Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Genre: crime comedy
With: Michael Caine, Steve Martin, Glenne Headley
Director: Frank Oz
Release: 1988
Studio: Orion Pictures, Hyperbole Corporation – Orion Pictures
Rating: PG
MBiS score: 8.1/10


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Story-line: two scam artists, a cultured Englishman and a lowbrow American, match wits and audacity on the French Riviera.
Pluses: delicious acting, able direction, a very funny story.
Minuses: none whatsoever.
Comments: a fine and smart diversion that will warm your heart if you feel down on yourself. Do see it!


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Prick Up Your Ears

Genre: tragicomic biography
Director: Stephen Frears
Release: 1987
Studio: Civilhand Productions et al. – Samuel Goldwyn Company
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.4/10


To Be Gay, Free and Mischievous


Sensing trouble in a London flat, a policeman enters forcibly and finds Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina) in a state of shock and a dead body lying on the floor. The cultural world has just lost one of its rising stars, playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman). With Vanessa Redgrave (Peggy Ramsay), Wallace Shawn (John Lahr), Julie Walters (Elsie, Joe’s mother), James Grant (William Orton, his father) and Frances Barber (Leonie, his sister).

After a nightmarish opening sequence, PRICK UP YOUR EARS changes gears and patiently weaves Joe Orton’s life with the help of Peggy Ramsay, his editor, and John Lahr, an American who undertook to write his biography. Quite frankly, I have long avoided this film – because its story did not appeal much to me and biopics, as a genre, often miss the mark – but its colourful characters, hilarious script and inspired acting simply bowled me over.

First of all, you could write a book – in fact, John Lahr did a fine job of it – about Joe’s journey from family misfit to established playwright and his association with Kenneth, his humorously morose partner and lover. These two characters form such a great and mismatched pair that everything they share becomes an event. Their reading habits, what they eat, Joe’s relative imperviousness to fame and his openly gay stance in a closeted world, Kenneth’s frequent complaints about Joe’s promiscuity, all of these elements make up a lively, spellbinding piece of entertainment delivered with formidable aplomb by Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina. For the most part, Oldman plays it straight (pun intended) but his occasional smiles reveal a fun-loving trickster underneath Orton’s serious persona. As for Molina, when his ever-repressed character cuts loose and lets his temper flare up, the results are devastatingly funny. If that weren’t enough, this tempestuous duo is supported by a great cast, especially Vanessa Redgrave playing a prime witness to the highs and lows of Orton’s career.

Technically speaking, PRICK UP YOUR EARS is no extravaganza. Its production values are low-fi but pleasing nonetheless. The movie aptly captures the exuberant mood of the late 50s and early 60s – the Beatles in their heyday, a bustling art scene, the first stages of the sexual revolution – and benefits from Stephen Frears’crafty direction. I found Stanley Myers’ score jaunty and entirely appropriate for such a quirky movie; Alan Bennett’s screenplay and Mick Audsley’s editing are also top-notch. Overall, the movie serves as a fine character study and also deals with the creative process, the relationship between reality and fiction and the role of a muse in the artistic realm; on the negative side, it lacks insight into Orton’s plays and overall oeuvre but, in today’s Internet world, anyone can learn more about them with a click here and there.

That being said, follow my advice. Don’t let this original, engrossing and very amusing romp slip away from you… reach for it at your earliest convenience. This memorable pic on a writer’s early travails, his daring break from conventions and his eventual success should be on any movie buff’s must-see list.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Five Easy Pieces

Genre: psychological drama
With: Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach
Director: Bob Rafelson
Release: 1970
Studio: Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, BBS Productions – Sony Pictures Releasing
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.1/10


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Story-line: Bobby Dupee, a musician who has left Washington State to work as an oil driller, decides to head home after learning of his father’s illness.
Pluses: fine acting, a tough and twisted story.
Minuses: none really.
Comments: an excellent drama from the legendary 70s and a signature role for Jack Nicholson. As a character, Bobby is at once fascinating and frustrating; he may even be a monster. See this movie to find out what makes him tick.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Up and Down

Genre: social tragicomedy
Director: Jan Hrebejk
Release: 2005
Studio: Czech Television et al. – Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.2/10


Something New Under The Sun?


On their way back to the Czech Republic, two wheeler-dealers named Milan (Jan Budar) and Lubos (Marek Daniel) find an unusual package in the back of their truck. In Prague, Mila (Natasa Burger) and her boyfriend Franta (Jiri Machacek) are consumed by very dissimilar passions while a sudden illness afflicting Oto (Jan Triska) disrupts his upper-class family. Such are the overriding events in UP AND DOWN, a multi-character film depicting urban life in post-Communist Europe. With Petr Forman (Martin), Emilia Vasaryova (Vera, his mother), Ingrid Timkova (Hanka), Kristyna Liska-Bokova (Lenka), Pavel Liska (Eman), Zdenek Suchy (Goran) and Ducek Ducek (the Colonel).

