Change Your Image
lee_eisenberg
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)
Is there any way to talk about this in a straightforward manner?
Full disclosure: I've never read Tom Robbins's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", and almost certainly never will, since it takes me a long time to get through a book.
Well, had I heard the plot and cast of Gus Van Sant's 1993 movie knowing nothing else about it, I would've guessed that it was based on Mad Libs. If it's intended as a feminist manifesto, then they succeeded in that respect. Otherwise, literally everything about it comes across as a joke. Not just for one shocking scene in particular - you'll know it when you see it - but also for a cast that includes Mia Wallace, Jennifer Melfi, Neo, Police Woman, Kimmy Schmidt's landlady, Mr. Miyagi, and the man who birthed the Xenomorph (I often like to define cast members by their most famous roles).
Anyway, this will be of interest to Van Sant's fans, just for the effort that he put in. Otherwise, you'll watch it and wonder if you accidentally got high.
Reality (2012)
it'll be a great day when there are no reality shows
I learned of Matteo Garrone from his 2015 movie "Tale of Tales", an unusual spin on fairy tales. It turned out that he had earlier directed 2012's "Reality". The movie is part focus on Italy's working-class population, part indictment of reality TV's exploitation of "real people". The plot involves a fishmonger who gets chosen for a role on a reality show.
I should note that if you're only used to stereotypical Hollywood movies, then you'll want to avoid this one like the coronavirus. Much of the movie consists of long takes, focusing very much on the dialog. A good thing, if you ask me. I would like to see more movies about people and the modern world's impact on them.
I don't know if I would go so far as to call the movie a masterpiece, but it shows the Italy that exists beyond the fashion shows, bike races, etc. Worth seeing.
May December (2023)
good story and acting, but the music dominates too much
Over the past thirty years, Todd Haynes has been one of the leaders of New Queer Cinema. His movies have focused on housewives whose worlds have collapsed (Safe, Far from Heaven, Carol), Bob Dylan (I'm Not There) and forever chemicals (Dark Waters). Now he brings us a fictionalized account of Mary Kay LeTourneau, who infamously raped one of her students and started a family with him.
Haynes regular Julianne Moore plays the LeTourneau character, now getting interviewed by an actress (Natalie Portman) about to play her. The movie deserves credit for Haynes's direction, Moore's and Portman's performances, and the Academy Award-nominated script and cinematography (which deliberately gives the movie a fuzzy look). The downside is the music. It gets played loudly throughout much of the movie, and ends up dominating. This doesn't add anything to the movie, and it distracts from a lot of the action. They really could've done without that.
If you're looking for a good story, then this will be the movie for you, just as long as you remember that it has some of the most obnoxious music ever.
PS: LeTourneau was the daughter of John Schmitz, a congressman from Orange County and member of the John Birch Society.
A Dangerous Method (2011)
David Cronenberg goes for a different kind of story
For over forty years, David Cronenberg has been the king of movies that have a grotesque element. His movies often feature murders (A History of Violence) or brutal deaths (Crash), but are best known for body horror (Videodrome, The Fly).
That makes "A Dangerous Method" a real surprise. This period piece has a few violent scenes, but nothing grotesque. The focus is how both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung sought to cure a woman diagnosed with hysteria. Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) was a Russian emigre in Switzerland in the early 20th century who caught the attention of both Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Jung (Michael Fassbender). Basically, some shocking stuff contributed to the fields of analytical psychology and psychoanalysis.
The movie is a little slow at times, but the strong performances by the three leads - as well as Cronenberg's masterful direction - make up for that. It's not any sort of masterpiece, but it's still a perceptive look at the origins of fields that we now take for granted. Even if you don't know much about these fields, the movie's still worth seeing.
Faat Kiné (2001)
Ousmane Sembène looks at Senegalese womanhood
From the 1960s onward, Ousmane Sembène was a leading figure in Senegalese cinema, and in African cinema in general. His movies frequently addressed the problems facing Senegalese society, which could reflect the problems facing the rest of the continent. His second-to-last movie was 2001's "Faat Kiné".
