Review LXV - Leaving Las Vegas

Review LXV
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

I've always defended Nicolas Cage when given the chance. Sure, he's been in terrible films, but those films always had a silver lining, and it was that they starred Nicolas Cage. Still, there are many good actors who have appeared in bad films, and I can definitely say that Nicolas Cage has played his part well in a number of films, one being Lord of War and another, where he actually won an Oscar for his performance, called Leaving Las Vegas. People don't seem to ever believe this, so I decided to check the film out; that way, I could actually give an opinion on his performance. The film was directed by Mike Figgis and stars Elisabeth Shue, who was nominated for an Oscar because of this film.

Ben Sanderson (Cage) is an alcoholic. His constant inebriated state has cost him his family - including his wife and son - his friends, and his job. As a result, he decides to literally give up his life in Los Angeles and move to Las Vegas where he will spend the rest of his days drinking. In a drunken state while driving, he nearly runs over Sera (Shue), a prostitute under the wing of an abusive Latvian pimp (Julian Sands). While their first meeting is rather hostile, the two eventually form a relationship. However, Sera is not allowed to ask Ben to lay off the booze, and Ben is not allowed to oppose Sera's choice of work. The awry relationship becomes even more complex when Sera finds herself falling in love with the dead man.

There isn't that much to say about this one as a whole. I can't say I thought the film was particularly filmed super well. There are a lot of slow-motion scenes which I found unnecessary, and it, overall, has a very nineties' feel. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it dates the film a bit. Regardless, though, I really enjoyed this one. The characters, or rather, Sera and Ben, are superb. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes with both characters, but also those where they were by themselves. They were interesting and well-developed, and even if the plot could sometimes be a tad clichéd, I bought into it. Of course, the performances from both Elisabeth Shue and Nicolas Cage made the characters even better. I thought the chemistry between both of them was perfect, and I was cringing and squealing (yeah...) at every opportunity. Nicolas Cage deserved his Oscar - he acted really well. He took the performance to heart, and man, he did it so well. Elisabeth Shue? I'm sorry you didn't win an Oscar because you were great, too. I cared for Sera and I understood her. That can only be done when great acting is involved. All in all, while the film didn't necessarily contain the best cinematography and the plot could be very Hollywood-ish at times, the characters and acting were phenomenal.

I'd give the film eight stars. It is certainly worth a watch, and not even to just prove that Nicolar Cage can act. No, this film is worth a watch for its real-but-surreal characters. Plus you get Sting singing, so what more could you ask for?

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Reviex LXIV - The Third Man

Review LXIV
The Third Man (1949)

I actually came across this film while researching another film. I'm sure I've come across it before, but I spend much more time researching films than I do actually watching them, so I'll remember a movie poster or a plot, but not much else. Anyway, as soon as I saw this starred Orson Welles, I was intrigued. Joseph Cotten, who worked with Orson Welles quite a number of times, Alida Valli, and Trevor Howard also play a part in the cast of Carol Reed's The Third Man.

Holly Martins (Cotten), an American novelette writer, is excited to take the job his friend, Harry Lime (Welles), has offered him in Vienna. However, he discovers, as he reaches Lime's doorstep, that Lime was hit by a car, attended to by his two friends and, later, a doctor, and died shortly afterward. He attends the funeral and meets two British Army police officers, one of them being the crass Major Calloway (Howard). Major Calloway encourages Martins to depart from Vienna as soon as possible, but he is driven to the exact opposite when the other police officer, Sergeant Paine (Bernard Lee), speaks of his writing, resulting in Martins giving a lecture on "contemporary novels". While awaiting the lecture, Martins speaks to Lime's land owner and discovers that another man, aside from Lime's two friends, carried his friend across the street. This leads to Martins questioning whether the incident was purely accidental.

Praises to this film - oh, many praises. First off, I'll talk about the cinematography. My friend had never seen this one but said he had wanted to watch it as it looked "purdy". Guys, it is totally that. Do you ever tear up when you see black-and-white, highly contrasted photographs? Do you ever fall to your knees when you see a beautifully captured film? ... Maybe that's slightly exaggerated, but, regardless, this film is wonderfully filmed. The scenes are brilliantly shot - capturing every individual well - and I love the play with light. The scenes with the running of shadows and all were superb. I know people who are turned off by a film as soon as they see it is in black and white. It's a great shame because they miss great films, and this is one. It's film-noir, so we get the chiaroscuro to the boot. It's grand, real grand.

