which is quite good, suggests an unfortunate death of Bond. Of course, (this is not a spoiler) he is still alive and decides to stay away from London for a while. When MI6 headquarters is blown up and M is in great danger, he decides to make his return. As he had to recover from some serious injuries, he had to undergo a lot of tests, especially physical. Based on this first hour Skyfall could have been named James Bond Rises. Besides this, we see the new Q (Ben Whishaw) and some funny self-aware remarks.

What follows is some great cinematography in the city of Shanghai. Bond is going after the source of the personal threats against M and he ends up in a casino. So far, so good for a James Bond film, perfect even. There is a pretty and vulnerable Bondgirl and a classic setting for what might become one of the best movies ever in the franchise.

In the first hour we don’t see the villain Silva (Javier Bardem). This works. The mystery around him is build up perfectly and the scene where he makes his entrance, with Bond tied to a chair, is one of the best of the entire film. Bardem portrays the charismatic and brilliant villain perfectly. He is smart, funny, creepy and appears to be in control of everything. What follows is a miraculously small victory for Bond. At this point the film turns and becomes very atypical.

Some of the scenes and developments instantly reminded me of The Dark Knight and what happens to The Joker. I am sure Mendes and the writers borrowed some ideas here. Of course this is fun and exciting but I wasn’t impressed after the Jokers, Hannibal Lecters and Jack Sparrows of this world. Again, Bardem is good, impressive even at some points, but his villain is not as memorable as for instance Blofeld, Goldfinger or Jaws. I will not go into detail about the rest of the plot, but let me tell you that it is not what you expect from a Bondfilm mainly because Silva’s motivations are personal. I believe that a Bond villain should aspire to take over the world and don’t let anything stop him. Silva is not a threat to the world. Compare here with Goldeneye for instance. Sean Bean plays a a villain who also has a personal history with MI6 but tries to achieve a higher goal by stealing a lot of money.

Another critical point is the absence of the Bondgirl. Bérénice Marlohe has a total screentime of 15 to 20 minutes maybe and plays no role in the final hour which disappointed me. On the other hand, the final hour can be characterized by great directing, beautiful photography but is definitely missing the grandeur of a Bondfilm. Skyfall is not a bad film, not at all even, but to me it didn’t feel like a continuation of a franchise I have been loving for years and years and this is probably why I felt disappointed. Casino Royale is still the best Bond of the last 15 years at least.

6.5/10