Showing posts with label 1992. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1992. Show all posts

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Material reciclat (II)

În cadrul aceluiași turneu... 


El lado oscuro del corazon
Acesta este primul film de Subiela pe care l-am vazut, deci imi lipseste, poate, minimul de context de care as avea nevoie pentru a vorbi despre el. Dar am sa ma lansez la o incercare scurta.
Protagonistul este Oliveiro, un poet fara succes, care isi petrece timpul alaturi de prieteni artisti, in conversatii cu Moartea, vanzandu-si talentul pentru reclame sau fripturi, precum si alaturi de diferite femei pe care le expediaza din patul sau cu ajutorul unei trape. Existenta sa este magica, iar scopul ei pare sa fie sa gaseasca o femeie care stie sa zboare, care apare sub forma unei prostituate care ii cade cu tronc lui Oliveiro.
Dario Grandinetti este foarte bun in rolul principal si mi-a placut foarte mult si imaginea semnata de Hugo Colace (care a mai filmat "La cienaga" si unul dintre filmele mele preferate din competitia de la TIFF din anul acesta, "Sin retorno", care a castigat si Trofeul Transilvania), in special reluarea catorva cadre importante pe parcursul genericului de final, de aceasta data insa nepopulate de personajele care par sa-si fi luat zborul. Nu sunt foarte convins de metafizica si poezia care incarca povestea, dar aceasta ii dau filmului o aura aparte si m-au facut curios de acest Subiela.
”Im Lauf der Zeit” (Wim Wenders, 1976)
Im Lauf der Zeit
Filmul lui Wim Wenders functioneaza pe mai multe niveluri. In primul rand, este o poveste despre prietenia (sau, ma bine zis, intovarasirea) dintre doi barbati de varsta mijlocie, a caror vieti par sa ruleze in punctul mort. De asemenea, este si un film despre o cultura in suferinta - cultura cinematografica. Salile pe care Bruno le viziteaza pentru intretinere s-au reprofilat pe pelicule porno, singurele care atrag spectatorii. Daca personajele par, in general, blazate si neinteresate de acest aspect, Wenders cu siguranta nu este, iar acest lucru se releva in puternicul sentiment de nostalgie care domina pelicula, de la scena se inceput, care vorbeste despre salile de cinema, la modul in care sunt filmate interioarele cinematografelor si, mai ales secventa din spatele ecranului, in care Bruno si "Kamikaze" pun in scena - spre neplacerea lor, dar spre incantarea copiilor - un mic show cu siluete. Impasul cultural si nostalgia par sa justifice aparitia noilor forme de expresie (un "nou val") si despre asta cred eu ca este vorba in filmul lui Wenders: o pledoarie pentru renasterea cinematografului, filmata intr-un alb-negru splendid.
"Im Lauf der Zeit" este facut de un tip care evident a petrecut prea mult timp in sali de cinema si in cabine de proiectie, dar aici arata cat de bine a invatat meserie.



Thursday, July 28, 2011

Pithy Reviews (5) - "Alien" Edition

Ever seen a downward spiral? How about this one?

Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
A science-fiction horror that is full of subtext(s) and exploits our deep, subconscious, collective fears. In my opinion, it's Ridley Scott's finest film (with apologies to the excellent "Blade Runner" and "The Duelists", but it's open to debate anyway...) and, certainly, it's Sigourney Weaver's most iconic character. 
Rating: 4.5 out of 5  

Aliens (James Cameron, 1984)
This is much more of an action picture than the first one and much less of a horror film. Cameron is in his comfort zone and he delivers a few gripping action sequences and a bunch of quotable moments. He also uses a lot of clichés and the final product is not really to my taste. A lot of people like it, though...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Alien³ (David Fincher, 1992)
This movie is a mess and it's not entirely Fincher's fault. There are so many things wrong with it and so many disturbing things in it that I don't even want to talk about it. However, there are a couple of moments that makes you wonder what kind of a movie Fincher might have pulled off had he been allowed to actually make the movie he wanted to make.
Rating: 2 out of 5

Alien: Resurrection (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1997)
Another movie that is kind of a mess, somewhere between a gory, Cronenberg-esque horror and a dark comedy in the style of "Delicatessen". Sigourney gets to do something a bit different and she is still the highlight of every single sequel in the series. Ron Perlman is also here and Darius Khondji is the DP, so, all things taken into consideration, this is a pretty flawed film, but it could be enjoyable assuming you have rather low expectations.
Rating: 2 out of 5


Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Candyman - English Language Review

Candyman
(USA, 1992)


Directed by: Bernard Rose
Starring: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley

Rating: 4/5

One of my favorite horror movies is Bernard Rose's 1992 classic, "Candyman". Virginia Madsen stars as a urban legend researcher that begins to investigate a series of horrible murders committed in the projects, that the locals link to the legend of Candyman, a former slave with a hook instead of his right hand, that comes back from the grave to take revenge if you say his name five times in the mirror.


