Still one of the most important films ever made Born On The Fourth Of July is a masterpiece of dramatization, of acting, of cinematogtaphy, sound, indeed cinematic storytelling. As thought provoking and impactful as it ever was it is a gut punch of a film. Tom Cruise has never been as good as he was in this film and it is a reminder of just how gifted he is. It is probably one of the most virtuosic performances ever captured on film. Oliver Stone, with his Capraesque America taken to a full metamorphosis into the late 60's and early 70's established himself with this film as a true giant in the history of American cinema, a filmmaker so talented and determined as any who ever took up a film camera.
Reviews
35 Reviews
Oppenheimer
(I) (2023)
Something of a miracle
25 July 2023
Thousands of events have to conspire for a film to arrive on the screen. The craft takes a lifetime to master, the business is as tough and competitive as any in the world, hundreds of people have to meet, millions of ideas need to merge, and most films die before they're even born. So when we get a movie where such artists join at the pinnacle of their talents, in perfect timing, with the perfect story, and the perfect theme, when age and experience now allow them to give us a piece of work that is so far above and beyond the general output, craft-wise and thematically, then it deserves to be called "something of a miracle".
A striking mastery has been delivered here by the team behind Oppenheimer. The standard of excellence is as high as it can be. The film absorbs and transports us, moves us, and terrifies us in a way only the best do, supplying the most emotional and exciting cinema experience. Nolan has become one of the most sophisticated and exciting dramatists that ever took to the big screen by extracting from such dense material many of the most suspenseful and engaging sequences put on screen. It is the most concentrated, virtuosic, and profound of his films.
Most remarkable is that it manages to make an emotional epic out of minute gestures. Cillian Murphy's performance is perplexing. Every moment he creates, he encapsulates the depth and intensity of every thought pondered by its paradoxical protagonist. The real miracle of this film is that the perfect material finally met this actor to allow his potential to be revealed in its entirety. And part of what allows him to do so is the support of the most amazing ensemble of performances in recent memory; especially Robert Downey Jr's who finally shows us once and for all that he is among the most talented actors of his or any other generation.
Melville wrote that "to produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme", but one thing is to dream of tackling such themes, another is to execute them at the visceral level that this team has. The subject matter here is so crucial that it forces us to face questions about our existence that mind-boggle even the greatest minds in the universe.
A striking mastery has been delivered here by the team behind Oppenheimer. The standard of excellence is as high as it can be. The film absorbs and transports us, moves us, and terrifies us in a way only the best do, supplying the most emotional and exciting cinema experience. Nolan has become one of the most sophisticated and exciting dramatists that ever took to the big screen by extracting from such dense material many of the most suspenseful and engaging sequences put on screen. It is the most concentrated, virtuosic, and profound of his films.
Most remarkable is that it manages to make an emotional epic out of minute gestures. Cillian Murphy's performance is perplexing. Every moment he creates, he encapsulates the depth and intensity of every thought pondered by its paradoxical protagonist. The real miracle of this film is that the perfect material finally met this actor to allow his potential to be revealed in its entirety. And part of what allows him to do so is the support of the most amazing ensemble of performances in recent memory; especially Robert Downey Jr's who finally shows us once and for all that he is among the most talented actors of his or any other generation.
Melville wrote that "to produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme", but one thing is to dream of tackling such themes, another is to execute them at the visceral level that this team has. The subject matter here is so crucial that it forces us to face questions about our existence that mind-boggle even the greatest minds in the universe.
Retrograde
(III) (2022)
This is beyond filmmaking.
15 December 2022
It is imperative that this film is seen, by any American, by any member of the human race. To be alive today and to not be aware that this is happening is a neglet that will shame us forever. The images in this film will be part of the history books. It is a shame that the mainstream conversation is ignoring how important, how deeply necessary this film is. It is full of emotion, full of complexity, the filmmaker's courage and dedication to bring this to the screen is an act to be marveled at... It is overwhelming. If by the end of the film you are not struck with a deep confusion about the nature of war, I might lose all hope in humanity.
