Welcome to the 506th Edition of my series. I find that this week is just about all foreign and independent films except for one very mainstream one. It's never something I do on purpose, that is just how the chips fell and glad they fell the way they did. No much going on this week so Ill just get to my selections for the week.
Ginger and Fred (1986): I start the week out with this Italian film from director Federico Fellini. Giulietta Masina and Marcello Mastrianni star as Amelia and Pippo who are reunited for their act which was an imitation of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Part of this movie is a fun nostalgia and another part is satire to the direction of tv which was essentially reality tv that is really big today. It is also per usual Fellini where there is not particularly a plot, but a voyage of strange situations. The leads do a very good job. This is not really for all tastes but fans of the Italian cinema should take a look at this and foreign fans in general.
Frontline: Hand of God (2007): This is my documentary for the week. This is actually an episode from the PBS series FRONTLINE. Joe Cultrera directed this documentary that was quite personal. This talks about the lives of himself and his family and their days in the 60s at a church. This mainly focuses on Joe's brother Paul who was molested by the priest Father Joseph Birmingham. It also focuses on the life of Paul afterwards and his ability to cope with it. The next part is Joe doing an investigation towards the church and learning a lot of dark secrets. This is a very eye-opening documentary and is unfortunate that people like Birmingham and the church he was at make the religious community look so bad. This is worth a look from a good PBS series.
Stalker (1979): This is my Russian film for the week. Andrei Tarkovsky directed this Sci-Fi film based on the novel by Boris Strugatskiy. There is a gray and unknown city referred to as the Zone which is heavily guarded by barbed wire and soldiers. Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy plays someone referred to as a Stalker and has the mental gifts to lead a group of people into a room at the Zone for their their secret hopes come true and risks imprisonment in the process. This is a really good sci-fi film that uses a lot of good imagery and well-developed characters in a difficult but moving journey. This is a very good entry into Russian film.
Handlebars (1933): This is my comedy short for the week which comes from my frequently featured Pete Smith shorts. This is a humorous look toward the history of the bicycle since 1819. It goes into the changes through the years. Smith's narration makes it a great watch as well as the funny scenes.
The Blue Dahlia (1946): This is my film-noir for the week which was directed by George Marshall and written by Raymond Chandler. Alan Ladd stars as Johnny who is back from the navy only to find his wife Helen kissing nightclub owner Eddie, played by Howard Da Silva. Johnny has a gun and considers using it but changes his mind. However, Helen is later found dead and Johnny being the main suspect. He decides to dodge the cops and investigate himself who framed him with the help of a blonde girl named Joyce, played by Veronica Lake, who just happens to be Eddie's estranged wife. This was a pretty compelling film. I had never really seen Da Silva in anything besides his iconic performance as Ben Franklin in 1776 and does real good here. William Bendix and Hugh Beaumont also co-star in this film. This one really deserves a look, especially fans of the genre.
The New World (2005): This is part one of a two-part Jonathan Pryce series where he has a cameo as King James. Terrence Malick wrote and directed this film based on Pocahontas, played by Q'orianka Kilcher, her affair with John Smith, played by Colin Farrell, and her later marriage to John Rolfe, played by Christian Bale. In this one, Captain Smith is captured by an Indian tribe but is spared after the young Pocahontas begs for it where they begin an affair but to unfortunate results for both of them in the future. The later part is where Pocahontas is with John Rolfe and becomes more westernized after being banished by her tribe. Christopher Plummer, Wes Studi, David Thewlis, and many others co-star in this film. Most people know Pocahontas for the Disney movie which I also really like. This one does not have that cute racoon, good music numbers, or even talking trees. This is a more realistic version of the legend. I have found with Malick that he requires a couple viewings in his films for me to be really into it. The first time I watched it, it was alright to me but when I revisited it, I was very compelled. He tends to make the cinematography along with his music score his star of the film like in this one I felt. Performances are still really good and Bale plays a much lighter character than usual in the rather good-hearted Rolfe.
