Week in Film: 8/1/16-8/7/16

Week in Film: 8/1/16-8/7/16

Film of the Week: L'Atalante
   Year: 1934
   Director: Jean Vigo

       Such a pleasant film, full of mirth and whimsy. I've been having mixed feelings about Vigo so far (Zero for Conduct being pretty good, the rest not), but this is a step above what came before. There's so much sheer happiness and spirit and nostalgia in this movie that it becomes essentially impossible to dislike. Gets you emotionally involved and generally genuinely smiling throughout. A beautiful little tale.

   Rating: B+

The Rest:

Salesman
   Year: 1968
   Director: David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin

       The Maysles' (and co.) paint another picture of America, but instead of portraits of high class dropouts (Grey Gardens) or hippie nightmare landscapes (Gimme Shelter), they focus their brush on the working class of the States. In this instance, that happens to be door to door bible salesmen. The documentary is interesting, but nearly as much as the previously mentioned films. Still, a solid work.

   Rating: B-

 The Most Dangerous Game
   Year: 1932
   Director: Ernest B. Schoedsack, Irving Pichel

       So silly, and only mildly fun.

   Rating: C

Pitfall
   Year: 1962
   Director: Hiroshi Teshigahara

       Even in a world with an afterlife consisting of ghosts wandering the Earth, invisible to the living, even with their ability to observe things after they are gone, you still don't always get the answers you want. Or any answers at all for that matter. The living have enough difficulty figuring out what's going on.

   Rating: B+

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
   Year: 2016
   Director: Zach Snyder

       A mess of a failure. Nearly everything doesn't work here. Ben Affleck is very well cast, however.

   Rating: D