Week in Film: 7/18/16-7/24/16

Week in Film: 7/18/16-7/24/16

Film of the Week: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
   Year: 1972
   Director: Luis Bunuel

       A group of bourgeoisie hosts and houseguests try and eat a meal, on many occasions, and find themselves constantly being interrupted, set back, or dreaming. This could almost be called an influence on Inception, on account of now many dreams within dreams within dreams there are. It's primarily a takedown of the bourgeoisie class, but I think there's something else lying below the skin, something more sinister, something probably just slightly too out of reach to be able to grasp, or comprehend fully. It's like Mulholland Drive, not just in its surrealism, but in its ability to suggest the dark.

       Surrealism is one of my favorite modes of expression in the arts, and this is a fine example of it. As the reasons for their inability to eat dinner become more and more absurd, one of the primary functions of surrealism starts to come into focus: it's ability to expose truths reality simply cannot at times. We are shown on many occasions glimpses inside the heads of the characters via dream sequence. One dreams of being murdered by robbers, another of committing murder himself. The most telling of these is the sequence where the guests are invited to attend dinner at the colonels house, and find themselves on stage. They don't know the lines. They don't know what their supposed to be doing. The audience boos and walks out on the "production", after the guests themselves begin leaving the stage. Many eyes are waiting for them to make a move, and they cannot, so everyone, the players and the audience, just leave in embarrassment and frustration.

       Bunuel goes beyond a criticism of the upper class, however. There are other, more troubling dream sequences and memories retold. Like of the dead mother who tells her son to murder his false father. Or the dream about wandering the streets of the dead, running into long lost acquaintances. These are told by more of the same class, but there is a feeling they go beyond simple mocking or critique. They're darker pieces of the puzzle, ones who's places are just as unseen as their counterpart. Like I said before, there seems to be something lurking in the shadows, just out of sight. Something we, as the audience, may not want to see after all.

       Some films slip away after a viewing, and some stick with you. This is the rare movie that does neither of these things, but actually seems to grow in memory. The more I write about it, the more I find I want to see it again. One of the things I admire most in film is the ability to capture the imagination in such a way that the movie lives in the mind and its shadows darken the more thought is given to it, almost like its feeding off the thoughts. Not many movies have this quality, I can only think of a handful: Hitchcock's Vertigo, Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Coppola's Apocalypse Now. This is the kind of thing I'll have to revisit, explore it's dark crevices more.

   Rating: A

The Rest:

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

   Year: 1941

   Director: Alexander Hall

       Sometimes all you need is some nice entertaining fluff, and this fulfills that need nicely. It's by no means among the best of it's genre or era, but it's so pleasant and just fun that it doesn't matter. And it shouldn't matter. Sometimes it's best to throw off the critic hat and just enjoy something.

   Rating: B

The Palm Beach Story

   Year: 1942

   Director: Preston Sturges

       Where the last film I saw, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, was, as I said, "nice entertaining fluff" but "by no means the best of it's genre or era", this film in contrast is likely among the best of those things. I kind of loved this. Everything is perfect about it, and everything perfectly enjoyable and fun. There are no complaints. The only reason it doesn't get that elusive A is because of the prestige applied to that grade, and my wanting to be as sparing as possible with it. 

   Rating: A-

Vidas Secas

   Year: 1963

   Director: Nelson Pereira dos Santos

       The film is visually assaultive in it's intensity of light, to the point where you begin to feel woozy as if you've been out in the sun too long. Or maybe that has something to do with the camera work as well. I haven't seen anything quite like the way the camera is handled in this film. A lot of the shots the frames seem to bend and create weird moments of altering perspective, almost like an inverse form of 3D. Fabiano and his family and poor nomads, wandering a wasteland desert in hopes of finding work and a means of living, and one day becoming "real people", as opposed to the worthless wretches they see themselves as. It is a disquieting, powerful film about poverty, with certain moments that stand out as having incredible weight and impact on the viewer. Such among these are the death of the family dog, and the bleak yet hopeful ending shot of the family walking into the desert. 

   Rating: B+

Metropolis

   Year: 1927

   Director: Fritz Lang

       Failed to meet my expectations, which isn't really the movies fault. Features some of the most iconic and influential imagery in all of cinema, and that imagery certainly doesn't disappoint, but the rest was kind of just fine to me. I guess I was just expecting more. What else I was expecting, I'm not sure. A case of an over-bloated reputation affecting the enjoyment of a film. Expectations.

