Saturday, May 15, 2010

I had a lot of Woody lately

I would like to share some thoughts on the movies I saw recently.


Dogtooth

It was really interesting to watch what a person (three, actually) can become after having lived for years under very unusual cirmustances. I'm wondering: These children seemed, to most of us, pathetically cluelless about the real world. But are we that much more aware of how things work and is our critical thinking that much more developed? I think there are many more intelligent and life-experienced people in the world that would pitty me the same way I pittied those kids in Dogtooth.

Also, is perfection a realistic goal or is it simply a perversion to try to define what the ideal life style is and try to apply it?

7/10


Interiors (1978)

I thought it had its moments and I liked the performances (especially Keaton's) but I was asking for more.

6/10


Bullets Over Broadway (1994)



Call me lazy but, ditto. Only, put Wiest in Keaton's place. Interesting, with beautiful art direction but nothing great. The last scene was pretentious but, thankfully, not totally useless. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the way the movie connected the notion of morality with art and the way it depicted the vanity of an artist who has come to feel confident about his/her talent.


7/10



Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)



What can I say about this movie? It was just great! The script, the performances, the music, the visuals, the scope! Life, death, family, love, learning to leave the past behind, accepting what you have even if you complain all the time. Though I could never regard this movie as a didactic one. Its re-watchability is one of the movie's many goods.

8/10

4 comments:

  1. Just dropping in to let you know I'm still reading. I just haven't seen any of these films, unfortunately.

    A note on perfectionists - While it may not be a realistic goal, it is certainly a noble cause...

    :) I may be slightly biased in that opinion since I am afflicted with an innate desire to strive for perfection in my personal endeavors. More often than not I fall short. Yet still I try...

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  2. That's a very leangthy discussion and I'm sure there are a million things one could come up with to say.

    I think trying to be perfect at something is great, as long as you know what perfect is like. I think life is too complicated to let us define such a strict and extremely specific quality.

    There are people who, for years, succed in acting in the way they consider to be perfect and at some point in their lives realise that they had gotten it all wrong.

    If you mean that you try not to make mistakes you can avoid, I'm totally with you and I think it's really admirable. If you don't mean exactly that, well, it's certainly your life and I'm not even sure I disagree. I just think it's a complicated issue. I assure you though, Dogtooth describes a really twisted notion of perfection. :p

    And thank you so much for declaring your presence. I wish I were more superior but I do like it when people read my posts and say so :)

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  3. I am intrigued by Dogtooth, as it seems to of created a whole spectrum of emotions.

    Still not seen Bullets Over Broadway. Big fan of Hannah and particularly Interiors, but yes the latter is definitely a 'mood' watch!

    It's such a shame that overall Woody has been so 'meh' in the last decade - average film after average film (bar Vicky Cristina Barcelona and moments of one or two others).

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  4. I agree on recent Woody but for me Match Point was the exception.

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