Secrets & Lies

Genre: psychological drama 

With: Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Timothy Spall

Director: Mike Leigh

Release: 1996

Studio: Channel Four Films, CiBy 2000, Thin Man Films

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.5/10

QuickView

Story-line: personal matters bring together Hortense and Cynthia Rose, two women who seemingly have nothing in common.   

Pluses: strong acting all around, a true-to-life screenplay about dysfunctional families, rock-solid direction and much more.

Minuses: none really.

Comments: Mike Leigh has crafted a set of serious social dramas over the years and this Palme d’Or winner is probably his best. This is thoughtful, human, rewarding cinema.

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Cidade de Deus

English title: City of God

Genre: crime drama  

Director: Fernando Meirelles (with Kátia Lund, co-director) 

Release: 2003

Studio: Miramax

Rating: 16

MBiS score: 8.4/10

New Kids on the Crime Block

With the help of Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues), an amiable young man serving as our narrator, Cidade de Deus takes us through two decades of real-life crime stories in a notorious shantytown on the outskirts of Rio. In that slum, from the 1960s to the 80s, thuggery was often the only alternative for young men deprived of any valid prospects. With Alice Braga (Angélica). 

For me, watching CIDADE DE DEUS wasn’t a free ride. I was disappointed at first because it’s predominantly a violent film – the poster makes it look like class trips and romance at Copacabana beach – then I caught on gradually and I was truly conquered in the last act. Sum total, CIDADE DE DEUS is a strong, compelling motion picture.

This vibrant film depicts the young hoodlums and traffickers who ruled over the City of God, beginning with Rocket’s brother Goose and two friends, Shaggy and Clipper – nicknamed the "Tender Trio" – who earned their reputation during an audacious holdup in a local motel. Other young dealers will follow, among them Benny (Phelipe Haagensen), Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele) and Lil Zé (Leandro Firmino de Hora), a sworn enemy of Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge), himself a hero of the slum. There’s lots of action in CIDADE DE DEUS and some of it is genuinely harrowing (the tragic story of Tiago the cocaine addict and those gun-toting children especially).

The movie’s other strong points are its nimble and efficient direction by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund (at times I found it unimaginably good) and Bráulio Mantovani’s complex and suspenseful screenplay (based on a novel by Paulo Lins). The story contains multiple flashbacks and tie-ins that ultimately provide a gripping panorama of Brazilian juvenile delinquency; its powerful ending answers questions that were left dangling before. Cast members are uniformly excellent and production values are solid.

I won’t comment further… you’ve already got the picture. CIDADE DE DEUS is a vast portrait of young people on the wrong side of the tracks, a "school of crime" if you will and a fitting companion film to Martin Scorsese’s GOODFELLAS.   

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Casablanca

Genre: intrigue – romance 

With: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid

Director: Michael Curtiz

Release: 1941 (black and white)

Studio: Warner Bros.

Rating: G

MBiS score: 8.8/10

QuickView

Story-line: in wartime Morocco, an American bar owner gets himself in a mess of conspiracy and romance.

Pluses: Bogart’s deadpan delivery, Bergman’s radiant screen presence, memorable dialogues, a splendid cast of shady characters and, of course, Dooley Wilson singing "As Time Goes By".

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: CASABLANCA, still one of Hollywood’s best offerings to the world, is a monumental film. According to movie lore, the ending had not yet been decided when shooting began… but a home run it certainly is. "Here's looking at you, kid."     

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Enfant sauvage (L')

  

English title: The Wild Child

Genre: behavioural drama 

Director: François Truffaut

Release: 1969

Studio: Les Artistes Associés, Les Films du Carrosse et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.7/10

This is civilization, son, whether you like it or not

In 1798, a woman gathering plants in a French forest runs for her life when she comes face to face with a wild, naked boy (Jean-Pierre Cargol). Locals organize a search, the boy is captured. When reports of this strange happening reach the French capital, men of science express interest in the young savage. With François Truffaut (Doctor Itard), Jean Dasté (Professor Pinel) and Françoise Seigner (Mrs. Guérin).

