stevensino Reviews

Dune: Part One (2021)

An Empty Masterpiece

[8/10 · 29 September 2021]

Denis has filmed the unfilmable, he achieved a monumental task yet at the same time it feels like an empty achievement. Bear in mind that I'm writing from the perspective of one who has read the books quite a few times, I know the events and characters and I'm just observing the way its adapted. The film's highest points are when there is action and spectacle, it's grandiose bigger than life and in a cinema it feels realistic. That feeling of realism is present in the books and it was treated well. The sets are all believable we could almost touch them, the most important set is of course the desert and its presence is surely felt. Costume design also follows the same principle of groundedness, it is one of the strongest points of the film, the sight of the Bene Gesserit is simply haunting, the dresses of Jessica are all memorable, and the star of the show is the Fremen stillsuit they nailed it.

With such a strong cast we expect very powerful performances and the actors surely deliver, my favourite was definitely Duke Leto interpreted by Oscar Isaac, he plays well both the charismatic leader and the caring loving father and husband. Personally, I did not enjoy the soundtrack, although the sound design is very very effective especially in a cinema. The soundtrack is huge, maybe too huge for my taste I found it quite distracting and it overstayed its welcome. There are different themes for each character or trait (Honour, Atreides, Bene Gesserit, Shai-Hulud) but they were too obvious and very preachy.

And so when all these cinematic elements combine they do create an unforgettable experience, but unforgettable for the wrong reasons or more precisely the wrong aspects. I did not see any of the ideas of the book manifested with image and sound, I only saw the images described in the book. The action and even the climax all happen in the background in the book because that's not the pint of the story, while here it's the opposite. Key scenes of character introductions and interactions are taken out in favour of more dreamy sequences and action. This shift of focus made many characters feel insignificant and I never cared for any of them, it's like everyone is a side character.

I really appreciated the attention to small details, like the bull painting, desert mouse, glowglobes... This the best Dune we're ever going to get, it's an audio-visual masterpiece, but it never felt nearly as thought provoking as the book or even as a standalone film.

Killers on Parade (1961)

Crime musical

[9/10 · 24 March 2021]

This is by far Shinoda's most accessible work, but don't let that fool you because it doesn't lack the depth one expects from Shinoda. On the outside the film seems simplistic but that's used as a tool because this Shinoda and the writer is none other but the master surrealist rebel Shuji Terayama. The cinematography while tame compared to other Japanese New Wave films it's still very very beautiful and I as I mentioned before it's more accessible, yet Shinoda always surprises me with his use of framing. The music, well this has enough song that it's not stretch to call a musical crime film and it is. The songs and the main motif are catchy and tie the plot really well, on top of that they blend really nicely and are not in anyway obtrusive. The story is somewhat linear and simple but it still succeeds in its commentary, the ideas are presented in a less subtle way than in other Shinoda films and they are given this simplistic shell. Underneath all of the comedy and the hyperstylization there is an anticapitalist theme, especially against corporations and their dirty ways of achieving success. There's also commentary on the pollution cause by capitalism and mindless expansion and exploitation of nature. The effect of westernization is brought to the front here using the costume design and production design. This film is largely misunderstood and it could be misleading but looking at the talent and artistry involved is enough to tell us there's more under the surface and beyond the short runtime. A small package that has a bit of everything, the themes are nothing new for the rebellious 1960s Japan but the way they're presented make this film unforgettable and iconic.

The Confession (1970)

A cold, harsh realism

[9/10 · 4 May 2020]

Another masterful political psychological thriller rooted in reality from Costa-Gavras.

The story of a falsely imprisoned man, the dangerous of a moralist idealism, corruption in the heart of the machine. As with his every film, a great cinematography is expected and this is no different, reminiscent of Melville films, it manages to capture the harsh conditions this man is put through, the movements are nuanced and subtle but expressive and effective, always guiding our focus and bringing important details to our attention. The fast quick, editing also helps in creating and mirroring the confusion of the passing of time and the dissertation suffered by our protagonist. Despite being confined in small spaces and tight framing this film manages to keep us on the edge throughout the runtime.

This film is a depiction of how dangerous it is to Godify political parties and ideologies. Another main focus is how the systems subverts the meaning of certain words to their own political advantage. Categorization of certain groups of people makes it easier to point the finger at them and condemn them, whether they're innocents or not. Words like Titoist, Trotskyst, Jew, Imperialist lose their meaning and become substitute for the words enemy and traitor. What is innocent ? This film asks, you're not innocent when you're being or ethnicity or ideology paint you as a guilty of treachery. The film also brings to our attention the role of the media and how it can be manipulated by never showing the full picture.

A tale of endurance and of suffering, because no matter what, there will always be someone to tell the tale.