I only recently became acquainted with the iconic, beautiful, and compelling Indian actress Sridevi--who was in nearly 300 films. She has now suddenly passed away at the only 54. This is a terrible loss, so I'm taking this moment to recommend both Mom and English Vinglish, two of her more recent films. Mom is a rape-revenge thriller, released in 2017. After her step-daughter is brutally assaulted by a gang of men, step-mom Devki takes matters into her own hands. Mom is pretty great, while not for those easily triggered by brutal violence. This is a tight thriller. 4/5 English Vinglish is a little older, released in 2012. In English Vinglish, Sridevi plays the matriarch to a family who underestimates and takes her for granted. Being the only one in her family to not speak any English, Shashi decides to secretly take English classes. This film is so lovely and wonderful. If you don't feel great after watching English Vinglish, I don't know what's wrong with you! 5/5 |
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I had the good fortune of seeing a stunning 4K restoration of the absolutely incredible 1962 Czech The Fabulous Baron Munchausen at the Telluride Film Festival this September. This glorious piece of cinema combines live-action with animation and stop motion. It is so detailed that it's honestly mind blowing; I have no idea how they accomplished what they did without computers. Some of the scenes lag but all-in-all this is a must see...See it on a big screen if you can. The Fabulous Baron Munchausen is about the fantastic and romantic adventures of the Baron and a modern day cosmonaut, Tonik, as they travel through 18th century Turkey competing to rescue Princess Bianca. This version of Munchausen inspired Terry Gilliam to make his own version of Baron Munchausen in 1988. 5/5 Sonita is a very powerful documentary about a teenage girl living illegally as an Afghan refugee in Iran who is facing being sold into marriage. Instead, she breaks the law (women cannot sing) and she becomes a Hip Hop artist. Sonita's bravery is astonishing. I'm a big fan of Iranian cinema and this is no different. I'm a fan. This is an excellent documentary. Show your sons and daughters. 5/5 I was very fortunate to see the Premiere of He Named Me Malala introduced by Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai. The love, total awe, and admiration that he expressed that he has for his daughter was extremely moving. This is a documentary film about Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for speaking out for girls' and womens' right to education. After the failed murder attempt, Malala was not silenced. Rather, she became, and is now, a leading advocate for children's rights and she recently was named the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. This is an inspirational documentary. If you have kids, check it out with them. 5/5 The Mother and the Whore is Jean Eustache's 3 1/2 hour unlikely masterpiece about a love triangle during the summer of 1972, in Paris. This film is comprised of a lot of talking. Talking, talking, and more talking, and yet somehow, I was completely rapt at 9am the last day of the Telluride Film Festival this year. Like Cocksucker Blues, it took me many years to see The Mother and The Whore and it was so completely worth every second. This film transcends everything I ever thought about cinema and will remain one of the most profound movie going experiences of my life. Trust me. If you ever have the chance to catch this one, do not pass it up! 5/5 Son of Saul is a Hungarian film that won the Grand Prix at Cannes this year. It is absolutely incredible. First of all this is a Holocaust film about 36 hours in the life of a Sonderkmmando at Auschwitz working in the gas chambers, and disposing of the dead. Yes, it's completely brutal. That said, it was not the most gruelling 100 minutes. This is achieved primarily in terms of its technical brilliance. This is a very quiet film, with little dialogue so you really are just watching this man go through this one particular day and you can't look away. The film stays with Saul the whole film, and makes ample use of moving camera with very long takes. The audience only sees and hears what Saul sees and hears. He is held in a medium close-up for the majority of the film. There are very few reverse shots, accomplished simply by falling behind Saul keeping both him and what he is seeing both in the same frame without cutting away. Likewise, the film lacks establishing shots. The effect is disorienting and claustrophobic. Son of Saul is simply not your typical Holocaust film. I tend to cringe when a new one comes out, not because the subject matter but because of my personal assumptions about Holocaust films being often exceptionally long and very brutal. While everyone should see at least a few, and I can certainly recommend some really excellent ones, it's a pretty vast sub-genre of the War Genre. I guess I'm trying to say that I am certainly not opposed to War or Holocaust films, I have to be in a certain mood and frame of mind before committing to something that I know will be so emotionally gruelling. When I walked into the projection booth and saw 6 absolutely pristine, perfect, brand new reels, it ceased to matter what kind of film it was. I was over the moon that the Telluride Film Festival was once again able to bring in a few prints to screen--most of the festival program is now digital, and most festivals are now strictly digital. Géza Röhrig (Saul) is riveting. He's not an actor actually, he's a poet and musician. He's VERY interesting, I recommend that you look him up on Wikipedia. 5/5 |
LindseyHere is where I post new reviews as I see films throughout the year. Archives
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