L’ENFANT SAUVAGE, a black and white film based on historical archives (Itard’s reports on the Aveyron savage), is one of the oddest and most astounding spectacles you’ll ever see. It seems otherworldly, somewhat like THE ELEPHANT MAN, and has the distinct feel of a scientific documentary. Once the young savage arrives in Paris, Itard will undertake his education; unlike Pinel, he is convinced that the boy can become ‘Victor’, a socially-adapted young man. That’s how the story goes… and a compelling one it is in spite of its coldness.

To be successful, Truffaut’s film needed strong leads and what it got was miraculous. Jean-Pierre Cargol’s performance is almost unbelievable when you consider he had to go against nature and play a beast whose reactions are singularly unhuman. Truffaut also nails it as the scientist and strict disciplinarian; in his other role behind the camera, he has kept his movie sober, fluid and tight, limiting himself to the clinical comments authored by Itard.

Recently, the New York Times ran an article stating that moviegoers are balking at current Hollywood fare. L’ENFANT SAUVAGE may be an old foreign film but it’s one of those extraordinary works that will make you fall in love with the movies all over again. If you decide to see it, I have one big favour to ask of you. Since Truffaut and Jean Gruault have not provided their scenario with a definitive ending, don’t research Victor’s story on the Internet or elsewhere until you’ve seen the movie. That way, the end result of Itard’s efforts will surprise you even more.

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Un homme et une femme  

English title: A man and a woman

Genre: romance

With: Anouk Aimée, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Pierre Barouh

Director: Claude Lelouch

Release: 1966

Studio: Les Films 13

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

QuickView

Story-line: a chance meeting between a movie industry assistant and a race-car driver leads to love.

Pluses: excellent acting by Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant, a moving scenario, splendid direction by Claude Lelouch and a classic score by Francis Lai (you’ve probably heard it somewhere without making the connection).

Minuses: none whatsoever, unless black and white films are not your cup of tea.

Comments: the film’s plot is not very full but, then again, love stories often hinge on a glance, a smile or a few simple words. This is one of Lelouch’s very best works, a Palme d’Or winner in 1966… and it’s so-o-o romantic, boys and girls!!!

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Ice Storm (The)

Genre: comedy drama

Director: Ang Lee

Release: 1997

Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.3/10

‘I have a husband. I don't have a need for another one.’

We find ourselves in 1973 and the Hood family isn’t the most contented in New Canaan. Young Wendy (Christina Ricci) thinks about boys and rails about Nixon, brother Paul (Tobey Maguire) has girls on his mind but little luck with them, father Ben (Kevin Kline) struggles with mid-life crisis and mother Elena (Joan Allen) feels deep down inside that happiness is passing her by. With Sigourney Weaver (Janey Carver), Jamey Sheridan (her husband Jimmy), Elijah Wood and Adam Hann-Byrd (Mikey and Sandy, the Carver sons).

THE ICE STORM is a cold, cold family affair… and not only because of that pivotal weather event late in the story. Its characters are twisted and broken like sleet-covered branches, its humour bites like a winter squall in Minnesota… even though this is Connecticut. The plot, both potent and deep, develops over a few days, one fateful Thanksgiving weekend. Television is omnipresent and oppressive, relationships are tense, characters have yet to discover that the freewheeling spirit of the 70s may lead them to a dead end.

Sounds depressing? Believe me, it’s not. Drama and comedy are finely balanced here, largely due to the film’s faultless direction, screenwriting and acting. Helmer Ang Lee keeps things moving along and does a great job capturing the mood of the times. The script by James Schamus (based on a Rick Moody novel) spins its web quietly but efficiently (the spiral of events in the third act is superbly engineered). As for the cast, it exudes charisma and talent; at the risk of being unfair, I was especially impressed by Kevin Kline (who delivers his wackier lines with all the seriousness in the world) and Tobey Maguire (who reminded me of Robert De Niro waxing ironic).

