Someone has accused me of being too exquisite when it comes to films. Perhaps it might be so, but then again instead of a defect this would be a most paramount virtue. Nonetheless, I intend to prove that my tastes can be rather eclectic. What did I pay attention to in this, the first month of 2011?
I saw Douglas Trumbull’s “Brainstorm” (1983), a production that proposes a technology able to record people’s life experience so that others might experience them through a combination of virtual technology and other technological stimuli. The hereafter is analyzed through a scientific perspective which is always something interesting to see.
Dito Montiel’s “A Guide to Recognizing your Saints” (2006) is a heartfelt autobiographical story that revolves around a group of kids growing up in a most underprivileged area. Crime and poverty take a toll on the lives of these youngsters, and while some of the male teens find refuge in drugs, others are prone to delinquency. What matters the most, though, is the life of the protagonist, an intelligent boy that is bedazzled by an Irish lad he meets in high school and starts realizing that there is a world outside his neighborhood, that there can be other alternatives besides misery. In streets ruled by gangs, the dynamics are almost medieval, the protagonists are white, so that means they can’t go to the street ruled by Japanese gangs or the street ruled by Latino gangs and so on. What’s most amazing, perhaps (and this is a story based on true facts) is that even though they live only a few minutes away from New York City, they’ve never been to the city. They live in the world they know, and that means adapting to human misery.
Dennis Iliadis “The Last House on the Left” (2009) keeps the spectators at the edge of their seats. The director skillfully creates suspense and delivers shocking moments that no one could foresee. When I first saw it, for some reason, I didn’t catch the producer’s name (Wes Craven), but since the very beginning I found the story interesting. But then, when I saw Spencer Treat Clark (actor in Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” or Eastwood’s “Mystic River”) I knew this wasn’t just a regular movie. This young actor has always worked for good filmmakers, and this case is no exception. For any horror or suspense fan “The Last House on the Left” is highly recommendable.
John Hughes “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) is a hilarious take on teenage idleness taken to the extreme. Hughes presents the viewer with a charismatic teenage boy that everyone loves. He ditches classes constantly, he lies to everyone, he makes his parents believe he is the perfect boy and he always gets away with it all. Not only that, he is such a resourceful young man that he can intervene his high school computer to delete his absence records or create an ingenious replica of his body so that his mother will think he is in bed. As he takes his girlfriend and his best friend on a journey to the city (stealing the Ferrari of his friend’s father), he makes them discover that fun is all that matters in the end. But more importantly, because of a series of accidents, he forces his best friend to break out of his shelf and face his greatest fears, namely the unhealthy relationship with fatherly figures. A very funny story with quite emotive moments. John Hughes was truly a master of teen movies.
Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” (2010) shows the lives of several characters that have been, in one way or another, affected by death. A French journalist barely survives a flooding in Indonesia, and as a result becomes more in contact with the world of the souls. A man in San Francisco refuses to become a medium, but he is well sought after since he can actually communicate with the dead. Twin brothers in England deal with their mother’s rampant drug addiction and when one of them abruptly dies all hell breaks loose. Eastwood talent is made evident in each of these seemingly unrelated stories, all of these characters are fascinating and can easily move the viewer.
Robert Schwentke’s “Red” (2010) based on the comic book miniseries by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer suggests the possibility of a retired CIA agent coming to grips with his life as a pensioner. Of course, CIA agents never die peacefully, or do they? When a wetworks operative tries to put an end to his life, he will have no other choice but to go to his old friends and plan a counterattack to CIA headquarters. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Brian Cox can easily guarantee a fun ride. But the script is also surprisingly entertaining. There will be a sequel, that’s for sure.
François Truffaut’s “L’Histoire d’Adele H” (1975) is an intense depiction of obsession. When a woman falls in love with a British lieutenant she decides to follow him even if that means turning her back on family and the life she knew. One cannot avoid feeling sympathetic towards Adele, the level of obsession is at first portrayed as something we might identify with (after all, who hasn’t been romantically invested with the wrong person?). However, as the story progresses degradation ensues. How much humiliation can she take? How long can she survive as a lonely woman in search of a man who barely pays attention to her? A masterwork worth revisiting.