Now, even though a film can be pretty, it'll be hard to sit through if it's boring - which some of you may believe is the case with black-and-white films. Not with this one. I was pleasantly surprised when I let out a giggle when Martins finds out Lime is dead. While The Third Man is not a straight-up comedy in the least, it has catchy and quirky little lines and scenes (Major Calloway and Martins, please, you guys are fantastic together!). The music might have helped with that, but hey. When it doesn't have funny bits, it is still captive. The dialogue and story are interesting. Even when there were full on German bits with no subtitles (Ich spreche kein Deutsch, sniffle), I was still able to follow what was going on. Still, I'd suggest subtitles for those parts because I would have liked to follow them... Either way, the plot was engaging and not completely stock, and the discussions between characters was wonderful. It gets what needs to be done in 105 minutes, and then some.

Finally, and this will be short, the acting. Well, I suppose you can already guess what I'm going to say - it was great. Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, and Orson Welles, as well as all the numerous side actors, all did a grand job at portraying their characters. I bought into the story because of these guys, and they were all cast appropriately.

I'd give the film eight point five stars on ten. I really, really enjoyed myself. This is a film to watch on a Saturday evening, when you don't feel like watching a complex film, but are still engaged enough to laugh at the characters and gawk at the fine, very fine, cinematography.

Pirate Bay torrent (with subtitles, apparently)

Review LXIII - Punch-Drunk Love

Review LXIII
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

There's only one Adam Sandler film I can say I like, and that is Billy Madison. Mind you, I have not seen it in years, and, when I did re-watch it that second time many years ago, it was mostly just the nostalgic feeling I got that kept me from turning off the film. I don't necessarily recall The Wedding Singer being that bad, but I never watched it fully, so I'm not including it on the list. Anyway, all this is to say that Adam Sandler's films have been the pits. They focus on stupid humour, and, while I can appreciate stupid humour once in a blue moon, Grown Ups and the like really make me pull out my hair. Still, there is one film that Adam Sandler has appeared in that almost got him an Oscar nomination. Are we talking about the right guy here? Yes, we are, and the film is Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Luis Guzmán, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Barry Egan (Adam Sandler), the owner of a company specialising in toilet plungers that are immune to breakage, witnesses an intense car accident one morning, along with the dropping of a harmonium. A woman, Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), also stops by as her car has broken down, asking if Barry would mind making sure the mechanic gets around to it. This encounter brings light into Barry Egan's life, amidst the crazy sex hotline worker out to get him and his seven arrogant and domineering sisters.

Considering this film sold itself as a romantic comedy-drama, I was a little surprised, at first, at how surreal this was. It definitely isn't your typical romantic comedy. I wouldn't even call it that comedic. It had some pretty outrageous scenes where you can't help but laugh, but, most of the time, I was cringing at how bad Barry was treated. Either way, this film is different, which is expected from Paul Thomas Anderson. The plot itself is very different. It had some weird dialogue, but given the peculiar characters, it fits well. The acting is done very well, and this might be because Adam Sandler is actually legitimately acting well. There was no cringing involved when he was in a scene, unless it was because I felt bad for his character. The rest of the acting I cannot complain about. It was well done. Again, they were all able to capture the surreal feel very well. The cinematrography is, I find, quite contrast-y, and was filmed with a speak stock film which gave a really strong shadow front. This also gives Punch-Drunk Love a very surreal touch to it. Still, if there is one thing I can praise the film for, it would be its shots. Oh my, there are some magnificent shots in this film. If you want to see a film that has wonderful cinematography, check this one out. Even if the plot doesn't catch your eye, and the characters, a bit flimsy, the way this movie was shot - it's a keeper.

I'd give the film seven point seven on ten. The plot wasn't the best, though the characters could be quite meaningful. Nonetheless, the cinematography is to die for. It's definitely worth a viewing if ever you're looking for a weird but slightly cute film.

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Review LXII - Otesánek

Review LXII
Otesánek (2000)

I can't remember if I ever spoke of Jan Svankmajer on here, but, if I haven't, well, this guy is odd. I first discovered him a few years back when I read about his adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, Alice. I soon watched a few of his shorts, and, well, I think Meat Love sums up his style well. Anyway, I was in the mood for something odd a little while back, and so I suggested to my movie-watcher friend that we check out Otesánek, or Little Otik or Greedy Guts as it is known in English. Trust me when I say it was definitely odd.

Bozena (Veronika Zilková) and Karel (Jan Hartl) desperately want a child, but, due to unfortunate medical circumstances, the couple will likely never have a child of their own. Karel, while fixing up his wife's and his cottage house, discovers a giant tree stump. He jokingly carves it to look like a baby. Bozena, however, takes the situation seriously, adopting the stump as a real child, naming him Otik, and begins faking pregnancy to bring him into their home permanently. However, as foretold in a fairy tale, Otik might be a bit more troublesome than the couple expected.

