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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His Girl Friday

Genre: comedy (in black and white)

With: Cary Grant (Walter Burns), Rosalind Russell (Hildy Johnson), Ralph Bellamy (Bruce Baldwin), Gene Lockhart (Sheriff Hartwell), Porter Hall (Murphy), Ernest Truex (Bensinger), Cliff Edwards (Endicott), Clarence Kolb (Mayor), Roscoe Karns (McCue)

Director: Howard Hawks

Screenplay: Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Morrie Ryskind, from the play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur

Release: 1940

Studio: Columbia Pictures Corporation

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

When Edward R. Murrow Said That ‟We cannot make good news out of bad practice”, He Had Obviously Never Met Walter Burns

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Story-line: Walter Burns, the editor of the Morning Post, cannot accept that his ace reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson is quitting for good and marrying an insurance salesman from Albany. He has a huge news story to break and he needs all of Hildy’s talent and moxie to do it. 

Pluses: amazing acting by Cary Grant and a remarkably feisty Rosalind Russell, excellent support from a fine cast, a very strong and lively screenplay that develops brilliant comic situations with the aid of warp-speed dialogues, unbridled humour, appreciable wit and occasional cruelty, Howard Hawks’ vigorous direction, eye-pleasing cinematography by Joseph Walker and fine production values.

Minuses: none, except that this movie’s relentless pace may drain you.   

Comments: HIS GIRL FRIDAY throws everything into the pot – Hildy’s dedication, Walter’s conniving ways, crooked politicians, underhanded dealings, matters of love and crises of conscience – to serve up a comedy stew that will please everyone at the table. Without a doubt, this old and boisterous movie is still one of the most effective and intelligent comedies ever captured on film.

 

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Das letzte Mahl 

English title: Last Supper (The)

Genre: social, psychological and political drama

With: Bruno Eyron (Aaron Glickstein), Sharon Brauner (his wife Rebekka), Michael Degen and Daphna Rosenthal (Aaron’s father, Jacob, and his wife Ruth), Mira Elisa Goeres and Patrick Mölleken (Leah and Michael, Aaron’s daughter and son), Bela B (Rabbi Benjamin Aschkenasi), Sandra von Ruffin (Sarah, Aaron’s sister), Adrian Topol and Judith Hoersch (Daniel, Aaron’s brother, and his wife Monika), Charles Brauer (Max Liebermann), Werner Daehn (Siegmund Loewe)

Director: Florian Frerichs

Screenplay: Florian Frerichs and Stephan Warnatsch

Release: 2018

Studio: Menemsha Films, Warnuts Entertainment, Ventaro Media, Frame 12

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

‟I am German first, and a Jew second.” 

 

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Story-line: Berlin, January 30, 1933. At the Salon Olympia, Jewish businessman Aaron Glickstein meets Liebermann, an old friend, and invites him to a birthday dinner honouring his father Jacob. Liebermann doesn’t commit… and will look all the wiser for it. That evening, Aaron’s business dealings, conflicts among relatives and current events in Germany (Hitler’s appointment as chancellor) will cast a pall over what was supposed to be a festive occasion for the Glicksteins.

Pluses: credible and involved acting by the whole cast − led by Bruno Eyron as the flawed but respectable Aaron −, smooth direction, an astute and urgent screenplay rich in interplay, character development and intelligent dialogues, elegant production values, polished cinematography, a tasteful musical score and a thought-provoking denouement.

Minuses: at first blush, the film’s premise may seem artificial… but this is clearly a case where first impressions don’t count.

Comments: THE LAST SUPPER − which recalls one critical day for the Glicksteins and takes place mostly in the family home − has a patently theatrical feel because of its staging, emphasis on dialogues and existential subject matter (the quest for one’s identity). Every character seated at the table has something important to say… and Aaron, to his own astonishment, suddenly discovers that the world has changed behind his back. If this modest movie doesn’t show much in the way of ‟action”, it sets up a robust clash of personalities and ideas that makes it an excellent choice for movie buffs. 

