Sunday 29 November 2020
What Happened to Monday (2017)
In a world where families are limited to one child due to
overpopulation, a set of identical septuplets must avoid being put to a
long sleep by the government and dangerous infighting while
investigating the disappearance of one of their own.
Above average dystopian sci-fi makes the best out if its original, if not quite far-fetched premise with lots of thrilling action and Noomi Rapace entertainingly impersonating all seven siblings.
Saturday 28 November 2020
Mantrap (1953)
A wrongly convicted murderer escapes prison to find the real killer.
OK, but standard crime mystery with a Noir touch and some good b/w cinematography.
Maltin*1/2: "Tame detective-capturing-elusive killer plot."
Friday 27 November 2020
Masculin féminin (1966)
A romance between young Parisians, shown through a series of vignettes.
Quirky, witty, meandering analysis of young relationships may appear fleeting at first sight, but is fascinating to watch and reveals much more under its surface; and, alone Jean-Pierre Léaud is worth the admission fee.
Halliwell**: "An exploration of pop culture and politics, in a sequence of episodes intercut with arbitrary happenings, and as much concerned with form as content, moving cinema away from straightforward narrative to something more abstract and less interesting."
Maltin***: "Engaging, original concoction mixes politics, sex, comedy, nostalgia with standard boy-meets-girl theme."
Maltin***: "Engaging, original concoction mixes politics, sex, comedy, nostalgia with standard boy-meets-girl theme."
Auschwitz: The Nazis & the 'Final Solution' (2005)
The history of the Final Solution phase of the Nazi Holocaust, particularly with the most infamous of the death camps.
Thorough and comprehensive history of the Nazis' "final solution" doesn't spare its audience the view of the atrocities, but does so with caution and rather delivers more details of the succession of events that led to the crime.
Wednesday 25 November 2020
The Giant Claw (1957)
Global panic ensues when it is revealed that a mysterious UFO is actually a giant bird that flies at supersonic speed and has no regard for life or architecture.
Tuesday 24 November 2020
Metropolitan (1990)
A group of young upper-class Manhattanites are
blithely passing through the gala debutante season, when an unusual
outsider joins them and stirs them up.
A brilliant and witty take on an absurd Upper class phenomenon is intelligently handled with an excellent cast of newcomers and quite entertaining appearing like a modern variant of a Jane Austen novel.
Halliwell***: "A conversation piece with wit and style to recommend it."
Maltin***: "Title might suggest teeming masses, but this thoroughly original little film looks instead at N.Y.C.'s upper class...Social comedy, brimming with irony...Sharply written by first-time director Stillman and well acted by cast of newcomers; Eigeman, as Nick, is a standout."
Monday 23 November 2020
In Gefahr und größter Not bringt der Mittelweg den Tod (1974)
Two women with different goals in life are independently out on the town
of Frankfurt am Main: one is an offbeat thief and the other an East
German spy.
Satirical movie in classic Alexander Kluge style analyzes Germany society in a collage of documentary sequences and often humorous set pieces, but with a clear and original view on its subject.
Saturday 21 November 2020
Mr. Morgan's Last Love (2013)
He's a widower in Paris who speaks no French. She's a dance instructor
less than half his age. Can they become a family, or will his estranged
adult children halt the friendship?
A quite unoriginal story is heavy-going, but watchable due to a good cast lead by a convincing performance by Michael Caine.
Maltin**: "Flat filming of a Françoise Dorner novel...It fizzles in particular during the final stretch of a story that's consistently obvious. Caine provides what minor blood flow the movie has."
A quite unoriginal story is heavy-going, but watchable due to a good cast lead by a convincing performance by Michael Caine.
Maltin**: "Flat filming of a Françoise Dorner novel...It fizzles in particular during the final stretch of a story that's consistently obvious. Caine provides what minor blood flow the movie has."
Friday 20 November 2020
In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993)
A group of angels in the German capital look longingly upon the life of humans.
A typical Wenders product, one step down from Der Himmel über Berlin: beautiful cinematography and a few brilliant moments, but the tale is full of pretensions and indigestive sentimentality and the performances are variable (although Otto Sanders is excellent).
Halliwell*: "A bungled and often sentimental sequel to Wings of Desire which suddenly switches into a confused thriller about arms dealing; it does have some superlative moments, but not enough."
