January 4, 2016 – January 10, 2016
Monday, January 4, 2016
1) Inside Moves (1980)
Why I watched: Diana Scarwid was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
After a suicide attempt leaves Roary (John Savage) partially paralyzed, he drown his sorrows at a bar frequented by other disabled people where he meets Jerry (David Morse), a talented basketball player who needs an expensive operation to repair a deformed leg. Their burgeoning friendship renews Roary’s desire to live.
Everything goes well until Jerry gets the money for his operation and a tryout with a professional basketball team. As his new career flourishes, he turns his back on his former friends, including Roary.
It’s difficult to believe Richard Donner followed up Superman with this. It features a rare performance from disabled WWII veteran turned Academy Award winning actor Harold Russell, but sadly feels like the template for too many “After School Specials” about the value of true friendship.
3 stars.
2) White God (2014)
Why I watched: Included in a list of the best movies of 2015.
Lili brings a stray dog home and names him Hagen, She loves Hagen and convinces her skeptical father to let her keep him, but when local officials demand payment for registering the dog, her father gets rid of the animal.
The discarded Hagen rallies a pack of dogs to help him find his former owner. As they encounter people who stand in their way, the dogs become increasingly aggressive. By the time they find Lili at a music recital, the pack is a ravenous, bloodthirsty gang.
This amalgam of Journey Home, Cujo, and The Birds is a neat look at the primal relationship between humans and their pets, and a scary reminder of how dangerous and unpredictable the natural world can be.
3 stars.
3) The Immortal One (1963)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
An unnamed French man travels to Turkey and falls in love with a beautiful unnamed Turkish woman.
Because the man is a stranger who doesn’t speak the language, the Turkish dialogue is not subtitled to approximate his experience which heightens our identification with the protagonist, but leads to several frustrating scenes.
In addition to the language barrier, the film switches between several disparate timelines furthering the audience’s sense of alienation.
Alain Robbe Grillet’s debut film, exploring communication barriers, is a noble experiment in form and technique, but not a good film.
1 ½ stars.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
4) Repulsion (1965)
Why I watched: Included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
When her sister / roommate leaves to vacation with her boyfriend, Carol Ledoux (Catherine Deneuve) murders an admirer and barricades herself in her apartment.
Days later, her concerned landlord breaks in. Carol pays him the late rent, but when he propositions her, she murders him as well.
Ironically, Roman Polanski’s first English language film explores the ramifications of sexual abuse. Carol’s abusive childhood and the accompanying post-traumatic stress syndrome led to a lifelong disgust with men and sex.
Despite its laudable treatment of a then little observed issue, this is an uneven film. Confirming Carol’s childhood trauma at the end prevents us from sympathizing with her and creates an unsettling experience. There are a few effective and intense scenes (including her horrified reaction as her sister loudly makes love and a wild hallucination scene), but there are better films which do the same thing.
3 stars.
5) Queen of Earth (2015)
Why I watched: In a list of the best films of 2015.
Childhood friends Catherine (Elisabeth Moss) and Ginny (Katherine Waterston) have grown apart, but when Catherine’s longtime boyfriend leaves her, Ginny magnanimously invites her to spend the weekend at her lake house.
As they renew their friendship, the two women are cruelly honest with each other in assessing their relative flaws and imperfections. Borrowing heavily from Bergman’s Persona, director Alex Ross Perry frames the film in a series of large close-ups, which builds tension to impossibly high levels. I thought unhinged Catherine would murder Ginny or a twist would reveal they were the same person. Instead, the film ends with an ambiguous, slightly evil laugh from Catherine.
Moss is fantastic and Perry has a talent for making riveting films of very slight material. This is their second collaboration, and while I prefer Listen up Phillip, I hope it’s not their last.
3 stars.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
6) Deep End (1970)
Why I watched: Included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
Fifteen year old Mike has a crush on his older, beautiful coworker Susan (Jane Asher) who enjoys taunting men with her sexuality.
