cineaste-4 Reviews

In a Year with 13 Moons (1978)

Nino Rota / 13 Moons

[23 February 2007]

I have to save my comments for later...I began watching this film last night and, as disturbing as the slaughterhouse scene actually is, I was only able to make it halfway through. I will return. It amazes me when a film disturbs me so much that I cannot watch it in one sitting. I had similar reactions to both Pasolini's "Salo" and to Cronenberg's "Crash".

But I'm curious to learn from anyone who might have a clue why Nino Rota's theme music from "Amarcord" (original orchestration) was put in this movie's first half and yet isn't credited on IMDb's list of "combined details".

Anybody who might offer some insight on this omission....thanks for posting it here....

Urbania (2000)

"Urbania" is Five Years Old! What's Shear Been Up To?

[8/10 · 4 January 2006]

I've watched this film a number of times over the past 3 or 4 years. Last night, I put it on for my godson (24 yrs.) and his buddy after we watched "Open Your Eyes". Not a bad double bill, by the way. They were appropriately stunned by the filmcraft and, of course, the slow reveal in the third act.

My question this morning, though, is what has Jon Shear done lately? I came to "imdb" to search his more recent work. There's nothing listed! Is it possible that Shear hasn't been able to launch another project? His work on "Urbania" is great and completely promising.

When will we be treated to another film from you, Mr. Shear?

Millions (2004)

Echoes of Earlier Films

[7/10 · 22 December 2005]

A couple of scenes in "Millions" swiftly brought to mind key scenes in earlier films. I've scrolled through numerous comments posted here, but found no references to these "homages".

I presume the director and/or writer knew that audiences would be put in mind of "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" when we see the long line of "poor people" waiting patiently to ask the family in "Millions" for financial help. Did they also knowingly reference "Ponette" in creating the scene where the young boy is granted a 5-minute "visit" from his dead mother? This second "homage" is tweaked, though, in having a second person also witness the visitor from beyond the grave.

Overall, I was drawn into the movie until the last third of the film. I could go along with having the boy's imaginative world explicitly portrayed. I can endorse this approach which, I believe, reached an apex in Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures". I didn't have much of a problem with the visitations of the saints. For myself, however, I began to regain disbelief when the very homages I mention above arrived.

Interesting that this thin line between creativity and recreativity would also become the point at which my "belief" in the film was lost.

Tarnation (2003)

Camera Turn-On

[4/10 · 9 November 2004]

I remember "Grey Gardens" and its journey into a forest of family dysfunction. That film was guided by the Maysles Brothers. "Tarnation" wants to take us to another part of the same forest, but I felt we didn't leave the backyard.

Give anyone a camera and they're sure to have fun filming themselves, their family and friends. But show the results to strangers, even with music cues and titles intact, and there will be very little resonance.

I wonder if Tennessee Williams had had a camcorder to film his mother and sister if the results would have had one-fifth the impact that his artistically-rendered memoir-play, "The Glass Menagerie" still imparts today.

I watch movies these days on DVD at home. It's become increasingly rare for me to plunk down $18 for two tickets at the cinema, sit in an uncomfortable chair and put up with all the annoyances. From what I'd read about "Tarnation", though, I didn't want to wait before seeing it. I thought I would love it.

I didn't. Many others did, however, as you'll read below.

Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Best Actress Award / Seattle

[15 June 2004]

The Seattle International Film Festival concluded, as it always does, with announcement of its audience-voted Golden Space Needle Awards last Sunday evening, June 13th 2004.

Catalina Moreno won the Best Actress Award.

Considering that over 220 films were presented during the 3 1/2 - week long festival and that Ms. Moreno's film was only screened twice, this is quite an honor.

Fortunate, indeed, that Ms. Moreno was "discovered" late into the casting process because without her, this film would have hardly generated the buzz that it has with her in the title role.

The Work of Director Michel Gondry (2003 Video)

If you've never seen these videos...

[8/10 · 12 November 2003]

Go out and buy this DVD. Better yet, Amazon currently is offering all three in the series (Gondry, Spike Jonze & Chris Cunningham) for $35 with free shipping.

I bought all three at a retailer for $45 and I thought THAT was a bargain after watching this one on Michel Gondry. If the other two are as good, it IS a bargain! But at $35 for all three, now that's something nobody interested in "new directors" should pass up.

