Grandes manœuvres (les)

Genre: romantic drama  

With: Michèle Morgan, Gérard Philipe, Jean Desailly

Director: René Clair

Release: 1955

Studio: Filmsonor, Rizzoli Film, S.E.C.A., Cinétel

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.3/10

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Story-line: as his garrison prepares for military exercises shortly before World War I, Lt. Armand de la Verne bets he can woo any woman coming his way.

Pluses: fine acting from illustrious French leads, a thoughtful screenplay, first-rate direction, lavish visuals and eye-popping production values. 

Minuses: none whatsoever.

Comments: either for laughs or for drama, many movies have featured a wager as romantic premise but LES GRANDES MANOEUVRES has done so in a mature and most sensible way. René Clair’s film is yet another gem in French cinema’s rich jewel box.

MBiS

© 2016 – All rights reserved

Antichrist

Genre: horror 

Director: Lars von Trier

Release: 2009

Studio: Zentropa Entertainments, Slot Machine, Memfis Film et al.

Rating: R (for graphic sexual situations)

MBiS score: 7.3 or 7.8/10, depending on your familiarity with the genre

Show Your Love With An Anklet, Darling!

Wintertime in the State of Washington. While his parents are making love, little Nic opens a window of their high-rise apartment, climbs out and falls to his death. Such a loss leaves both parents shattered and guilt-ridden; the father struggles to understand, the mother is hospitalized. Is there any way for these people to pull through? With Willem Dafoe (He), Charlotte Gainsbourg (She) and Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm (Nic).

Lars von Trier often stirs up controversy  with his movies but ANTICHRIST, despite a hair-raising title, didn’t seem very threatening to me; it deals much more with mental breakdown than religion, satanic doings or some rendering of the Apocalypse. It’s basically a slow-cooking horror flick (think MISERY, THE MUSIC OF CHANCE or THE SHINING) that also echoes TREE OF LIFE and MELANCHOLIA with its arty, intellectual bent. If you’ve already seen these other films, von Trier’s may feel like déjà vu (which explains the two scores above) but it does present original insights and is faithful to its intent ’til the very end. In the first act, I liked those long sequences without dialogue, the impressive use of Handel’s music and von Trier’s efforts to demonstrate the psychological aspects of grief. Then, as the movie builds tension, it does deliver healthy jolts and darkly funny moments… which was also fine by me. In the last act, however, the screenplay’s attempts at symbolism failed to convince me and, dare I say it, I was quite relieved when it all ended on an abrupt, merciful climax.  

As you can see, I wasn’t bowled over by ANTICHRIST, a well-acted and solidly produced film that offers shock value but modest enlightenment. Though Willem Dafoe’s character claims that ‟ thoughts distort reality”, I’d say reality does catch up at some point, especially toward the movie’s dénouement. In von Trier’s defence, I’d rather recommend MELANCHOLIA (if you’re not feeling too depressed) and especially BREAKING THE WAVES, his morally worthy and superior work from 1996.

MBiS

© 2016 - All rights reserved

The Chase

Genre: social drama

With: Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Angie Dickinson

Director: Arthur Penn

Release: 1965

Studio: Horizon Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Rating: 14A

MBiS score: 8.6/10

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Story-line: panic spreads through a Texas town when locals learn that Charlie ‟Bubber” Reeves, a well-known convict, has just escaped from prison.

Pluses: fabulous performances by A-list actors, a powerful and violent story by Horton Foote and Lillian Hellman, Arthur Penn’s steady direction.

Minuses: the film’s nondescript title doesn’t reflect its high merit.   

Comments: THE CHASE spins an appalling tale about messy lives, powerful people, social ills and vigilante justice. By and large, this is what riveting, masterful cinema looks like.   

MBiS

© 2015 – All rights reserved

The Killers

Genre: crime drama (in black and white)

Director: Robert Siodmak

Release: 1946

Studio: Mark Hellinger Productions, Universal International (Universal Pictures)

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

Who Says Crime Doesn’t Pay?

When a friend warns him that two strangers are in town looking for him, Pete Lunn, a gas station attendant, barely registers a pulse. ‟I’m through with all that running around, Pete says blandly. I did something wrong once.Thanks for coming.” Later that day, Pete is found murdered in his room and the local sheriff won’t investigate for reasons of State jurisdiction. Enters Jim Reardon, an Atlantic Casualty man, who will try to find out just what happened. With Burt Lancaster (Pete Lunn), Edmond O'Brien (Jim Reardon), Ava Gardner (Kitty Collins), Albert Dekker (Big Jim Colfax), Sam Levene (Police Lt. Sam Lubinsky), Vince Barnett (Charleston), Virginia Christine (Lilly Harmon Lubinsky) and Jack Lambert (‟Dum-Dum” Clarke).