The protagonist is a woman raped by a professor while she was in college, leading to her father labeling her a disgrace to the family. Years later, she has become a gas station clerk and hopes that her children will have a better future. But there's something around the corner.
If you're used to typical Hollywood cinema, then you'll want to avoid this at all costs. No superheros, aliens, high action or any of that here. The focus is on Kiné, her family, and her friends as windows into modern Senegal. While Dakar is a fairly developed city, poverty abounds, although the people still try to stay upbeat.
All in all, it's a perceptive look at contradictions. Kiné is strong woman in a patriarchal society. I'd say that this would be a good introduction to African cinema. At the very least, it's a look at a culture that we don't often get to see. I recommend it.
Lovers (1999)
France joins the Dogme 95 movement
The fifth entry in the Dogme 95 movement - and the first not to come from Denmark - is about a relationship between a French woman and a refugee from the former Yugoslavia. Jean-Marc Barr's "Lovers" isn't the most impressive movie, although I guess that it gives a good look at the status of immigrants in France. If nothing else, the movie has good acting, directing and cinematography. Élodie Bouchez and Sergej Trifunovic do a good job with their roles.
Since Gaga is short for Dragan, what do the Serbs and/or Croats think of Lady Gaga's name? On that subject, Gaaga sounds like the Russian name for The Hague, so how did the movie translate Dragan's nickname in Russian?
American Me (1992)
when you become part of this world, the bill comes in the form of blood
Edward James Olmos was well established onscreen, usually for playing upstanding individuals, so it probably came as a shock that he made his directorial debut with a movie about gangs. Loosely based on a true story, "American Me" casts Olmos as a man dragged into the criminal underworld of LA from an early age.
This is probably the closest that a movie can come to being like a Martin Scorsese movie without actually being one. The violence leaves little to the imagination. Obviously, the main difference is that the focus is on California's Latino population (and partly on the racism that they've suffered over the years).
All in all, it's one of the grittiest movies that I've ever seen. I'm sure that there's a lot more to learn about the Mexican Mafia, but this is a good - if harsh - introduction. Definitely check it out.
96th Academy Awards (2024)
Jonathan Glazer said what needed to get said
First of all, the only nominated movies that I'd seen from all categories were "The After", "American Symphony", "Barbie", "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny", "Killers of the Flower Moon", "Maestro", "Nai Nai & Wai Po", "Napoleon", "Oppenheimer", "Rustin" and "The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar".
Jimmy Kimmel referenced Katie Britt's cringey response to Biden's State of the Union address, and later made fun of a negative comment from Donald Trump.
There had been the question of whether or not it was acceptable to hold the ceremony with terrible things going on in Ukraine and Gaza, but I guess that they felt like they had to anyway. I understand that protesters outside had caused the ceremony to delay a few minutes. However, when Jonathan Glazer won for "The Zone of Interest", he denounced the hijacking of the Holocaust as an excuse for a war against Gaza. Inevitably, some people tried to claim that he refuted his Jewishness, conveniently ignoring what he said.
Also important was when Cillian Murphy noted that, for better or worse, we live in Robert Oppenheimer's world, and he dedicated his win to the peacemakers.
As for the rest of the show, I liked it when Sean Lennon came up to the stage when a short based on a song by his parents won. John Cena's gag was a surprise, but he pulled it off. I hope that there's eventually an award for stunts.
The obviously cringey part was the In Memoriam segment; I could barely see the tributes to the deceased people over the dancers. I hope that they get that right next year.
Overall, I liked it. And remember, watch "Oppenheimer" before "Barbie"; after all, the physicist brought about the modern world, and the doll lives in it.
12 Angry Men (1997)
a jury of cinema's peers
If you heard only loosely about this movie, you might think that it's the result of Mad Libs: the director of "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" (William Friedkin) adapted a play previously filmed by the director of "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Network" (Sidney Lumet), casting Felix Unger (Jack Lemmon), George Patton (George C. Scott), Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), and an actor who eulogized at Malcolm X's funeral (Ossie Davis).
