Hitchcock once said, “If it’s a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on”. This wonderful French animated adventure “Triplets of Belleville” does the trick pure and simple and not only puts Hitchcock’s theory to work, but it manages to prove it without a doubt. It’s very rare we get great films that are silent these days yet manage to tell more of a story than any mainstream Disney film could ever hope to tell. Hitchcock would have loved this because it does an incredible job putting that theory to work throughout the entire story which has no dialogue whatsoever from any of the characters, but tells such a clear story.
Tag Archives: Arthouse
The Dreamers (2003)
“The Dreamers” is a film that was hardly seen upon its initial release, and I think it’s a crime that it was hardly shown to the public. The fact that this film was shun by the MPAA and swept under the rug is only the clearest of indicators of how close-minded we are. Bertolucci gives us a rough and tumble look at sexual acts between friends and never adds cheesy background music to sound like porn, it’s natural, and that’s why “The Dreamers” is such a beautiful film. The film takes place in 1969 where the free loving is at an all time high and the Vietnam War is in the midst.
Dogville (2003)
I don’t have a short attention span, I’m willing to invest three hours, maybe four or five on a film that I think will ultimately end up being very good. I’ve seen “Ben-Hur”, and “Giant” and both were movies that were worth spending many hours on. When a film is great, a four hour movie can feel like five minutes and leave you wishing there were more, but when a movie is bad those four hours feel like an eternity, as did “Dogville”. I knew independent art films could be pretentious and rambling, it comes with the package, but I never knew they could be this pretentious and this utterly nonsensical.
A Room for Romeo Brass (1999)
It’s a common almost natural reflex among children that if they have two objects in front of them, they’ll almost always choose the object that’s flashier, and bigger. It’s just an inborn need, and such is the case with “A Room for Romeo Brass”. Romeo and his next door neighbor Gavon are best friends who bicker and argue and their bond is strong. Gavon walks with a limp due to a back disorder and Romeo defends him constantly. But once Morell enters the scene, their friendship is tested. Morell, after breaking up a fight with Romeo who is attacked by two big kids after defending Gavon, seems nice enough and accompanies the boys home, but pushes himself in to Romeo’s life, not only serving as a friend who is flashier, bigger, stronger, and faster than Gavon, but also as a father figure for Romeo who has no father in his life. Suddenly Romeo wants nothing to do with Gavon, nor does he really visit him once he’s had back surgery, and Romeo and Morell become friends.
Manic (2003)
“Manic” definitely won’t be for everyone, that’s for sure. There have been a lot of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” rip-offs for literally decades and this grim version is basically no exception, except it’s not as dynamic in its delivery. It’s more low-key, and conventional in its filming method, but still ends up becoming a damn good movie, and with a cast like Zoey Deschanel and Don Cheadle, it has to be real hard to botch this. Thankfully, director Jordan Melamed doesn’t really screw it up despite its flaws.
The Mother (2003)
“The Mother” is another one of those many profound films about reaching the peak of your life and suddenly having nothing to look forward to. The two characters we see at the beginning, May and Toots are a couple who basically are not really sure what to do with themselves. We’re not told, nor is it spelled out for us, but the first ten minutes we see them, it’s pretty clear. And it becomes sadly clear that life has pretty much moved on without them, especially their children who greet them with less than emotional sentiment when they pay them a visit which Toots is against. “The Mother” breaks free from the formula of what I mentioned, but is still in the tradition of great films like “Harry and Tonto.” It’s pretty clear they’ve lost their place in their own family, but when May’s husband suddenly dies from a very expected heart attack, suddenly she finds she all on her own.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
If you could wipe a tragic event from your life completely from your memory, would you? If you could wipe clean a tragic, abusive, or damaging relationship with someone clean from your mind, would you? If you, I, anyone had the chance, would we? I know I would, but the tragic picture painted here by the talented Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman. While I just did not like the duo’s previous outing and my first introduction in to their abilities “Human Nature”, I did manage to find a lot to like in films like “Adaptation.,” and “Being John Malkovich.” Regardless, “Eternal Sunshine” might seem like a high concept confusing movie for the casual movie-goer who doesn’t want to think, but open your mind and watch this heartbreaking, often sad, and very surreal love story that will surely manage to play on many viewer’s vulnerabilities.