Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

This is currently my favorite short film. Its M-azing.

Movie Reviews

Au Hashard Bathalzar(dir. Robert Bresson)
I still don't really grasp the Bresson style. It just frustrates the hell out of me yet it is interesting. I will probably rewatch one of the four films I have seen by him or maybe try some of his later work. This movie clicked at first and clicked
out which made it more frustrating. ? out of ****
Capote(dir. Bennett Miller)
A really good film about the writing process for a legendary author and could there possible be a message about the death penalty? What made this film better than Crash or Good Night, and Good Luck is that there could be a message about the death penalty, but it doesn't cram it down your throat. Hoffman's performance is kind of overrated, but it was still great. **** out of ****
The Squid and the Whale(dir. Noah Bambauch)
I heard this film is Wes Anderson lite, but it really isn't. It doesn't seem to try so hard to be quirky or stylistic. It seems very honest and personal which the two Wes Anderson films I've seen don't have, but I still love Wes Anderson. This was a great film about divorce and the effects on the family. **** out of ****
Taste of Cherry(dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
I currently have this movie still from Blockbuster, but it doesn't count as a checked out movie. I'll probably rewatch it pretty soon, but this film is really slow. It isn't nearly as thought-provoking or interesting as The Wind Will Carry Us. The ending probably provoked the most thought and was probably the most interesting part in the whole film. ** out of ****

Brokeback Mountain

This film really took me by suprise. I expected to like it, but not as much as I am right now. It has this confliction that creates a very human picture. The main characters are masculine yet homosexual. It breaks down stereotypes and creates characters that are whole and human. Most of the time when I watch movies, I really don't pay attention to the performances by actors. If the acting is off-key, I notice it, but usually I don't pay attention to the actual acting. Heith Ledger however made me notice it. His acting is not bad, but fantastic. He creates a character that is inarticulate yet assured. A character that is manly as hell yet homosexual. This confliction with his character makes him human. This film is more of a tragic love story than a message film. It doesn't shove a message like homophobia is bad down your throat. I've only seen three films that were nominated for The Best Picture and the other two, Crash and Good, and Good Luck, basically force audiences to accept their message. Crash is a very flawed film with a message that everybody knows, be kind to other people. Good Night, and Good Luck is an even more flawed film with a message that is basically TV has no balls now and days. Brokeback Mountain has no message, it simply tells a story beautifully and subtly. That is probably why it didn't win the Best Picture Oscar. Homophobia might come into the matter, but I feel strongly it was because it wasn't overblown and melodramatic as hell. Crash is a film with "big" moments. It is a shitty actors' wet dream with constant shouting and everybody on the edge of going ballistic or crying. This film is in the major leagues and Crash and Good Night, and Good Luck are in the minors. It is subtlity that brings this film to such a devastating emotional level. Whenever I watch award shows, I get embarassed seeing the acting clips cuz often they pick parts of great emotion and acting. You don't want to see acting in movies, you want to see people, human beings living their lives and happen to be in a movie. John Cassavetes knew this and that what makes him one of the greatest directors ever to grace cinema. Some people might feel the relationship in the film feels forced since Heith and Jake seem to explode in sexual feelings sometimes in the film. It feels so spontaneous that it could feel fake or contrived. I found it to be suprisingly realistic since these men have been supressing their homosexual feelings for most of their lives. I cannot see any real flaws with this film. I feel this film will become an American classic like most of the critics have been saying. I love this film and feel anyone who watches it should too.

Pros:
-Brilliant performance from Heith Ledger
-Subtle
-Beautiful
-Powerful
-Emotionally devastating
-Mesmerizing

Cons:
-Animal cruelty?
-Butt sex?
-Just kidding?
-Some might feel the relationship is forced

Taste of Cherry and The Leopard Mini Reviews

The Leopard(dir. Luchino Visconti)(US version)
The whole film was pretty good. Nothing really amazing about it. It kind of got boring during the last 45 minutes or so. I need to watch the original version of it.
*** out of ****

Taste of Cherry(dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
I'm borderline whether this film is actually good or bad. It was interesting and different. It was not as good as The Wind Will Carry Us which had conversations that felt natural and pointless yet meaningful. The whole film really doesn't engage the viewer but there is something bold about it that I have to respect.
*** out of ****

The Wind WIll Carry Us Review

This film is directed by Abbas Kiarostami. He is an Iranian filmmaker whose film, Taste of Cherry, won the Palm D'or at the Cannes Film Festival. I have been interested in him for awhile so I rented this. I was expecting something slow and meticulous and I guess some people would watch this film and think that, but I was suprised how fascinating this film was. There is not much plot. You could basically sum it up with an engineer and his colleagues are waiting in village for an old woman to die and they are supposed to take pictures of the funeral ceremony. The film reminds me of something more along the lines Eric Rohmer than Robert Bresson with the constant talking covering up the fact there is not much plot development. This is not a bad thing, but I could see how people could get bored. The meaning of the film is not immediately apparent until a conversation between the engineer and a doctor. The doctor recites a poem and I basically took it in as the meaning to the whole film. The engineer and his colleagues are waiting for death when they should really just be living. The film is marked with idleness and repetition. The conversations are more or less the same. The engineer constantly gets called and has to drive his car to higher ground to talk in a cemetary. He talks to a man digging a well up there and happens to come across a bone. He keeps the bone throughout the film until the end. The ending seems like a major change in the engineer's life throughout the whole film. I took it in as he is done waiting and ready to start living. This film is a modern masterpiece.

Pros:
-Beatiful photography
-Realistic acting
-Repitition is used almost comforting in a way
-The film has little plot development, but remains extremely interesting all the way through

Cons:
-Can be boring to some
-Repetition might annoy some
-Too much talking?
-Not much backround on the protagonist?

Overall: A modern masterpiece
**** out of ****

The Bank Dick Review

W.C. Fields's name is often referred with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, and so on and so on. He is basically considered a classic comedic actor. His slurred speech is highly enjoyable and his basic behavior throughout the film is pretty entertaining. I wouldn't say this film is as good as say Duck Soup, but it definately makes you laugh at some points. I felt bored at some periods of time. The film was only 69 minutes so it wasn't that huge of an issue.

Pros:
-Some good laughs
-W.C. Fields is pretty funny
-The nagging family turning rich and proper seemed highly enjoyable

Cons:
-Not that funny
-Some of the jokes with the bank inspector seemed somewhat mean-spirited
-The presentation of the black character seemed rascist, but it is the 1940's

Overall: A pretty good classic comedy
*** out of ****

In the Mood for Love Review

This film is directed by Wong Kar-Wai. He is one of my favorite directors. He has excellent control of mood and tones in his films. This film is considered by most to be his masterpiece. I however have to differ. I am in the same state I am with Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers. I feel indifferent to it. It is too "subtle" for me to emotionally connect with the characters and the plot. I am very disappointed. I might rewatch it in the future.

Pros:
-Subtle
-Maggie Cheung is beautiful
-The music is pretty good
-Wong Kar-Wai's style seems pretty much intact except lack of narration

Cons:
-Too subtle
-The relationship seemed forced
-The disc's image quality annoyed me for some reason

Overall: A disappointing film that I feel I need to revisit in the future
** out of ***