Torsten C. Fischer’s “Guter Junge” (2008) is a harsh story about pedophilia. However, the protagonist is not an old predator, but rather a 17-year-old that is constantly hanging out with 11-year-olds. When he starts filming his young buddies he crosses a boundary, and soon one of these boys will accuse him of an immoral act of such caliber that his life won’t remain the same. This is an extraordinary approach on ordinary life and how much it can change because of the protagonist’s pedophilic tendencies. A very tough but also honest perspective of perhaps one of the most controversial subjects one could think of. For a more in depth review feel free to read my IMDB entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205492/usercomments
Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer” (2010) is an eerie story of complots and hidden agendas that involve the CIA and England’s Primer Minister. Here, Ewan McGregor is an anonymous writer that has a task at hand: writing the biography of a character that is an obvious reference to Tony Blair, interpreted by Pierce Brosnan. How the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and how the characters interact with each other is interesting enough, but my favorite part is the suspense and the impending sensation of doom that permeates the activities of the writer. It has been said before, getting close to the truth might be dangerous. Perhaps too dangerous.
Donald P. Borchers’ “Children of the Corn” (2009) is based on a Stephen King story (who also writes the screenplay). The first scene takes us to an isolated rural town in the US, where a group of children intend to ritually sacrifice a pig in order to clean the town of the adults sins. They will soon realize that if all adults are sinners, then to eliminate them will also mean to get rid of sin. Such an uncanny idea, a town governed and inhabited only by children. It is in this scenario that a Vietnam veteran and his Afro-American wife are unlucky enough to stop by. And once they get in touch with a horrific reality they will have no choice but to fight for survival. By the way, this is a remake and I feel now compelled to see the original version.
“Dressed to Kill” (1980) is a classic Brian De Palma’s film. A transvestite killer chases the only witness of his crimes, and as a consequence we have a frenzy search of suspects. Characters include a prestigious British shrink marvelously played by Michael Cain, a high-class whore, a boy of unlimited scientific skills, a rough-edged police officer. For a more in depth review feel free to read my IMDB entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080661/usercomments?start=30
Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau’s “Crustacés et Coquilages” (2005) is a story about two boys, one of them straight and the other one gay, trying to find their place in the world. As any teenager, confusing feelings and constant horniness will lead them to places which might change everything, and also they will discover certain hidden secrets about the adults surrounding them during that journey. For a more in depth review feel free to read my IMDB entry.
Finally, I watched several short-films included in “Boxer Shorts”: in “Tom Clay Jesus” two men have sex, while the first one wants a relationship the second one only wants to find the next hot body. “Boychick”, is about a gay Jew trying to overcome his shyness. “Caught” analyzes the mechanisms of gay infidelity and the nature of desire. In “Audit” a couple of actors face an Internal Revenue audit, and when they realize the lesbian and gay IRS agents are interested in them, how far will they go to avoid paying taxes? “Prom Queen” a transvestite teenager insists in going to the prom night as a drag queen while trying to get the acceptance of the most popular high school boy. For a more in depth review feel free to read my IMDB entries:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287942/usercomments
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277387/usercomments
As usual, if you find the review useful vote for it!
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El otro día alguien me acusaba de tener un gusto demasiado exquisito a la hora de elegir películas, quizá sea cierto, pero si es así, lejos de ser un defecto se trataría de una virtud. En todo caso, quisiera demostrar que mis gustos son un poco más eclécticos de lo que podría parecer a simple vista. ¿Qué vi en este primer mes del año?
Vi “Brainstorm” (1983) de Douglas Trumbull, una película que sugiere una tecnología capaz de grabar las experiencias vitales de la gente para que otros puedan experimentarlas a través de una combinación de tecnología virtual y otros estímulos tecnológicos.
“A Guide to Recognizing your Saints” (2006) de Dito Montiel es una triste historia autobiográfica sobre un grupo de chicos que viven en un distrito caótico y pobre. El crimen marca la vida de estos jóvenes, algunos de ellos encuentran un refugio en las drogas o en la delincuencia. Hasta que el más inteligente del grupo queda cautivado por un carismático irlandés que le hace descubrir que existe un mundo más allá de la miseria de su vecindario.
“The Last House on the Left” (2009) de Dennis Iliadis mantiene el suspenso de principio a fin. Por algún motivo, cuando empecé a ver la película no me di cuenta que era producida por Wes Craven (cineasta al que siempre sigo), pero las primeras escenas me mantuvieron en vilo. Y cuando vi a Spencer Treat Clark me di cuenta que esta no podía ser una peliculilla cualquiera, y es que este joven actor siempre ha elegido bien sus proyectos (ha trabajado bajo la dirección de Ridley Scott, M. Knight Shyamalan y Clint Eastwood). Una película recomendada para todos los fans del cine de suspenso y terror.
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986) de John Hughes es una hilarante historia sobre la ociosidad adolescente llevada al límite. El protagonista es un carismático chiquillo que hará todo lo posible para faltar a clases y no hacer tareas, y siempre se saldrá con la suya. En la secundaria todos lo adoran, y en su casa sus padres lo consideran el hijo perfecto. En una de sus escapadas decide incluir a su enamorada y a su mejor amigo. En un día lleno de aventuras y enredos, el mejor amigo descubrirá que no puede vivir su vida lleno de miedo, y decidirá enfrentar a quien más lo ha relegado: su propio padre. Si bien el humor está siempre presente, también hay momentos de gran emotividad.
