My Week In Film (6/9 - 6/15)

I managed to squeeze some films in...

Taste of Cherry (1997)
(Directed by Abbas Kiarostami)

For the majority of Taste of Cherry's duration, I thought it is a compelling and maybe even wonderful film. In fact, I felt pretty invested in the film for the most part. Each encounter that Badii had felt right in the scheme of things, so to speak. Nothing really feels out of place. And the ending made me think that maybe I really, really liked this film. But, then it continues. I have absolutely no idea what to think about the "actual" ending. I'm thinking it may undermine the emotional power that the logical ending has but I'm not really sure. Explanations of all kind are welcome.

★★★

Flight of the Red Balloon (2007)
(Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien)

I can easily imagine myself coming off a batch of bad viewings and seeing this little film and having my faith in cinema restored. Hou Hsiao-Hsien is a director for whom I've felt a lot of admiration for but whose works save for some parts leave me kinda cold even though I like them. But, in this film, I feel a warmth that I don't think was present in the other stuff I've seen of his. There's a sense of wonder about life and a respect for human behavior that I find to be incredibly uplifting and beautiful and I start to believe that maybe these are the qualities I should begin to seek out in films. After I left the theater, I looked all around me with a renewed vigor. It was as if all the bad feelings had gone away. I can't wait to watch this again.

★★★★

Mom's Rating: ★★★★ 1/2

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
(Directed by Don Coscarelli)

I like Bruce Campbell. I think he's pretty funny in those Evil Dead movies. This is just boring and fucking uninteresting. The premise is silly as hell and it's about the most interesting thing about the film. Campbell does nothing really but talk about his dick for the most of the movie while Ossie Davis acts kinda crazy but kinda lovable? I'll readily admit that I fell asleep for the majority of this film because it was unbelievably boring. I don't think I missed anything. My friends confirmed its awfulness since they actually stayed awake. Poor bastards.

★

Nowhere (1997)
(Directed by Gregg Araki)

I might hate this movie. Or I might not. For me, it's kinda like a Southland Tales of the 90s minus the politics. The comparison is mostly due to the way that I think the film is fucking horrendous but so damn funny in a purely psychotic way that I can't bring myself to truly bash it in a hateful way. For me, it's more about hating whatever kind of culture helped spawn a movie like this. Maybe this is my way of saying that I hate retarded 90s culture. I don't know. What I can say is that almost everything about this film is annoying to me. This may just be a case of my sensibilities directly clashing with the film's.

★

Silent Light (2007)
(Directed by Carlos Reygadas)

First Carlos Reygadas film I've seen. Also I have not seen Ordet (or any other Dreyer) so that connection is lost on me. Even without those points of reference it's easy to see that this is a beautiful film. The film's slow pace lends itself to thought and introspection and all that junk but I think my mood and the film's aesthetic deeply differed so I found myself growing exasperated with both the silence and all the deliberation employed by Reygadas. I think I liked it though if only for its austere visual beauty. I remain interested in Reygadas and will certainly check out his other work but it wasn't all that satisfying. Maybe. Probably. Who knows.

★★1/2

Well, a very strange week at the movies for me. Saw some good ones, saw some very bad ones but whatever.

Nothing stands up to...

Jhon's Movie of the Week is... Flight of the Red Balloon