Change Your Image
reasonablyniceperson
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Skip it.
"Mulholland Dr." is sometimes described as being a being mystery movie. That it is. For this reviewer, the biggest mystery is how and why it was ever released to the public.
The film starts out promisingly enough with some first rate acting by Naomi Watts as Betty, a stereotypically naive all-American Girl who comes to Los Angeles from Anytown, USA to seek fame and fortune on the silver screen. The viewer soon comes to realize, however, that Ms. Watts' deft portrayal of the hopeful, starry-eyed young actress is actually an exercise in High Camp at its highest and campiest - which was surely the effect that director David Lynch was trying to achieve. Lest there be any doubt about this, the manager of the apartment complex where Betty is staying is played by (believe it or not) Ann Miller. Yes, THAT Ann Miller, who plays a character named Coco. One has to wonder if Ms. Miller realized what she was getting into when she agreed to appear in this senseless waste of celluloid.
Since those early scenes constitute the highlight of the film, that would be a good time for a forewarned viewer to leave. Many of those who remain will be Hipper-than-Thou types, possibly under the influence of certain mind-altering substances. They will probably love it and declare David Lynch to be a true auteur of the highest order. So-called "ordinary" people expecting to see a movie with a cohesive beginning, middle and end will likely feel disappointed, cheated and angry at themselves for wasting two and a half hours of their lives.
Guling jie shaonian sharen shijian (1991)
Disappointing
I went to see this film because of the director, Edward Yang. His "Yi-Yi" (which I saw over twenty years ago) blew me away to such an extent that I immediately added it to my Top Ten Movies of All Time list (possibly even Top Five) and then rushed to buy the DVD.
In my not-so-humble opinion "A Brighter Summer Day" is not in the same category as "Yi-Yi." Not even close. It may be of particular interest to Taiwanese and Chinese viewers but I found it to be tedious, needlessly sprawling and in serious need of editing. I also feel justified in saying that if a filmmaker expects an audience to sit through a four hour movie he or she should darn well do something to hook the audience's interest and attention fairly early on. When that didn't happen (to me, at least) after two hours I left the theater.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Save Your Money
This movie is one, big, incoherent mess that does a definite disservice to the Star Wars legacy. Do yourself a favor and skip it.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Welles or Kurasawa?
It is inarguable that this interesting train wreck of a film by the master is best remembered for the "Hall of Mirrors" scene.
QUESTION: Was this clever cinematic device first used by Welles in this 1947 film or by Akira Kurasawa in his 1948 masterpiece "Drunken Angel," (1948), where it was employing a tryptic mirror? Any authoritative info regarding release dates of the respective films might be helpful.
Widows (2018)
There is only one Steve McQueen.
There was, is, and always will be only one Steve McQueen. Out of respect for the late screen idol why couldn't the director identify himself as Steven McQueen, Steven Rodney McQueen or Steven R. McQueen?
Gifted (2017)
A strictly "By-the-Numbers" script. Skip it.
This film might work as a "Movie of the Week" on The Heart-Warming Feel-Good Channel (if there is such a thing) but it is definitely a Not-Ready-for-Theaters-Production, unless you like the kind of movie where you can predict not only the next scene but the next several lines of dialogue. If you also prefer characters who are stereotypes rather than believable human beings then see this movie and buy the DVD and the T-shirt as well.
Screenwriter Tom Flynn might have better luck writing Graphic Novels for twenty- something females if he can find a decent illustrator but as a scenarist he could not really be described as "Gifted."
Climate Hustle (2017)
What are the Warmests afraid of?
Any true scientist will tell you that in science the book is never closed on any issue, and that includes the THEORY of man-made global warming. Politicians, dictators and their flunkies in The Establishment Press are the ones who close books. In today's political climate (no pun intended) the pro-Globalist elite try to keep the books closed by enforcing the unwritten but very real regulations on behavior and thought control that are collectively known as The Rules of Politically Correctness. In doing so they are employing the same method used in Leftist one-party states such as North Korea, Cuba and California. Galileo and Copernicus are just two of the many people who were made to suffer for daring to think outside of the box and disregarding the PC rules of their day. Furthermore, reasonable certainly in the field of science is never attained by consensus. Virtually one hundred percent of "scientists" once believed that the world is flat and people like Copernicus and Galileo were made to suffer for taking exception to the orthodox view.
À bout de souffle (1960)
Another Reason Not to Go to Film School
Besides the fact that you will save $100,000 another reason to skip Film School is that you won't be required to sit through a screening of "Breathless" - a class that should be titled "How to Make a Self-Indulgent Home Movie Posing As Art" that examines what is essentially an exercise in cinematic masturbation.
