(Could be a picture taken this week, but it's actually a still from a freakishly relevant movie made 40 years ago)
I watched two Italian films this week, one that features an American actress playing a Russian speaking Italian, and the other features no Italian at all, only French and Arabic. I also watched my third John Ford film thus far, the breakout dwarf movie, and a very unique addition to the growing neo-noir genre.
I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino, 2010): This film is basically a melodramatic opera but with a keen cinematic sense of style. The movie is definitely for everyone but I personally really got into it mostly because of the amazing cinematography and the really great way Guadagnino shot the film. The story is basic, it's basically a movie about a woman who has an affair, but this movie is a great example of how a director, actor, and composer can really make a simple story into something great. Speaking of actor, Tilda Swinton (her Italian is very convincing as well) really sells her character's motivations. She adds a whole lot of subtext of dissatisfaction and makes the affair believable. In terms of composer, the music by John Adams was fantastic. Upon some research I found out he's only done a couple of films and this one is the first one that anyone has heard of. He's scores a lot of operas and doesn't work in film much, so his music brought a lot to the film. One example of how all three of these things come together is in the breathtaking final scene. I wasn't 100% sure of what was happening in the scene plot wise, but the great direction, acting, and music lifted that scene and made my heart race, even though if I told you what happened it wouldn't be that impressive. It's definitely a unique film and if what I have said speaks to your interests I would urge you to check out.
Grade: B+
My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946): The third John Ford movie I've seen in the last few weeks. It's better than "Stagecoach" though not as good "The Searchers." The friendship/rivalry between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday is what unexpectedly becomes the best part of the movie. The gunfight at OK Corall is what is so famous but the film smartly chooses to focus on the friendship between the two. The relationship takes many turns and you never know where it's going to end up. The amount of information I knew about the history in this movie is probably just about right, I knew that a gunfight happened but really nothing else about it. I knew Doc Holliday was an important person but I didn't know how. All of that helps you stay on your toes but bored. The movie still has the problem all westerns of this time period seem to have, and that's uninteresting female characters. The titular Clementine character was definitely better than the other westerns I've seen so far, but by the end she still doesn't factor in as well as she should. John Ford though is a great at crafting movies and this one is no exception, his craft makes the movie interesting and entertaining which makes it all worth it.
Grade: B
The Station Agent (Tom McCarthy, 2003): This a sweet and enjoyable film that's very simple. It's a film that is unique for the sole reason that the main character is a dwarf. It's the first film I've ever seen that has a dwarf as a main character and also has a dwarf character that is actually played seriously. A lot of what makes this film good is Peter Dinklage's performance as the main character, it is easily the best performance by a dwarf I've ever seen, even though he now seems to be playing most of the dwarf characters in Hollywood. His acting makes his character great, the hermit-ness of him is completely believable and also understandable. We deal with the issues he has in a way that's unique to his character and situation, but also very relatable and universal at the same time. That's what makes this movie work. Though it isn't perfect, particularly where the supporting characters are concerned. Dinklage's character has two main friendships he develops in the movie, one of them is with Joe, who is not fleshed out at all. A lot of what happens in the movie is because of him and I didn't find his enthusiasm completely convincing. Otherwise this movie is hard to complain about but at the same time there aren't many ways it's special.
Grade: B-
The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966): This is a film that will never feel outdated. Not many know much about the Algerian revolution against France, but you don't need to know anything, even if you don't care about that war, you can substitute many recent conflicts instead. The battle against terrorism that the world has been involved with for the last decade makes this movie extremely relevant to conflicts today. The film also does an amazing job of being fair. It's definitely sympathetic to the rebellion, but it doesn't shy away from showing everything about them, including the killing of French civilians. This is one of the best, if not the best film about fighting a revolution. It's not complicated, the motives are clear, but it's so fascinating because it gives faces to the "reluctant terrorists," it gives us motivation and reason. The film is directed with a high sense of realism and it makes you feel like you're watching history. The music by Ennio Morricone is very engaging as well (part of it was used in "Inglourious Basterds"). This movie is a masterpiece and one of the best movies I've seen about war and rebellion.
Grade: A
Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005): The film is basically a noir with an updated setting of a high school for the sole reason of being unique. Even though the film is set in a high school it has everything that a noir is supposed to have, cop characters, shady villains, a femme fatale, and violence. It's a very entertaining film mostly for that reason. The remarkable thing is that the film always plays it straight, rarely does it go for laughs. which makes a few scenes actually funnier. Otherwise the actual plot of the film does get pretty complicated and lots of characters and relationships are brought up and I wish it had focused more on motivations instead of just blurting it all out at the end. But by setting it in a high school we do get a nice sense of the behind the scenes action that could and maybe does take place at many high schools, and in that sense it's similar to films like "Blue Velvet." The film is directed with a keen eye and the tone is nice and even, and if the script was a bit more solid it would be a fantastic film. As a exercise in the neo-noir genre, it's definitely impressive, but I hope Rian Johnson has some more up his sleeve.
Grade: B
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