oliveira-7 Reviews

The Middleman (2019– )

A fine TV series with an amazing work by Amalric

[10/10 · 29 April 2024]

The first impression was of weirdness, slightly off-putting. The many twists in the plot are incredible and at the same time amusing and thought-provoking. A bold screenplay, a tight production, great artistry throughout. The troubled, helpless and hopeless main character hardly could find anyone better than Amalric to play it.

I liked the time travel especially, so well imagined and so revealing on some of the characters' backgrounds, on the (sad) destiny of the building, and on life in the longer run.

And, of all people, the main character goes off his way to save a goldfish. This will have paramount consequences. Remember: you'll never know when and how life challenges you.

On Fire (2023)

Good production

[7/10 · 4 February 2024]

Perhaps the best thing about this film is that it will convince many people that it is really necessary to keep those 50 or even 100 meters without trees around the houses. And even then... the example given here of the ingenious care taken by the owner of that house literally going up in smoke was interesting: you're never safe from the recklessness of your neighbors.

The story of a family of 3+1 who survived a forest fire provides the pretext for a production in which we are placed inside the burning forest, in a terrifyingly realistic reconstruction of the scenario that someone in those circumstances has to face - with virtually no chance of survival. Great value is placed on unity, as each element of these three will contribute in its own way to an improbable outcome.

The production (pyrotechnics and everything else) is stupendous, the actors very convincing and the filming impeccable. But there are a few problems, namely the script, which is too formulaic and predictable, and with inconsistencies: there's the manslaughter of two old people, with no culpability and (almost) no remorse, and there's the final shock of seeing those trees, so green, on the shores of Lake Chilton...

Honour (2020)

Respectable subject, but questionable dramatisation

[6/10 · 30 October 2021]

This is a nice dramatised documentary of a criminal investigation that revealed huge defficiencies in police action, intergenerational conflict brought about by migration of hypertraditional families to Western countries, and the appalling conditions faced by many women.

However, the overacting is painful for the viewer, and it is the director's to be blamed for that. Too much "emotionalising" gets in the way of an otherwise well-constructed storyline.

A final title helps understand how the UK bullied the Iraq authorities to deliver their own citizens to foreign justice. A hint of slanted morals.

The Diary of Anne Frank (1959)

A fine adaptation

[9/10 · 14 August 2013]

Taken from the diary: "I want to go on living, even after my death". Seeing this diary unfold helps us understand why her author has won immortality. She had a foresight of how her generation would make things different after the war, and it is really tragic that she could not live to fulfill her calling as a writer.

Rather than dealing with spectacular scenes, this film takes its time to help us live through the long wait the diary describes. In spite of its length of almost 3 hours, this finely crafted odyssey is not dull at all.

Most of the acting is superb (particularly Perkins, Schildkraut, Winters, Baker in her debut, Wynn), direction and cinematography are great, and the whole staging is very natural. Great care in recapturing the atmosphere of the loft, and the different mindsets according to generation, no doubt benefiting from the insights of Anne Frank herself. And the whole scene on D-day is magnificent. I also enjoyed very much the well measured glimpses of street reality during German occupation.

The downside is the music, obsolete even for the time it was filmed.

Arrebato (1979)

A major cult film from Spain

[8/10 · 19 May 2012]

From initial ridicule (despite the official recommendation as a quality feature) to flat-out praise, it took more than twenty years to realize the seminal influence of this film on Spanish production, from Almodovar onwards. It draws many influences from the Warhol-esque New York underground scene but has tremendous scenes.

Whoever wants to understand what Betty Boop was all about, must see Cecilia Roth dance scene, it is fabulous.

Contains a lot of drug addiction references, which should be seen as an analogy to the addiction to capturing moving pictures and watching them. The only way for a film director to get rid of the latter is to dissolve into the industry.

An Affair to Remember (1957)

A classic of romantic comedy

[8/10 · 6 March 2010]

To avoid being corny with such a theme is already an achievement, but with the intelligence that pervades everything in this motion picture, amazement is ceaseless. Of course it has its weaknesses: some of it is a bit dated (though some aspects could be favourably judged nowadays, like the fact that a garment could be a deeply personal gift then, before the prêt-à-porter revolution), and the secondary characters are quite sketchy.

But Grant and Kerr deserve tremendously to be the sole focus of attention, disguising all that with a perennial joint performance. They make an unforgettable couple and seal this masterpiece with one of the most beautiful -- real -- kisses that graced the silver screen. Unbelievable that there are versions where the final embrace is cut out!

Cockfighter (1974)

Very real, masterful concept, superb photography

[8/10 · 14 November 2009]

The subject of cockfighting may be unsavory to many, but Monte Hellman built around it, with the help of writer/actor Willeford, a very pleasing piece of cinema. One gets into the underworld of cockfighting (still legal then, in some US states) with characters, situations and fates that are as close to real life as one could imagine.

Speechless Warren Oates radiates as an unlikely hero, dominating the scene with Hellman's complicity. And the outstanding cinematography work by Almendros delivers an impressive image quality, with particular praise for the virtuoso capture of the highly shifting fights.

Hellman likes challenges and excels in his trade.

Two Lovers (2008)

Trivial plot as vehicle for brilliant cinema

[8/10 · 18 August 2009]

Wonderful, touching, albeit with a slightly predictable story. Every scene is crafted with utmost skill, every actor/actress is shining.

There are two especially troubled characters, the hub of a chain of unrequited desires: Michelle (a Gwyneth Paltrow like we did not see for years) the secret lover of a married man (Elias Koteas, fine as well), and Leonard (Joaquín Phoenix) who adores her but himself the object of all attention by the beautiful Sandra (Vinessa Shaw, great actress). It is not a love triangle: the central characters of Leonard and Michelle are not wanted by more than one. Both actors portray misery on theirs characters in a deep, beautiful manner.

The wonderful skill of James Gray is to tell the story in such a way that draws deep emotion. Very much unlike the complicated plots by David Lynch, sophistication is attained here without sacrificing on simplicity or clarity.

Imagining Argentina (2003)

A fable of despair

[6/10 · 9 December 2008]

Not a masterpiece, but an interesting approach to the horror that cloaked Argentina during the 1976-83 military dictatorship, when people disappeared by the thousands, most being killed without leaving a trace. A great reminder of what civil rights are worth for. This movie drifts a little, to some viewers, in injecting a psychic element, however this too arguably gets some credibility within the setting, and does remind us of how impossible it would be to actually find the disappeared people. And, among those who survived, so many shattered lives! Anyway, the emotional impact is surely strong, and the disgust with the nazi-like characters in all kinds of uniform is something to be remembered. The most important here is to pay attention to history. Remembering is the one thing the real-life criminals are most afraid of. Even if they remain unpunished and everybody prefers to move on and forget, remembering is the right thing to do. As said on a line, the horror goes away only until a next time.