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(*) The Nightmare Before Christmas *****
USA: Henry Selick, 1993 IMDB reference
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ****
USA: David Hand/William Cottrell/Wilfred Jackson/Larry Morey/Perce Pearce/Ben Sharpsteen, 1937 IMDB reference
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(*) What Have You Done to Solange? ****½
Original title: Cosa Avete Fatto a Solange?
Italy/West Germany: Massimo Dallamano, 1972 IMDB reference
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Strip Nude for Your Killer **½
Original title: Nude per l'Assassino
Italy: Andrea Bianchi, 1975 IMDB reference
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(*) The Cat O' Nine Tails ***½
Original title: Il Gatto a Nove Code
Italy/France/West Germany: Dario Argento, 1971 IMDB reference
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The Net **
USA: Irwin Winkler, 1995 Well, it's more palatable than Hackers, but that's not exactly giving it a glowing recommendation. Maybe it's just the pedant in me, but I just can't overlook all the idiotic inaccuracies regarding computers that always seem to creep into the movies. Look, I know it's a piece of popcorn entertainment and they have to deliver a spectacle, but it's just stupid all the same. Even ignoring all these factual errors, it's not exactly a very good movie. Seriously, I have nothing against Sandra Bullock, but she's not even remotely believable as a computer expert. I have little constructive to say about this piece as a whole: it's just completely pedestrian in every way. IMDB reference
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Rope ****½
USA: Alfred Hitchcock, 1948 Deliciously potent black comedy that has gained something of a reputation for being shot in one long, extended take (which is not strictly speaking true, but close enough). In actual fact, this gimmick never gets in the way of the storytelling, and only draws its attention to itself when the camera zooms in on something dark so Hitchcock can switch to a new camera reel. Only the brow-beating sermon Jimmy Stewart delivers at the end hits a sour note. Otherwise, this is vintage Hitchcock. IMDB reference
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Crimes of the Black Cat *½
Italy: Sergio Pastore, 1972 Dull and uninvolving giallo involving a killer murdering fashion models in Copenhagen. Apart from the unique setting, which I don't think I've seen used in any other giallo, this film is so by-the-numbers that the director might as well have made it in his sleep. Borrowing liberally from the likes of Blood and Black Lace, The Cat O' Nine Tails and The Black Belly of Tarantula, there is really nothing here to recommend. Even the customary outlandish camerawork and architecture are absent here. IMDB reference
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(*) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind *****
USA: Michel Gondry, 2004 (Watched with commentary by Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman) IMDB reference
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Death Walks on High Heels ***½
Original title: La Morte Cammina Con i Tacchi Alti
Italy/Spain: Luciano Ercoli, 1971 IMDB reference
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(*) Death Walks at Midnight ****
Original title: La Morte Accarezza a Mezzanotte
Italy/Spain: Luciano Ercoli, 1972 IMDB reference
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Lost and Delirious ***
Canada: Léa Pool, 2001 I enjoyed this film a great deal due to its performances - Mischa Barton and Piper Perabo especially are excellent - but at the same time, there are major problems. The filmmakers opt for the sledgehammer approach when it comes to symbolism, especially with regard to the Macbeth parallels, and the writing tends to be extremely melodramatic. Also, although the film does purport to be portraying the concept of a same-sex relationship from an informed perspective, it essentially ends up propagating a whole lot of negative stereotypes - e.g. that lesbians are mad, confused, violent, etc. On the one hand, it's possible to see the doomed relationship of these two girls as the result of a generally ignorant society, but at the same time the representation of Piper Perabo's character, despite her brilliant acting, is somewhat dubious, and the overarching message seems to be that their relationship is futile. IMDB reference
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Somersault ***½
Australia: Cate Shortland, 2004 I found this film quite enjoyable, although I was a little frustrated by its directionlessness (is that a real world). The basic premise is that a teenager, Heidi, is caught in a passionate embrace with her mother's boyfriend, and she decides to run away from home and become self-sufficient. Along the way, she drifts from man to man, looking for affection but finding only sex. In reality, though, this framework is little more than a showcase for Abbie Cornish's performance (which is nothing short of outstanding), and the photography (which is exquisite, especially the cold blues of the exterior shots). In terms of narrative, however, I was left wanting more. I'm all for films that don't attempt to wrap everything up in a neat parcel, but I felt a bit annoyed by the fact that the film never really says anything definite or attempts to take any sort of a position. Things just sort of happen, and then it finishes. IMDB reference