Triangle of Sadness
(2022)
A hilarious and witty satire of human behavior.
9 December 2022
Ruben Östlund's films give a new meaning to the term Situation Comedy, and Triangle of Sadness is the pinnacle of this stylistic achievement. He is one of the most astute observers of human behavior in the Cinema. The way he deconstructs the silliness in the norms of social interactions, our pretensions and masks, and the banality of most of our worries proves that he is also one of the most original and exciting humorists in modern times.
The film is partly about the barriers between our reality and our illusions- about the indifference of nature towards the imaginary world we've created (money, class, materialism, social structure). Yet the pleasure in the film is seeing the love for humanity despite our maniacal contrivances by witnessing how ridiculous we act and laughing at ourselves. Showing us how in the end, we have the same basic needs despite our desire to pretend otherwise, revealing what remains after we become stripped of our definitions- that we are another species of animal in the task of survival.
The film reverses roles, rules, and conventions to penetrate the truth and somehow search for the meaning of existence. It extracts comedy from the paradoxical nature of reality, the frustrations that limit our experience of life, the distance we create between each other, how far removed from our nature we've become, what we value, our eccentricities, our desires and fears, jealousy, pride, greed, selfishness, indeed all the flaws that make us human. And yet it finds and then unfolds the spirit in each character and ourselves. It sees beauty in ugliness and ugliness in beauty, capitalism in socialism, and socialism in capitalism. Nothing is sacred.
The entire cast of characters is deliciously extraordinary, but the true gems of this film are the performances given by Zlatko Buric and Dolly De Leon. Their humanity and commitment, their faces, bodies, voices, and gestures are hilarious and beautiful.
It is long and uncompromising, so beware (and enjoy). The screenplay is a masterwork. Every scene raises the ante, giving us joyous delight at each unexpected turn of events.
The film is partly about the barriers between our reality and our illusions- about the indifference of nature towards the imaginary world we've created (money, class, materialism, social structure). Yet the pleasure in the film is seeing the love for humanity despite our maniacal contrivances by witnessing how ridiculous we act and laughing at ourselves. Showing us how in the end, we have the same basic needs despite our desire to pretend otherwise, revealing what remains after we become stripped of our definitions- that we are another species of animal in the task of survival.
The film reverses roles, rules, and conventions to penetrate the truth and somehow search for the meaning of existence. It extracts comedy from the paradoxical nature of reality, the frustrations that limit our experience of life, the distance we create between each other, how far removed from our nature we've become, what we value, our eccentricities, our desires and fears, jealousy, pride, greed, selfishness, indeed all the flaws that make us human. And yet it finds and then unfolds the spirit in each character and ourselves. It sees beauty in ugliness and ugliness in beauty, capitalism in socialism, and socialism in capitalism. Nothing is sacred.
The entire cast of characters is deliciously extraordinary, but the true gems of this film are the performances given by Zlatko Buric and Dolly De Leon. Their humanity and commitment, their faces, bodies, voices, and gestures are hilarious and beautiful.
It is long and uncompromising, so beware (and enjoy). The screenplay is a masterwork. Every scene raises the ante, giving us joyous delight at each unexpected turn of events.
The ending sequence of this movie is unforgettable
22 November 2022
Daniel Giménez Cacho gives us in Bardo an infinite humanity with an undeniable mastery of art. His passive role in this case lends us with his eyes a channel to observe and respond to the various mind-boggling events he navigates, and he does so with a sincerity and apparent ease that makes it almost impossible for me not to connect with him. If the movie was just his acting, it would be a gift to all film lovers.
Bardo is about Mexico, success, immigrants, fatherhood, existentialism... but mostly i think it's talking about loss. The loss in all its senses, not only death, but the inevitable separation from everything in reality, because time, mind and life are so. And so the film's way of approaching human perception is supremely exciting, witty, visionary-like a lyrical, lucid illusion.
