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: Foreign
Fortress (1986)
If you’re a fan of “Lord of the Flies”, “Battle Royale”, or just hostage thrillers in general, that is a very rare film to find, one that may be lost if time has its way. The film, based on a true story, is not only just a hostage thriller reminiscent of stories like “The Most Dangerous Game”, but in the end, ends up becoming a truly cautionary tale on what kids, with the right influence from adults, and pushed far enough to the edge, are capable of without conscience. Directed by Arch Nicholson, this is a very tense and engrossing thriller that calls for the wits of a young teacher named Sally, played by the decent Rachel Ward. Sally is a character that never really loses her cool in the face of danger and ends up becoming a very primal influence on the children she teaches, whom in the end, end up becoming deadlier than they seem.
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.
B. Monkey (1998)
I’m a sucker for rebellious non-traditional older hot chicks. Star Asia Argento has appeal both as a heroine and as a tragic figure in this film, B. Monkey, a jewel thief who can get in anywhere, and she’s a fascinating character. She’s like a wildcat who domesticates herself because she declares that she doesn’t like the life of a criminal anymore, and she goes whole hog once she decides to go straight, but much like any situation, it’s hard to tame a wild animal. Argento manages to convey both the hardcore lust for life criminal, and the tragic vulnerable woman whose just anxious to find a way out of her previous life, and the story shows that no matter what, some people just can’t change themselves and their nature no matter how hard they try to. Asia presents the unbridled rage and laissez faire attitude needed for the character and she’s very believable… and did I mention hot?
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.
High Tension (Switchblade Romance) (2005)
I love slasher films, I go ape shit for them, and when I read about “Haute Tension” I went nuts especially after watching the trailer when I went to see “Saw” in theaters last year. Modern slasher films have been incredibly watered down with very little gore, and just nonsensical casting, hiring young hip actors to portray the victims. I always say that these days the best films are the foreign films, and the best horror films are indeed the foreign ones, and “Haute Tension” is no exception. This is a great film that was just so reminiscent of Argento’s gory style, with a killer that is awfully scary.