 

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Capharnaüm

Also known as: Capernaum, Chaos

Genre: social drama  

With: Zain Al Rafeea (Zain Al Hajj), Yordanos Shiferaw (Rahil, a.k.a. Tigest), Boluwatife Treasure Bankole (Yonas, Rahil’s baby), Kawsar Al Haddad (Souad Al Hajj, Zain’s father), Fadi Yousef (Selim, Zain’s mother), Cedra Izzam (Sahar, Zain’s sister), Alaa Chouchnieh (Aspro the wheeler-dealer), Elias Khoury (the Judge), Nour El Husseini (Assaad the grocer), Tamer Ibrahim (Abou Assaad, the grocer’s father)

Director: Nadine Labaki

Screenplay: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Keserwany

Release: 2018

Studio: Mooz Films, Doha Film Institute, KNM Films, Boo Pictures, Synchronicity Films et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.7/10 

 

Delinquent with a Cause 

 

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Story-line: a 12-year-old Lebanese boy convicted of attempted murder forces his parents to appear in court so he can settle accounts with them.

Pluses: outstanding acting by Zain Al Rafeea (as the streetwise and resourceful Zain), Cedra Izzam (his loving sister), Boluwatife Treasure Bankole (adorable in a prominent role) and a strong cast of grown-ups, remarkable direction by an important Lebanese helmer, a restless, forceful and far-reaching screenplay that raises issues of parental neglect, poverty and survival, Christopher Aoun’s startlingly informative camera work, irreproachable production values and a beautiful, tormented musical score by Khaled Mouzanar.

Minuses: this movie is quite bleak… but so involving that you will drink in everything on screen. The comments on the movie poster above are all true.

Comments: it took me four minutes − those bracing scenes of Zain and immigrant women at the police station and that spectacular drone shot of kids running in the streets of a Lebanese city − to realize why the tragic and utterly pathetic CAPHARNAÜM garnered the Prix du jury at the Cannes Film Festival. In its careful recounting of Zain’s childhood and tribulations in a careless world, it balances misery, lawlessness and exploitation with nobility and courage in a believable and visually breathtaking way. Nadine Labaki, always a fine director, can be especially proud of this accomplished motion picture, one of the many gems produced by contemporary international cinema. Bravo Nadine! 

 

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Dimanches de Ville d’Avray (les)

English title: Sundays and Cybèle

Also known as: Cybèle ou les Dimanches de Ville d’Avray

Genre: psychological drama (in black and white)

With: Hardy Krüger (Pierre), Patricia Gozzi (Cybèle/Françoise), Nicole Courcel (Madeleine), Daniel Ivernel (Carlos), André Oumansky (Bernard)

Director: Serge Bourguignon

Screenplay: Serge Bourguignon and Antoine Tudal (based on a novel by Bernard Eschassériaux); dialogues by Serge Bourguignon and Bernard Eschassériaux

Release: 1962

Studio: Fidès, Les Films Trocadero, Orsay Films, Terra Film Produktion

Rating: for all

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

Appearances Can Be Deceptive

 

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Story-line: a retired military pilot, still tormented by the death of a child during a bombing run two years earlier in French Indochina, finds solace when he meets a little girl who has come to Ville d'Avray for schooling.  

Pluses: great performances by Hardy Krüger and Nicole Courcel as the adult protagonists and young Patricia Gozzi as the utterly believable Cybèle, a well-developed and finely observed screenplay, excellent direction and production values, superb photography by Henri Decaë and a suitable musical score by the renowned Maurice Jarre.

Minuses: none whatsoever. This film didn't inspire me much when I read its brief synopsis in a movie guide but, once I got into it, I was astounded by its human interest, dark undertones and artistic merit.  

Comments: LES DIMANCHES DE VILLE D'AVRAY, a universal fable about friendship, people's needs and the struggles of life, reminded me of two classic novels, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's beloved The Little Prince (for its powerful symbolism) and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (for its treatment of an ambiguous and morally delicate situation). This perfect movie garnered the Foreign Film Oscar in 1963. For good reason, I might add.

 

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