Passenger: Andrzej Munk, Witold Lesiewicz

Andrzej Munk’s Passenger (1963) would have been an important film if he had managed to finish it before his untimely death: it viciously deconstructs the “Good Nazi” myth through one woman’s Rashomon-esque memories of her time as an Auschwitz guard and her bizarre, sadistic relationship with one of the inmates under her charge. At first she remembers herself as “one of the good ones,” showing comparative mercy to her prisoners as they awaited their inevitable deaths. But as the film goes on and her remembrances redouble over each other, her true portrait as a cruel taskmaster who used the emotions of her prisoners as toys becomes apparent. But the incompleteness of the film, its documentary voice-over, use of production stills for gaps in the story, and its refusal to extrapolate the missing ending transforms the film into a self-reflexive meditation on the very art of memory.

9/10

Two Days, One Night: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne

They're not bad people, y'know, just desperate ones; poor ones; people who need the extra money for this or that. It's not their fault they were forced to vote on a cruel decision: fire one of their own number, Sandra (Marion Cotillard), or lose their 1000 Euro bonus. But Sandra isn't going down without a fight. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne's Two Days, One Night has perhaps the most compelling premise in their entire filmography--a series of encounters and confrontations between Sandra and all of her co-workers as she struggles to get them to reverse their votes. There isn't a single performance that misses the mark, not a scene that doesn't hit home somehow. I've found most of the Dardenne Brothers' films too indulgent to enjoy or appreciate, but they struck a sublime balance here.

8/10

Sólo Con Tu Pareja: Alfonso Cuarón

[Revisit Review]

There's a certain muchness to Alfonso Cuarón's Sólo Con Tu Pareja (1991) that I quite enjoy: there always seems to be something going on, somebody doing something. The film has barely any breathing room, but that feels appropriate considering the farcical nature (and by "farcical" I mean that in its classic sense) of its material and characters. The main character is a little shit and the ending suggests that he ultimately doesn't change his ways. But Cuarón's plotting and direction is so advanced that we still care about him...somewhat.

8/10

The Visit: M. Night Shyamalan

I've been waiting for The Visit for so, so long. Why? Because it's the long-awaited return to form of M. Night Shyamalan. The Visit may be the groundwork for an entirely new sub-genre: bizarro horror—films that are genuinely scary and funny at the same time without reducing the comedy to kitsch/camp or the horror to cheap jump scares. Everything about this film works: the acting is phenomenal, the scares are incredible, the characters quirky yet endearing, the ending emotional without becoming melodramatic. I haven't seen found footage done this well in a long time (I particularly liked how many shots were either out of focus or poorly framed). The Visit is Shyamalan's best since The Sixth Sense (1999), the best horror film since The Babadook (2014), and the most original since Paranormal Activity (2007).

8/10

A Story of Floating Weeds: Yasujirō Ozu

[Revisit Review]

The first time I watched Yasujirō Ozu's A Story of Floating Weeds was years and years and years ago. The one thing that really stuck with me was the scene where the head kabuki actor goes fishing with a young man who doesn't know that he is actually his son. The framing, the poetry of their synchronized movements captivated me. This time around I watched the film with a commentary track by none other than that great scholar of Japanese cinema Donald Richie. His insights really helped me appreciate how varied, complex, and rich the film is in terms of its generic progression (it starts as a comedy and gradually evolves into a tragic family drama), its cinematography (including a fantastic scene where two characters argue across a street while it rains), and some truly astounding acting (like one scene where sad members of a disbanding kabuki theater troupe try to sing together in a circle only for it to break apart when one character--whom up until then had been relatively stoic--bursts into tears and runs away). I don't know if I'll ever get to a point where I'll enjoy a film by Ozu. But I think this was perhaps the first time that I've ever truly appreciated one.

9/10

Hell's House: Howard Higgin

Most of what impresses me about Howard Higgin's Hell's House has to do with its technical aspects as a piece of early Hollywood sound cinema. The film features some impressive camera work for an era when the size and noise of the damn things made moving them impracticable. There's an impressive sequence where two characters have an extended conversation while walking down the street where the camera dollies along after them. Fascinatingly, I couldn't figure out where they had hidden the audio microphones for capturing said dialogue. The story itself isn't anything too spectacular: an innocent young man accidentally gets sent to prison for something he didn't do, survives their brutal system, escapes, and reveals the prison's corruption to the media. It takes 28 minutes for him to actually get sent to the eponymous prison; almost a third of the way though it! The only thing about the prison that really shocked me was their Penitence Line, a form of punishment wherein the boys were made to literally stare at a chalkboard line for hours at end without moving. Other than that, the story was rather melodramatic and blasé.