Admittedly, it's hard to watch this Emmy-nominated version of "12 Angry Men" without comparing it to the original version. The original felt very much like a play, while this one feels more like an original screenplay. I already knew the ending, but it was still interesting to see it play out. I will say that it had sort of an oddball cast: it was strange to see Tony Danza alongside the likes of Hume Cronyn and Armin Mueller-Stahl.
So, while it's not any sort of great movie, it's worth seeing. The rest of the cast includes Mykelti Williamson (Bubba in "Forrest Gump") and Edward James Olmos.
The After (2023)
how to focus on grief
I learned of Misan Harriman's short film "The After" when it received an Academy Award nomination. I've finally seen it. One of the frankest looks at grief that I've ever seen, with David Oyelowo playing a driver who suffers a major tragedy. While treating the subject matter seriously, the movie doesn't pound the viewer over the head with it. The focus is how we deal with grief, and how it affects us moving forward.
All in all, I hope that more people get to see this short. It's too bad that the nominated shorts aren't widely seen, since they often deal with subjects just as important as those seen in the major nominees.
City Girl (1930)
Murnau looks at the rural life
A few years after making "Nosferatu", F. W. Murnau moved to the US to try his luck in Hollywood. One of his works stateside was 1930's "City Girl". Released just in time for the Great Depression, it shows the plight of farmers in addition to its main plot (a waitress marries a farm boy who's come to town to sell wheat).
The romance part of the story is kind of mushy, but the focus on the struggles endured by farmers makes it worthwhile. It's got some impressive cinematography, showing the eastern Oregon landscape (where it got filmed). Sadly, it was Murnau's second-to-last movie, as he got killed in a car wreck the following year.
Not a masterpiece but worth seeing.
Troll (2022)
merrily we troll along
Back in 2011, I saw a Norwegian movie called "Troll Hunter" (incidentally, I saw it just a day or two after a series of terrorist attacks carried out in Norway by a white supremacist). I didn't assume that I'd ever see another movie featuring a giant one of those mythological beings, but now we have Roar Uthaug's "Troll".
This one incorporates environmental issues, and Christianity's destruction of cultures. But mostly, it's an homage to the likes of "King Kong" and "Godzilla", with the title monster stomping across the country and wreaking havoc (and of course there's a scientist having to deal with incredulous politicians).
More than anything, this movie is a fun romp, and we get some fine shots of rural Norway. Good times.
9 (2009)
appropriate that the movie stars an Oppenheimer, since the most famous one brought about the potential for this
The release of Christopher Nolan's Robert Oppenheimer biopic (currently nominated for Best Picture) has renewed interest in nuclear weapons and their destructive power. How appropriate then, that Shane Acker's "9" includes in its cast an Oppenheimer. This is one of the few animated features with no cute or funny elements. It depicts a future Earth ravaged by nuclear war and inhabited only by rag dolls and evil machines.
This probably won't be the sort of movie that the little ones can handle. It has some of the most intense scenes of any animated feature. Probably the only comparable animated feature, even though it has a different plot, is 1978's "Watership Down". The movie itself doesn't have the most original plot, but the willingness to go where most cartoons won't go makes up for that. The voice cast inclues Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly and Christopher Plummer.
And remember, watch "Oppenheimer" before you watch "Barbie" (released the same day as the former). He created the modern world, and she lives in it.
Milh Hadha al-Bahr (2008)
Talk about newly relevant!
The current situation with Gaza makes Annemarie Jacir's "Milh Hadha al-Bahr" ("Salt of This Sea" in English) all the more relevant. The protagonist is a Brooklyn woman of Palestinian descent who goes to her ancestral land for the first time. Subjected to a humiliating search in the Israeli airport, she eventually makes her way to Ramallah.
Jacir's movie - which was Palestine's submission to the 81st Academy Awards as nominee for Best Foreign Language Film- isn't about political arguments. It's about what everyone in the area feels like they've gone through. Basically, it seeks to find everyone's humanity while still making clear the humiliation that the Palestinians suffer on a daily basis (and how plenty of Israelis refuse to acknowledge this).
This isn't the sort of movie that you'd watch to understand the situation there in detail, but it still gives a good feeling of things. It could be a double bill with Julian Schnabel's "Miral". I recommend it.
