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Dust Devil (1992)
Waste of Beautiful Imagery
After watching this film, I've visited my profile to rate it, and to my surprise, I've found out that I had already seen it, in 2009. Though during the second watch, not a single frame is felt familiar, I thought I was watching it first time; this should tell a thing or two about how forgettable it is.
I won't change my rating no matter how much I enjoyed beautiful and rich imagery. Because the dubbing is horrendous and the whole story does not hang together, even the dream sequences makes more sense.
Shoah (1985)
Haunting Documentary
Without a doubt, historically it's a very important, extensive documentary even though I felt some interviews are kind of trivial and the translated parts lay an unnecessary burden on the runtime. My other minor complaint is that Shoah only focus on Jews and intentionally or unintentionally misleads the audience about the Holocaust as if it were concerning only Jews.
I particulary appreciated the way Lanzman shows the scenes of incidents took place. It's so tragic if you think about how ordinary and beautiful images can be so haunting at the same time. We see beautiful landscapes with trains, roads, forests, etc but what did they mean for those poor people? Shoah forces you to imagine it, forces you to put yourself in the victims' shoes. As a result, it's safe to assume that the director's choice is more effective at shocking the audience than showing any real footage at all.
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
Serviceable Comedy
Overused and predictable jokes are the main culprit of this film. It is so formulaic that you know exactly what will happen in the next shot. What's more, this time there is no adequate story to keep audience engaged. I feel like they first wrote the jokes and tailored the story according to them which explains the collage of nothing but neverending clumsiness. Having said that it's not as bad as you would want to kick Sellers' ass.
The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
Good Premise Cheesy Execution
This one does not bring anything fresh to the table since World on A Wire. In fact, I find it quite mind-boggling how they managed to make such a cheesy film out of a philosophical subject. They just squared the circle!
Lin Shi Rong (1979)
Kung Fu Could be Funny Without Jackie Chan
A hilarious kung-fu flick as long as you don't question what's going on or sudden changes in the tone. Choreography and humour is top-notch. Even the long fighting scenes are constructed with as few shots/cuts as possible, indicating how much hard work they put into film during production.
Ma nuit chez Maud (1969)
Heartbreakingly Beautiful
Maud is the victim of this sad story about choices. I think Jean lost his true love because of his prejudices. The book about atheism at the home of Francoise and her past life implies that she is no better or more innocent than Maud. It's so sad that Jean couldn't let his feelings direct him. I don't like Rohmer so much, this film is definitely an exception. Since it has some Bergman, some Godard in it.
Ajami (2009)
Forgettable
An interwoven story about how geography can determine people's fate. This storytelling and editing is somewhat refreshing. However, in the end the whole film feels neither bad nor good. And ultimately it's doomed to be forgettable as a result of failing to make audience care for the wooden characters.
One Man Band (2005)
A Short Film with a Big Impact
Now that is quite something! Finally a beautiful, imaginative, and allegorical short film from Pixar. Probably, the best in the series.
A Taste of Honey (1961)
A Refreshing Kitchen Sink Realism
This is a typical example of Kitchen sink realism. However, it has the most controversial characters and circumstances you could come across in the genre. This time the outcast protagonist is a female and she is not as angry as you expect from a Tony Richardson film. And the tone of the story is not as depressive either. On top of that, this time the characters are quite extraordinary yet all of them are still flesh and blood.
The only downside is the ending, it leaves much to be desired. With a better conclusion, this could easily be an unforgettable masterpiece!
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Good But Slightly Out of Focus
While it has some extraordinary themes - such as power intoxication, crowd manipulation, corruption etc.- I find the storytelling rather unfocused. The subject is indeed ahead of its and even our time yet there's a lot of going on for me to appreciate its essence. (Though the way they symbolize the downfall of Lonesome Rhodes with the elevator was genius.)
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Forgettable Little Film
Unfortunately, a good sense of humour and witty dialogues are not enough to make a good film. Just like how Walt claims Pink Floyd's song as his own, The Squid and the Whale feels like it could be a blatant rip-off of a Woody Allen film.