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W - H A L L A ’ - L A - W A Y N

aka WHERE DO WE GO NOW?

2011.nadine LABAKI

3.0/5.0

not the average musical but so entertaining nevertheless; it does have its charm and its quirk while managing to deliver [although without subtlety] political commentary.

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A L P E I S

2011.yorgos LANTHIMOS

2.5/5.0

no charm and no spark means that this film can never lift off and deliver something worth a watch, not even for the pop culture references save this film.

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P L A Y

2011.ruben OSTLUND

3.0/5.0

what seems like an ethically black and white movie at first very slow becomes an essay on contemporary cultural clashes; it is very long, very slow but it will hit you nevertheless with the hard questions raised and the subtle cinematography.

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I N - F I L M - N I S T

aka THIS IS NOT A FILM

2011.mojtaba MIRTAHMASB & jafar PANAHI

3.5/5.0

this film is, no pun intended, not the usual movie that tells a story in any way; it is more of an exercise of how far they can push the strict border put by the iranian censorship and deliver a picture.

seasondays fifth spring film festival

the L A D Y - F R O M - S H A N G H A I

1947.orson WELLES

2.0/5.0

it is somehow disappointing because all the elements are there, in both form and substance, directing and writing, yet the movie is truly all over the place.

fortunately this film does have some brilliant stuff in it, including that [maybe] over-the top climatic ending in the house of mirrors.

while ORSON WELLES cannot match his CITIZEN CANE performance, RITA HAYWORTH does give an outstanding performance as the film-noir femme fatale, her presence alone is note-worthy.

while ORSON WELLES cannot match the freshness and originality shown before, he does play very much with the different elements but he might have played too much and things feel strange together.

in a SENTENCE: truly the end alone is worth the hour and ten minutes you have to wait to see it, RITA HAYWORTH is worth watching too.

seasondays fifth spring film festival

the S O U N D - O F - M U S I C

1965.robert WISE

3.5/5.0

a classic, no doubt; the ying to the yang that is WEST SIDE STORY to ROBERT WISE’s career; a complete opposite approach to the musical genre.

this film is a story we all know very well, seven children, their father, the novice turned governess that changes the lives of the family she is sent to work with.

this film might rely too much on the incredible musical it is based on and the outstanding performance JULIE ANDREWS gives effortlessly.

an outstanding yet average picture that was filmed from such great material that the director was both lazy and wise enough to know that he should not try too much.

in a SENTENCE: this is the kind of movie every person on earth has seen or at least knows, a very entertaining film that is appealing to almost anyone.

seasondays fifth spring film festival

W E S T - S I D E - S T O R Y

1961.robert WISE [& jerome ROBBINS]

5.0/5.0

a masterpiece, no doubt; it is an energetic and intense picture that lifts an already outstanding musical to a whole new level, a cinematic level.

it is not just another adaptation of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’s ROMEO & JULIET; yes, it is the same love story between a man and a woman that come from different backgrounds but unlike most adaptations this film explores the hard relationships between gangs in a society where cultures [or races] have migrated from their home countries.

it is not the serious picture the screenplay might suggest but a colorful and dynamic experience that takes full advantage of this audiovisual medium; no other movie has been smart enough to use the screen as a window into the stage but being playful enough to use as many camera angles and shots as possible without creating a chaotic product.

the fact that this film is very well acted and features an ensemble of actors that fifty years later are still not famous just shows how good a job the directors did.

in a SENTENCE: an outstanding masterpiece that most people miss, a musical like no other that is not the average cheesy and corny love story.

seasondays fifth spring film festival

the D A Y - T H E - E A R T H - S T O O D - S T I L L

1951.robert WISE

3.0/5.0

after a truly outstanding opening this film becomes an uneven picture stuffed with too much information that still holds more than a half century later.

it is an understandable story, a tale of the perils of violence and war but as the movie runs the morality tales intensify and it might bother many, if not most.

it is, however, a fantastic picture, the opening specially; a fast paced perfectly edited montage of images showing the world reacting to the arrival of an extraterrestrial spaceship.

this film then turns weird, it lacks the energy the beginning showcased and sadly becomes overexplanatory with too much unnecessary dialogue.

in a SENTENCE: the opening along is worth watching, it is one of the most exciting [and intriguing] sequences ever.

