lee_eisenberg
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try again
Movies from 2012 that I recommend
So realistic that they seem redundant.
Reviews
Mala Noche (1986)
The world's introduction to Gus Van Sant
With Hollywood reverting to escapism in the '80s, actual storytelling fell to the nascent indie cinema. The notable directors in this movement were the likes of Jim Jarmusch and Spike Lee, but there was also the Portland-based Gus Van Sant. Nowadays he's probably best known for "Good Will Hunting" and "Milk", but his directorial debut was the ultimate non-Hollywood movie. "Mala Noche" depicts a gay store clerk who is smitten with a pair of Mexican men.
In addition to the main plot, the movie shows the down-and-out side of 1980s Portland. Watching the movie, one might end up thinking that the City of Roses is a world of cheap hotels and people with no future. Quite a different image than you get from "Portlandia" or even "Grimm". But whatever the case, Van Sant made a solid debut here. Van Sant would focus on marginalized communities in later movies too. Without a doubt, this is a movie that anyone who loves cinema just has to see.
Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937)
Some things you can't get out of
Watching George Marshall's "Nancy Steele Is Missing", I wondered if it was partly based on the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby (apparently one of the biggest news stories of the early '30s). Victor McLaglen puts on an intense performance as a man who kidnaps his boss's daughter in the hopes of keeping the US out of World War I. Sent to jail for an unrelated crime, he gets out years later and meets the girl, who knows nothing of what happened. But there's still more to come.
I interpreted the movie to mean that you can never fully predict how a scheme will go, especially when it involves something questionable. The dim lighting emphasizes the intensity; it's the sort of movie that makes you feel as if you're walking on eggshells. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but the performances and direction make up for any shortcomings.
Gretel & Hansel (2020)
Norman Bates's son adapts the brothers Grimm
While one might call Osgood Perkins's "Gretel & Hansel" one of the many unusual adaptations of fairy tales (think "Grimm" and "Into the Woods"), the original story was already pretty dark. Indeed, the image of fairy tales as light and fluffy is a recent thing.
Anyway, this movie incorporates an elaboration of the tale. My interpretation is that it's about moral ambiguity (watch what happens to some of the characters as the movie progresses). It's not any sort of masterpiece but I did like the complexity that it gives the characters.
The cast includes Sophia Lillis (of "It" and "Sharp Objects") and Alice Krige (of "Chariots of Fire" and "Star Trek: First Contact").
Until Dawn (2025)
I didn't even know that this is based on a video game
I had seen trailers for "Until Dawn" for a few weeks, but it wasn't until I read a review that I learned that it's based on a video game. Anyway, the movie is pretty much what I expected, with some teens trapped in a time loop that brings new horrors each time. I guess that, like in "Jumanji", certain games you shouldn't start unless you intend to finish.
Basically, it's the typical kind of escapist fare that we get early in the year. I will say that I liked how the movie used practical effects as much as possible.
The only cast member whom I recognized was Peter Stormare, whom you may remember from "Fargo" and "Chocolat". It looks as though he'll always get cast as sketchy, nasty types.
Bedhead (1991)
Robert Rodriguez's original beginning
In the 1990s, Robert Rodriguez became one of the doyens of exploitation cinema. His feature debut was the 1992 crime drama "El mariachi", and he followed it up with the likes of "From Dusk Till Dawn" and "The Faculty", later on probably reaching his zenith by giving Danny Trejo a lead role in "Machete".
What you might not have seen is his student film "Bedhead", about a girl tired of taking abuse from her brother. Well you should see it. Made for almost nothing, it has a clever plot and neat camera angles. Rodriguez shows the same kind of flair that he would later bring to his feature films. You can find it as an extra on the "El mariachi" DVD.
Oddity (2024)
There must be a Celtic horror sensibility
I am planning a trip to Ireland soon, and I've been trying to expose myself to the Irish culture. I'm currently reading "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". I've now watched an Irish horror movie, Damian McCarthy's "Oddity".