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(*) Sin City ****
USA: Robert Rodriguez/Frank Miller/Quentin Tarantino, 2005 IMDB reference
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Kingdom of Heaven ***
UK/USA: Ridley Scott, 2005 Visually, this has Ridley Scott's expert touch all over it, but in terms of the script, it's even more sloppy than King Arthur. The pacing is uneven and, throughout most of the film, there doesn't seem to be any real point to what is happening. Furthermore, while Orlando Bloom is better than I was expecting him to be, he simply doesn't have the chops to carry a film of this scale. So many brilliant actors - including Eva Green and Jeremy Irons - are wasted in roles that don't give them an opportunity to shine, and I suspect that some very heavy editing has gone on at one point or another. Maybe the rumoured extended cut will improve on this. PS. I have to say I found the use of the "Vide Cor Meum" piece from Hannibal to be a very odd choice and extremely distracting. IMDB reference
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(*) Rear Window *****
USA: Alfred Hitchcock, 1954 This one is a slow burner but a damn good one at that. This is many people's favourite Hitchcock film, and while I wouldn't go so far as to say it's mine (I prefer North by Northwest and Dial M for Murder), but I can't deny that it's an absolutely fantastic piece of work, extremely accomplished in every way. IMDB reference
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Choses Secrètes ***½
France: Jean-Claude Brisseau, 2002 Choses Secrètes is an intriguing affair, to be sure, and I'm not entirely convinced that I know what to make of it. The essential premise is that two women team up to use their sexuality in order to manipulate all manner of people in order to climb the social ladder. At first, they keep it simple, doing such everyday things as giving each other hand-jobs in public - not, it would seem, because they actually find each other attractive ("Je ne suis pas une lesbienne" pretty much sets down the ground rules early on - not that this stops them indulging in all manner of saucy games together), but because they want to cause a reaction from onlookers. However, as they become better at their game, they decide to use these abilities to get cushy jobs, running rings round the poor, deluded menfolk of the bureau where they work. Eventually, however, they bite off more than they can chew with the son of the company's boss, a manipulative loon who plays the same game as them, even better than they do. Overall, I enjoyed what I saw, but I wasn't quite sure exactly what I saw, and I'm not sure whether the film is saying something extremely profound or nothing at all. It's very well acted and photographed, to be sure, and in terms both of its visual style and its cold, detached look at sex and relationships reminds me of Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, but that comparison may be a bit superficial. In a sense, its coldness and refusal to reach any sort of real conclusion its its biggest hurdle, and as such it can be a little difficult to get into. Still, I liked the film overall and would watch it again. IMDB reference
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Shree 420 ***
India: Raj Kapoor, 1955 Shree 420 suffers from a problem that has crippled virtually every Indian film I've ever seen: it's too damn long for its own good, and the story doesn't justify the length. The story is really too slight to sustain the nearly three hours for which it runs, and it tends to hit the same points again and again with little effect, and the whole plot (naive young vagrant arrives in the big city and caves into temptation, but learns the error of his ways and puts things right) is pretty predictable. It's by no means terrible, and the performances are pretty good, but ultimately I don't think this sort of film is really my "thing". IMDB reference
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Bad Timing ****
UK: Nicolas Roeg, 1980 I really enjoyed this imaginative and unpredictable study of sexual desire. It's unpredictable, ingeniously edited and very well acted, and the whole thing is extremely beautifully photographed. The scene in which our hero (or should that be anti-hero?) "takes advantage" of his unconcious ex-girlfriend is extremely disturbing and something that I can see sticking in my mind for a long time. Great use of the Viennese locations, too. IMDB reference
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(*) Pinocchio *****
USA: Ben Sharpsteen/Hamilton Luske/Bill Roberts/Norman Ferguson/Jack Kinney/Wilfred Jackson/T. Hee, 1940 IMDB reference
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Movies
Welcome to the movie checklist!
This section is an archive listing every movie I've seen from January 1 2005 onwards. Films I have already seen are included and will be marked with a (*), but probably won't be reviewed except under special circumstances. I will be including a rating for each film (in stars, out of 5), and hope to be able to include a brief 1-2 paragraph review of each film, although due to time constraints that won't always be possible.
Archives
Films Viewed This Month
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