In terms of weather, an ice storm is not something to be taken lightly; in the realm of filmed entertainment, THE ICE STORM shouldn’t either. That’s why I strongly recommend it to you. Whatever you decide, beware of those molecules, you hear!

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Blaze

Genre: comedy drama 

With: Lolita Davidovich, Paul Newman, Jerry Hardin

Director: Ron Shelton

Release: 1989

Studio: A&M Films, Silver Screen Partners IV, Touchstone Pictures

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.0/10

QuickView

Story-line: one night in 1959, Earl K. Long, governor of the fair State of Louisiana, goes to a strip joint and falls head over cowboy boots for one lovely performer named Blaze Starr.

Pluses: solid acting by Lolita Davidovich as the striptease artiste and Paul Newman as the colourful and wily governor, able direction by Ron Shelton, a slew of funny moments. 

Minuses: none to think of.

Comments: BLAZE being a tale of sex and government in a bygone era (ahem!), get ready for hogs, political shenanigans, scandal-mongering and watermelon in bed. Probably not the most moral of films but a memorable, rootin’ tootin’ good time to be had. Treat yourself now!

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Professione: reporter

English title: Passenger (The)

Also known as: Profession: reporter

Genre: psychological drama – suspense

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

Release: 1975

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.5/10

                                                                     

For the Hell of It

While working on a documentary in North Africa, journalist David Locke (Jack Nicholson) finds the dead body of David Robertson, a recent acquaintance, and decides to steal his identity. With Maria Schneider (the Girl), Jenny Runacre (Rachel), Ian Hendry (Martin Knight), Charles Mulvehill (David Robertson), Steven Berkoff (Stephen) and Ambrose Bia (Achebe).

Michelangelo Antonioni is celebrated in international circles for several striking films (L’AVVENTURA, BLOW-UP, ZABRISKIE POINT) and his PROFESSIONE: REPORTER is another stunner. It’s certainly arty, impressionistic and atmospheric… but it also delivers enough mystery and suspense to catch any viewer’s interest. As Locke forges Robertson’s passport and changes identities, you’ll wonder why he would turn his back on everything he had to pursue a life he knows nothing about. The answer, though not straightforward, does emerge from the film’s fine screenplay by Mark Peploe, Peter Wollen, Miguel De Echarri and Antonioni himself. Locke’s story plays like a puzzle, an intriguing riddle that will stay on your mind until the final frames.  

In form, PROFESSIONE: REPORTER is an atypical and invigorating chase movie. Gorgeous visuals shot in Africa and Europe, quality editing and winning turns by Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider all contribute to the film’s success. Dialogues may seem whimsical and even obtuse but are never vague when precision is needed; in that regard, the comments made by an African statesman are especially true-life in that they hide as much as they reveal. The only problem I had with this superior film − and one you should be aware of if you want to fully enjoy it – stems from its difficult ending; it fits well with the narrative but you may need to see it twice (as I did) if you don’t get it the first time around.

Curiously enough, I first learned about this movie in the 80s when I saw a picture of Nicholson and Schneider in a beat-up Larousse dictionary. Having finally seen it, I can confirm what better reviewers have already said: PROFESSIONE: REPORTER is a masterful motion picture. Locke may have taken a gamble but you won’t have to if you follow him from Africa to London and from Munich to Spain. In your case, adventure is risk-free.

MBiS

© 2014 – All rights reserved

Hi Anonymous!

In response to your comment, I don’t use Twitter, unfortunately.

I also have very little time to write these days… but here are a few picks I hope you’ll enjoy.

- Shame (by Steve McQueen, 2011, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan). A quirky ‘psycho-sexual’ drama that has surprising moral value. Tentative score: 8.2.

