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Mulholland Dr. (2001)
"We are such stuff, as dreams are made on---and our little life is rounded with a sleep"
So the haunting quote of Shakespeare goes, so Mulholland Drive goes---Life and dreams: the same stuff. And we can turn both dreams and life into nightmares, even if they are made in Hollywood---the quintessential "Dream Factory".
Borges expressed that same mystery in his poem "The Dream"; I would suggest to read it carefully as accompaniment for this film:
"If dreaming is (as they say) a truce, a sheer repose of the mind, why is it, if abruptly you wake from one, you feel you've been robbed? Why's rising too soon so sad? The early hour takes from us an unthinkable gift, one so intimate that it's only translatable in a trance the night gilds with dreams that may well be cut-off reflections of the treasures of the darkness, of a timeless, nameless orb that the day distorts in its mirrors. Who will you be tonight in the dark dream, on the other side of the wall?"
When we sleep, we fabricate dreams. Borges thought that dreams are works of fiction. He concluded that dreaming is perhaps the oldest aesthetic activity of humanity. Seemingly dreams could be, then, our very own "films"---Although in them we are everything: director, theater, audience, actors, scriptwriter, producer, editor, camera, sound,... all coming from our own emotions, fears, hopes, from our very life.
...But life... perhaps is just a series of dreams, dreams we live. The dream of achieving some aspirations, the dream of becoming a Hollywood star, the dream of being loved, the dream of being happy. Maybe our whole life is a dream, a big play, the greatest film of all.
And sometimes, like Diane Selwyn, we turn our dreams into nightmares. For Borges, when dreaming, feelings inspire the images (if in the dream we feel fear, we engender a tiger, or a ghost). He went further and said that since in dreams fear precedes the improvised apparition of the image, then we can project horror on any thing (regardless if that thing is horrific in real life). A house, a theater, a little blue key... for Borges "every form in the universe can be contaminated with horror. That's the peculiar taste of nightmares, more diverse from the things that scare us in real life".
Mulholland Drive stages a nightmare. But which one? The one that Diane dreams? The one that Diane lives? Both? What is "the real" story? Who knows? Who cares? Mulholland Drive shows the power of film and the chance for us to actively engage in cinematic experiences. Mulholland Drive is a mood, an atmospheric and suspenseful experience about dreams, nightmares, fiction and life. As dreams, films are illusions, like shows performed at Club Silencio. We enjoy them, suffer them, taste them, and make sense of them (or not). We make of them what we want, out of what we are. We create always our own versions of the films we watch--like in this forum. Perhaps our very life is made of the same stuff; illusional, creative, fearful, crazy, absurd, emotional. That might be the real horror. Or the real hope.
Nichts passiert (2015)
The sometimes invisible complexity of life
Sometimes little things become snowballs. That is the premise of this movie. The main character is indeed a decent man trying to do the right thing, which proves to be difficult. We play in life different roles that are not easy to harmonize, each one in different scenarios with different rules, expectations and colors. Father, husband, employee, friend, citizen: these are the roles that the protagonist wants to reconcile.But those roles do not always add up. This is an unpretentious, well-photographed movie with such simple premise and it delivers. Acting is a little bit uneven but there are also strong performances and a realistic atmosphere.
Overall this film reminds us the fragility of our seemingly inertial and routine life driven by the complexity of the diverse roles that we simultaneously play, which leads us to a life full of shades of grey rather than simplistic tones of black and white.
Jigureul jikyeora! (2003)
Suspenseful irony
As almost everybody has said, if you want to try something different, this is your chance. It requires sense of humor, to be ready for some explicit violence (it is still vengeance, Korean style) and mostly, sense of irony.
Irony as a rethorical device drives us to wonder about what appears to be the case vs. what is actually the case. The definition of "irony" fits perfectly this movie:
"A strange, funny, or sad situation in which things happen in the opposite way to what you would expect".
Well, imagine that you apply that definition to something like "The Silence of the Lambs" and this is what you get. A well crafted film full of thrilling suspense but with strange, funny and sad twists. Don't take the movie poster at face value and don't ask about the plot (the irony goes from beginning to the very end, starting with the poster all the way to end credits). Just immerse yourself in this emotional roller-coaster and enjoy the ride!