The synopsis alone, I think, can already foretell how weird this film will get. Still, while it was off the wall, I really enjoyed it. Why? I'll try and answer that since I'm not entirely sure why I loved it so much. For one, it is funny. I found myself laughing at the ridiculousness of the couple ("He's our son - we must stick by him!"), the random pedophile neighbour (Zdenek Kozák) and his scary hand-penis (you'll understand after watching the film), and little Otik himself. The film doesn't have a lot of the stop-motion Jan Svankmajer is known for, but, when you do get it, while it was creepy, you can't help but admire it. I'm a sucker for stop-motion, so I can't help but admire Jan Svankmajer's work. Again, though, I have to stress that this isn't stop-motion heavy at all, so if you're seeking such a style, check out his shorts or Alice. Still, it is easy to see it's a Jan Svankmajer film, and, given that I admire his work, that could be a second reason as to why I liked it. Finally, I really enjoyed the film because, while there was the surface story, there was one left to interpret. I'll go into deal in a new paragraph, so, if you're looking to have fun interpreting the film and avoiding any spoilers, just skip the next paragraph.

Okay, so for all of you who don't spoiling the film and its message, let's go in depth! The last English teacher I had in high school told me that, if ever you're given the chore of interpreting a story in college, just say it's about sex. Not surprisingly, this seems to work for films, as well! My friend and I decided that Otesánek is all about impotency and sex. Let's go with the father as an example given that he really displays the impotency bit well. First of all, at the beginning of the film, we can see Karel observing people getting babies in a charcuterie style. Not to mention there is a lot of emphasis on baby penises throughout the film, though especially in the beginning (it was a tad awkward). Yet, he and his wife are unable to have a child. Erectile dysfunction anyone? It seems he overcomes this baby issue when he produces the tree stump baby (with meticulous details of the penis again), but his wife soon takes it to another level and he loses control again. Every time he tries to tell his wife that the baby needs to go, even after it chews off part of her hair, eats a cat, and even starts eating people, he is unable to stop it. The first time, he's ready to take an axe, a phallic object n'est pas, to the baby, but he fails. Impotency strike one! Again, throughout all this, he tells his wife the baby needs to go, but always backs down. Finally, when he decides to take a stand given that two people have died, he asks his neighbour for a chainsaw - another phallic object, we shall say. He's asking for help, as well, which could mean something. Anyway, he goes to the basement, chainsaw in hand, ready to face the beast which has now grown to a ginormous size, and... he throws the chainsaw to the ground and gets eaten. Once again, an extraordinary example of impotency. The women in the film don't go unscathed, either. It seems that every woman who has the ability to have children is way off psychologically. The mother wants to have this tree stump baby so badly she fakes a pregnancy and is not put off by the fact that her "child" is eating people. In short, she's crazy. The little girl (Kristina Adamcová), who is lonely and extremely interested in babies and sex, feeds people to little Otik, and, after learning how Otik will be stopped, tries her best to prevent it. Finally, the little girl's mother (Jaroslava Kretschmerová) seems neglectful of her child, to an extent. However, when she notices people in the building are being killed, she locks her entire family in their apartment and stands watch. While in this particular instance it might make sense, it is still a slightly off reaction. The females, all within the age to be sexually active and have children - except for the pre-pubescent girl who is a little bit younger, though some girls at ten get their period - are all slightly off in the head. The girl and the mother are also entranced by "wood", where the word can also mean penis. Anyway, there are more details, but I think that is detailed enough for here.

The film was interesting, and I was really able to enjoy this one, so I'm giving it eight stars on ten. If you like peculiar films, definitely give this one a watch. Otherwise, make sure you have an open mind if you decide to check this one out.

Pirate Bay torrent (with English subtitles!)

Review LXI - Immortal Beloved

Review LXI
Immortal Beloved (1994)

I've been playing piano since I was three years old, so I think I can say that I have a bit more experience than most. This year, for my piano recital, I was performing a Beethoven piece. My piano teacher and I got on the subject of Beethoven's life when he mentioned that there was a Hollywood film about his life. He exclaimed, not verbatim, "It's no Amadeus, but it's good nonetheless!" I started watching the film a few months back when I wasn't too busy with school, but I fell asleep early on in the film. I decided to finally finish watching Immortal Beloved, directed by Bernard Rose, the same guy who did... Candyman?! I think that sums up the review, haha. Just kidding. Let's go!

The great composer Ludwig van Beethoven (Gary Oldman) is dead (Oh no!), but Beethoven's associate and secretary, Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé), happens upon a letter to "Unsterbliche Geliebte", Immortal Beloved. This letter, written by Beethoven, leaves his entire estate to whoever this "Immortal Beloved" is. Schindler, thus, embarks on a journey to discover who this woman could be, revealing the major hardships the composer faced during his life.