Though THE KILLERS shows its hand early on, it never ceases to stump and trump ’til the very end. In his quest for the truth, Reardon will criss-cross the States of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, visit a few joints not fit for your mother-in-law and meet several shady types. Yes, THE KILLERS is a film noir… and one that mixes all the right ingredients:

- a story so complex and twisty you’ll need some time to get into it (courtesy of Anthony Veiller, Richard Brooks and John Huston, from a story by Ernest Hemingway);

- snappy dialogues especially strong on vernacular;

- colourful, erratic characters and a fabulous femme fatale in Ava Gardner;

- impressive acting by a sturdy cast;

- expert direction, storytelling and editing that use flashbacks with rare intelligence;

- a fair amount of mayhem; and

- an emphatic, threatening score by Miklós Rózsa.

Concerning the story, there is one issue I’d like to address for your viewing benefit. When Reardon first meets Lubinsky and tells him about Pete’s murder, some Internet sources claim that Lubinsky couldn’t have known about it at the time and that the screenplay as such is defective. I beg to differ. An explanation is given for Lubinsky’s muted reaction and, considering he was a well-informed cop and a long-time friend of Pete’s, it does seem plausible. Case closed.

That’s all you need to know about THE KILLERS, a thriller so compelling and well-planned that it stands firmly on its own at the ripe old age of 69. Crime may not pay – as the cliché goes – but movie buffs will be amply rewarded this time around.  

MBiS

© 2015 – All rights reserved

Short Cuts 

Genre: slice-of-life drama 

With: Chris Penn, Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison  

Director: Robert Altman

Release: 1993

Studio: Fine Line Features, Spelling Films International, Avenue Pictures Productions

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.3/10

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Story-line: SHORT CUTS spins many a tale of quiet desperation as it follows more than twenty characters struggling with life in a surreal metropolis named Los Angeles.

Pluses: a frank and realistic screenplay of almost epic proportions, fine performances by marquee names, a potent mix of dark comedy and personal tragedy.

Minuses: the film is rather long and features a very large cast but remains orderly and interesting throughout.  

Comments: SHORT CUTS mixes lives on the edge to deliver mesmerizing results. A major achievement for Robert Altman, the American master of ensemble films (NASHVILLE, PRÊT-À-PORTER, THE PLAYER).

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© 2015 – All rights reserved

Notorious

Genre: suspense

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Release: 1946

Studio: Vanguard Films, RKO Radio Pictures, Universal

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

Loves Me, Loves Me Not

Miami, August 1946. After Joe Huberman is sentenced to 20 years in jail for treason, his daughter Alicia (Ingrid Bergman) is approached by a Secret Service agent who believes she’s ideally suited to trap Joe’s associates in Brazil. Next thing you know, the poor girl’s on a plane to Rio… and she’s not going there for the Carnival. With Cary Grant (T.R. Devlin, the agent), Claude Rains (Alexander Sebastian), Louis Calhern (Captain Paul Prescott), Leopoldine Konstantin (Anna Sebastian), Reinhold Schǘnzel (Wilhelm Renzler), Ivan Triesault (Eric Mathis), Alex Minotis (Joseph) and Eberhard Krumschmidt (Emil Hupka).

NOTORIOUS revolves around nuclear energy but draws more on star power to propel its story of intrigue and romance. Ingrid Bergman wasn’t just a beautiful woman; she also possessed genuine talent and her performance here is both credible and very natural. As for Cary Grant, I wasn’t fond of him when I began watching movies but I’m learning to appreciate how great a thespian he really was. With such a combustible duo as Devlin and Alicia, you can expect their working relationship to be muddled by uneasiness and personal feelings… but let’s leave it at that. Claude Rains is also vital to NOTORIOUS for he provides that spark of danger the movie needed after a rather inauspicious start. The rest of the cast is quite commendable, especially Leopoldine Konstantin as one really mean mother.   

The movie also stands as a classic because of its overall direction – Hitchcock was a fine helmer, obviously – and brilliant screenplay by Ben Hecht, one of the best writers Hollywood has ever known. Hecht’s storytelling gets stronger and stronger as the drama builds towards an exciting climax and his dialogues are funny, intelligent and sarcastic. As a collective work, NOTORIOUS is exemplary, a movie to cherish much like CASABLANCA or GONE WITH THE WIND.

For those of you who haven’t seen Hitchcock’s monochrome marvel, you’re in for one hell of a treat. And when you’ll hear Devlin saying that Alicia ‟is first, last, and always not a lady”, don’t you believe him!

MBiS

© 2015 – All rights reserved

Giant

Genre: family saga

With: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean

Director: George Stevens

Release: 1956

Studio: Giant Productions (A George Stevens Production), Warner Bros.  

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.4/10

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Story-line: this sprawling movie tells the tale of the spirited Benedict clan and of its large cattle-ranching operation in Texas from the 1920s to the 1950s. Get ready for happy times, bad blood and family crises in loving, living WarnerColor! 

