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Zerkalo (1975)
Does not have to be understood to be enjoyed
The Mirror is said to be a film that is not easy to understand. I say that it does not have to be understood to be enjoyed. This is a very beautiful, cerebral, and emotive film. As with other Tarkovksy films, there is both the natural and the supernatural, but the natural is by far the dominant. The supernatural is like this overflowing of natural spirit (very much like in the STALKER film). The film is highly elemental: watery, fiery, windy, and earthy at different times, and the elements give off energy, and the world feels like this plastic material which one makes art out of. This is very different from the staged feeling of many films. In the Mirror, even the manmade structures feel natural, man feels natural as an expression of life. Even if you are aware it is a film, how can it feel artificial when it flows from a natural source? Aside from the vibe, the Mirror is a great film to look at. The lead actress is quite beautiful, though not in a conventional way, expressive and spirited. The camera-work is really great, gives a great sense of a taking place, love the movement in each scene. If you are the type of person that feels spiritual or meditative at times, or loves to just look at art or watch nature (or people), then the Mirror will be an excellent choice for you.
Schizopolis (1996)
People earn their liberal arts degrees in order to be able to watch and understand this film
Schizopolis is piled with layers of amusement for the id, ego, and superego. People earn their liberal arts degrees in order to be able to watch and understand this film. Some of it is outright funny (like a man with no pants running around) or weird funny (e.g. an exterminator milkman that talks like the $10,000 Pyramid on Mars), but much of it you have got to get it to get it (not all of it, but some amount); this is, after all, satire and social commentary. So if postmodernism and the contemporary art section of your local museum is not your bag, then you are still probably in the target audience for Schizopolis, but it will likely be a miss. On the other hand, if you are a fan of the 90s era, Office Space and Short Cuts, then Schizopolis may just be your kind of movie.
Papurika (2006)
A kaleidoscopic and phantasmagoric animated thriller
Paprika is a kaleidoscopic and phantasmagoric animated thriller, a bewildering ride through dreams mixed with more dreams mixed with waking life. Now for some films, if you do not get what its makers are trying to say, it is lost on you. This is not so with Paprika. This is the kind of film one can watch and find highly entertaining without having much of a clue what it is about. The "Parade of Everything" is quite a sight for lovers of whimsy and fantasy, symbols and the surreal. While there are various weak points to the film, but there is not much point to mentioning them. Why? Well, when something goes for it on a grand scale, as Paprika does, it is better to watch and appreciate what it does right. Beyond the vibrant images, the direction does something special with the choreography, the movement on-screen. You get this wonderful feeling of animation, everything brought to life by imagination and the mind. So if you enjoy crazy dreams or the carnivale, definitely give Paprika a view.
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Melancholic and yet loving beauty and art and life
Only Lovers Left Alive has a vibe that is laid back and moody: melancholic and yet loving beauty and art and life; the love and melancholy seem to feed off each other. Whether or not you can feel such a vibe or can enjoy style simply as the outflow of artistic feeling (like with Godard films) will determine whether you can like this movie. The film is not so much driven by plot; it is like music that is more about mood than melody; it is more about what keeps vampires going in their esoteric dystopia where the blood of life is stagnant and contaminated. Personally, I enjoyed it quite a bit, as I have most Jarmusch films. They have an authenticity and sincerity to them, and one gets a feeling of love for music and creation. Various aspects are easy to critique, but I do not see the point. In the film world, execution and polish (if it is right to call CG that) are common, while spirit is rare, and so I rate this one right up.
Ma nuit chez Maud (1969)
A great film for those who like subtle romance
My Night at Maud's is a great film for those who like subtle romance where what is not said counts more than what is said. That said, this film is an easy one to mis-watch. There is a lot of talk about intellectual and theological topics, and it can seem as if the film is about that. Not so, most of the film you can get from how the characters carry themselves and how they interact; their words are secondary. Besides that, the talk is meant to be partly funny and partly serious; some of the intellectual talk is relevant to the theme, and some of it is intentionally pretentious. Indeed, the main themes of the film are pretension and predestination. (Which is interesting since even though the film is set back in the 1960s, French "designed" milieu feels as if it were modern and fresh and free.) Overall, the final product has a very nice, witty, and young feel to it. I rate this one up on account of some good characterizations, and the fact that the actress playing Maud is damn sexy with French charm -- well, that factors right in.
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Have to have (or have had) a lot of existential curiosity to be able to enjoy it
My Dinner with Andre is one of those films you may well hear about, because it is really pretty different. This is the kind of film where you have to have (or have had) a lot of existential curiosity to be able to enjoy it. The less you think you know about this world, the more interesting you will find Andre's tales to be. Beyond that, you may still find it interesting if you can relate to the quest for meaning and happiness and you think of yourself as a student of human interactions. On the other hand, if you have low tolerance for weirdness and fancy, then you are likely to find yourself to be irritated by it all. There is a question of how high to rate it as a film since it seems to be just a recorded conversation. I rate it down just a bit on that account (seems unfair to other films), though I find there are some subtleties to be picked up on, and I found Wallace Shawn to give a pretty good performance with his sincere and mildly intense reactions to Andre (and at one point finds something to be INCONCEIVABLE!). Recommended to artist- and entrepreneurial types that find themselves often wondering over the edge of the World of Appearances.
Insignificance (1985)
Part comical, part intellectual, just a bit tragic
Insignificance is an interesting and talky film: part comical, part intellectual, just a bit tragic. It has some upfront symbolism, which may add value if you get it or may irritate you. While it does not really feel much at all like Bunuel films in terms of vibe, it is reminiscent in that it digests human culture through a comical dream play. The performance of Theresa Russell as "The Actress" stands out, she plays her character with a combination of winking intrigue and stoicism. How much of life is an act? How much is play? How much and what should be taken seriously? The character interactions feel at times authentic (or at least sincere), at times spontaneous, but then falling into stereotype. Anyhow, this is the type of film where your enjoyment of it will be largely based on how much you get it (there is not enough else in the film to be appreciated by itself). For myself, I understood it somewhat and enjoyed it somewhat.
Kynodontas (2009)
A film where the viewing experience is very much dependent on the sensibilities of the viewer
Dogtooth is a film where the viewing experience is very much dependent on the sensibilities of the viewer. For myself, I found it quite absurd and ridiculous from the outset and was not shocked (much). I rate Dogtooth up mostly because I enjoyed the indie style of shooting, reminiscent of Submarine and Wes Andersen films, which made gave the film a more satirical than disturbing character. After reading other reactions, I wondered whether this is a film that ought to be laughed at or if it ought to induce cringing (at least one scene, in particular does). After thinking about it, I thought that yes, satire ought to be laughed at and the subject matter ought to be seen as quite stupid; horror and fear are not an appropriate response. If anything, horror and fear bolster something that should be opposed. However, having some parts, here and there, that are more serious than funny is also good, since we do not want to just totally laugh off topics that are important.
Crash (1996)
The vibe is corrupt, uncool, and dystopic
Crash is a film I do not have many good things to say about and yet still cannot downrate it because I do like the cast and always enjoy the signature Cronenberg material sensuality that conveys highly distinct tactile sensations via light and sound. That said, Crash is a boring movie and not so much edgy as something to be endured. Crash does not feel cool or adventurous and yet most of the film is action; it is like a pornographic movie -- not much plot but just goes through different scenarios, yet does not feel sexy and so does not create tension. The vibe is corrupt, uncool, and dystopic like a glam rock band playing in the mid 90s to a bored audience in a half-filled stadium that needs to be torn down. They smash their gear and we can only think that it was not worth it, what a waste. I would like to think this was all intentional, because I like other Cronenberg films, but cannot really recommend it except to the curious ones that want to see something different.
