leeroy711 Blog

The Year My Parents.... review

leeroy711 — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:31:30 GMT

***** Stars out of 5

Directed by: Cao Hamburger.

Starring: Michel Joelsas, Germano Haiut and Daniela Piepszyk

Running Time: 104 minutes

Rated: PG

Released: 2007

Language: Portuguese with English subtitles

Synopsis:

The year referred to in the title of this film is 1970. Brazil is being held by a totalitarian regime. The great soccer player, Pele has just scored his thousandth goal and the national team is preparing for the World Cup.

Mauro (Joelsas) is like any 12 year old Brazilian boy at the time. He thinks only of soccer and girls. Unfortunately for him, his political parents have to leave him with his Grandfather while they go “on vacation”.

Review:

I can’t really say anything bad about this film. It seemed interesting from the box and I had pretty high hopes for it. I am very pleased to report: it did not disappoint. The only challenge I had to get past was the fact that I am not particularly familiar with the history of the backdrop of this film and it doesn’t do much to fill you in. I believe I made a similar comment about Summer Palace, but in the case of this film, you don’t really need to know the history behind the struggle. I actually think it may have worked out better knowing less in this movie. Keep in mind, you are trying to empathize with a 12 year old that knows and cares nothing about politics.

I tend to make a comment about the cinematography of every film I review so why should this one be any different. It was actually shot beautifully. We never see the same camera angle twice throughout this movie. And, I really liked a lot of the angles that this was shot from. Many times we see what’s happening from behind an obstruction of some sorts, giving the viewer almost a mischievous “peeking in” feeling.

The acting was very well done as well. The lead character, Mauro was played by Michel Joelsas. I wasn’t sure about him at first, but by the end of the movie, he had convinced me. This performance was by far the most critical to the film. On several occasions, he gets his heart broken and the audience really needs to feel that with him for the film to be even remotely successful. I also really enjoyed the performance of Hanna, as played by Daniela Piepszyk. She was the street wise, neighborhood girl that befriends Mauro.

One of the themes that runs through the veins of this film is that of a community pulling together when someone is in need. This is another reason that it felt unnecessary to get into too much depth in regards to the politics of the conflict. Within that neighborhood, it just didn’t seem to matter which philosophy you subscribed to, everyone was in the same boat and the compassion they showed the new Mauro took precedent over everything. Well, everything except soccer of course. I think the country’s passion towards the sport was the one true common philosophy of Brazil.

My favorite aspect of this film was that although the underlying plot was heartbreaking, there were plenty of subtle comedic moments designed to break the tension and keep audience light hearted. I laughed out loud at one particular scene in which Mauro is being served breakfast by one of the old women in the building. He has to constantly reposition his plate and cup because she is apparently blind as a bat and is spilling everything onto her kitchen table.

This is the type of film that grows on you as you watch it. At first, I was only mildly interested but as I got deeper into it, I fell more and more in love with the characters. I would give this one my full recommendation.

Metropolis lost scenes found

leeroy711 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:19:30 GMT

Metropolis (1927)

From RogerEbert.com:

Lost parts of "Metropolis" found!

/ / / August 4, 2008

by Roger Ebert

It is the most sensational find in recent film history. A nearly-complete print of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" (1927) has been discovered in Buenos Aires, 80 years after it was thought a quarter of the film was lost forever. Called by many the most important of German films, one of the landmarks of silent Expressionism, its plot had several loose ends that will now be repaired.

The find was made by Paula Félix-Didier, director of the cinema museum in Buenos Aires. Her story is told in an article in Germany's Zeit magazine, which traces the print from its arrival in Argentina in 1928. It found itself in the collection of a local film critic, who sold it to the National Art Fund in the 1960s, the magazine says. It arrived in the Museo del Cine in 1992.

The False Maria.

(Enlarge Image)

Felix-Didier's ex-husband, director of the museum before the position was taken by his wife, "had heard from the manager of a cinema club, who years before had been surprised by how long a screening of this film had taken. Together, [they] took a look at the film in her archive --and discovered the missing scenes." Their print has been examined by experts in Berlin, where the film had its 1927 premiere. They agree it is authentic. After a restoration, the Murnau Foundation, owner of the rights, will release it to festivals, theaters and DVD.

