seasondays - el fanatico

seasondays fifth autumn film festival

D A W N - O F - T H E - D E A D

1978.george a ROMERO

3.5/5.0

second film in this franchise and with low expectations already i found a much better film.

it opens [and closes for that matter] weak but the main part of the movie is absolutely fantastic.

it is, of course, easier said than done but this high concept is executed almost to perfection.

it is a little long, some scenes and sequences could have been cut or at least shortened but there is plenty to enjoy.

in a SENTENCE: you can check off in your list your living in a shopping mall fantasy.

seasondays fifth autumn film festival

N I G H T - O F - T H E - L I V I N G - D E A D

1968.george a ROMERO

3.0/5.0

this film is easy to fall in love with but hard to understand truly how great it is.

sure, it is pop culture in the making and there is more than plenty to like but being the foundations of a genre that is now a huge tall skyscraper is appreciated but not fully embraced.

yes, i liked how ROMERO balances the moments of anxiety-filled calmness with the battles against the living dead.

and yes, i liked how he flirts with elements of silent cinema but in the end as a 21st century film buff i feel underwhelmed.

in a SENTENCE: it is amazing and entertaining but you should not expect a zombie movie that could have been made today.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

S C E N E R - U R - E T T - A K T E N S K A P

aka SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE

1973.ingmar BERGMAN

3.0/5.0

surely a rich film but since it was intended as a tv series it is a weirdly paced effort.

this film opens very strong and continues to do so for the first half, both actors do a fantastic job portraying the couple that almost never really stumbles.

however, once the marriage is over this film becomes harder to watch, not only because the couple does develop a complex relationship but because this film’s tone becomes confusing.

however there is still plenty to watch, the script might be confusing but the actors does deliver a natural performance that portrays honestly this confusion.

in a SENTENCE: it might be more enjoyable as a tv series but the chaptered structure does help you in that sense.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

P E R S O N A

1966.ingmar BERGMAN

4.5/5.0

this is what i call a scandinavian minimalist piece of movie that has the complexity and depth that this movement should have.

this film works in many ways, it is so filled with messages and so full of metaphors that you can see why everyone find it as rich; this film very surreal opening might be a clue of how random life can be but it might also be a hint of the use of cinematic liberties.

this film works because of its many layers and many levels; yes, it is a story of a nurse and her patient, the symbiotic relationship that develops and therefore how interchangeable they both become by the end, one could as easily argue that both are the same person.

BERGMAN does his best work in the director’s chairs, not only is this film absolutely gorgeous but he knows how to make the most out from every element of the filmmaker’s profession.

in a SENTENCE: deeply interesting and intriguing i think i would be thinking of this film for a very long while.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

S A S O M - I - E N - S P E G E L

aka THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY

1961.ingmar BERGMAN

3.0/5.0

weirdly had the chance to see a play based on the movie that the film itself but in strange way saw things i missed then.

BERGMAN being BERGMAN was thinking way more than it might appear and this film is no stranger to that trait.

it is a movie about the demons from the past chasing to our presents and futures.

it is a movie about life repeating itself and teaching us the harshest of lessons over and over again.

in a SENTENCE: as always a very well made film that haunts you for hours and days.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

J U N G F R U K A L L A N

aka the VIRGIN SPRING

1960.ingmar BERGMAN

2.5/5.0

many have dealt with loss of innocence but none have gone as far as BERGMAN did.

it is truly a fairy tale but it is not the kind you would tell a child, it is a dark, raw and rough tale.

it is as much a tale of a boy and a girl losing their innocence to a wild world but also a story of revenge and the guilt that follows.

BERGMAN being the man he is never forgets to paint the movie with many shades of religious beliefs and the irony that comes with it.

in a SENTENCE: liked it but not loved it and somehow i never was caught by the wonders on screen.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

D I A L - M - F O R - M U R D E R

1954.alfred HITCHCOCK

3.5/5.0

it is the perfect blue print for the perfect murder picture and it still is exciting and intriguing.

very well written, the brilliance on the script relies purely on its simplicity, the very easy-to-follow structure and the interesting and intriguing characters.

HITCHCOCK being the master that he is never seizes to amaze us and he delivers a carefully edited film that offers some interesting framing devices.

