Der Himmel über Berlin (1987), Wim Wenders

****

Columbo! Nick & Cave and the Bad Seeds! Wenders has packed up this wonderful 2 hour poem about (eternal) life with magnificent cameos. This film was later raped by Hollywood in the City of Angels. But Wings of Desire (UK title) is much more than a story about an angel who fells in love with a mortal ballet dancer. In fact so much more that it leaves one speechless. Seeing is believing and sometimes it's not necessary the explain things away. This is certainly one of the cases.

L'annee derniere a Marienbad (1961), Alain Resnais

****
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054632/
















A cinematized psychoanalysis session (more blatantly so than Hiroshima, Mon Amour), pointing the camera not at the couch, but at the probed unconscious. Haunting. And often so textbook Freudian it’s not even funny. Or it is funny.

After Hiroshima and this, I think Wong Kar Wai is Resnais' somewhat less abstract successor in a way.

Antichrist (2009), Lars Von Trier

***½

Hyped up as to be the next Exorcist, the description doesn't really apply though as this movie

shows more psychological horror than anything else.

The son of a psychologist dies and the parents settle down to a cabin in the mountains to heal but everything goes wrong. Metaphoric images and occurings show the many sides of grieving and depression and the general fear of loss. Needless to say, Trier might have gone a bit too far, but this film's visually challenging cinematography justifies it. Worth-while watching despite the gore bits.

The Fall of the House of Usher (1928), Jean Epstein

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018770/

****



















It does take liberties with the original story-line which do away with some of the original themes (and add new ones), but atmosphere-wise, it's hard to imagine anything but a silent, wildly expressionistic interpretation doing this one justice. Haunting and superb! (just look at that screencap) See it.

(My version had a voice-over of the intertitles in English with a French accent. Think David Suchet as Poirot, haha!)

Double Indemnity (1944), Billy Wilder

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036775/

**1/2


















Inner monologue so oft parodied it sounds like a parody of itself. A high-maintenance Dame with high-maintenance hair and "plans of her own". A disposable husband. A male mentor figure who is the lead's only meaningful relationship. Murky character motivations all over.

Film noir, you say? No! Movie noir :)!

And, needless to say, a fun watch.

Winter Light (1962), Ingmar Bergman

****

Can't emphasize enough how wonderful use of black and white film Bergman and his crew
were able to produce. Little rural church becomes majestetic with winter light hitting the
altar and in the middle of that, small priest struggling, once again, with the absence of god.
This is the second part of the trilogy, among Through A Glass Darkly and Silence, all
dealing with faith.

First I was bothered with the director always using the same actors (can't seem to get
away of the idea "yeah, thats the one who played that in that, he cant be a priest) but
after seeing this I see the point, the cast is just way too good and you get totally sucked
in with every character they play. Uncompromising, tough, cruel and beautiful but also
slow-paced narration gives this film it's charisma.

This is so perfect in every aspect, acting, script and especially cinematography-wise.
Four stars only for because, in my opinion, of the quite abrupt ending.

Hamlet (1964), Grigori Kozintsev

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058126/

***1/2














Unfortunately, I did not care much for how the title character was interpreted, which was, obviously, a major drawback. Overall, I found it not as memorable and inspired as Kozintsev's "King Lear". It still has a lot going for it, though. Like "Lear", it is excellent atmosphere and location-wise. Also, I particulatly liked child-like, ethereal "Ophelia". The scenes of her in mourning really stood out visually.

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922), F.W. Murnau

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442/

****



















It's strange to think this was actually planned, scripted, cast and filmed once: it's so much a part of the collective cultural subconscious, it feels like it was actually born there.

For a good while I was under the impression that the original title is Eine Symphonie des Graues (Gray) instead of Grauens (Horror), lol! I still find A Symphony of/in Gray to be a very fitting subtitle.

The Magician (1958), Ingmar Bergman

***½

Relatively early production of Bergman's tells a story of a 17th century magician and his crew

fleeing from town to town in rural Sweden. In a deeper level The Magician is a story about faith and the lack of it, which Bergman so often dealt in his movies. In this film everybody are skeptical towards the man and his powers but in the end, so is the viewer. The crew are forced to stay in a household full of yarls and what not. The magical powers seem to affect differently, as some seek salvation in it and others see it as a work of satan.