Mike quickly learns working at a bathhouse involves uncomfortable “extra curricular” activities, yet despite the humiliation, he keeps the job because of his infatuation with Susan.
One day, Mike steals a life-size advertising cutout of a nude woman who resembles Susan. While she playfully refuses to confirm or deny she posed for the picture, Mike uses it to fulfill his fantasy, taking the cutout into the pool for a swim.
As his obsession deepens, Mike resorts to bizarre behavior to sabotage Susan’s other relationships, but after he finally manipulates Susan into sharing an intimate moment, the film ends in sudden and unexpected tragedy.
Jerry Skolimowski’s film is an interesting look at the fine line between fantasy and obsession and the emotional confusion which accompanies burgeoning adolescent sexuality.
We don’t fault Mike for his attraction to Susan (she’s a pretty girl and she flirts with him), but we get uncomfortable as he crosses the line into something greater than infatuation.
There are a few beautifully designed scenes, especially the end, but the story of obsessive puppy love took a few too many detours and wasn’t as effective as it thought it was.
2 ½ stars.
7) Horse Money (2014)
Why I watched: In a list of the best films of 2015.
Culled from the life story of star Ventura, a 60-year-old Cape Verdean immigrant, Pedro Costas’s film is a collage of post-colonialist experiences.
Ventura isn’t a reliable narrator and may be losing his mind. As he speaks in long monologues, he sometimes thinks it’s 1975 and he’s just arrived from Portugal.
In a long, memorable sequence, Ventura rides in an elevator with a silent, statuesque solder and rants about the inherent violence of the world.
This stream of consciousness film about interacting cultures attempts to explain and document the concept of The Other. For long stretches its fascinating, but there are lulls of tedious boredom.
3 stars.
8) The Story of a Cheat (1936)
Why I watched: Included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
As The Cheat (Sacha Guitry) writes his memoirs, we see flashbacks of his life. As a boy, he was caught stealing money, but his punishment inadvertently prevented him from eating poisonous mushrooms, convincing the child cheating and dishonesty were the keys to success.
This led to lifetime of cheating and an association with a variety of unsavory characters, including a jewel thief and would be assassin.
Finally cured of his cheating ways by an old army friend, he loses his money gambling and becomes a humble security officer.
Guitry, the writer, producer, director and star is a delightfully impish rake. Sadly, following WWII, he was accused of collaboration with the Vichy government and his reputation suffered.
This eighty year old film, fast paced and witty, has aged remarkably well.
4 stars.
9) Shopping (1995)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Teenagers Jo (Sadie Frost) and Billy (Jude Law) enjoy stealing cars and other destructive behavior; their reckless behavior comes to its logical conclusion.
Paul W.S. Anderson’s debut feature is a microcosm of his career: stylishly superficial with a tendency towards nihilism.
The cast is full of talent, featuring Jude Law (in his film debut), Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Marianne Fathfull, Sean Pertwee, and Jason Issacs, but it feels like an exercise in filmmaking instead of an actual film. Yet somehow it’s one of Anderson’s best.
2 stars.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
10) The Harvest (2013)
Why I watched: In a list of the best films released in 2015.
Newly orphaned teenager Maryann moves in with her grandparents and befriends Andy, a wheelchair bound boy in her neighborhood.
Andy’s father Richard (Michael Shannon) is encouraging of their relationship, but his mother Katherine (Samantha Morton) is overly protective and hostile.
Maryann secretly climbs in through a window to avoid his parents. When Katherine comes home early, she hides in the basement and makes a horrifying discovery: there’s another sick child confined in the basement, apparently as an organ donor for Andy.
The film aspires to psychological horror, but it’s low on thrills, predictable, and features a one-note performance from Samantha Morton.
John McNaughton’s first feature film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a flawed but fascinating look at evil. This is flawed and boring.
1 ½ stars.
