The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (rewatch)

Haven’t seen this one in ages.  It’s funny how many sexualized little girls Jodie Foster played in her youth.  This movie has an odd perspective to it… it seems to be trying to say something about personal freedom, or the way we treat children, but it’s hard to pin down the message.  The ending leaves a story still to be told, but certainly things aren’t going to turn out very well for Foster.  I think the father was too naive or ambitious… or perhaps, as a poet and apparently something of a hippie, too idealistic.  So is this meant to be a condemnation of certain hippie ideals?  It doesn’t feel that way, but that’s what I get from it.  On the other hand, maybe it’s all just backstory for a creepy, unusual psychological thriller.  Rating: 7

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The Story of Qiu Ju

A man gets kicked in the balls, and his wife embarks on an epic quest to get an apology.  This is what Zhang Yimou excels at: getting you to care about down-to-earth people with simple problems.  He’s wonderful at bringing Chinese culture to life, you feel absolutely submerged in the environment at every moment, whether it’s a tiny village or the bustling streets of the city.  The whole cast is awesome.  A thoroughly enjoyable film with an ending that will catch you off-guard.  Rating: 9

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The Mysterians

Now this is better.  The world needs more silly sci-fi movies.  Some of the special effects are laughable, yet some of them are actually pretty good.  I also liked the set design a lot.  It was a bit surprising to see Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura in this, but I guess he’d already done a couple of Godzilla movies.  It’s a fun little flick, although the action does get repetitive… even at its short length, another 10 minutes could have been cut to tighten some scenes up.  Also the message could have used SOME subtlety, but perhaps it’s better to just come right out and say it rather than try to veil it under your flimsy allegory.  I thought the whole thing about the Mysterians being so radioactive that they need Earth women to produce viable offspring was an interesting touch, and probably on a lot of Japanese minds at the time.  Rating: 7

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Zigeunerweisen

Man, this was tough to get through.  Two and half hours that’s mostly dull as dirt.  Suzuki’s films are often somewhat nonsensical, but they usually don’t seem quite so aimless.  And they’re never so devoid of fun.  Only occasionally did the movie engage my attention, and most of that was at the end.  The rare bits of humor (mostly in the form of the blind beggars) were rather weak.  I dunno, maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for an art film.  There were some great images here and there, though, just not enough to save the film.  Rating: 5

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The Magnificent Ambersons

I’ve been holding out for some kind of miracle that the lost footage would somehow turn up, but when I saw it was showing on Comcast OnDemand, I decided to jump on the chance to see this at last.  I wish I could see the complete version, but the edited one is absolutely marvelous.  Not as innovative as Kane or as daring as The Trial, it’s still wonderfully constructed.  Welles had a special talent for positioning characters, there’s a splendid example where we see George looking down from a staircase above the mother he’s manipulated… and then the camera goes up to reveal Fanny (who’s been manipulating HIM) on the landing above.  I’m a sucker for Joseph Cotten, and the rest of the cast is great, too (Agnes Moorehead may be a tad over-the-top).  And the ending credits are superb.  A truly fine experience, although ultimately frustrating because of the studio intervention.  Rating: 9

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Pyaasa

The DVD case says (besides giving away almost the entire plot): “reproduced from vintage source for the sake of nostalgic appeal, hence possibly compromising on quality”.  In other words, they were too cheap to do a proper restoration or try to find decent elements.  Which is a shame because the camerawork is this film’s best feature.  There are some stunning compositions and usage of lighting (although they go way overboard with the zooms, which are often too shaky anyway).

Other than some nice imagery, there’s not much to see here.  The acting is okay, but on the whole the film is way too overdramatic.  The first two acts drag on and on, weighed down by songs that are completely boring.  The third act is quite a bit more engaging, but ultimately comes off as extremely egotistical, as Guru Dutt positions himself as some kind of Messiah.  If this is the best Dutt has to offer, I think I’ll pass on the rest.  Rating: 5

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Karakkaze Yarô (Afraid to Die)

After the crazy Blind Beast, I had hoped for another offbeat film from Masumura.  No such luck.  It’s mostly notable for being Yukio Mishima’s first acting gig (not too bad), but otherwise it’s a pretty typical Yakuza flick.    It does have a wacky musical number and one heck of a great death scene, though.  Rating: 7

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Manderlay

Once again Lars Von Trier stacks the deck with an absurd situation that makes pretty much everyone look like an asshole.  It is somewhat less absurd that Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, or Dogville, however, so he is making progress.  He opens up complex issues here, ones that are worth pondering.  The scenario isn’t too far-fetched and allows for some intriguing facets.  However Lars provides no answers, nor anything resembling an answer.  Instead he wraps it up with a few cheap shots at America.  It’s like he just can’t help himself.  And you know, we really don’t need racism lessons from the Danish.  I’m pretty sure their population is overwhelmingly white, and they haven’t exactly been lighting up the world with their racial sensitivity in recent years.  Putting aside LVT’s childish jabs, it’s a good movie, and the Brechtian thing is growing on me quite a lot.  Rating: 8

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A Canterbury Tale

I don’t get very excited for Powell & Pressburger, yet I liked this one despite myself.  Very bucolic and infectiously optimistic, patriotic and stirring without being too hokey.  The movie touches a lot of bases, but does so with a gentle breeziness that carries you along from one theme to another.  Almost immediately I was attached to the characters and was pleased to share their journey.  Not exactly “my” kind of film, but refreshing and satisfying nonetheless.  Rating: 8

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Thank You For Smoking

Pretty funny, although rarely uproarious.  Aaron Eckhart elevates everything he touches, but conversely Katie Holmes diminishes everything she touches.  Fortunately, she’s not in that many scenes.  I felt like the film was a bit smug about its moral ambivalence, but I suppose that’s better than preachiness.  Rating: 7

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