This week I watched a couple great foreign movies from the late 50's (Bergman and Kurosawa), what is known as the first ever film noir, a contemporary movie about an infamous African dictator, a fascinating documentary, and an also fascinating TV movie.
Cool list: Here's a list of the 100 best British films as chosen by Time Out London. It's pretty respectable list, and if you're fan of the "cinemaah" you should watch these movies.
Also I watched "The Eagle" over the weekend and I reviewed that for the paper. Here's a link to my review.
Grade: B
The Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa, 1958): This film is different from the other Kurosawa films I've seen in the sense that it is much more light-hearted and more like a mainstream movie of today. The movie is not heavy on exploring things like the human condition, and the script is all linear storytelling. With all that in mind though, the films works great as a piece of exciting entertainment. It holds it own against some of the better adventure films that have come out in recent memory. It's gorgeously shot and filled with some amazingly composed images that give the movie a large scope suitable for the adventure at hand. The movie is told through the eyes of two greedy peasants who bicker constantly and accompany a secret journey of a princess from one dangerous land to a safe land, chaperoned by a samurai played by Kurosawa regular, Toshiro Mifune, in his least crazy role I've seen him in yet. The other Kurosawa films I've seen so far are "Rashomon," "Ikiru," "Seven Samurai," and "Throne of Blood," and this one is probably not as good as any of those four, but it's definitely well worth your time. The movie is probably most famous with non-Kurosawa fans as a big inspiration for George Lucas on "Star Wars," and you can certainly see what he got from the movie, but there are only a couple things and the movie is certainly not overshadowed by that fact. It's well worth a look on its own terms.
Grade: B+
The Last King of Scotland (Kevin Macdonald, 2006): A solid political film that's got a bit too much melodrama towards the end. That's where this movie falls. The strong points in this film are definitely the characterizations of the two main characters, Idi Amin and Nicholas the doctor. Both characters are great studies in the effects of power and fame, and even though Nicholas is fictional, his inclusion into the story worked well and complemented the story of Idi Amin. Now obviously, I can't talk about the power of Idi Amin without talking about Forest Whitaker's performance. The only reason people talk about this movie is because of that Oscar-winning performance -- and rightfully so. It's an amazingly strong performance and Whitaker does a great job at creating two natural sides to Amin, one jubilant and happy, and the other paranoid and scary. Watching him is definitely the main reason to watch this movie. Where the movie falters a bit is in the plot. it gets fairly predictable and devoid of much emotional impact towards the end. There are some scenes of graphic violence in the end that attempt that try to take the place of emotion but they just don't do the trick. It's a strong movie that doesn't quite have the emotional impact in the end it could have, but nonetheless watching Amin is fascinating and fun to watch.
Grade: B
Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman, 1957): Many movies are about different aspects of life, but this film is about life, period. In the film an old man is examining his life on a drive to get an honorary degree, and on the way we not only learn about his life and his troubles, but we learn about life in general and how the problems of life at different stages. This is all done by examining Borg, the old man, and his specific life and issues through flashbacks and dreams. It's not just a character study, but a life study. You know everything there is to know about this man's life by the end. Different people will take away different things, but one of the things I personally took away was the power of memory and time. You'll always have the past to reminisce on, and the future to look forward to. If you're an old man like Borg, then you've got the present to treasure and the past to remember. One criticism of this film is the heavy symbolism, though I found that not to be a problem, but a great thing that only added to the power of the movie. Most of the symbolism is in the couple dream sequences and I think that kind of stuff can happen in dreams, anything can happen in dreams, especially obvious things that pertain to whatever you're thinking about. "The Seventh Seal," is the only other Bergman film I've seen so far, and one that also came out the same year and that's a film that is very heavy on symbolism (he's literally playing a chess match against death), but in that film it's so obvious that the film is considered a fantasy (rightfully so), but this film is steeped more in realism and so people I guess expect less of the symbolism. I thought the film was true to life, not directly, but indirectly everything was exactly true to life and true to our experiences of life.
Grade: A
Gates of Heaven (Errol Morris, 1978): This is a magnificent documentary that I unfortunately didn't enjoy as much as I should. That's due to the cumbersome phenomenon known as expectations. Based on the subject of this film you'd think it was a film about pet cemeteries, which it certainly starts out as, but it digresses many times through interviews into topics of much greater importance, like mortality and happiness. If I had also known that Errol Morris uses only interviews, it would have also helped in me not expecting some more. I feel like a second viewing of this film would make for a really great examination on some universal themes, gladly anyone reading this will have that information now if they decide to watch the movie (which they should). My actual viewing experience may not have been the best, but when I think about the film now I think about the people who were interviewed, and how well I know them because I listened to them talk about a pet cemetery. Another very interesting aspect of this documentary is that you're never quite sure if you should be making fun of these people or sympathizing with them. The thought of some people caring way too much about their pets is definitely something that can be made fun of, and it would not be inappropriate I think, but this film humanizes them a bit but not with a animal lovers standpoint, but from a need of human companionship standpoint. It's a very interesting study and definitely fascinating and emotional.
Grade: B+
The Sunset Limited (Tommy Lee Jones, 2011): This film is technically a TV movie since it aired on HBO, but it's still a movie so it counts. Basically it's just two guys have a 90 minute theological debate in one room. That's all it is. The kick though, is that the movie is written by and based on play written by the great Cormac McCarthy, author of "No Country for Old Men" and one of my favorite books ever, "The Road." The film is always captivating and sometimes very fascinating, though it still feels like something McCarthy probably wrote over a couple days. I'm sure even without Tommy Lee Jones' direction, watching it on the stage it would still be very interesting. There is not a whole lot to say about the film because the film is not really aiming for something huge. Tommy Lee Jones though gives a great acting performance that I'm hoping will get recognized come Emmy's and Golden Globes next year. Overall, strong performances, fascinating writing, and thus a captivating and fascinating discussion.
Grade: B
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