Unagi

English title: The Eel

Genre: psychological drama

With: Kôji Yakusho (Takuro Yamashita), Misa Shimizu (Keiko Hattori, the suicidal girl),  Fujio Tokita (Jiro Nakajima, the parole officer), Mitsuko Baishô (Misako Nakajima, the parole officer’s wife), Show Aikawa (Yuji Nozawa), Ken Kobayashi (Masaki Saito, the neighbourhood nuisance), Sabu Kawahara (Seitaro Misato), Akira Emoto (Tamotsu Takasaki, a former convict), Tomorô Taguchi (Eiji Dojima, Keiko’s ex-boyfriend)

Director: Shôhei Imamura

Screenplay: Shôhei Imamura, Daisuke Tengan and Motofumi Tomikawa (based on Akira Yoshimura’s novel)

Release: 1997

Studio: Eisei Gekijo, Groove Corporation, Imamura Productions et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

‟He listens to what I say. He doesn’t say what I don’t want to hear.” 

 

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Story-line: in the summer of 1988, Takuro Yamashita, a trader for the Hinode Flour Corporation, makes a huge mistake after discovering his wife’s secret. Eight years later, having paid his debt to society, he endeavours to build a new life for himself in Sawara with the help of his parole officer and the pet eel he adopted while behind bars.

Pluses: fine acting all around, attentive direction, a slightly odd but ever thoughtful screenplay that develops its characters fully and measuredly through astute dialogues and interplay, appropriate production values, beautiful cinematography, a sweet musical score and a very charming ending.

Minuses: long ago, when I first heard about this movie, I thought it depicted some weirdo love affair between a guy and a fish… but nothing is further from the truth! THE EEL is a straightforward drama about redemption and doing the right thing. As for the eel itself, the more you look at it, the more you’ll understand Yamashita: that quiet bugger in the aquarium is likeable indeed. On the negative side, the film suffers from a lull after its first act but picks up very nicely halfway through when it sheds new light on the protagonist’s past and personality. 

Comments: as Yamashita finds out what to do with his life, you can feel his wariness and doubts: he wants to start anew and isn’t looking for trouble. His new surroundings, however, will bring back dark memories and muster new threats that he must avert as best he can. Modest, short on flash and long on humanity, THE EEL is a curious and refreshing film that warms your soul with its inherent tenderness. 

 

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L’année dernière à Marienbad

English title: Last Year at Marienbad

Genre: psychological drama (in black and white)

With: Delphine Seyrig (the brunette), Giorgio Albertazzi (her pursuer), Sacha Pitoëff (the other man), Françoise Bertin (a hotel guest), Luce Garcia-Ville (another hotel guest)

Director: Alain Resnais

Screenplay: Alain Robbe-Grillet

Release: 1961

Studio: Cocinor, Terra Film, Cormoran Films et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.8/10 

 

I Sure Hope You’re Right, Fella!

 

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Story-line: a woman staying at a posh European hotel is hounded by a man who claims to have met her somewhere before. Was it in Marienbad? Or is the guy plainly mistaken?

Pluses: self-conscious and stilted acting (at times laughably so), amazing direction that delivers several highlights (notably the opening 13-minute set-up and one intense dance scene at the 70-minute mark), a disjointed, supremely cryptic screenplay that generates little action (except on a psychological level) yet remains astonishing throughout, dialogues both literary and impressionistic, aesthetically-minded cinematography, sumptuous production values and an oddly used, expansive and omnipresent musical score featuring romantic strings but mostly a thunderous, quasi-apocalyptic organ.

Minuses: this dry and meditative movie is definitely not for everyone. Viewers will need perseverance (or tight buttocks) during the last act. Generally speaking, if you choose to watch this film, put aside everything you know about cinema.

Comments: yes… my review sounds like an oxymoron at times but it truly reflects what L’ANNÉE DERNIÈRE À MARIENBAD is all about. Alain Resnais’s work is so different, hermetic and daring that it can only be described as an anti-movie, in a vein similar to HIROSHIMA, MON AMOUR and Marguerite Duras’s INDIA SONG. It basically involves three characters – the woman, the pursuer and the woman’s husband – while extras stand around like wallflowers or wander about aimlessly. This abstract, arty and strangely mesmerizing oeuvre has garnered nominations at several festivals – winning the Golden Lion in Venice – and is universally considered a masterpiece. So, will the guy finally get the girl? I won’t tell… it’s the whole payoff! 

