A little bit of Music

Movies involving a little music.

Director: Jane Campion
Cast: Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neil and Anna Paquin

I've been a little busy lately but still I had the time to watch this movie, which I had never seen before: "The Piano"(1993).
From Jane Campion comes this story about a mute woman and her daughter who move to an Island in New Zealand because of an arranged marriage.
Ada is the leading character played by Holly Hunter -role that I think is the best one of her career- and she's mute, not by born but still. The story revolves -even if only at decisive points- around the piano. Both life and relationships in the movie change and so the tune of the melodies played with the piano.
Arriving to their new home, the piano is given away by her new husband having somewhat "fatal" consequences.
The screenplay is wonderfully written, the direction superb and the main performances are more than fair to the film.

Director: Kay Pollak
Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Frida Hallgren and Helen Sjöholm.

Now let's travel to Sweden. "As it is in Heaven"-Så som i Himmelen (2004)- tells the story of successful conductor whom after a heart attack decides to put his career at a rest.
This will result on him returning to his childhood hometown in Sweden after being on international tours.
His life here will go on slowly, he'll be lonely at first and he'll be the outsider. After a while -for all knew his name and international fame- the local church chorus will ask him to coach them vocally, which is the moment where the movie really takes off.
From here all the lives of the people involved in the chorus will be looked at directly and we'll presence how they interact with each other and how they behave in the rehearsals and in life.
While the story is flowing we enjoy some musical bits and one of the greatest songs written for a movie of 2004 "Gabriellas Sång".
I have to say, the ending for some will be ok and for others it'll be more than perfect, truth is if you payed attention carefully throughout the movie you'll be able to enjoy more the ending.

Dreamers with money

Well, today I've decided to write about two movies with plots that are simple yet interesting to watch and/or analyze.

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Cast: Michael Pitt, Eva Green and Louis Garrel.

First, Bernardo Bertolucci's "The dreamers"(2003). This films carries divided opinions on its shoulders. The main reason this happens is that while it is staged in 1968 Paris it doesn't make a clear statement nor gives its point of view on the students' strikes. The revolt is not treated predominantly but however it is seen obliquely.
Being that said, now we understand that Bertolucci wanted to expose other subjects like youth, innocence, and sexual awakening and focus on this by putting it in a house and shut the doors to decrease distractions but leaving windows open to have the context present -1968- and juxtaposed to the characters' development mainly to show how some people reacted to the movement and others lived in their own world dueling with insecurity and feeling of being different to a group of people and how in the end we're all together even if we try to shut us away from the world.
The plot begins with Matthew being an exchange student in Paris and fervent movie follower. Going to watch movies at the cinema he meets incestuous twins Theo and Isabelle whom are extremely opposite to him -him being raised a conservative and they being very liberal- but are drawn to him for his passion for films which they share.
They become best friends, debate about movies and characters -Chaplin vs. Keaton-, play trivia and recreate famous scenes. Soon the twins' parents go away on a trip leaving the house all to themselves who invite Matt to stay with them for the time their parents are away.
This is when, as it is said, the plot thickens but in a very subtle way. At first sight it'll look plain and lacking of good dialogue but analyzing it you'll discover its subtleness.
When locking themselves up in the house is when the "dream" begins and all the ideas, personal discovering and love take place.
Having both nudity, incest and explicit scenes, it could be uncomfortable to watch for some but great for film appreciators specially those who want to see how the dream breaks into reality, 1968's reality.

Now we go to another time to talk about rich spoiled people.



Director: Douglas Sirk
Cast: Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone.

This movie is a bit commercial compared to the previous one on this post, but lets remember that commercial pictures back then had higher standards as to quality -most of the times- so I want to talk about this one.
"Written on the Wind"(1956) follows two characters Mitch Wayne and his best friend Kyle Hadley a playboy heir of one of the biggest oil companies.
Storyline is simple, boy falls for girl, girl marries his best friend and... well I'm not going to tell you the end but I post it here because it seemed to me a bit interesting.
While watching "Written on..." I couldn't help but to think on "Sunset Blvd."(1950) mainly because of the plot is centered in the high society and on how some actions can lead to tragedy such as those based on jealousy and also because the main scene presents the tragic ending.
The movie is entertaining also for its other two characters Kyle's nymphomaniac sister and his wife -yes, the one Mitch is in love with-. Now this may not sound too appealing and strike you as soap opera-ish but the interesting thing about is that it shows the effects of living in excess -for an inside look in alcoholism I'd recommend you "The Lost Weekend"(1945) one of the first to show it- and the consequences to ones actions. (:

Rewound: A fragmented film collection

Day to day I like to write reviews of the films that I watch. The past few days I kept wondering how it would be to write them down on a blog. Today I made my decision to create one and here I am. The title of this post means that this blog would not be complete in terms of reviewing all movies out there but that it would be mostly of films I've watched or admire meaning art films, old films and all that oscar-ish stuff I love so much.
The title I gave the blog alludes to my eccentric obsession with VHS videotapes that to this day I still buy (:
I hope this would be helpful explaining/recommending movies you're yet to watch and for you to see my point of view on some subjects regarding cinema and films of course.

Director: Julian Schnabel
Cast: Mathieu Amalric and Emanuelle Seigner

Well the first movie I'm going to write about is "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" -Le Scaphandre et le papillon (2007)- because is the last one I've seen -meaning yesterday- and because I haven't got the time to write about it.

French cinema has always had my fascination and this movie was great in every aspect.


This film tells a true story, the story of Jean-Dominic Bauby who suffers paralysis -all body his paralyzed but his left eye- at age 43 having it all in his life.
Aside from the great life lesson it gives from overcoming adversities in life this films gives a whole new meaning to what is to live the movie you're watching and become part of the story.
The scenes it shows are both ordinary and unique and the way they're shown its what makes them special.
From the beginning of the movie we are transported into the body and thought of the main character and we can have both perspectives from Jean-Dominic (by having that inside look, thoughts and eye perspective) and from all the other characters (based on our own judgement).
The screenplay amazes by the audacious take on such complex plot and interpretation taken to the big screen.

I would recommend this to anyone passionate about french cienema, art films, book adaptations and personal growth themed films.



Now in another note; I want to talk about Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937).
This movie every time I talk about it -because I usually comment a lot about what I like and don't like- I hear the same thing over and over. From boys: "It's for girls" or "It's a dumb animated movie". From girls: "It's beautiful!"or "She's so dumb, she should want more than just a guy".
Well I always reply the same thing, this film is a masterpice. Ok, so Walt Disney made it so he could afford a bigger studio and produce more animated features, yeah, but that doesn't mean he did it just because of that this was just on of his reasons.
Disney was an entertainer and if in something he gave all of his effort was in this, he didn't care about people telling him he couldn't do something, like to make an animated feature film... and well he did an amazing movie.

First of all let's all erease the belief that animated features are for kids or at least just put them aside for a minute. With this film it is essential to take note of each and every element of it.
The story is known by all and while its important, it is not the main point in this review.
What made Snow White a classic are the techniques of reality used to create certain characters combined with the cartoonish looks of others, the mixture of both good and bad in such contrast, the music, the songs and of course the way human emotions were ascribed to animated characters and the way they were handled.
Now moving to a different subject, there are comments against -well not against but whatever- stating that this movie promotes the 'dumbness' in women and low expectations of life. Seriously I always differ from this point of view and not because I'm a guy but more than that I don't believe that just because traditions, culture, beliefs, etc., of some generation are portrayed in a film and are different nowadays the movie is bad or promotes a specific way of behaving.

Today a lot of people are happy with Princess and the Frog for its values and its independent protagonist and because today that's a 'normal' -by normal I mean an accepted one by society- behavior but lets remember that back to the 1930's most women were just like Snow White searching for true love and weren't that much allowed to work leaving them to aspire on getting married and having a family only. Today people have a different belief on true love, most of the time it comes at second place, a job being the first one; by having this perspective a movie like this may seem a little dull and poor in ambition, but the important thing is to look at its spirit and value it as the work of art it is. Plus it doesn't kill to fantasize a bit with a novel or a movie about true love.
I've always believed this to be a masterpiece -in its own way- for all it encompasses and for the revolution it caused in the movie-making industry.

I'm just starting so I'd thank your feedback & support (: