Pithy Reviews (4)

Making long stories short, since about last week...

Le quattro volte / The Four Times

(Michelangelor Frammartino, 2010)

A shepherd, his goats, a tree and some pieces of coal. These are, one by one, the heroes of Frammartino's unique film, that defies all genre classifications. "Le quattro volte" is almost silent, but visually and thematically rich, one of my favorite film of the (last) year.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Age of Stupid

(Franny Armstrong, 2009)

Alarmist global warming documentary, presented by the late Pete Postlethwaite, as a man from the future (2054, if I remember correctly), who warns his contemporaries not to make the same mistakes we did. The movie crams in a few hard facts between a bunch of "human interest stories", that don't always succeed in raising the viewer's interest.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Turin Horse

(Bela Tarr, 2011)

Reportedly, Bela Tarr's last film is a bit difficult to rate. At two and a half hours of length, it's comprised of only about 30 shots. Visually, the black and white cinematography as well as the elegant tracking shots are amazing. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any moral or point to the story, other than the fact that the end of all things is coming. But while it's there on the screen, it's a hypnotic and unique experience.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5