Maltin**1/2: "The perfect Wenders cast (if not the perfect Wenders movie)...Lighter going than its predecessor, but also more lightweight; it's still a borderline ordeal in the beginning and final segments..."
A typical Wenders product, one step down from Der Himmel über Berlin: beautiful cinematography and a few brilliant moments, but the tale is full of pretensions and indigestive sentimentality and the performances are variable (although Otto Sanders is excellent).
Halliwell*: "A bungled and often sentimental sequel to Wings of Desire which suddenly switches into a confused thriller about arms dealing; it does have some superlative moments, but not enough."
Maltin**1/2: "The perfect Wenders cast (if not the perfect Wenders movie)...Lighter going than its predecessor, but also more lightweight; it's still a borderline ordeal in the beginning and final segments..."
Thursday 19 November 2020
Tuesday 17 November 2020
The Sheltering Sky (1990)
An American couple travel abroad to revitalize their relationship. But
as the trip drags on, their attempt at recovering what they once had
seems futile.
Beautifully photographed and well-cast adaptation of Paul Bowles' novel is less about the couple's deteriorating marriage, but more about their inability to realize or understand their surroundings and the culture they are traveling through.
Halliwell**: "Austere, stunningly photographed movie that yields rewards if approached on its own terms."
Maltin**: "Infuriatingly long, dense story...Paul Bowles' novels are often referred to as unfilmable, and this is certainly proof of that. Vividly atmospheric, well acted, and sexually explicit, but this is a jouney you may not want to take. Bowles narrates and appears on-screen as mysterious man in bar."
Maltin**: "Infuriatingly long, dense story...Paul Bowles' novels are often referred to as unfilmable, and this is certainly proof of that. Vividly atmospheric, well acted, and sexually explicit, but this is a jouney you may not want to take. Bowles narrates and appears on-screen as mysterious man in bar."
Junun (2015)
Musician Jonny Greenwood travels to Rajasthan, where he performs with a multitude of Indian musicians.
Beautifully photographed and assembled documentary gives enough room to experience the creative process of making music.
Monday 16 November 2020
Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten (1989)
Wim Wenders talks with Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto about
the creative process and ponders the relationship between cities,
identity and the cinema in the digital age.
A personal, idiosyncratic and essayistic documentary, made in a eclectic style using different modes of photography, often reveals more about its director than its subject; nevertheless, it is an intriguing work.
Halliwell*: "A quirky examination of the images we create of ourselves and the people we really are, or may be, in a world of quick change. Yamamoto is thoughtful but not particularly articulate about his work, other than when expressing his enjoyment of irresponsibility, which contrasts with Wenders' fussily pedantic style. The quality of the images is variable, owing to much of the material being shot with a video camera."
Saturday 14 November 2020
Falsche Bewegung (1975)
A writer goes on a road trip across West Germany with a group of eclectic people he meets along the way.
Another Wenders/Handke collaboration, in this case loosely adapting a Goethe novel, realized with a German star cast (of the time), paints a grim and pessimistic (and at times surreal) portrayal of human society.
Maltin**1/2: "Overly metaphorical (but occasionally worthwhile) tale..."
Friday 13 November 2020
Der Trafikant (2018)
A young man develops a friendship with Sigmund Freud during the Nazi occupation of Vienna.
Well-made, but somewhat stale historical drama based on a popular novel is watchable for its good cast, good settings and its suspenseful tale, but somewhat misses the light tone of the book.
Cube (1997)
Six complete strangers with widely varying
personalities are involuntarily placed in an endless maze containing
deadly traps.
Inventive horror fantasy, a closed room(s) drama, no holds barred.
On rewatching: Highly original and imaginative sci-fi keeps its audience on guard with its puzzling premise.
Halliwell*: "Teasing low-budget science fiction movie that makes the most of its puzzling qualities."
Maltin**: "Nerves start to wear thin, which may also apply to the audience, as this intriguing film becomes highly unpleasant...with an unsatisfying conclusion."
Thursday 12 November 2020
Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (1972)
A goalkeeper is sent off during a game for committing a foul. He
spends the night with a cinema cashier, whom he kills afterwards.
Sparse, unsettling crime melodrama portrays an alienated, unpleasant protagonist in realistic German urban and rural settings without trying to explain his irrational actions; nevertheless, a classic of the New German Cinema era.
Halliwell**: "Disturbing film of the failure of communication, difficult but rewarding for the patient."
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