Incendies

Genre: socio-political drama  

With: Lubna Azabal (Nawal Marwan), Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin (Jeanne Marwan), Maxim Gaudette (Simon Marwan), Rémy Girard (Notary Lebel), Dominique Briand (Professor Niv Cohen), Hamed Najem (Wahab), Majida Hussein (Nawal’s grandmother), Nabil Koni (Uncle Charbel), Zalfa Chelhot (Nouchine), Abdelghafour Elaaziz (Abou Tarek), Baya Belal (Maika), Allen Altman (Notary Maddad), Hussein Sami (Nihad at 5), Yousef Soufan (Nihad at 15), Mohamed Majd (Wallat Chamseddine)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Screenplay: Denis Villeneuve with Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne (from a play by Wajdi Mouawad)

Release: 2010

Studio: micro_scope, TS Productions et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.6/10





It’s a Small World After All





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Story-line: after Nawal Marwan’s death, her twentysomething twins raised in Québec are thrown for a loop when they hear the contents of her last will and testament. Referring to a promise unkept, Nawal has left two letters for them to deliver, one to their father – whom they believed dead – and the other to a brother they never knew they had. Moreover, to fulfill the promise, they must travel to her country of origin, Lebanon, and delve into its troubled recent history. 
    

Pluses: a serious and intricate story, an airtight screenplay that provides effective flashbacks and fine dialogues, restrained performances by a competent group of actors (especially the Middle Eastern cast), Denis Villeneuve’s moderately paced direction that captures the mood and complexity of the story while keeping viewers interested throughout, impressive cinematography (most notably on location) and a hard-hitting ending.  


Minuses: you may need some time to get used to this heavy film but it all works out splendidly as its mysteries are unravelled.   


Comments: although INCENDIES (which means ‟Fires”) is excellent in every way, I have rarely seen a movie in which the story is so dominant a feature. Its potent themes (the search for one’s identity, the cycle of violence in the Middle East and the duty of memory) are exposed in a flawless, compelling and devastating way. Let Denis Villeneuve, a world-class director, and Wajdi Mouawad, the fearless playwright, take you to this other world, this other context we all need to understand wherever we live on this planet. INCENDIES, in my judgment, is one of the very best films ever produced in Québec.





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Der Untergang

English title: Downfall

Genre: war drama  

With: Alexandra Maria Lara (Traudl Junge), Bruno Ganz (Hitler), Juliane Köhler (Eva Braun), Ulrich Matthes (Joseph Goebbels, the officer in a brown uniform), Corinna Harfouch (Magda Goebbels, his wife), Christian Berkel (Schenck, the SS doctor), Ulrich Noethen (Himmler), Thomas Kretschmann (Hermann Fegelein, Himmler’s assistant), Heino Ferch (Speer, the architect), Götz Otto (Günsche), Donevan Gunia (Peter, a Hitler Youth)

Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel

Screenplay: Bernd Eichinger (based on a book by Traudl Junge and Melissa Müller and another by Joachim Fest)

Release: 2004

Studio: Constantin Film, Norddeutscher Rundfunk et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.1/10





Imagine You’re a Secretary… and Your Boss Is Adolf Hitler





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Story-line: in April 1945, Russian cannons are pounding Berlin and the capital will soon be surrounded. Traudl Junge, Hitler’s personal secretary, recalls those final days in his bunker underneath the Chancery.  

Pluses: a hallucinating turn by Bruno Ganz (notice his spastic left hand, stray lock of hair and violent opposition to ‟kapitulation”), solid acting support, a claustrophobic and competently structured screenplay, striking cinematography and able direction.

Minuses: you will need a little while to get acquainted with the film’s multiple characters but don’t expect much high-mindedness from them. As for subject matter, a number of reviewers have criticized DOWNFALL as too soft on its protagonists – considering their crimes against humanity – but the film does illustrate the Third Reich’s folly and cruelty even in its final days.

Comments: as you will see, some characters consider defeat as inevitable – while others are in denial – and several scenes border on the surreal (the communications breakdowns, a dilapidated hospital, the bargaining, those children manning the barricades). Inside the bunker, Traudl Junge plays a relatively minor role; the ones to watch are obviously Hitler, Eva Braun, Schenck, Himmler and the Goebbels (Joseph, the propaganda chief, and Magda, ‟the most courageous mother in Germany”). DOWNFALL is a disturbing yet useful story about hopelessness, a crushing wait and the ultimate defeat. In memory of Bruno Ganz (1941-2019).