   Rating: B

Paisan

   Year: 1946

   Director: Roberto Rossellini

       Uninteresting and lacking in anything that can keep the viewer in its grasp. Six different vignettes told during WWII in Italy, all of which mostly lack any real power. Not as good as Rome, Open City, a film I wasn't even that big on either. Comes off as insignificant and poorly constructed.

   Rating: C

Taxi

   Year: 2015

   Director: Jafar Panahi

       An obvious, but good, companion piece to Abbas Kiarostami's Ten (both use the same conceit of being shot almost entirely with dashboard cams inside a car), yet not quite as good as that masterpiece. More drama unfolds in this movie, but to less emotional and intellectually provocative effect, which is not to say this film is lacking really. It just does to less affect what has been done before.

   Rating: B-

The Thin Man
   Year: 1934
   Director: W.S. Van Dyke

       Perpetually tipsy couple Nick and Nora carry this movie, but the rest is standard fare. Gets the grade it does only on the strength of it's two stars. Other than that, it's fine, but mostly forgettable.

   Rating: B-

Stroszek
   Year: 1977
   Director: Werner Herzog

       Another interpretation of the American dream, and how it's all messed up and bogus. This would have become dull by now if A: the topic weren't always so ripe for reinvention, and B: if it weren't in the hands of Werner Herzog. It's mostly a movie about misunderstandings however. The plot seems to mostly move forward based upon various failures to communicate among its players. Oddly barren and without meaning, as far as the lives of its characters go. The film of course is chock full of interpretations to be made, but the people involved slowly discover that for them, there is none, and unfortunately they don't matter much in the grand scheme of things.

   Rating: B+

Au Hasard Balthazar
   Year: 1966
   Director: Robert Bresson

       Au Hasard Balthazar is a great movie. You can tell that from watching it, and Ebert can explain why in his "great movies" review. Many consider it Bresson's masterpiece, and I suppose I can see that. But for most of the running time, I simply wasn't there. In fact, I didn't even realize I liked it till the very end. Part of that has to do with extenuating circumstances, and my ability to pay attention throughout the film, but part of it has to do with the fact that it just didn't grab me, didn't stir anything in me. It was kind of boring, to be honest, and far from, in my opinion, Bresson's best work (that I've seen anyway). Someday I'll revisit it in a better frame of mind. You kind of have to be prepared for a movie like this.

   Rating: B

A Propos de Nice
   Year: 1930
   Director: Jean Vigo

       An interesting, albeit mostly meaningless and pointless look at a sea side city, in the avant garde format. Some cool shots, but that's about it.

   Rating: C-

Jean Taris, Swimming Champion
   Year: 1931
   Director: Jean Vigo

       Even less substantial than A Propos de Nice, this one has more interesting technique, but again, nothing else of worth.

   Rating: C-

Zero de Conduite
   Year: 1933
   Director: Jean Vigo

       This was the Jean Vigo I was hoping for. You can really see the influence on so many films, from If.... to The 400 Blows. Full of whimsy and fun. The film doesn't condemn the children's actions, instead taking part and embracing the freewheeling reckless spirit of childhood.

   Rating: B

The Decameron
   Year: 1971
   Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

       The eternal conflict between "morality" and Earthly desires, projected onto the screen by that famed debaucherer Pier Paolo Pasolini. It's an often funny series of scenes centered around religion and sex, and a blending of the two that would be called unholy, but whether it is wrong is in question. Morality is a grey zone here, and as the man in the final episode discovers, sometimes what you thought was prohibited isn't so bad after all.

   Rating: B

Bay of Angels
   Year: 1963
   Director: Jacques Demy

       A young man becomes a gambler, meets a woman, becomes infatuated, and starts living life by chance. It's never a good idea gamble with money, let alone life. It's a story about getting poisoned, and about two different lives trying to live together in a way that can only cause harm. The man misunderstands the relationship, and it is his job to misunderstand because the woman is in control, and she makes the rules. It's a sad film with a happy ending that feels false.

   Rating: B

The Merchant of Four Seasons
   Year: 1971
   Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder

       I'm finding every Fassbinder I watch is stuck underneath the shadow of the colossally good The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Every one of them seems to be lacking just by comparison, which isn't fair on the movies, and is a habit I'll have to try and actively avoid in the future.

   Rating: B

Week in Film: 7/11/16-7/17/16

Week in Film: 7/11/16-7/17/16

Film of the Week: The Tree of Life

   Year: 2011

   Director: Terrence Malick

       I first saw Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life when I was thirteen years old, and it blew my undeveloped, naive cinematic mind. A younger me walked into the theatre, having come to the halfway point of the 2011 best picture showcase (which that year featured the likes of The Descendants, Moneyball, and The Help) expecting a family drama along the lines of what I'd already seen that day, and for the rest of my life previous. Imagine my surprise when I come across the birth of the universe, the creation of the Earth, and dinosaurs. I remember walking out of the theatre in a daze, unsure about how to process what I had just seen. It was a watershed moment for me in my relationship to film, and one of the most important steps I took towards truly falling in love with the art form.

       It's hard to describe the plot. It ranges from the beginning of time to the afterlife, and covers a little in between. More specifically, it is about a family in Texas in the 50s, and about a young boys coming of age, and his reflections on that time as an adult. His mother is the personification of beauty and love in the world, his father is strict and harsh. They are the embodiments of, as the mother says, the two ways in life: nature and grace. Nature only thinks of itself, it is destructive, and unmoving. Grace is love and kindness, and the wellbeing of others. It's not hard to see this as the conflict between God and the natural world. It's a very religious film, viewed through a certain lens. I never thought a film rooted so deeply in faith would be so important to me, someone who is essentially atheistic and generally scornful of religion. But I can't help but be moved by Malick's vision of the world, and the truths he tells.

       The real beauty of the film lies in it's characters as much as its ideas. Not just the characters though, but what they do. Who they are. Why they do the things that they do. As a coming of age tale, there is no other film that nails childhood so perfectly, not Malle, not Truffaut, not even Linklater. I see myself in Jack (the young protagonist), and I understand him. I understand when he hurts his brother, I understand his apology, I understand his anger, his resentment, and I understand his joy. I've also never seen a more moving portrait of a family, and one that feels so real. Brad Pitt could be my father, despite the incongruencies and vast differences, I can see it. Same with Jessica Chastain as the mother.

       I'm not going to say that The Tree of Life changed my life or anything, but I will say that it opened a lot of doors for me. Suddenly, I realized that the world of film was much bigger, full of much more possibility than I had previously thought. I simply didn't know you could make something like this. It wasn't like a lightbulb going off in my head, but it may very well have been the sparking of a flame that had been embers before, and one that would eventually burn into a wildfire as my fascination with cinema would develop and mature. It was one of the key points in my coming of age to cinema, and having that place in my heart helps to secure it as one of my favorite films of all time. But apart from my own personal feelings, I also believe, more than just a personal favorite, it is one of the greatest movies ever made. I think in time we will see it climbing up those sight and sound polls.

   Rating: A

Week in Film: 7/4/16-7/9/16

Week in Film: 7/4/16-7/9/16

Film of the Week: Like Someone in Love

   Year: 2012

   Director: Abbas Kiarostami

       The first thing I noticed while watching the late, great Abbas Kiarostami's final film was the out of focus/sharp focus contrast of the many individuals in the Tokyo bar in the films opening scene. We hear half a conversation off screen and watch as many people interact at once. It's disorientating in that we don't know who's talking; is it someone off screen, or someone in the bar that we can see, but can't distinguish from the other conversations happening around them? It is a very Kiarostami way to set up a scene. It's a moment of confusion and of clarity at the same time, one of the directors many examples of paradox in his films.

       Abbas Kiarostami was one of the worlds greatest living filmmakers until July 4th, 2016. He made films that challenged our perception of reality and relationships, and this is no exception to that theme. Shifting focuses and meanings between reality and artifice, and breaking ground as an innovative, yet patient and relaxed auteur. His loss will be sorely missed by the film world, and the world of art in general.

   Rating: B

The Rest:

The Hundred-Foot Journey

   Year: 2014

   Director: Lasse Hallstrom

       A standard, hollywood picture, with not much special about it aside from some great looking food and some solid performances.

   Rating: C

The Bakery Girl of Monceau

   Year: 1963

   Director: Eric Rohmer

       The first of Rohmer's six moral tales. Interesting, but slight and forgettable. A twenty some minute short film, so you can't expect too much from it I suppose.

   Rating: B-

L'Avventura
   Year: 1960
   Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

       My viewing experience of the film may have been slightly altered in its enjoyability for about twenty minutes by the presence of a little cousin asking questions like "why don't they talk normal?" and "where are they going?" That being said, this is one of those films that is important to the development of film language, like Breathless or Pulp Fiction. It's about being empty, missing something, and trying to fake it by replacing what's not there with things you wish were, or think should be.

   Rating: B+

Cemetery of Splendor
   Year: 2015
   Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

       Apichatpong Weerasethakul is more of dreamweaver than a filmmaker. Not the westernized version of a dream, but its more pure and actual representation. His films are sleepy, almost sleeping. You are almost in a dream watching one. It's a trance state he can move you into, the kind of dream that stays after you've woken up.

   Rating: A-

Sanjuro
   Year: 1962
   Director: Akira Kurosawa

       Nowhere near as good as Yojimbo, but a decent samurai film none the less.

   Rating: B-

Where to Invade Next
   Year: 2015
   Director: Michael Moore

       Raises some good points, and gives the realization that Americans really are being fucked over in ways we don't have to be. It may be a little too one-sided however, even if it is the side I am in agreement with. Heavy handed at times.

   Rating: B

Into the Abyss
   Year: 2011
   Director: Werner Herzog

       At times was deeply disturbing and moving, but overall failed to grab me in a meaningful way. Not my favorite Herzog doc.

   Rating: B-

Two Days, One Night
   Year: 2014
   Director: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

       It's refreshing seeing a barebones film about barebones issues. It's a simple premise executed with simplicity, and it couldn't be told better. Marion Cotillard deserved to win the Oscar that year, amazing performance. Makes me want to watch more of her stuff.

   Rating: A-

The Immigrant
   Year: 2014
   Director: James Gray

       Marion Cotillard is steadily becoming one of my favorite actresses. Also, a very good Joaquin Phoenix performance, but not up there with the likes of The Master, Walk the Line, or Inherent Vice.

   Rating: B-

The Conformist
   Year: 1970
   Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

       A glorious exercise in style, to the extent that it may very well be one of the best shot movies I've ever seen. Every shot is perfect and evocative. It is also a well done commentary on fascism and conformity (hence the title), as well as time and being left behind in it. So, so, so, so much better than his Oscar winner The Last Emperor.

   Rating: A-

The Unbelievers
   Year: 2013
   Director: Gus Holwerda

       I'm on their side, but again, like the Michael Moore doc, I'm bothered by the one-sidedness. To be honest though, I'm not sure it's really that wrong to be one-sided in a work of art or opinion. Aren't works of art their own personal worldview, and doesn't every worldview stem from an inherent opinion? It is a little silly of me to expect an unbiased view of the topic, but the topic I'm forcing on the movie is not the topic it is talking about. I'm talking about the conflicting ideas of religion and science, this movie is talking about the benefits of and logic behind atheism and agnosticism. I think I would personally rather watch the debates they pull clips from, however.

   Rating: C

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
   Year: 2014
   Director: Roy Andersson

       It's no You, the Living (the other Andersson I've seen). Where that film seemed perfect, this one slightly overstays it's welcome.

   Rating: C

Week in Film: Catching Up

Week in Film: Catching Up

Grey Gardens

   Year: 1975

   Director: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer

       Little and big Edie Beale live in a dilapidated old house, infested with raccoons and other animals. Once high society participants, this is where they have now found themselves, free from society but still trapped in their own world. These are eccentric characters, and we are brought into their lives as they live them: carefree and unknowing of any social standards. It’s a fascinating watch.

   Rating: B

The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant

   Year: 1972

   Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder

       This being my first experience with Fassbinder’s work, I had nothing to go off of in terms of what to expect other than his contemporaries in the New German Cinema movement. I was not disappointed. It’s a beautifully shot and brilliantly acted, a complex character study and inspection of relationships and power dynamics.

   Rating: A

Natural Born Killers

   Year: 1994

   Director: Oliver Stone

       The cinematic style is like that of another Stone picture, JFK, where different styles juxtapose and intersect with each other. Here it is taken to a clashing, and seemingly random extreme. The commentary about the nature of violence and the media and human nature and all that is interesting, but I think the chaos of it can’t quite hold up under the statement it is trying to make, or not making, I’m really not sure.

   Rating: C

Deadpool

   Year: 2016

   Director: Tim Miller

       A superhero movie meets a gored up Judd Apatow comedy. It’s fine. The humor is fun sometimes, but also now and then it falls flat. An interesting take on the genre, and admittedly bringing new things to it, but ultimately sadly similar to the usual stuff, with not enough divergence to really be as unique and original as it thinks it’s being.

   Rating: C-

Taste of Cherry

   Year: 1997

   Director: Abbas Kiarostami

       Kiarostami’s Palme Do’r winner is worthy of the prize, and depicts everything that works best in the master filmmakers movies: experimentation, introspection, philosophy, morality and mortality, and car trips. The ending as powerful and full of mixed feelings, and the very ending is somewhat baffling, yet very Kiarostami in it’s genre bending, fiction/reality line treading way.

   Rating: B+

Ten

   Year: 2002

   Director: Abbas Kiarostami

       It’s surprising how such a simple setup can inspire such deep and profound commentary, and provoke such impactful and true emotion. Its observations on women in Iran are incredibly insightful, and the various conversations give many perspectives, giving a well rounded view of the social and political landscape for Iranian women in a country that discriminates against them. A minimalist masterpiece.

   Rating: A-

In a Lonely Place

   Year: 1950

   Director: Nicholas Ray

        A surprisingly deep character study in the guise of a film noir. In fact, I’m hard pressed to even call this a film noir. Sure, it may have some of the trappings of one, but it plays out more like a psychological drama about people more than it fits into that genre (although I suppose that genre can be somewhat broad at times). This is far more complex than most other films of the era and style.

   Rating: B+

A Brief History of Time

   Year: 1991

   Director: Errol Morris

       Documentary that explores the theories and life of one of the greatest minds of the 20th/21st century. While I can see criticisms that the piece does not focus enough on either aspect referred to above, I think there is a good mixture of both his ideas and personal life to be satisfying.

   Rating: B-

Jubilee
   Year: 1978
   Director: Derek Jarman

       A very amateurish dystopian time travel philosophical punk film centering around the queen of England and dangerous and violent girl gangs in a dilapidated London. Interesting but ultimately too scrappy to be of much worth. There is some cool stuff, particularly the stuff with the queen, her subjects, and the weird black fingernailed guy who teleports them to the degradation of their empires future.

   Rating: D+

Watership Down
   Year: 1978
   Director: Martin Rosen

       The scariest movie about cute little animated rabbits.

   Rating: B-

Bicycle Thieves
   Year: 1948
   Director: Vittorio de Sica

       So far, the best of Italian Neorealism I’ve seen. A touching, affecting, and human story of life and morality. Powerful in it’s simplicity and emotionally raw in its scenes. The ending it particularly heart wrenching.

   Rating: A-

The Lobster

   Year: 2015

   Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

        The films of Yorgos Lanthimos, or from the ones I've seen, seem to be cultural mirrors. That wouldn't be abnormal for a filmmaker, other than the extreme, violent, and darkly hilarious directions he runs with the reflections of society he's centering his movies around. In the Lobster, he makes it his task to tackle society's attitudes toward couples, again in his most brutally aggressive yet deadpan way. The result, while a bit tiring and relentlessly bleak, is overall a success, both in idea and execution.

   Rating: B-

Before the Rain
   Year: 1994
   Director: Milcho Manchevski

       A connection of three different tales intersecting and overlapping each other, causing ripples in each other’s stories and lives. A decent moral film.

   Rating: B-

The Son's Room
   Year: 2001
   Director: Nanni Moretti

       Reminded me of Ordinary People. An incredibly emotional film that packs a punch diving into the lives of a family after a son is lost. Sweet and painful, I can see why it's regularly hailed as one of the best of the 2000s.

   Rating: B+

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
   Year: 1974
   Director: Werner Herzog

       Possibly Herzog’s greatest work (at least from what I’ve seen). It is a fascinating idea and one that endlessly captivates and inspires much philosophy.

   Rating: A

L'enfance nue
   Year: 1968
   Director: Maurice Pialat

       A decent enough movie, but dwarfed by the shadow of the similar 400 Blows. It is hard to get engaged in this one I find.

   Rating: C

Modern Times
   Director: Charlie Chaplin
   Year: 1936

       Not Chaplin's best, feeling more like a series of incidents (more so than usual) than a real cohesive whole. None the less still pretty good, and as funny at times as his best stuff.

   Rating: B-

Woyzeck
   Director: Werner Herzog
   Year: 1979

       Another great Kinski performance. This one feels very much like a play. The scene where (spoiler alert) Woyzeck murders his wife in slow motion is great. Not top tier Herzog but pretty good in its own right.

   Rating: B

Heart of Glass
   Director: Werner Herzog
   Year: 1978

       Apparently Herzog hypnotized most of the cast for the recording of this film. I don't know if that's true, but they certainly act like it. Also it's boring, and not in a particularly redeeming way. Some great shots of nature though, as one can expect.

   Rating: C

Fata Morgana
   Director: Werner Herzog
   Year: 1971

       The kind of thing that makes you want to go write poetry. What is it about? I don't know, something about man and nature or something, go ask Herzog.

   Rating: B-

Land of Silence and Darkness
   Director: Werner Herzog
   Year: 1971

       An interesting companion piece to Fata Morgana. This one has been accused of being exploitative, but I disagree. I think it is simply trying to depict these peoples struggle, as well as their amazing accomplishments.

   Rating: C

Odd Man Out
   Director: Carol Reed
   Year: 1947

       Kind of dull, to be honest. I just couldn’t really get into it, and it seemed to drag a little.

   Rating: C

Farewell My Concubine
   Director: Chen Kaige
   Year: 1993

       A beautifully shot historical drama. Interesting at times, but over long and ultimately a failure to engage me. Reminded me of The Last Emperor, which is a negative comparison.

   Rating: C+

Aguirre, the Wrath of God
   Director: Werner Herzog
   Year: 1972

       Werner Herzog's apparent masterpiece, but not my favorite of his. I've heard complaints of it looking and feeling amateur, but I don't agree with that criticism. I think that it does have more of a documentary feel to it, but that adds to the film instead of takes away. Kinski is great as usual.

   Rating: B+

The Way of the Dragon
   Director: Bruce Lee
   Year: 1972

       Bruce Lee! Versus Chuck Norris! In the Coliseum! In Spaaacceee! Alright I added that last bit. A bit of insane, silly fun.

   Rating: B-

The Graduate

   Director: Mike Nichols

   Year: 1967

       A revolution in film, and a great one at that too. Dustin Hoffman gives likely the performance of his career, as does Nichols the film of his. An articulation of the feelings and thoughts of a generation.

   Rating: A

Nosferatu the Vampyre
   Director: Werner Herzog
   Year: 1979

       Much better than the terribly aged silent original. Klaus Kinski brings an incredible vulnerability to the vampire, and is amongst his best performances. The plague scenes in the village square are horribly frightening. Some unintentionally humorous moments, but aside from that a masterclass in atmosphere and dread. Not a pop out scary movie, but a much better kind.

   Rating: B

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
   Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
   Year: 1974

       Pretty good, but nowhere near as good as Petra von Kant. The racial commentary I thought was good, and was surprised to see the extreme reactions in Germany to their relationship, which might have been a little overdone. Great central performance though.

   Rating: B

The Manchurian Candidate
   Director: John Frankenheimer
   Year: 1962

       A cold war paranoia criticism, inflected, ironically, with its own dose of paranoia as well. At times brilliantly shot, but sometimes slipping out the newer filmmaking styles and regressing into older ways, which aren't always better. Caught between two eras of hollywood.

   Rating: B+

My Winnipeg
   Director: Guy Maddin
   Year: 2007

       A dark, nostalgic, hypnotic, and hilarious journey into the heart of the heart of the country. “Why? Why? Why don’t we just swim?”

   Rating: A-

Elevator to the Gallows
   Director: Louis Malle
   Year: 1958

       A pretty good thriller by a director I've had a hard time connecting with before. This is a much better effort than the other films I've seen by him, probably because it is so different from them.

   Rating: B