I read another Gene Wolfe trilogy, this one about ancient Greece. Not as good as the three “Sun” series, but still enjoyable. Stefan Zweig’s The World of Yesterday was another highlight, a brilliant work of social science masquerading as a memoir. Benjamin Moser’s The Upside Down World is an excellent study of Dutch painting, and more. How good could Carel Fabritius have been? A few of his paintings remind me a bit of Velazquez. I also enjoyed Art of the Japanese Postcard. I’ve also been trying to catch up on several decades of pop music. (I’m afraid my taste is mostly stuck in 1965-80.) Lana del Rey is my newest favorite. Alvvays has some infectious pop for when you are driving, not too syrupy. Black Country, New Road is an interesting group (might appeal to Radiohead fans?) And even 2 generations later, we still have “new Dylans.” For TV, I tried The Regime and quickly gave up. It’s like Succession, but with all the good stuff removed. I recently started Ice Cold Murders, which is one more example of the now global phenomenon of complex flawed detectives with a heart of gold. I guess viewers can never get enough of this formula, although I’m getting close. At best, they are painless sociological lessons on various subcultures—in this case Alpine Italy.
2024:Q1 films
Newer Films:
Monster (Japan) 3.9 Kore-eda’s best work since Nobody Knows, and one of the best films of the past decade. Every single aspect of the filmmaking is first class, including screenplay, acting, cinematography, sound, etc.
Anselm (Germany) 3.8 An outstanding art documentary, directed by Wim Wenders. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more on the exhibition in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. There are interesting parallels between the style of the paintings he exhibited and the Tintoretto masterpieces in the same location.
In the Court of the Crimson King (UK) 3.7 In some ways, this is better than the Anselm documentary. But I like Anselm better as an artist, so I rate that film higher. There are some very funny sequences, as well as some deeply moving ones.
Perfect Day (Japan/Germany) 3.7 As I get older, I increasingly appreciate this sort of minimalist film. My only reservation is that at times I felt like the film was more about Wim Wender’s impeccable taste in pop music than the story he was filming.
The Movie Emperor (Hong Kong) 3.4 I generally don’t appreciate Chinese comedies, but this one was pretty effective in touching on a lot of contemporary themes. I had recently visited the Arab world, and this film convinced me that (compared to the Arab world) Hong Kong culture is much closer to American culture.
Oppenheimer (US) 3.3 Nolan’s an excellent sci-fi director, but real world science is not his forte. The visuals are fine, but didactic screenplay is tiresome. The viewer doesn’t want a three-hour history lesson on material that is already well known—or at least this viewer didn’t. This is unfortunate, as the film does have some very fine scenes. (But David Lynch’s take on the Trinity test in Twin Peaks is far superior.)
Dune (US) 3.3 I saw this just a few days after it opened, and there was just one other person in the theatre. Visually impressive on occasion, but somewhat inert—lacking narrative momentum. I can’t imagine anyone wishing it to be longer. Cold and austere films can work on occasion (2001, Barry Lyndon, Stalker, etc.) but Villeneuve is no Kubrick or Tarkovsky. Heck, he’s not even Ridley Scott, as we saw with his bland Blade Runner remake.
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey (US/Greece) 2.8 He’s not among the MVP leaders (due to voter bias), but he’s probably had the best season of any NBA player. Strictly for Bucks fans.
Upgraded (US) 2.5 What happened to rom-coms? They used to be like noirs—reliable entertainment.
Older Films:
Nostalghia (Russia/Italy, 1983) 3.9 It was a privilege to see a restored version of this on the big screen. The first half in particular had one stunning image after another. This is often regarded as Tarkovsky’s weakest film, but everything he did is a masterpiece. The sublime final shot is like a Caspar David Friedrich painting come to life. Hard to see how he created it without any sort of CGI. (I beg of you, don’t watch it on TV.)
