diogoal-2 Reviews

Mars One (2022)

Beautiful contemporary Brazilian cinema

[8/10 · 4 January 2023]

Poignant Brazilian film about the everyday struggle of a middle class black Brazilian family in Minas Gerais state. The characters are memorable, and so is the soundtrack, photography... The producer company ("Filmes de Plástico") is responsible for some of the best contemporary Brazilian coinema. Their titles usually deal in a very subdued way about the contradictions of Brazilian society - racism, poverty, homophobia -, as well as universal themes - love, family -, in a small-to-medium city landscape, such as Contagem, in Minas Gerais. This film is a far cry from the louder Brazilian films of the 80s or 90s, but not less creative for that.

Great film.

Ugetsu (1953)

Haunting and beautiful

[8 July 2003]

This was my first Mizoguchi movie, so perhaps I watched it a little with child´s eyes. I liked it very much - it´s more fast-paced than I would expect from Japanese filmmaking. Mizoguchi is indeed a visual poet, the visual composition of every sequence looks as have been carefully planned, with much more importance given to imagery rather than dialogue. "Ugetsu" main themes, I believe, are the submission of women on feudal Japan - the transformation of the lives of the wifes of the two pottery dealers is treated very handsomely, each one striving to lead a decent life after being abandoned by their husbands, but failing in the end. The boat scene, with the encounter of a dying man, is also very beautiful. It´s a major turning point in the film, similar to a scene in Kurosawa´s "Throne of Blood" (mist, swamp, incertainty...)

Paisan (1946)

Neorealism at its best

[8 July 2003]

Just when you thought that the cinema form had lost its capacity to carry an important social message without the use of artsy-fartsy rethoric, there comes "Paisà"; a masterpiece for the ages. Rosselini is a name that must be spoken of in all schools and universities of the world. His ability (combined to a perfect script) to convey emotional meaning in film with the use of non-professional actors, natural locations, and still be able to make it VIBRANT and EXCITING... it´s uncanny. The power of the stories told in "Paisà", although very distant in time and geography (for me, anyways) compells any intelligent human being to stand up against every kind of dictatorship and violence. On top of all that, Rosselini doesn´t use cheap tricks to win the public´s heart through melodramatics. His films are very down-to-earth and often take a distance from their main characters, which helps our rational analysis of the situation without being blinded by passion. Like Brecht used to do, i think.

All six stories are my favorites, but I particularly like the monastery segment. It portrays religious prejudice by christian monks towards two priests, one jewish and another a lutheran, right in the middle of the war. To the absurdity of all, the monks come to the priests´ companion, a Christian, to make them realize "the true path". One more time, Rosselini doesn´t end the segment with lessons of moral; its ending is very ambiguous and ironic. "Paisà" is a gem; i like it better than "Roma, Città Aperta", also a masterpiece of neorealism.

The Cell (2000)

The Waste

[4/10 · 5 November 2000]

Don´t be mistaken by the hype; "The Cell" is a very noisy film, bad written, with bad characters, with just one or two shots that deserve to be seen (but not something to burn ten bucks for), with a very bad plot that is merely there to justify the special FX (including the actors). Surprisingly, Jennifer Lopez has the best acting of the bunch, even if her character is completely underestimated. The script opens many doors, still left open by the time the flick ends. I mean, COME ON, PEOPLE!!! Only ´cause it is a summer movie you don´t need to make it idiotic and simplistic; the gore and perversions are all there, but they doesn´t have any POINT! What is the POINT of The Cell?? Why should we BOTHER? I don´t want to waste my money with something I can watch for free in MTV anymore.

La Bête Humaine (1938)

good piece of cinematography

[8/10 · 5 November 2000]

I was very surprised when I watched this film; right in the beginning I spotted a great deal of similarities with Fritz Lang´s 1954 flick "Human Desire", with Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford, which I had previously seen. Both films are based on Zola´s story, and, obviously, the merit is Renoir´s, since his version is much better. The psychological and deep meaning beneath the coolness of the main character (Jacques Lantier, in a Gabin memorable performance) is handled superbly; so is his troubled relation with Simone´s character. Despite some boring shots, the photography and screenplay are gems, and "Bete Humaine" ends up being a great addition to Renoir´s filmography. I love him; "La Grande Ilusion" and "La Regle du Jeu" are two of my favorite films; a masterful storyteller and a curious observer of the human soul. A humanist.

