Fados

Like Flamenco, this is a performance film by Saura, in this case highlighting the Portuguese “fado” music.  But this is a far less compelling work.  The first problem is the music itself.  Although quite lovely and expressive, it’s almost entirely ballads (the most uptempo it ever gets is an ill-conceived fado-inspired rap).  Very pretty, but hard to appreciate for 90 minutes.  Perhaps to offset this issue, Saura goes for a lot of visual stylization, which is the other major problem.  Fado has no dance component, but many of numbers feature choreography, sometimes effectively, but something rather incongruous with the music.  And then there’s the abundance of mirrors, the use of film clips and stock footage, the sets, and most tacky of all, the giant video screens.  It’s just too busy and showy, and seems to suggest a lack of confidence in the performers’ ability to captivate an audience.  I’d rather just listen to the soundtrack (and minus the rap song, please).  Rating: Poor

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Flamenco

Saura’s love for flamenco (and formidable ability for capturing it on film) is well-established, and here he presents it pure and unadorned.  Hundreds of musicians, singers and dancers provide an uninterrupted series of flamenco performances in all its forms and styles.  The talent is dazzling and the passion is infectious, it’s a marvelous tribute with glorious photography by Storaro, backlighting the performers in warm oranges and cool blues on sparse stages.  There is one problem, though.  For the first 20 minutes, it’s electrifying and exhilarating, and I thought I might be watching a new favorite.  But then the next 40 minutes are far too ballad-heavy.  Also the material is very good, it kind of sucks the energy out of the room.  Anyone who’s ever sequenced an album, or even made a mixtape, knows you don’t clump a bunch of slow songs together.  Fortunately, the remainder of the film is more evenly paced with a much better mix of uptempo and downbeat.  Although that slow stretch keeps the movie from being a masterpiece for me, overall I was delighted, and it made me want to pick up my guitar.  Rating: Very Good

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A Geisha (rewatch)

Returning to one of my first Mizoguchis, and one I praised quite highly.  In recent years, however, I’ve started to become bored with his work.  This film has the same fine qualities I saw in it before, but doesn’t strike me as being any better than a dozen similar films by Mizoguchi.  Which isn’t to knock it, it’s a well-crafted work with artful framing and sympathetic characters, and his usual sensitivity to the problems of women in Japanese society.  The performances are quite good.  It’s just that I’m gradually losing interest in this motif.  Kind of sad, in a way… I was once so passionate about Mizoguchi, and now I’m finding it harder to get enthusiastic about him.  Rating: Very Good

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Secrets & Lies

I’ve been meaning to watch this for years, and I see now that I put it off far, far too long.  At first it seems like a fairly routine family drama, but as these characters work their way under your skin, they develop rich complexities and rewarding relationships.  The results are intensely moving, and I’m not ashamed to admit that by the end I was a blubbering wreck.  Not a note of it seems phony, contrived or forced.  There is no “Jeremy” character as in Naked, every “villain” is imbued with true humanity.  It seems almost criminal to single out any particular performance, as the cast is brilliant across the board.  But I must say I was especially taken with the heartbreaking Brenda Blethyn and the utterly endearing Marianne Jean-Baptiste, two actresses who I’ve only seen in bit parts in far lesser works.  If I were nitpicking, I’d say the Ron Cook (the photographer that Timothy Spall bought his studio from) scene is unnecessary and a bit out of place.  It’s not a bad scene at all, just a bit distracting.  But other than that minor quibble, I adored it.  A warm, touching, magnificent look at family, the barriers that keep them apart, and the roles and disguises we maintain for all the wrong reasons.  Rating: Masterpiece

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Wings of Hope

Another remarkable Herzog doc, about Juliane Koepcke, the 17 year-old sole survivor of a 1971 plane crash in the Peruvian jungle.  27 years later, Herzog takes her to visit the crash site and retrace her nine-day journey to rescue.  The tale has many fascinating elements, not the least of which is the fact that Herzog himself was almost on that flight, on his way to film Aguirre.  Then there’s the man with a special role in the story, and who almost lost his life helping with the documentary.  The film contains the usual enigmatic Herzogian touches like his poetic narration and strange detours.  One of my favorite moments was actually one of the least relevant: a minute is taken to film a young girl delighted with the camera.  An upbeat glimmer of innocence in this story of someone facing the abyss and emerging through the other side, haunted forever but still alive.  Rating: Very Good

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High and Low (rewatch)

I don’t really have anything new to say about this, either.  A lot of people seem to think the police procedural “Low” (or “Hell”) half of the film is weaker.  Maybe it’s my fondness for noir, but I find it just as compelling as the first half, if not more so.  I love smart cops trying to catch a smart criminal, and I think the procedural elements here are as sharp and gripping as any American noir.  Rating: Masterpiece

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Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (rewatch)

My opinion really hasn’t changed at all, just about everything I thought of saying in this review was already said in the first one.  I did find the film less inscrutable the second time around, not because it necessarily made more sense (although certain themes did become clearer) but more because the connections from scene to scene have an organic flow, if not a completely logical one.  I don’t have much else to add to my earlier remarks.  I also rewatched the short A Letter to Uncle Boonmee but have nothing new to say about that, either.  Rating: Great (Uncle) / Very Good (Letter)

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Naked (rewatch)

I’ve been in a DVD purging mood, getting rid of the movies, even though I might love them, I probably won’t watch again.  I figured that a third viewing of Naked would be enough and I put it on the eBay stack, but I find it still holds its fascination for me.  The lion’s share of the credit belongs to David Thewlis, whose raggedy performance is utterly compelling.  Johnny’s darker qualities are neither negated nor mitigated by his charm, but his charm is substantial, with a wonderful gift of gab, a sense of intellectual curiosity, and a sarcasm-tinged but nonetheless genuine compassion for his fellow man buried under the bile.  When Thewlis is onscreen, he’s riveting.  The rare moments when he’s not onscreen are when the film falters, most notably when forced to spend time with Greg Cruttwell (Sebastian/Jeremy).  The character and the performance have not grown on me one bit, he’s a useless and irritating addition.  Besides him, however, I’m still quite enthralled with this movie, and it stays in the collection.  Rating: Great

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A Tale of Two Cities

I consider Dickens one of my favorite authors, but the truth is I’ve read only a few of his works.  I haven’t read “A Tale of Two Cities,” but I was not surprised to find it a very compelling story, populated by memorable, likable characters, graced with intriguing drama, and commenting on the cruelty and injustice perpetuated by both sides of the French Revolution.  Some characterizations and flourishes are a bit too much (the storming of the Bastille, although wonderfully constructed by Lewton and Tourneur, is marred by some over-the-top titles) but for the most part it’s a rock solid film, easily watchable and quite enjoyable.  Excellent production value and strong performances.  It made me want to read the novel, which is perhaps the finest thing an adaptation can accomplish.  Rating: Very Good

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Amelie (rewatch)

I haven’t really written in depth about this movie.  I don’t usually write in depth about any movie, but my comments on Amelie have been particularly brief.  I think I’ve said all I have to say, though.  The truth is the movie doesn’t run very deep.  I do love it, though, and especially the main character.  Amelie is always one step removed from human contact — communicating through pictures, metaphors, trinkets, one-sided phone calls, secret manipulations, windows and spyglasses.  She’s not exactly shy or anti-social or awkward.  In fact, she appears to be quite content with her interior life… until the possibilities for real connection arise, something that both entices her and terrifies her.  When she finally gives in, it’s a joyous occasion.  Rating: Masterpiece

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