In this spiderweb of a movie, Jan Hrebejk and cowriter Petr Jarchovsky use irony, dark humour and touches of cruelty to show how a handful of Praguians have adapted (or not) to their country’s political emancipation in the 90s. Judging from the issues raised – xenophobia, crime, social decay and rootlessness – you may wonder if these people are better off now than they were under Communist rule. True, some of them have come to prosper under the new order – because of their social status, through luck or by brazenly skirting the law – but their hold on happiness is no firmer than before; at any given moment, they can still fall victim to fate’s minor twists or major surprises. Less fortunate souls, like Vera and Mila, have been swept away by the whirlwind of change or by personal tragedies and have found themselves living at the margin where they simmer in precariousness. Martin, a man blessed by youth and practicality, has left the country to start anew somewhere else. It is such a group of opportunists, outcasts, quitters and do-gooders that UP AND DOWN has assembled in an ambiguous group portrait worthy of Robert Altman’s ensemble works. And, like Altman, Hrebejk and crew have spared no effort to do these people justice, on film if not in life. Do notice Ales Brezina’s atmospheric music score, a cameo by a well-known man of words and politics and, as a nostalgic nod to simpler times, those charming wind-up toys that accompany the final credits.

Overall, UP AND DOWN is a lively and smartly written film, a strong and satisfying tragicomedy that somehow spares the rod and spoils the child. The Velvet Revolution is a work-in-progress.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Dekalog

English title: The Decalogue
Genre: psychological drama
With: Henryk Baranowski, Krystyna Janda, Daniel Olbrychski et al.
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
Release: 1988-1989
Studio: Zespoly Filmowe et al. – New Yorker Films, Sundance Channel
Rating: -
MBiS score: 9.2/10


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Story-line: DEKALOG consists of ten 1-hour segments that Kieslowski crafted for Polish television. These dramas based on the Ten Commandments involve, among other characters, various tenants of a residential complex in Warsaw.
Pluses: a collection of thoughtful stories, stark portrayals, eerie visuals, great storytelling.
Minuses: some segments are slightly arid meditations (DEKALOG 4 and 8) while others present a more immediate appeal (segments 3 and 9 especially) but all of them deserve to be seen. My favourite is DEKALOG 10, an outstanding thriller about a stamp collection, believe it or not.
Comments: these weighty dramas about moral and ethical issues confirmed Kieslowski’s brilliance as a director. Required viewing for movie buffs.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Caché

English title: Hidden
Genre: psychological drama
Director: Michael Haneke
Release: 2005
Studio: Istituto Luce S.p.A, Les Films du Losange, Les Films Alain Sarde et al. - Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.2/10


It’s A Small World After All


When Georges Laurent (Daniel Auteuil), a successful TV personality, finds on his doorstep a 2-hour videocassette depicting the front of his house and his various comings and goings, he instantly wonders what is happening to him. Is he the target of a practical joker or of some kind of maniac? Whatever it is, Georges has no intention of sitting idly by. With Juliette Binoche (Anne, his wife), Lester Makedonsky (Pierrot, their son), Annie Girardot (Georges’ mother), Maurice Bénichou, Walid Afkir and Bernard Le Coq.

CACHÉ, a movie with an odd and very catchy title, begins with a nifty visual trick that blurs the line between two levels of narration. It then lays a clever trap into which Georges Laurent will fall almost irresistibly. In a way, Georges’ predicament recalls that of Sam Bowden in CAPE FEAR but, in Michael Haneke’s film, the harassment is planned more elaborately – to the point of abstraction even – and does not appear as immediate or threatening at first glance. After a while, though, the real dangers that Georges and his family are exposed to – especially on a psychological level – will come to light and his reactions will be brought into context. Things will get messy in the Laurent household as the vise slowly closes on its members but, luckily for us, Haneke’s astute screenplay paints Georges and other characters methodically and gradually enough to help us understand the ordeal’s real implications.

In its form, Haneke’s film is evenly solid and its entire cast, especially its well-known leads Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, offers spotless performances. To heighten the story’s solemnity, no music was used in CACHÉ, which is also remarkable for its modern set design, its clean but cold visuals and a colour palette using shades of dark green, ivory and black. As for content, the script’s progression toward political allegory may seem heavy-handed to some viewers – particularly in America – while its abrupt resolution feels somewhat ill-explained and disappointing. Nevertheless, it is hard to knock down a film that provides as much food for thought and portrays its characters in such a plain and unforgiving light.

