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billlevine
Reviews
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
In My Top Ten List
Sheer poetry, luck, and brilliance which add up to be Altman's greatest film. Groundbreaking at the time in it's freedom, Altman didn't "make a movie," he allowed a group of interrelated events to merge, the chips falling where they may. Everything is metaphor, and everything reads between the lines. The subtext is the text of the screenplay.
The film has an intelligence and improvisation that never happens like this anymore, mainly because the Zeitgeist of the 60's and early 70's flows into this work of art, which could never be repeated on this level of mastery.
The fact that they filmed the final 20 minutes even though a snow storm had just covered the entire shoot location with 3 feet of snow, testifies to the force behind this film, and that Altman had the wisdom to utilize it. Proof that there is a "God of Film."
Mademoiselle (2001)
A Great Film in a French style
Filled with subtlety, nuance, great writing, and acting, this film explores the myriad of events, twists, and turns that bring two people together. Accidents and coincidences flow seamlessly, which is the fun of this film. It also comments on loneliness, being stuck in your ways, and how to apply spontaneity to ease boredom.
This film holds up a mirror to life, simply reflecting it, and letting the audience see what they may. It's also a 'non-romantic' romance, which is what may have bothered the last critic in the acting style of the lead man. He's not overtly romantic, but he's very handsome and funny enough to catch the eye of Sandrine, the lead actress, in an impulsive moment. The scenes take place in parking lots, driveways, a cheap hotel and restaurant. But this is the mundane reality of many peoples lives so it is believable.