Bardo is not autobiographical, but, like any expression of art, it is a reflection of the author. In this case the conventions are dissolved to release something deeper, because when an artist exposes himself without barriers, delivering and exploring entirely the duality of self and things, that is when he can deliver something truly special. That is why the audacity with which Iñárritu exposes himself, when he could make any complacent film, is admirable.
The sincerity is so apparent that it can even give some aversion to some, because seeing someone so vulnerable can be very uncomfortable and thus create distance between us if we are not willing to empathize. But if we open up to these emotions, without judgments, they can also provide us with a sublime connection with all that is infinite, as well as attaching us to the essence of the collective experience of being human.
Iñárritu plunges on a deep introspective adventure without thinking twice because he knows the value of making art is through sharing an intimate perspective of the world. In this sense, any form of art, in its essence, can be self-therapy, and you feel Iñárritu in this film contending to invoke the existential questions of life.
The ending sequence of this movie is unforgettable.
Bardo is about Mexico, success, immigrants, fatherhood, existentialism... but mostly i think it's talking about loss. The loss in all its senses, not only death, but the inevitable separation from everything in reality, because time, mind and life are so. And so the film's way of approaching human perception is supremely exciting, witty, visionary-like a lyrical, lucid illusion.
Bardo is not autobiographical, but, like any expression of art, it is a reflection of the author. In this case the conventions are dissolved to release something deeper, because when an artist exposes himself without barriers, delivering and exploring entirely the duality of self and things, that is when he can deliver something truly special. That is why the audacity with which Iñárritu exposes himself, when he could make any complacent film, is admirable.
The sincerity is so apparent that it can even give some aversion to some, because seeing someone so vulnerable can be very uncomfortable and thus create distance between us if we are not willing to empathize. But if we open up to these emotions, without judgments, they can also provide us with a sublime connection with all that is infinite, as well as attaching us to the essence of the collective experience of being human.
Iñárritu plunges on a deep introspective adventure without thinking twice because he knows the value of making art is through sharing an intimate perspective of the world. In this sense, any form of art, in its essence, can be self-therapy, and you feel Iñárritu in this film contending to invoke the existential questions of life.
The ending sequence of this movie is unforgettable.
Tár
(2022)
We expect Cate Blanchett to be great, but she thrusts beyond that. She is at a level of excellence that is perhaps comparable to few but surpassed by none.
21 November 2022
In Tár, the events unfold with such masterful precision, and the magnetic rhythm of the action is so deliberate that it allows one to be slowly submerged inside the head of the character on a disturbingly profound level. It makes for a uniquely psychological film, the likes of which we have barely seen in American cinema for a long time.
The film is not overt. Its approach is more elegant than that. It takes you almost by surprise. From the opening frame, every moment is sucking you in, deeper and deeper, and by the time it's over, you don't realize you were totally inside the movie. And then its feeling lingers on after you have gone to sleep because it's so intelligent, thrilling, and refreshingly perverse.
In a way, the film questions what it takes to be (or be called) a "Genius", exploring the politics of any high-pressure endeavor, in general, and the impenetrable world of classical music in particular. And in it, it begs the question, apart from the fact that we're all flawed, "What if, in the very nature of success -in its pursuit- one has to become at least slightly deranged?"
The film deals with lust in a fascinating way and, of course, its relationship to power. It is somehow very insightful about the psyche of someone who uses power for sex and the particular circumstances that may lead to such a person believing that they are permitted to this behavior. So it's partly about greed, or gluttony because we have a character who has fought to be at the top of their field, who is at every moment surrounded by wealth, power, and everything any person might ever want, but also someone who can't get enough and is now at risk of losing it all because of it.
We expect Cate Blanchett to be great, but she thrusts beyond that. She is at a level of excellence that is perhaps comparable to few but surpassed by none. She is the centerpiece of this film, and she maintains the tempo of its emotions with striking complexity, weaving in layers and layers of psychological depth. In her vulnerability, she reveals a side of her that we haven't seen before, which is very impressive in its own right.