Although usually referred to as a slasher, and while definitely having its share of victims getting stabbed and sliced, "Candyman" doesn't follow the predictable pattern of most movies of that sub-genre. For the first 40 minutes or so, it is a very unsettling movie, although nobody gets killed. Instead, the director uses suggestion to put us in the same frame of mind as the characters. The rest of the movie is more predictable and less scary (as we find out Candyman is really a vengeful ghost, not a real vengeful killer), but it's still very enjoyable and well-made. Furthermore, there is a Hitchcock-ian thing to it. Although there is evidence against it, the appearances of Candyman could all be just a figment of Madsen's character's imaginations, as she begins to experience paranoia, fear and hallucinations. There's also a transfer of guilt going on that is integral to the story: the woman feels some sort of white guilt for what the people in the projects seem to go through and what happened to Candyman and the entire experience (which may all be inside her own head) is a way to get rid of this guilt; after she (spoiler!) dies at the end, her husband suddenly feels guilty for the way he treated her and is quickly punishes in one of the most thrilling surprise endings in horror.


I admit that the movie touches on sociological issues without really discussing them and only uses them as a pretext for a very well put together horror fantasy about individual and mass delusion, religion and the everyday paranoia of urban life. In the end, it would be unfair not to mention Philip Glass' music, which drives the plot forward and succeeds in being, at the same time, disturbing, mystical and emotional. 


Sunday, December 5, 2010

Jamón, jamón - English Language Review

Jamón, jamón
(Spain, 1992)


Directed by: Bigas Luna
Starring: Stefania Sandrelli, Anna Galiena, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Jordi Mollà

Rating: 3/5

Also known as "A Tale of Ham and Passion", this movie has earned some retrospective fame because it features Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem at the beginning of their careers and we get to see them 'doing it'. The plot is pretty complicated, as it follows several inhabitants of a small Spanish town, including the owner of an underwear factory, his wife, their son, the local whore who also owns a bar, her daughter and a young man who works as a ham delivery boy. And everybody has sex with almost everybody else. And in the end, one of them dies.


Now, I didn't care too much for the ending and I don't think this is a good movie by any standards, but I did find it very entertaining. For once, it's very nicely photographed, in full, vivid colors (the red on Penélope's dress and other significant objects) and taking advantage of the over-exposured caused by shooting in a desert area. There are visual motifs that repeat themselves throughout the movie, but they're mostly phallic or testicular metaphors. This movie is genuinely odd, as it seems to jump from one story/scene to another without bothering with too much exposition (or closure, for that matter). It's also quite funny at times, and Bardem's macho persona is hilarious. There's also a lot of sex in this movie, maybe too much, at times, as it distracts from the plot (which becomes thinner as we advance towards the ending). I wasn't convinced by many of the performances, especially not by Stefania Sandrelli's. But Anna Galiena is great as the former stripper/prostitute, now restaurant owner, who also sleeps with her daughter's fiancée and Penélope Cruz is charming as always. 


It occured to me after I finished the film that it may have several homages to Bunuel. The crane shot at the end looks like something from "Simon of the Desert" and there's definitely some contempt for the bourgeoisie in here. Also, there are at least three very surreal scenes: one of them has Bardem's character and his friend bullfighting naked under the moonlight; the second one is a erotic scene involving Anna Galiena and the (somewhat) younger Jordi Mollà, in which she imitates a parrot and there's a highly titillating (but also kinda creepy) extreme close-up of her lips as she does the squawking noises; and, finally, there's an unsettling nightmare sequence that seems taken right out of "Un chien andalou".

I recommend "Jamón, jamón" cautiously, as a genuinely strange and beautiful film, although many viewers may be put off by the weak performances and the contrived plot. I think it has enough humor, balls (literal and metaphorical ones), charm and craziness to balance some of its shortcomings.