Well, I'm excited.

Smells like teen murder spirit

leeroy711 — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:16:28 GMT

This was the fourth film I've seen by Tom Tykwer and until watching it, I was still unsure as to whether I could consider myself a fan of his. I thought Run Lola Run was brillian but was worried that he may have been a one-trick pony. Winter Sleepers was the next film I saw by him and was pretty dissapointed. I gave him another chance with Heaven and although I didn't fall in love with it, it still reminded me of his talents and to keep an eye out for his future work.

Perfume...... sealed the deal for me. I am now squarely on one side of the fence. This was a fantastic movie. The acting, especially by Whishaw was superior every scene. The screenplay was well written, keeping the story moving at a fast enough pace as to not loose my attention while still allowing for an entire life stroy to unfold.

What got me more than anything was the use of color palettes. It forces you to use the term: "brilliant" in it's most literal sense.

Leeroy's 5 queue picks for August '08

leeroy711 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:15:23 GMT

These may not be the greatest titles of all time, but they're the right movies for right now

It’s time to try to stretch that summer out as long as you can. Sit on your couch, open up a brew, and toss these in for a gander.

1. The 39 Steps (1935) – Alfred Hitchcock was born in London on August 13, 1899. So I suggest that you celebrate his birthday by watching one of his timeless classics. Just about anyone will do. Why not this one?

2. Back to School (1986) – Two months in a row I’m suggesting a Dangerfield movie. But I really loved him in this gem. And it’s time to start getting ready to hit the books again so might as well watch a classic ‘80s comedy to get you in the mood.

3. Living Legends: Broke Ass Summer Jam – Summer’s not quite over yet. Hip-hop heads and live music lovers alike can enjoy the live performances on the stage in this dvd. The highlight of this one is definitely when Living Legends perform Rabbit Hole and Never Fallin’. Not to mention, they happen to be kicking off their tour right this very moment so you can use this one as motivation to go online and pick up those tickets. You might just see me there.

4. Rushmore (1998) – All right, all right, enough with the back to school stuff. This is probably Wes Anderson’s most admired film and for good reason. I can honestly say it gets better with time.

5. Wild Strawberries (1957) – This is one of Ingmar Bergman’s greatest pieces. And what better way to end the Summer than with a road trip through Sweden.

Enjoy!

Emery

Roped

leeroy711 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:13:16 GMT

I haven't seen a movie that has blown me away like this in a long time. Hitchcock's idea was to make this film in one continuous shot. Unfortunately, this was not possible at the time because the cameras back then only held about ten minutes worth of film. In an act of pure ingenuity, Hitchcock used a technique that made it seem as though this was only one shot. About every ten minutes, your attention is directed to an intimate object for about two or three seconds and then back to the story. This is the point at which the film is cut and reloaded into the camera. The editing is done to make this transition seamless and the audio track never cuts, giving the impression that it was one camera movement.

The acting in this film is fantastic. I have always maintained that Jimmy Stewart has the most powerful screen presence in all of film. His characters demand attention, simply by virtue of his demeanor. What makes this film great however, are the subtleties portrayed by his character. Keep in mind; it is not until the very end of this film, that he actually vocalizes what he has been thinking. But we are all very aware of exactly what is going on in his head from the moment his first suspicions arise.

I can’t really say enough about this one, I’ve only seen a handful of Hitchcock and none have ever disappointed me. But this is the one so far, stands out above the rest. It pulled me in from the first scene and kept me thinking about it several days later.

Summer Palace review: "Did I miss something?"

leeroy711 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:31:12 GMT

Summer Palace (2006)

*** Stars out of 5

Directed by: Lou Ye.

Starring: Hao Lei, Guo Xiaodong and Hu Ling

Running Time: 114 minutes

Rated: UR

Released: 2006

Language: Mandarin with English subtitles

Synopsis:

Summer Palace is the story that follows a beautiful and rebellious young Chinese woman, Yu Hon (Hao Lei) throughout almost a two decade period. Her story starts in a small town in 1988 where she receives word that has been accepted to Beijing University.

