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Reviews
His Only Son (2023)
Lacking Mystery
I am not sure why writer and director David Helling felt the need to attach an introduction to his film about the life of Abraham (at least, there was such an introduction when I saw the movie at the AMC tonight). It was deflating to learn from Helling that the movie was made on a shoestring budget by someone recently out of film school. He announced this proudly, as if the finished project might belie expectations and actually seem like it was made on a big budget by a seasoned film maker, but this was not the case. The film progressed from one tedious dialogue driven scene to another with little in the way of cinematic technique to capture the imagination of the viewer. The script was pedestrian and the acting was stilted (granted, the actors had little to work with). I never for a moment believed I was watching the real Abraham, but rather a group of modern people dressed up in costumes from the ancient near east. The Abraham narrative is one of my favorite sections of Scripture, and I read it often. And yet, this movie not only failed to bring the narrative to life, it made it seem less compelling than even a surface reading of the biblical account suggests. The movie made the narrative feel mundane rather than mysterious. I recently read Soren Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling," and that work DID convey something of the mystery of Abraham. This movie, for me, had the opposite effect.
Harry Brown (2009)
Beyond Vigilantism
A spinoff of the Death Wish formula transported to the UK with Michael Caine filling in for Charles Bronson. But note well: this film is a notch above your average vigilante picture. There is a level of real human tragedy that the viewer has to reckon with, and though the violence is severe, it has a seriousness of purpose that is never dispensed with. Watch for Sean Harris in an unforgettable cameo as a hoodlum drug dealer, and Emily Mortimer provides solid support. Did I mention this movie stars Michael Caine? This is not my genre, but I liked this film more than I was anticipating. It is more than your typical revenge movie.
Eo (2022)
In the Shadow of Bresson
Robert Bresson's masterpiece, Au Hasard Balthazar (1966), the story of an oppressed donkey, is a unique film in world cinema. It is an austere and uncompromising work and, and in a manner analogous to the Gospel passion narratives, offers no respite for the viewer. Jerzy Skolimowski is obviously paying homage to Bresson in this film, and it is a worthy tribute. Moreover, through the use of color cinematography, beautiful locations, innovative tracking shots, and a striking score, EO is more accessible than Bresson's film and will have broader appeal. And yet, given the subject matter, Bresson's formality and sternness is more fitting than Skolimowski's more inviting approach. EO is a fine film but it never passes out of the shadow of Bresson's masterwork. I am guessing that was never Skolimowski's intention.
Edvard Munch (1974)
A Visual Kaleidoscope
This biopic of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, originally made for Norwegian television, is an unprecedented work of cinema. Though shot in 16mm, it is not primitive or stilting, but rather flows with grace and delicacy. The picture unfolds as a kind of visual kaleidoscope of Munch's early life, spanning his upbringing in Kristiana, today's Oslo, to his travels in Paris and Berlin. With the aid of a neutral voice over, we observe Munch's development as an artist take shape amidst various personal struggles and loves. With a running time of over 200 minutes, director Peter Watkins takes his time, and the result is one of the most striking cinematic portraits of an artist I have seen.
Columbus (2017)
An Exercise in Cinematic Minimilism
Jin (John Cho) travels to Columbus, Indiana when his father, an architect, falls into a coma there. He meets Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), an architecture aficionado and a native of the town. Together, they navigate big and small questions and are both elevated by their chance friendship.
Less is more in what seems like an almost experimental work by director Kogonada. He literally makes buildings into cast members, and his careful compositions are thought provoking and invite reflection; in some ways, they are evocative of Yasujiro Ozu's attentive framing in his masterfully constructed establishing shots, and draw the viewer into the setting. John Cho's clean persona seems perfect for the film and harmonizes with the architecture. Irrespective of one's feelings about the buildings portrayed, the capacity of architecture to evoke wonder is expressed. This is a splendid piece of cinematic minimilism. I look forward to a second viewing.
La prisonnière (1968)
Deconstructing Nihilism
Late in their careers, Michael Powell made "Peeping Tom" and Alfred Hitchcock gave us "Frenzy." Following a similar trajectory, master director Henri-Georges Clouzot caps off his storied career with this unforgettable piece of cinema. This is not an easy movie to take in. Stanislas (Laurent Terzieff) runs a modern art gallery but also has a passion for carrying out highly provocative photo shoots of nude women. Gilbert (Bernard Fresson) is one of the artists whose work is on display at the gallery, and his wife Josse (Elisabeth Wiener) falls under Stanislas' spell. A twisted love triangle ensues involving acts of perversion, images of modern art and the experience of shame (or lack of it).
