Le Notti bianche

Maria Schell plays a woman who pines for Jean Marais almost as much as Jean Cocteau did, and Marcello Mastroianni is a man trying to steal her heart.  Based on a Dostoyevsky story (which I haven’t read, but I’d like to,) it’s a lovely, dramatic bit of romance.  Visconti isn’t afraid to let his characters’ flaws shine through: Natalia is a bit flighty and Mario is a schemer.  But we end up liking them anyway.  The film, taking place almost entirely at night time, sports some beautifully lit scenes, in the gorgeous sets of city streets.  The nightclub/cafe scene was especially memorable.  Not as moving or charming as I Fidanzati, but a nice piece of work.  Rating: 8

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Chungking Express (rewatch)

Well, I kicked off the new year with Chungking Express, and here it is again right at the end.  And I’ll be selling it for the second time.  I don’t know why I bought it again, I guess I thought high-definition would make me like it more (a rather unimpressive presentation, actually, although I’m sure it’s the best the movie has ever looked).  I still think it has quite a bit of charm and some great moments, but it’s just not one of those “gotta have it” movies for me.  I counted the appearances of “California Dreaming” this time.  Eight.  That’s not scattered through the whole movie, either, those are all concentrated in the last hour.  Rating: 8

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Daughters of Darkness

Like the other Kumel films I’ve seen, this is another horror/mystery, although closer to straight horror.  It’s less surreal than the others, and although I wouldn’t say it’s a “typical” sexy vampire flick, it didn’t really impress me with its originality either.  I enjoyed the complex gender politics (and jeez, the most phallic window handle I’ve ever seen), Delphine Seyrig’s performance and the general aesthetics (cinematography, music, atmosphere).  But overall it kinda lacked that eccentric Kumel charm and was a little too schlocky for my tastes.  Rating: 7

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Bottle Rocket (rewatch)

You can see the Wes Anderson tics emerging… the slo-mo, the Futura font, the British Invasion soundtrack, the lovable man-children characters, the Salingerisms.  But it’s much less mannered than his later films.  This works both for and against it.  It’s kind of nice to be able to watch without being so aware that it’s a “Wes Anderson film”.  But you also realize that it’s those mannerisms that often make his work so endearing, especially the elaborate attention to set dressing and the wistful melancholy that isn’t felt as strongly here.  Still, it contains some of Anderson’s funniest moments and Owen Wilson’s portrayal of Dignan makes for an incredibly memorable character.  Rating: 8

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Also on the disc is Bottle Rocket, the original short film.  Not much to say about it, it’s mostly scenes that ended up in the first act of the film.  Rating: 7

American Gangster

Somewhat muddled pacing (I watched the theatrical version, not the director’s cut) and not terribly original, but an entertaining watch.  It feels a bit like Ridley Scott is doing his best Scorsese impersonation.  Denzel Washington’s presence is compelling and charismatic as always, while Russell Crowe is as bland and boring as ever.  Rating: 7

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The Third Man (rewatch)

Just revisiting this classic in hi-def.  I’m really sick right now, so I’ve got nothing else to say.  Rating: 9

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Oasis

This is a misguided film.  It’s not awful, and it is to some degree thought-provoking, but I can’t help questioning the message it’s trying to get across.  I can handle, with a small amount of effort, a romantic relationship between a woman with cerebral palsy and her would-be rapist (I’m oversimplifying things, but I’m not in the mood to explain).  But the real problem here is that I didn’t buy that these two people were in love.  I feel like someone’s trying to pull a fast one on me.  We’re supposed to be so touched by such an unlikely romance (and so smugly impressed with our own willingness to accept it) that we forget that we haven’t had the proper foundation for it.  In scenes that are mildly lovely, but also amusingly reminiscent of a “Mr. Show” sketch, we witness the “normal” inner life of Gong-ju.  So we know she’s not an idiot.  This is the guy who not only tried to force himself on her, but also supposedly killed her dad and creepily barged into her apartment after getting out of prison.  If we accept her as a normal person who doesn’t fall for someone simply because he doesn’t treat her like an animal, then she loves him, apparently, out of pure desperation for comfort and companionship.  One gets the impression that any fella would do.  And why does he fall for her?  Because she’s an “outsider” like him?  Or is it more guilt and pity?  Or is he just incapable of not acting on his bizarre impulses?  I felt it was because she was less likely to call him out on his irresponsible behavior… he’d love her even more if she were deaf and blind.  Whatever the reason, it didn’t fly with me.  I didn’t feel a true connection between them, only one that was convenient for the quirkiness of the story.  And another thing: I felt like I was being DARED to like Jong-du.  “Look at this guy, he’s such a prick… and if you don’t love him, then you’ve fallen for all that HOLLYWOOD BULLSHIT, man!  Why don’t you go rent a Julia Roberts movie if you can’t handle this?”  Despite my qualms about all this (and I haven’t even touched on the contrived ending, or So-ri Moon’s dubious performance), I have to admit it’s provocative in a way that’s much less  obnoxious than provocative films usually are.  Rating: 6

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Nijushi no hitomi (Twenty-Four Eyes)

All I knew about Keisuke Kinoshita before this was that he was part of the ill-fated “Four Horsemen” group (with Kurosawa, Kobayashi and Ichikawa), but I’d never seen any of his work.  This was a lovely introduction.  A deeply moving nostalgic tear-jerker about a young teacher in an island community and her ongoing relationship with her first class of 12 students.  It’s quite sentimental, and more than a little bit manipulative (“Auld Lang Syne” can always be counted on to turn on the waterworks), but it’s also incredibly effective.  The final 10 minutes had so many touching moments that I was reduced to a blubbering wreck.  I just eat up this kind of heartwarming, bittersweet stuff.  And there’s a graceful beauty to the whole thing.  Several shots show the characters tiny in a frame dominated by their gorgeous surroundings, not only establishing a sense of community, but also making them part of a larger world.  Nor is the film simply a melodrama — it also packs a strong anti-war message.  Again, it’s not terribly subtle, but Kinoshita makes it work, with the help of lead actress Hideko Takamine (star of some of Naruse’s best films).  Except for two early scenes that involve a pack of small children bawling their heads off simultaneously (not only annoying, but unconvincing), I really enjoyed this film.  Rating: 9

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Classes tous risques

I’ve caught the videogaming bug lately and not at all in a movie mood.  When that happens, there are films so captivating that they can put you back in the mood.  And then there’s films, like this one, which seem to drag on and on.  There’s nothing irritating or stupid or awful about it, it’s just so unremarkable.  A typical story about a tragic French gangster, does nothing to stand out from similar works by Melville, Dassin, Becker.  Not a waste of time, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you just can’t get enough French noir (or Jean-Paul Belmondo, whose suave presence as a secondary character is far more compelling than Lino Ventura in the lead).  Rating: 7

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Central do Brasil (Central Station)

Something like a Brazilian version of Record of a Tenement Gentleman, as an older, cynical woman finds herself unwillingly burdened with the care of a young boy.  Fernanda Montenegro is excellent in the lead and Vinícius de Oliveira isn’t bad as the little kid either.  The film tries to yank on the heartstrings a little too hard at times, and it’s all a bit familiar, but it’s still a moving story with a compelling central character.  Nicely done.  Rating: 8

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