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La muerte de un burócrata (1966)
It is easier to kill a bureaucrat than to kill bureaucracy.
This film is not just superb, but it is also a homage to movies in general.
This is a comedy, a tragedy, a parody, and a documentary. Why is this film so important to people who have never lived in Cuba? Because, like every work of art from the beginning of civilization, it is applicable the old Arab saying of "write about your street, and you will be writing about the world." Anyone who has ever dealt with the Tax Office, the Immigration Board, the City Bylaws Enforcement, the European Union office of standards, the Human Resources Department, the Phone Company, the Big Bank, the Insurance Company, or any other office of some big organization will immediately recognize the situations shown in this film.
A must see.
Yol (1982)
Very good movie.
You know you are reading, or watching, a very good story, when the story refers to people from another place, country, continent, and/or culture, where what happens is closely related to their particular environment, and yet, it touches you because what the story says it is also very much applicable to yourself, your situation, your place, your country, your continent, and your culture.
The main points of the movie are: 1) You do not need to be behind bars in order to live in a prison. In fact, at some point it becomes evident that most of the main characters are safer in prison than outside. Their lives are certainly more at risk travelling through the country than behind bars.
2) Sometimes you do what society tells you you have to do, even when nobody will be better off. This is particularly evident about the end of the movie (spoiler alert), when one of the main characters, upon learning of the death of his brother, tells the widow "I am now your husband; it is the code", even though he has his eyes on another woman in the village, that other woman likes him, he does not want to be the husband of his sister in law, and the widow and her children do not want him to become husband and father. But "it is the code", and that suffices. As when at the beginning one of the characters is out during a curfew that he did not know it was in effect, and is detained. Everybody understands his predicament, but the law says he has to be detained, and so he is. In another story, a man has to kill his unfaithful wife, even though he does not want to.
This is a must see. This films will describe not just what was happening in Turkey 30 years ago, but what is happening everywhere today, in one way or another. It is about living in a prison, even though you are supposedly a free citizen.
Un cuento chino (2011)
Immigrants in Argentina
With a few days apart I just saw this movie, and another one from Argentina also: "Las Acacias." Both deal with lone wolves Argentine middle age males, who find themselves in a situation where they can give a hand to a foreigner in distress. Both characters are very reluctant to do so, until both witness the treatment these two immigrants get from the police or border agents. At that time, like kicked into action by the either racism, or just plain indifference by authorities in uniform, the protagonists feel the need to assert they are NOTHING like the guy in uniform.
In Las Acacias many have already highlighted the performance given by a baby a few months old. Justly so. How did the director managed to get this kind of acting from someone who neither speaks nor understand spoken language? I do not know, but he did it, and on the shoulders of three magnificent performances this movie achieves what others costing many times more can only hope. Incidentally, the name of the film in Spanish, "Cuento Chino", literally means "Chinese tale", but in Spanish means a story that is very hard to believe.
El Estudiante (2009)
One of the worst movies I have ever seen.
Someone I trust recommended this film to me. I was really surprised. It was really bad, and got worse with each and every minute. Basically, it is a Disney movie, only the bad American actors were replaced by bad Mexican actors.
Maybe, as years pass by, I might be able to forgive the friend that enticed me to spend valuable time watching this sorry piece of wasted celluloid. Time that I will never get back.
This is not just one of the worst movies I have ever seen, but the worst Mexican movie I've ever seen, without any doubt. If they have the Razzies in Guanujato, this movie would walk away with all the prices.
Life During Wartime (2009)
It is America as America pretends it is not.
When in a discussion with others, others have the duty to present their argument in the clearest way, but it is OUR duty to try to understand it. Just saying "well, you did not convince me" does not cut it. In works of art, like in discussions, for the work of art to "work", be it a poem, a book, a monument, a picture, a piece of music, or a film, it is necessary that the "artist" presents his work in the best possible way, but it is the duty of the public, to try to understand it.
Todd is one of the great masters of American cinema. He is particularly interested in Middle America, middle class, in the suburbs. And one of the main characteristics of middle class everywhere, is that there are certain things you do not talk about. And this is just the way it is: YOU JUST DO NOT TALK ABOUT THEM. Those things could be your father being a paedophile, why do terrorists hate us, or a humongous picture of a young Palestinian throwing a stone at an Israeli tank hanging on the wall of a successfully Jewish writer.
Basically, this movie and most of Todd's work is about a country that has made "Don't ask, don't tell" the motto of its every day life.
The Mentalist (2008)
It is all about characters
I love these police team dramas. I am a big fan of Law & Order, but they are not into character development. They care about the plots, and they really make you think, but after years you end up knowing very little about the characters.