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Solyaris

English title: Solaris

Genre: science fiction

With: Donatas Banionis (Kris Kelvin), Nikolay Grinko (Nik, his father), Olga Barnet (Anna, his mother), Vladislav Dvorzhetskiy (Anri Berton or Burton), Anatoliy Solonitsyn (Sartorius), Jüri Järvet (Snaut), Sos Sargsyan (Grybarian or Gibarian), Natalya Bondarchuk (Khari or Hari), Georgiy Teykh (Prof. Messendzher or Messenger)

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Screenplay: Fridrikh Gorenshteyn and Andrei Tarkovsky (based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem)

Release: 1972

Studio: Mosfilm, Chetvyortoe Tvorcheskoe Obedinenie

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.8/10





How It All Comes Back to Haunt You





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Story-line: as he prepares for a trip into space to investigate the failed Solaris mission, Kris Kelvin is forewarned of danger by a disgraced former mission member but insists that his investigation will be based on facts, not on ‟hallucinations”.

Pluses: solid performances by Donatas Banionis (as the conscientious Kelvin), Anatoliy Solonitsyn (the cold Sartorius), Jüri Järvet (the ultimately amiable Snaut) and Natalya Bondarchuk (the vulnerable Hari), outstanding direction that makes sense of a very confusing situation, a mysterious and detailed screenplay that produces subdued but efficient tension and a few darkly funny moments, several pointed comments about science and life, Vadim Yusov’s gorgeous cinematography, an eerie score by Eduard Artemev and a stunning, cryptic ending.

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: there are inevitable comparisons to be drawn between this Cannes Grand Prix winner and Stanley Kubrick’s earlier 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY – similar mood, set design, use of classical music (Bach instead of waltzes) and villain (the ocean instead of Hal) – but their raison d’être is not the same. While Kubrick presents a grandiose spectacle of spaceships, special effects and enigmas about humanity, SOLARIS focuses on deeply personal matters, intellectual thought and the surreal. As such, it raises moral and metaphysical questions in an unexpected way. Part sci-fi drama, part Greek tragedy, Andrei Tarkovsky’s astonishing work is a symbolic and brilliant mind-bender on space discovery – yes – but even more on self-discovery.





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Germinal

Genre: period drama 

With: Renaud (Étienne Lantier), Gérard Depardieu (Toussaint Maheu), Miou-Miou (la Maheude, Toussaint’s wife), Jean Carmet (Vincent Maheu, aka Bonnemort), Judith Henry (Catherine Maheu), Jean-Roger Milo (Chaval), Laurent Terzieff (Souvarine)

Director: Claude Berri

Screenplay: Claude Berri and Arlette Langmann (based on Émile Zola’s novel)

Release: 1993

Studio: Renn Productions, France 2 Cinéma et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.4/10





Rebelling Against the Industrial Revolution





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Story-line: when he is hired as a coal miner in Northern France, Étienne Lantier witnesses the deplorable fate of local workers and their families.  

Pluses: strong acting by protest singer Renaud (in a rare movie appearance), Gérard Depardieu, Miou-Miou and a seasoned cast, disciplined direction, a serious screenplay based on Zola’s classic novel, vivid cinematography, irreproachable production values.

Minuses: you may be shocked by one very heavy riot scene.

Comments: GERMINAL is a clear example of gritty, socially-conscious cinema and a gripping testimony about labour relations in the 1860s, when businessmen and bosses felt no social responsibility towards their workforce. It also illustrates how men (and women) can resort to unspeakable violence when driven to extremes. Required viewing for movie buffs.





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Bonnie and Clyde

Genre: crime drama 

With: Warren Beatty (Clyde Barrow), Faye Dunaway (Bonnie Parker), Michael J. Pollard (C.W. Moss, the mechanic), Gene Hackman (Buck Barrow), Denver Pyle (Frank Hamer), Estelle Parsons (Blanche Barrow, Buck's wife), Dub Taylor (Ivan Moss)

Director: Arthur Penn

Screenplay: David Newman and Robert Benton (with Robert Towne)

Release: 1967

Studio: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, Tatira-Hiller

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.8/10

Not All It Was Cracked Up to Be

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Story-line: 1931, the Depression era. When Bonnie Parker, a waitress at an East Dallas restaurant, sees a loiterer near her mother's car, she shows neither fear nor shame. Standing naked in the window, she talks to the man and befriends him instantly. From then on Bonnie and Clyde will be partners in life... and partners in crime.

