Mini-Review: This is what happens when religion replaces faith, when greed replaces grace, when madness takes hold and ignorance is nurtured by the twisted. "The Last Valley" is such an ambiguous film, and is put together in such a way that everyone who watches it will take something away from it. Every angle is touched on, every life, but in the end, it's all the same. The film is masterful, and Omar Sharif, as well as Michael Caine, are magnificent. "If you ever find God, tell him, that we created..." Wow!
Mini-Review: "The Strong Man" is a great silent comedy with a weird looking dude, what more could one want. Langdon was a lot funnier than I thought he'd be, but I'm sure Capra had something to do with it; that guy sure had a thing for the Wall of Jericho. There's lot of innocent goofball gags that really hit the spot, and the pail with the hole is hilarioius.
Mini-Review: Heart-warming little film set to some beautiful scenery. The two leads had great chemistry and their performances were lovely.
Mini-Review: The hypocrisy is thrown up on the screen in a simple yet profound way. It's a film that critisizes religion from the inside and it's all the better for it. Where it really suceeds though is in forcing you to take a deeper look at yourself. "James Journey to Jerusalem" is a smart and perfectly charming movie of wonderful performances with one great ending.
Mini-Review: The animation ranges from awesome to awful as does the soundtrack, but the sweet and heartfelt story holds it together beautifully. Sato's lovely and touching direction lifts this film to great heights as the comical and dramatic elements are so realized that at times you forget your watching anime. This isn't as epic or artistic as the Ghibli stuff, but it is just as good as their top tier work; and with no pushy politics. "Junkers Come Here" is very enjoyable and certainly worth seeking out.
Mini-Review: "Murphy's War" is unique film with a very peculiar, yet strangely likable, protagonist. The story feels like a WWII version of "Moby Dick", replace the whale with a U-Boat, and the rest of the film is equally cool. O'Toole really does a brilliant job adding depth to Murphy with his performance, and Noiret is great as well.
Mini-Review: Frightening and gorgeous filmmaking. The cinematography is even greater than that of The Burmese Harp, and Ichikawa's direction reaches such a horrifying pinnacle of brilliance in those last minutes that you feel the urge to hold your breath as if to better behold it, making sure not to blink while your eyes continue to water. The will and innocence of the main character in this inhuman surrounding of war makes a truly heart-wrenching watch. Fires on the Plain is awful in a most beautiful way.
Mini-Review: I really like this movie for some reason. William Hart is so cool in this cheesy classic. Liberating hell from the devil, or whoever ran the town.
Mini-Review: "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" just has to be the most lovable film ever made. Kaye's performance is perfection, and I laughed at practically everything that went on. And as one would expect from a Kaye flick, there's even a couple of great tongue twisting tunes thrown in for fun. "The clock didn't strike. I definitely heard it not strike." This movie is so awesome.
Mini-Review: A charming little gem about how a capable and confident man helps to rebuild a town that had previously been lost to corruption. "Winds of the Wasteland" is an exciting and hopeful story that is really fun to watch. Also, there's just something about a Poverty Row studio producing a film about a newcomer trying to start a franchise against all odds that warms you. In the end, the only thing wrong with the movie is its brief running time; it could have been so awesome had it been longer.