The fact is, I've rarely seen anything as brief, intoxicating and innovative as the videos on the Gondry disc. Not only do you get a two-sided disc with 20 or more music videos, you get some of this guy's early work (home movies), a 52-page booklet designed by Gondry, very funny interviews and videos of his early band (Oui Oui) performing at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

The four hours plus of material is fascinating.

I highly recommend this disc.

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

DVD Easter Egg Hunt

[2 September 2003]

With JC2 freshly-arrived, I decided to buy the original on DVD and watch it over Labor Day weekend. I liked the first one (haven't yet seen the sequel). Can anyone help me, though, in finding the "easter eggs" for some of the bonus features?

The DVD case says that an alternate opening/ending of the film is on the disc along with several mini-documentaries, but these extras aren't listed on the disc's menu. There's gotta be hidden easter eggs. I'm able to "highlight" one of the sewn threads on the main menu page, but can't "activate" it.

Help me? Thanks for taking the time.

Die Another Day (2002)

Bombast

[5/10 · 21 July 2003]

Didn't see "Die Another Day" in the theatres. Loved Bond movies when I was younger. Bought the disc because I thought it might be a lot of fun. Tried on four separate occasions to watch the flick. Can't make it past the first 20-30 minutes. Will list for resale on eBay.

From the little I have seen, repeatedly, I think the problem is that it's way over-produced. No true wit, no characters, only bombast.

Come to think of it, I don't enjoy firework displays either.

Desserts (1999)

Rip-Off Redux

[27 June 2003]

In trying to come up with the title for a black & white short film that I saw in the theatres circa 1967, I came across "Desserts" here on imdb. From what I read, it seemed as if "Desserts" was a remake of the short movie I was researching. What I saw in 1967 has remained with me ever since. It was the best short I've ever seen.

"Desserts" is available on an out-of-print DVD of shorts from the Toronto Film Festival. I finally found it on eBay, bought it and played it at home last week.

What a disappointment! One of the main "catches" to the original is that the solitary character is a fisherman at the seaside. That makes the "hook" of the story a lot more meaningful. Since I remember the original so well, I can say that a few of the shots in "Desserts" were lifted directly from the black & white film; however, the money shot from the original wasn't duplicated in the remake. That's like a burglar stealing the diamond earrings but not the matching necklace!

If anyone reading this happens to know the name of the original short film or its director, pleeeze get in contact with me with that information or post it here. It was superb!

The Duellists (1977)

DVD Release

[9 December 2002]

I've nothing distinctive to add to the comments below regarding the film itself. Last night, I watched THE DUELLISTS for the first time in its new DVD presentation. Immediately thereafter, I turned on Mr. Scott's commentary track and that's what I'd like to mention here.

Eight years ago, I began collecting laserdiscs which were the first format to include directors' commentaries. I was mesmerized by this feature. Once the DVD format caught hold, it seemed as if these bonus audio tracks came attached to almost every film and suddenly everyone including the costume designer was yakking away.

The best commentary tracks I've heard are provided by the director speaking to his audience, not to his DP or to his producer, and they are scene-specific. Rodriguez' amazing "how to make a low-budget film" commentary on "El Mariachi", for instance, or Scorsese's fast-paced insights that he recorded for "Raging Bull". Now I can add to this short list Ridley Scott's commentary on "Duellists". It's the opposite of coy. It's chock-full of lessons for young directors. It's lightly humorous. It's fascinating.

Metrosexuality (1999–2001)

Chew or Suck--It Melts in your Mouth

[9/10 · 26 June 2002]

With nothing more to go on than the marketing for this disc that positions it as a cross between AbFab and QaF, I bought the double-disc set. Wow! I was immediately gratified by the show's surface appeal--those clothes, that hair! Had no sooner watched it before it occurred to me that a gay friend of mine would probably love it also. He did. Then I put it on for my straight, 20-year-old godson. He enjoyed it a lot. Last night, a bi-friend of mine got the privilege. He also thought it was great. What's not to like? It's fast, even-handed, terrifically stylish and it has a moral compass. The DVD's "extras" are enlightening and extensive. Kudos to all involved! Hard eye candy with a soft, nougat center.

