Slacker (rewatch)

There’s two ways to look at this movie.  If you think Linklater is mocking these characters, it’s a rather funny satire.  If you think he identifies with them, then it’s pathetic.  I say that with a hint of self-loathing, because I used to be like these guys.  It’s a phase that I think a lot of people of my generation went through… arrogant, annoying, think you know everything, think everything you say is the ultimate in profundity.  Meanwhile you do absolutely nothing except work some shit job (if you work at all) and play in a band and hang around with your friends feeling superior.  I’d like to think Linklater was mocking these people.  But I don’t.  In fact, judging by what I listened to his commentary, he still identified with them.  There are very few characters in this movie I like, most of them irritated the hell out of me.  Maybe I’m getting old and cranky.

I also have to mention that years before this movie came out, I had an idea to do a movie with the exact same story structure, and everyone praises Linklater for being so unique and original.  So I harbor a touch of petty resentment about that.  Rating: 5

IMDb

Cool Hand Luke

Pretty good, no complaints.  I, uh… I don’t have anything to say.  Sometimes doing this feels so stupid.  I’m not trying to be a serious film critic, but still I ought to be able to come up with more than a couple of brief sentences.  So, hmm… Cool Hand Luke.  Good characters.  Good acting.  Story kind of formulaic, but good ups and downs, kept moving nicely.  God, I’m lame.  I feel like an idiot.  Rating: 8

IMDb

A Decade Under the Influence

Kind of fun, but not very informative.  Too much ground to cover, and not enough time to do it effectively.  Rating: 6

IMDb

Fanny and Alexander

What a treat: my first Bergman on the big screen, and it’s one I haven’t seen before.  F&A kicks off the month-long Bergman festival here in town.  And yet… I think I prefer watching at home.  It’s just so much more intimate and comfortable.  And I felt like a lot of guys in the audience laughed a little too hard at the funny bits in order to impress their dates.  Maybe I’m just being cynical.

Anyhoo, great movie, but I need to let it sink in a while.  I have a feeling the 5-hour version will appeal to me even more.  Rating: 9

IMDb

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Amazing eye-candy but doesn’t stick with you at all.  It pretty much played up to my expectations: interesting experiment, but soulless and empty.  With the right story, this kind of film could be great.  Most of the time the CGI is blended so well (the extremely soft focus helps) that you don’t even think about it – although when it doesn’t work, it immediately pulls you out of the experience.  Rating: 6

IMDb

Blow-Up

I have to admit, I don’t know what to think.  Not that I found the movie confusing, just that my reaction to it is very lukewarm.  I found it intriguing, engaging, very well photographed, and unique.  I would even say I liked it.  And yet… I don’t like it a lot.  I guess I had a similar reaction to L’Avventura.  I don’t know if I’d watch this again, but I’m making a copy for myself just in case.  Rating: 7

IMDb

Dial M for Murder (rewatch)

Not a big favorite among Hitchcock fans, but I’ve always loved it.  It lacks cinematic flair (partly because Hitchcock was roped into making it 3D), but what a story!  What a screenplay!  What characters and performances!  I love the way the plot twists and unravels.  Simply riveting.  Rating: 9

IMDb

Nico Icon

Nico is a fascinating subject, but the film was kind of cheap and could have elaborated more on her music.  Rating: 6

IMDb

A Lesson in Love

I’m not expecting much from these early Bergmans, but I expected a little more than this.  There are a few nice moments of introspection, but the comedy is quite broad and graceless.  There is none of the flair for humor from Smiles of a Summer Night or even Secrets of Women on display here.  It’s all rather alarmingly conventional.  Not a bad film, but very sub-par for Bergman.  Rating: 5

IMDb

Gaslight (rewatch)

One of those movies that’s a bit frustrating to watch because the bad guy is horribly evil you just can’t wait to see him get it.  Charles Boyer plays one of the nastiest villains you’ll ever see.  Ingrid Bergman perhaps overdoes her helplessness, but makes up for it during the exceptionally satisfying ending.  Rating: 9

IMDb