 

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Il gattopardo

English title: The Leopard 

Also known as: Guépard (le)

Genre: period drama

With: Burt Lancaster (Prince Fabrizio Salina), Alain Delon (Tancredi Falconeri, his nephew), Claudia Cardinale (Angelica Sedara/Bertiana), Paolo Stoppa (Don Calogero Sedara, Angelica’s father), Rina Morelli (Princess Maria Stella, Fabrizio’s wife), Romolo Valli (Father Pirrone), Lucilla Morlacchi (Concetta), Terence Hill (Count Cavriaghi), Pierre Clémenti (Francesco Paolo), Serge Reggiani (Don Francisco Ciccio Tumeo)

Director: Luchino Visconti

Screenplay: Suso Cecchi D’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa and Luchino Visconti (based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa)  

Release: 1963

Studio: Titanus, Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma, Société Générale de Cinématographie

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 9.1/10 

 

‟For everything to remain the same, everything must change!” 

 

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Story-line: the battle to unify Italy – pitting Garibaldi’s Redshirts, King Victor Emmanuel and other patriots against occupying foreign forces – has now reached the island of Sicily. While local aristocrats fear for their lives, Fabrizio Salina, the aging owner of a vast estate and the head of a well-endowed family, has decided to hang on, convinced that life won’t change much for his clan.

Pluses: a majestic performance by Burt Lancaster (as the flawed but increasingly likeable Salina), superior support from Alain Delon (the opportunistic Tancredi), Claudia Cardinale (as intriguing as she is lovely) and an excellent cast, immaculate direction that deftly strings together the pivotal elements of the story (the Battle for Palermo, Salina’s picnic in the country, the family visit to Donnafugata and an enthralling 47-minute ball sequence), an atmospheric and exquisitely written screenplay that distills drama, humour, romance and class politics through subtle twists and incisive dialogues, sumptuous production values (sets, costumes, rugged exteriors) and magnificent cinematography, Nino Rota’s sublime, quasi-operatic musical score and an understated, bittersweet ending.

Minuses: if you’re not familiar with the political context of the times, the above synopsis should suffice... just remember that Southern Italy was in a state of flux and local players were jockeying for position in the social order to come. A word of advice: don’t shy away from THE LEOPARD because of its length... those 186 minutes are entirely worth it.

Comments: the opening travelling shot of Salina’s domain in all its fading glory – notice that partially defaced statue in the garden – sets the tone for this grand story about the decaying of aristocracy and the shifting sociopolitical landscape in Italy circa 1860-1861. THE LEOPARD paints a marvellous portrait of Salina, whose regal sternness slowly gives way to an acceptance of change and a mellowing of opinions... a man’s evolution within a revolution. And Burt Lancaster, who achieves a delicate balance between pride, humility, amusement and disappointment, cuts an especially fine figure as Salina; his dance number with Angelica is so remarkable that other revellers ooh and aah with regret when they finally part... a scene that will etch itself into your memory for all time to come. This very special oeuvre by Luchino Visconti – a Palme d’or winner in Cannes – is a true masterpiece, grandiose and historically powerful, unanimously revered by critics, moviemakers and fans alike. This spectacle of beauty and surprising heft must be seen at least once by all movie buffs. 

 

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Des hommes et des dieux

English title: Of Gods and Men

Genre: religious drama  

With: Lambert Wilson (Christian), Michael Lonsdale (Luc), Olivier Rabourdin (Christophe), Philippe Laudenbach (Célestin), Jacques Herlin (Amédée), Loïc Pichon (Jean-Pierre), Xavier Maly (Michel), Jean-Marie Frin (Paul), Abdelhafid Metalsi (Nouredine), Sabrina Ouazani (Rabbia), Abdellah Moundy (Omar), Olivier Perrier (Bruno), Farid Larbi (Ali Fayattia), Adel Bencherif (the terrorist)

Director: Xavier Beauvois

Screenplay: Étienne Comar, with adaptation (dialogues) by Xavier Beauvois

Release: 2010

Studio: Why Not Productions, Armada Films et al.

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.2/10

 

 

‟We are the birds and you are the branch. If you leave, where will we land?” 

 

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Story-line: a group of French Catholic monks living their faith and doing social work in the Algerian countryside feel threatened by mounting radicalism and hostility towards foreigners. 

Pluses: admirable acting by Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale and a capable cast, a solemn, sincere and unhurried screenplay that conveys the basic simplicity of monastic life and gives meaning to every word, silence or sigh, calm and considerate direction, lovely exteriors and cinematography, sober production values.

Minuses: none, except that this movie may be too quiet for some viewers. 

Comments: DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX, which delves into the personal and spiritual challenges faced by the Tibérine monks in 1996, avoids the questions and political issues that their story eventually raised in France. By restricting themselves in such a way, Xavier Beauvois and crew present an intimate, meditative and realistic portrait of religious men whose loyalty to God was tested in the most radical way. Here’s to a fine and thought-provoking film.  

 

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Smultronstället

English title: Wild Strawberries

Also known as: Fraises sauvages (les)

Genre: psychological study (in black and white)

With: Victor Sjöström (Dr. Eberhard Isak Borg), Ingrid Thulin (Marianne Borg), Bibi Andersson (Sara), Gunnar Björnstrand (Dr. Evald Borg), Jullan Kindahl (Agda the housekeeper), Folke Sundquist (Anders), Björn Bjelfvenstam (Viktor), Naima Wifstrand (Mrs. Borg, Isak's mother), Gunnel Broström (Berit Alman), Gertrud Fridh (Karin Borg, Isak's wife)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman

Release: 1957

Studio: Svensk Filmindustri

Rating: -

MBiS score: 9.0/10 

 

One Day in Your Life, Your Life in One Day 

 

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Story-line: at 78, Professor Isak Borg can look at his world in a philosophical light. ‟I have a son, also a doctor, in Lund. My mother, although old, is still alive. My wife Karin has been dead for many years. I am lucky, I have a good housekeeper.” While he suspects that death is not far off, he still has things to look forward to. Tomorrow, he will travel from Stockholm to Lund − a 300-mile journey with his daughter-in-law Marianne − to receive an honorary degree.

Pluses: magnificient acting by Victor Sjöström as the stern yet increasingly mellow Isak Borg, perfect support from Ingrid Thulin and an excellent cast, masterful direction by one of the greatest names in cinema, a serious, kind-hearted screenplay that rolls along efficiently and fully develops its characters with the aid of dark or whimsical flashbacks, spot-on dialogues and flashes of humour, a musical score attuned to the various moods of the story, very pretty cinematography and ravishing production values (detailed sets, attractive costumes and pertinent sound effects).

Minuses: if you find the movie uninspiring at first, take note that it all comes together − superbly so − in the last act. We’re dealing with one of cinema’s masterpieces here!

Comments: like several other films by Bergman, the exquisite WILD STRAWBERRIES does evoke mortality as a movie theme but focuses much more on relationships, reminiscences and the ups and downs of life. In this Swedish version of a road movie, characters come to see themselves and others in a different way, personal conflicts are examined and hopefully resolved, time is spent meeting new people and human frailty is accepted or at least tolerated. And the film left me with an implicit lesson that is well worth remembering: you can feel young whatever your age!

 

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Gravity

Genre: science-fiction drama

With: Sandra Bullock (Ryan Stone), George Clooney (Matt Kowalski), Ed Harris (Mission Control), Orto Ignatiussen (Aningaaq), Phaldut Sharma (Shariff), Amy Warren (Explorer Captain), Basher Savage (Russian Space Station Captain)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Screenplay: Alfonso and Jonás Cuarón

Release: 2013

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures, Esperanto Filmoj, Heyday Films

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

‟Mission abort. Repeat: mission abort. Initiate emergency disconnect from Hubble.” 

 

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Story-line: at 600 km above planet Earth, astronaut Ryan Stone is making repairs outside the Explorer Space Shuttle, accompanied by Shariff Dasari and veteran Matt Kowalski. Generally speaking, things are going smoothly and Mission Control informs the three spacewalkers that the programmed destruction of a satellite some distance away won’t cause any problems since the cloud of debris it has created is not orbiting on the Shuttle’s trajectory. Even so, is caution warranted, considering that outer space is the most hostile environment possible for human beings?

Pluses: a scintillating performance by Sandra Bullock (who literally carries the movie) and excellent support from George Clooney, seasoned and focused direction, an ingenious and informative screenplay featuring genuine-sounding dialogues, very strong production values, Emmanuel Lubezki’s striking cinematography, remarkable special effects, meticulous editing (by Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger) and Steven Price’s effective, sometimes terrifying musical score.