The swedish name for this film is Ansiktet, the face, which would be more proper name for it to be called anyway. Because the main character in this film is definately the great Max Von Sydow (almost unregocnisable in his dark make-up) whose face reflects emotions from anger to love.

This is definately one of the darker Bergman films, but captivating in it's use of lingering face close-ups and metaphorical images. Less known, but should be regarded as a masterpiece also.

Stolen Kisses (1968), Francois Truffaut

***½

The incredible journey's of Truffaut's alter ego Antoine Doinel are always fun to watch but is it new wave style or just Truffaut's own, the narration of the Doinel-movies is challenging to say the least. Some may like that viewers are left to determine what has happened (as it is quite obvious too) but Truffaut skips sections quite a lot.

That and the charming acting of Jean-Pierre Leaud, mr. New Wave, make Stolen Kisses enjoyable in their own right. Quircky dialogues and eccentric behavior of the main characters enlightens the tone of the movie that in general is somewhat filled with pity - Doinel, dismissed from the army, runs from job to job, and can't get the love from the ex. Nevertheless, Truffaut's ultimately child-like and positive outtake on life makes Stolen Kisses unique and contemporary directors - like Jeaunet - owing a lot to him. Still, there's a feeling that something is missing and can't exactly pinpoint what it is. Or maybe that's just excellent movie making showing the feelings of growing up.

Oh, and if there should be only one reason to watch this movie, that would be the scene in the bathroom where Doinel repeats his own name and the names of the ones he loves, or thinks he loves, over and over again. So intense and what a great concentration!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p2ej4onSFA

Tale Of A Vampire (1992), Shimako Sato

***

Minimalistic and yet fascinating take on the ever popular vampire genre. The stoic, some say one look-Sands makes one of his best roles (prob due to the fact that he doesn't have to speak a lot) as a ancient vampire seeking redemption in contemporary London. The minimalism in this movie works perfectly when building up atmosphere but some of the acting performances seem to be really fake and wooden-like.

Nevertheless, a wortwhile see for those fan of Sands (also one can imagine why Rice wanted Sands to be Lestat and ponder after this, was Cruise a better choice or not) and vampire stories in general.

Cabaret (1972), Bob Fosse

***½

This movie is not so much about the nazi regime as the plot or the back of a DVD suggests but a full two hour visual carneval. Wonderful decadent Berlin of the late 1920's-early 1930's shows it's face in Liza Minelli's character who flees around conciously naively searching for love and fun. Love how fragile and at the same time concious Minelli's character is about her life situation and nevertheless declares that life's a cabaret. Very memorable lyrics about the happiest corpse she's ever seen. The climate seems to indicate that it's better to take everything life offers while it's still possible (movie ends before WW2 starts).

Michael York seems somewhat reserved in his character but I guess that is the main point of his character. The most memorable parts are certainly the cabaret numbers, cinematography is excellent and totally brings out the decadent and absurd climate of the time. Let's not forget Joel Grey (movie buffs, he's Oldrich Novy in Trier's Dancer In The Dark, woo-hoo!) as the master of ceremony who really brings another level to the story with his outrageous performances. Still can't help but to wonder if this movie lacks the cartharsis, though this is not a pure tragedy. Though the musical side of this movie is so so good (if you don't keep singin Money, Money all day after this, you're a fool) it's propably better not to question it no more, just enjoy what it offers.

Oh, and Minelli's wardrobe in this movie is to die for, must have affected on the indie kids and others alike!

Hour of the Wolf (1968), Ingmar Bergman

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063759/

****























Many times I've seen this refered to as Bergman's "horror movie", which I find just silly, despite the sometimes horror-ish aesthetics. (Max von Sydow's fight with the young boy is particularly affecting and downright terrifying, but it's several other scenes towards the end that earned the film its reputation, I suppose).

This is a story of madness (folie a deux, perhaps), not of the supernatural. Liv's acting is so lovely and warm and her symbiosis-desiring character quite the opposite of her primarily selfish one in Cries and Whispers (Or is it? You have to wonder, since the film seems to make a very deliberate point of being a case of untrustworthy narrator).

