Key Largo

Genre: suspense (in black and white)

With: Humphrey Bogart (Frank McCloud), Lionel Barrymore (James Temple), Lauren Bacall (Nora), Edward G. Robinson (Johnny Rocco), Monte Blue (Sheriff Ben Wade) and Claire Trevor (Gaye Dawn)

Director: John Huston

Release: 1948

Studio: Warner Brothers

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.3/10

A New Lease on Life… and It Didn’t Even Cost You

QuickView

Story-line: when an embittered former major goes to the Florida Keys to meet the family of a fallen comrade, he witnesses strange happenings and threatening behaviour.   

Pluses: formidable acting by Bogey, Bacall, Claire Trevor (an Oscar winner) and Edward G. Robinson (observe him as Gaye sings along… is he smiling or grimacing?), a masterly screenplay by Richard Brooks and John Huston (based on a play by Maxwell Anderson), potent dialogues and sturdy direction.   

Minuses: none.

Comments: over the years, I’ve missed KEY LARGO several times but I hope you won’t wait as long as I did to see it. Nothing in this thriller seems forced or artificial; characters are well drawn, their strengths and weaknesses skilfully exposed. Can today’s movie industry beat this kind of star power and flawless dramatic development? Not often, I would say.

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Mother (The)

Genre: social drama

With: Anne Reid (May), Peter Vaughan (Toots), Steven Mackintosh (Bobby), Cathryn Bradshaw (Paula), Anna Wilson-Jones (Helen, Bobby’s wife), Oliver Ford Davies (Bruce) and Daniel Craig (Darren)

Director: Roger Michell

Release: 2004

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.2/10

A Mother But Still A Human Being

QuickView

Story-line: as soon as retirees Toots and May arrive in London to visit their children, a health issue throws the whole family into a fix.     

Pluses: a very contemporary subject, natural acting by Anne Reid and cast (check out Daniel Craig before James Bond!), Hanif Kureishi’s subtle screenplay, disciplined direction, Jeremy Sams’ jazzy score.

Minuses: none.

Comments: a genuinely surprising and thought-provoking movie about old age, generational conflicts and how damaging it is to pigeonhole people, especially those who are close to us. I can only admire a film that tackles tough issues in such a brave and realistic way.

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Fearless

Genre: psychological drama

With: Jeff Bridges (Max Klein), Isabella Rossellini (his wife Laura), Rosie Perez (Carla Rodrigo), Benicio del Toro (Mannie, Carla’s husband), Tom Hulce (Brillstein) and John Turturro (Doctor Perlman)

Director: Peter Weir

Release: 1993

Studio: Warner Brothers

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.4/10

Some Guys Have All the Luck

QuickView

Story-line: when Max Klein and his associate took a flight to Houston, they never expected it would end in a crash… with only one of them surviving.

Pluses: bravura performances by Jeff Bridges and Rosie Perez, solid support from Isabella Rossellini and Tom Hulce as less likeable characters, an ambitious screenplay by Rafael Yglesias.

Minuses: none really.

Comments: it only takes a minute to realize that FEARLESS is a hard-hitting and enriching movie that goes to the heart of human experience. In some ways, Max will become an enigma after his miraculous escape, a man disconnected from our world. Should we fear the future? How can we cope with tragedy? As Peter Weir’s demanding film demonstrates, the answers are not simple and the road to understanding is often difficult to follow.

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

One, Two, Three

Genre: comedy (in black and white)

With: James Cagney (C.R. McNamara), Pamela Tiffin (Scarlett Hazeltine), Horst Buchholz (Otto Ludwig Piffl), Arlene Francis (Phyllis, C.R.’s wife), Lilo Pulver (Ingeborg!) and Hanns Lothar (Schlemmer).
Director: Billy Wilder

Release: 1961

Studio: United Artists

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.4/10

Drink a Cold One for the Cold War

QuickView

Story-line: C.R. McNamara, the Coca-Cola manager in West Berlin, is asked a favour by his boss at the very moment he’s dealing with Russian officials to market Coke behind the Iron Curtain.

Pluses: a whirlwind performance by James Cagney as the unstoppable McNamara, a strong cast and colourful characters, a breathless story by Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond and playwright Ferenc Molnár.

Minuses: clearly none, unless you’re not in a laughing mood.

Comments: an uproarious comedy, no doubt, and also a piece of cinematic history. It took a lot of chutzpah to mock capitalists and communists alike at the height of the Cold War… and ONE, TWO, THREE pulled it off spectacularly by mixing post-World War II anxieties, old Nazi reflexes and East-West rivalries (Frank Sinatra!). One can only surrender to such wit and humour.

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Femme infidèle (la)

English title: The Unfaithful Wife

Genre: marital drama  

With: Stéphane Audran (Hélène), Michel Bouquet (Charles Desvallées), Stephen Di Napolo (Michel), Maurice Ronet (Victor Pegala), Michel Duchaussoy (Duval), Guy Marly (Gobet)

Director: Claude Chabrol

Release: 1968

Studio: Cinegai S.p.A., Les Films de la Boétie

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.1/10    

A Living Room, a Statuette, a Fit of Anger  

QuickView

Story-line: Hélène and Charles live in a magnificent house, are happy together and dearly love their son Michel. But is their marriage as perfect as it seems?

Pluses: sparkling dialogues and acting, a fresh take on infidelity, excellent pacing, odd touches here and there (it’s a Chabrol, n’est-ce pas?).

Minuses: none really.

Comments: some movies waste no time in drawing you in… and this is exactly what LA FEMME INFIDÈLE manages to do. Marvel at Claude Chabrol’s measured, psychology-driven filmmaking. Quality entertainment for movie buffs!

