Change Your Image
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQ4MTY5NzU2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDc5NTgwMTI@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
Danarella
Reviews
Chung Hing sam lam (1994)
Chef's salad or fish and chips?
Wong Kar-Wai has created a fantastic, interesting postmodern film. There are two love stories in this film, that only connect in a few ways. Both men are police officers. Both of them eat at a little 24-hour deli. Both of them have relationships that are grandly influenced by food. Both men are not macho, but rather suffer from their recent heartbreaks. The second one picks up right where the second one leaves off.
The film utilizes voice overs more than dialogue to emphasize the characters' internal influences. The editing is quick with flashes of neon lights and color. There are many pop culture and American references, especially in the music.
The first story is about a 25-year cop who was just dumped by his girlfriend of five years. In an attempt to stay close to her, he buys her favorite food, pineapple that will expire on his birthday, May 1. After not hearing from her for one month, he decides to drown out his sorrows in a bar. In the bar, he meets a mysterious woman in a blond wig. The woman is in deep trouble from losing a large amount of cocaine. Together, they both need someone, and they spend the night together, but they do not get intimate.
The second story is about a cop who decides to surprise his girlfriend by buying her a different dinner, and she decides that she wants to date different men. Faye, a woman who works at the 24-hour deli, falls in love with the heartbroken man. His ex-girlfriend leaves her key to his apartment at the deli and Faye uses it to break into his apartment and improve it while she is "sleepwalking." The two eventually wake up out of their fog and meet in "California." It may seem strange to juxtapose the two love stories next to each other; however, each story is beautiful and they fit together nicely. This is an unconventional romance, but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something different.
Nashville (1975)
Classic Altman ensemble piece
Robert Altman's Nashville is a film that requires multiple viewings, if only to keep all the characters straight. There are about eighteen characters, with others interacting with them. In the beginning of the film, all the characters collide in one big car accident and then again at the rally for the unseen, faceless politician, Hal Phillip Walker. This film is basically an anti-musical, in which it confronts the idea that not everything is happy and cheery.
For someone who dislikes country music, the film will seem very long. It is just under three hours, with several performances with full length songs. However, for someone who likes the music, the film will not seem long enough! The idea behind country music is a major theme, as the Music of the Heartland and of right-wing America.
Altman utilizes cross-cutting to cut between all the characters, which emphasizes the relationships between the people. The film tackles so many topics, like race, gender, class, sexuality. It covers the lives of these people over the span of a few days with a fantastic cast. I would probably say the most notable is Ronee Blakely who plays Barbara Jean, America's Sweetheart. Barbara Jean was just released from the Baltimore Burn Center after an accident with the flaming baton, and she is recovering. However, she is not returning to her full form. Because of her abusive husband/manager, as well as the stress of being a star, she slowly breaks down throughout the film.
There are appearances from other greats like Shelly Duvall, Jeff Goldblum, Henry Gibson, Lily Tomlin, Ned Beatty and many more. Altman gives the audience a glimpse at each character, and leaves them wanting to know more about them. If you have the time to sit down and pay attention, I highly recommend looking at this film because of the complex script and the interesting, fame-hungry characters.
The Whole Shootin' Match (1978)
Almost a good independent film
This is a prime example of a film that would be good, if it had higher production value. The cast is suitable for their roles, but the screenplay could have used a little bit of help before production began and the director could have used a little bit of guidance with other aspects of production.
Sonny Carl Davis plays the main character, Frank. Frank has a few too many problems in his life. He can't hold down a job, and has lost money on some failed business ventures on more than one occasion. His wife is being seduced by his cousin. His son gets his bike stolen, and he can't afford to buy him a new one. To escape all of these pressures to be successful, he drinks. He and his best friend, Loyd, run off to local bars and flirt with the women. Davis does a great job of creating this estranged and desperate character that is lost and completely depressed.
Lou Perryman and Doris Hargrave are great as the supporting cast. Perryman plays Loyd, who gets caught up in all the failed business ventures with Frank. He is a nice guy who likes to invent things, but he is always just short of finding success. Hargrave plays Paulette, Frank's wife. I'm most fascinated by her high-pitched voice and thick accent, but she also does a fine job in her thankless role. Her character does not have much depth which could be because the director, Eagle Pennell, did not know how to create a good role for a woman.
Overall, the film is an interesting independent film, but could've been a little bit better.
Simón del desierto (1965)
Tempted by the Devil
Simon of the Desert is hilarious, as long as you don't take your religious views too seriously. Director and star, Luis Bunuel, is famous for saying, "Thank God I'm still an atheist!" The film is a wicked satire on the idea of devout Christians. Bunuel plays Saint Simeon Stylites, a devoted aesthetic in the 4th century who spends six years, six months, and six days standing on a pillar in the middle of the desert to prove his devotion to God. He is often visited by the local villagers, who praise him for his devotion. However, he also is visited by the devil, disguised as a beautiful woman played by Silvia Pinal.
