"I wanted to know what it [reality] was like." Benny watches or makes movies in every spare moment and can't seem to come to grips with his own culpability or any kind of empathy.
An odd and quirky flick with a very dark story line from Amelie maker Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The stuff that comes out of France is often so different than what comes out of North America that it takes a major shift in being able to appreciate it fully, but it is definitely worth the effort.
Clocking in a nearly three hours, this documentary doesn't quit. I didn't take my eyes off the screen the entire time.
What I particularly love about this dated mystery drama is the title. I found myself pondering the topics of the film and the opening and closing statements for days following having watched it.
Little Odessa is a dark film centering on the consequences of one's actions and the inevitable entanglements that come with relationships.
In my effort to appreciate Tim Roth more than I already do, I watched this 15-year-old romance drama. Plus Julia Ormond is in it - bonus!
In typical Woody Allen fashion, he bumbles around from scene to scene to reveal a theory of his. This time it's that God doesn't exist, He's just shadows and fog and maybe a few trick mirrors.
Gus van Sant delivers a western version of Midnight Cowboy with a big splash of Shakespeare.
The Coen brothers have made heaps of films since this most acclaimed art house film came out. Barton Fink is even characterized as an anti-type story on every level which, when done by master filmmakers becomes an instant classic.
David Cronenberg spins this surreal tale beginning in the real and stable world of a modest and honest exterminator. When the powder he uses is discovered to have narcotic qualities, we slip into a drug induced world of spying, literature, sordid sex and murder.
Australia seems to produce some of the freshest comedies (Young Einstein and Strictly Ballroom come to mind). This one isn't an exception, in fact it adds a powerful dimension of a shattered woman's psyche.
Toni Collette plays Muriel, a deluded failure in life who fantasizes of having a regal wedding. Her father incessantly reminds her that she is a loser and her friends are more like tasmanian devils. She medicates herself with pop group Abba's music. Muriel screws up over and over again and we join her for the ride.
What makes this movie so strong is the tremendous acting and writing. Nothing is hidden and everything is kept unbearably real, right down to emphasizing flaws from every angle. Viewers are chilled by the characters inhumanity towards one another.
Truth: Until we feel validated, we will seek it. Fathers play a huge role in validating their daughters and sons.
IMDB
This is a poorly written, but well acted film about sociopathic murder. Why people are fascinated by this is intriguing in itself.
After reading a bit of the history of the making of this final chapter (?) of The Godfather trilogy, I am inspired at how hurdles made the film so much better. Without huge debt, without having filmmakers having to deal with actor negotiations, without studio execs' demands this film wouldn't have turned out so fantastic. I do wish that Robert Duvall had accepted the $5 million they offered him and had joined the project. Oh well.
Jumping ahead a decade from Part II, Michael Corleone has remodeled his image and made billions more, but this time through 'legitimate' business. His family is still splintered and he still reels from the guilt he incurred though some actions he performed as the illegal godfather that he was. Throughout the film, we see Michael try to piece together his life and wash away his sins.
The story blends in several historical figures including the 30-day pope and the controversial figures surrounding his murder as well as adapting some gangsters into shady side characters. We meet a few fabulous new actors along with the old ones and the story is rich with layers of deceipt and heartache.
We are witness to a man largely unwilling to confess his sins and a world who is even less willing to forgive.
IMDB
Since I saw it in theatre in the summer of 1994 after working five weeks at summer camp and not having a clue what this movie was about (I missed all the hype), Forrest Gump has remained one of my favorite films for it's tender portrayal of Forrest by weaving a golden thread into tumultuous recent American history.
A simpleton inadvertently becomes all that is considered to be the crown of America - sports hero, millionaire, war hero, and a southern gentleman - but not without continuous heartache. We fall in love with the man who is so severely vulnerable and generous.
I must commend the A-class acting that we get to see or the superb non-distracting special effects that buoy the entire cinematic experience.
The film ties strings of destiny and choice to the plot and I never truly enjoyed that part of the film. The story is so farfetched that I couldn't buy into the destiny aspect of it. I relate much more strongly to Forrest's decision to do what he believes is right and being duly rewarded for it. The destiny aspects are certainly more pronounced in the tragic, yet redeemed lives of his closest peers who have stumbling blocks piled on their doorsteps from day one.
The backdrop, as mentioned, is America through four complete decades. The eras are neatly conjoined through presidential meetings and assassination attempts (makes me wonder whatever happened to people who try to assassinate the president these past 7 years). An American 2-disc soundtrack suitably sets the social tone in each scene Racial tensions, peace protests, Vietnam, and the disillusionment of the 1980s set an ideal sequence for the maturity of a nation as well as a man.
Aside from being a monumental love story, this is what the film is about: Manifest Destiny vs. doing what is right. I think more of America's leaders should watch this film.
IMDB
An exercise in contrast, Scent of a Woman takes the viewer on a luxurious journey from death to life. The motivating element in the film is essentially love - the life sustaining factor, the possibility, and the giving. Instilling hope into another person is a wonderful thing to see in film. It is truly inspiring.
What really strikes me when I watch this film is how honest and real it keeps the players. So many films try to typecast the characters and it leaves the story empty without humanity. I enjoy middleclass characters being middleclass. Maybe it's just what I identify with best.
The subplot about honourably not being a snitch is fascinating to me. I understand the point about not selling out your friends. What about selling out criminals though? What about being true to yourself and truth above being true to those who have done wrong? I recognize the power of grace and how we can wield grace the way it was wielded towards Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, but when are we to act as responsible citizens? There is the question of motive too - revenge, personal gain, justice, responsibility... Some questions the movie brought up for me.
Chris O'Donnell is the one who really performs in this film. I've been a fan since seeing him in his debut Men Don't Leave and his emotional scenes are breathtaking. Al Pacino won the oscar though. He just plays a blind Al Pacino, so I'm not sure how hard that was for him.
Official Site | IMDB
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