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Fils (le)

English title: The Son

Genre: psychological drama

With: Olivier Gourmet (Olivier), Isabella Soupart (his ex-wife Magali), Morgan Marinne (Francis), Jimmy Deloof (Dany) and Anne Gérard (Dany’s mother).

Directors: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Release: 2002

Studio: NewYorker Films

Rating: - 

MBiS score: 8.2/10

Too Young To Know Better. Too Old To Forget.

QuickView

Story-line: a quiet man who teaches woodworking to juvenile delinquents has trouble dealing with a new student.   

Pluses: a sober treatment well-suited to the subject matter (no music… not even during the opening credits!), a meticulous and sensible screenplay, tight editing and camera work (notice how Olivier is often filmed from behind… feel all that stiffness in his neck), a masterful buildup of tension.

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: over the years, the Dardenne brothers have become Cannes Festival favourites for one simple reason: they make excellent movies. LE FILS, a compelling drama set in Belgium, showcases yet again their talent and storytelling prowess. This low-budget, high-value production is well worth your time. See it!  

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Husbands

Genre: comedy drama

With: Ben Gazzara (Harry), Peter Falk (Archie Black), John Cassavetes (Gus Dimitri), Jenny Runacre (Mary Tynan), Meta Shaw (Annie, Harry’s wife).

Director: John Cassavetes

Release: 1970

Studio: Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Releasing

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.4/10

Three Loons on a Lark

QuickView

Story-line: when Stuart passes away, his friends Harry, Archie and Gus take time off to reminisce and chase their blues away.

Pluses: amazingly natural performances by the three leads, an original and very talky screenplay by John Cassavetes, juicy dialogues, one unbelievable 12-minute scene in a toilet stall, splendid photography by Victor J. Kemper.

Minuses: the movie made me laugh so hard I was exhausted in the end.   

Comments: although it contains a few dramatic and even harrowing scenes, HUSBANDS has little in common with Lawrence Kasdan’s THE BIG CHILL. Cassavetes’ film is mostly a comedy… and one so hilarious the actors often crack up while delivering their lines. You’ll love HUSBANDS for its frank depiction of friendship, regret, personal tragedies and minor victories. As for those body odours… well… don’t ask!

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Grandes manœuvres (les)

Genre: romantic drama  

With: Michèle Morgan, Gérard Philipe, Jean Desailly

Director: René Clair

Release: 1955

Studio: Filmsonor, Rizzoli Film, S.E.C.A., Cinétel

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.3/10

QuickView

Story-line: as his garrison prepares for military exercises shortly before World War I, Lt. Armand de la Verne bets he can woo any woman coming his way.

Pluses: fine acting from illustrious French leads, a thoughtful screenplay, first-rate direction, lavish visuals and eye-popping production values. 

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: either for laughs or for drama, many movies have featured a wager as romantic premise but LES GRANDES MANOEUVRES has done so in a mature and most sensible way. René Clair’s film is yet another gem in French cinema’s rich jewel box.

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Antichrist

Genre: horror 

Director: Lars von Trier

Release: 2009

Studio: Zentropa Entertainments, Slot Machine, Memfis Film et al.

Rating: R (for graphic sexual situations)

MBiS score: 7.3 or 7.8/10, depending on your familiarity with the genre

Show Your Love With An Anklet, Darling!

Wintertime in the State of Washington. While his parents are making love, little Nic opens a window of their high-rise apartment, climbs out and falls to his death. Such a loss leaves both parents shattered and guilt-ridden; the father struggles to understand, the mother is hospitalized. Is there any way for these people to pull through? With Willem Dafoe (He), Charlotte Gainsbourg (She) and Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm (Nic).

Lars von Trier often stirs up controversy  with his movies but ANTICHRIST, despite a hair-raising title, didn’t seem very threatening to me; it deals much more with mental breakdown than religion, satanic doings or some rendering of the Apocalypse. It’s basically a slow-cooking horror flick (think MISERY, THE MUSIC OF CHANCE or THE SHINING) that also echoes TREE OF LIFE and MELANCHOLIA with its arty, intellectual bent. If you’ve already seen these other films, von Trier’s may feel like déjà vu (which explains the two scores above) but it does present original insights and is faithful to its intent ’til the very end. In the first act, I liked those long sequences without dialogue, the impressive use of Handel’s music and von Trier’s efforts to demonstrate the psychological aspects of grief. Then, as the movie builds tension, it does deliver healthy jolts and darkly funny moments… which was also fine by me. In the last act, however, the screenplay’s attempts at symbolism failed to convince me and, dare I say it, I was quite relieved when it all ended on an abrupt, merciful climax.  

As you can see, I wasn’t bowled over by ANTICHRIST, a well-acted and solidly produced film that offers shock value but modest enlightenment. Though Willem Dafoe’s character claims that ‟ thoughts distort reality”, I’d say reality does catch up at some point, especially toward the movie’s dénouement. In von Trier’s defence, I’d rather recommend MELANCHOLIA (if you’re not feeling too depressed) and especially BREAKING THE WAVES, his morally worthy and superior work from 1996.

MBiS

© 2016 - All rights reserved

The Chase

Genre: social drama

With: Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Angie Dickinson

Director: Arthur Penn

Release: 1965

Studio: Horizon Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.6/10

QuickView

Story-line: panic spreads through a Texas town when locals learn that Charlie ‟Bubber” Reeves, a well-known convict, has just escaped from prison.

Pluses: fabulous performances by A-list actors, a powerful and violent story by Horton Foote and Lillian Hellman, Arthur Penn’s steady direction.

Minuses: the film’s nondescript title doesn’t reflect its high merit.   

Comments: THE CHASE spins an appalling tale about messy lives, powerful people, social ills and vigilante justice. By and large, this is what riveting, masterful cinema looks like.   

MBiS

© 2015 – All rights reserved