Pushover (1954)
Solid noir underrated
A film worth in its own right. Many echo and repeat a supposed "debt" to "Double Indemnity". Is "North By Northwest" a lesser film because of its "debt" to "39 Steps"? Is "Ran" because of its traces of "Kagemusha"? Etc. That's silly. "Pushover" is noir cinema in its own terms: the cop between badge and dough, a subtle femme fatale, a movie beautifully photographed among shadows at night, a dark urban tone, voyeurism (or is it just police duty?), criminal psychology of ambiguous characters, smart lines and great acting. 88 minutes that will get you for sure. Not to mention the anticipation to "Rear Window"!
Or if you just want to know why Kim Novak would later perfectly fit in Hitchcock's "Vertigo", just watch it.
Memento (2000)
Master of self-delusion
This film is a work of art on self-delusion. But not the self-delusion of the main character but the self-delusion of viewers and critics that praise this movie as the new Citizen Kane!! My respects Mr· Nolan! You managed to make thousands to believe they watched an artistic, complex and challenging film out of a simplistic, boring, really boring! gimmick that just edits a story backwards.
If the film would show the story in order the "mystery" disappears, hence the gimmick. I recognize the edition and the acting, that's why I don't rate it lower. But good edition or good acting don't mean good films. What about cinematography as such? What about the viewing experience? What about thought provoking craft? Complexity and pleasure don't come from just toying in the edition room. But apparently many people was framed to believed so. My respects Mr. Nolan.
Karami-ai (1962)
Noir suspense!
The suspense is for finding the answer to "Who's going to grab the inheritance?" Who will succeed? And how? As in a good Agatha Christie novel, we witness a parade of characters that, yes, want the money. And money... changes everything. Intrigue and double-crossing plans, jazz music, femme fatales that start to appear everywhere and a spectacular visual film in high contrast low-key lighting (pure chiaroscuro) within unbalanced frames that take the most of a full 2.40:1 aspect ratio.
Kobayashi is one of the finest directors, perhaps very underrated. A few months later he would shoot "Harakiri". He knew his craft. This is a solid film to enjoy.
Samurai (1965)
Samurai classic
I guess it's a mystery why this film is not well-known. As I write this, there are only other 1,338 IMDb users that have rated it. A small group of fortunate viewers. If you have not seen it and you are reading this---perhaps you are exploring the possibility because of some samurai or classic movie interest?---then just watch it. It's just impossible to like classic samurai action and not to love this movie. And if you are new to classic samurai movies, this is a good start. All major ingredients are here.
But if you need reasons. Well, what's not to like? Mifune at his best. The beautiful cinematography of Okamoto. An all-star cast from every major samurai movie (the only one missing is Nakadai). Political intrigue in the decay period of the samurai cast. A series of Rashomon-like flashbacks for learning, slowly, the dimensions of a tragedy. Spectacular samurai action in the snow. A drum that beats, slowly, fate. And endless themes to think about: fate vs. caprices of life, love vs. duty, friendship vs. personal ambition, the quest for finding ourselves a place in the world, and so and so.
The other mystery is the rating of this movie. It should be above 8,0 by all means, to say the least. I disagree with other reviewers that talk about a "convoluted" plot. I found the plot easy to follow, despite the names involved. And the director is very efficient and artistic for delivering the story in a 2-hour mark. It just needs to build tension for the great finale. It's a matter of enjoying.
Kutabare akutô-domo: Tantei jimusho 23 (1963)
Unique cocktail
What happens when you mix Adam West's Batman with James Bond, jazz music and pop art? Well... this movie. It's plain fun, full of primary colors, with a stylish hero in silk suit who doesn't take himself too seriously, clever deception tactics, gangs with samurai swords, pow! biff! bang!
Add Suzuki's usual game that transforms "continuity goofs" in virtue... Your usual "time" and "space" will be challenged. This is an acquired taste. If you are fan of Suzuki then this is a must. All of his trademarks are already there. And if you want to taste a new drink, this is a good chance.
Suzuki would be fired some years later since for the president of Nikkatsu Studios "we don't need a director who makes movies nobody understands". Suzuki's reply? "Why make a movie about something one understands completely? I make movies about things I do not understand, but wish to."
