Holly

At first I found the actress who plays Juno (Ellen Page) pretty abrasive and unlikeable. The film seems to soften after the first 10 minutes and either her abrasive style softens or I became used to her. By the end of the movie she was my new best friend. I enjoyed the movie for being unpredictable and unapologetic. As a Michael Cera fan, I was not disappointed with the humor of his quiet and honest delivery.

Set in East Germany before the fall of the wall, the film explores how different characters respond the the governments  confining presence. The transformation away from the party line is particularly powerful in a secret police officer assigned to spying on a playwright. Stories layer apon stories in this finely acted film. I saw it in the theater and came home just to rent it again a week later.

In this movie several hundred allied POWs try to carry off a mass escape from a German prison. Besides being unable to understand anything the actors playing German soldiers say throughout the film (they alternate barking and mumbling English words—great posture, though) there is this whistling almost campy song that accompanies every allied soldier’s walk to solitary confinement or escape attempt. I did find the elaborate plans for the escape entertaining. However, at times it seemed to me like a complicated game of capture the flag. Steve McQueen, of course, played the ever-cool risk-taking American and his cockiness along with the whistling music lulled me into thinking the Germans were no risk at all.
Apparently they were.

This film would have been much less interesting to me if I didn’t know it was loosely based on Che’s travels before he became a revolutionary. I think director Walter Salles felt the same and reminded us throughout the film that we were talking about Che here! Che viewing the injustices. Che being outraged. Che reaching out to the untouchable lepers. If you’re not into che, this not the film for you. Although Gael Garcia Bernal does play the coming of age with your buddy on a trip role very well (Y tu mama tambien). I thought the best part of the film was a brief interview with actual friend of Che. He’s still alive in Cuba and he looks a lot like an older version of the actor who played him—a nice touch.

Despite the light hearted theme of the movie (we’re talking Golightly here), I have a lot of feeling for this film. It was my favorite film growing up. I’ve spent many a day home sick from school taking in the glamour of Audrey Hepburn and the elegance of New York cabs in 1961. It was somewhere around high school that Mickey Rooney’s offensive performance as Mr. Yunioshi began to eclipse Hepburn’s charm. What was just a weird guy to me in elementary school became this racist depiction of Asian men. I’m not familiar with Rooney’s other stuff and I know the film is a product of its time (Hepburn after all relies on the wealth of men she’s dating in order to make a living), but watching the movie as an adult I can’t shake the sick feeling I get from the so called Mr. Yunioshi. Does any one know of a movie from the ‘60s in which Asian Americans particularly men are portrayed fairly at all? The Celluloid Closet did a nice job showing the portrayal gay men and lesbians in Hollywood films. Is there any such documentary or book regarding the depiction of Asian men in North American films? I mean, 1961 is not that long ago!

All that being said, Audrey Hepburn remains one of my favorites.

This movie made me happy. I loved the dancing, the colors, the happy singing, and the safe, predictable plot. A very enjoying film to watch. And a bit of trivia from imdb: during the final cricket match, one of the English players, Smith, gets run out. As the actor ran back to the crease he fell, landing on his cricket bat and dislocating his left shoulder. Take that Smith! And thanks to Nate for bringing over the dvd.

I have to jump on The Hustler bandwagon. I watched it last night. I agree with other reviewers about how authentic Fast Eddie and Sarah felt. Scenes that showed their slight discomfort at being in a fancy restauruant or how they read each other’s loneliness at the station seemed so realistic. I was also interested by who was behind the hustle–managers and pool hall owners. The final scene couldn’t show Minnesota Fats any weaker. He shows up, plays pool, and poses no threat to anyone with money or connections. As a contrast, the explosive Fast Eddie couldn’t burn any brighter.

I liked this movie for many reasons, but have your remote handy for some fast forwarding. Kon Ichikawa, the film’s director, does an amazing job of capturing the pre-competition excitement. Camera shots span spectators and highlight some of the low tech sports equipment. It’s like Ichikawa knew how our modern minds would wonder what was all around us. He also often included spectator’s heads while filming a competition. His camera work provided a strong sense of place, grounded the viewer in 1964, but also achieved moments where the shot felt timeless. Ichikawa had another trick of slowing shots down and in almost complete silence so the actual physical feat of the 100 m dash or the hurdles is undeniably incredible. I got the feeling the the director was definitely proud of the human form and its feats. Many of the shots will be unforgettable (the long jumpers were amazing and the close up of the guy eating a sausage was disturbing). The film contains little narrating and no tv graphics. An Olympics without logos (well, there was coca cola) and over-the-top animated graphics was refreshing. It felt like the whole world was younger. The viewer was trusted with longer shots and more silence.

The first half of the film (before the intermission—it’s total running time is 170 minutes) focused on track and field events, a favorite of mine and I think the director’s as well. Later coverage was less captivating and the basketball segment was all of 5 seconds long. Running, jumping, and throwing heavy objects show well on the screen. I fast forwarded through much of the later half of the film until I had my interest re-piqued by the concluding event: the marathon.

The first half of the film on its own is worth it. I thought the film would be somewhat depressing—seeing what has to be the highlight of an athlete’s life and now it’s 40 years past that grand moment. But Ichikawa’s film had the opposite affect. Here’s a great moment in this human’s life. Aren’t they great! Aren’t we all great!

Set in Italy, this movie spans early 1960s to modern day. Through the course of 6 hours (it was a tv series in Italy) the film follows the political and personal upheavals affecting the Carati family. Superb acting with characters that are neither all good or all bad. I’ll see the movie again–not necessarily because of the stories told, but because they are told so well. Set aside a few nights and watch it!