Salba

For someone who has seen a fair bit of Japanese cinema, this film seemed to pander to the Hollywood format, and the Japanese characters and dialogue did not ring true to my experience of Japanese society through film.The narrative arc was also spread a little too thin, flipping between the girl and the old man as it did - it would have been better to focus on one or the other, and to go with laughs or go with realism. The cinematography was quite lovely, though. A few standout actors too.

87 _92%

A Separation (2011) - Rated 17 Sep 2020

A very well made film indeed, whose actors gave justice to the brilliant & engaging script. The light-touch cinematography & lack of typical dramatic cues lend strength to its real life character. Because of this, one has to pay careful attention to key moments in the plot. The film only becomes more layered as we move through it, and it becomes increasingly difficult to separate protaganist from antagonist. An interesting snapshot into Iranian life, as well, its social contracts and customs.

74 _52%

Sweet Bean (2015) - Rated 11 Sep 2020

Sweet film, simple and slow, which worked well in terms of engaging the senses in food being cooked, excellent acting by the elderly character. Plot was engaging, with histories being revealed. Lovely cinematography, especially the cherry blossoms and the trees in general. I thought the ending was too drawn out and sentimental/mournful relative to the lead-up...more interaction between the girl and the elderly character could have taken place, and with the customers.

68 _32%

The Sheltering Sky (1990) - Rated 15 Aug 2020

Beautiful scenery and cinematography, lovely expansive shots of dunes, oases and old cities, and french colonial building interiors. The movie took a turn to place it in a separate genre about half-way through, probably better as a novel. Still, relationship between couple in first half was interesting to watch, chaotic, desperate. Not enough on.screen chemistry between main characters. The turn in the movie was perhaps too sharp to make it feel cohesive, struggled to adapt to the new tone.

80 _70%

Family Romance, LLC (2019) - Rated 15 Jul 2020

This was a great focus on the relationship between two main characters, punctuated by vignettes of what other gigs the 'actor' is hired for. So interesting that this is what he really does for a living, which is what might make his performance so powerful. At times quite slow moving without necessarily building tension or interest, and the aquarium scene seems like a break from the general style and theme. Great exploration on the ethics and risks of feigning love.

63 _22%

The Treasure (2015) - Rated 15 Jul 2020

This movie is slightly more interesting than watching paint dry. The premise is enough to keep you watching, and as someone else wrote about it, the only surprise is that there is no surprise. Watch it only if you are interested in a random anthropological snapshot of Romanian society. There is some interesting friction between two of the characters. Not comedic at all. The nonprofessional actors did well though.

72 _42%

I, Daniel Blake (2016) - Rated 21 Jun 2020

Given the very real nature of the issues the film grappled with, this story really tugged at the heartstrings. The pace, the vignettes of hardship, the relationships bringing out the character of the protaganist, all created a sense of depth to the story. At times perhaps feeling a little too pointed. The two scenes which impressed me were the single mother's breakdown in the food bank, and the end. The end was messy and abrupt, but true to life in that way. Snapshot into heartless bureaucracy.

83 _82%

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) - Rated 12 Jun 2020

Gosh. The lead actor may be the best child actor I've ever watched. This film has deep & desperate poverty as the background, with a wonderful metaphoric mechanism in ancient aurochs and collapsing ice sheets - a brilliant display of the insecurity of the child, & how she deploys her imagination as a coping strategy. Heartbreaking story about the love & mutual dependence between parent & child under impossible circumstances. Unpretentious, imaginative, haunting & melancholic. Feels like a poem.

73 _46%

Detachment (2011) - Rated 22 May 2020

This film is melodrama on steroids, so go in expecting that. It is excess done well. But, there are too many characters with too-brief stories attached, & it disrupts engagement. There seems too much focus on framing the moral goodness of the protaganist. Too many close-ups, too much queasy camera & long soundtrack. But if you like emotional intensity, it'll all work wonders. Brilliant acting, if at times over-wrought in context. The hallmark is lovely prose narration, apt, wise & true to life.

68 _32%

A Touch of Spice (2003) - Rated 28 Mar 2020

This felt like a book to film adaptation, covering three time periods with a theme of food and spice. It was in the style of an epic drama, but the drama lacked substance. The historical scenes were lovely, if somewhat 'staged'. Was intensely poetic, sometimes too much so, and themes repeated too often, but nevertheless sweet and funny. At some points the plot is more engaging than others, especially so was the troubled boyhood in Greece. Worth a watch, especially if you are sentimental.