The Idiot (Japan, 1951, CC) 3.8 Who knows how good this would have been if 100 minutes had not been cut out by the studio (and lost forever.) It’s right up there with the butchering of The Magnificent Ambersons as one of the great artistic crimes of the 20th century. The film got mixed reviews, which confirms my view that many film critics are incompetent hacks. Directed by Kurosawa the year after Rashomon and the year before Ikiru, i.e., near the peak of his creativity.
The Munekata Sisters (Japan, 1950, CC) 3.7 A characteristic Ozu film from near the beginning of his greatest period.
Betty Blue (France, 1986, CC) 3.7 If Heraclitus were still alive, he’d say that no man watches the same film twice. In 1986, I thought Betty was the central character. Now I realize it was actually Zorg, who is the heart of this fairy tale for adults. I also noticed a bisexual subtext, surprising for a film that otherwise seems so heteronormative. I’m not sure how to interpret this crazy film—perhaps that living life to the fullest is a sort of mental illness. A film to make you feel both better and worse about your own (boring) life.
The Other Side of Hope (Finland, 2017, CC) 3.6 Like many Kaurismaki films, much of the humor is rather subtle. But the scene where the Finnish restaurant adopts a sushi menu is one of the laugh out loud funniest that I’ve seen in years.
Youth Without Youth (US, Romania, 2007, CC) 3.6 The critics panned this one, and I can see why. The supernatural plot is not at all believable. But the images are so astonishing that I liked the film despite its flaws. For a few moments, I was transported back to the sublime Coppola films of the 1970s.
The Yards (US, 2000, CC) 3.6 Fans of the Godfather and the early films of Martin Scorsese need to check out this excellent crime drama. It’s amusing to see James Caan essentially playing the Al Pacino role from The Godfather II. It got mixed reviews, although I’m not sure why.
I Vitelloni (Italy, 1953, CC) 3.6 This early Fellini film might seem to go over familiar ground, but that’s because it’s been copied by so many other directors.
Birth (US, 2004, CC) 3.6 Don’t believe the critics, this Jonathan Glazer mystery will stick in your mind long after the film is over. Nicole Kidman is outstanding. Glazer is an underrated director.
Godzilla (Japan, 1954, CC) 3.5 At first this seemed like a run-of-the-mill 1950s horror film. But about half way though it began to achieve a sort of tragic gravitas that was totally unexpected (at least to me.)
They Live By Night (US, 1948, CC) 3.5 In this influential noir, Nicolas Ray decides not to show the crimes being committed, focusing instead on the young lovers. I respect this choice, even though it probably made the film a bit less entertaining.
Silent Partner (US/Canada, 1978, CC) 3.5 I probably overrated this, but I’m a sucker for bank heist films with late 1970s decadence. It’s an interesting question as to which year was peak lasciviousness for western civilization. Perhaps 1977 or 1979, but I vote for 1978. It seemed like the only bra in the film was worn by a man.
Vivre sa vie (France, 1962, CC) 3.5 After 60 years, I no longer find Godard’s experiments to be all that interesting. But he’s a highly skilled filmmaker, and Anna Karina is (as usual) sublime.
10 Things I Hate About You (US, 2003) 3.4 Saw this in a theatre full of young people. Good high school comedy featuring a bunch of young actors that would soon become stars.
Little Odessa (US, 1994, CC) 3.4 Good crime drama somewhat in the style of Mean Streets, but dealing with the Russian mafia. Same director as The Yards (James Gray).
Mogambo (US, 1953, CC) 3.4 A remake of Red Dust, with Clark Gable playing the same role. Unfortunately, he’s 21 years older than in the previous version, much too old for the role. And the scenes of Africa are not very good, despite the use of Technicolor. Fortunately, John Ford is the sort of director that can turn even an unpromising film project into a quite entertaining movie.
The Moon Has Risen (Japan, 1955, CC) 3.4 Directed by a woman, with the style heavily influenced by Ozu (who co-wrote the script.)
Love Letters (Japan, 1953, CC) 3.4 Same director, but more melodramatic.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (France, 1964, CC) 3.4 Critics loved this film, but I have no ear for show tunes so it went right over my head. I will say that the gas station in the final scene is the prettiest one I’ve ever seen. Lots of eye candy.