I should note that this isn't a straight-up horror flick. It's more of a drama with horror elements, as a blind medium tries to find out the truth behind her sister's murder. A lot of it is slow-moving, but that's just to let things develop; this isn't simply a blood-and-guts movie. The house's location in an isolated rural setting definitely helps the mood. It's not a masterpiece, but worth seeing. Erin go bragh!
I wonder if Irish horror stories have a special style.
Islands (1987)
How to wrap an isolated land
I first learned of conceptual artist Christo from a photo that Annie Leibovitz took of him, showing him wrapped in plastic. I really began to take an interest in him in eleventh grade when the language arts class focused on his projects that he carried out with his longtime partner Jeanne-Claude. I even dressed as him for Halloween that year!
Anyway, the Maysles brothers' documentary "Islands" focuses on a project that Christo and Jeanne-Claude did in southern Florida: they wrapped islands in plastic. A large portion of the documentary looks at how they had to get permission from the local government to do this. I don't know how long it took to get permission or to set up the project, but it was quite an impressive show. I think that it's safe to say that we won't see another artist pair like these two again in our lifetimes. We're lucky to have lived when they did. In the meantime, definitely check out the documentary.
King of the Gypsies (1978)
Some traditions need to go, even if you acknowledge who you are
I've seen a few movies focusing on the Romani people, but Frank Pierson's "King of the Gypsies" is probably the only one set in the United States. The protagonist is the scion of a Roma family in New York who starts to grow disillusioned with his people's ways of doing things, in particular their reluctance to integrate into society. When his dying grandfather names him king of the clan, things take a gritty turn.
I have never known anyone of Romani descent, so I can't comment on the depiction of them here. What I can say is that it reminds us that just because something is a tradition, that doesn't necessarily make it okay. This is one movie that will not leave you feeling lighthearted or ecstatic.
In addition to star Eric Roberts, the cast includes Judd Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Sterling Hayden and Brooke Shields.
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929)
Sometimes I wonder if it makes sense to watch the movie when I haven't seen the original play
I happened to read about "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney", knowing nothing about it, so I decided to rent it. I guess that the movie works well as a piece of film history since it was MGM's first movie with sound recorded directly onto the film. Aside from that, there's nothing really significant about it unless you want to see Basil Rathbone in a pre-Sherlock Holmes role. Otherwise, it seems like star Norma Shearer doesn't have much to do in the role of a guest plotting against her hosts. Basically, it's one of those drawing room movies, the kind that "Gosford Park" tore apart. I don't recommend it.
The screenplay received an Academy Award nomination.
Sinners (2025)
How do we advance when we cling to the past?
Undeniably, Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" mixes a lot of things. It mostly starts off by addressing racism and incorporating a lot of music, before turning more towards horror. But overall, the movie's gist is the question of how we advance while we cling to the past. Don't get me wrong; we should acknowledge our misdeeds if we want to correct them. But nonetheless, we have to look to the future.
Maybe that's excessive analysis. The main point is that the movie does a fine job in every respect. It takes some real talent to have this kind of great music in an intense setting. Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaki, and the rest all put on excellent performances. This year is turning out to be an impressive one for horror movies, and I hope that Coogler continues his good streak.
Vanity Fair (2004)
Elle Woods meets Eddie Valiant meets Horace Slughorn and Xenophilius Lovegood
Full disclosure: I have not read William Makepeace Thackeray's "Vanity Fair". In fact, I only know Thackeray as the author of "Barry Lyndon". An earlier adaptation of the former was 1935's "Becky Sharp", mostly famous as the first feature film in color.
So anyway, I've now seen Mira Nair's 2004 adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon as the social climber. An okay movie, although it's hard to judge having not read the book. If anything, my interpretation of it is more colored by "Bridgerton". If nothing else, it's equally weird and interesting to hear Reese Witherspoon speaking in an English accent, although it's not a terrible attempt (nothing will out-cringe Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins").
Basically it's okay not great. Nair's best movie remains 1991's "Mississippi Masala".
His Wedding Night (1917)
Buster and Fatty get wacky
Buster Keaton got his start in movies alongside Fatty Arbuckle. Keaton obviously ended up more famous due to the collapse of Arbuckle's career following a scandal. Nonetheless, their collaborations were usually enjoyable. An example is 1917's "His Wedding Night". It's basically an excuse for them to pull a series of zany gags, one involving a watermelon.
One of the most famous things about this short is that we get to see Buster Keaton smile, one of the rare instances when he did so onscreen. But even beyond that, it's just a funny short. It just goes to show that talent is main thing required to make any performance work. You're sure to enjoy it. Available on Wikipedia.
El mariachi (1992)
the beginning of an impressive career
In the past thirty years, Robert Rodriguez has been known as the director of some of the grittiest exploitation flicks out there: Planet Terror, Machete, and the like. This repertoire started with "El mariachi", a tale of a guitar player forced to turn aggressive when he gets mistaken for a criminal.
Without a doubt, this will not be for everyone. In addition to the unflinching violence, the movie features no recognizable names. But it doesn't need those. Its head-on style is what makes it. This is one of those movies where entire sequences barely give the viewer time to breathe. Absolutely amazing for a movie that had a budget of only $7,000.
Does the movie count as a masterpiece? I guess that depends on how you define the word. What I can say is that this is a movie that you won't forget anytime soon. Definitely see it.
Guling jie shaonian sharen shijian (1991)
a rough childhood in Taiwan during the era of Elvis Presley
To us in the West, Taiwan is generally known as the island to which Chinese Nationalist forces fled after the 1949 revolution, establishing a government favorable to the West. We might not know about what happened after the Nationalist forces established the modern Republic of China.
Edward Yang's "Guling jie shaonian sharen shijian" ("A Brighter Summer Day" in English) focuses on a disillusioned teenager in Taiwan in the late '50s-early '60s. Affected by his parents' uncertainty about the future due to their dislocation - as well as Chiang Kai-shek's less-than-democratic governance - he joins a street gang. It becomes clear that something big is going to happen.
The movie (Taiwan's submission as Best Foreign Language Film to the 64th Academy Awards) has a deliberately ironic title, based on a line from an Elvis Presley song: there's nothing bright or sunny about people's uncertainty about their future, the country's repressive rule, or the undermining of Confucian values. Indeed, Elvis's music is but one example of the influence that the West wields over Taiwan (note the theater showing a Marilyn Monroe movie). I don't know whether or not this movie is considered Yang's grand masterpiece, but it's certainly a candidate for that title. If you consider yourself a film buff, then you owe it to yourself to see the movie. It might also make you want to go to Taiwan (in my case, I have an acquaintance there).
Christo in Paris (1990)
how to envelop a bridge
I first learned of Bulgarian conceptual artist Christo from a photo that Annie Leibovitz took of him showing him completely wrapped in plastic. Since I didn't know anything about him, it flew over my head. Then, in eleventh grade, my language arts class focused on Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude (who were born the same day, incidentally). I grew so fascinated with their works that I dressed up as Christo for Halloween that year!
Anyway, the Maysles brothers' documentary "Christo in Paris" focuses on one of Christo's and Jeanne-Claude's projects: wrapping the Pont Neuf in plastic. We get as much focus on their efforts to get permission to do so as we do on the project itself. With this, the question remains as to whether this counts as art.
Whatever the case, you can't deny that Christo and Jeanne-Claude achieved some impressive works. I doubt that we'll ever again see anyone pull off what they did. Quite an achievement for a guy who grew up in rural Bulgaria first under the Nazi occupation and then under the Soviet takeover.
Blaze (1989)
Paul and Lolita look at politics
Paul Newman had been established as one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century by the time that he starred in Ron Shelton's "Blaze", about the romance between Louisiana Gov. Earl Long and exotic dancer Blaze Starr.