I really liked the ending, when she speaks into the camera and then looks away from it at the last moment. Up until that, I had my misgivings, but, overall, I really feel this one achieves what it sets out to do.

Ivan's Childhood (1962), Andrei Tarkovsky

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056111/

****1/2















The final scene is one of the most breathtaking things I've ever seen on screen.

Madame de... (1953), Max Ophuls

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046022/

****




















The most ornate black-and-white backdrops I've ever seen. Those mirrored wardrobes I'll probably remember forever.

A superficial and self-sufficient, pleasant and complacent world, populated by equally superficial and self-sufficient, pleasant and complacent characters, where passions are polite, conflicts chivalrous and nothing can truly go wrong, until it does, just when you've been sufficiently lulled into not seeing it coming. Kind of like life sometimes.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), Jaromil Jires

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066516/

***















Oh, that Czech New Wave... Here's one for which "unique" may actually be an accurate description. It works entirely on its own terms and changes those terms without warning whenever it feels like it. Whimsical play on the theme of sexual awakening, getting its point across in manners ranging from the stylized and metaphorical to the blunt and obvious. A (non)narrative rooted in dream logic and (non)consequence (nothing bad is irreversible, particularly not death). Vampires that turn into weasels, wizardry, fairy-tale characters, all shades of incest and an inoffensive burning at the stake, all delivered so happily and benignly, it's hard not to take its extended hand and join the big hippie-fest that is the ending.

The Celebration (1998), Thomas Vinterberg

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154420/

****

A very good movie from the Dogma-collective. This is about dysfunctional family as well,
as a certain family gather around for their dad's 60'th. Everything goes wrong after the big secret gets discovered. One of the best family dramas I've seen and the dogma style makes it even more realistic and ripping-your-heart-to-pieces stuff. I'ts been ages since I've seen this, but I've written somewhere that this should be included to the desert island movie collection. Will contribute more on this when I've watched this again. If you're into dogma and great drama, this is something to be noted. Hell, it's to be noted regardless what you like, it's so good!

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Wes Anderson

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265666/

****, FAVORITE

A family of chid prodigies gather together when their bastard of a dad claims to suffer from a deadly disease. With multiple problems of their own, including hypocondria and suicide attempts, the family struggles to get on and solve the problems. The movie deals it's morbid subject with a loveable deadpan and dark humour. Anderson is a master of his craft and knows exactly what to get from a scene. Brilliant use of music, even though many of the tracks are so recognizable that they could easily steal the attention in the scenes. But with wide angles and eccentric story telling, few Lou Reed's and Nico's don't mind a bit. 1980's new wave band Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh brings, with his music (harpsicord is a very funny instrument indeed), a new comic level to the movie as well.

Only downside may be that the cast is largely known for less artistic movies and because of that, it sometimes feel what on earth are they doing in this sort of movie but they all seems to jump in their characters quite fine. Special thumbs up for Paltrow as the adopted daughter and a playwriter who's depressed and Luke Wilson as a loyal son and a has-been tennis player with his Ringo Starr/Sebastien Tellier style.

But all in all, it's the cinematography and the dark humour which makes this movie. Scorsese's favourite director and no wonder.

The Third Man (1949), Carol Reed

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/

***1/2















Rated for the hypnotic shadowplay aesthetics and the five minutes of Orson Welles charisma. Otherwise, I didn't really care for the plot and characterization all that much.

Metropolis (1927), Fritz Lang

http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Metropolis&x=0&y=0

****













Visually, this by far surpassed my (very high) expectations. Some films have one or two memorable scenes that immediately strike you as the stuff of cinema history. This one has them in buckets. And it throws them at you, rythmically and consistently, from beginning to end. The Moloch machine, Babel, the lantern chase in the catacombs, the transformation of the mechanical woman, the "whore of Babylon" dance, the moving statues, the legendary use of crowds, Metropolis itself... And the print is incredibly crisp to boot, what a feast for the eyes.

