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An error has ocurred. Please try againThey are not in strict order but I like the ones listed closer to the top better than the ones in the bottom.
honorable mentions * life of pie
Reviews
The Great Gatsby (1949)
the worst adaptation of Gatsby
Fitzgerald's fine novel was horribly butchered, dumbed down, and sanitized in this adaptation. I don't have anything to back this up, but I blame it more on the Studio than the screenplay writers: This version decided to spell out the unspoken mysteries of how Jay Gatsby made money at the very beginning and made Klipspringer a faithful protege from Jay's army days. Tom Buchanan's affair with his mistress was treated as lightly as possible, and he even tried to save Jay Gatsby at the end - not once but twice! Jordan Baker did not marry Nick Carraway or finagle a fancy yellow car from Jay Gatsby. Some may argue that alteration of the original story is a necessary evil, but none of the changes they made kept the spirit of the story. The only good they served was to make the story palatable to the purported audience whom the Studio assumed morally righteous and had no brain power to handle any ambiguity in the film.
I read that some thought Betty Field was not classy enough as Daisy Buchanan, but I thought she did a fine job. Much better than neurotic Mia Farrow in the 1974 version or too sweet and innocent Carey Mulligan in the 2013 version.
Sandome no satsujin (2017)
a courtroom drama
I'm sure there is some truth in it, but the film chose a quite cynical view on the judiciary system: no one tells or cares about the truth in the courtroom. So what is the 3rd murder? To me, it is the death sentence given to Misumi by such a system, but Koreeda leaves it to each of us to decide who Misumi is, what is the motivation of his puzzling actions, and who actually murdered the factory owner. This film reminded me of Kurosawa's "Rashomon" in the sense that both directors tried too hard, and the delivery is a bit too heavy handed.
Koreeda tackled a new genre in this film, but still weaved in the struggle to be a father, or rather his guilt of being an absent father: the theme most notably expressed in "Like father like son" and in some way in "After the Storm".
I miss the poignant ambiguity of "Maborosi" and gentleness of "After Life" but I'm happy to see him explore something new. Not a bad film, and it certainly deserves a little better rating than current 6.7 out of 10.
La mort de Louis XIV (2016)
dignified death
I totally agree with the assessment of the first reviewer: it is a beautiful, claustrophobic film with very little "drama". One thing I would like to add is that the film depicts the dying king with great respect and dignity. Having touched by death of elderly family members in recent years, I appreciated the film's compassionate and dignified portrait of Louis XIV and the people who served him closely. There is no political intrigue or ugliness in the film. It quietly and matter-of-factly tells a story. So even though the film's main theme is death, it is not a depressing film and you leave the theater marveling the fine acting of Jean-Pierre Léaud.
Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (2015)
an uplifting film and a must-see for cinephiles
It is a very charming film. A kind of film which makes you leave the theater with a smile on your face. The film also makes you aware of a couple who worked behind the scene in the film industry for many years, loving their work and loving each other. I'm so happy to learn about them and would like everyone who care about cinema to know about them, too.
I tend to recommend films with interesting story line, films that give you emotional impact, or films that I can tell why it's worth your time. On the other hand, I leave all other films I simply love in my personal favorite list. 'Harold and Lillian' can very easily find its place in my personal favorite list, but I added to my recommendation list instead because it tells the story that needs to be told.
The tone of film largely owes lovely & positive personality of Lillian. She is such a beautiful person.
Ta'm e guilass (1997)
A film that tries too hard to be artsy, but with one redeeming sequence
Pretentious was the word that came to my mind when I stepped out of the cinema after I saw the film, but the word did not sit quite right because I did not find the film pompous. Rather, the director made a sincere attempt to communicate his vision but fell short.
I am a great fan of slow-paced, understated films, and love the work of Andrei Tarkovsky, Michelangelo Antonioni, Yasujiro Ozu, and some aspect of Theo Angelopoulos's work. So when my friend bowed out from the screening as she heard the film is boring, I wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately, not all boring films are the same.
The choice that the director made to shoot the first part of the film (i.e. cross cutting the protagonist and the passenger in the confinement of the vehicle compartment and never place both in the same frame; rather closely cut medium shots of the vehicle steadily moving through the dirt road in a bleak and dusty landscape) might be an attempt to represent the inner state of the protagonist or the lack of connection between the characters, but it was too monotonous and repetitive. I believe many audiences are turned off by that and failed to see the slight change in the scenes after the protagonist drops off his last recruit (taxonomist) who attempted at length to persuade the protagonist not to commit suicide. Realistic but mundane and home-movie quality of the visual throughout the film doesn't help either. However, there is an attempt to represent the shift in the way the protagonist perceives his surroundings after he drops off the taxonomist. In particular the sunset shot in that segment was beautiful, but too short for my taste. Also it is too easy (or I dear say "too cheap") to choose sunset as the life's most beautiful moment.
What I consider the best scene in this film is when the protagonist steps out of his car to observe heavy machinery moving earth on dusty hillside. One may find the metaphor too blatant, but the shadow of the protagonist against the falling earth and the protagonist being shot through the dusty haze while the worker urges him to move on were nicely executed.
The ending of the film is controversial, and I belong to the naysayers' camp. It is not the quality of the visual but the choice. Some suggested that it might have been needed for political / religious / censorship reasons, but I didn't find it necessary for the pure story telling purpose. If the director feels compelled to provide relief to the audience, I prefer "The Machinist" (2004) or "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) ending, but such relief is not necessary unless the film is a high impact and moving film (sorry
) As for the visual, we can cut him some slack as I read somewhere that the real footage was lost and he needed to substitute with video footage he had.
Cameraperson (2016)
may help to see her documentaries first
Cameraperson (2016) begins with a collection of short segments, which may leave you wondering why you are watching this footage. Since it was my first experience with Kirsten Johnson's work, if I'd seen her documentaries earlier, I might have appreciated them more. However some segments (or possibly all?) will have follow-up segments later.
The film is a memoir and certain parts are personal, which I cannot say I was able to establish connections with, but she also touches upon the creative process of documentary filmmaking. Such segments marked a turning point in my viewing experience and made me see the segments in her film in a different light.
Just as I did, watching this film as the very first film by Kirsten Johnson might be similar to watching Andrei Tarkovsky's "The Mirror/Zerkalo" (1975) before any of his other work. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you see her other work later and like them, it may worth watching this film again.
Images (1972)
schizophrenic dream
This film does not represent what Altman is well-known for - community mosaic or documentary style films such as "MASH", "Nashville", and "A Prairie Home Companion". Instead, Altman extended what he tried in "That Cold Day In the Park (1969)" depicting the inner world of a psychopathic woman, but his approach here is more complex. In fact, the fragmented style of the film is quite appropriate to portrait the shuttered mind of heroine.
The use of sound and the twin image of the character somewhat reminded me of "Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)" by Maya Deren. However, the visual style of this film is distinctively the seventies - beautifully shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. A mesmerizing film.