Change Your Image
dylan floyd
Reviews
Bis ans Ende der Welt (1991)
Will stay with you for years to come.
I first saw this movie 10 years ago, and have seen it perhaps 50 times since then. There has never been another film that has so affected me this way... the images, dialog, and music keep coming back to me, and each time I watch it I see something new. All this, and I've only seen the edited version, not the 5-hour director's cut, which I hope someday will be released on DVD.
Wenders has a different way of working - he develops the dialog, and even the plot (so the story goes), as the film is being shot. One of the reasons it all seems so real.
The integration of the music is fantastic, and gives just as emotional weight as the stunning cinematography. Rather than slap on some pop music in post-production as most directors do, he first solicited songs from his pals U2, Nick Cave, Peter Gabriel, et al to write a song about the end of the world. He then wove the resulting music into the script.
Every 6 months or so I'm amazed by some bit of news in real life that was actually telegraphed by the film, years ago. Remember the crisis with India and Pakistan developing nuclear arms a few years back?
Solveig Dommartin is intoxicating, William Hurt is his usual self, but for me Sam Neill is the best. His narration is especially haunting.
Shot on 4 continents in 8 countries, this film is truly an epic.
Sleuth (1972)
They just don't make films like this anymore.
A fantastic movie with a first-rate script, full of twists and turns. Excellent direction, and wonderfully acted. It proves the adage that less is more - with no special effects and just a few props, this movie beats most shlock coming out of hollywood these days.
Harold and Maude (1971)
Must have been shocking in 1971, but still potent in 2002
This was my favorite movie when I was a teenager.
It's the perfect movie for that age, on so many levels - rebellious teenager who is obsessed with death falls in love with the "wrong type." Of course, she turns out to be exactly what he needed, so there we have a lovely romance and learn some valuable lessons.
The ending is particularly rewarding, and well dealt with. Cat Stevens' music is the perfect companion to Harold's depressed, but ultimately optimistic state of mind.