Okay, Godard did things differently. He not only ignored The Rules of filmmaking; he thumbed his nose at them. This may be enough to endear him to immature film students because of the rebellious nature of youth. This sentiment is usually reinforced when they learn that he is a life-long Communist, which is like, so cool! (No traditional bourgeois filmmaking principles like "Telling a Story" for Godard. How liberating!)
Unfortunately, it is also the folly of youth to believe that New & Different is somehow synonymous with Innovative & Better - a notion has clouded the judgement of many seemingly rational people old enough to know better when it comes to their assessment of what constitutes Art.
Watching early works of Godard like "À Bout de Soufflé" and "Pierrot le Fou" reminds me of a child exclaiming, Mommy, Daddy - look at me! Look at what I'm doing." Nonetheless there are actually two good reasons why you should bite the bullet (or take a stiff drink) and watch "Breathless." The first is the very 50s-ish jazzy score by Martial Solal, which totally fits the film and captures the atmosphere in the disjointed and somewhat crazy scenario (such as it is.) The second reason is the incomparable Jean Seberg. You will become captivated by her as soon as she appears on the screen, but then you will fall hopelessly in love with this utterly charming gamin Américaine when you see her slowly walking on the Champs-Elysees calling out, "New York Herald Tribune" with newspapers that she is trying to sell bundled in her arm.
Godard famously said, "All that you need to make a good film is a girl and a gun." At least he was half right.
Pierrot le fou (1965)
Godard le Fou
Regardless of what you will hear from pompous leftist professors in your Film Studies classes, kiddies, Jean-Luc Godard's "Pierrot le Fou" is really nothing more than an egotistical exercise in cinematic masturbation. That would be acceptable for a movie made for private viewing at home, but when it is released in public theaters it also becomes exhibitionism. Of course if you enjoy this kind of voyeurism it might be right up your alley, so to speak. All others should be warned.
'Ooh, look at me,' Godard seems to be saying. 'I'm an artiste, and a philosopher too! Not only can I juxtapose reality with surreality, I can be absurdist as well, with doses of deep Marxist commentary thrown in for good measure! Isn't that like, so cool, and revolutionary?" Uh, no. Not really, Jean-Luc.
It is movies like this that give so-called "art house" films and filmgoers a bad name. When I overheard a couple of obnoxious self-styled cineastes analyzing and deconstructing the film afterwards with references to Roland Barthes and Jacques Derrida I almost wanted to puke.
The best directors do not purposely draw attention to themselves, their craft or their directing style because they realize that, aside from documentaries, good filmmaking is primarily about one thing - telling a story in the best possible way. If you have to sit through this movie in Film Class bring a barf bag and some NoDoze. To cleanse your cinematic palate when you get home enjoy a movie made by directors like Frank Capra, Preston Sturges or even Clint Eastwood with a bag of popcorn or a box of Raisinets.
Der Stand der Dinge (1982)
An Overlooked Gem That Sparkles
If you get a chance to see this 1982 film "The State of Things," take it. I had never heard of it and would not have come across it if I hadn't attended a multi-week festival of the films of director Wim Wenders at the IFC theater in New York, at which the director appeared several times for interviews and Q & A sessions.
"The State of Things" should be seen by anyone who loves, or even likes movies. I purposely say "movies" rather than "film" because you don't have to be a certified cinéaste to appreciate it. Plain old, popcorn-munching movie lovers will enjoy it as well. (Mr. Wenders, BTW, seems to be both. No contradiction there.)
Details of the plot can be found in other reviews, but in summary, an international cast and crew shooting a movie off of the coast of Portugal is left high and dry by the producer when they learn that there is not enough money available to continue the project. The director hasn't been able to reach the producer by phone so he flies to L.A. to talk to him and try to find out what's going on. This is where the plot thickens and you will have to see the movie to learn how it unfolds.
Besides extolling the merits of the movie itself, the ensemble cast and the director, my main motivation for writing this review is to praise the outstanding performance of Allen Goorwitz (a/k/a Allen Garfield) as the errant producer. Mr. Goorwitz is listed first in the acting credits (on IMDb) but he doesn't appear until about 45 minutes before the film ends and he is in every scene until the credits roll. It is well worth the wait. His portrayal of the character is a priceless tour-de-force.
This extraordinary character actor began his career learning his craft at The Actors Studio in New York where he studied with Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan. With those credits it is not surprising that he turned out to be one of those actors who "doesn't look like he's acting," a description usually associated with big name Method Actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean.
If you are a movie lover who has ever yearned for a film that has "something different" while still being very accessible and not too artsy, put "The State of Things" at or near the top of your list. You will have to search for it but your efforts will be amply rewarded.