I'm trying somehing new. I used to do short write-ups of all the movies I'd seen throughout the week, so I'll try it again, and actually post them here on the blog this time. These are the past two weeks' worth, starting with Mondays, so expect new ones every Monday (hopefully)

8/14/06

Inside Man (2006) - 3/5 - Kind of typical thriller/heist thing rife with plot holes. Solid entertainment, but not too engaging or memorable. I expect more from you, Spike.

Jesus, You Know (2003) - 2/5 - I don't know why the hell I borrowed this. The idea of watching people in confession sounded intriguing, but they just stood there in church, aware of the camera, staring at it, blabbing on about their boring lives. (Hi livejournal!)

The Conformist (1970) - 4/5 - Finally got around to watching Bertolucci's opus (or one of them). First off, the photography is amazing. The colors, the giding camera movements..we need to see this one on DVD soon. The plot was good, I really like the idea of tracing somebody's behaviors back to events from their past. The film's biggest downfall is that it's just so damn European. A lot of it doesn't seem to make any sense and it really needs to be analyzed to be truly appreciated. But, I did like what I saw.

Love in the Afternoon (1972) - 5/5 - Wow. I loved the Rohmers I've seen thus far, but this one takes the cake. It's incredible. A friend lately told me that she saw von Trier's Breaking the Waves and saw something expressed in the film that she'd only she'd felt. I realized that never happens with me, but surprisingly, just happened here. Early on, when Frederic talks about how he feels about women, I kept thinking "wow, I thought I was the only one who felt like that." Even if the rest of the film didn't amount to much, it'd still be remarkable for that. But, of course, it's Rohmer, so it's filled with great characters, great conversation, and that amazing sense of emotional suspense.

Election (1999) - 4/5 - Reese is a revelation here. Her character doesn't really have a lot of depth, but it's more than enough. What pushes it over the top is how expressive she is, and how she follows through with her sublime characterization the whole way through. The story has a nice element of silly absurdity that works well.

Seconds (1966) - 4/5 - Luke made me watch it. Actually, I wonder why I hadn't heard of it before then. Paranoid b&w thriller from Frankenheimer, how could I miss it? It works for quite a while, as you're thrown into this mysterious plot just like Arthur is. Speaking of which, John Randolph does a great job early in the film, you can really see him weighing his options and deciding. About halfway through, when things get really weird, it loses steam, but the ending brings it all together again.

American Movie (1999) - 4/5 - I liked it, but I have a feeling that I laughed at it for all the wrong reasons. I felt like I was laughing at the people, not with them. But, I did get some laughs out of it, and the journey is a fun one to take. Plus, I love that old man. "It's all right! It's okay! There's something to live for! Jesus told me so!"

Brother's Keeper (1992) - 3/5 - I don't know. It wasn't too interesting to me. It was decent enough, but pretty boring.

L'Enfant (2005) - 5/5 - Simple awesome. Rosetta was very good, but the Dardennes have really peaked here. Like with Kerrigan's stuff, you're really thrown into the characters' world immediately. Aside from the story, it seems to be an examination of the differences of gender, how there are certain things men and women simply can't understand about one another. Also, it made me cry at the end.

The Palm Beach Story (1942) - 5/5 - Just a ton of fun from Sturges. Hilarious and outrageous, just how we like 'im. "You can't have a posse without dogs!" Add in some commentary on wealth and sexism and you've got a winner.

Two English Girls (1971) - 4/5 - Nobody can render the bittersweet beauty of young love like Truffaut. It's all so elegant and, well, French. Like the way Claude writes intelligent and emotional thoughts in his journal while his voice reads on the soundtrack about how he longs for girls. I really liked it, although it does suffer from Roche's Disease, like Jules and Jim: his female characters are batshit loco. They change their mind about the most important things on a whim and just go off on these emotional tangents, which drives the men around them crazy. It just annoys me.

A Star is Born (1954) - 4/5 - Pretty good stuff. A bit on the long side at 3 hours, but good throughout. Garland is great here, although I still always think of her as Dorothy. Kind of like My Fair Lady, inasmuch as it's a bloated widescreen film without a single interesting shot. I loved the Someone At Last performance, it's full of energy and joy. When it takes a turn for the melodramatic towards the end, I really enjoyed Judy's performance and her character's devotion.