“Hereafter” (2010) de Clint Eastwood es un recorrido por las vidas de varios personajes: una periodista francesa que está a punto de perder su visa en la inundación de Indonesia, un hombre en San Francisco condenado a comunicarse con el mundo de los muertos y que desea escapar a su pasado como médium, y dos hermanos gemelos que deben lidiar con la drogadicción de su madre, hasta que uno de ellos muere en un accidente y todas las desgracias se desencadenan.
“Red” (2010) de Robert Schwentke está basado en el cómic de Warren Ellis y Cully Hammer. Cuando un agente de la CIA jubilado está a punto de ser ejecutado, recurre a sus viejos camaradas espías. Nombres como Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren y Brian Cox garantizan un espectáculo digno de verse, pero además un guión sorprendentemente entretenido eleva el nivel de la película. Habrá una secuela, desde luego.
“L’Histoire d’Adele H” (1975) de François Truffaut es un retrato de la obsesión. Cuando una mujer se enamora de un oficial del ejército británico, decide abandonar su tierra y su familia. Pero ¿qué ocurre cuando el oficial no le presta atención? ¿Hasta qué punto permitirá ser humillada? La obsesión lleva a la degradación absoluta en esta obra maestra de Truffaut.
Guter Junge (2008) de Torsten C. Fischer es una película intensa que aborda uno de los temas más controversiales: la pedofilia. No obstante, el protagonista es tan sólo un chico de 17 años que prefiere como víctimas a niños de 11 años. El director no se concentra en el morbo visual, sino en las catastróficas consecuencias que experimenta el protagonista cuando uno de los jóvenes abusados lo denuncia. Para los que quieran leer un comentario más detallado consultar mi reseña en IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1205492/usercomments
“The Ghost Writer” (2010) de Roman Polanski realiza un paralelo con Tony Blair. En este caso, se trata de un primer ministro británico que debe trabajar con un escritor anónimo para publicar su biografía. No obstante, extrañas intrigas y conspiraciones empezarán a salir a la luz. Lo más llamativo: el terror que invade al escritor cuando se acerca demasiado a la verdad.
“Children of the Corn” (2009) de Donald P. Borchers, basada en una historia de Stephen King, empieza con un conciliábulo de niños que deciden sacrificar a un cerdo en un ritual que pretende contrarrestar los pecados de los adultos. Pronto descubren que la mejor forma de eliminar el pecado es asesinando a todos los adultos del aislado pueblo en el que viven. En una sociedad formada enteramente por niños fanáticos religiosos, todo es posible. Pero el verdadero horror lo experimentarán un veterano de Vietnam y su mujer afroamericana que tienen la mala suerte de pasar por esta región rural.
“Dressed to Kill” (1980) de Brian De Palma presenta a un asesino de travestis que mata a una mujer, mientras una prostituta de lujo es testigo del acto. Los sospechosos serán varios: un prestigioso psiquiatra británico genialmente interpretado por Michael Cain, la mencionada prostituta, un paciente travesti del doctor, entre otros. Para los que quieran leer un comentario más detallado consultar mi reseña en IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080661/usercomments?start=30
“Crustacés et Coquilages” (2006) de Olivier Ducastel & Jacques Martineau narra los encuentros y desencuentros de dos jóvenes amigos, uno de ellos gay y el otro no, que en la confusión típica de la adolescencia serán incapaces de discernir los límites entre la amistad y la naturaleza del deseo. Para los que quieran leer un comentario más detallado consultar mi reseña en IMDB.
Finalmente, he visto diversos cortometrajes incluidos en “Boxer Shorts”: “Tom Clay Jesus” aborda la naturaleza del deseo. “Boychick”, la historia de un chico judío gay que debe superar su timidez. “Caught” analiza los mecanismos de la infidelidad en una pareja gay. En “Audit” una pareja de actores hará todo lo posible para no pagar impuestos, aunque eso significa darles algo a cambio a los agentes del fisco (una lesbiana y un gay que demuestran gran interés en ellos). “Prom Queen” muestra a un adolescente travesti que insiste en ir al baile de promoción vestido como una chica. Para los que quieran leer un comentario más detallado sobre “Tom Clay Jesus”, “Boychick” y “Prom Queen” consultar mis reseñas en IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287942/usercomments
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277387/usercomments
Como siempre, si la reseña les parece apropiada ¡voten por ella!
