An Unmarried Woman (1977)
Viewed 2/20/2006 (first viewing)
Paul Mazursky Oscar-nominated film about a woman forced to go it alone after her husband up and leaves her. Solid drama anchored by Jill Clayburgh's lead performance, but the scenario has been replayed so often since that the movie now seems trite.
out of
Zombie Honeymoon (2005)
Viewed 2/21/2006 (first viewing)
A young couple's marriage is put to the test when the husband is zombified after being barfed on by an undead beach bum. Till death do us part? Not entirely successful, but a good try at something different, sort of a Cronenberg/Romero hybrid.
out of
Ultimate Avengers (2005)
Viewed 2/21/2006 (first viewing)
Animated adaptation of Marvel Comics'
Ultimates comic book. The Ultimates are the Avengers of an alternate Earth and the book is written in a more serious and realistic manner. The movie is entertaining, if watered down (though still not for the kiddies).
out of
Proof (2005)
Viewed 2/21/2006 (first viewing)
Intriguing drama about the daughter of a famous mathematician who may have inherited his genius as well as his insanity. Gwyneth Paltrow pretty much carries this one on her own.
out of
The Weather Man (2005)
Viewed 2/21/2006 (first viewing)
Pretty good drama has Nic Cage as a divorced tv weather man trying to straighten out his life. Can he reconnect with his dysfunctional kids and get back together with his wife?
out of
The Night of the Following Day (1969)
Viewed 2/21/2006 (first viewing)
Cultish crime drama finds kidnapper Marlon Brando saddled with unprofessional colleagues. Should he bail out on his latest venture or leave the victim to the whims of his demented partners?
out of
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932)
Viwed 2/22/2006 (first viewing)
Offbeat drama from Frank Capra stars Barbara Stanwyck as a missionary who more or less falls for a beguiling Chinese warlord.
out of
Father and Son (2003)
Viewed 2/22/2006 (first viewing)
Somber, reflective drama (from the director of
Russian Ark) about the intense relationship between a father and son.
out of
Eros (2004)
Viewed 2/23/2006 (first viewing)
Anthology film exploring various facets of love. Wong Kar-Wai's tale of a tailor's (mostly) unrequited love for a prostitute is by far the best. Unfortunately Steven Soderbergh and Michelangelo Antonioni offer up jokey and obtuse stories that, while aesthetically-pleasing, weigh the film down.
out of
Flowers of Shanghai (1998)
Viewed 2/23/2006 (first viewing)
Captivating drama from Hsiao-hsien Hou follows the lives and loves of various Hong Kong "flowers" (prostitutes). Very much a chamber drama but worth the while if you've the patience for this sort of thing.
out of
Teorema (1968)
Viewed 2/24/2006 (first viewing)
Pier Paolo Pasolini's potent fable about a stranger who seduces the members of an uptight bourgeois family, causing them to reevaluate their lives.
out of
The Saphead (1920)
Viewed 2/25/2006 (first viewing)
Buster Keaton feature has the comedian playing the bored, spoiled scion of a wealthy New York family who seeks adventure in all the wrong places. Funny film jumpstarted Keaton's career.
out of
The High Sign (1921)
Viwed 2/25/2006 (first viewing)
Hilarious slapstick short has Buster Keaton getting involved with a secret society of villains known as the Blinking Buzzards. The booby-trapped mansion climax is tops.
out of
One Week (1921)
Viewed 2/25/2006 (first viewing)
Another top o' the line Buster Keaton short. This one has Buster and his bride trying to put together a prefabricated house while trying to fend off the advances of her ex-boyfriend.
out of
Funny Games (1998)
Viewed 2/26/2006 (first viewing)
Michael Haneke's disturbing tale of home invasion. Not really all that original, but it is pointedly manipulative and Haneke refuses to give the audience any relief.
out of
Lila Says (2004)
Viewed 2/27/2006 (first viewing)
Solid coming of age film about a young Arab living in post-9/11 Marseilles who becomes infatuated with a sexually-adventurous French girl.
out of
My Mother Likes Women (2005)
Viewed 2/27/2006 (first viewing)
Three sisters are shocked by their divorced mother's new love interest: a woman half her age! They then contrive to break up the affair... Pretty much a Hollywood comedy by way of Spain - everything is wrapped with a pretty bow at film's end - but Leonor Watling's charming performance as the most neurotic of the sisters makes for an engaging viewing.
out of
. For me, it's not only the zenith of Renoir's art but, since I consider Renoir the greatest French film-maker, it follows that RULES is the greatest of all French films for me. What fascinates me about it is the fact that while on the surface it seems like just another frothy comedy of manners (albeit more sophisticated than most), it turns out to be one of the densest, most complex and rewarding of films; it's small wonder that it bombed on original release and the superb Criterion 2-Disc Set certainly helps in shedding more light on the subtleties of Renoir's unique vision. By the way, I really need to pick up the Criterion DVDs of BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (1932) and LA BETE HUMAINE (1938)...
Either way, I thought the film needed a couple extra robots in the form of those MST3K guys.