Pluses: legendary turns by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, a strong supporting cast, superior direction, a riveting screenplay that mixes violence, startling events and moments of heartbreak, great cinematography (Burnett Guffey) and one of the most disturbing final sequences in film history.  

Minuses: none, except for a few graphic scenes.

Comments: the old proverb ‟once a thief, always a thief” aptly applies to Bonnie and Clyde's outlaw days and Arthur Penn’s momentous motion picture recounts them in vivid, tragic detail. This dark work is a milestone in American cinema, no less.

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We Don’t Live Here Anymore

Genre: relationship drama

With: Laura Dern and Mark Ruffalo (Terry and Jack Linden), Naomi Watts and Peter Krause (Edith and Hank Evans)

Director: John Curran

Screenplay: Larry Gross (based on two short stories by Andre Dubus)

Release: 2004

Studio: Front Street Pictures, Front Street Productions, Renaissance Films

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.0/10





‟You know what I wanted. I wanted to know where we were. Now I know.”





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Story-line: one Friday evening, the Lindens are hosting their good friends the Evans. They all seem quite happy… but are they really?

Pluses: a talented cast led by Laura Dern and Mark Ruffalo, a logical and honest screenplay, able direction and adequate production values.   

Minuses: the foul language used may irritate sensitive viewers. 

Comments: while some movies about disenchantment in marriage take ruinous shortcuts, this one carefully establishes each protagonist’s mindset and dares to explore difficult issues. How do two people know they are meant for each other? When things go sour, what should a couple do… hang on or call it quits? Can you love your partner while having an affair? Those are the questions our couples will consider… and try to answer as best they can. With its mood reminiscent of THE ICE STORM and its twisted games à la DANGEROUS LIAISONS, John Curran’s modest film is competent, thoughtful and enlightening.

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All the President's Men

Genre: political drama

With: Dustin Hoffman (Carl Bernstein), Robert Redford (Bob Woodward), Jack Warden (Harry Rosenfeld), Jason Robards (Ben Bradlee), Martin Balsam (Howard Simons), Hal Holbrook (Deep Throat), Jane Alexander (the bookkeeper), Meredith Baxter (Debbie Sloan)

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Screenplay: William Goldman (from the book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward)

Release: 1976

Studio: Warner Bros. et al.

Rating: 14

MBiS score: 8.7/10

‟Nothing's riding on this except the, uh, first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country.”

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Story-line: Washington, 1972. When a break-in occurs at the Democratic National Committee office and its presumed perpetrators are arrested, two Washington Post reporters discover that this odd event is linked to a much larger scheme.

Pluses: a formidable pair of leads in Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, stellar support from Jason Robards and Jack Warden, a well-crafted and chilling screenplay that gets downright spooky when Woodward and Bernstein realize how dangerous their work has become, top-flight direction and irreproachable production values.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: if you're not familiar with the Watergate scandal, its particulars and key figures, this hefty and vital movie brilliantly covers that whole cover-up. Please note that the identity of Deep Throat, a crucial source, was known only in 2005! As a personal comment, what we are seeing now in Washington echoes those tumultuous times and, any way I look at it, I do worry for the American people.   

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Junebug 

Genre: comedy drama

With: Embeth Davidtz (Madeleine), Alessandro Nivola (George Johnston, her husband), Frank Hoyt Taylor (David Wark), Ben McKenzie (Johnny, George’s brother), Amy Adams (Ashley, Johnny’s wife), Celia Weston (Peg, the mother), Scott Wilson (Eugene, the father)

Director: Phil Morrison

Screenplay: Angus MacLachlan

Release: 2005

Studio: Junebug Movie, Epoch Films

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.1/10

One Thing I Didn’t Know About Robert E. Lee

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Story-line: when Madeleine, who works for an art gallery in Chicago, hears of a little-known painter from North Carolina who produces groundbreaking oeuvres, she decides to pay him a visit. Her new husband, who told her about this Southern Picasso, tags along so he can introduce her to his family who also lives in the Tar Heel State.

Pluses: an evenly competent cast (I just loved Amy Adams as the fawning, earnest sister-in-law), several hilarious sight gags, skilled direction, unconventional cinematography, a screenplay that raises valid points about human psychology and doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable issues.

