The Pianist (2002)

The Pianist DVD

 

Cannes Film Festival 2002

Won Palme d'Or

Roman Polanski

Academy Awards, USA 2003

Won Oscar	Best Actor in a Leading Role Adrien Brody
	Best Director Roman Polanski Roman Polanski was not present at the awards ceremony, being a fugitive from U.S. justice since ... More
	Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Ronald Harwood
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Roman Polanski Robert Benmussa Alain Sarde
	Best Cinematography Pawel Edelman
	Best Costume Design Anna B. Sheppard
	Best Film Editing Hervé de Luze

Focus Features
Directed by Roman Polanski
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Universal)

Jewish families are forced to relocate to the Warsaw ghetto where they are relentlessly harassed, and sometimes murdered, by Nazi soldiers who treat them no better than animals. We follow one such family through the horrible ordeal. They are eventually separated at a train station where some are taken to their deaths but one escapes through the actions of an unlikely friend. He spends the next several years on the run: at first living in vacant apartments provided by the underground resistance, but a few years later barely surviving in the bombed out remnants of the city. These harrowing scenes are the most effective in an otherwise familiar, if well-made, story. Even the final gesture of good will by a Nazi officer will come as no surprise.

The Immigrant (2013)

The Immigrant [Blu-ray]

Cannes Film Festival 2013

Nominated Palme d'Or

James Gray

The Weinstein Company
Directed by James Gray
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Two Polish sisters arrive at Ellis Island in the early 1920s: one gets sent to the infirmary where she is diagnosed with TB while the other is marked for deportation because of an incident on the boat on the way over. She gets "rescued" by a man posing as traveler's aid, who takes her home and puts her in his burlesque show. Needing money to get her sister out of the hospital, she soon succumbs to the man's pressure to become a prostitute. Meanwhile a magician falls in love with her, but her pimp becomes insanely jealous. His final gesture of reconciliation rings hollow as all the characters meet their predictable fates. A good story somewhat wasted by the final act. Joaquin Phoenix as the leader of the show and pimp for the girls struggles with a tendency to chew up the scenery. Marion Cotillard as the girl is his polar opposite.

The Conversation (1974)

 

The Conversation [Blu-ray]

 

 Academy Awards, USA 1975

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Francis Ford Coppola
	Best Writing, Original Screenplay Francis Ford Coppola
	Best Sound Walter Murch Art Rochester

Cannes Film Festival 1974

Won Palme d'Or	Francis Ford Coppola
Won Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention	Francis Ford Coppola

Paramount Pictures
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Lionsgate)

Security expert Gene Hackman makes his living by secretly recording conversations. He is hired by a mysterious "director" to record conversations between a man and a woman at a park in San Francisco. He does not know what they are suspected of doing or why he has been hired, however when he overhears them saying they might be killed he begins to fear for their safety. A brilliant character study of a lonely man unable to connect with people despite a job in which he listens to their most intimate conversations. It is also a shocking thriller with a clever plot twist that revolves around the inflection of just one spoken word.

Rosetta (1999)

Rosetta (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Cannes Film Festival 1999

Won Best Actress	Émilie Dequenne Tied with Séverine Caneele for Humanité (1999).
Won Palme d'Or	Jean-Pierre Dardenne Luc Dardenne
Won Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention	Jean-Pierre Dardenne Luc Dardenne

USA Films
Directed by Jean-Piere and Luc Dardenne
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

Belgian teenager tries to survive while living in a trailer park with her unreliable mother. She frantically tries to stay employed, but gets fired from a series of menial jobs. She meets a boy at a "waffle stand" near a bus station. Her inability to express her feelings nearly ruins their relationship, and when she turns on him in order to get his job she fears for her safety. Well-developed character study shot in the trademark Dardenne bothers style featuring handheld camerawork and low budget aesthetics.

The Third Man (1949)

 

The Third Man [Blu-ray]

 

 Academy Awards, USA 1951

Won Oscar	Best Cinematography, Black-and-White Robert Krasker
Nominated Oscar	Best Director Carol Reed
	Best Film Editing Oswald Hafenrichter

 

Cannes Film Festival 1949

Won Grand Prize of the Festival

Carol Reed

British Lion (UK)
Directed by Carol Reed
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Criterion Collection)

Writer Joseph Cotten arrives in post-war Vienna to take a job with an old friend. Instead, the friend dies under mysterious circumstances and Cotten decides to find out what happened. His investigation takes him into the shadowy underworld of the Vienna black market. His allegiance to his old friend is tested and he slowly falls for his girlfriend as well, although her motives are suspect. Talky and a little too convoluted for its own good, but cinematographer Robert Krasker makes the most of the Vienna locations, particularly the spectacular architecture of its sewers! The constant zither soundtrack eventually outstays its welcome, and almost destroys the mood.