Backfire (US, 1950, CC) 3.4 Not one of the classic noirs, but has a lot of very satisfying scenes. Quite entertaining, although it fades a bit at the end.
The Upturned Glass (UK, 1947, CC) 3.3 In this early film, the James Mason we know and love was not quite fully formed. Here he’s rather nervous and intense; not the calm, elegant and self-assured man I’m used to seeing in his later American films.
Drugstore Cowboy (US, 1989, CC) 3.3 The humor works better than the drama in this Gus van Sant film (as is often the case with “dramadies”.)
Starman (US, 1984, CC) 3.3 Close Encounters started strong and then ran out of inspiration. This John Carpenter film was sort of the opposite. It started rather weak—skirting the line between silly and charming. But it found a nice groove in the last 30 minutes. (To be clear, Close Encounters was much better.)
Macao (US, 1952, CC) 3.2 I never understood the appeal of Jane Russell. For a beautiful woman, she’s kind of ugly. Fortunately, the film also has Robert Mitchum and Gloria Graham. And it’s directed by Josef von Sternberg.
The Erl King (France, 1931, CC) 3.1 The images are art nouveau, a style that was already several decades in the past when the film was made. Special effects often look dated as time goes by, and this is no exception. Based on the famous Goethe poem.
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (US, 1951, CC) 3.0 James Mason is darkly suave and Ava Gardner is radiant. So why the mediocre rating? The script is cringe-worthy, perhaps the worst I’ve ever seen in a major Hollywood production.
Code 46 (UK/China, 2003, CC) 3.0 It was filmed in what was supposed to be a futuristic Shanghai, but the Shanghai of 2003 already looks rather antique. Timothy Robbins is badly miscast—no idea what the director was thinking.
Je t’aime, je t’aime (France, 1968, CC) 3.0 This critically acclaimed film might have been impressive when it first came out, but today the time travel gimmick seems like a distraction.
Betrayed (aka When Strangers Marry) 3.0 (US, 1944, CC) Crude but fairly engrossing film noir, which comes in at just 67 minutes.
My Week With Marilyn (UK, 2011, CC) 3.0 A pleasant film with one big problem—no one can capture the magic of Marilyn Monroe. In fairness, Michelle Williams fares better than Kenneth Branagh, who falls far short of recreating Olivier’s cold intensity.
Repeat Performance (US, 1947, CC) 2.9 Think of this as the very first Twilight Zone episode. In a supporting role, Richard Basehart plays a poet who is placed in an insane asylum because he’s gay.
The Woman Condemned (US, 1934, CC) 2.8 There’s a fine line between avant garde and inept, and this interesting film noir straddles both sides of the line. Unfortunately, the print on Criterion Channel was a mess, at times almost unwatchable. Perhaps a restored version would change my view. (The New Yorker liked the film.)
The Great Sinner (US, 1949, CC) 2.6 Ava Gardener and Gregory Peck are wasted in a film that alternates between silly and pathetic. Like Harrison Ford, Peck could be charming when he was young, but became a something of a humorless bore as he aged. In this film we see both sides of his personality.
Cocktail (US, 1988, CC) 2.5 This is a fairly bad movie, but I kept watching out of fascination as to how Hollywood is able to turn junk into box office gold. It’s helps to have the world’s most charismatic actor. A good film to show to young people who wonder what the late 1980s felt like.
It’s All About Love (Denmark/US, 2003, CC) 2.2 Why did I keep watching such a bad film? I suppose it was curiosity. The film has good actors and a good director (Vinterberg), so I had a sort of morbid fascination with what would come next. Sean Penn’s performance is so bad it’s almost funny.
PS. I mentioned Moser’s book on Dutch art. Jacob Ruysdael is an underrated artist:
And this Japanese postcard is better than 75% of the paintings in the Louvre:
And since it’s Easter, how about a deeply religious painting:
Want something even more religious? How about the same artist in a self-portrait as Jesus:
