Dr_Lector Reviews

The Sweet Life (1960)

Fellini's Masterpiece Shows Life Adrift

[2 September 2011]

Fellini's masterpiece is not a meditation on the meaning of life, but rather it shows the lack of meaning in life for those who find themselves adrift in the modern world. The film itself seems to be adrift as we see the world through the eyes of Marcello, a tabloid writer who again and again experiences the night life in Rome among fading aristocrats and B movie- stars. He womanizes, he drinks, and at times expresses some vague ambition and flashes of genuine artistry and humanity. But mostly he floats from one episode to the next, and the viewer floats along with him.

The highly episodic nature of the narrative serves to create a feeling of realism, and indeed it feels real to those who have ever had the experience of treading water in their lives, of waking up every morning without a sense of purpose. As the film travels with Marcello through wild nights that seem to fizzle into dawns it seems to pose a set of existential questions.

Marcello's world is not black and white. His world is neither sacred nor profane, but rather it is mundane. Mundane despite the fact that his life of excess partying and seduction is what many in the modern world seem to crave above all else. Marcello is not a hero, he is the everyman and his is the human condition. He doesn't choose the life he lives, he simply lives. He is in a sense unaware of himself and unaware of the larger world. He is even unaware of what he truly wants and he doesn't know how to feel alive. The crushing final scene shows that he is so unaware that he no longer even recognizes true beauty and innocence when it is right in front of him, beckoning him to wake up.

Lacombe, Lucien (1974)

A dark, yet human portrait

[7/10 · 26 May 2010]

Louis Malle's 'Lacombe Lucien' is chiefly a character study.

The title character Lucien is a troubled and confused young man in a troubled and confused time. Instead of a heroic character with conviction Malle presents us with the traitor, the Nazi collaborator. At the film's onset Lucien attempts to join the French resistance, and is rejected. Perhaps because of his wounded pride, or thirst for action he then joins the German police and turns in the resistance leader who refused him. Malle gives us this dark young man and seems to ask the question, is he human? Lucien is uneducated, uncultured, unsure, and unimportant. He does not have wit, style, or charm. Although he is a collaborator he does not seem to share the conviction of the Germans, rather his collaboration comes out of a desire for some measure of power and importance. He seems to always chose the wrong thing, and yet as one character puts it "It's strange, I can't bring myself to completely despise you". But Malle's portrait is not a sympathetic one. The viewer will hardly feel sorry, or aligned with Lucien. Despite all this he remains human. Even though he seems to move through life in a somewhat robotic and detached fashion we are left with small glimpses of his humanity. He falls for a young Jewish girl, yet his affair with her is possessive and controlling.

His fate, as revealed at the film's conclusion, is not surprising or undeserved, but in a way it is still tragic. It is tragic because Lucien was a young man who perhaps lacked the knowledge and conviction to do the right thing. Lucien is certainly what he has been made by his self and his own decisions, but he is also a product of the times. When Lucien finally does make the right choice we begin to see a laughing and more carefree and human side of him. His story is tragic because by the time he chooses to do the right thing it is too late.

Apart from Malle's distinctive style this film is quite different from his other coming of age tales, because Lucien seems to lack the kind of youthful joy which Malle captures so well. This is the film's only drawback: it is not pleasant, it is not fun. Lucien is not all that relatable. But this is because the times were not pleasant, not fun, and not relatable.

Of course anyone who is watching one of Louis Malle film's goes in looking for art, but so often his art is fun and enjoyable. This is not one of those films; it is dark and serious. But, even though the portrait Malle paints is dark, it is human and it is vivid.

Shutter Island (2010)

Another Great Collaboration

[8/10 · 21 May 2010]

'Shutter Island' is an homage to classic horror and film noir rapped up into a modern psychological thriller. Add in the always brilliant Leonardo DiCaprio and one of films all time great directors Martin Scorsce and you're looking at a can't miss combination. The film plays on the themes of image vs. reality, post traumatic stress, and the depth of human evil. The viewer is left guessing the real truth right up to the films startling conclusion.

DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshall with a troubled past who is summoned to an island in Boston harbor which houses a treatment facility for the criminally insane where a patient has escaped. Everything and everyone around Teddy seems to be shrouded in mystery including the facilities sinister administrator Ben Kingsley and even his U.S. Marshall partner Mark Ruffalo. Through cryptic flashbacks and dream sequences we realize the depth of Teddy's troubled past and his connection to the facility.

DiCaprio adds layers of depth to the character. As he races to uncover the truth about the nature of shutter island the viewer is left racing to find the truth of Teddy's past. The plot thickens each step along the way, as the stakes become more and more personal. Kingsley is chilling, as are most of the inmates his facility houses.

All in all another great DiCaprio/Scorsce collaboration!

My Dinner with Andre (1981)

Meaningful, Original!