11) As Tears Go By (1988)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Brothers Wah (Andy Lau) and Fly (Jacky Cheung) work for the mob. Wah is a respected enforcer, but Fly is not cut out for the job. He frequently racks up debts he can’t pay and has a temper he can’t control.
While working on his relationship with his brother, Wah begins a romantic relationship with his visiting cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung). He wants to start a fresh life with her, but can’t abandon his brother.
Tired of relying on his brother’s protection, a desperate, disgraced Fly agrees to perform a dangerous assassination. He knows he’s unlikely to survive, but wants to prove his worth. When Wah learns what he’s done, he dutifully rushes to help; neither survive.
Lau and Jacky Cheung are legendary Hong Kong singers / entertainers, forming half of Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly Kings.”
After a too brief career, Maggie Cheung retired in 2004 following her award-winning performance in Clean directed by her ex-husband, Oliver Assayas.
Wong Kar-Wai’s strength is relationships, and that part of the film is excellent, but action set pieces are clearly not his forte. It’s a decent debut, but his later films are far superior.
3 stars.
Friday, January 8, 2016
12) Pépé le Moko (1937)
Why I watched: Included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
When fugitive criminal Pépé le Moko (Jean Gabin) hides in the Casbah area of Algiers because he knows police access to the area is limited, the chief inspector uses le Moko’s affection for a local girl to lure him out of hiding.
Gabin is good and the cat and mouse game with the chief inspector is amusing in this decent, but pedestrian crime film.
3 stars.
13) Sebastiane (1976)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Derek Jarman’s debut, a loose adaptation of the life of Christian martyr Sebastian, depicts the early days of the religion as a series of homosexual orgies.
Jarman boldly chose to write the film in Latin which makes it interesting, but beyond that it’s pretty unimpressive.
½ star.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
14) Hawaii, Oslo (2004)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
Vidar, an orderly at a psychiatric hospital, has frequent prophetic dreams. When his latest dream implies a patient will die en route to meet his girlfriend, Vidar determines to prevent the incident.
This Norwegian film is a fine entry in the small-world subgenre of fiction focused on interconnectivity (think Short Cuts, Magnolia, LOST); the final scene (which reinterprets the film) makes it better than it had any right to be.
I’m a sucker for the genre, and I love films which focus on the spiritual aspect of humanity.
3 ½ stars.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
15) Madeinusa (2006)
Why I watched: MUBI’s film of the day.
The residents of Manayaycuna, an isolated Peruvian village, have developed a peculiar syncretic religious festival called Holy Time. They believe that every year from Good Friday until Easter Sunday, God is dead. Since The Almighty is deceased during this time, anything goes and there are no repercussions.
Outsider Salvador arrives at the beginning of the latest iteration of the festival, and his interaction with a teenage girl (the titular Madeinusa) chosen for a ceremonial position creates unease in the tight-knit community.
We forget some of the most cherished religious traditions in the Western world were co-opted from pagan practices. For example, the date of Christmas accommodated an already existing festival. Difficult theological concepts are hard to communicate in the best circumstances, let alone across language barriers. Taking the structure of a culture and adding to it, makes it easier for people to accept new ideas. However, this process often has unintended consequences.
While this film is an insightful reminder of those unintended consequences, it’s too cute and strays from the more fascinating story.
2 ½ stars.
16) Dark Eyes (1987)
Why I watched: Marcello Mastroianni was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Romano (Mastroianni) married for money, but doesn’t love his wife. He meets a Russian woman, Anna, at a spa and falls madly in love with her. When she unexpectedly returns to her homeland, he contrives a reason to pursue her. Reunited, they affirm their love and Romano returns to Italy intending to divorce his wife, but when he learns she lost her money, he abandons his desire for love and stays with his wife out of a deep sense of loyalty.
The great master Mastroianni is fantastic and worth watching, but the rest of the film is decidedly ordinary.
3 stars.
Best movie I saw this week: The Story of a Cheat (1936)
Worst movie I saw this week: Sebastian (1976)