Buena Vista Social Club (1999) - 3/5 - Very good music and a glimpse at the (subjectively) beautiful streets in Havana. But, if you compare it to something like the Last Waltz, it's so ininspired visually and there's nowhere near enough music.

8/21/06

Love Letters (1945) - 4/5 - I really loved it for the most part, but Jennifer Jones, cute as she may be, drags it down. In some shots, she winds up looking downright bizarre and psychotic, as if she's in an entirely different movie.

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) - 5/5 - Another damn fine noir. I really loved the lighting, the way parts of the frame are kept dark to heighten the tension.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - 5/5 - Proof that Tennessee Williams was one of our best dramatists, and Kazan, of course, it incredible with actors. A classic in every sense. I found myself really loving the lighting and set design, both are perfect. You feel the thick New Orleans heat plastering the shirt to Brando's back, and you can see, in this cramped little apartment, there's no easy way out.

Crumb (1994) - 5/5 - A sublime example of what a documentary can and should be. Present a fascinating character, place us into their world and watch the layers unfold. Interesting, funny, poignant, what more can you ask for?

Starman (1984) - 4/5 - So, Johnny can do a semi-romantic drama successfully. The big downside here is how goddamn schmaltzy it gets. I like Jeff Bridges, but give him more to do than be a stereotypical alien and say "I. Send. Greet-ings."

Close-Up (1990) - 4/5 - My second brush with Kiarostami didn't go as bad as the first. I kept going back and forth with this one. I really liked its style- a mixture of documentary and obvious fiction mixed with some obvious truth. I liked the story it has to tell, and there are some moments of greatness. But, it just moves so, so slowly. It's more good than bad, but not great.

Radio Bikini (1987) - 4/5 - It's short, and it grips you from start to finish. And, of course, it's got the big finish.

The World of Apu (1959) - 4/5 - I was really loving it until the turn the plot took about halfway in. I think it has more to do with my not wanting the story to go where it did, which is a credit to Ray's craft. Still, the Apu trilogy is great stuff. It's overall length and scope gives it the feel of an epic story but with a warm, intimate tone.

Shakespeare Behind Bars (2005) - 5/5 - I can't believe it was as good as it was. Like I said about Crumb, just film fascinating stuff. I loved watching the inmates work out the parallels between their situation and Shakespeare's texts. Also, when one inmate we've grown to care for throughout the film admits his crime, I found myself looking away because I didn't want to make eye contact.

Wait Until Dark (1967) - 4/5 - Pretty good, almost run-of-the-mill thriller. I think I have a soft spot for films about people with disabilities, because it's a little more enveloping that way. I have to think "oh, okay, so she can't see that. Oh wait, but he can!" I'm obviously easily amused.

The White Diamond (2004) - 4/5 - Typical of a Herzog documentary, features an obsessive protagonist. It's actually typical standard Herzog fare throughout with some strange detours involving nature and natives. It's no Grizzly Man, but it's worthy.

Valley of the Dolls (1967) - 2/5 - Talk about trash. It's one of my mom's favorite movies, and I started to get into it in the beginning, but it just continually wears down on one's nerves as it goes on. Some parts of it can be taken as unintentional comedy, but not enough.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) - 4/5 - One thing that really got to me about the General was how much it worked as a drama as well as being a series of gags; during the train sequences, the suspense and thrills flow like wine. Compared to that, Steamboat Bill, Jr. feels a little flat. It's very good, and maybe it's not right of me to detract from the film because another of Keaton's is better, but meh.

War Photographer (2001) - 4/5 - I really expected to love this one, so I ended up mildly disappointed. It's still a very strong doc, and I really liked exploring the photography for myself, within the context of the movie. There's nothing wrong with it at all, it just didn't give me that gut feeling of a great movie.

She's Gotta Have It (1986) - 4/5 - See, now this is where we like to see Spike. He's completely confident in his abilities from the very first frame. He knows exactly what he's going for, and every stroke he builds with works towards that vision. Here, he creates some very memorable characters in addition to exploring modern sexuality and relationships.

Santa Sangre (1989) - 3/5 - Jodorowksy's filmo looms large before an intimidated newbie, so dare I ask; what's the fuss? To me, Santa Sangre seems like a mish-mash of genres and ideas, none of which fully come together. There are a few moments of strangely genuine emotion, but they seem to be all but lost in a sea of mediocrity and cliches.