As I read the film, Gilbert represents a kind of sanitized modern art--great for cocktail parties and gatherings of the social elite, but lacking any depth or staying power; it is utterly trivial. On the other hand, Stanislas is willing to follow the impulse of modern art, the revolt against artistic beauty and traditional morality, to its nihilistic end. In this sense, he is a man of principle, that is, he's really trying to live as if he believes in nothing, no morals and no beauty--just a raw will to power (expressed in his perverted photo shoots). However, through the character of Josse, who actually loves Stanislaus, Clouzot is raising the question whether principled nihilism is finally possible given the existence of real love. Such love, the film suggests, takes the sting out of nihilism--renders it impotent; a world without beauty, good, and evil is indeed horrible to conceive but in the end such a view is self-defeating.
Despite the controversial subject matter--and be forewarned that there are disturbing images and some nudity in the film--I view this to be a morally pertinent movie. The content is debasing, but the movie possesses a depth and a moral center. Clouzot's cinematography is dazzling, and the editing in the final dream sequence is both technically impressive and dramatically compelling. I am grateful for all the masterpieces given to us by Clouzot. This psychological drama is a fitting, albeit startling, end to the master's career.
Final thought: I can't help to wonder if Clouzot intended to draw parallels between the modern art depicted in the movie, and some of the cinema of the French new wave. If so, is this Clouzot's parting shot at what he perceives to be a meaningless French cinema at the end of the 60s? One of the art critics in the film does have the last name of Godard--I am just saying!
CODA (2021)
Honest and Uplifting
The Rossi family runs a fishing boat off the coast of Massachusetts and Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the only member of the clan who is not deaf. She joins the high school choir during her senior year and finds herself caught between, on the one hand, the demands of her (very close-knit) family, and on the other hand her aspirations to pursue voice in college.
While this is a remake of a 2014 French movie, this reboot carves out its own identity by placing the material in the working class, fishing sub-culture of Gloucester, Massachusetts. That atmosphere added grit to the film, and the audience never doubts the genuineness of the setting. The parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Katsur) have a wonderful chemistry and Ruby's brother (Daniel Durant) is also fantastic; and Emilia Jones absolutely shines as Ruby. We quickly learn that, despite the challenges presented by being deaf and the chaos caused by that, their family life is animated by love. I was touched by the honesty of their interactions and the beauty of their shared lives in spite of their common disability. This made Ruby's dilemma all the more poignant; how can she leave them given their dependence on her, but how can she not follow her own dreams?
In our cynical day, this movie was uplifting--not by foisting a pre-conceived message on the audience--but by simply allowing the beauty of the Rossi's family life to radiate. The writing is intelligent and witty, and the dialogue, both spoken and signed, is heartfelt and often hilarious. The movie doesn't glorify the characters merely because they have a disability, nor are they prevented from acting out their full humanity--the highs and the lows--with integrity.
This is a beautiful movie and worthy of the Best Picture award at the Oscars. Frankly, it caught me off guard that such a positive film--one not inundated with politically correct virtue signaling, took the top prize. This was heartening.
Green for Danger (1946)
THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE ENDING!
This is a top shelf whodunit from Sydney Gilliat. It has all of the elements of the best of the genre including a smart screenplay, an endearing detective (Alastair Sim), an engaging story, and a superb supporting cast. THERE IS ALSO AN ALTERNATIVE ENDING that no one seems to know about, and which the Criterion version makes absolutely no mention of. In fact, I have never read about this version or seen it mentioned anywhere, BUT I HAVE SEEN IT. The first time I watched the movie was on network television when I lived in Milwaukee in the early 90s, and the murderer was different than the one in the Criterion version and the one commonly aired on TCM. I hope one day this alternative version will be unearthed and will see the light of day. If you want to know who the murderer is in the alternative version, see below. Otherwise, stop reading!
The murderer in the alternative (apparently unknown) version is:
Nurse Woods (Megs Jenkins)