At face value, the screen story, about a dysfunctional family, is weak. The plot is not really credible. The lead character (Travis) is an older man who in the first ten minutes of the film wonders alone in the desert like a horse with no name, seemingly suffering from severe trauma. But Travis' later behavior and the behavior of other characters in the film are not believable, given this opening gambit.
However, if we discard our need to interpret behavior rationally, then the film works, eith...
Wim Wenders attempts to turn his first trip to Japan into a homage to Ozu and an exploration of Japanese modernity, contrasted with the images of a bygone era glimpsed in Tokyo Monogatari.
This is a deeply personal film, an unabashed pilgrimage by Wenders in search of his muse. His rambling narration, impenetrable at times, offers little insight on Japan. What first-time visitor can encapsulate a city as complex as Tokyo? The film works better on the subject of Ozu, the interviews with actor Ch...
A calm and wonderful fantasy with such a simple vision that makes you want to believe in angels. Perhaps they are there... whenever my mood changes, seemingly unprompted, I always wonder.
Hijacked and debased by people who don't know any better (even U2, I'm afraid, and the American remake must be avoided at all costs - ideally it should be wiped from the record and the memories of all who saw it) this film has become iconic and has infected the imaginations of countless filmmakers. Look carefu...
首都机场附近的某个小镇上，曾经的诗人陈小阳（廖凡）化身黑鸡养殖场场长，一心做着自己场出产的营养黑鸡蛋全部占领北京市场的梦。某日，小镇迎来陈小阳的昔日好友、失败诗人欧阳云飞（陈建斌）。在欧阳云飞眼里，宁静的小镇神秘怪诞，正与他的心境相契合。
孤独、有许多怪癖、患有色盲症的小镇姑娘方芳（秦海潞）爱上了欧阳云飞，并期望对方能带她离开对她来说只有黑白二色的小镇，但欧阳云飞想的只是如何成名。在一张偶然买到具有神奇魔力的盗版光盘的帮助下，欧阳云飞梦想成真，可是怪事也接踵而来。
dream come true for art-house film buffs, and anyone whose out looking for an interesting way to spend 90 minutes. This is perhaps one of the most amazing collection of short films. The secret lies in the vast variety of genre and style of the films. From pure eye-candy to dramatic documentaries. In a collection like this, there is no such thing as "out of place". I found all the films enjoyable and interesting. For me, the weakest segment was the Wim Wenders film. It felt like an episode of a m...
父亲经营着一家皮艺店，母亲则在工厂负责皮包的设计和制作，他们对这门生意倾注了极大的感情和心力，却仍是经营惨淡，债主会不期而至。父亲决定以全店皮具五折的方式促销，起初似乎还挺有效，慢慢地作用却不再明显。母亲开始责怪父亲的经营方式和能力，平时在别处总是有一套套道理的父亲，此时却无言以对，懊恼地抽自己的嘴巴。家里家外的波折低落总是会过去，父亲和母亲还是满心祈愿：从明天，也许就能慢慢好起来吧。平淡甚至细碎的生活细节缓缓铺展：父亲想尽一切办法希望女儿长高，母女为店里收成不错的一天鼓掌欢呼，狭窄的过道里女儿...
2000年春节，在陕西省宝鸡市火车站附近的垃圾台上，聚集着一群流浪汉。他们来自全国各地，年纪大致相当。白天，他们在城市里满无目的地游荡，晚上住在铁路边上。
这群人里，有大四川周富，他在城里打工，回家路上丢了钱和身份证，就在这个地方过着这样的生活；李小龙和火红昌（大家叫他火狐狸，只有九岁）都是从家里跑出来；小云南替人放峰，一天夜里，老板走了，三年的工资一分钱都没付；凤翔说自己是因为婚事和家人闹矛盾才跑了出来。
大兴安岭的鄂伦春族人，大多数已经永远地结束了狩猎生活，居住在了山下的定居点。而鄂伦春人孟金福，则依然保留着最原始的生存方式，信奉火神、月神，万物皆神，尤其是信奉山神，相信是山神给了他猎物和住所。孟金福在很多树上雕刻了山神的摸样，对他膜拜。偶尔有筏木者将这样的树砍掉，会让他和同他一样信奉山神的人难过很久。本片忠实记录了这些鄂伦春人的最原始的生存方式，尤其是他们制作桦皮船的工艺，但是随着这些老鄂伦春人的逝去，古老的传统就渐渐遗失了。
古びたアパートで持ち主である秀雄（板尾創路）と暮らす空気人形（ペ・ドゥナ）。ある朝、本来持ってはいけない“心”を持ってしまう。秀雄が仕事に出かけると、洋服を着て、靴を履いて、街へと歩き出す。初めて見る外の世界で、いろいろな人間とすれ違い、つながっていく空気人形。ある日、レンタルビデオ店で働く純一（ARATA）と出会い、その店でアルバイトをすることに。密かに純一に想いを抱く空気人形だったが…。
I didn't want to comment on this at first but given the fact that most of the positive reviews are Tarkovsky fanatics and the negative reviews are not so interested in Tarkovsky as a director to give him a fair account I took the burden to comment halfway. First of all the movie has some of the most beautiful images caught on film that I have ever seen, and I am not talking about how beautiful Italy is but about how Tarkovsky the director uses that beauty. Unfortunately all this beauty goes to w...
It's not easy to make such judgments, but this is my favorite film. A personal choice, for sure, but what MIRROR achieves is the height of poetry and literature. Its final moment, if it works for you (and I can imagine it wouldn't for all), is a success of the "method of indirection" sought by poetry. Its effect is cumulative and devastating.
People often stress the difficulty of this film, but my only answer is to allow it to wash over you and allow it to have its effect. The first time I saw ...
Andrei Tarkovsky's school graduation project, the short film Katok i Skripka or Steamroller and the Violin (1960), by the words of Russian critic Maya Turovskaya, the first rate film, is promise of the things that would come so powerfully in his later films. The most important part of the little film was the joy of showing the beauty and poetry of the ordinary familiar things. The whole world of the film is saturated in colors, filled by myriads of playful solar spots, mirror reflections (yes, m...
'Hable con ella' aka 'Talk to Her' (2002) is a powerful cinematic experience…It is not the best Almodovar and the narration is not a pristine one as more affective details could have been added. Yet the movie succeeds on so many levels. Why is that so? An original scenario and a bunch of very good actors might very well be the answer. Very baroque at time, adept of kitsch atmospheres Mr. Almodovar also has a cinematic sense of parody as well as drama. His style became famous out of Spain with m...
Spoilers
Since 'Hable con ella' ('Talk to her', for which my summary line was 'Almodovar mellowing?') which some consider Almodovar's best, his fans have been looking forward to his next one with great expectation but also some apprehension as to how could he possibly tope it, in the sheer ingenious creativity, if nothing else. Bound for Cannes release, Bad Education soon demonstrated that the apprehension is not unfounded. It is, after all, not easy to surpass the achievement of Hanle con ella...
Volver/ / Pedro Almodóvar
Volver is by far one of the best movies of Almodovar. The way he narrates the story with the camera is just perfect: gently and with character. You will see how feelings and emotions are driven smoothly by a great group of actresses (Penélope does a GREAT job along with Carmen Maura) which perfectly understand what the director wants to deliver and how to do it.
It is another of those twisted bitter stories of life that Almodovar knows well and enjoys developing and producing them. Don't miss i...