The Piano Teacher (2001)

Huppert Wins Best Actress

[8/10 · 17 June 2002]

Yesterday, Seattle International Film Festival's "Golden Space Needle Awards" were announced. The "Best Actress" award went to Isabelle Huppert for her harrowing performance in "The Piano Teacher". Unlike other film festivals where the awards are determined by juries, Seattle's awards come from audiences and their votes. Congratulations to Ms. Huppert from all cineastes in Seattle!

The Piano Teacher (2001)

Huppert Enlarges my Heart

[8/10 · 12 June 2002]

Aside from documentaries and newsreels, I've always been aware that films are stories performed by actors in a representation of life. Some are simply entertainments, many are trivial, but there are a few I've found to be extraordinarily powerful. Always with those few, it's been the actors inside their characters that have deeply touched me. Actors are the greatest "special effect".

Frequently, it's been a well-acted characterization of an ordinary person that has impressed me (e.g. Brenda Blethyn's Cynthia in "Secrets and Lies"). Sometimes, the character has a personality unlike anyone I've ever known. Always, though, the actors have instilled in me a far deeper understanding and empathy than I'd ever have in my own life for individuals such as these. My very humanity has been enlarged.

That is the case with Isabelle Huppert's performance as "The Piano Teacher". Since the film makes a good point about the possibility of not knowing what might lurk below the surface of a friend or relative's persona, I can't be certain that I've never met somebody like Erika Kohut. I can say that I thought I'd never comprehend how someone could be masochistic, "enjoy" pain and desire humiliation. After witnessing Huppert's performance, I've begun to understand.

The amazement aroused in me by "great acting" is one treasured response to the art. A larger heart is another.

This film has flaws, to be sure. It isn't fun. It is riveting, though, if you admire the power of transcendent acting. If your mind and heart are irreversibly closed to sympathy for people unlike yourself, forget about seeing this movie. Otherwise, be brave, go and you'll be unforgettably rewarded.

My Voyage to Italy (1999)

Master Class

[9/10 · 28 May 2002]

Maybe if I lived in New York, perhaps I'd have the chance to take a master class in cinema; but I don't and I haven't. So warmly grateful I was along with a half-full house Memorial Day morning at the Seattle International Film Festival to absorb Scorsese's generous tutorial on Italian neo-realism. Of the dozen or more films filleted, I'd never laid eyes on three-quarters of them. The four-hour experience was like taking a double-tank dive to a sunken ship and coming back up with treasures. I'll definitely find a way to see "Open City", "Paisa", "Senso" and "Eclipse". Scorsese's gentle, loving commentary as he sends us sailing on a sea of images is so intimate and, occasionally, so humorous that I felt my heart grow inside me. This documentary will take you deep into a humanity that most Americans have never empathetically understood. This film is an event in maturity, an act of love.

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Editing Action

[5/10 · 2 August 2001]

I've begun to appreciate the massive value of editing action sequences. When it's done well, there aren't any questions about who's hit whom, where the action's taken place or whether the sequence is even plausible.

In "Planet of the Apes", I think that the editing sucked lemons.

In fact, the movie as a whole was really three inches shy of being very annoying. I found myself admiring the make-up, for heaven's sake!

If you must see it, check your brain in at the popcorn stand.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

DVD Commentary Track Nearly Ruined

[25 June 2001]

One of my main reasons for buying a DVD copy of any film is the inclusion of a director's commentary on a separate audio track. Having been an Ang Lee fan since "The Wedding Banquet", I was really looking forward to listening to him speak about "CT,HD" on the DVD.

Thirty minutes or less into the commentary, though, I began to feel sickened and angry. Schamus, a co-writer and producer of the film, shares the track with Mr. Lee. This guy's presence becomes so irritating. He's fatuous, supercilious, insulting to Ang Lee, annoying and he hardly ever shuts up.

It took me about three sittings to finally make it through to the end of the commentary. Near the end, interestingly, Ang Lee makes a comment about Shamus that, evidently, touches a soft spot and Schamus whines while asking Mr. Lee to not make fun of him. That was ironic because, on a least a dozen occasions during their prior conversation, Schamus "makes fun" of Mr. Lee on any number of subjects, including Mr. Lee's prior film (poor box office), "Ride With the Devil".