The film is not overt. Its approach is more elegant than that. It takes you almost by surprise. From the opening frame, every moment is sucking you in, deeper and deeper, and by the time it's over, you don't realize you were totally inside the movie. And then its feeling lingers on after you have gone to sleep because it's so intelligent, thrilling, and refreshingly perverse.
In a way, the film questions what it takes to be (or be called) a "Genius", exploring the politics of any high-pressure endeavor, in general, and the impenetrable world of classical music in particular. And in it, it begs the question, apart from the fact that we're all flawed, "What if, in the very nature of success -in its pursuit- one has to become at least slightly deranged?"
The film deals with lust in a fascinating way and, of course, its relationship to power. It is somehow very insightful about the psyche of someone who uses power for sex and the particular circumstances that may lead to such a person believing that they are permitted to this behavior. So it's partly about greed, or gluttony because we have a character who has fought to be at the top of their field, who is at every moment surrounded by wealth, power, and everything any person might ever want, but also someone who can't get enough and is now at risk of losing it all because of it.
We expect Cate Blanchett to be great, but she thrusts beyond that. She is at a level of excellence that is perhaps comparable to few but surpassed by none. She is the centerpiece of this film, and she maintains the tempo of its emotions with striking complexity, weaving in layers and layers of psychological depth. In her vulnerability, she reveals a side of her that we haven't seen before, which is very impressive in its own right.
Blonde
(2022)
Expressive, bold, beautiful, sad, and fascinating.
30 September 2022
Blonde is less about Marilyn Monroe than about a state of mind, yet her symbol is the perfect prism from which to travel this emotional landscape.
It is severe and empathic, exploring its subject matter without prudence because it believes it deserves it. The abuses Marilynn Monroe experienced by the press, the industry and the men in her life are legendary- she killed herself at 36. That perspective is a painful one to succumb to, the film takes you there, whether you are ready for it or not.
People may rather not inquire about the real emotions she must have felt, but this film attempts to imagine her perspective for the millions who might feel the way she did. And how refreshing it is to see an artist take risks this way, in all respects, instead of adhering to a set of "values" deemed apropiate by popular discourse.
This film is deeply moving, almost unbearably so, because it is not sentimental. That makes the emotions infinatley more profound. I think critics are blinded by current ideologies, taring at superficial aspects of the film because it is unbelievable that they are overlooking how good the filmmaking is and how timeless the story is. It is expressive, bold, beautiful, sad, and fascinating. So what if it's long and equires atention- that is what the best films need.
It shows a very dark Hollywood of the 50s, and how could it not, knowing what we know from the history books? Even if these people made some of the greatest films in Cinema, and some of these artists are heroes to some (like Billy Wilder is to me), this movie does not ignore the abuse we know they caused on the woman in the industry.
Ana de Armas' devotion and determination in this role are to be marved at. She gives herself so totally to the character's pain. I think it is the most beautiful empathic depiction of any character I have seen in years. Her craft is outstanding. Bold. She captures the essence of the behavior, but what is truly astonishing is the authenticity of her presence and her commitment to her emotions.
It is severe and empathic, exploring its subject matter without prudence because it believes it deserves it. The abuses Marilynn Monroe experienced by the press, the industry and the men in her life are legendary- she killed herself at 36. That perspective is a painful one to succumb to, the film takes you there, whether you are ready for it or not.
People may rather not inquire about the real emotions she must have felt, but this film attempts to imagine her perspective for the millions who might feel the way she did. And how refreshing it is to see an artist take risks this way, in all respects, instead of adhering to a set of "values" deemed apropiate by popular discourse.
This film is deeply moving, almost unbearably so, because it is not sentimental. That makes the emotions infinatley more profound. I think critics are blinded by current ideologies, taring at superficial aspects of the film because it is unbelievable that they are overlooking how good the filmmaking is and how timeless the story is. It is expressive, bold, beautiful, sad, and fascinating. So what if it's long and equires atention- that is what the best films need.