In the opening scene, he is visited by his followers. My favorite part is when one man, who lost his hands in a farming accident, begs him for new hands. When he gets his hands back, the first thing he does is slap one of his children for marveling at the miracle. There are other scenes that poke fun at the idea of a "miracle" and the power of God and worship.
The ending of the film is fascinating. After numerous visits by the devil, in which she tries to seduce him off the pillar even by removing her clothing, she takes him captive and then end up in a 1960's dance club to expose him to the pleasures and evils of the world. In the club, the camera pans across the dance floor where the dancers perform the latest dance, the "radioactive flesh." The humor of the idea of a "stylite" who practices extreme religious practices for self denial emphasizes Bunuel's moral code, "Men are only merely human." Overall, this film is a funny short, and in spite of being hastily finished, came together very well.
8½ (1963)
Something that should be watched twice.
The first time I watched 8 ½, I fell asleep about twenty minutes into the film. I was tired and the room was warm, and while I slept, I had the weirdest dreams. This film, which involves strange dream sequences, permeated into the depths of my unconscious without me even realizing it! The film opens with the main character, Guido Anselmi, suffocating in a car as a crowd of people watch. This scene serves as a basic synopsis for the film, about a famous director who is expected to create a new masterpiece. However, the pressure is too much for him and he is unable to even create a script.
Every aspect of this film is perfect. I never for one moment thought that Marcello Mastroianni is acting as Guido. He is Guido. The supporting cast is phenomenal as well. All the women in Guido's life interrupt his work, but he also craves their attention and approval. He also faces conflicts of his strict Catholic upbringing.
Director Federico Fellini proves himself as an auteur with this film which is a great example of Camera-Stylo, where the director uses the camera as a pen. There is a sense that the film is autobiographical, in that the story is about a director who is unable to make a new film after a few "failures." There is a strong sense of alienation, with Guido feeling estranged and worthless. My particular favorite scene is a flashback to Guido's childhood where they play a game involving a "magical" phrase "asa nisi masa" which likely relates to the term anima, the idea of female characteristics in men.
Overall, the film is a fantastic collaboration of many talented artists under the fine-tuned guidance of the auteur Fellini. A must watch for any film fan, but be sure to let it sink in before you decide if you like it.
North by Northwest (1959)
Grant and Hitchcock's best collaboration
Cary Grant is just so darn charming! In everything he does, he creates a memorable character, but none of his roles are better than the ones he has when he works with the great Alfred Hitchcock. North by Northwest is arguably Grant's best role, as well as one of the best from Hitch. It is a case of mistaken identity that leads Roger O. Thornhill, played by Grant, from Manhattan all the way to Mount Rushmore. Two goons are lead to believe that he is a Mr. Kaplan, and this mistake leads Thornhill to a meeting at the United Nations where he is framed for murder.
Besides the leading man, the best part of this film is the engaging script. The story came out of a few interesting ideas that Hitchcock wanted to use for a film. A screenwriter was hired to put the scenes together, which is how we get this film that moves quickly and travels through major monuments of the country. In spite of all the fantastic settings, I consider the scene at the auction to be one of the most impressive scenes in the film. Thornhill confronts the villain, Phillip Vandamm, in which neither of them can fight.
Eva Marie Saint does a great job as Thornhill's romantic interest with a secret, Eve Kendall. She is a classic Hitchcock female foil, with blond hair and an icy stare. Even before her identity is revealed, the audience senses that she is more than just a woman sitting at a table on a train. The sexual tension between Thornhill and Kendall is palpable in every scene, which makes the finale all the more climactic.
I highly recommend this film to anyone. It has action, romance, suspense and humor and is crafted by arguably one of the greatest directors of all time.
Shichinin no samurai (1954)
Epic
Seven Samurai opens with a group of bandits picking out a small village to rob and destroy. The village has been suffering and they do not have the capability to defend themselves. After much deliberation, some villagers insist that they need to hire Samurai in order to survive. Most of the men in the village are opposed, if only out of fear that their women will be stolen.
Director Akira Kurosawa does a fine job of creating the tension in the village and showing that they have no way out of their dilemma. He also does an interesting job of introducing the characters. The samurai are introduced one by one as the men beg for help. This section of the film is a little too long; because since the film is titled Seven Samurai, we know that the men are going to be able to get seven samurais to help them.
After the samurais go to the village, they begin to train the villagers to protect their village and to forget about their individual belongings. This section is very well done and builds discord for the anticipation of the attack from the bandits. When the bandits finally attack in the last third of the film, the audience has connected with the characters. The problem with the characters is that some of the samurai look alike and their names are similar if you are unfamiliar with Japanese names.