Not so with The Mentalist. Plot is this series weak part. But, on character development, both the two main characters, plus the three secondary characters, and the "rest of the group" are very well developed. And, both of the main characters can be said to be Hot, which is not bad, considering that neither of them tries to use their hotness to manipulate the other characters, or the audience. Also important is that all characters have their own set of beliefs, and nuances, and behaviour, and even when there is a conflict because of those differences, those differences are treated with respect.
My only problem with the series is that sometimes, the plots have a hole too many.
Contre toute espérance (2007)
I saw it on TV; I would have gladly paid the ticket.
I put contains spoiler just to be on the safe side, since from the beginning of the movie we know how it will end; through the movie we will learn the details.
I just saw this movie on a movie channel at which I do not subscribe, but for some reason the cable company gave me free access for a month. I had just finished watching another movie, and more for inertia than anything else, I did not change channels. I am glad I did not. This is the type of movies that justify not only making movies, but also going out to watch them. The are few characters, and their work of the actors is subdued. It describes a particular couple, but it is something that could happen anywhere to anyone, and indeed has happened and is happening.
I will try to see more movies by this director.
Charulata (1964)
A masterpiece
This film is a real masterpiece. The characters are developed, there are no caricatures, everybody has different aspects that make them fully human. And the story, while simple, is profound. It describes a certain time, a certain people, a certain culture, yet it could happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone.
Ray, like Bergman, Kurosawa, John Ford, and a few others, are directors who are totally immersed in their own culture, can clearly see its flaws, can clearly see the shortcomings of their people, yet they love them unconditionally. To them, no special effects are needed: all they need is a good story, and good casting.
Red-Headed Woman (1932)
What a disappointment
I am a big fan of 30's movies. This one is not one of the best. It is very dated, and the behaviour of the characters is not very credible, not even considering what life was in the 30's. Actually, it is even more incredible if you consider this was happening in the 30's.
Do not waste time on this one. It is not a comedy, it is not drama, and does not qualify as a parody. There are tons of better movies from that era. At times you feel bored, at times you cannot believe the film is asking you to believe the situation and the twists of the plot, and at times you know you are wasting your time.
Try playing solitaire before watching this one: your time will be better spent.
One Night at McCool's (2001)
Pretty good movie
I have to confess that I have very strong feelings about Liv Tyler, and they are not good. I just do not like her. I find her very much as her character in the movie.And, that is probably why she was very well casted for this film. Even though I find her less than attractive, I believe that other men will very much disagree with me, and go out of their ways to do whatever she asks them to do.
The rest of the people are very good, and the plot has a certain logic, and within that logic it makes sense. It is not a candidate for best movie in any year, but is decent enough as entertainment.
Seven out of ten.
The Third Man (1949)
Yes Virginia, there was a time Hollywood made great movies
What a MOVIE!
This is a perfect guide of How can you make a movie that has intrigue, mistery, romance, action, and also challenges people with moral dilemmas.
I just rented this today, and watched it in disbelief. What a classic! What a story! What a plot!
If you are the type who thinks that books are the real thing, and movies are just a justification for stuffing yourself with popcorn, then I highly recommend you this one. If, however, a movie that has less than five exploding buildings and thre car chases sounds too boring to you, please pass this up.
Also, quite timeless when we compare the main character and the circumstances of Nick Berg murder.
Thank goodness there was a time they made these movies.
Regards, Luis
In the Bedroom (2001)
Comparing In the Bedroom with Mystic River?
I was dismayed when I read someone comparing the motivation, circumstances, and outcome of both films as being equivalent. I could not disagree more.
In the Bedroom is like intervening in Afghanistan. Mystic River is like invading Iraq. One is brought by desire of revenge, because the door to justice is closed. The other is brought by the desire to let the neighbourhood know who is the boss. In one the grief gives way to revenge when confronted with the lack of remorse in the perpetrator. In the other grief fives way to fear of losing your standing in the community if you let the suspect get away. In one the main characters waited for justice to proceed, but the system failed them. In the other, the main character is not interested in waiting for normal procedures.
Other than that, both are superb films.
Regards, Luis
Mystic River (2003)
What is the matter with the endings?
Why is some people so hung up with the endings? This is not a movie with a "Hollywood" ending. It actually ends like most things end in real life. With someone who "knew in his mind" who the guilty was, built a "coalition of the willing," committed what many think is a crime, gets away with it, and still gets high approval rates from members of his household. And when confronted with the fact that he was wrong, he gets even more support, and shows no sign of remorse.
Do you know of similar thing happening in real life?