The film is mostly accurate to Beethoven's life, or, at least, to what I've read about his life, aside from a few things. Then again, history is not always clear cut. Some things are up to speculation. For example, it has never been decided who Beethoven's Immortal Beloved really was. While most historians believe Josephine Brunsvik was the woman Beethoven cared for passionately, evidence leads to an inconclusive result. Still, if you're looking for a film that captures the essence of Beethoven and his life, this film seems to be pretty good in that aspect.

However, this film is definitely no Amadeus. I can't say it's a bad film, but it wasn't the most impressive, either. Still, I give it points for trying to depict Beethoven in a hot-tempered nature. Apparently he was angered easily and quite domineering, and the film was not afraid to show this. Unlike Lincoln which showed Abraham Lincoln in the most positive light, Immortal Beloved depicted Beethoven in a true fashion. I suppose we also have Gary Oldman to thank for that! At first, I wasn't so sure about the casting. I mean, they were showing Beethoven's promiscuous nature, and I wasn't sure I completely agreed with their choice to go with Gary Oldman. To be honest, I can't say I completely bought it, but his acting was not bad. He was able to get his nastiness across, but he still had his humble roots. Beethoven had a rough childhood, and Gary Oldman really demonstrated a hardened man as a consequence of this upbringing. Jeroen Krabbé was pretty good, as was Johanna ter Steege, Valeria Golino, and Isabella Rossellini. Nonettheless, while the acting was not bad, I still can't call this film that good. It was enjoyable, yes, but I doubt it'll leave a lasting impression. However, the scene where Beethoven lies his head on the piano was quite beautiful. Some of the cinematography was also quite beautiful, but overall, not the best film.

I'd give the film seven point eight stars on ten. I enjoyed it, but it isn't the best piece of cinema out there. Worth a watch if you want to establish a bit of a foundation on the history of Beethoven's life and if you enjoy a little romantic film, but again, nothing extraordinary.

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Review LX - Play It Again, Sam

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Review LIX - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

Review LIX
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

That May 24th date really should have been extended, and it is not because I have not been watching movies. On the contrary, I've been watching quite a number of films! However, time always seemed to be a factor... Anyway, I won't catch up on all the films I watched, but I'll start off with a Korean film from director Kim Ki-duk called Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom or, as it is known in English, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring. Let's continue to the review!

One day, a young apprentice monk (Seo Jae-kyeong, Kim Young-min, and Kim Ki-duk) takes pleasure in tying a rock to a fish, a frog, and a snake. His teacher, a wise old monk (Oh Yeong-su), observes this and places a rock on the boy's back. He tells him he will remove the rock if he releases all the animals from the rocks. He warns him that, should any of the animals be dead, the rock will be a permanent burden on his heart. When the child discovers that the fish and snake have died, he is distressed. This begins the tale of both the young apprentice and his teacher as many seasons pass, revealing the hardships of life and the stone that can hold a man down.

The acting in the film was definitely top notch. It should be noted that the film is not very dialogue-heavy. I mean, some scenes rely on conversations between characters, but it is mostly about camera shots and the actions occurring on screen. Demonstrating your character by their actions alone, even small little habits they have, is not an easy feat. Nonetheless, this film captures the characteristics of each person in this manner, and I applaud it for that. And since I'm on the topic of camera shots and scenes, well, let me tell you - they are extraordinary! The location of the floating buddhist temple was beautiful and chosen well. One of the last shots where the audience gets a view of the landscape was absolutely beautiful. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring definitely has great cinematography.

The plot is interestingly done, as well. It's a simple premise, focusing on the lives of these two men, but it tells a great story. The rock dragging the young monk's heart is consistently present, and each animal consequently represents a person the young man affects in his real-life. This is interestingly done, and it ties the film together well. It's not a happy film, but it demonstrates how our actions have reactions and how they can near-destroy us. I wish I could go more in depth, but seriously, you have to watch it to understand. I appreciated the older monk who was wise and understanding, in the face of the horrible deeds committed by his apprentice. You also learn to appreciate the young monk, though I'll still go ahead and say that I held a grudge against him for hurting those animals, hehe. Again, I can't go into too much depth of the plot without giving it away, so I'll leave it up to you to check it out.

The film was well made and definitely got its message across. I'd give the film eight stars on ten. The plot relies on a simple premise, which works well, but I have to say that, personally, I prefer something a bit more intense. Regardless, the film captures scenes very well, and, again, it tells its story well. I'd say check it out and try and appreciate it for what it's worth.