[9/10 · 1 October 2009]

This incredibly original film by Louis Malle has the ability to challenge the viewer into contemplation of the way they go about living their lives. Virtually the entire film consists of a seemingly recreated real life dinner conversation between two friends, and yet somehow there's not moment that fails to keep the interest of the viewer. The film deals with questions of the nature of life and the nature of the world we live in, but beyond that it captures a moment of true intimacy between the two friends in a world where people rarely really talk to each other.

Some dismiss 'Dinner' as heady and intellectual, clearly its not a film everyone would enjoy. Still for those who realize what they're getting into (yes the whole film really is two people talking over dinner) the conversation can be truly absorbing. 'My dinner with Andre' is one of those rare films that really can impact the way a person thinks about their life.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Captures the Spirit of Rowling's Original Novel

[8/10 · 18 July 2009]

Let me preface my remarks by saying I am an avid fan of the Potter books, and my review cannot help but be from this perspective.

David Yates latest film installment is perhaps the most significantly different film adaptation, yet it retains the spirit and characters of Rowling's beloved novel. For the first time in a Potter film I found myself feeling the same roller coaster emotions that were produced upon reading the novel. The film captured moments of laughter, angst, fear, jealousy, conflict, and despair. Although in many places the details deviate from the novel, it is the spirit of Harry and his friends that remains the same.

I can only imagine that the plot and the characters may be very hard to decipherer to movie goers not already familiar with the series. Fans of the books will immediately notice many plot details missing (some of which are key to propelling the final installment). I can only guess that the movie producers will use the 5+ hours of the final films first and second part to explain or set up some of the missing bit. Indeed the entire film seems to serve as a set up for the series conclusion. But if the fans of the books can get past these points they will find that the essential story of Half-Blood Prince is told, and it is told quite well. But almost as important as the story is the characters and the relationships between the characters that are portrayed here. In this film I feel we are truly able to see the intimate friendships and relationships that are truly the spirit of the series. We see the loving interaction of Harry, Ron, and Hermionie, the growing mutual affection and respect between Harry and Dumbledore, as well as the budding romances.

The typically superb ensemble cast ensures that in no way are Rowling's characters betrayed. Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint are at their best. Radcliffe and Grint both show some displays of wonderful comedic timing, which has not been seen before in the series. Jessie Cave provided for some very funny moments as Ron's snog obsessed girlfriend Lavender Brown. Both Bonnie Wright as Ginny and Tom Felton as Draco take advantage of more screen time and are clearly at their best. Wright has developed a subtle way of demonstrating the combination of confidence and tenderness that Harry needs, while Felton does a wonderful job showing Draco's inner conflict. Of the adult actors Gambon shines brightest and has at last delivered a performance worthy of Dumbledore. In this film he is able to display the quirkiness and the power of the character, although he does not emanate the calm and controlled majesty that Richard Harris' Dumbledore evoked. Another bright spot is the addition of the wonderful Jim Broadbent as the power hungry Horace Slughorn to whom social status and creature comforts are of the utmost importance, but harbors a dark secret that only Harry can persuade him to reveal. Broadbent and Radcliffe seem to have a particularly good on screen report in their shared scenes, which typically of this film shift abruptly from silly humor to deadly seriousness. Coltrane as Hagrid and Dame Maggie Smith as McGonagal as ever appear as if they were born to play these roles, and were excellent in the little screen time they had in this film. The most disappointing performance was the usually unshakable Alan Rickman as Snape. I came into this film expecting coolness with a depth and conflict from Rickman, and I'm sorry to say that the coolness and confidence were not there in places where they needed to be, instead it seems very obvious to the viewer that the character has hidden motivations. And when called 'coward' what should be for his character the ultimate insult, he seems to take it too mildly.

This cast and this film truly provide some wonderful comedy. These moments grow to be more than mere 'comic relief' and become the very heart of the film. They show the heart of the character relationships, which in turn show everything that is worth saving and worth fighting evil to maintain.

Yates direction is absolutely stunning. From the opening title sequence all the way through to the climatic cave scene this film provides the most stunning visuals, making use of quick cuts and hand-held camera shots whenever appropriate. The movie also contains some wonderful wide angle shots which seem to scream BLU-RAY! Production design and set design (save for a cave which bizarrely looks more like Superman's fortress of solitude) are also superb. After 4 Directors in this series Harry Potter has at last found the man capable of delivering the epic scope needed for the series conclusion.

To me the films biggest shortcoming is that in certain places the intensity needed was a few degrees short, indeed it sometimes felt as though emotions were kept at bay just below the surface when they should have been in full force. A quiet kiss should have been a full out cathartic snog. A low and desperate mutter of 'Kill me' should have been a wailing scream. And when called 'coward' Snape (and Rickman) really needed to lose his famed cool in a violent fit of rage.

Despite these failings Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was a highly enjoyable film, and perhaps the best of the series so far. Even with several plot deviations and omissions it retains the intangible spirit of the original novel.