We follow her and the rest of modern China through the next twenty years of political and emotional unrest. We are subjected to her struggles with love, life individualism and sexuality.

Review:

To be honest, I really have no idea how to review this film. It had every mark of a classic dramatic masterpiece. But alas, I like masterpieces and I really couldn’t get into this one. It seems that for every separate aspect of this movie that I liked, there was something else about it that was much less desirable. But the overall flow of the film was at best a bit slow and confusing. At worst, this movie was convoluted and repetitive. But I digress; maybe I just didn’t get it.

This movie actually felt like two separate films. The first ended when she leaves the college, then we fast forward several years and pick up her life in a new city with a new job, new friends, but all of the same old tendencies. It was kind of a disappointment when I realized the new direction the film is steered in. This film switched gears shortly after the Tiananmen Square riot scene and I was just starting to become interested in what the film seemed to be trying to say about that extremely important period of Chinese history. I sort of felt as if this was intentional, in order to keep the story fully engulfed in Yu Hon’s personal struggles. Unfortunately, at this point, I was starting to get excited at the prospects of this film using the period to illustrate a philosophical parallel of Yu Hon’s individualism versus the collective oppression surrounding her. I honestly feel that this was an opportunity squandered. But again, I digress; I’ll try to review the film for what it was and not what I wish it was.

The acting, especially in the case of Hao Lei, was quite exceptional. She actually had a tougher job than what may have been apparent. I think that just a bit less tumult and personal struggle would have made her character seem more like a slut than a complex individual struggling with love and sexuality. The supporting cast was just as convincing but there were simply too much of them attempting to be crucial parts of her story. She was the only one that really mattered in this film and I think it could have done itself a favor by eliminating some of the support and shortening the running time of this movie a bit.

The cinematography in this feature was simultaneously artistic and awkward. I don’t think there was a steady cam shot in this entire movie. For some of the more intimate scenes, this worked very well, while at other times, the scene was just too shaky to get a good grasp on what was really going on. I’m not a big fan of disorientating the audience and many times this technique is used in a cheap ploy to cover up the lack of believable effects.

There was one portion of this movie that I found to be particularly spectacular. The score was nothing short of fantastic. The music behind the individual scenes did every other aspect a favor. It emphasized the dreary and dramatic in ways that no camera angles or teary eyes could have accomplished. I am probably the last person to notice a movie’s score, unless it was completely out of place and bad or really, really good. This one was quite moving.

In summary, I would probably recommend this film purely on the basis that I finished it with an overwhelming feeling that I had missed something. I would watch it again in hopes of finding it, but at 140 minutes, I simply don’t have the time to take another stab at something that I may not like even more the second time around.

Homage or Spoof............... It's hard to tell with this one.

leeroy711 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:21:49 GMT

Overall, I liked this film. It had an intelligent plot, better than average camerawork and a couple of pretty descent characters. I didn’t have a problem with the jargon, per se… I only had a problem with the backdrop.

I generally think that this would have made an incredible film had it not been told from a high-school student’s point of view. This film has all of the classic clichés and nuances of a great piece of film noir. We have the classic femme fatale, the lead characters spends most of his time getting beat up, and oh yeah, the jargon. The problem with these things is that the fact that these are high-school students playing them out. It really gave me the impression, much of the time that I was watching an elaborate high-school play in which the kids were portraying adults. Unfortunately it was more of the other way around.

I really didn’t see any aspect of this story that hinged on the age of the characters. It makes me wonder why it was made in this way. Overall I liked it but I did find myself laughing at some of the parts that (because of the inappropriate backdrop) just delved into the silly spoof realm of film.

What is it called when.......................

leeroy711 — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:46:03 GMT

Have you ever watched a movie that you liked so much that it actually pisses you off that you waited soooo long to watch it? Is there a special word for that? I just finished watching Samuel Fuller's Shock Corrider and I have that feeling. This movie has been bouncing around my netflix queue for the better part of a year now and I finally sat down to watch it tonight. I had a similar feeling after watching 8 1/2 for the first time. Damn it, what the hell else have I been missing?