HITCHCOCK really works wonders out of the tiny apartment, it becomes a chest of hidden mysteries and never feels as claustrophobic as it appears to be.

in a SENTENCE: what an enjoyable experience the whole movie is and i’m still surprised by many plot twists.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

N O T O R I O U S

1946.alfred HITCHCOCK

3.0/5.0

this film feels so familiar and yet i’m sure i have never seen it before but maybe it works [like many of HITCHCOCK’s movies] as a blue print for a miniature genre.

it is as well written and as well directed as most of his films and while it might not be as popular as other films it does have plenty to offer.

the way HITCHCOCK plays with shadows making scenes more suspenseful, more thrilling is something clearly clever and effective.

however, the movie’s biggest stars [pun intended] are the actors specially BERGMAN and RAINS who perfectly nail the mood and the tone.

in a SENTENCE: entertaining and interesting but the movie left me wanting more.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

S P E L L B O U N D

1945.alfred HITCHCOCK

2.5/5.0

it does open with a promise to be a complex challenge but it is truly not even that with a DALI sequence involved.

featuring HITCHCOCK’s usual plot moves it is long but, as always, an entertaining, an interesting movie to watch.

however it does lack the excitement, the intrigue that many other films of his have even when many twists are as shocking as they could be today.

how on earth would i have guessed that the most surreal moment is a very simple, very subtle trick? the big reveal followed by the gun shooting the audience.

in a SENTENCE: not the best, not the worst but it still is a pleasure to watch.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

R E B E C C A

1940.alfred HITCHCOCK

3.5/5.0

it is as exciting and intriguing as the best kind of gossip is but unlike that this film is as sophisticated as early century aristocracy.

HITCHCOCK really nails the mise-en-scene, sights and sounds trap you in a classy yet confusing world.

HITCHCOCK, of course, had one great blue print to work with; the fact that you know as much as JOAN FONTAINE character haunts you.

while FONTAINE and OLIVIER deliver what is needed and lead effortlessly, i think JUDITH ANDERSON over-the-top performance steals the whole movie.

in a SENTENCE: HITCHCOCK’s first and last best picture winner might not be as complex as other works of his but it surely is one of the most sophisticated.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

the L A D Y - V A N I S H E S

1938.alfred HITCHCOCK

3.0/5.0

this film has plenty to offer but somehow it does feel like something is missing.

that plot is so clever in its simplicity that one has to wonder why has the movie not been remade and remade over time.

that plot is easy to follow, keeps you guessing while never confusing you nor make you impatient.

HITCHCOCK apparently was born a director because this film craftmanship is amazing; the sense of space is great as well.

in a SENTENCE: i must confess that i was challenged by this film’s pace but let’s blame that on a sort of temporal translation.

seasondays fifth summer film festival

the 3 9 -  S T E P S

1935.alfred HITCHCOCK

2.5/5.0

this film offers more cinematic and historical perspective than entertainment value but that does not mean that it is boring.

on the contrary, HITCHCOCK’s motifs and themes were always there so we get to see the usual innocent man running away from the people blaming him for something he had nothing to do with.

it is somehow entertaining and interesting, it is mildly exciting and intriguing.

it does have some scenes worth watching [from a director’s perspective] and some sequences smart enough [from a writer’s one].

in a SENTENCE: this is the closer we can get to a great director’s origin story.

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O N - T H E - R O A D

2012.walter SALLES

2.5/5.0

while the movie does a very good job of portraying the weird tone of this book, just like it i found it honest and somehow shallow.

favorite scene: SAL PARADISE finally getting to write his novel.

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K L I P

2012.maja MILOS

3.5/5.0

what appears to be the story of a young woman from SERBIA is a great study of contemporary youth; this film is raw and rough.

favorite scene: the very last shot wraps the whole movie with a bang.

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M U C H - A D O - A B O U T - N O T H I N G

2012.joss WHEDON

4.0/5.0

mystified by the images and sounds, mortified by the apparent complexity of the story lines this play’s sense of humor is a perfect fit for JOSS WHEDON’s style.

favorite scene: BEATRICE and BENEDICK snooping on conversations about each other.