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

Old times´ sake

[9/10 · 4 November 2000]

Great, great, just an ole´ great and grand production like Hollywwod used to make once in a while. Witty script, sharp and wonderful actors (Connery and Caine are probably one of the greatest duos ever on the silver screen) and unbelievable direction from the great John Huston. The adaptation of Kipling´s story of the two troublemaking British officers in the 1880´s that travel to the East and get mistaken for gods provide a rich, deep soil for Huston to practice his magic storytelling. Like in most of his films, you get comedy, plenty of adventure and a gritty journey into the human heart. Without doubt, John Huston is the Rudyard Kipling of movies. Here, he meets his perfect match. I had´t had this much fun ever since "Tom Jones". Watch it.

Julius Caesar (1953)

Good version of Shakespeare´s classic

[7/10 · 4 November 2000]

Julius Caesar is one of Bill Shakespeare´s greatest tragedies; this movie version lives up to its name, with a superb cast (it´s a thrill to see the late Sir Gielgud, John Mason and Marlon Brando portray some of the best characters ever on a drama) and big-production sets, with lots of props and extras. The screenplay, however, is a tad boring, with every actor statuelike as soon as somebody else start talking. There should me more action, like in the 1970 version. Good one, though.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–1996)

It doesn´t get much better than this

[3 November 2000]

I managed to watch an Evangelion marathon on an obscure cable channel here in Brazil. Although the dubbing in Portuguese is dreadful, this anime series really got me; i LOVED it! This is how animated series should be like! The first episodes are just O.K., with lots of action and humor anime-style; but when it starts to get all religious and metaphysical, that´s when you know that this is one of the best television series of the century. It´s got greatly developed characters, each one with their own conflicts and agendas; Shinji, the Eva pilot, and his relationship with his father is portrayed excellently on screen. The two final episodes are OUT OF THIS WORLD; it summarizes all of what "Evangelion" is about, and expands it to universal scale. Buy the DVD, the VHS, watch this, just WATCH IT! Even if you don´t like anime at all, it has a real adult plot and storyline. It doesn´t get much better than this.

Ace in the Hole (1951)

Great piece of filmmaking

[8/10 · 3 November 2000]

In my opinion, Billy Wilder is one of the five best filmmakers that ever set foot in America; his ability to transform a beat-up formula to an entertaining, intelligent and classic old-time Hollywood flick is uncanny. He´s probably the BEST screenwriter of all time, too. His magic touch hits "The Big Carnival" like fire. The characters, in particular Chuck Tatum, one of Kirk Douglas´ greatest roles, are highly developed and interesting; there are no heroes here, and no evildoers either, just a bunch of working men who happen to have the easiest opportunity of their lives to gain a fortune over a fatal tragedy. The analysis of journalism contained in the movie is simple and clear; newspapers are meant to wrap up fish. Whats the matter if you can make some money in the process? It is the murder of the truth, if there is any. A brilliant film, one of Wilder´s best. See it.

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)

Beautiful...

[9/10 · 3 November 2000]

People with prejudice against silent films should see "Tabu"; it´s a masterpiece of cinema. The storyline is superb, a struggle not between good and evil, but between human will and fate; there´s a beautiful love story of natives of the South Seas, mystery and suspense; and, to boot, some of the most wonderful sights you´ve ever seen in a b&w flick. The anthropological genius of Robert O´Flaherty, and the creativeness of F.W. Murnau cannot be denied; this is the meeting of two movie titans.

The Player (1992)

Bull...

[20 May 2000]

It's incredible how Robert Altman's talent greatly diminished from MASH to this movie (not to mention one of the greatest raspberries of all times, the 1994's Pret-a-Porter). Despite the good performances of Tim Robbins and... (ok, that's it), "The Player" leads nowhere. It's boring, full of private jokes that sure will give great laughs to the Hollywood execs but makes zilch sense to the average spectator (me included), and there is absolutely NO story development, nor character's. It is extremely tedious; it creeeeps on the screen like a leech, and you have to watch the same jokes about the film industry, and art vs. blockbusters, and Julia Roberts jokes, and blah blah blah, and so and so.

Porco Rosso (1992)

Animation as art

[6 May 2000]

This is one of the best animes I have ever seen; the animation is stunning, but the smart script and the interesting historical context makes it one-of-a-kind. It's got adventure, romance, comedy and action - the aerial fight scenes are among the best ever on celluloid - animated or filmed. The characters are pretty well designed - "Porco Rosso" simply oversteps the boundaries of regular animations (sadly, pretty limited nowadays). Recommended for ages 4 - 104.