Beyond the Hills (2012)

Cannes Film Festival 2012

Won Best Actress	Cristina Flutur Cosmina Stratan
Won Best Screenplay	Cristian Mungiu
Nominated Palme d'Or	Cristian Mungiu

Sundance Selects
Directed by Cristian Mungiu
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

When an aspiring nun's former lesbian lover shows up at her convent she struggles to keep control of the situation. Her former girlfriend is still deeply in love with her and cannot accept the fact that she has given her life to God. Her emotional and sometimes violent outbursts upset the usual tranquil life at the remote Romanian convent. The other nun's attribute her behavior to something more sinister, leading to a bizarre confrontation and tragedy.  A plot holding much promise instead proceeds at a snail's pace under the direction of Mungiu and lands with a giant thud. It has its moments, if you can stay awake for them.

Amour (2012)

Amour [Blu-ray]

Cannes Film Festival 2012

Won Palme d'Or

Michael Haneke

Academy Awards, USA 2013

Won Oscar	Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Austria
Nominated Oscar	Best Motion Picture of the Year Stefan Arndt Margaret Ménégoz Veit Heiduschka Michael Katz
	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Emmanuelle Riva
	Best Achievement in Directing Michael Haneke
	Best Writing, Original Screenplay Michael Haneke

Sony Pictures Classics
Directed by Michael Haneke
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Sony)

An elderly Parisian couple, retired piano teachers, live in a small apartment and actively participate in the city's classical events. One morning at breakfast his wife suffers a stroke. At first it seems as if she will be unaffected, but an operation leaves her paralyzed on her right side. She becomes more and more dependent on him for her daily life. More strokes leave her bedridden and unable to speak. Fulfilling a promise not to put her away in a hospital or hospice, he hires nurses to help take care of her. As her health continues to deteriorate, her personality disappears and she lives in almost constant pain. This forces him to make a drastic decision. Haneke's matter-of-fact treatment of her deteriorating condition almost seems like an invasion of privacy.  It might work as a training film for caretakers, or as a depressing glimpse as to what we all might expect in our last few years. Exquisitely acted, but it would be hard to call this entertainment.

Outrage (2010)

Outrage: Way of the Yakuza [Blu-ray]

Cannes Film Festival 2010

Nominated Palme d'Or

Takeshi Kitano

Magnet Releasing
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Yakuza in modern Tokyo kill each other in a never-ending struggle for power. A gang war is purposefully initiated in a staged shakedown at a nightclub involving rival gang members.  Rather than a film driven by plot and character, director Takeshi decides to exploit the violence. Slickly filmed but ultimately numbing. 

Gomorrah (2008)

Gomorrah (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

 

Cannes Film Festival 2008

Won Grand Prize of the Jury	Matteo Garrone
Nominated Palme d'Or	Matteo Garrone

IFC Films
Directed by Matteo Garrone
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Poverty, overcrowding and drug abuse in the large tenement buildings surrounding Naples, Italy, drive its inhabitants to turn to crime. Two teenage friends aspire to become "bosses" when they find a stash of hidden mafia guns. An even younger boy turns informant on the woman who stands in for his absent mother. At the top of this food chain of violence and murder are the aging mobsters, themselves ripe targets for takeover. A disorganized look at organized crime, what it lacks in plot it more than makes up for in rich characters.

Taste of Cherry (1997)

Taste of Cherry DVD

Cannes Film Festival 1997

Won Palme d'Or

Abbas Kiarostami Tied with The Eel (1997).

Zeitgeist Films
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Criterion Collection)

A middle aged Iranian man intent on committing suicide searches for someone to bury him the next morning. He drives around dusty landscapes near Tehran picking up various passengers and trying to convince them. A young soldier listens intently but runs away at the first opportunity and an Afghani seminary student argues against him on religious grounds, but he finally finds someone in an older Turkish man who works at a museum. It's tough going in this dialogue-heavy, snail-paced, enigmatic film from Kiarostami.