Minuses: in the first few minutes, dialogues feel pat and one line in particular is insensitive to Indian culture.

Comments: this two-character movie hailed by cinema circles everywhere is a sensory experience, a spectacular, technically perfect film that clearly demonstrates how tragedy strikes as treacherously in the silence of outer space as on our noisy planet Earth. For all its suspense and technical prowess, however, it does not match 2001, A SPACE ODYSSEY or SOLARIS, two movies whose impact is more profound and universal. It is basically a disaster movie – a cosmic version of THE IMPOSSIBLE, for instance – that lacks somewhat in humanity. Thus, GRAVITY deserves a lower general score (8.8 for technical merit, 8.4 for acting and overall production and 8.0 for story and other elements). In spite of my slightly critical tone, Alfonso Cuarón’s fine film is worth your time as it makes you appreciate the talent (and risk-taking) of the people involved in our space programs and in the movie industry generally. 

 

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Hana-bi

English title: Fireworks

Also known as: Feux d’artifice

Genre: police drama 

With: Takeshi Kitano (Yoshitaka Nishi), Kayoko Kishimoto (his wife), Ren Osugi (Horibe), Susumu Terajima (Nakamura), Tetsu Watanabe (the Scrap Yard Owner), Hakuryû (the Yakuza Hitman), Yasuei Yakushiji (a Criminal), Tarô Itsumi (Kudo), Ken'ichi Yajima (the Doctor), Makoto Ashikawa (Tanaka), Yûko Daike (Tanaka’s widow)

Director: Takeshi Kitano

Screenplay: Takeshi Kitano

Release: 1997

Studio: Bandai Visual Company, TV Tokyo, Tokyo FM, Office Kitano

Rating: 18A

MBiS score: 8.8/10  

 

Brutal but Considerate

 

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Story-line: life is failing Yoshitaka Nishi, a veteran policeman who has recently left the force. Having lost a little daughter and seen a colleague die in the line of duty, he now has to deal with his wife’s terminal illness and his best friend’s career-ending injury. Moreover, he owes money to a mob operative. What keeps him going in spite of all this? I’d say toughness… and he has plenty of that.

Pluses: tremendous acting by Takeshi Kitano as the charismatic, taciturn and towering Nishi, an able cast around him, expert direction, a sketchy, clinical and disassembled screenplay, gorgeous cinematography, high-level production values and a moving musical score.

Minuses: be aware that this meditative film is interspersed with brief but startling scenes of savagery. As for the non-linear structure of the narrative, which may confuse some viewers, the story-line above gives you enough info to get you on your way.

Comments: HANA-BI, which alternates between sheer beauty and unbridled mayhem, bears Takeshi Kitano’s mark from beginning to end. As lead actor, director, screenwriter, editor and supplier of splendid artwork, Kitano has accomplished what few can ever hope for on film: an abstract, aesthetic and enigmatic tour de force. Here’s to another gem from international cinema, ceaselessly amazing and challenging.

  

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Gloria

Genre: crime drama  

With: Gena Rowlands (Gloria Swenson), John Adames (Phil Dawn), Julie Carmen (Jeri Dawn), Buck Henry (Jack Dawn), Jessica Castillo (Joan Dawn), John Finnegan (Frank), Basilio Franchina (Tony Tanzini)

Director: John Cassavetes

Screenplay: John Cassavetes

Release: 1980

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.2/10 

 

Babysitter with a Snubnose 

 

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Story-line: the Bronx in the late 1970s. Coming home from the grocery store, Jeri Dawn finds the household in a panic. Her husband Jack warns her that the mob is looking for him and that fleeing is their only option. As they pack up essentials, a good-hearted neighbour named Gloria rings at the door. Pressed for time, Jeri asks her an unusual favour: to take care of her two kids, Joan and Phil.

Pluses: great acting by a lovely and gutsy Gena Rowlands and a spunky John Adames (the two dominant characters in the story), fine support from a good cast, no-frills direction by a most respected helmer, an uncluttered, ever-interesting screenplay that shows humanity and brutality for what they are, Fred Schuler’s eye-catching cinematography, credible production values, George C. Villaseñor’s noteworthy editing, a swinging musical score by Bill Conti and a memorable ending.

Minuses: none really.