seasondays fourth winter film festival

B I N - J I P

aka 3-IRON

2004.ki-duk KIM

3.0/5.0

fresh ideas are not easy to find but this film does have some of them plus they set some hard rules that they never break.

a lonely man who breaks into empty houses meets a lonelier housewife hidden in her own house; a silent affair starts; it is a love story like no other.

the lonely man and the lonelier housewife unfortunately encounters a series of problems but the movie does play with the idea of time spent as the basis of any relationship.

the directing is not as beautiful and not as bold as previous efforts but it still delivers some very iconic images.

in a SENTENCE: an intriguing film in both form and substance featuring two outstanding performances from both leads.

seasondays fourth winter film festival

B O M - Y E O R E U M - G A E U L - G Y E O U L - G E U R I G O - B O M

aka SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER AND SPRING

2003.ki-duk KIM

3.5/5.0

a powerful experience yet subtle that goes too far getting across its own message while still managing to deliver an entertaining and exciting movie.

it is quite simple: four chapters and an epilogue reflecting on life’s stages, achievements and errors, adventures and experiments.

it is quite simple: a master and an apprentice [and then the latter turned master] living together, their relationship, the bad and the good times.

this film is gorgeous; the production design is outstanding but fortunately the director of photography was not too lazy and was playful enough with the camera.

in a SENTENCE: an amazing picture that might be too simple but has enough bold and strong ideas to be moved by it.

seasondays fourth winter film festival

P A P U R I K A

aka PAPRIKA

2006.satoshi KON

3.0/5.0

this was the last film in the director’s career and it did not disappoint, nevertheless it was not the thrilling experience PERFECT BLUE was.

however it is a journey and it is as mesmerizing [and confusing] as the other movie was but this is not the blurred reality perceived by one character but a parallel “universe” that many share.

the writing is smart but some rewriting might have worked, the ideas are there but not quite there and sometimes you need to make sure to join all the dots all by yourself.

the directing is not bad, maybe the production design might be overwhelming, as well as the score, but i get the point behind that but it needed to be more chaotic or more organized.

in a SENTENCE: an entertaining film that never fails to amaze you even when you are confused you always know something better is coming.

seasondays fourth winter film festival

P A F E K U T U - B U R U

aka PERFECT BLUE

1997.satoshi KON

4.0/5.0

you know you are in for a ride when a movie opens with a POWER RANGERS spoof that turns into a theme park j-pop music gig.

it is then when we first meet MIMA, a veteran pop star whose looking to expand her horizons, whose looking to pursue a career in acting.

from then this film turns harder and harder to follow, why? because you get the sense that she is going crazy, that not everything is what it seems, she might as well be schizophrenic.

from your own point of view you never know what to believe, the film is made planting clues that might help you figure everything out but also confusing you into mistrusting what you are seeing too.

in a SENTENCE: a perfectly edited, perfectly “shot” film where you go hand-by-hand with the lead into a world of madness.

seasondays fourth winter film festival

K O R O S H I Y A - I C H I

aka ICHI THE KILLER

20001.takashi MIIKE

2.5/5.0

again not a fan, again still entertained and interested by what i see but again never truly absorbed or amused or astonished by the experience.

here i think there are too many characters, too many story lines, too much plot, too much happening, and yet you feel that it was both too long and too slow.

here you see the genius of the director, the movie is a visual spectacle, the production design truly makes a great world.

never i have seen such a great world created, the art direction, the costume design, even hairstyling and make-up, become instantly iconic.

in a SENTENCE: it is a very fun film that might confuse or be complicated but that does deliver what it promises: a good time.

seasondays fourth winter film festival

O D I S H O N

aka AUDITION

1999.takashi MIIKE

2.0/5.0

it is no secret that i’m not a fan of the director, nevertheless i always find them very exciting and interesting even when something does not quite work.

in this case, it is a very good idea, well thought, but the setting takes too long and the climax, the end is rushed leaving you to want more.

the directing is clinical [which is kind of the point], everything is too well made, too easy, too slow, too perfect; even the violence at the end is boring and feels painless.

the director mise-en-scene might be the very best feat in the movie, he creates a cold, hard environment that traps you and alienates you at the same time.

in a SENTENCE: a good idea that never knew how to be executed but nevertheless delivered some good scenes.