Gentleman's Fate (1931)
my introduction to John Gilbert (or at least my understanding of his career)
From what I understand, John Gilbert was one of the 1920s stars whose career faded with the advent of sound. Not because he had a bad voice, but because of interference by the Hollywood execs. Whatever the case, Mervyn LeRoy's "Gentleman's Fate" is one of his talkies. He plays a high society man who discovers that he comes from a family of gangsters, and they want him to participate in their business. Inevitably, some unpleasant things are going to arise.
The movie's okay, not great. I suppose that the casting of the homely Louis Wolheim (who died right before the release) as Gilbert's character's brother emphasizes the different worlds that they inhabit, even living only a few miles apart. Leila Hyams is mostly there as an ornament; it sounds as though she mostly got cast in movies to look pretty (she certainly succeeded at that).
Anyway, nothing special, but will probably be of interest to film buffs.
Trapped Ashes (2006)
if nothing else, film buffs will enjoy the third segment
One of the many anthology horror flicks has a bunch of tourists getting trapped in an apparently haunted house on a Hollywood back lot and having to tell stories. For the most part, "Trapped Ashes" (I don't understand the title) was typical anthology horror stuff, but the third segment will please film buffs, as it tells a fictionalized story of an aspiring director named Stanley who eventually moves to Europe.
Joe Dante directs the wraparound story, with Ken Russell and Monte Hellman directing other segments. The cast includes Henry Gibson, John Saxon and Dick Miller (whom Joe Dante cast in almost every movie).
The Wolfman (2010)
on a tear
I read that "The Wolfman" was getting made a year before it came out. I didn't see it, figuring that it was simply another remake. I still didn't see it even after it won an Academy Award for Best Makeup. I finally saw it when I came across it on Netflix.
It was pretty much what I expected. I thought that the most effective scenes were when the townspeople tried to carry out a pogrom against the Roma, suspecting them of murder, and the sequence in the psychiatric facility, showing the sheer sadism of the so-called doctors.
All in all, it was okay, not great. Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Geraldine Chaplin and Art Malik (Grimsby in last year's "Little Mermaid") turn in respectable performances in a routine horror flick. The best werewolf-themed movies are "An American Werewolf in London" and "Wolf".
The Gift (2015)
you'd better acknowledge your past
Joel Edgerton's directorial debut depicts a couple moving to the husband's hometown, only to get confronted by a former acquaintance who won't leave them alone, after which it becomes clear that we don't know all that there is to know about these people.
"The Gift" is nothing special. The plot is similar to a number of other movies that I've seen. The strength is in the performances by Edgerton as the old acquaintance, as well as Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall as the couple. If you only know Bateman from comedies, then you're in for a surprise with his role here (he also played an intense role in the HBO miniseries "The Outsider", based on a Stephen King novel).
All in all, worth seeing, if not great. Another movie called "The Gift" is a 2000 movie directed by Sam Raimi starring Cate Blanchett as a clairvoyant widow.
Joan Baez: I Am a Noise (2023)
the world needs more people like Joan Baez
Joan Baez has spent over six decades as one of the major figures in music, first coming to prominence as part of the folk revival, and writing a number of protest songs over the years. It was inevitable that Baez would get a documentary. "Joan Baez: I Am a Noise" chronicles her music career and her activism, as well as something that most people probably didn't know about: possible sexual assault during her childhood.
I don't know if I would call this the greatest documentary ever, but it was an eye-opening experience to learn so much about a woman whom we mainly know for her songs. I would've liked to see a clip of her performance at Woodstock.
Overall, I liked what the documentary had to say about this icon. I recommend it.
L'Orafo (2022)
when you invade a home, you'd better know what you're getting into
A group of hoodlums breaks into a house looking for something, and in the process takes the owners hostage. Sounds like something that you've seen in a ton of movies, right? Well, that's where "L'orafo" ("The Goldsmith" in English) takes a different turn. You see, there were a number of things that the home invaders didn't know about this particular couple.
Vincenzio Ricchiuto's movie is a fine addition to the Euro-horror genre. Undeniably shocking, and even kind of gross in a few scenes, it still manages to put a fun spin on the home invasion cliche. I doubt that it'll ever get remembered as an all-time classic, but it doesn't need to be. It's enjoyable for what it is.