It shows a very dark Hollywood of the 50s, and how could it not, knowing what we know from the history books? Even if these people made some of the greatest films in Cinema, and some of these artists are heroes to some (like Billy Wilder is to me), this movie does not ignore the abuse we know they caused on the woman in the industry.
Ana de Armas' devotion and determination in this role are to be marved at. She gives herself so totally to the character's pain. I think it is the most beautiful empathic depiction of any character I have seen in years. Her craft is outstanding. Bold. She captures the essence of the behavior, but what is truly astonishing is the authenticity of her presence and her commitment to her emotions.
Moonage Daydream
(2022)
Outstanding
26 September 2022
Moonage Daydream is a profound cinematic expression of Bowie's astonishing creative life, a vision of a man struggling in a homogeneous world to find meaning through his creative drive; a glimpse into this spiritual pursuit. It is an experience.
Brett Morgen succeeds in the daunting task of communicating the essence of Bowie's creative canon, musical and otherwise, in the least conventional, and most appropriate way to go about it. He uses cinema in its purest form, sound, and vision rolling along together in time, and it makes for a totally immersive journey through David Bowie's amazing creativity which goes hand in hand with his own idiosyncratic use of form.
In a time when the cinema is full of recycling, when "content" providers are seeking to retell the stories of the past, when music biopics have become a cliché -like Elvis, Rocketman, Bohemian Rhapsody (all of which have failed to get at the truth)- Moonage Daydream is a brave and singular loyal example that the only real way to truthfully convey the impact of an artist's life in the world is through unashamed Cinema with a capital C i.e. By thrusting us and embellishing us into the work of the artist himself, in his own terms, stripped of all facts, definitions, and plot-points, without fabrication.
Bowie was a prime example of a person uninterested in being anything anyone wanted him to be (and they never failed to try), a refuge and endorser for the freaks. He was someone who was telling us "Normal doesn't exist, it is an illusion, you can be anything you want to be on any given day and there are no rules". This film comes out of the same spirit. The power of his lyrics and the showmanship he brought to Rock & Roll are all here on display for modern generations to re-engage with. It encompasses all of Bowie's genius and it will leave you wanting to uncover all of the albums again before a second watch.
In the thorough work of fragmenting from hours of archival footage, mixing the enormous body of musical work, and having Bowie himself narrate from his intellectual interests and deepened wisdom, this documentary successfully brings to life the three-dimensional complexity of why Bowie was such an overpowering influence as a musician and as a human being.
Brett Morgen succeeds in the daunting task of communicating the essence of Bowie's creative canon, musical and otherwise, in the least conventional, and most appropriate way to go about it. He uses cinema in its purest form, sound, and vision rolling along together in time, and it makes for a totally immersive journey through David Bowie's amazing creativity which goes hand in hand with his own idiosyncratic use of form.
In a time when the cinema is full of recycling, when "content" providers are seeking to retell the stories of the past, when music biopics have become a cliché -like Elvis, Rocketman, Bohemian Rhapsody (all of which have failed to get at the truth)- Moonage Daydream is a brave and singular loyal example that the only real way to truthfully convey the impact of an artist's life in the world is through unashamed Cinema with a capital C i.e. By thrusting us and embellishing us into the work of the artist himself, in his own terms, stripped of all facts, definitions, and plot-points, without fabrication.
Bowie was a prime example of a person uninterested in being anything anyone wanted him to be (and they never failed to try), a refuge and endorser for the freaks. He was someone who was telling us "Normal doesn't exist, it is an illusion, you can be anything you want to be on any given day and there are no rules". This film comes out of the same spirit. The power of his lyrics and the showmanship he brought to Rock & Roll are all here on display for modern generations to re-engage with. It encompasses all of Bowie's genius and it will leave you wanting to uncover all of the albums again before a second watch.
In the thorough work of fragmenting from hours of archival footage, mixing the enormous body of musical work, and having Bowie himself narrate from his intellectual interests and deepened wisdom, this documentary successfully brings to life the three-dimensional complexity of why Bowie was such an overpowering influence as a musician and as a human being.
