brian-ariotti Reviews

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

Lagaan Review

[8/10 · 13 November 2008]

The price of making a four hour film is that of having a much more difficult time holding the attention of your audience for its full runtime. In the case of Asutosh Gowariker's 2001 epic, Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India, it is rare to at any point have such a thought of losing interest in the cleverly crafted Bollywood film. Gowariker pays special attention to each and every shot as if it were its own innovative painting making sure there is always an array of activity to keep one's eye active.

Lagaan tells the story of a poverty-stricken Hindu town that is struggling to cope with the oppression and high lagaan taxes of the British Raj. Upon the initiation of a further increase in the tax, the peasants begin to speak out begging for the tax to be lowered. In result, the British officers lend the proposition of a cruel intended-deal; a game of cricket will be held between the British officers and peasants. If the peasants succeed in victory they are exempt of any taxes for the next 3 years, if they lose, they will pay triple lagaan. This erupts into a predictable yet touching Hindu rendition of The Mighty Ducks from this point on.

Although the story is cliché and somewhat overdone, it remains fresh to the naked eye due to the remarkable design outside of the script itself. Aamir Khan presents a beautifully performed display as Bhuvan, the only initial peasant to stand up for his community against the British. The supporting cast accents Khan to an ideal level as well, most notably Paul Blackthorne in the dark and immoral role of Captain Russell who plays the antagonist of this film with a respectable conviction and stereotypical "bad-guy waxed moustache."

This is a visual masterpiece as well composed of gorgeous sweeping shots and vivid color which never seems to fall off the deep end as too "cartoony." Somewhere at about an hour into this drama, we see a musical spontaneously erupt which is covered in long shots opposed to a montage style- an interesting approach to musical numbers in film. Down to the bone, this is a very typical film portrayed in a completely innovative and well-done way; the writing is beautiful throughout as are the performance. It's painful but honest to say that this film overcomes its shallowness by being simply "really damn entertaining."

Rashomon (1950)

Rashomon Review

[10/10 · 11 November 2008]

Boasting a rich and greatly impacting heir of Buddhist ideals as significant to this day as they were sixty years ago, Rashomon stands alone as one of the great classics of film history. This Japanese masterpiece carefully sculpts the stories of a samurai and his wife's encounter with a bandit within in a small grove. Rashomon skillfully bounces back and forth between the incidents as told by all parties involved. One of the most striking features of this film is the way in which Akira Kurosawa avoids ever establishing a clear main character in the film. This is done to truly raise the more earthly aspects of the film such as nature and the society as a whole. This practice is further implemented through the cinematography of Rashomon as the camera chooses to frame long and distant shots most of the time to convey the importance of the environment opposed to the characters individually.

Kurosawa's cast is all guilty of overacting their parts throughout the film but it comes across as completely acceptable given the context of the film. Toshiro Mifune, in his role as the bandit, is especially hard to watch throughout his animated performance of his character. Mifune plays the part as a cartoon which gives into his inhuman nature as an evil antagonist to the samurai and his wife. Rashomon backtracks over itself many times in order to tell the story as different characters had seen it happen. Although this practice typically will slow down the narrative in a film, within the context of this story it truly helps to push the plot forward due to clever editing decisions.

Rashomon is a remarkably beautiful film to watch because of its well crafted directing, its wholesome Japanese themes, and the one-of-a-kind cinematography used throughout. The movie is rich with the present culture of 1950's Japan and it is a blessing to see everything move so freely together as each scene blends into one another in the passing of this film. Rashomon is beyond an ordinary film, this is an experience and an experience that should be watched by all.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul Review

[7/10 · 11 November 2008]

It is best to enter Rainer Werner Fassbinder film with as open of a mind as possible while disconnecting his often promiscuous and violent personal life from the production of the film itself, (as you would with any film). With that said, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a definitively powerful film that succeeds on many layers and rarely falling short.

This particular Fassbinder entry is the story of a young Morroccan man by the name of Ali (El Hedi ben Salem) whom falls for a 60 year old German woman, Emmi (Brigitte Mira). The two eventually marry but are welcomed into their relationship with bigotry and hate as the neighborhood finds themselves outraged by the couple being married to one another. Having never seen Salem act in any other films, it was hard to judge what exactly was happening with his performance. His role of Ali is played ridiculously calm at all times giving the impression he is bored with the part. His lines are all read mechanically as if off a teleprompter while his movement is always stiff and unnatural; this all settles a tad better by playing it off as "just how the character is supposed to be," but you have to wonder. Mira is energetic and captivating in her role truly highlighting the dead-pan delivery of Salem's character.

Regardless of the acting and directing, which is impressive in its own right, the film is a gift to look at on its own. A very natural and honest tone is given to the visual side of the film as we're not distracted with fancy camera-work flying through the rooms on crane but mere simple shots being appropriate for the feeling of this film. After an initial viewing, the film seems to leave you in a dilemma; although you've just seen something which was done very well, it still remains very ordinary in your mind. This is probably one of the most accessible films to those looking to explore the work of Fassbinder for the first time but in the realm of universal cinema, the work seems to fall a few feet flat as "average."

Jalsaghar (1958)

Jalsaghar Review

[9/10 · 11 November 2008]

In the fourth feature film directed by Satyajit Ray, Jalsaghar, we are treated to a magnificent spectacle of musical performances, Hindu dance, and a powerful film thrown some place in the mix. Jalsaghar tells the gloomy tale of a landlord living in Bengal whom has just lost his wife and beloved son in a horrid boating accident. The landlord, Roy (Chhabi Biswas), takes to a basic role of silence and mourning by spending his days sitting aside his hookah to pass the time. Biswas is exceptional in his performance of Roy by revealing a side to the character of near-perfect emptiness in a human being; he shows us what the empty body of a man can become.

The film is a decorative wonder to watch and hear to any degree. A graceful and vivid use of cinematography brings out the rich and sweeping palace in which Roy spends his time. Various close-ups of chandeliers and jewelry create a montage of empty wealth. Later on in the film when we are introduced to the many performances which will be carried out in the landlord's music room, the film comes full circle as an audio delight as well. Beautiful Hindu compositions are performed in full length throughout sweeping-music video like coverage scanning the pitch-perfect vocalists on to the unique Indian instruments tooting away. As the music grows to inspire Roy to overcome his grief, we grow along with Roy and feel the inspiration of the songs as well.

Despite its depressing subject matter, Jalsaghar is a great delight throughout its in entire runtime. Sympathizing with the victimized Roy as well as his loyal and motivational subjects, you will really overcome an exquisite experience as the characters try to pick Roy's spirits up through words, song, and dance. Overall this is a must-see film for anyone with a passion for film, music, or both although it is recommended you enter in good spirt.

Double Suicide (1969)

Double Suicide Review

[9/10 · 11 November 2008]

Stemming from a Japanese puppet play from the 1700's, Double Suicide stands tall and beautiful as a new wave love story similar to that of "Romeo and Juliet" on the surface. Masahiro Shinoda takes some risky strides in his directing by utilizing a series of dark "puppet master" characters to linger in the majority of all scenes alluding to the story in its earliest form. This concept manages to workout wonderfully by some miracle and really compliments the thematic elements of the film as we watch the cast manipulate one another or "pull each other's strings." The performances are all stellar in this film as Shinoda makes sure to direct each to have a very vacant and detached approach to their roles allowing their characters to fall into the deceit of one another. Jihei, (Kichiemon Nakamura), is perfect in his dark conviction of his immoral affair with a 19 year old prostitute (Shima Iwashita), while still attempting to maintain a healthy relationship with his too-loyal wife Osan (also played by Shima Iwashita). Osan takes the feminist's nightmare role of a wife whom stands by her husband's side and is supportive of his every wrong-doing. The prostitute, Koharu, balances the relationship by playing the role of a friend to the wife and promising to end her affair while professing her never-ending love for Jihei when Osan is out of the picture. Everyone shares a shifting balance of power, control, and love for one another really adding up to the thrilling climax of this film.

Visually, this film is just as outstanding as is its narrative. The cinematographer plans his shots smart by finding the ideal balance for including the puppet masters in appropriate shots. This is a film full to the brim of wide and establishing shots with puppet masters cleverly tucked in the distant background of each frame opposed to using unnecessary close-ups. This is most similar to how puppet masters in the original puppet play productions would remain shielded in the darkness of the stage to remain being seen as little as possible.

Harold and Maude (1971)

Harold and Maude Review

[8/10 · 11 November 2008]

Not many films, if any, are able to effectively portray a relationship between a teenager and an 80 year old woman in a believable and endearing way; Harold and Maude is one such exception. In this fascinating and most unusual screenplay from the writer of the feminist fun-house Nine to Five, Colin Higgins tells the story of young Harold (Bud Cort), a depressed existentialist who's only passion seems to be staging his own death and attending funerals. Ironically, Harold comes across his polar opposite, the kind and generous Maude (Ruth Gordon), a woman whom values life to a great degree. The two form a strong platonic friendship at these funerals eventually leading to intercourse and a proposed marriage of the unlikely pair.

Hal Ashby does a fine job of making such an unlikely and morbid character, Harold, someone whom is in turn, actually quite likable. This is done through the displays of the cruel and sometimes detestable world around Harold justifying how he has become so detached from society, especially through his abusive and wealthy family. Bud Cort captures this character in an emotionally gripping way by somehow appearing to be the most content miserable person on the face of the earth. Harold and Maude rarely seems to fall flat other than when its bizarre surrealism begins to leave the realms of dry humor and approach more of an obvious and slapstick approach seen in many of the farcical suicide attempts. Cat Steven's soundtrack is a gripping and essential compliment to the film as one would recognize Simon and Garfunkel alongside The Graduate. This is definitely an "experience-film," to say that you will leave your viewing of Harold and Maude with a unique presence that can only be given by a film such as this; it has a very distinct style and makes sure to exploit this throughout its every turn.

The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)

The Happiness of the Katakuris Review

[7/10 · 11 November 2008]

Fans of previous Takashi Miike films should not be surprised to learn that The Happiness of the Katakuris is another surreal shock-fest of bizarre sexual imagery coupled with ultra violence. This particular work showcases a series of claymation scenes, musical performances, and even a viewer invited sing-a-long near the climax of this entertaining romp into the very odd. The story circles around the lives of the Katakuri family whom have turned their home into a low key hotel in order to pay the bills. Unfortunately, the business is threatened by the untimely spontaneous deaths of each and every guest whom stays at the Katakuri home in some odd and twisted "accident." In order to save the name of their business from negative publicity, the Katakuris begin a massive scheme to hide the death of all residents through burials and well-constructed lies eventually leading the family into an obvious "dead end" which is performed in a "to-die-for" manner by the eldest Katakuris, Masao (Kenji Sawada), and Terue (Keiko Matsuzaka), (don't expect to find better humor in the movie itself). The performances are rightfully overacted and avoid the reaching the threshold of becoming painfully irritating.

Visually, the cinematography boasts to its audience in over-saturated blues and yellows truly conveying a false sense of ease and happiness in the in-fact very depressing lives of the Katakuri family. This ironic theme is further demonstrated throughout the over-the-top cheerful musical numbers satirically thrown in the most unlikely of situations such as the merciless hanging of a guest in the Katakuri home. The spontaneous claymation throws allusions to Quentin Tarantino's use of anime to avoid shooting some of the overly-violent scenes scheduled to be within the Kill Bill films. Unfortunately they seem a little less calculated in Miike's film and in turn are much less effective leaving them to be mere distractions if anything. This is not a film you enter expecting a typical Miike splatter-fest such as Ichi the Killer nor is it a musical in the realms of The Sound of Music but if you can leave your expectations to somewhere in between the two you will leave at the least… satisfied.

Delicatessen (1991)

Delicatessen Review

[8/10 · 11 November 2008]

A decade before critics were losing their voices in praise of Amelie, French director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, directed the dark and morbid comedy, Delicatessen. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic period of France during the 1950's in a small apartment building. This is a character-driven piece that focuses around several tenants whom get by in their own balance of using one another along to survive. The landlord, played by the brilliant Jean-Claude Dreyfus, is perfect in his maniacal role of a crooked apartment manager whom butchers his tenants and guests as a source of meat to be sold for a great profit. Within this farcical tale of horror is a cliché romance between two tenants, Louison (Dominique Pinon), and Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac). This part of the story serves little significance other than a slow distraction from the narrative but is constantly finding its way on screen.

As for the visual side of the film, Darius Khondji does a beautiful job in his first cinematographer role on a feature film. The melancholic undertones of the story are truly highlighted through the long and slow pacing of every shot. We see a distant framing in a majority of the film leaving us very unattached from the cast yet still enjoying the story to a great degree, (a surprisingly daring decision for such a character-driven film). The entire movie is soaked in a very sepia-like tone to convey the post-apocalyptic imagery which works really well throughout the course of Delicatessen. It is no wonder that Khondji would later be hired to work alongside David Fincher, Michael Haneke, and Wong Kar-Wai. This exceptional camera-work is the ideal compliment to such an invoking movie. All in all, this is a really great film full of great performances, beautiful cinematography, and an interesting story; simply see this movie.

Stalker (1979)

Stalker Review

[9/10 · 11 November 2008]

Following his greatly successful psychodrama, Solaris, Andrei Tarkovsky gratifies us once again with this 1979 post-apocalyptic science fiction epic, Stalker. Loosely adapted from the Strugatsky novel, Roadside Picnic, the writing found in Stalker is amongst the most compelling found in contemporary film. The dialogue seen throughout the course of this film cleverly knits existentialistic riddles through a series of whimsical tiffs between its players, ultimately creating a landscape for intelligent and thematic monologues to still come across as believable snippets of everyday conversation.

As in most Tarkovsky films, the acting here is top notch. Aleksandr Kaidanovsky plays the role of Stalker, a deeply inverted bridge between the common world and the surreal Zone, where one's deepest wishes come true. Here we see a dash of religious imagery as the two "loyal" followers of the Stalker, The Writer (Anatoli Solonitsyn), and The Professor (Nikolai Grinko), struggle with belief and faith before entering this holy sanctuary. While these three characters take a good 80% of the screen time exclusively, they are immediately recognized as separate entities and are figures one does not tire of while watching their journey.

The excellent performances and execution of Stalker is further complimented by its beautiful cinematography. The common world is introduced in a mish-mosh of grays and blacks to truly raise the impact of the colorfully vibrant Zone when its cast arrives. It seems as though film stocks are changed in mid-shot during a selection of the longer takes providing the ideal suit for what the film itself calls for. Stalker truly builds a foreground for its immense weight for when it finally reaches its once-in-a-lifetime climax. The concluding shot of this film might be payoff enough for its entire runtime as it burns an image in your short term memory that you'll think of weeks later continuing your own ritual.

The Dead Zone (1983)

The Dead Zone Review

[8/10 · 10 September 2008]

Glimpsing back into the film history of David Cronenberg prior to 1983, it is a wonder that it took even this long for the venereal horror-obsessed director to find his way into collaboration with Stephen King. The Dead Zone confiscates your mind for its full runtime leading you on an enjoyable and unpredictable excursion right through the closing credits. Although the movie is by no means flawless (Brooke Adams' atrocity of a performance will have you cleaving your eyes out at times), the film is strong enough to convince you that its few shortcomings are intentional.

Christopher Walken truly shines as Johnny Smith (a young schoolteacher whom awakens five years in the future from a coma after having his car annihilated by a milk truck to find he has lost his almost-wife to another man), allowing viewers one of the rare opportunities where his performance is impressive enough that we forget we're watching another Walken movie. Given the nature of Johnny Smith's situation, emotions are obviously soaring and you'll believe every second of it. As things become further complicated when Johnny begins to learn secrets about people through physical contact with them, Cronenberg makes sure to avoid going too far over the edge of believability by highlighting the very human attributes of his cast rather than taking an easier route by exploiting the very supernatural aspects of the script.

Rather than using his illness for something selfish, Johnny meets up with Sheriff Bannerman (Tom Skerritt), to help with a series of unsolved murders while also finding time to tutor a socially awkward thirteen year old. We're also then introduced to the typical, "up to my ears in bullshit" politician, Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen); Sheen delivers a prodigious and underrated performance in his senator/future president role (perhaps foreshadowing his future on The West Wing). Johnny soon learns through a premonition that Stillson's presidency will result in a nuclear holocaust and makes it his mission to save civilization. While all this sounds like a recycled plot from a series of unaired sci-fi pilots, the film manages to find innovation through its narrative anyway. Cronenberg manages to subjoin viewers unconcerned with the story itself to the characters' fates as we grow more and more curious how this film could possibly have a happy ending. The Dead Zone is not your typical Cronenberg film nor is it your typical film in general but these are two reasons why it's worth watching. Fans of the television show might want to stay clear of this one but then again it is eminently possible there are no fans of The Dead Zone Television Series anyway.