Recently Watched Films 2020

[Dan Warburton]

Carlos Saura, Ana y los lobos, 1973

IMDb plot summary quite good: "The young but travelled Ana arrives in a manor in the countryside of Spain to work as nanny of three girls and finds a dysfunctional family: the matriarch is a sick old woman obsessed by death and having constant nervous breakdowns; her son José was raised dressing in girl's clothes until his First Communion and is obsessed by military clothes and paraphernalia; Juan, the father of the three girls, a pervert since his childhood, writes pornographic letters to Ana; his wife, Luchy, has suicidal tendencies; and the mystic and religious eremite Fernando, who was inflicted to flagellation in his childhood, lives as a recluse in a cave. The presence of Ana disturbs the three brothers with tragic consequences." I made the mistake of watching the comedy (sort of) sequel Mamá cumple 100 años first, which I rather regret, as this one is much more powerful. Saura's surrealism (ach, awful word) might be confusing to some, but look at it as an allegory of life in Franco's Spain, with the brothers representing Family, State and Church and you'll see why Geraldine Chaplin ends up the way she does. Yikes.

[henriq]

FREELEECH, Y'ALL!!!

[henriq]

... and the reckless moment was so stuffy and theatrical, i couldn't get over the measured characterization of that slightly old fashioned mother with her heart in the right place, the set-up so artificial but topically catering to the then hot generational conflict, and mason's totally calculated performance. give me some air. ah, i'll never be a cineaste. i do enjoy that aldous harding record though.)

Glad I could inspire something. Have a look at Jimmie Blacksmith, less cineaste-y, maybe.

[henriq]

Schepisi is a rather underrated filmmaker in a middlebrow (hesitating to use that word which could sound a bit condescending), noble kind of way, and his most renowned film, Six Degrees of Separations, is the one I struggle the most with

Not on KG, just looked (since it's freeleech time, good opportunity to go hunting) - must be too mainstream for them

It has Will Smith in it, that's probably why. A far better actor than he is a rapper, actually. I like Schepisi's Roxanne too. Funny with those official edicts over at KG: a lot of mainstream, good or even great, Hollywood fare is banned but The Blue Lagoon manages to slip through?

[Dan Warburton]

Dino Risi, I mostri, 1963

Ugo Tognazzi and Vittorio Gassman are both absolutely splendid in this seriously dark collection of 20 sketches - adultery, hypocrisy, corruption and downright nastiness abound (it's funny, sure, but I can't imagine every Italian who saw this when it came out would have been happy to accept this damning indictment of the country, people and culture). The closing sketch, "The Noble Art" - image above - crosses the line altogether and is utterly bleak.

[Dan Warburton]

Don Sharp, The Thirty-Nine Steps, 1978

It takes several notable liberties with the John Buchan original, and of course tends to lose out in any comparison with the classic Hitchcock version, but I've always had a soft spot for this version. Nobody plays a son of a bitch as well as David Warner (the only actor ever to portray Reinhard Heydrich twice - and as baddies go, I'd say he was the world champion), but Robert Powell's Hannay is dashing and charismatic. The Harold Lloyd clock-hanging bit is a bit daft, but ties in rather nicely with today's Brexit thematic Bung a bob for a Big Ben bong, indeed. Get f*cked, Boris.

[Dan Warburton]

John Boulting, Lucky Jim, 1957

Not as good as I'm All Right Jack (very few British comedies are), but a fun if silly addition to the genial Boulting Brothers oeuvre.

[Lao Tsu Ben]

Schepisi is a rather underrated filmmaker in a middlebrow (hesitating to use that word which could sound a bit condescending), noble kind of way, and his most renowned film, Six Degrees of Separations, is the one I struggle the most with

Not on KG, just looked (since it's freeleech time, good opportunity to go hunting) - must be too mainstream for them

It has Will Smith in it, that's probably why. A far better actor than he is a rapper, actually. I like Schepisi's Roxanne too. Funny with those official edicts over at KG: a lot of mainstream, good or even great, Hollywood fare is banned but The Blue Lagoon manages to slip through?

That's one of Kg's paradoxes : awful mainstream fare gets a pass when it is not american. Check out Barbarosa by Schepisi, one of my favorite westerns. And yes, Roxanne is sweet.

[Dan Warburton]

Etienne Périer, When Eight Bells Toll, 1971

It was producer Elliott Kastner's original idea to set up Philip Calvert, Alastair Maclean's British Treasury secret agent, as a serious competitor to the Bond franchise, but it didn't work out that way in the end. Anthony Hopkins had to wait a few years to get his teeth into the big time , though he's quite good - better than leading lady Nathalie Delon (pretty face, shame about the acting) in any case. And Robert Morley's always fun as the stuffy spy boss, Uncle Arthur (indeed). Jack Hawkins was already overdubbed, having had his larynx removed five years earlier. Nice Scottish location shoots. Good rainy Sunday afternoon movie.

[Dan Warburton]

Raoul Ruiz, Les divisions de la nature, 1978

Elegantly brief détournement of your typical telly travel documentary (Ruiz had similar fun with the election campaign report trope that same year in De grands événements et de gens ordinaires), here the subject being the Château de Chambord.