Killing Them Softly
(2012)
Fantastic! Holds up after a decade.
24 May 2022
Underscored, precise, poignant, elegant, entertaining, smart. Totally underrated. I will admit that the first time I saw it I enjoyed it and moved past it, but, somehow, it lingers on my mind enough so that I return to it and have been amazed everytime by its magnificently executed storytelling and, especially, by how much I enjoy watching it. I'm all in on anything Andrew Dominik comes up with. To me, he has become one of the most interesting filmmakers on the scene right now and each one of his (very few) films are masterful.
Bill Maher: Live from Oklahoma
(2018 TV Special)
Always hilarious!
17 April 2022
This is one of his best performances, and so important... I'm convinced that Bill Maher is in the top 3 most important comedians, his voice has to be heard and I hope he keeps making specials for a long, long time. We need him.
Dune
(2021)
Fantastic, complex, singular film experience!
4 November 2021
There are varied interwoven layers and tunnels into the new film adaptation of Frank Herbert's highly influential and previously though to be unfilmable novel Dune, one has to have the will and focus to submerge into them. These depths arise from the narrative elements that exist within the novel itself, but what makes Denis Villeneuve's film great is that they are also mended together into the visual and sonic representations of these ideas using screen craft (acting, cinematography, production design, costume, props, sound, music, special effects, visual effects, etc.) and so, cinema's potential to create a visceral and sensory experience that expresses the essence of the novel wholly in non-lingual terms. It may be easy for modern audiences, who are accustomed to rapid narrative stimulation, visual diabetes and intellectual underestimating, to either delve deep enough to grasp these ideas and place them in the forefront of consciousness, or to experience the overwhelming, almost physical reaction to the cinematic experience. This is part of what makes the film so extraordinary, also a commercial risk, and why it has taken so long to bring it to the screen. It is at the same time an epic in multi-million-dollar proportions, a journey requiring extensive visual effects and thousands of human resources; and an arthouse film that has a character's spiritual coming of age at the center of a complex metaphor for the state of humanity in the last 120 years, a critique of materialism, colonization, greed and gluttony, environmentalism and the devastating hunt for our planet's resources that has caused war within ourselves and the destruction of our home. It's a calling to embrace our humanity, while at the same time surpass our most animal instincts and overcome ourselves. It is at it's very core a person's search to ignite his deepest potential and come to be with one's self and the universe in divine harmony.
Titane
(2021)
Grotesque for Groresque Sake (Doesnt sound like an achievement to me if thats your goal))
24 October 2021
It's not any more than a freakishly perverse provocation of the audience's patience and gastric system. If there was a ever a film that wants to make you puke It's this one, and if that is what your looking for then I guess you thinks that art. To me the political messege is nonsense and the form is pretty avarege, even lame, especially the comparisons I've heared to Crononbergs Crash or even Lynch. This film doest come near to the sophistication of the cinematic language of such movies and "groresque" was never in them. Ill give it points for make up and effecst, thats it. To me it brings total shame to the Cannes jury that they thought this movie deserved any praise, and it all goes to show how the radical reftist-liberal-wokeism-coulture has obliterated any comon sense or logic. Its a shock pieace, nothing more. Its has no artistic value.
La historia en la mirada
(2011)
Imágenes interesantísimas.
17 October 2021
Lo que le faltó fue una buena narración educada, igual que algunas entrevistas. Aunque hubira sido más largo, sería mas completo y mas accesible. Así parece un poco flojo. Pero las imágenes restauradas son más que fascinantes.
Great idea but VERY disappointing in execution.
18 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I was very excited for a treat like it "seemed" this was, a wholesome and historical journey though the Cinema, instead I found a biased mesh.
The idea is great, but it's really very mediocre in its execution.
1st and most obvious point, it's narration, which just flat out sucks.
2nd the interviews which are badly framed, repetitive, limited in content and people of note importance.