The difference between parody and cliche; The Cry (2007) review

leeroy711 — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:55:10 GMT

The Cry (2007)

* ½ stars out of 5

Directed by: Bernadine Santistevan

Starring: Christian Camargo, Adriana Dominguez and Carlos Leon

Running Time: 80 minutes

Rated: R

Released: 2007

Language: English

Synopsis:

The Cry is a modern telling of an old Hispanic folk legend. La Llorana (the crying woman) is somewhat of a ghost in Mexico, Central and South America. In some versions of the story, she was a woman scorned, who got her revenge by drowning her children in the local river.

This movie takes La Llorana to New York City’s Central Park, where an epidemic of missing children is putting the city into a frantic state. We follow a pair of detectives (Camargo and Leon) as they investigate the disappearances and a young mother (Dominguez) who has visions that drive her to investigate the legend and the abductions herself.

Review:

I don’t watch a lot of horror movies and this one illustrates why. It seems to me that the line between cliché and parody keeps getting thinner and thinner. To clarify for any aspiring horror director reading this: Parody is an over-exaggeration of an idea or technique that is a serious attempt to be funny. Cliché is an over-exaggeration of an idea or technique that is a funny attempt to be serious. This film was full of the latter.

Any movie that has the typical (see cliché above), person drawing scary pictures while in a trance scene, is going to have to work pretty hard to regain my interest. I can’t recall how many times I’ve seen this done and it is just getting sad.

The second cliché I saw was the ever-so-popular super scary whispering voices heard in the heads of the main characters. This too is neither original nor frightening. It has been done more times than the previously mentioned scary picture drawing scene and with less of an affect.

The third and most egregious stereotypical, low-rate horror tactic used in this film was the quick flash of scary images on the screen while no one is expecting it technique. This serves the film two purposes; it saves the budget when longer shots of quality gore special effects cannot be afforded and it also allows the editing to create the startling scene as a substitute for real suspense and horror.

When I received this screener, I was a bit intrigued by the folk lore of La Llorana so I decided to do some research on it before I watched it. There was nothing extraordinarily interesting about the legend but I did take note in the fact that throughout different parts of the Hispanic world, there are vast differences in the original story of La Llorana. I was very interested in seeing which of the several versions of the story this film decided to adapt. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed when, rather than picking one, it simply garbled all of the versions together. This really ate into the entire concept of the legend. The film makers even went a step further and added their own aspects to the legend. In one part, the detectives are explained, “she gets her power from the water.” I think they borrowed this idea from another folk legend from the East, his name was Godzilla.

I can’t really say much of anything good about this flick. The acting was not horrible, but it was not very good either. The ending was both disturbing and predictable, but not satisfying. I could point out that the character of Maria (Adriana Dominguez) was nice to look at throughout the film and I enjoyed the music performed by Del Castillo. But I won’t. Overall, there was no aspect of this movie that made it worth the time I spent watching it.

Leeroy's 5 queue picks for July '08

leeroy711 — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:51:12 GMT

These may not be the greatest titles of all time, but they're the right movies for right now

Allright, it's the middle of the Summer, the days are long and the nights are hot. What are you gonna watch

1. Caddyshack (1980) - Harold Ramis and Bill Murray should probably go down as one of the best contemporary comedic directors/actor teams we have today. I like Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day enough but this one set the standard.

2. Jurassic Park (1993) - This film for me, epitemizes the term Summer blockbuster. I still vividly remember standing in line, in 110+ degree heat in Phoenix for this movie. I also remember the young woman in front of us passing out from the heat as we waited. I think she was from Minnesota.

3. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)- Hey, remember when Tom Cruise wasn't such a joke? Niether do I but this is still one of his best performances and it's not something that comes up in conversation very often so now would be the perfect time to take a second look at one of Oliver Stone's best movies.

4. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Al Pacino was destined for stardom after his performance in Sidney Lumet's classic drama about a bank robbery. ATTICA ATTICA!!!!

5. Sexy Beast (2000) - I flat out love this movie. And it just so happens to take place in the wonderful heat of the Summer in Spain.

Enjoy!

Emery