- The Artist (by Michel Hazanavicius, 2011, with Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo). A lovely film, a bit too reverential to my taste but amazing nevertheless. Tentative score: 8.2.

- We Need to Talk About Kevin (by Lynne Ramsay, 2011, with Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller). Riveting even though the story itself is tragically well-known. Tentative score: 8.1.

- Longford (by Tom Hooper, 2006, with Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Samantha Morton). An astounding moral dilemma. Incredible acting by the aforementioned actors and by a foul-mouthed Andy Serkis. Guilty or not guilty? You be the judge. Tentative score: 8.6.

- Bel Ami (by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, 2012, with Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas). A rags-to-riches story with lots of power… and beautiful ladies. Tentative score: 8.3.  

 

- My Week with Marilyn (by Simon Curtis, 2011, with Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne). I was afraid this one would be a standard Hollywood biopic… but it’s a much more interesting film.  Splendid acting. Tentative score: 8.2.

- In Darkness (by Agnieszka Holland, 2011). A smaller story à la SCHINDLER’S LIST. Tentative score: 8.2.

- Hors de prix (Priceless) (by Pierre Salvadori, 2006, with Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh). Two attractive stars and a story like Hollywood can’t tell anymore. A funny, sexy date movie. Tentative score: 8.2.

Gotta run now!

MBiS

 

A few flicks for your summer

I know I’ve neglected you all... but I've had little time to write recently. I trust you’ll forgive me once you see this batch of excellent films (and avoid the clunker among them). Thank you!

Year of the Carnivore (Sook-Yin Lee, 2009)

- Looking to improve your sex skills? This is exactly what Samantha Smalls will try to do in YEAR OF THE CARNIVORE. A funny and refreshing film… way less smutty than the title suggests. Tentative score: 7.8

Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé (Stéphane Brizé, 2005)

- In a similar vein to YEAR OF THE CARNIVORE – but more romantic in its approach – JE NE SUIS PAS LÀ POUR ÊTRE AIMÉ tells the story of a lonely bailiff in Paris. A superbly acted film you should see with your significant somebody. Heartwarming without being mushy. Tentative score: 8.2

Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1969)

- Yes, there is gunplay in this horse opera but much, much more. Splendid acting, a great plot, striking imagery and a dream score by Ennio Morricone. A true masterpiece in this genre. Tentative score: 9.2

Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas (Don’t Worry, I’m Fine) (Philippe Lioret, 2006)

- A sneaky little family drama that introduced me to Mélanie Laurent. Tentative score: 8.1

Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

-Rewriting one of history’s darkest pages for laughs and sadistic thrills is clearly not my cup of tea. Solidly acted, technically accomplished, stylistically confused and fatally misguided. Tentative score: 3.0 (If you want a serious Résistance movie, see LE BON ET LES MÉCHANTS (1975) by Claude Lelouch.)

Wizard of Oz (The) (Victor Fleming (and King Vidor), 1939)

- Another genuine masterpiece for young and old alike. Tentative score: 9.0

A Single Man (Tom Ford, 2009)

- A touching film about love lived and lost. Great acting and a flawless script. Tentative score: 8.2

Apocalypse Now Redux (Francis Ford Coppola)

- The word ‘Redux’ is very important here. This full-length version (around three and a half hours) feels much more complete and satisfying than the shorter version I saw long ago. War is hell and this movie feels like it. A legendary epic, no doubt. Tentative score: 9.4

Nowhere Boy (Sam Taylor-Wood, 2010)

- John Lennon’s first steps as a musician. A stormy film that made me think twice about John’s family life and his relationship with Paul McCartney. Tentative score: 8.0

Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945)

- A suspenseful and shocking film noir that mustn’t be missed. So what if it’s old… it’s still a thrill to watch. Tentative score: 8.4

This should keep you busy for a while!

MBiS

© 2013 - All rights reserved