A public library merger is enabling me to pick up DVDs at a more convenient location, but the transition will slow my check out pace for the next week or two. I have been considering a temporary slowdown anyway, to work on some other projects, so this is good timing. The films at the bottom of this list indicate how reluctant I am to totally reject a movie that seemed interesting enough for me to get a copy and watch it. Those at 2.9 down to 2.7, I consider marginal, but still will not give a Netflix 2 star rating. But the bottom two are bad enough to meet that fate.
How about letting us know if you have any comments regarding any of these films and about what you have been watching at home or in the theater?
The Secret Life of Bees - 2008. I was not familiar with the book, but am very impressed by the movie, as was the author of the novel per the very good special features on the DVD. Much time was spent making sure the film was true to the source, while developing the presentation to also exploit the strengths of the movie medium. Gina Prince-Bythewood deserves much of the credit for writing and directing this 3.6 film. Dakota Fanning is a marvelous young actress and I hope she continues to excel into her adulthood. All the other roles were well cast and played. The story is, as Netflix says, emotional and sentimental, which I really like when it is as well done as this movie.
Capitalism: A Love Story - 2009. This Michael Moore documentary about the evils of capitalism in general and the financial collapse in particular did not cover any new ground or demonstrate any new Moore techniques, but I like the progressive slant of Moore and still find his proven style appealing. It is true that Moore criticizes and ridicules without offering much in the way of solutions, but this film does show some individuals and groups who have taken small steps on a local basis to make improvements. The special features include some quite worthwhile materials, adding to my overall 3.3 rating, which should be taken with a grain of salt because of my personal preference for progressive documentaries.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - 2005. A goofy name for what I thought would be a cutesy movie, but I know some of the young actresses in it are good and Netflix said I would like it. I did like it even a little more than Flix predicted. I give it 3.2. It is about friendship, family and love, has some humor and more sentiment and the young characters, and a few older ones, all experience meaningful development. And the beauty of the Greek island portion of the film is jaw dropping.
Fermat's Room - 2007. This Spanish mystery thriller locked four brilliant mathematicians in a room where they faced death unless they continued solving math puzzles quick enough. I would call it a Who's Doing It and gave it a 3. At only about 90 minutes, it held my interest for the full run. Not one of my favorite genres, but I thought I'd give it a try. If you like a mystery thriller mix, you might like it better than I did.
Cutting Edge; The Magic of Movie Editing - 2004. This documentary about movie editing features interspersed interview clips from various editors, with clips from films they have edited and with examples from the early days of silent films. The material and interviews are all very good, but could have been better organized. Sometimes it felt like a historical analysis and sometimes like a primer on various aspects of editing, but the overall effect was not as good as it could have been, and I rate it a 3. I have read lots of materials on movie editing and have tries my hand at it a few times, so I can vouch for the validity of what is said shown in this film, and I do recommend it to anyone interested in how editing plays a significant role in movie making.
Uprising - 2001. This movie tells the unfamiliar story of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during WWII who engaged in armed warfare against the Nazis. The producers built a replica of the ghetto to use in filming and destroyed it in the process. This was a refreshing change to see the Jews wiping out Nazis. The solid 3 rated drama told the story as well as a documentary could, while also allowing for some character development. I got the DVD from the library. Netflix does not have it, which is a shame, since the story is not well enough known.
Under Fire - 1983. The movie showed the final days of the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua through the eyes of photojournalist Nick Nolte, with a journalistic love triangle sub plot that did not intrude too much. Tight script and attention which held their age and held my attention earned a 3 rating.
L'Innocente (The Innocent) - 1976. This stylish 1976 Italian production included the then obligatory casting of an American in a key supporting role, Jennifer O'Neill, whose Italian dialogue seemed mostly dubbed, but otherwise was a solid 3 morality tale of a 19th Century aristocrat's sexual double standard that backfired. The movie, directed by Luchino Visconti, holds its age quite well. Laura Antonelli's costumes are so gorgeous that they actually compete with her nude scenes.
Human Condition: A Soldier's Prayer - 1961. The final film in this Japanese trilogy has the hero, aware that the Japanese army has been defeated in Manchuria, trying to evade capture by the Russians and Chinese and making his way, with a varying ensemble of rag tag followers, somehow to get back to his wife in Japan. This third installment returns to the level of the first, earning my 3 rating.
The Guru - 2003. Bollywood modeled old MGM musicals, and this American film modeled Bollywood. The result was more watchable and fun than I expected. Nothing much to think about here, but at 2.9, some good laughs and nothing to make you cringe.
The Goddess of 1967 - 2000. This independent Australian film was definitely oddball and shifted time frames fairly often. I was hoping for a cross cultural road trip with character development. There was some cultural variety and the characters were on the road, but in spite of some flashes of interesting film technique, and giving a pass on low production values because it was an indie, the characters never got to me and the plot was too scattered to hold my interest. Net 2.8.
Shenandoah - 1965. I was disappointed that this story with Jimmy Stewart playing a widowed Virginia farmer trying to ignore the Civil War raging around him and his family was not any better than a 2.8. There is not much to learn from this film about the history involved, as the reasons behind the war are not explored beyond rugged individualists like Jimmy don't need slaves. Racial political correctness intercedes to the detriment of historical inaccuracy, with colored troops fighting in integrated Union Army units, something that was prohibited in the Army until Harry Truman ended it in 1948. The music was typically the most dated part of the film and I found it hard to become emotionally attached to anyone except the youngest son. The overall subject and production values kept the score from falling lower.
The Triplets of Belleville - 2003. This French language animated film is certainly different. From the preview, I expected a musical with catchy music illustrated with aging but stylish 1930s types. I watched the special features first to get an idea what I was going to see, and I learned that the creative force behind the movie was one man's vision of a certain look based vaguely on some people he knew, with no particular story in mind. The look is definitely individualistic and I did stay tuned for all 80 minutes, sometimes laughing and not being sure whether I was laughing at the 2.7 film or laughing at me for watching it. I would say it is worth seeing if you are interested in animation technique, for something more than a little different.
Fast Food Nation - 2003. Fast food hamburgers are made of a hodgepodge of ingredients from myriad sources, many of which are unhealthy, but fat and flavorings make them tasty. This 2.3 movie had a hodgepodge script that tried to cover too many story lines, and nothing was pursued satisfactorily enough to give it appeal.
Come Along With Me - 1982. I think I got this oldie because Joanne Woodward was the director, it was about an older widow and it was only an hour long. Thank God it was only an hour, because the story was a 2.2 dud. I think the problem was that it was based on an unfinished novel by a deceased author, and the script, also by Joanne, either did not finish the story or else ruined it. Joanne never wrote or directed another movie after this.
Belated comment here: I wonder how different your reaction to Triplets would have been had you not watched the special features first. Rather than watching something that you had been primed to dismiss as a kind of rambling artsy indulgence only half way fleshed out (pun intended, given the bloodless nature of animation), you might have been delighted by the whimsical vision. But then again, maybe not. I often read reviews after watching something so that I can help myself pinpoint exactly what it was that didn't quite work for me in the film.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think it would have made much difference for this film if I had not watched the special feature first. I was attracted to the film by the preview, which only showed some musical highlights, without giving an accurate picture of what the film was about. Maybe I rated it a little too low, because of disappointed expectations, but the expectations were built by the preview rather than the special feature. I am actually glad I watched it, because it was something creatively different, so I should raise the rating up a notch maybe to 2.8, meaning watch it if you think you might like this type of thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you think of the movie?