This film might serve as an aperitif for a different type of cinema. It will stimulate your appetite.
Classe tous risques (1960)
Minimalism with a heart
A film reduced to its essentials (photographed images in sequence) to portray the dawn and dusk of two stoical gangsters that are also human beings. Milan, Nice, Paris, a journey from exile to tragedy, the disloyalty of old partners, a total stranger that becomes the younger image in the mirror, a new friendship---in Sautet hands, all of these human happenings are conveyed not by words but by the power of images, expressions, action, angles, movement, gestures, moments. Sautet belongs to the same league of Melville, Bresson and other masters of the craft of putting together "pictures in motion".
"Less is more". Minimalism assumes that the moviegoer is a human being too, s/he interprets, reflects, makes sense and finds meanings. No distractions and full advantage of the cinematic form: images, sound, edition. Not everything has to be shown or explained. Less words and less information demand for the viewer to fill in the blanks, an active role that might be hard to take. But once the watcher accepts the challenge, the outcome is a tailor-made experience---he is not a passive watcher anymore.
Deux hommes dans Manhattan (1959)
Atmospheric road movie through a Big Apple
This is a road movie. We travel with two men through New York's nightlife in one night (hence the title of the film). The stops are Broadway performers, recording studios, burlesque dancers, brothels, iconic places such as Time Square, the UN building, Rockefeller Center, etc. and along the way we breathe the atmosphere, a jazz trumpet, the neon lights, hot dogs, shadows and dark alleys. The pretext for this ride (in this case the "plot": an investigation of a UN delegate disappearance and some dilemmas of yellow journalism) is just a pretext, as in any good journey. Recommended for road movie fans, New Wave connoisseurs, New Yorkers, jazz lovers, nightlife owls and noir-ish buffs.
Kaidan (1964)
Pure cinema
"Stylish... no substance". "Predictable plot". "Boring stories". "Lack of dramatic elements". "The tales are unrelated".
As if movies were drama (or literature) with a camera...
As if movies were to be "understood", instead of be experienced...
Kwaidan is vibrant aesthetic expression, colors, camera movements, angles, edition, sound, music, set, makeup, costumes, all skilfully crafted to produce sensations---horror, suspense, curiosity, surprise, discomfort, even laughter. In this sense Kwaidan fully delivers. A "moving picture" indeed that makes the most of its proper language and form---"pure cinema" in words of Hitchcock, the "cinematography" of Bresson. Some reviewers seem to be missing the party, to focus on "the plot" is perhaps to miss the whole point. "Realistic, character-driven, complex plot" is just one option for judging a film, the most inadequate perhaps (such elements are surely best delivered through a book or a play, by far...).
And nevertheless, Kwaidan's "plot" is also able to speak for itself. A common theme across the four tales is "how to tell (film) a story about storytelling", a Borgesian mirror (the real horror) that is fully exposed in the 4th tale in which the storyteller leaves the story unfinished apparently because of the very same type of ghost that he was writing (filming?) about... It is Kobayashi's disclaimer (and hint) about film and fiction: the author (director) is trapped in its own convention (medium) jointly constructed with the audience---as Borges put it: "Films are even stranger than theater, for what we are seeing are not disguised people but photographs of disguised people, and yet we believe them while the film is being shown".
Kwaidan is cinematography---pure cinema---a beautiful film to be experienced. If you want "a plot to understand", "to scream", or just "to be entertained", look elsewhere.
Ibun Sarutobi Sasuke (1965)
Noir meets samurai
It has it all really... Crime, the theme of violence, an ambiguous but honest protagonist that borders cynicism (and somehow victim of circumstance), a complex plot with crosses and double-crosses, well-defined characters with sharp motives that are unclear to the viewer, moral ambiguity, expressionist low-key lighting, unbalanced frames, disruptive shots, and even an 'urban' feel (though in old Japan), voice-over and a femme fatale! Add ninja action and a political comment on cold war and its meaningless dehumanizing nature, and you get a smart, entertaining, beautiful, thought-provoking film.
Shinoda masters the visual medium to create something new, different. The viewer experiences the insecurity and anguish that good noir delivers (I guess that other reviewers could not manage this). And still there are sword-armed samurai in it!