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French new wave cinema at its best. This is a musical opera (all the lines are sung, but in a more musical songy way then opera-esque). The plot is nothing complex, man meets girl, man gets girl pregnant, man leaves for war, man returns and girl has moved on. What the narrative does with this simple story is exquisite though. It really is saying a lot when I say this film doesn't play to cliches. Ok so the basic storyline I have written may sound cliche, but the film doesn't fall into those cliche ditches that narratives have become oh so comfortable with. Also the films novel use of color, music and singing keep this film interesting, entertaining, heartfelt and beautiful to the last drop. I give Umbrellas of Cherbourg a 8/10, because I think the ending a lone will be something I never forget.
8/10
Historically inaccurate yes. But that isn't what we have come to see in this film. Instead you get a unique love story, a fairy tale. Something that paints you a picture and perhaps gives you new insight into Shakespeare. I feel like while this isn't obviously one of those new modern adaptations of Shakespeare like Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996), in many ways this film does a better job of relating Shakespeare to a modern audience that may feel distanced by his work. It gives the non-Shakespeare fan, concrete (though non-historically correct) proof that Shakespeare in many ways acted and thought like us (just smarter) and that he had the same desires and feelings as us. It taps into his brilliance and lets it spill out for the masses. I give Shakespeare in Love a 8/10, for all the reasons I have already given minus the fact that for Shakespeare fans the work seems a bit shallow at times.
8/10
We all know Miyazaki is a phenominal director and has creaed two of my favorite movies of all time, Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. Howl's may not have as much depth as Spirtied Away, but is still a great movie with a quality and unique plot that one would only expect from a Miyazaki film. The animation is also quality and Billy Crystal provides some pretty humerous comic relief as a fire demon that due to a curse has to maintain the form of a meer household fire and power Howl's Castle. I give this film a 8/10, for falling into format which has been typical of Miyazaki's film,but a what a brilliant format it is.
8/10
Jacques Rivette brings us a film loosely centered around a production of a play by Pirandello (famous for writing plays about plays), so a film about a Pirandello play already gives this film some depth. The 6 characters in this movie, who are in search of themselves, reminds me of the play and characters in Pirandello's 6 Characters in Search of an Author. The simularities and difference between the charcter's past and present love interests is another fascinating area of this film. Pierre continues to love the artsy type, while Camille continues to love scholars. Us as the audience and the characters themselves keep thinking that they are growing and changing, yet the movie ends where it began on a stage. The characters like a play are doomed to the same fate of continual repetition. There is a lot more depth in this film I could speak on. I give this film a 8/10, since the first 30 min were slow, but the thoughts of the 220 min director's cut makes me drool.
8/10
Another great French New Wave film, which has been the film rut I have been stuck in recently. This one by Agnes Varda tells the tale of a singer, Cleo, and what she does between the hrs of 5 and 7 as she waits to learn about the results from her biopsy. The story itself is simple being told in almost real time, yet as the movie progresses you realize how complex the character of Cleo is. Also this is a very rich film, for a running time of only 90 minutes, there are so many symbolic representation of Cleo's life and just moments that stick with you as being slightly curious for an audience members viewpoint, yet are probably forgotten by Cleo since it is just a moment in her life and we don't remember every moment in our lives so why should she. I should also note that Corinne Marchand performance as Cleo is extrodinary. I give this film an 8/10, though it could score much higher on furthering viewing do to all its depth, which I feel I have yet to find.
8/10
This movie was everything that I expected Closer to be, a dark depressing movie about characters we really shouldn't like cheating on each other, yet unlike Closer this one succeeds in almost everyway. Not only do you relate and sympathize with these characters, but almost all there charcters in this movie aren't the characters you normally are rooting for in pictures. I won't say there aren't any redeamable characters in this film, but none that truly shine. Besides a few issues with some plot choices, this was a great movie with quality acting, and great directing by Todd Fields who hasn't done anything since In the Bedroom. I give this movie a 8/10, though it was close to getting a ten.
8/10
For those of you who know Anais Nin then you will probably know to expect a lot of sex when seeing this movie. For others, prepare yourself. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I actually really liked this film, though if you go to rottentomatoes, you will see a score of 0%. While I still would prefer reading Nin to seeing her on the screen, I believe her charm and poetry is captured for the most part in the film adaption. While their is a lot of sex, I don't think it ever reaches the point of being unnecessary or purely for shock. You pass throught the film like a dream, meeting characters along the way and then seeing them drift away, only to eventually be shattered by the start of WWII. In a similiar fashion to Moulin Rouge, this film paints a time period that is very difficult to do, and won I personally would adore to visit, if not for the start of WWII. I give this film a 8/10, for being the scandelous baby of The Dreamers and The Notebook.
8/10
The film is satire of what films are supposed to be and the elements which make up the films we know and love (similiar in many ways to Scary Movie, but a lot smarter). From this base, the film progresses to tell a noirish type story of how Robert Downey Jr.'s character winds up in LA and how he gets involved in trying to solve a murder mystery alongside Val Kilmer. While this duo may not scream out great acting, I was more then suprised by the performances they brought to this film. Hands down this movie is just entertaining, funny and intelligent about the choices it makes. My only big quib w/ that the films self acknowledgment of itself seemed to be inconsistent, arising to interupt the story when there was a joke to be made, yet completely dissapearing at other moments when it was less convienent to have an all-knowing narrator, which held the film back from a 9. I give this film an 8/10.
8/10
Alfonoso Cuaron is a director I have loved from his independent foreign work as the director of Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) to his more commercial work as Harry Potter Prizoner of Azkaban (2004). This work is no exception as he again balances the line between commercial work with an independent flair similiar to what he did with Harry. In Children Cuaron pulls off some brilliantly long take shots like the opening and the dramatic camera in the car chase scene which must have taken forever to film. The film takes an interesting approach and uses these extended takes to create a documentary type feel which brings you into this somewhat futeristic world. CGI is also effectively used throughout the film with the stand out achievement being the effects used to create the baby...(wait have you seen this film...yet now i feel bad if you haven't seen this movie though i think you have...)...if you haven't um...i won't spoil anything...the acting is also superb. The problems I have though are with the story and the characters. Even with everything Cuaron does I still find it difficult to get into this world which really I don't think should be difficult to get into based on the trick Cuaron uses and the fact that it isn't very far in the future...I think we aren't given enough background information to see how such a future could come about. This lack of background I think also extends over to my appreciation of the characters which seem like fleshed out characters without a deep history. I give the movie an 8/10.
8/10