Blue Velvet (1986)
A very good, a very theatrical film
Blue Velvet is a film you should definitely see if you are a fan of filmmaking or noir or the surreal, but it is a hard film to recommend. That is mainly because the acclaim it got from when it first came out does not really translate to present day, and so one would tend to get an impression and have expectations that the film is not going to match. It has been so many years and nowadays the vibe of the film is different. At the same time, it really is a good film and perhaps can be better appreciated not for being outrageous or frightening, but rather for some fine filmmaking and acting. In particular, loved the set for the female lead's apartment and the performance by the actress playing her was quite good. The film has many memorable bits and pieces, but the overall vibe is about half as intense as watching an accident involving two vehicles with the highest safety rating and everyone has on their seatbelts. This sounds like it is bad, but it is not. Like I said, it is hard to write a review for. This is really a very good, a very theatrical film; and it is good to see, not so much for shocks and frights, but to appreciate a nice piece of work.
Anna Karenina (2012)
The stage-play motif is brought off magnificently with vital creative spirit.
Anna Karenina is a great story, and this is an adaptation that gets better each time you see it. At first, it can be a bit confusing, because it is like a musical piece that one has to hear more than once to get the feel of; but a good amount of feeling does go into the film. Kiera Knightly plays a very sympathetic Anna: natural, and not exactly naive, but at the same time does not really know what she is doing as she is pulled about by her "demon". The film looks great and the stage-play motif is brought off magnificently with vital creative spirit. The main downside of the film is that Count Vronsky does not come off as someone worth ruining oneself over (though perhaps others will think different). On the other hand, the scenes between Anna and her husband (played by Jude Law) have very good dramatic tension and draw the film through each act. All-in-all, Anna Karenina is a good film with rewatch value. This is a commercial production, but a very creative and interesting one. My rating is a touch on the high side (relative to what one should expect), but it suits some of my tastes, and I personally enjoyed this film quite a bit.
Annie Hall (1977)
Good cerebral entertainment, and is at times playfully surreal in an everyday way.
Annie Hall is the film notorious for beating out Star Wars for Best Picture. So, is this a case where the Academy picked the right film and those plebs just lack in good taste? Or is this one of those films where the bourgeois all pretend to think it is great, but it is not really? Well, that is too much build up for this film. Annie Hall is a fine film about two people that are just fine together, except that makes it too good to be true, so we will have to figure out something to go wrong. This is a humanist romantic comedy: intelligent, witty, insightful, etc. Well, it works just fine there. It is good cerebral entertainment, and is at times playfully surreal in an everyday way. While I do not think it is the best Woody Allen film (Stardust Memories stands out to me) or the best film ever, it is a good film. (Is that OK? Can we just be happy with that?)
Alphaville: Une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965)
A kind of proto-Blade Runner, with French New Wave charm
Alphaville is a sci-fi detective story, a kind of proto-Blade Runner, with French New Wave charm (the kind which makes your favorite electronica artist probably be in love with it). The film is both visionary and naive, stylish and gauche, but the plusses far overmaster the negatives. This is the type of film where you can see how good it is by noticing its flaws, and thinking: "Ah, but so what, this is still such a good movie." The one exception is the love story, there really is not much of any chemistry there, and it is a kind of anti-Casablanca, in that respect. (Yet even this flaw works, and is not such a flaw, if you think about why it does not work and the themes of the film.) Nonetheless, Alphaville is a must-see for lovers of art and film.
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
The film itself is really 1970s America
In "The Man Who Fell to Earth", the film itself is really 1970s America, as projected into an alien visitor. We can see what the country is by what living there does to this naive and gentle person. David Bowie and the film are uniquely suited to each other; the film has a strong essence and it is quite memorable. I have to say, though, "The Man Who Fell to Earth", is more for people that are up for a film challenging them rather than entertaining them. The US portrayed is not nice, it is garishly futuristic and dated, subtly domineering and hostile. The vibe is uneasy, desperate and despairing (and yet the grace of Bowie takes a bit of the sting off). There is a lot in it that takes a bit of questioning to figure out, the type of film you want to go into ready to exercise your wits and/or watch more than once. Recommended mainly to those interested in society and culture (and, of course, Bowie fans).