3rd the footage that was shot for the program, puddles, christmas ornaments, windows, trees and other insignificant images which invite a strong head ache in combination with Cousin's monotone voice. it would be far superior if these where replaced with archive photographs and b-rolls, interviews and footage of each period etc.
4th it's heavy handed perspective... this could have been a million times better if only it had an objective delivery of information, this is full of Mark Cousin's opinions and that really drops the ball to such an incredible extent that I find myself rolling my eyes every 10 minutes.
5th STORYTELLING being unjust to it title this truly lacks a sense of narrative and visual storytelling... it's excruciatingly flat from beginning on to the very end of its 15 hours..
In all I think the idea was great but Cousins should only have been a co-writer and should have begged for a collaboration with a Kristin Thompson and a David Bordwell or an Andrew Sarris. In addition they should have gotten a much more competent director (I guess Ken Burns would be too much to ask hehe). Then it definitely could have used more FUNDING for interviews, archival footage (including more interviews) and photographs.
If one is to take on such a project one should be sure to do it well.... Very disappointing... Still I'm such a filmbuff that I saw it in it's entirety but I really had to push myself in an exercise of patience and zen control of my emotions.
1st and most obvious point, it's narration, which just flat out sucks.
2nd the interviews which are badly framed, repetitive, limited in content and people of note importance.
3rd the footage that was shot for the program, puddles, christmas ornaments, windows, trees and other insignificant images which invite a strong head ache in combination with Cousin's monotone voice. it would be far superior if these where replaced with archive photographs and b-rolls, interviews and footage of each period etc.
4th it's heavy handed perspective... this could have been a million times better if only it had an objective delivery of information, this is full of Mark Cousin's opinions and that really drops the ball to such an incredible extent that I find myself rolling my eyes every 10 minutes.
5th STORYTELLING being unjust to it title this truly lacks a sense of narrative and visual storytelling... it's excruciatingly flat from beginning on to the very end of its 15 hours..
In all I think the idea was great but Cousins should only have been a co-writer and should have begged for a collaboration with a Kristin Thompson and a David Bordwell or an Andrew Sarris. In addition they should have gotten a much more competent director (I guess Ken Burns would be too much to ask hehe). Then it definitely could have used more FUNDING for interviews, archival footage (including more interviews) and photographs.
If one is to take on such a project one should be sure to do it well.... Very disappointing... Still I'm such a filmbuff that I saw it in it's entirety but I really had to push myself in an exercise of patience and zen control of my emotions.
Jojo Rabbit
(2019)
Deluted history through a blender of political correct ideology, misses all its opportunities and punctuates it's faults
5 February 2020
While I was looking forward to it I am thoroughly disappointed and even kind of disgusted. A few cheeky and o. k. jokes, a clear Wes Anderson influence gone wrong, an attempt to use classic rock to elevate it and a metaphor of indoctrination that would attempt to justify it as some kind of heartfelt effort but in the end everything that is wrong about liberals this day and age... The actual history of child use in Nazi Germany is a horror, inhuman, beyond what people think anyone could be capeble of, a real insight into the terror humans can achieve and it really happened... Hitler Youth was not some sort of American Eagle Scout camp where it's members lived in happy 21st century, middle-class, political correct kinds of homes. In its attempt Jojo Rabbit actually sanitizes the worse of truth and while I came in wanting to like it because I'm a sucker for satire and comedies, I ended up wondering what the hell is wrong with Hollywood's liberal culture? patronizing, boiled down, censored, cowardly, self-confused, sluggish, uninformed... I know that not all movies should be Tarkovsky but watch Ivan's Childhood, Rossellini's Germany Year Zero, Elem Kilmov's Come and See ... if you have a thesis don't take it half way, go the entire distance and don't pretend the film is something it's not... this is not even close to Strangelove, To Be or Not to Be, The Great Dictator, Stalag 17.
A love letter to the unsung heroes of movies
29 January 2020
A must watch for anyone who wants to make films it is a reminder of how all the things you don't see in movies are so important and actually compose the medium, which is about emotion. An inspiration that challenges one to exploit all resources to one's disposal in pushing the art forward and to utilize sound in a profound way in telling your story.