6/10

Too Late Blues: John Cassavetes

John Cassavetes' Too Late Blues stands as one of the best jazz movies I've ever seen—not a movie necessarily about jazz or even featuring jazz, but a movie that attempts to emulate the very genre itself: its spontaneity, its atmosphere, a capriciousness between ebullient joy and helpless despair. Too Late Blues centers on the self-destructive relationship between "Ghost" Wakefield (Bobby Darin) and Jess Polanski (Stella Stevens), two struggling jazz artists who are perfect in their incompatibility for each other. Seemingly incapable of not hurting each other, they sabotage what little hope they have for making the big time. Cassavetes always managed a curious tension in his films between extreme emotional volatility and insouciant improvisation, two elements which rarely mix. Somehow Cassavetes managed to incorporate impromptu baseball games and drinking contests into this film without damaging its emotional velocity. The result plays like a superb jazz solo: unpredictable and sublime, perfectly constructed without seeming planned out.

7/10

The Diabolical: Alistair Legrand

To read this review, go to: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/movie-review-the-diabolical/64411.

4/10

Mystery of the 13th Guest: William Beaudine

Y'know what? William Beaudine's Mystery of the 13th Guest could have been a fascinating, William Castle-esque whodunit. It features a fantastic set-up: relatives are invited to a decrepit mansion 13 years after the death of a wealthy family member where they are murdered and ceremoniously arranged around a dinner table to mimic their previous meeting 13 years prior. The set is creepy, the premise wonderful. But whatever tension, atmosphere, and creepy vibe the film creates is smashed by the bumbling cops. They play like characters out of some comedic serial, bumbling about and making stupid jokes like “I know who killed her!” “Who?” “The murderer!” The ending is unfulfilling and the overall experience ruined.

3/10

The Milky Way: Leo McCarey

Very few silent film stars managed to make the transition to talkies. But if Leo McCarey's The Milky Way is any evidence, legendary comedian Harold Lloyd made the leap very comfortably. His persona, gumption, and charisma salvage a film otherwise largely bereft of humor and enjoyment. There simply aren't enough moments for Lloyd to stretch his slapstick muscles; the gags are too far and in-between. Much of the time he literally just makes a fool of himself, running back into rooms to close doors that he missed, kissing his prize horse. Not to say that his silent comedies were well-springs of dignity, but at least they were creative and genuinely funny. The only gag in the entire film that I felt actually worked was near the end during the climactic boxing match where Lloyd grappled with his opponent and hit him in such a manner that his own fist smacked him in the chin at the same time. But Lloyd's simple enthusiasm makes the film watchable.

6/10

Death Valley Rangers: Robert Emmett Tansey

Robert Emmett Tansey's Death Valley Rangers is a sleepy Poverty Row Western notable for two reasons. First, it features a trio of paunchy has-beens for leads: Hoot Gibson, Ken Maynard, Bob Steele. All of them had seen better days. In some sense, seeing them in this film is sort of like watching Bela Lugosi in any of his Poverty Row pictures. The film doesn’t really progress, it awkwardly stumbles from one plot point to the next. That said, there is an odd plot point about a villain who invents a chemical process through which he can return gold into ore. It's the kind of revelation that jolts you up from your coma long enough to mutter, "What in the HELL are they talking about?" Other than that, the film is as tired as its tired, should-have-been-retired leads.

3/10

Chico & Rita: Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Tono Errando

I think it was the assassination scene set to the sound of Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" that made me realize that Chico & Rita was something special. The odds were already in its favor what with its story centered around the late 1940s, early 1950s jazz scene and stunning animation reminiscent of mid-century Cuba. But it was that scene that really jolted my spine into awareness. I found the central romance rather tepid, actually. I never believed that their initial bond was so powerful that they would sacrifice and suffer for each other for decades despite their abusive and destructive behavior. To me, Chico & Rita is a blast of jazz nostalgia and a celebration of animation's power to elevate and exaggerate.

8/10

Dukhtar: Afia Nathaniel

To read this review, go to: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/movie-review-dukhtar/63934.

9/10

The Men: Fred Zinnemann

To read this review, go to: http://theretroset.com/2015/09/15/b-roll-fred-zinnemanns-men-1950/.

8/10

The Flame and the Arrow: Jacques Tourneur

Jacques Tourneur's The Flame and the Arrow may be my all-time favorite swashbuckling film. It contains everything that I love about the genre: exciting action, charismatic heroes, despicable villains, and an overall sense of fun. This was a movie designed to entertain and it succeeds. The film was a breathe of fresh air after watching so many modern, bloated action blockbusters. It's nice to see a filmmaker who keeps his camera steady and refuses to unnecessarily edit during acrobatic action scenes. I had almost forgotten that there was a time when action leads had to be able to do actual stunt-work. Well, maybe not the actual actors. But it's nice to know that actual human beings were doing legitimate acrobatics and tumbling on-camera.