Obviously I don't know the whole story. The only source is Starr's autobiography, and I haven't read that. What I can say is that this is one of the most interesting stories in politics. I guess that the Long family had all sorts of colorful stuff in their political careers (such as Huey's corruption masquerading as populism). As for Starr herself, Lolita Davidovich's portrayal of her makes her out to be a real babe, and it's hard not to admire her.
It's not a great movie, but the performances and direction (as well as the Academy Award-nominated cinematography) make it an enjoyable story. Worth seeing. The rest of the cast includes Gailard Sartain, Jeffrey DeMunn (one of the guards in "The Green Mile"), Richard Jenkins (Nate Sr. On "Six Feet Under") and Robert Wuhl (Alexander in "Batman"). Incidentally, Shelton later directed both Wuhl and Davidovich in another biopic: 1994's "Cobb", about a reporter's interview with violent-tempered baseball player Ty Cobb (this time with Wuhl in the lead role and Davidovich in a brief appearance).
Drop (2025)
I guess that this will work as long as we're addicted to our phones
One might say that Christopher Landon's "Drop" is a thriller for the phone addiction era. Just walk down the street and you're bound to see people who can't take their eyes off their screens. It would be perfectly easy to torment someone the way that a stranger torments the woman here.
As for the movie, it's pretty well executed. Filmed mostly in a single location, it creates a feeling of claustrophobia to accompany the suspense. Admittedly some of the scenes later on in the movie looked improbable, but mostly I enjoyed it. Not any sort of spectacular movie, but worth seeing. Meghann Fahy is probably most recognizable from her role on season two of "The White Lotus".
Akira (1988)
we might expect it sooner or later
A cynic would probably label Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira" simply another post-apocalyptic tale of a ragtag team fighting the powerful, but such an assessment would miss the whole point. This masterpiece of anime and manga addresses issues of power, societal decay, loyalty, the potential misuse of technology, and humanity's future as a species. All while depicting one of the most stylized images of Tokyo (or Neo-Tokyo, since it takes place in the then-future year of 2019) ever shown onscreen. Showing the glamorous as well as the gritty, I doubt that you've ever seen an image of Japan like this.
If you've only known Japanese animation as stuff aimed at the tykes, then you're in for a surprise here. This has some of the most intense scenes ever depicted in an animated feature. Maybe not as brutal as shown in movies about the yakuza, but this is definitely for mature audiences.
Basically, if you consider yourself a film buff, then you owe it to yourself to see this movie. No self-indulgent stuff or comic relief to be found anywhere in it. Just the straightforward depiction of everything. It's definitely made me want to see other anime works.
3 Men and a Baby (1987)
Spock directs Magnum, Sam, and...wait, does Steve Guttenberg have a defined famous role?
If you heard that the man known for playing a hyper-rational human-alien hybrid on one of the most beloved sci-fi shows of all time later directed a comedy about a trio of bachelors having to raise an infant, you might think that it's the result of Mad Libs. Well, it's a description of "Three Men and a Baby" (also rendered "3 Men and a Baby").
It's one of those innocuously silly comedies from the '80s. I guess that if in fact three guys suddenly had to jointly raise a baby, it might in fact look something like this. Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg have a lot of fun with the material, and it looks like the sort of movie that was fun to make. Imagine the surprise millions of nerds must've gotten to learn that Leonard Nimoy directed a lighthearted comedy. Either way, it's one comedy that definitely, ahem, lived long and prospered.
Hell of a Summer (2023)
Finn Wolfhard pays homage to the '80s a different way
Well established as nerdy Mike on "Stranger Things", Finn Wolfhard directs and stars in a different kind of production reminiscent of 1980s pop culture. "Hell of a Summer" is an homage to every '80s movie where a psycho is picking off a bunch of teenagers (with emphasis on "Friday the 13th"), although it clearly takes place present-day.
One thing that you might notice about this movie is that the kills take place off-screen (despite the abundance of blood in their wake). Maybe that looks a bit strange since we're used to seeing over-the-top butchery in slasher flicks, but it's still an enjoyable movie. Check it out if you get a chance.
The Offering (2022)
trouble just finds you, especially in ultra-religious communities
One thing that I have to say about "The Offering" is that it's the first horror movie that I've seen that focuses on Hasidic Jews. This ultra-conservative branch of Judaism usually gets portrayed in dramas, often focusing on their distrust of those outside their insular communities. Indeed, here we see the community's disfavor with the protagonist's marriage to a non-Jewish woman (which was more recently the topic of the Netflix series "Nobody Wants This").
As for the movie itself, it's a pretty routine horror movie. Lots of jumpscares and stuff about evil spirits. I did think that it had an interesting plot, if only because I learned a lot about the mythology. Who knows, maybe one day horror flicks will be the primary information source about mythology. I just wish that these movies could lay off the cliches.
By the Sad Sea Waves (1917)
Lloyd goes swimming
I should note that I haven't seen many of Harold Lloyd's movies, but I've liked the ones that I've seen. I understand that Alfred J. Goulding's "By the Sad Sea Waves" is one of the first movies in which he wore glasses.
Like most shorts from the 1910s, it has a simple plot: the protagonist pretends to be a lifeguard to attract women, but a mistake or two arises. It's not the kind of laugh-out-loud anarchic humor that you'd find in a Marx Brothers movie, but it's funny enough for the short runtime. I do hope to see more of Lloyd's movies in the future. In the meantime, you can find this one on both YouTube and Wikipedia.
Ying hung boon sik (1986)
I bet that no one ever expected to see Andy Warhol referenced like this!
John Woo is probably best known in the United States for movies like "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off". US moviegoers might not have known that he started his career in his native Hong Kong, directing a number of renowned action flicks. One of his masterpieces was 1986's "Ying hung ben sik" ("A Better Tomorrow" in English).
All that I can say is that John Wood is one person who truly knows how to direct action movies. This analysis of loyalty and brotherhood keeps you on the edge of your seat without generating into gratuitous violence (Woo noted that the violence is there to show the lengths that the gangsters will go to). The movie notably made a star of Chow Yun-fat, and he plays his role perfectly here. This is one movie not to miss.
I should mention one thing. I read that there were two different DVD releases, and one of them apparently changed some of the music. That must have been the one that I watched, because it had the "Forrest Gump" theme in one scene. I wonder why the music got changed.
Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo (1985)
remember the Dirty War
Following the 1976 coup d'état in Argentina, a military junta seized power and began rounding up political opponents, many of whom were never seen again. These kidnapped people became known as the Disappeared, with the government's actions known as the Dirty War.
Lourdes Portillo's Academy Award-nominated documentary "Las madres de Plaza de Mayo" ("The Mothers of the Plaza of Mayo" in English) focuses on the mothers of the Disappeared and how they have spent years demanding justice for their children. The documentary interviews the mothers, who tell about their children, and also about how Argentina's political history led to the coup (and then how the junta's misguided invasion of the Falkland Islands brought it down).
This is one documentary that everyone should see. It's a profound look at Argentina's continued investigation into its history. Although it didn't win an Oscar, another production about the Dirty War did: "The Official Story", about a woman who discovers that she got taken away from her birth parents after the junta arrested them. Definitely see both.
La tragédie de Carmen (1983)
it helps to have seen an adaptation beforehand
Full disclosure: I've never attended a production of Georges Bizet's "Carmen". The only version that I've seen previously is Otto Preminger's "Carmen Jones" (one of the few productions from old Hollywood to feature an entirely African-American cast); in fact, it was from that movie that I realized that a certain tune that I'd heard before - Habanera - was from that opera.
Well, now I've seen a recording of Peter Brook's staging of Bizet's opera, called "La tragédie de Carmen" ("The Tragedy of Carmen" in English). While an impressive show, I should note that I probably wouldn't have understood any of it had I not seen Preminger's version first. I understand that Brook released three versions of the production, each featuring a different cast. Well, since I watched it on YouTube, I don't know which version I saw. What I can say is that it has to be seen to be believed. Check it out if you can.