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danielri
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Barney's Version (2010)
Perfect drama cum comedy.
Upon seeing the latter parts of this movie again on television, I really think that this is a wonderful adaptation of a novel by Morticai Richler.
Rosamund Pike is perfect in her role as are the other actors. And the cameos are areal treat too.
This is a perfect movie in its genre. I'm surprised it did not make a profit in terms of box office.
Let Them All Talk (2020)
Surprise ending.
A low key movie movie about a narcissistic writer aboard the Queen Mary two and it all its luxury.
Surprise ending.
Pretend We're Kissing (2014)
Realistic Toronto based romantic comedy.
Exceptionally realistic dialogue and acting. The main female lead is wonderful, sweet and authentic. The male lead has an awkward way with women, is too nice with another attractive young woman who uses him to crash in his apartment.
He makes a modest living by pasting posters for bands he designs himself.
The second scene of love making is so real, it may make you feel quite uncomfortable.
The protagonist does some voice overs that are well crafted.
The final scene ends in an upbeat manner as he engages with the young Asian women at the grocery store he usually shops in.
Rules Don't Apply (2016)
Mature movie making by Warren Beatty.
I was surprised by the financial losses in theaters when this film was first released. I suspect it will have a long life via other modes of distribution.
I thoroughly enjoyed it overnight at home during a rain storm.
Surprised to see Candice Bergen in a cameo kind of role with almost no lines of dialogue.
The ending is somewhat predictable but Warren Beatty does an entertaining job playing the role of the supposedly crazy billionaire aviation and movie magnate.
Thanks for a fine two hours, Warren.
Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981)
Ending is the correct one.
SPOILER AHEAD.
The ending is important to understand. Given the choice to end his life voluntarily, he can now relax and enjoy whatever time he chooses to keep on living despite the paralysis below his neck.
In countries where patients can choose to end what they consider an intolerable existence with a handy pill of some kind, they can sit back and possibly enjoy life again because now they can control the moment of non-existence.
Reminds me of the Zen question: who were you before you were born or even conceived.
My thoughts on this: dying is simply a return to the state of nothingness there was before I was conceived.
Of course others believe in some kind of reincarnation. But that is another matter.
Amazonia (2013)
Wonderful depiction of the moods of the Amazon.
I would have given the movie a perfect score of 10 if there had been no musical score. I felt that it intruded on the otherwise genuine natural sounds of the animals in the Amazon jungle.
I saw it on television so not with the 3D version that was apparently shown in theatres. That must have been quite a treat.
The film is so realistic that one wonders how it was done. It does appear to be a documentary of sorts starring that little expressive monkey. And he never appeared to be acting for the camera.
So congratulations to the film crew that endured rainstorms and God knows what else in the wilds of Amazonia.
Fratello sole, sorella luna (1972)
My all-time favourite motion picture.
I would personally award this movie an Academy Award for best picture. The acting, costumes, screenplay, cinematography cannot be improved on.
There is a scene with Claire and Francis that brings tears to my eyes no matter how often I see it.
The lyrics of the Donovan song are wise beyond measure. Apparently he re-recorded the songs just a few years ago.
Need I write more? If there is any movie that deserves a perfect score of ten, Brother Sun, Sister Moon is the one.
Enjoy because you are in for a treat.
Daniel in Montreal, Canada.
Lucy (2014)
Excessive violence spoils the plot.
The premise is a good one but the means to its fulfillment is riddled with clichéd gunfights and even the obligatory car chase and crash scenes.
Yet there are elements of good story-telling in this science fiction fantasy about a biological substance that can speed up human evolution.
I guess the summer block-buster marketers require the adrenal-pumping shoot-outs and some super-fast scenes that only scorch my eyes into closure.
Recommended by a friend, I should have known better when I saw Scarlett Johansson holding a gun in a poster for this Luc Bresson film aimed at the mass market addicted to big noise and bigger action.
My excuse for seeing it? The very hot humid day when even the home air-conditioner is not up to its task of cooling me down.
Do yourself a favour and see a funny wise film like Fading Gigolo instead. Your ears will not buzz for an hour after and your heart may even be moved.
My Zinc Bed (2008)
Upon a second viewing
I just want to state that I could not take my eyes off the screen until the very end of this fine drama. I had a vague recollection of having seen it before but fortunately no clear memory of how it ended. The ending actually is somewhat anti-climactic given the intensity of the previous scenes.
Dialogue is quick: more often seen in a theatrical production than in a feature film. But this is not surprising given the source material.
A true gem that took me out of time for just over an hour.
Gee, I am short of the minimum ten lines ... So what else can be said?
Well, Uma Thurman's accent was a bit odd but not enough to spoil the drama.
The Change-Up (2011)
Only 3 good things
There were two extremely funny scenes (for me anyways - I laughed so hard it hurt): both involve explosive defecation - one by a baby and the other by the wife.
The third factor that allowed to feel that this piece of fluff was not a complete waste was that every scene with Olivia Wilde was luminous.
Otherwise this must be one of about dozen comedies about body swapping. Or at least it feels like it because it has been done so often. Remember Tom Hanks in BIG? And the Jennifer Garner one?
Interesting trivia too is the fact that there is no real nudity - all is computer generated or with body doubles or prosthetics. Strangely puritan in a way although I can understand a classy actress like Wilde being reluctant to peel it off. Just seems off to me. But I was born in Paris, France friends.
Mon meilleur ami (2006)
A Special Vase.
I just want to mention that the expensive Greek vase in this delightful comedy is supposed to have contained the tears of a man grieving the death of his friend 500 years before our era (500 B.C.) When the sensitive friend (cab driver) is duped into stealing it from its owner to prove he is really a friend who would even commit an illegal act so that the owner can collect the insurance money, he breaks the vase when he sees it has simply been a set-up so that the Daniel Auteil character can win his bet. And the duped friend then says something like - where are the tears - I seen none.
By the way, the vase was purchased for over 200,000 Euros or about 300,000 dollars after the main character sees very few people at a colleague's funeral - which he only basically attends because he wants to finalize a deal with the widow....
As it turns out, the vase was switched by the lesbian gallery owner and partner, so all turns out well in the end.
The French version of Who Wants To Be a Millionnaire is brilliantly crafted at the climactic end to this movie.
The theme of friendship is well-done. Here is a man who tries to prove that he has real friends in life outside the big money deals he makes in his job as an antique dealer. He fails until the very end when he finally shows compassion for another.
A Price Above Rubies (1998)
Passion reigns.
I just want to mention that sequence where the old head rabbi dies in the arms of his wife after making love to her. He was inspired to do this after he heard the Zellweger character articulate the heat inside her that would not be satisfied.... At the memorial ritual ceremony, the newly widowed woman smiles in rapture at Sonia. Very telling sequence as it shows the essence of the passion in the Sonia character.
This is one of those movies that is riveting upon seeing it again - even if only in parts on TV - years after the initial theatrical release which I saw years ago.
I need one more line of text here so let me state that I had to check to see if Renee Zellweger is Jewish in real life. She is not. Goes to show you how well she played this role.
Thanks to all those who made such a brilliant film.
...And Justice for All (1979)
Honest lawyer speaks the truth in open court.
A very good vehicle for Al Pacino.
The last scene reminds me a bit about the role he played as the besieged bank robber that received the support of onlookers.
Except that here Pacino plays the role of a lawyer who decides that honesty is more important than a career in a corrupt system.
Wish it was more of a true story than an a Hollywood fiction.
Supporting cast is also very good:
the lawyer partner who acts outrageously after successfully defending a guilty man who then proceeds to go on a crime spree;
the eccentric judge played by an excellent character actor whose antics are frightening and funny at the same time.
This 1979 flick is somewhat outdated but powerful acting by Pacino makes it worth seeing again as I just did on the Canadian movie channel (no commercials during the film).
Norman Jewison directs.
Shijie (2004)
An excellent portrait of local citizens working in the World Theme Park in modern Beijing.
If you want to get an aesthetic view on modern China, this is an excellent vehicle. Over two hours long, some scenes are poetic and subtle with an Eastern beauty lovely to behold. English sub-titles are well done.
A big screen experience of common workers from the countryside and the artistic dance community in the big city of Beijing.
There is a lot of smoking... and cell phone use, of course - this is the new China.
Some animation sequences provide creative transitions of scenes.
Not for the adrenaline junkie addicted to violence.
Excellent portrayal of relationships. A true artist behind the camera. The acting is so natural.
The backdrop and chapters are structured around the different national landmarks at the World Theme Park in Beijing.
( 8/10 )