Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008. Show all posts

Saturday, January 2, 2010

"The Women" ~ 3/10

This kind of movie, not unlike most of women magazines, is there to make money by reassuring those poor women who cannot afford someone with a penis (for instance, a man), and who will believe that having a bunch of female friends full of advices is better than a man in your bed. Apart for those who find homosexuality worth giving up men, and thus might have a real interest in seeking female friends instead of male ones, how can such movies pretend to give any solution or consolation ?
Moreover, this movie for women, written by women, and featuring only actresses (and one male baby actor) is as stupid as movies for men, with only men, and made by men (there might be more of this latter kind, but that is certainly not a reason for creating crap...).

But the biggest scandal of the whole thing might be that it is featuring rich New York people, played by rich Hollywood people (who want their money back with interests, plus your brains in bonus), and destined to be shown to poor credule New Jersey people who certainly cannot afford such a wealthy living (nor such expensive face lifts) but will dribble all their saliva with envy.
Anyway the good point was that, unlike "male movies", they did spend at least half of their time talking about the other sex... Wait, now the problem would be to determine for which of the "male" or "female" genre of movies this actually was a good point... ? I'm not in favor of (nor against) any of the two kinds here, my advice, to those poor women (or men ?) who seek consolation after they were dumped, would be that they watch any good movie, made either by a man o a woman, that would not talk about one or both sexes, but simply about love (it seems not to exist for magazines, sorry).

Finally, Clare Boothe Luce's play has been adapted so many times, why bother watching this version, when Cukor and Fassbinder both already directed other versions ? "Because it was directed by a woman" is not a reason good enough !

Saturday, July 25, 2009

"Élève libre" ~ 10/10

This movie has, aesthetically speaking, nothing absolutely exceptional.
But the way the subject was treated and unfolded truly deserves all my praises.

And I will not tell more about this film, as I encourage you to watch it without checking anything about it before (but I assure you it can be viewed by anyone, at least from their teens).

Friday, July 24, 2009

"Låt den rätte komma in" [fr="Morse"] ~ 8/10

John Ajvide Lindqvist's screenplay adaptation of his own novel, through Tomas Alfredson's directing, became not only a wonderfully poetic movie, but also a great renewing of the wide fantastic/vampire genre(s). With not much special effects, the movie goes way beyond what Hollywood could only be dreaming of making with such a strange story.

The great finale might be one of the best I've ever seen in a horror movie. And probably the most inventive in the use of the camera.

"Wendy and Lucy" ~ 7/10

This 'non-road movie' about a young woman trying to go to Alaska is simply beautiful. Stopped in a small town in Oregon because her car broke, then stopped again as she got busted for shoplifting, then stopped anew when her dog was caught by the pound, this movie is all about being stopped in every attempt to move on with one's life, and about the love between Wendy and her dog.

"Let's make money" ~ 9/10

Erwin Wagenhofer presents a terribly cynical view of the economic world in which we're living (and dying a lot, too). Author of "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" John Perkins' part might well be my favorite, for it explains every recent deprived-of-any-ideal wars which were lead by the USA (and the others who had not enough balls to say no).
It seems this movie won't let us any chance of salvation...

"Aruite mo aruite mo" [fr = "Still walking"] ~ 7/10

Koreeda gives his version of the "japanese nuclear family movie", mixed with his recurrent themes of life and death, and memories. Every part of it is simple and good.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

"Bronson" ~ 6/10

This movie owes very big time to Stanley Kubrick. But, apart from this huge influence (notably for the direction of actors and for the choice and use of music), and Tom Hardy's great (à la De Niro) impersonation of "England's most dangerous criminal", the movie does not really bring originality.
An other problem would be the subject itself : showing the life of someone who does never know what he wants (or does not want anything at all ?) did not lead very far. Or maybe, by pretending to be the director's acceptance of someone else's failing, this movie does not represent much more than the making of a show of violent battles for 2 hours.
Still, one could dream about what Kubrick would have done with such a theme... Maybe he actually did : "A Clockwork Orange".

Monday, June 22, 2009

"Gake no ue no Ponyo" [fr = "Ponyo sur la falaise"] ~ 10/10



Miyazaki's new movie is a turning point in the master's filmography. Now he choosed to really 'explicit' the major theme of his works : sex, and more exactly "making love". This time, among his other recurrent themes (ecology, gods, children's magic...) comes a new one, directly related to sex : fecondity.

"Chi bi" [fr = "Les 3 Royaumes", aka "Red Cliff"] ~ 7/10



I usually don't like John Woo's melodrama very much but this epic story was simply of amazing beauty. Tony Leung is still handsome at nearly 50, and Kaneshiro is still funny.
I just regret that I only saw the occidental-oriented version - rather than the oriental-oriented version, huhu, smart pun...
Can't wait to see the sequel.

"Frost/Nixon" [fr="Frost / Nixon, l'heure de vérité"] ~ 5/10

Ron Howard's attempt to make a new great biopic like "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" fails when it only copies Clooney's "false documentary" style without bringing anything new to it. Sam Rockwell's acting is always the same (and therefor I don't even know why I like him so much ?). Langella and Sheen are very good, though.

"Venkovský ucitel" [fr = "Country teacher"] ~ 7/10



A beautifully shaped and directed movie with real characters, played by inspired actors, leading to a realistic view of humanity. Some great choices of music too !

"Synecdoche, New York" ~ 10/10

Charlie Kaufman's dreamed theater comes to life on the screen. Personally, I found my most favoured stylistic devices in this movie : setting in abyme, metonymies, synecdoches, and other tropes... My dreams aren't the same, but they really do work the same.
Actors are all great, Noonan is "grand", and my beloved Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman are surprising.

"Pranzo di ferragosto" [fr = "Le déjeuner du 15 août"] ~ 8/10

Gianni Di Gregorio's really sincere (and biographical) movie about a 50 year old man who's still living with his mother. All four non-professionnal elder actresses are pretty good indeed. Plus, an almost involuntary reference to Nanni Moretti's "Caro Diario" (my favourite italian movie along with "La strada").

"Gran Torino" ~ 10/10

Might be the best Clint Eastwood masterpiece. No one can make such Hollywood classics nowadays, save Clint Eastwood.

"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" [fr="Miss Pettigrew"] ~ 7/10


A good romantic movie with a great cast.

"Milk" [fr = "Harvey Milk"] ~ 8/10



Sean Penn's great impersonation of the gay leader (which brought him his second Oscar).

"Last Chance Harvey" [fr = "Last chance for love"] ~ 7/10



A good romantic movie with two great actors (who were also great at the Césars' Ceremony).

"Marley & Me" [fr = "Marley & Moi"] ~ 4/10



Funny, and a good message about a dog's love.