The Iron Rose (1973): This is one of two French films for this edition which focuses a lot on foreign and independent cinema. This is a psychological horror film directed by Jean Rollin. Francoise Pascal and Hugues Quester star as a married couple who decide to take a walk through the cemetary. As it gets darker, it gets more and more creepy and they also find themselves lost in a surrealistic and gothic environment. Rollin is known for his vampire films and this is the first to not featured vampires and does a very good job in this one. He is known for his horror and might just have to look more into this guy in the future.
Ant-Man (2015): I made a rare movie theater appearance to see this one and I guess is my only real mainstream movie for the week which just about everyone by now knows is an entry from the Marvel Universe. My knowledge of this character came from the animated series AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES where Hank Pym is one of the founding members of the Avengers. Peyton Reed ended up directed this film from screenplay written by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish where Wright was originally slated to direct. This movie was quite a bit rewritten. Michael Douglas stars as Hank Pym who developed the Ant-Man suit which allows to shrink in size when he wants but has a lot of strength. In this movie, Pym appears to have a bit of an anti-Avengers attitude from flashbacks in the late 80s show that him and Howard Stark, played by John Slattery, are not on very good terms and decided to retire from being the Ant-Man. In the modern era, he sees potential in a cat burglar named Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd, who has just been released from prison and is trying to go straight but finds that is very difficult to do and also is mostly denied from seeing his daughter for child support reasons. LOST alum Evangeline Lilly co-stars as Hank's daughter Hope who reluctantly decides to help Scott learn the Ant-Man outfit and showing she's a pretty good fighter herself. Corey Stoll co-stars as Darren Cross who Hank mentored but did not feel he was the right person. Darren was able to get a part of his formula and develop his own outfit for Yellowjacket and comic book fans will know that reference and how it is also different from the comics. Anthony Mackie makes a cameo as Falcon and has a brief encounter with Ant-Man where they had quite a fight. Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Michael Pena, Hayley Atwell, Martin Donovan, and many others co-star in this film. Also, Tom Kenny who is most known for voicing Spongebob provides the voice to the ugly stuffed rabbit. In the animated series, Scott Lang gets featured briefly in the later part of the series in a storyline similar to this one involving his daughtr and as we see they decided to mainly use him for the Marvel Universe which I believe will work out well. I thought this was written very well had some very good character development and action. I also really liked the way the action climax was done in a children's room. This was also a really good one to watch in 3D with the way the ants were used. Comic book fans will know a lot of the references from flashbacks, and in the scene after the credits which most people know by now that you don't leave until all the credits are done. I felt this was very worth the movie theater experience and to pay a little more for 3D. I suppose that if you really want it right to the comic books and even Hank Pym, this is not for you. If you are a little more liberal about this sort of thing, it is very enjoyable.
El Bolero de Raquel (1957): This is my Mexican film for the week. Miguel Delgado directed this film which stars Catinflas as El Bolero who is a kind hearted and funny bootblack. When his friend dies, he unexpectedly finds himself in charge of his son. They soon form a loving bond where he tries to get him through life despite being poor. When taking the boy to school, the teacher recommends that he goes back to school leading to a lot of funny moments. I found this when I was at the library and was pleasantly surprised. El Bolero is a very likable person and the movie is really quite touching. It's always nice to find hidden gems like this one.
Cache (Hidden) (2005): I end the week on this French film which is my 2nd French movie and 6th foreign language film. Michael Haneke wrote and directed this thriller. Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche star as married couple Georges and Anne Laurent. Georges is a talk show host and they are receiving packages in the mail containing footage of himself and the family shot secretly from the street. The videos continue to get more personal suggesting he might know who is doing it. Daniel looks to figure this out himself as the police will not help him with no direct threat on his life. This is a very well-done thriller from Haneke and better to watch when you do not know much rather than me continuing the plot.Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ben Gazzara, Jennifer Connelly, Antonio Banderas, Dustin Hoffman, Audrey Hepburn, Cate Blanchett, Clark Gable, Nicolas Cage, and many others.
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