Blue Car (2002)
Lonely people
All the characters in this movie are lonely people. All feel that nobody is paying attention to them, and nobody seems to be paying attention to anyone else, except the youngest character in the film, who is so concerned about others that she even worries about the situation of people in other countries. While driving home after the movie, "Lonely People" by The Beatles kept coming to my mind.
This is NOT your typical American movie, so if you do not like movies that show real people, in real life, making really bad decisions, and being really confused and disoriented, then bypass this one. However, with this movie I have experienced something that very often happens to me with Swedish, Iranian, Turkish, German, French, Chinese, Italian, Brazilian, Argentine, Japanese, or British movies, but rarely with American ones: I felt that I have met many of these people, and their stories touched me. This is clearly not a popcorn entertainment type of movie.
Luis
Stanno tutti bene (1990)
One of the best films in your lifetime
I saw this film many years ago, and still think of it as one of the finest movies ever. The reason I came today to comment it is that while reviewing the comments about another film I saw yesterday, I find that that that one was among the 50 best films in IMDB. While that move was good, I could not see how this one is not even among the 250 best.
If you are a father of children who moved away, or if you are a child who moved away from your birthplace, you will appreciate this movie. It applies to Italian immigrants, or to African immigrants in Italy (there is a scene showing them sleeping in cardboard boxes that shows how human is that experience of being alone in a foreign place). you do not even have to leave your country, as this movie shows, to find yourself trying to make it alone, and trying to make your parents believe that you are OK. Of course, like in every good lie, some help from the person being lied is also needed.
If you can rent it, or if you hear of this movie being shown on your local station, please see it. It will be one of the best movies you will se in your life. It is a 10/10 for me.
Election (1999)
Quite a nice surprise
I already knew that Matthew Broderick is one of the finest actors. But I was a bit wary of Reese Witherspoon. I had the idea that she was some kind of South Belle using her looks to get by. Boy, was I ever wrong!
The film is not just a comedy, but a drama, and a social commentary. The plot is so incredible that sounds true. All the characters are developed enough so they do not look like cartoons. And here is where the young Reese shows her talent. It is almost impossible not to play it like a caricature, but she does!
In the end, you feel that you have met most of the people depicted in the movie. The only part that was a bit difficult to believe was the two votes still being in the basket, so others could find them. But even that can be explained by a few psycho-analysts.
Fine movie, that will give entertainment, enjoyment, and a good conversation after viewing it. I would give it an 8/10.
Fallen (1998)
A surprising movie
Just two days ago this movie was shown on one of our local TV stations. As most other commentators here, I agree that this is a movie that is well written, well done, well acted, and well directed.
I had no great expectations about this movie, not knowing what it was about. But, every now and then, one gets the pleasure of finding a good movie that did not get the big ads, and the big promotions.
Well worth the time spent watching!
Musíme si pomáhat (2000)
Not for the simple minded
Without doubt, one of the best films you'll see in your lifetime.
At the start, there is a car being driven in the countryside. The car stops, and three men get out to pee. Two of them play a little prank on the chauffer. In the next scene, the chauffer is in charge, and the family of the boy who played the prank (the bosses who happened to be Jewish) are being evicted of their big house.
And this is just a very minor aspect of the film. There are selfish people, and there are selfless people in this film, and more often than not they are the same people. Of course, those who want things spelled out for them would like to know if Josef makes the decision that is central to the plot to save his skin, to save David's, or to make his wife (who wants to have children) happy.
This is not a Hollywood film. I like American movies, most of the time. They are great for entertainment, but if I want something for my mind and my soul, something that can make me laugh, cry, and think, then this is the kind of movie I want.
The Pledge (2001)
A different kind of film
You are advised to read the comments others made about this film; they are mostly right, even when they differ broadly. And this is so because this movie is about how different people react before different situations in life. Thus, upon the brutal murder of a young girl we witness the reaction of a Native trapper (who may, or may not be the killer) as running away, and the face of a young boy who sees the body. We also learn of a policeman who knows the family of the dead girl, but "rather not" be in charge of informing them. Another detective who laughs at the thought of a policeman being so "sensitive" that he rather not talk to the family of the victim. We even get to see the father, who upon learning that his only child has been brutally murdered, gets upset because a policeman enters his house smoking!!! You witness the visit to the father of another girl who cry his soul out, even though 4 years have passed since his little girl disappeared.
I am 51 years old, and I have done, or witness all those behaviours, and more in very stressful circumstances.
This is a film about life, love, and death, and how different people react to them. This is a film that respects its audience, and does not try to trick them. Read the comments of those who like the film, those who love it, and those who were disappointed by it. They are all right, because this film has as many angles.