As screen presence, despite my initial misgivings, Brigitte Helm really stands out, particularly for her duality and contorted, psychotic physicality as Fake Maria.

As of the film's obvious weakness, well, its thinnish plot is nothing that hasn't been discussed at length before. A plot that seems rather confused as to (and not really all that concerned with) what exactly it is trying to do; and ceremoniously offers a fairy-tale solution to the heavy issues it seems to raise. The truckloads of inspiration obviously went into the style and not the substance. Sadly, because there's plenty of style here (and of the right kind) to support a whole lot more substance. Many scenes exude sheer visual drama that could have served a more profound cause well.

Admittedly, though, it's better to have it and criticise it than not to have had it at all :).

Gilda (1946), Charles Vidor

What does the cane signify, Dr Freud? And why is everybody so happy?

....Ok, I'll shut up about this now. Maybe :).

Tremendously good fun!

I'm Not There (2007), Todd Haynes

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368794/

****1/2















Ben Whishaw, as one of the facets of Dylan, giving his name as "A-R-T-H-U-R R-I-M-B-A-U-D" early on was my "OH, this could be *good*" moment.

Well. Bob Dylan gets the Velvet Goldmine treatment (and with his own blessing, unlike Bowie).
And Todd Haynes doesn't do biographies. He weaves stories around some idea of his own by way of mishmashed biographical details and whatever else it takes.

I concur with the majority opinion that the single best thing about this film, if you're looking to isolate a single best thing, is Cate Blanchett. And note that I've never been a fan of hers, not even close. But here... here's how it goes, she both naturally looks *and* is made to look more like Dylan than any of the other actors and manages all those Dylan mannerisms in a heavily theatrical way, of course Dylan was theatrical but she's like doubly so for doing an evidently studied reproduction of the theatrics, so she looks like Dylan and at the same time she looks like a girl and sounds, ahem, *sort of* like a guy and the singing voice-overs are definitely masculine and the whole androgynous effect is well, hot. Couldn't take my eyes off of herhim.

(The Cate segment ostentatiously borrows a lot from Fellini's 8 1/2, but imo there's also a bit of Toby Dammit there in the dynamics of a certain interview and after-party.)

Christian Bale's stuff is endless parody. Just haha after haha.

The little kid and Gere segments felt like the weakest overall, but worked alright as parts of the whole.

Haynes' use of soundtrack is incredible. Yeah, you could say that's easy to achieve, given the source material, but no, as in Velvet Goldmine, I'm blown away by his clever track selection and the timing and fitting of tracks to scenes. The Ledger/Gainsbourg segment is really ennobled by its soundtrack (with "I Want You" and "I'm Not There" as bookends to a marriage).

(Some whining about the soundtrack album: with one exception, it only contains covers - although most of the songs in the film are originals - *but* doesn't contain possibly the best cover of all, the hellishly brilliant "Hollis Brown" by Iggy & The Stooges (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqZBs8UZzTs)).

A lot of VG motifs and some themes recur here (fake interview footage and commentary, the fans&press vs artist and self-reinvention themes taken to a whole new level; and Rimbaud is used much like Wilde is in VG, though not as extensively, as Dylan's own song lyrics and quotes provide a lot of the material). They didn't feel like recycling, though, as the finished products are clearly distinct and both hold their own.

What the films most significantly have in common, though (with each other, as well as with Haynes' "Far From Heaven"), in the way they affect me, at least, is the almost catharsis-inducing sense of inevitable, inefable and irretrievable loss that creeps in by the end. That is Haynes' trademark, as far as I'm concerned, and also what attracts me the most to seemingly everything he does.

Cabaret (1972), Bob Fosse

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068327/

****












(In response to the color challenge ;) ).

Coming from someone who's not a fan of either Minnelli or York: this is really not to be missed, given our tastes.

Decadence before the storm in inter-war Berlin, overshadowed both by personal drama and by something monstrous gradually closing in.

The legendary cabaret scenes alone would make it an enjoyable watch (my favourite is Liza Minnelli breaking into tears while singing "Life is a Cabaret" towards the end), but what makes this truly worthy is the real substance of the plot they're woven into. Some very clever character interaction, supported by powerful acting at certain key moments.