Stefania Casini (Giovanna) co-starred with Robert DeNiro and Gerard Depardieu in Bernardo Bertolucci's "1900".
Mi vida loca (1993)
Girlz N the Hood
While we could be cynical and say that the '90s gave us a glut of growing-up-in-the-hood movies, I still recommend Allison Anders's "Mi vida loca". This look at a group of cholas in LA's rough Echo Park is one of the most hard-hitting movies out there. The protagonists are a pair of girls who were friends until they both got pregnant from the same man. Other nasty stuff follows.
Part of the movie's strength is from the casting of mostly non-professional actors in the roles. There were only a handful of recognizable names in the cast. What it adds up to is a gritty look at life in this tough barrio, and what the people have to do to survive (which is never a guarantee). Some of the scenes truly shocked me. A fine example of '90s arthouse cinema.
Oh, and the recognizable names? There was Danny Trejo, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee, Nicole Holofcener (another arthouse director), Spike Jonze (director of "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation") and rock band Los Lobos.
Walking and Talking (1996)
as any cinephile can affirm, Blockbuster is NOT the paradigm of video rental stores
Over the past thirty years, Nicole Holofcener has been a major player in cinema that falls somewhere between mainstream and arthouse. Her movies frequently look at relationships between women. The movie that put her on the map was 1996's "Walking and Talking", about a pair of sisters (Catherine Keener and Anne Heche) and their relationships.
The protagonists' relationships with people aren't always of the pleasant nature. Some of the interactions border on the toxic (or in one scene, passively aggressive). But most importantly, the relationships seem real. The movie gives us a reason to care about the characters, as opposed to the typical romcoms where we're supposed to root for the characters just because they're attractive.
All in all, it's one that I recommend. The rest of the cast includes Liev Schreiber (Cotton Weary in "Scream"), Todd Field (director of "In the Bedroom" and "Tar"), Vincent Pastore (Pussy Bonpensiero on "The Sopranos"), Allison Janney (now famous for "The West Wing" and "Mom") and Alice Drummond (the librarian in "Ghostbusters").
Incidentally, right after I watched this, I watched "Mi vida loca", where Nicole Holofcener had a brief appearance as a prison warden.
Duma (2005)
something (in the) wild
Carroll Ballard's final movie as a director is one of the many movies in which children have to develop their survival skills (it could be a double-bill with "The Journey of Natty Gann"). In this case, a South African family adopts an orphaned cheetah and raises him, only for a mishap to send the son and the cheetah into the wilderness. "Duma" isn't a masterpiece, but it both gives us a look at the wildlife of southern Africa, and respect for said wildlife. Mind you, some scenes look pretty dangerous; there ARE plenty of predators in the wild.
All in all, it's a fun movie that, like a 1966 movie, reminds us that wild animals are born free.
Bull-ero (1932)
I take no bull from anyone
One of the many shorts - most if not all of them forgotten - from Terrytoons depicts bullfighting. Of course, "Bull-ero" is an excuse for a series of gags. Probably the most interesting one involves wrestling.
I think that we can agree that the best depiction of bullfighting was in Chuck Jones's "Bully for Bugs", especially with the line "Whenever you can spare time, toro!" It's less pleasant nowadays, with bullfighting widely seen as a cruel sport. It's probably worth noting that despite its common use as a representation of Spain - Francisco Franco championed it as a point of national pride - it's generally practiced in only one region.
Anyway, this is a routine cartoon from that era. Nothing special.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
Wes, you've done it again!
I first learned of Wes Anderson when he released 1998's "Rushmore", and I've liked every movie that he's done. He now gives us this Academy Award-nominated adaptation of a Roald Dahl story. "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" is actually told like a book, with the characters saying things and then adding "I said". As in all of Anderson's works, the scenes are centered, and the colors stand out. Which isn't to diminish the story (involving a man who figures out how to earn large quantities of money).
All in all, this is a real delight. With this and "Asteroid City", Wes Anderson had a real annus mirabilis last year. I understand that he made some other shorts, so I'll have to see those.