La cité des enfants perdus (1995)

The City of Lost Children is one of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's (Amélie) early films (a collaboration with Marc Caro) and it certainly bears his marks of humour and fantasy. One of the lead actors, Dominique Pinon, appears in nearly all of Jeunet's films.

The story here revolves around the abduction of children from a port town by drones. The one having the children abducted can't dream, so he connects his brain to the kids' brains so that he can participate in their dreams. Ron Perlman's character is out looking for his lost little friend and eventually uncovers this massive plot. The film is saturated with rich villains, colourful children, and high contrast lighting. Oddly enough, Perlman delivers very few lines in barely understandable French.

It's a fun, rather humourous film despite its dark subject, but I found it a little difficult to follow.

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Clockers (1995)

Spike Lee's crime drama shows how infused the hood is with drug and crime culture. A wonderful meditation on the humanity and fragility on the streets of NYC and the need for redemption.

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Before Sunrise (1995)

This Richard Linklater film is a cross between an essay, a play, and a romantic drama. It distills the essence of what a connection between two people is: trust, mutual interest, and sexual attraction.

A rather bold American tourist comes on strong to a French woman traveler on a train in Vienna. The two strangers decide to spend 24 hours together in the historic city on a whim and fall in love only to leave each other at dawn.

The two converse and self-correct and wander through the night as they explore each other and metaphysical reality.

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Four Rooms (1995)

Each of four directors tackle 1/4 of this quirky film. Tim Roth is the strand that holds the story together.

A new bellhop on his first day on the job on New Year's Eve is called to four different rooms. At each room he is asked to do things that are expressly forbidden either by his job description or by the law.

What is surprising about the film - which resembles more a collection of short films or four TV episodes than it does a feature - is that all four of the episodes are great. I expected Tarantino's to the best (which it was), but the other three were just as hilarious and suspenseful.

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Il Postino (1995)

The Postman is one of the gentlest and most beautiful films I have ever seen. Absolutely enjoyable and touching.

Mario, very simple Italian island peasant (played magnificently by the late Massimo Troisi) who isn't interested in fishing takes a low paying job at the post office. He has one delivery to the famous poet Pablo Neruda, a political exile from Chile. As the two become friends, Mario's life begins to take form and he gains much confidence and purpose. But Neruda is not left unaffected either.

The poetry in the film is superb as it actually comes from Neruda. I loved the film for its portrayal of innocence and the power of friendship. It also demonstrates the potency of poetry and beauty and its accessibility to everyone irregardless, of social standing.

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Kicking and Screaming (1995)

Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding) got his breakthrough with this commentary on Generation X.

Four cerebral and snooty college grads move in together following graduation - each one without any direction, employment or an inkling of identity. We watch them moan and groan about each other and life for the next year.

Not quite the depth nor entertainment value his later films have, but enough to make a statement about the his peers and perhaps himself.

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Underground (1995)

Also known as Once Upon a Time there was a Country, this artsy and comedic biopic of the 20th Century life of Yugoslavia touches on both the pathos of its history and the resilience of the population.

Two scheming brothers in Belgrade end up fighting German invaders when the Nazis attack in the early 1940's. Leading them is the fearless and legendary Tito (shown in archive footage between eras) and surrounding them are people from every ethnic group in Yugoslavia who have joined together for a common cause. One brother is badly injured and is kept in a bomb shelter with other resistance fighters where they produce weapons while the other brother profits from their work long after the war is over as their only point of contact on the outside.

The film becomes much more surreal and it crosses path with a film crew producing an epic battle (which was in reality more humourous than heroic) before entering into the early 1990's when the two brothers end up on opposite sides of the civil war.

Rather than rendering a clear synopsis of Yugoslavia, Underground speaks of humanity and inhumanity between brothers. The film deserves the accolades it received.

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Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

I'm a sap. I haven't admitted it in any of these posts, but I'm a weepy cinephile. So, when something strikes a chord in me, it really doesn't matter what I can pick apart about the movie not how sappy, I'm captivated.

The overwhelming message from Mr. Holland's Opus is sacrifice and sacrifice is a powerful subject. In my experience, I have found that whatever dreams or goals I have, if anything stands in their way, they are likely to become more rewarding than whatever goal I had in mind. This film captures many aspects of this with the young temptress, parental and marital responsibilities, time allocation, and sharing your soul.

Technically, this film is a difficult one, with it's main characters aging 30 years, along with the sets and costumes. The episodes pass quickly and are bridged with familiar American archived news footage from 1965 through to 1995.

I can't say that all of the music was that good. I felt a little let down at how "poppish" the soundtrack was. It wasn't horrible, but I just hoped that a film about a music teacher would have very original compositions accompanying it. The period radio singles were fine.

The acting was more than adequate. There were a dozen very emotional scenes and about half of them truly succeeded. Richard Dreyfuss and Glenne Headly did a terrific job of letting the dreams go, staying together and at the same time diverging in their paths.

Of course tears were streaming down my face at the close of the film. To be recognized for the sacrifice one makes helps ease some of the pain that one has accepted in order to serve. I can't help but feel guilty for the times I passed on the pain or inconvenience in order to serve myself and not the other.

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