Reviews
Hard Cash (2002)
surreal
The film wasn't much good but what got me really distracted was Sofia (Bulgaria) trying to look like New York. Another sign that there was not much money to back this project (otherwise they would have at least tried Toronto). Of course it doesn't look as NY at all, for the whole movie I was trying to guess where in the world it was filmed (I guessed rightly that it was in Europe). Slater and Hannah definitely deserve something better than this cliché' full of scenes already seen in other not so great films. Certainly they aren't the best actors around but their and others' performances are what keeps together this lame attempt of a film.
Any Wednesday (1966)
funny
Any Wednesday's a truly funny out-stage comedy, with an enjoyable '60s taste. Jane Fonda is sexy and adorable, the other characters are well drawn. I'm a bit surprised imdb users have such a low opinion of this film (a bit more than 5/10 as I'm writing), in my opinion it deserves a full 7/10 just for the balloon scene.
La peau douce (1964)
portrait of a weak man
This is not one of the best Truffaut but it is nevertheless a precise portrait of a "little" man, passive, without courage and unable to really choose: he will pay for that. Best sides of the movie: the rapid sketch of a small town's wealthy people, trying to be acculturate, and Francoise Dorleac really charming as the protagonist's young lover
Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)
good comedy but the message stinks
This one of those movies I'd really like to like, because the actors are good in their roles and the comedy is well paced with hilarious moments, but the underlying message spoils all the good sides.
As Fonda character explains to his daughter during one chaotic scene: love is not for fun but *just* for producing children (a good number of them) and then... you make them go to the war (look at the final).
Still I wonder:
*how the children were able to survive in such a situation: in a big family you have to fight for parents' care and attention (my granny words for that)... then you see your competitors doubled!
John and Mary (1969)
a little delight
I know, this is just a small movie, but one that I'm able to see again and again, mainly because of little things as the bright blue sky upon Mia Farrow eating an apple or the original egg-cups in Dustin Hoffman's kitchen. It's difficult to explain but I love every moment of this movie without a strong reason: this is to me as an old family photo, not perfect, but still so dear... Then: good actors, original script, with refreshing ironic touches, and really beautiful set.
Arupusu no shôjo Haiji (1974)
Heidi: that's my childhood
This is one of the first Japanese cartoon series that reached my country (Italy) in the late '70s and by far one of the best. It follows the original book quite faithfully and its graphics is of rather excellent level for just a TV series before the computer age. The characters are very well "builded", they are completely believable and lively: they became my friends and so was for all the children I knew. Indeed, this series was so well done that everyone, not just children, not just young girls, but just EVERYONE get crazy about it: boys and girls, teenagers, parents, grandparents... still I remember how much my grandpa liked it...
The Piano (1993)
a difficult and wonderful movie
I've read the previous comments about "the piano" and it seems to me there are a lot of confused and even contradictory ideas about this excellent and difficult movie. Somebody seems to believe that it's an ultra-feminist opus, on the other hand, somebody else wrote that women are here portrayed as animals, without a real will; many people found it disturbing and morbid, others believe that it's just stupid and arty.
I'll try to explain here why these ideas are in my opinion erroneous. This movie is about people living in another "world", with more strict rules than in today western society (marriage arranged by parents were rather usual), a world where who didn't conform with those rules was an outcast.
Ada is clearly a strong person and in many ways she doesn't act as woman in her position was expected to do in this period (she has even got an illegitimate daughter), she's a rebel but she doesn't realize that she's also prisoner of her own rebellion (see her dependence from the piano).
I guess she consented to her marriage because she wanted to escape from her previous condition. Unfortunately, her rather wild nature isn't understood by her new husband, a good and moralistic man, who refuses to take her piano to his farm. It's true that her request is unrealistic and that the piano looks so out of place on this seashore "on the other side of the world", but the piano is Ada's life (and cage), her main way for communicate.
On the other side, Baines, a man that lives as a Maori, is fascinated by Ada, he wants to "conquer" her through the piano (no prostitution, no violence! his approach is direct but he cares for her from the beginning). As the "liaison" between them becomes deeper and more and more passionate, all the community gets to know it. Ada's husband, understanding that she really loves the other man, has a violent and wild reaction (but not that strange for that time), but, eventually, he decides to make free his wife.
This strong love passion is the cause of the final Ada's "rebirth" , in one of the more upsetting scenes she "gets free" from the piano: now she's really on the way to be a independent human being.
I really hope that everyone try to watch this movie with a more "open mind" and try to remember that it's set 100 years ago, when behaviors and ideas had different standards. It's possible you don't like it but it isn't a dumb movie in any way.
Captain Nice (1967)
not that bad...
I watched the reruns of this lost TV series few years ago and I've to say isn't that bad. Of course is dated, most of it is completely non-sense and it's clearly a low cost production but it's still watchable, it's possible to find several good moments and... I really like Captain Nice costume!
Jak utopit dr. Mrácka aneb Konec vodníku v Cechách (1975)
a lovely comedy
It's a pity but it's improbable you'll have the possibility to see this movie outside the Czech Republic (where is still very popular and people for sure don't need my comment about it). It's a modern fairy tale, witty and a bit romantic, about a group of water spirits living in Prague and their relationship with normal human beings.
I've seen this movie twice and I've highly enjoyed his humor, although my knowledge of Czech language is still poor.
BTW the title means "How to drown Dr. M. or the end of water spirits in Bohemia"