Pluses: glorious performances by our three leads, a gripping story based on a novel by Edna Ferber, splendid photography by William C. Mellor and vivid dialogues.

Minuses: none whatsoever. This film is pure entertainment!

Comments: like Tara in GONE WITH THE WIND, Reata Ranch is another mythical property of movie lore and the Benedicts certainly rival Scarlett and her O’Haras. GIANT depicts that time when ranchers and oilmen were struggling to coexist in the Lone Star state. Seeing a jubilant Jett Rink covered with crude will strike you as one legendary moment in Hollywood history.

  

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© 2015 – All rights reserved

El secreto de sus ojos

English title: The Secret in Their Eyes

Genre: psychological drama

Director: Juan José Campanella

Release: 2009

Studio: Tornasol Films, Haddock Films, 100 Bares et al.

Rating: 18A

MBiS score: 8.8/10

The Case and the Woman He Couldn’t Forget

Having recently retired from his job as a courthouse clerk, Benjamin Esposito (Ricardo Darín) begins writing a novel about an unsolved rape and murder case he worked on 25 years before. Such a task won’t be easy for him since it rekindles painful memories about the case and his pent-up passion for a former boss, the competent and beautiful Irene Menéndez Hastings (Soledad Villamil). With Carla Quevedo (Liliana Coloto, the murder victim), Guillermo Francella (Pablo Sandoval, Benjamin’s co-worker and friend), Mariano Argento (Romano), Pablo Rago (Ricardo Morales, Liliana’s husband), Javier Godino (Isidoro Gὁmez) and José Luis Gioia (Inspector Báez).

Once in a while, you catch a movie so striking, so brilliant and so different in some respect that it hits you like a ton of bricks. From the outset, I had very modest expectations about El secreto de sus ojos but this Argentinian sleeper won me over in a matter of minutes. On an emotional level, you might say it packs the same kind of punch as Z, that great political thriller I reviewed some time ago. Juan José Campanella’s film has everything one can hope for: charismatic leads you'll root for, a robust and captivating screenplay that doesn’t lose you despite frequent flashbacks, masterful direction and acting, attractive visuals, a healthy dose of humour and romance, a simple yet elegant score and also a powerful payoff. At some point, it even waxes philosophical with its thoughtful reflections on days gone by, opportunities lost and aching regrets.  

This tough, mature and mesmerizing Oscar winner deserves one of my higher marks… and so be it. As Ricardo Morales would say, ‟Memories are all we end up with. At least pick the nice ones.”

MBiS

  

© 2015 – All rights reserved

Schindler’s List

Genre: war drama (in black and white)

With: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release: 1993

Studio: Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment

Rating: -

MBiS score: 9.3/10

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Story-line: for a time during World War II, Oskar Schindler was one prosperous businessman in Poland… until the Nazi threat to his Jewish workers needed to be countered.

Pluses: immaculate direction, poignant acting from a huge cast of stars and unknowns, Steven Zaillian’s perfect screenplay based on a Thomas Keneally novel, that little girl in a red coat, cameos by beneficiaries of Schindler’s righteous deed.  

Minuses: none whatsoever despite the movie’s length.  

Comments: some people had reservations about Spielberg’s choice as director of this weighty film but what he came up with can only be described as a miracle. This brutal, tragic and noble motion picture depicting the best and worst in human nature will leave you speechless, no doubt.     

MBiS

© 2015 – All rights reserved

Lost Weekend (The)

Genre: psychological drama (black and white) 

Director: Billy Wilder

Release: 1945

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10

‟One's too many an' a hundred's not enough.”

New York City on a Thursday afternoon. Though he’s packing for a weekend in the country with his brother Wick, Don Birnam doesn’t really want to leave the Big Apple. And going to a matinee with his girlfriend Helen doesn’t tickle his fancy either. All he cares about is that bottle of liquor he’s hidden on the window ledge. Don, you see, is a dyed-in-the-wool alcoholic. With Ray Milland (Don), Phillip Terry (Wick), Jane Wyman (Helen St. James), Doris Dowling (Gloria), Frank Faylen (Bim Nolan), Howard Da Silva (Nat) and Mary Young (Mrs. Beveridge).

If you’re looking for a serious, note-perfect drama about alcoholism and its human cost, THE LOST WEEKEND is your safest bet. This old movie still resonates today because of its realistic depiction of an addicted man, the damage he causes to himself and to others and the efforts of friends and relatives to save him from the drink. With its thoughtful screenplay (based on a novel by Charles R. Jackson), sharp dialogues, world-class direction and great turns by Ray Milland and Jane Wyman, THE LOST WEEKEND has pleased experts and movie lovers the world over, racking up four Oscars and a Grand Prix in Cannes… no mean feat when you consider that American and international tastes in cinema are frequently at odds.  

Trust me, movie buffs. THE LOST WEEKEND is a mythical, mighty film everyone should see.

MBiS

© 2015 – All rights reserved