Minuses: none… although the film may offend admirers of the General. 

Comments: JUNEBUG – even its title seems offbeat to me – is an outlier in American cinema, an original, funny and sometimes disturbing picture that doesn’t overwhelm but relies on its natural pacing and realistic story to hook you. Even when it seeks to oppose city and country folk, it does so with restraint, avoiding the obvious and the easy laugh. As a word of caution, don’t judge its characters too hastily – as I did, I confess! – because your opinion of them may change as the story rolls along. So here’s to JUNEBUG, a very likeable film that keeps things low-key and practices humanity.   

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Exorcist (The)

Genre: supernatural thriller

With: Ellen Burstyn (Chris MacNeil), Max von Sydow (Father Merrin), Lee J. Cobb (Lt. Kinderman), Linda Blair (Regan), Jason Miller (Father Karras), Kitty Winn (Sharon), Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings), William O'Malley (Father Dyer)

Director: William Friedkin

Screenplay: William Peter Blatty (based on his novel)

Release: 1973

Studio: Warner Bros., Hoya Production

Rating: 16

MBiS score: 8.9/10

That’s One Frightening Way to Get Religion!

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Story-line: while doing archaeological work in Iraq, Father Merrin is almost trampled by a horse-drawn cart. Actress Chris MacNeil, on location in Georgetown, notices that her daughter Regan is behaving erratically. Father Karras, a consultant at Georgetown University, is worried about his aged mother living alone in New York City. In a church somewhere, a statue of the Virgin Mary is desecrated. I ask you now… is there any sense to all of this?

Pluses: forceful performances by Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and cast, superlative direction, a very clever and thoroughly effective ‟screamplay” offering original touches and a cunning buildup of tension, able cinematography and convincing special effects.

Minuses: don’t fret if the first act feels a bit disjointed… it’s a necessary set-up for the potent suspense to follow. The film score, which features fine music by Henze and Penderecki, makes little room for Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, a composition indelibly linked with this legendary movie. A note for sensitive viewers: some scenes are spooky or disgusting but the movie overall is not repulsive.   

Comments: for years, I have had a completely false impression of THE EXORCIST. Instead of the full-fledged gorefest I expected it to be, it stands as a serious moral drama depicting one special predicament that science alone can neither explain nor alleviate. As a whole, it doesn’t disrespect religion (in spite of some foul language) and its heart-stopping ending squares nicely with an odd little episode of the New Testament (in the Book of Luke… but don’t look it up!). THE EXORCIST, dare I say, is a bona fide masterpiece informed by denial, hysteria, visions of hell and the power of faith. In appreciation of William Peter Blatty (1928-2017) for his extraordinary story.

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Young Lions (The)

Genre: war movie (in black and white)

With: Marlon Brando (Christian Diestl), Montgomery Clift (Noah Ackerman), Dean Martin (Michael Whiteacre), Hope Lange (Hope Plowman), Barbara Rush (Margaret Freemantle), May Britt (Gretchen Hardenberg), Maximilian Schell (Capt. Hardenberg), Dora Doll (Simone), Lee Van Cleef (Sgt. Rickett), Liliane Montevecchi (Françoise), Parley Baer (Sgt. Brandt)

Director: Edward Dmytryk

Screenplay: Edward Anhalt (based on Irwin Shaw’s novel)

Release: 1958

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.6/10

Matters of Duty, Love and Principle 

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Story-line: a frustrated German seeking a better future for himself, an indifferent Broadway singer and an awkward but courageous young Jew from California face moral dilemmas when they find themselves embroiled in World War II.

Pluses: a star-studded cast in top form, a psychology-driven screenplay about personal relationships, boot camps, combat and persecution, tight direction and faultless production values, Hugo Friedhofer’s musical score that captures every mood and fine cinematography by Joe MacDonald.

Minuses: the film’s running time is nearly 3 hours, so plan accordingly.

Comments: THE YOUNG LIONS is a remarkable, heartfelt epic that even those who don’t like war movies will feel fortunate to have seen. In particular, it gives sufficient room to its brilliantly written female characters and contains several affecting scenes you will instantly recognize as classic moments in cinema. ‟Are we human beings or wild animals?” says Brandt, the German sergeant. That is one question we should ask ourselves every day of our lives…

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