I thought everyone should know that, in my estimation, this commentary track (which might have been really enlightening) is NOT a reason to buy the DVD.

Liam (2000)

Remember PONETTE? Here's Another Jewel of Child Acting!

[7/10 · 5 June 2001]

While the character young actor, Anthony Borrows, plays in this movie is apparently seven years old, Borrows himself seems to be no older than five or six. That's what--kindergarten age? As in "Ponette", I can hardly believe that these youngsters are "acting". I can't "catch" them acting! They are completely believable and their hearts and minds flash in fully-translated expression across their faces.

Even animals in movies show their training. These child-actors do not!

You should consider seeing this movie, if only to witness the amazing performance given by young Borrows!

Girlfriends (2000)

Vignal's Debut Feature is Not to be Missed!

[8/10 · 5 June 2001]

Caught this one last night at the Seattle Film Festival. I hope it's found an American distributor so everyone can see it.

The film falls a few inches from being "perfect", but comes so close that I really recommend it.

Wow! What a central performance by young French actress, Julie Leclercq!

The plot to this one doesn't evince a lot of snap, crackle or pop; but, as with so many foreign films, it's in the interstices where you find the treasures. The small scenes, the moments between characters, the looks on their faces--here we can see the birth of friendship, betrayals, the entire course of life changing. It's not written, it's shown.

I'm a complete lover of superior acting and this film is loaded with it. Although Leclercq's character doesn't say a lot in many of the scenes, I could read her mind. For me, that's a hallmark of transcendent acting.

I have to give it up to Caroline Vignal (director and writer) for capturing Leclercq's performance and several beautifully observed stages in tracing the story of Solange. This is Vignal's first feature and it's a remarkable debut!

I don't want to synopsize the story itself. Instead, just take my tip that you've got to see this one for yourself.

Juliet of the Spirits (1965)

Technicolor Psyche of a Woman at a Loss for Love

[9/10 · 15 May 2000]

I was 15 years old when I stumbled into a cinema and caught my first Fellini film -- Juliet of the Spirits. I was so jazzed, wowed and bedazzled by it, I'm sure I went back a few more times. It led me to other Fellini films and, since, he's become my favorite film director.

Though at age 15, I shouldn't have been able to relate very well with this story of an Italian middle-aged woman and her crumbling psyche (what with her failing marriage, her unsympathetic relatives and her repressive childhood), the movie made me care about this woman and showed me sights on film that I'd never seen before.

Masina (Fellini's wife), in her performance, has nearly everything to do with making Juliet's story meaningful, even to a teenaged boy in California. The character's thoughts flash, unspoken, across her face. Her fear, her

bemusement, her insecurities--all are writ in italics and I had no trouble empathizing with Juliet.

Fellini, though, makes the film an occasion to witness how far the medium can go in bringing alive a person's inner life. The weird and awful power of (subjective) memory, the dream state, the spectres of loneliness, betrayal and Catholic mythology: all these and more overtake the screen, dominate the imagery and play the antagonists to Juliet who, as seen by the other "real" characters in the story, is just a simple, loving housewife and neighbor. Juliet finally has to face her demons and either vanquish them or go mad. By the end of the film, we know most of her demons, where they came from, whom they represent and what they mean. What an accomplishment!

In a clinical setting, Fellini dropped LSD around the time he concocted this film. That may be one reason the movie is so psychedelic. This also was his first feature in color. The music is unforgettable. Costumes should have won the Oscar, but that honor went to "Man for all Seasons".

Incidentally, I've bought and viewed the DVD of this movie. It's quite washed-out and not as good as an available VHS letterboxed version.

I'll always miss Fellini, but am so grateful that he was able to make this film and over a dozen others.

The Wounded Man (1983)

The Sexiest Movie I've Ever Seen

[8/10 · 17 November 1999]

Though for most of us, sexiness is a variable quality, I cannot recall a movie that did for me what this one does. It transported me into an awfully familiar realm of longing and desire. All the compulsive attraction, uncertainty over the outcome, the palpable fear and excitement so attendant to that state of arousal were brought to fever pitch by this flick. So French and what I consider daring! No matter what your orientation, I think that the danger of chasing your desire is brought full-front and center here...much more so, say, than with Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut".