pultzat Reviews

Beyond the Clouds (1995)

Unfortunately a bad Antonioni film

[4/10 · 6 December 2012]

I must preface this review by saying that I am a massive fan of Antonioni, not only his early (and more popular) works but also the latter films (Zabriskie Point and to a lesser extent Identification of a Woman).

First, the positives: the film starts out promising, with some nice camera and compositional work at the beginning. Also Antonioni's eye for casting beautiful, interesting women is still perfectly intact.

Now for the bad: the script is hard to stomach, and it also doesn't help that the acting is barely acceptable as well. The music is god-awful; I remember another reviewer comparing it to soft porn, and I think that is a slap in the face to that poor genre.

All in all, it's worth viewing if you want to say you've seen every Antonioni film, or you have a love for beautiful women - and in this case it might be better to watch part of the first segment, and then just fast forward to the nude scenes - but don't expect to be presented with the profound artistic statement that you've enjoyed in his other films.

WWII in HD (2009)

WWII for the A.D.D. Generation, not the Greatest Generation

[3/10 · 22 March 2010]

I guess to start with a positive, the color footage is quite interesting and fun to see...but I'd really like to see it for more than 1-1.5 sec's at a time. I noticed this the most while watching the documentary with some music on instead of the narrative - unfortunately this product is yet another victim of the "MTV" style of rapid-fire editing. If you want a good WWII documentary that might suck you in a bit, try the WORLD AT WAR, produced in 1973. It's in Black and White (so what), and is much more satisfying and includes a lot more detail into campaigns that happened outside of direct American influence. My three stars are a reflection of my disappointment with the documentary and to compensate for the almost ridiculous 9.7 stars (at the time of writing).

The Prefab People (1982)

Great to watch, albeit painful to watch

[7/10 · 5 October 2007]

This movie reminded me a lot of Cassavettes, where you are watching a relationship that is stagnant and totally hopeless. I think this is a good movie to watch because it can serve as a lesson on how life can spiral down if you find yourself in this situation. The grainy, high contrast film is also a nice touch which captures the gritty reality that this couple lives in. I must admit I was reminded a lot of John Cassavettes while watching this. One of my favorite parts is that we have a scene in a dance hall, which is revisited in his later movies. It's very realistic and made me feel like I was there. I highly recommend this film if you are a fan of Taar, or just like to see realistic depictions of domestic situations.

Manufactured Landscapes (2006)

The movie seems like an afterthought to the photographs...

[4/10 · 16 June 2007]

I recently viewed Manufactured Landscapes at the Seattle International Film Festival. I was drawn to the movie as a photographer because I'm both familiar and a fan of Burtynsky's work. While I believe the movie does a good job getting it's message across, I couldn't help but feel that it was made as a complete afterthought to the photographs and subsequent popular book by Burtynsky. Obviously one reason for this is the extensive use of still photographs featuring zooms and pans across them. While this is a good effect when used economically, I felt like 75% of the movie was just stills from Burtynsky's book (which I already own). That's probably an exaggeration, but that's how I felt. If you own the book or are familiar with his work you might be better off skipping this one.

Miss Gulag (2007)

Heartfelt, well made documentary

[7/10 · 16 June 2007]

I just viewed this film at the SIFF and found it to be a great combination of both the bleakness of life in a Russian womens' prison and the great spirit which keeps all humans alive and wishing for the best. There are some great sequences during a pageant near the end of the film where views of the beautifully costumed contestants are inter-spliced with shots of the inmates watching the show. There were a lot of times where you either feel like laughing or crying, which is a great way to experience a movie! I had the honor of seeing it at the SIFF when the director spoke afterwards; she was very intelligent and well spoken. The main thing to remember (and was pointed out by her in the Q & A) is while this movie makes you think that Russian prison life is actually "okay", in reality they were very constricted in how and what they were allowed to film and portray. In fact they had to sign documents to the effect that they could end up in prison if what they shot was disagreeable. This is not a movie documenting Gulag life so much as a wonderful look at the human spirit. Highly recommended!

Ordet (1955)

All about faith

[10/10 · 6 December 2006]

This is one of the most moving pictures (no pun intended) that I have ever seen. The beauty of the cinematography and acting is complimented by a story that is about Faith. This is demonstrated through religion, although you do not have to be religious or understand anything about Christianity to get the more universal message. For some people, watching this movie can be seen as an article of faith due to the slowness - I happen to love slower movies, but some people are turned off by this. If you watch this through in one sitting and just let it carry you along you will be amply rewarded with a fantastic life experience!