The most notable part of the film is the set and costume design. The film seems to actually take place in a 15th century village. Overall the film creates a fantastic plot arc with interesting character archetypes. There is a small love story underneath the main action story. Seven Samurai truly defines the term epic.
Lost Boundaries (1949)
Living a Lie
Lost Boundaries is based on the true story of a light-skinned black family who passes for white in a small New England town. Director Alfred L. Werker presents the family as perfect and kind, with the father, Scott Carter as a skilled doctor who everyone in the town loves. But if they were to discover that the family were really black, then they would be outcasts. Dr. and Mrs. Carter were both raised white, but they wanted to embrace their culture and stop hiding. However, when Dr. Carter is unable to find a job as a black man, he must again hide his identity. They in turn raise their children as white, and the children have no idea of their true heritage.
The film uses white actors Mel Ferrer and Beatrice Pearson as Dr. and Mrs. Carter. By looking at the choice by today's standards, once might ask why they didn't use actual light-skinned black actors for the roles. However, the audience should realize that the film would not have received funding if they planned to use black actors.
The film definitely tries to be politically correct by portraying the family with no faults. I feel that if they film had humanized the character a little bit more by having them make a mistake or have an enemy, then the audience could better sympathize with their troubles. The director makes the film play like a television movie, with a narrator to tell the details of the family's plight. While the subject matter is groundbreaking, there is nothing notable about the script, acting, or direction. Overall, it is a forgettable film.
Le quai des brumes (1938)
Foggy and Desolate: Poetic Realism at its finest.
Port of Shadows is a prime example of French Poetic Realism. It has doomed lovers, atmospheric settings, dark and foggy images with low-key lighting, and rain-dampened sets. Director Marcel Carne starkly portrays the lonely souls, Jean and Nelly, as they attempt to escape their dark fates.
Jean is an army deserter, played by the talented Jean Gabin, who we meet as he walks down the dark road toward the port city La Havre. It is along this road that he finds a little dog, which follows him for the rest of the film as if he were a small ray of hope that he can start a normal life. However, Jean disregards the dog and claims to own nothing. He abandons his identity in order to not be caught as an army deserter by symbolically killing himself which foreshadows his doomed destiny.
Nelly, played by Michele Morgan, is trying to run away from her problems, but someone is always watching or waiting for her. The details of her life are as foggy as the setting, but she is just as doomed as Jean. Jean falls in love with her and tries to help her get away from her problems by running away to Venezuela with him, but Nelly may not be capable of leaving.
Carne uses techniques like mise-en-scene that add meaning to every frame. This film will not brighten up a dark day for the audience, but it will leave someone pondering questions from this drama. I definitely recommend this film, while pessimistic, is also profound with great acting and a strong script.
Baby Face (1933)
Barbara Stanwyck and 13 Men
Probably the most interesting and surprising thing about Alfred E. Green's Baby Face is the content. This film is from 1933, yet it shows in a woman sleeping her way up the corporate ladder in a humorous way. Barbara Stanwyck plays Lily Powers, a daughter of a bar owner who exploits her body for his own personal gain. After he dies, she figures out a way to get to New York City and becomes a gold digger. Because she was raised in such a heartless household, she does not care about anyone but herself and her maid, Chico. She knows how to meet all the right men that help her move up to the next position until she finds herself matched up against playboy Courtland Trenholm, the president of the company.
Stanwyck makes her character a fireball; someone who the audience believes is truly heartless and manipulative. Her most powerful scenes are the ones with her father. The director utilizes an intense close-up as she confronts him about the manipulation of her teenage years, where she shouts at him, "Ever since I was fourteen, what's it been? Nothing but men! Dirty rotten men! And you're lower than any of them. I'll hate you as long as I live!" Her character maintains a strong mistrust of men for the remainder of the film, even if they show a genuine interest in her.
Overall, this film is entertaining and well-acted. As tragic as Lily's situation is, there are still some humorous moments to lighten the mood. Because of Stanwyck's performance and the risqué content, this film is definitely worth checking out.
Oktyabr (1927)
Collision of Montage
Sergei Eisenstein's October is a prime example of his film technique, Montage of Attractions. He combines intense, surprising elements to gain the maximum emotional reaction, or shock. He considered every shot not simply a part of the montage, but a cell that comes together to form a phenomenon like an organism or an embryo. Eisenstein achieved this goal in October, but at the loss of a plot line and any characters.
It conveys abstract and political ideas, by pairing statements of the government with images of horse's behinds or something else disgusting. The most notable is the scene where the Russian Prime Minister, Aleksandr Kerensky, is walking into a meeting with elite members of society which is inter-cut with a shot of a peacock's rear end, implying that he is kissing up to the rich. However, the film is far too long to be carried on with only his political opinions in the series of editing. The editing is jarring and quick, which is effective for Eisenstein's point; however, it can be nauseating for the viewer after the first half hour.
I can understand the important influence that this film has on editing and cinematography in films today, but without any strong characters or plot line, it is not entertaining at all. The lack of a main character fits with the communist political idea, but it is not effective in a film that is this long. Overall, I don't recommend this film.
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
The best vampire movie.
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, is one the most haunting films I have seen and will probably remain in the top. All because of the creepy performance of Max Schreck as Graf Orlok and the use of expressionism from director F.W. Murnau. Orlok's hunched back, sharp teeth, long fingernails and vacant eyes come together for a frightening image of the villain that has since been copied by numerous other actors and filmmakers. While Bela Lugosi is more well-known for Dracula, I think that Schreck should get the prize for the creepiest vampire. His inhuman qualities leave no question as to his motives, even though he is on screen for no more than nine minutes of the film.
The rest of the cast is not as notable. Gustav von Wangenheim plays the lead, Hutter, and can be described as campy at best. However, his over-the-top performance fits the film. His naïve character must travel out to Count Orlok's castle in order to sell him some real estate. The location on the castle is actually in the Carpathian Mountains, which gives an eerie atmosphere to Hutter's trek into his death. Greta Schroeder's performance as Hutter's wife, Ellen, is also campy, but she gives a creepy performance during the time that she is possessed by Count Orlok. Alexander Granach is great as Knock, who works for "Master" Orlok.
The most significant aspect of the film is of course the expressionist style used by Murnau. Despite using a real location, the setting is distorted and eerie to express intense emotions. The music and cinematography add to the tense scenes. One of my favorite shots is of Orlok ascending the stairs of the ship that he uses to stow away on his way to Wisborg. There are numerous other notable shots like the man putting crosses on the doors or the line of coffins coming down the road. For anyone unaccustomed to silent films, this film will seem slow, but it is still fascinating and tense.
True Heart Susie (1919)
The colors of a True Heart
True Heart Susie is a chick-flick that pre-dates all chick-flicks. It tells the story of Susie, a simple country girl who falls in love William Jenkins, a naïve, but smart boy. However, the film has a more pessimistic edge from director D.W. Griffith. When William wants to go to school, but does not have the money, Susie anonymously gives him money and lets him believe it comes from someone else. When he returns to his hometown as a minister, she refuses to show her true love for him. When he marries the Wrong Woman, Betty Hopkins, she doesn't let him know. When Betty has affairs with other men, Susie doesn't tell William. Her devotion and kindness prevent her from getting what she wants until the final moments, years after the film's beginning.
The film takes on various color hues. The first is gold, which emphasizes the simple times of the beginning, the "golden years" of William and Susie's relationship in which Susie has a glimmer of hope for their relationship. When William leaves for school, we watch as Susie fantasizes about marrying William when he returns. These scenes have a slight pink hue, which matches the love-drunk attitude that Susie has. She writes in her diary that they plan to marry in the spring, only William is still oblivious to Susie's affections. There is a slight blue hue to the scenes when William is getting married. Griffith effectively uses camera work to show Susie's sadness in only carrying Betty's train and not being the bride.
The most notable part of this film is the performance from Lillian Gish as Susie. The beautiful actress maintains her role as the plain so effectively that the audience can empathize with her sadness. Despite her overly hopeful attitude, we want her to get what she wants.
Overall, the film has some slow moments, but the amazing performance from Lillian Gish and the fact that this film helped create a genre, I recommend this small romance.
Hypocrites (1915)
The Naked Truth - A social commentary
Hypocrites follows the parallel stories of an early Christian ascetic and a modern minister with actor Courteney Foote in both roles, as well as numerous other actors in dual roles. The first story shows a medieval monk who has devoted his efforts to completing a statue of Truth, which gathers much attention from his village. However, when he reveals the statue, he is murdered by a mob when his work turns out to be an image of a naked woman. Gabriel, the lead of the contemporary story, is a minister for a congregation that is extrinsically motivated by the appearance of religion. In a dream, he leads his congregation up a steep path to find Truth, but because of their lack of faith and selfishness, he loses all of his followers on the rough terrain.
The director, Lois Weber, effectively achieves her goal of emphasizing hypocrisy in certain religious institutions. One of the film's inter-titles states, "Truth is welcome if clothed in our ideas" which emphasizes the double standards of the worshipers. This quote effectively sums up the basic message that Weber wanted to portray in the film. However, I feel that the use of inter-titles became a bit redundant. Her use of images and the portrayal from the actors was effective enough without needing any explanation.
From an entertainment standpoint, Hypocrites is slow and anticlimactic. There are numerous long takes that are used to emphasize the actions of the hypocrites. The film could benefit from some editing that would make it flow faster without losing the central message. However, when one considers the controversy involved in the topic as well as the risqué use of nudity, any cinephile would appreciate the influence of this film and of Lois Weber as it stands as social commentary.