Doctor Sleep
(2019)
Nothing of Kubrick in here.
26 January 2020
This should have never been in a movie theater, this is television, if they had been honest with that at least it would have integrity. Another mistake is having it at all related to Kubrick beacause this is all Stephen King, no sight of Cinema here...
1917
(2019)
visceral, cinematic, emotion but the trailer is a giant spoiler
18 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
One word "emotion." I think this movie is so amazing beyond its technical achievement because it manages to ignite real feelings for the characters and the events not only in a one level sense of suspense and action but mostly in terms of the human beings and the tragedy that is war. There really is much to say here but one thing I was very disappointed about was its marketing techniques... I understand this made a lot of money and the way they promoted it was obviously of help, but as a filmgoer It really sucks to have the climax of the movie and probably what would be the most exciting moment of the film in the Trailer, really took a lot from that moment.
Knives Out
(2019)
The kind of film we needed to balance out the negativity
9 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It's a clever who-done-it in the style of Sleuth, Clue and Family Plot and it reminds us that Hollywood entertainment can be more than just fast food. It keeps you guessing and thoroughly entertained, but what's remarkable about it is that the underlying thought is carried out in a final emotional way saying "doing the right thing is what keeps us sane and human."
Stromboli
(1950)
Unexpected and personal, a love letter and a premonition.
8 January 2020
Daring in the sense that Rossellini would not return to what was expected of him he finds new inspiration in Ingrid Bergman to re-imagine a new type of Cinema for himself and in doing so he creates a very personal journey driven by his subconscious imagination and fuled by his aproach to improvisation and discovery of a subject matter (Bergman and Europe). Perhaps in the end some people might feel there is something missing that would make it more special, more importantly in relation to his previous films, but an artist must keep changing and evolving and in it he finds a new beauty, truth and insight here. It is a master at his craft and it makes for a wonderful viewing experience.
Germany Year Zero
(1948)
Empathic view of post war Germany
8 January 2020
To complete his famous War trilogy, Roberto Rossellini turns his own now mastered language to post war Germany where he finds a character so innocent he can now guide us to observe the consequences experienced by the actions of the nazis. This is such an inspiring film. In the memory of his recently deceased son, Rossellini finds a way to encapture the essence of childhood and a education through the destruction of war to finally punctuate these three films that in the end demonstrate the outcome of such evil and the innocent it affected. Empathic in the way that illustrates why the allies had to win that war. True cinema.
Paisan
(1946)
Remarkable language in an anti-war film feels like no other
7 January 2020
I regret to use the word "style" as I believe Rossellini often dismissed the word but such is what defines his voice and in this film one can really have a feel for that very particular hand writing. A form so ditched, in a way, that it withholds from trying to manipulate the viewer or to include too much of an opinion from the author so that what remains can be experienced as truthfully as possible. Mixed with documentary footage and factual accounts with fictional renditions of events in the war, it blends into a totally innovative way of depicting a subject matter, one in which the viewer can have a pure sense of what went on at the time and then without sentimentality one can perceive the very human emotions it depicts. Always to return to and to be inspired by.
Rome, Open City
(1945)
A pillar in the church of cinema
5 January 2020
One of the most innovative films ever. Born out of the ashes from the fall of Italy in World War II it stands as condemnation of injustice, hate and immorality. A film that will last as long as cinema itself it is a must for any artist, historian, philosopher or anyone interested in the human condition. To quote Scorsese "(Rossellini) is a father to us all."
Parasite
(2019)
Mind-blowing edge of your seat storytelling
3 January 2020
Such a precise way of unfolding a story, every frame is captivating. Tells the story of social divide in a truly masterful metaphorical thriller with such craft that you can't take your eyes off any single character. Altogether a hitchcokian tale that keeps surprising you with every scene until it's inevitable and explosive third act. I'm in awe of this film.
Tell Your Friends