8/10

I Killed My Mother: Xavier Dolan

It’s been a long time since a film has made me feel as conflicted as Xavier Dolan's I Killed My Mother. It’s more interesting than it is “good.” The semi-autobiographical story of the tumultuous relationship between a teenage son and his single mother, it's an explosive demonstration of creativity and skill on the part of its 19-year-old director. But it's woefully uneven. As the film continues, we begin to suspect that all of the problems in the relationship are the fault of the son. While the mother can be grating, indecisive, and overbearing, nothing she does in the film warrants the emotional manipulation, abuse, and torture inflicted upon her. The son comes off as a petulant, spoiled brat. But here's the thing: the film sort of knows that he's a petulant, spoiled brat. A supporting character even calls him out as such. But that doesn't fix the fact that everybody treats him like some tortured, misunderstood soul with the heart of a poet. He's an asshole with mommy issues. Maybe if the mother was more combative and abusive—maybe if their one-sided battle was truly two-sided—I Killed My Mother could have hit harder.

6/10

Arise, My Love: Mitchell Leisen

Is it weird to say that Mitchell Leisen's Arise, My Love merely made me appreciate Michael Curtiz's Casablanca (1942) even more? Arise, My Love does everything wrong that Casablanca does right when it comes to telling a gripping war-time romance. Both films deal with a couple trying to navigate their relationship through the rise of Nazism in Europe. Both end with the lovers agreeing to fight back against Hitler however they can. But here's the crucial difference: the romance in Casablanca was tragic, the romance in Arise, My Love was melodramatic. There are a couple of things about the film that I enjoyed, first among them being Claudette Colbert's performance as a go-get-'em, Lois Lane reporter type. But little else about the film works.

6/10

Johnny Dangerously: Amy Heckerling

I love a good spoof movie. And, thankfully, Amy Heckerling's Johnny Dangerously is just that. Fast-paced, clever, and inventive, the film manages to strike a good balance between being absurd and being annoying. Many spoof movies miss that. I've heard some say that without a deep knowledge of classic Hollywood gangster movies people won't understand or enjoy the film. But I disagree. While there are certainly many great touches that only film buffs would catch, much of the humor is broad enough for casual viewers to enjoy. You can't tell me that you have to have an intimiate knowledge of Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney to appreciate watching Danny DeVito get assassinated via impromptu bull-fight. Plus, Michael Keaton has never been more charming or charismatic.

7/10

Maniac: Dwain Esper

Dwain Esper's Maniac is sorta like if a wannabe art-school filmmaker tried to replicate all of the stylistic errata of great art filmmakers without first learning how to actually make a film. In short, it's like Ed Woods Jr. meets German Expressionism. The film is thoroughly incompetent with its nonsensical plot, multiple intrusive intertitles describing mental illnesses which attempt to provide dramatic gravity to the farcical goings-on, and ridiculous scenes of scantily clad women chatting about nothing in particular. But I can't fault the film for trying: there are several camera angles that I admire, I enjoyed the idea of doubled identities, and the effect with the cat's eyeball was deliciously repulsive. But Maniac fails. Hilariously so.

1/10

Listening: Khalil Sullins

To read this review, go to: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/movie-review-listening/63370.

6/10

Zombie Lake: Julian de Laserna, Jean Rollin

Julian de Laserna and Jean Rollin's Zombie Lake is...just precious. A film about a French village terrorized by Nazi zombies, it seems to put more stock into titillating its audience with nudity than with violence. I think a better title would have been Vulva Lake: there are multiple scenes of beautiful women getting naked and swimming in the eponymous lake before getting munched on by zombies. The most preposterous is when a female volleyball team shows up in a van and inexplicably decides to go skinny-dipping together. There is literally no good reason why they showed up. Many of these scenes are downright gynecological. Perhaps the directors were trying to distract us from the fact that the gore effects--the few there were--are laughably incompetent. During one early scene where a zombie bit down on a victim's neck in order to drink their blood, I could swear that the actor playing the zombie literally had a blood pack in his mouth, burst it, and smeared it all over the other actor's neck with their lips and tongue. However, I will applaud the film's effort in trying to communicate the scenes with the lead Nazi zombie and his long-lost daughter via purely visual language.

2/10

Paul Taylor: Creative Domain: Kate Geis

To read this review, go to: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/movie-review-paul-taylor-creative-domain/63217.

6/10

Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood: Paris Barclay

Paris Barclay's Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood is a comedy that aims for nothing higher than the lowest common denominator. There's barely a joke that isn't over-played or over-done. It's not so much a movie as an anthology of parodies of late 80s, early 90s hood films that just happen to have the same cast of characters and a loose narrative linearity. It isn't very striking visually. I think this is due in large part to its being directed by a man who mostly did television work. For example: the interiors and exteriors all have the same kind of omnipresent, omni-directional lighting. And yet...I love this film. Perhaps it's because I just happened to get a lot of the jokes since I'm so familiar with the kind of cinema they're spoofing. And perhaps the film is genuinely funny in spite of itself.

5/10

Catch-22: Mike Nichols

To read this review, go to: http://www.theblackmaria.org/2015/09/01/b-roll-mike-nichols-catch-22-1970-and-the-perils-of-literary-adaptation/.

4/10

A Walk in the Woods: Ken Kwapis

To read this review, go to: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/movie-review-a-walk-in-the-woods/62929.

6/10

Beyond the Grave: Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro

To read this review, go to: http://theyoungfolks.com/review/movie-review-beyond-the-grave/62864.

7/10