Killing Them Softly (2012)

Killing Them Softly [Blu-ray]

 

Cannes Film Festival 2012

Nominated Palme d'Or

Andrew Dominik

The Weinstein Company
Directed by Andrew Dominik
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Netflix)

Two low level thugs are hired to hold up a mob card game. They get away with the money, but the gangsters hire professional hit man Brad Pitt to find and kill them. Pitt, friends with one of the thugs, hires aging hitman James Gandolfini to help. Interesting character study of various sundry types with little regard for the value of human life. Pitt tries to stay above the fray and ruminates on the nature of his job. Gandolfini may be the most repulsive of the bunch: a middle aged sex addict and alchoholic. Occasional political imagery from the 2012 presidential election is nothing more than bacground chatter.

The Hireling (1973)

The Hireling DVD

Cannes Film Festival 1973

Won Palme d'Or	Alan Bridges Tied with Scarecrow (1973).
Won Special Award	Sarah Miles

Columbia Pictures
Directed by Alan Bridges
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Sony Choice Collection)

Sarah Miles is a wealthy British woman who suffers a nervous breakdown after the death of her husband. Released from an institution, she hires Robert Shaw as her chauffeur. His affable personality helps her to recover and they take long drives together. As she gradually resumes her previous social life among the political elite, he falls in love with her. One night he makes a pass at her but is rejected. Furthermore, she becomes engaged to a politician that he loathes. He reacts by going on a drunken rampage. Insightful look at the differences that separate the social classes in Britain, moodily photographed by Michael Reed.

Friendly Persuasion (1956)

Friendly Persuasion DVD

Cannes Film Festival 1957

Won Palme d'Or

William Wyler

Academy Awards, USA 1957

Nominated Oscar	Best Picture William Wyler
	Best Actor in a Supporting Role Anthony Perkins
	Best Director William Wyler
	Best Writing, Best Screenplay - Adapted Michael Wilson Due to being blacklisted Michael Wilson did not receive a screen credit, which under special Academy by-law made him ineligible personally although the writing achievement itself could be eligible. In early 1957 AMPAS instructed Price Waterhouse & Co. not to list any nomination declared ineligible under the by-law and thus this nomination was not included on the final voting ballot. The by-law was laster declared unworkable in January 1959. In December 2002 the Academy reinstated Mr. Wilson's nomination.
	Best Sound, Recording Gordon R. Glennan (Westrex Sound Services) Gordon Sawyer (Samuel Goldwyn SSD)
	Best Music, Original Song Dimitri Tiomkin (music) Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) For the song "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)".

Allied Artists Pictures
Directed by William Wyler
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

A Quaker family in rural Indiana tests their faith's call for non-violence when Confederate soldiers threaten their home. Dad Gary Cooper has already made some concessions: such as buying an organ (music is forbidden) and engaging in friendly horse racing with a neighbor. His wife, a preacher, objects but other than sleeping in the barn can't do much about it. His daughter flirts with a Union soldier and, gasp, dances at the fair. His son, Anthony Perkins, faces a more difficult decision: whether or not to pick up a gun and possibly kill another man. The first hour and a half is wasted on the more mundane aspects of their family life, with poor attempts at comedy: Cooper just is not very good at it. By the time the Rebs arrive it's almost an afterthought. More time is spent on the organ than Perkin's struggle with his conscious.

Viridiana (1961)

Viridiana DVD

Cannes Film Festival 1961

Won Palme d'Or

Luis Buñuel Tied with The Long Absence (1961).

Kingsley-International Pictures
Directed by  Luis Buñuel
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Criterion Collection)

Young Viridiana, about to take the vows to become a nun, takes a last minute visit to her uncle. Although she barely knows him, she is grateful for his financial support. However, her uncanny resemblance to his dead wife results in a rejected marriage proposal. Undeterred, he drugs her and plans to rape her, but changes his mind. When she wakes up, he tells her that he did anyway. The guilt causes him to commit suicide. She decides not take her vows and instead opens up the uncle's farmhouse to homeless beggars. Her uncle's illegitimate son and his girlfriend also move in to fix up the place. However, like his father, he lusts after Viridiana, leading to more tragedy. Best described as an "intellectual melodrama" the plot is complex and lurid. Bunuel's scathing attack on the church lurks constantly beneath, and sometimes above, the surface: a burning crown of thorns, the beggar's mocking Last Supper and Viridiana's own disillusionment.