[Dan Warburton]

László Nemes, Son of Saul, 2015

By way of "celebrating" the 75th anniversary of the libertation of Auschwitz... https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-a ... -auschwitz I have little to add to the comments above, other than a special shot out for the sound design which is truly extraordinary. Interview with Géza Röhrig here https://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/1956 ... eading-man Fine performance, but I'm not sure I'll be queueing up to see him star as Jesus Christ (kid you not) in the forthcoming Malick

[Dan Warburton]

Lucio Fulci, La Pretora, 1976

Well I suppose if all you want is to see Edwige Fenech in the buff, this'll do nicely. But the more you see of her - and she does indeed spend a disproportionately long time wandering around stark naked - the less exciting it all becomes. Starting with the convoluted plot: Fenech plays both a straight-laced magistrate and her raving nympho twin sister, leading to inevitable confusion all along the way. All those Confessions-style naughty 70s softcore flicks showing balding, beer-bellied goons drooling uncontrollably every time an attractive girl passes them by now belong in a galaxy far, far away. Doesn't help that Ms Fenech can't really act, and Mr Fulci can't really direct (comedies, that is) either. Avoid. Make the scene with a magazine instead.

[Dan Warburton]

Hal Ashby, The Landlord, 1970

They just don't make 'em like this anymore. http://www.bkmag.com/2016/08/01/reel-br ... ark-slope/ https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmbl ... rd-classic Great performances - Lee Grant, Beau Bridges, Pearl Bailey all excellent - superb lighting and editing (Ashby was one of the best), excellent script. The 70s, hell yeah.

[Dan Warburton]

Glauber Rocha, Terra em transe, 1967

Awfully impressive and highly acclaimed allegory of Brazilian political historical turmoil in the 60s, but its overwhelmingly serious tone, particularly that of the lead actor Jardel Filho as the idealistic and ultimately frustrated journalist-turned-politician Paulo Martins does make it a rather wearying experience after about an hour. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entranced_Earth Take a caipirinha break about then and treat yourself to a Gilberto Gil album before you finish off.

[Lao Tsu Ben]

Suntan, Argyris Papadimitropoulos, 2016

The film about midlife crisis that you have seen nth time and you know beforehand that it shall overstay its welcome. Save that in this case it is very good, though as some sort of tragedy, a bit on the predictable side. And the director manages to have, after the last twenty minutes, which are purposefully cringeworthy, some surprise in store at that. Actually, he says in interviews that the last scene is the reason he made the movie that came before. Things could have turned differently, but it's his choice and it's his film I'm watching. A new local physician on the beautiful island of Antiporos falls for a young girl half his age, and all goes down the drain. A lot of the reviews on imdb are appallingly misogynistic and I'm usually not of the faint-hearted. What makes the film better than I expected : a sense of place - geography made vivid and an actor that I find credible in being kind of charming and a pathetic wreck at the same time, or rather, in turn. I'm spoiling the film away. Sorry. Also the sense that the film could have gone any other direction while being still interesting. It could have been a bleak (italian style) comedy by focusing on the pathetic Lothario who appears as a secondary character, or another film by taking up the point of view of the rather obnoxious young people among whom the doctor gets, deludedly, a second chance at life, but it stays firmly on track while hinting at those other movies. A good little surprise.

[Dan Warburton]

Guillaume Brac, Contes de juillet, 2018

Two brief shorts, set near and in Paris - the first at the water park in Cergy-Pointoise (already immortalised in Rohmer's L'ami de mon amie, which needless to say Brac knows all too well), the second in the Cité Universitaire (14th arrondissement) on the night of the 14th of July 2016. (And, without wanting to spoil the fun, if you remember what actually happened on that evening, be prepared for its sudden irruption into Brac's script, which was carefully elaborated with his actors during the preparation of the film.) Said it before, if you like Rohmer and Rozier, Brac's for you. A little delight.

[Dan Warburton]

Philippe Garrel, Les baisers de secours, 1988

Yes, it's Garrel, so, yes, it's yet another tale of a melancholic (depressed, even) filmmaker struggling to make a film about.. his everyday life, not starring his actress wife as herself (she's pissed, too). And yes, Garrel's in it himself as the director, as is his dad Maurice and his son Louis, and yes there are plenty of shots of bare apartments, doorways, empty stairwells. Been there, done that. Not his best, imo - but elegantly filmed and acted, as always.

[Dan Warburton]

Robert Enrico, Le secret, 1974

Another splendidly paranoid early 70s affair, with the eternally unsmiling and rarely sympathetic (but perfectly cast) Jean-Louis Trintignant as David, who escapes at the beginning of the film from some sort of unspecified prison where he's been tortured (for what, we never discover) and tries to go to ground in the wilds of the Ardèche, where he's befriended by an affable but gullible post-soixante-huitard (Philippe Noiret) and his girlfriend (Marlène Jobert). When army helicopters and gendarmes start showing up, the trio head for the coast to try and get David across the border into Spain. But... Despite a rather leisurely pace and a somewhat opaque plot, I enjoyed this one more than the following year's smash hit Le vieux fusil , also with Noiret.

[Dan Warburton]

Eugène Green, Toutes les nuits, 2001

Green's debut feature already stars Alexis Loret and Christelle Prot, who've accompanied the director on his subsequent outings, and is based on the first part of Flaubert's Education Sentimentale (no, not yet). The stylised diction, whimsical humour (setting the story in 1968? ha!) and Bressonian influence (not all that Bressonian though - Green's shot / reverse shot filming of dialogue is not something the earlier director would ever have considered) is already there, but it took Green a couple of years to hit his stride.

[Dan Warburton]

Michael Glawogger, Das Vaterspiel ("Kill Daddy Goodnight"), 2009

IMDb: "The story and fate of three families: A Jewish family destroyed by the massacres of the Nazis in Lithuania; the family of the culprit, who flew to America and keeps grotesque family cohesion; the family of Ratz, a social democratic family, dissolving itself miserably in today's Vienna. The condemnation of the last century bundled in these three families showing clearly that one could never escape from its own past." Though it has its moments, I'm in broad agreement with this review https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/revie ... good-92913 - Glawogger was at his best making documentaries.