All things considered, does CACHÉ deserve to be seen or should it be decried as an all too dour condemnation? The decision is yours and yours alone but, if you pass up on it, you will have missed a slow-burning and captivating thriller about a man’s past and his unwelcoming future.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Party (The)

Genre: comedy
With: Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, Steve Franken
Director: Blake Edwards
Release: 1967
Studio: Mirisch Corporation, Geoffrey Productions Inc. - United Artists Films
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.1/10


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Story-line: pandemonium erupts when Hrundi V. Bakshi, a bumbling actor, shows up at a party where he was inadvertently invited.
Pluses: hilarious sight gags, crazy happenings and one of Peter Sellers’ most memorable performances.
Minuses: none whatsoever.
Comments: THE PARTY is a zany comedy you will cherish forever but do try to watch it with an empty bladder. Hrundi appreciates vacant bathrooms.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Humanité (L')

English title: Humanity
Genre: psychological drama
Director: Bruno Dumont
Release: 2000
Studio: Arte France Cinéma et al. - Winstar Cinema
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.7/10


Bless The Beasts And The Children


In a small French town near the English Channel, police lieutenant Pharaon de Winter (Emmanuel Schotté) and his colleagues from the force are called upon to investigate the grisly rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl. For Pharaon, this professional ordeal adds to a more personal drama, his repressed feelings of love for Domino (Séverine Caneele), who already entertains a relationship with Joseph (Philippe Tullier), one of his friends. With Ginette Allegre (Éliane, Pharaon’s mother) and Ghislain Ghesquière (the chief of police).

Once in a while, you come across a movie so distant from the mainstream that it almost defies analysis. Such is the case for L’HUMANITÉ, an abstract feature that raises several questions without limiting itself to one specific set of answers. To better appreciate this difficult film, you should focus more on the characters’ actions than their final destination because the script offers no definitive statement that ties together each and every element of the story. It is in this sense that Bruno Dumont’s film stands as a genuine challenge: long after seeing it, you will find yourself reviewing its strong images in your mind and reflecting on its themes and psychology, a reaction often elicited by true works of art.

Through Pharaon, L’HUMANITÉ illustrates man’s travails on Earth, his inner struggles, his desperate attempts to make sense of his life and that of others. Like a mirror that mercilessly reveals warts as well as beauty, it forces us to acknowledge our capacity for evil, our weakness and our brutality. Dumont achieved this by using lingering takes, symbolism and quasi-religious introspection but, if his meditative process seems a bit slow and deliberate, it is by no means boring; it simply conveys the profound malaise felt by his characters in the barren expanses of their native countryside. What affected me most was Pharaon’s introversion and acute sense of compassion. Was this man cut out to be a cop? I will let you decide on your own.

L’HUMANITÉ will not please everyone – especially not action fans – but, if enigmatic, psychology-driven movies are your cup of tea, then this art house gem will strike you as a potent, audacious and thought-provoking work about one man’s dilemma and the human condition in general. To watch this film is to experience transcendence.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

Fanny and Alexander

Genre: family drama
With: Ewa Froling, Gunn Wallgren, Bertil Guve
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Release: 1982
Studio: Cinematograph et al. - Swedish Film Institute
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.7/10


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Story-line: circa 1907, various events bring change to the Ekdahl household, chiefly to Oscar’s wife, Emilie, and her two children, Fanny and Alexander.
Pluses: a very atypical story, strong acting, masterful direction.
Minuses: some viewers may find the film a bit long but their patience will be handsomely rewarded.
Comments: a startling mix of humorous and harrowing episodes reflecting Bergman’s happier and darker moods. FANNY AND ALEXANDER is an original film with a distinctly European feel and an eloquent illustration of life’s vicissitudes.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved

8 femmes

English title: Eight Women
Genre: comedy drama
Director: François Ozon
Release: 2002
Studio: Fidélité Films, Celluloid Dreams et al. - Focus Features
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.0/10


Death Takes A Holiday


Suzon (Virginie Ledoyen), a French teen studying in London, heads home to spend the Christmas break with her parents Gaby (Catherine Deneuve) and Marcel (Dominique Lamure), her sister Catherine (Ludivine Sagnier), other relatives and the household staff. On her arrival, everyone is jubilant and everything looks hunky-dory… but a shocking incident will instantly cast a pall over the family reunion and spark a frenzy of suspicion among its members.

What a riot! There is no other way to describe this hodgepodge of a film by François Ozon, screenplay collaborator Marina De Van and playwright Robert Thomas. As a first dare, director Ozon assembled the most celebrated ladies in French cinema to act out his kooky material and, for me at least, it was truly a revelation to see Catherine Deneuve, Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier duke it out with Danielle Darrieux (as Mamie, Gaby’s elderly mother), Isabelle Huppert (Augustine, Gaby’s sister), Fanny Ardant (Pierrette) and housekeepers Emmanuelle Béart (Louise) and Firmine Richard (Madame Chanel). Yes, you are not mistaken: Emmanuelle Béart plays a maid in this one, and a sexy one at that! As a second dare, all actresses were called upon to sing one pertinent song during the picture and, overall, they managed the feat with panache and more than passing talent. As for the movie’s story-line, it too could be considered a dare for it involves some pretty campy stuff played with genuine delectation. In this marathon of meanness, our characters will indulge in breathless finger pointing, reckless innuendo and gleeful mudslinging with results bordering on the surreal. All the while, you will be sitting on the edge of your seat, giddy and befuddled, right up to the film’s startling, high-impact ending.

So, if 8 FEMMES comes your way, don’t dismiss it as an artificial star vehicle. This outrageous whodunit provides glamorous and freewheeling fun in such quantity that your next film experience will seem flat by comparison. You better believe it… too much fun can kill you.


MBiS

© 2009 – All rights reserved