Joel Grey's such an unforgettable, eerie apparition. As his only lines are spoken/sung on stage he's like the collective subconscious, his cabaret numbers mirroring "real world" conflicts in grotesque and mesmerizing ways.

Also, there's the immortal exchange:

York: Screw Maximilian!
Minnelli: I do.
York: So do I.

Breathless (1960), Jean-Luc Godard

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053472/

***














There's this permeating sort of freshness that makes it an enjoyable watch. Was ultimately bothered by the characterization of the 2 main characters, however.

Gilda (1946), Charles Vidor

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038559/


****, FAVORITE

Classic film-noir but also a fierce love triangle where the woman really does keep playing men, not the other way around. Top notch dialogue and chemistry between Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.

The Silence (1963), Ingmar Bergman

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057611/

****

That Hamilton Woman (1941), Alexander Korda

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034272/

***

Tells a lifestory a british woman who gets mixed up, via marriage and other things, with Napoleon's war. Hugely patriotic, must be done to boost Britain's troops and common folks during the war time. Leigh does fantastic job as a bit melodramatic and poor-turned rich-turned poor again fancy lady as Olivier struggles with a bad wig and pompeous army costume. Still maybe the best of all the collaborations the Oliviers made together on-screen.

Daisies (1966), Vera Chytilova

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060959/

***1/2














A uniquely playful and exuberant, both visually and (lack-of)-plot-wise, take on nihilism (or whatever-ism) as endless quest for food & minor mischief in pyschedelic collage form. Total girly fun, too. You'd love this!

Katzelmacher (1969), Rainer Werner Fassbinder

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064536/

***1/2















Fun, if you treat it with some patience. Bunch of idiotic, indolent, self-important people of both sexes being indolent, self-important and mean to one another. Extra half-star for a particularly unexpected hilarious scene.

King Lear (1971), Grigori Kozintsev

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064553/

****1/2
















A highly worthy piece of film-making. Some superb casting (the title character is played by Juri Jarvet, "Snaut" in "Solaris") and very inspired acting/direction moments. I particularly liked the interpretation of "Regan". Excellent locations and atmosphere.

Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari (1920), Robert Wiene

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/

****1/2















The quintessential German Expressionist film (and apparently one of the only 6 ones unanimously recognized as purely Expressionist). Fantastic. Once you start figuring out how to apply psychoanalytical theory to its structure, it stops bordering on silly and turns out to be an unexpectedly profound effort. "Cesare"'s wall-walk is one of my favorite moments in cinema.

Andrei Rublev (1966), Andrei Tarkovsky

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060107/

*****














A fine contender to best film ever. It's certainly got the right scope.

I am in awe of Anatoli Solonitsyn after having seen him in three such different, profoundly different, parts (in "Andrei Rublev", "Solaris" and "Stalker").

Cries and Whispers (1972), Ingmar Bergman

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069467/

*****












Bergman's goddess pantheon. So far, the greatest concentration of female talent in any film I've seen. Harriet Andersson is out of this World.

Faust (1926), F.W. Murnau

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016847/

*****












Glorious visuals, glorious piece of film-making.

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964), Sergei Parajanov

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058642/

******, FAVORITE











Obviously, my favorites tend to render me speechless :).

Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Ingmar Bergman

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055499/

*****, FAVORITE

Comments on Choice of Format and Ratings

Right, so I went with a one post per film format, in order to make it easier to find individual titles and add tags that make them sortable by rating/director/whatever :). What do you think?

I'll now be slowly working my way through the recently-watched backlog.

Ratings mean:

*****: Favorites or Too good to receive anything less
****,****1/2 : Very worthy, Highly recommended
***, ***1/2: Good, Solid, Fun, etc (or stuff I didn't personally like all that much but due to obvious merits can't receive anything less)
**,**1/2: Dissapointments

...and I hope my good sense prevents me from watching any one-star-or-less material ;).

Solaris (1972), Andrei Tarkovsky

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069293/

*****, FAVORITE










My all-time favorite film by my dearest director.
Natalya Bondarchuk's ("Hari") acting is unbelievable. She was 18 or 19 at the time and acts like she's 40.