Comments: among movie critics, GLORIA hasn’t scored as highly as other works by John Cassavetes − maybe because it’s more of an action film than one of his profound character studies − but it deserves to be seen and even admired. It’s a thrill to watch Gloria − who knows about mob culture − establish a reluctant and difficult relationship with little Phil, a bright boy in dire straits. Heartbreak, danger, irony and courage, this movie scores on all accounts. And, above all else, there’s Gena Rowlands. Gena, Gena, Gena… 

 

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There Will Be Blood

Genre: pioneer drama

With: Daniel Day-Lewis (Daniel Plainview), Paul Dano (Eli and Paul Sunday), Dillon Freasier and Russell Harvard (Daniel's son, H.W., as a child and an adult), Kevin O'Connor (Henry), David Willis (Abel Sunday, the father), Christine Olejniczak (Mother Sunday), James Downey (Al Rose, Daniel’s assistant), Ciaran Hinds (Hamilton Fletcher), Vince Froio (Daniel’s servant), Hans Howes (Bandy), David Warshofsky (H.M. Tilford, from Standard Oil)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson (based on Upton Sinclair’s novel ‟Oil!”)

Release: 2007

Studio: Paramount Vantage, Miramax

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.6/10

 

The Creed of Greed 

 

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Story-line: when he began prospecting circa 1898, Daniel Plainview worked relentlessly, risking his neck (and other men's lives) to hit a motherlode or strike a gusher. A decade or so later, we find him a craftier man still determined to hit pay dirt… and as he listens to Paul Sunday’s description of a property out west that oozes oil like a wet sponge, he can feel it in his bones: there’s wealth out there to be pumped from the ground.      

Pluses: outstanding acting by Daniel Day-Lewis (a soft-spoken but calculating Plainview) and Paul Dano (very convincing as the Sunday brothers), excellent direction, a vigorous and realistic screenplay full of atmosphere and dust, discoloured cinematography that enriches the narrative with its striking recreation of the early 1900s, well-conceived production values (notably costumes), Jonny Greenwood’s nightmarish musical score and an unpredictable ending that you may find tragic, funny... or both.

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: ablaze with entrepreneurial spirit, rampant ambition and religious fervour, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a different, captivating work about oil, dealmaking, family issues and plain greed. Inspired by Upton Sinclair’s brilliant story, Paul Thomas Anderson has fashioned an impressive work for all to see, one more in his fine career as a director.  

 

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Little Women

Genre: historical coming-of-age drama

With: Winona Ryder (Josephine ‟Jo” March), Trini Alvarado (Margaret ‟Meg” March), Samantha Mathis (Older Amy), Kirsten Dunst (Younger Amy), Claire Danes (Beth March), Christian Bale (Theodore ‟Laurie” Laurence), Eric Stoltz (John Brooke), John Neville (Mr. Laurence), Susan Sarandon (Mrs. Abigail ‟Marmee” March), Florence Paterson (Hannah), Gabriel Byrne (Friedrich Bhaer)

Director: Gillian Armstrong

Screenplay: Robin Swicord (based on Louisa May Alcott's novel)

Release: 1994

Studio: DiNovi Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.1/10

 

 

‟I am longing for transformation.”

 

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Story-line: Concord (Mass.) during the Civil War. Jo, a budding writer and the most spirited of the four March sisters, recounts the problems faced by her family while their father was serving in the army.

Pluses: an evenly competent cast led by Winona Ryder (as the direct, enterprising Jo), Kirsten Dunst (the rascally Amy), Christian Bale, Trini Alvarado, Claire Danes and Gabriel Byrne, adroit direction, a clean, sturdy and disciplined screenplay featuring juicy dialogues and highlighting the different personalities of the March girls, polished cinematography, irreproachable production values and a touching musical score by Thomas Newman.

Minuses: after a cutesy, distant and anecdotal first half that belies the family’s predicament (and the risks incurred by the father at war), the film picks up the slack with a noble and more dramatic second half. 

Comments: at this point in movie history, it must be a special challenge to tackle LITTLE WOMEN, considering the novel’s hallowed place in American literature and the number of filmed versions Hollywood has produced (this was the third, after those in 1933 and 1949, with the most recent in 2019). And the challenge was met handsomely by Gillian Armstrong and a lovely group of young actresses who went on to greater things after their portrayal of the March sisters. On a moral level, I’ll give credit to LITTLE WOMEN for its wholesomeness, social conscience and strong insights about life’s pivotal moments. Variety, they say, is the spice of life… and movie buffs won’t regret seeing this kind of heartfelt cinema.      

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