Pollock – **

Every time I see a Pollock at a museum, I pauze. It hasn’t always been like that. But the more I see them, the more I’m intrigued by them. Some of his paintings are just so overwhelming. And it all looks so easy. Put a canvas on the ground. And start splashing paint on it. In apparent random order. Why did nobody come up with that idea before?

So there is a movie about Jackson Pollock. A relatively recent one. From this century. (If that’s the definition of recent). Starring Ed Harris. And directed by Ed Harris. He must be a fan. It’s an okay movie. Also chronologically told. But the acting is good. That Marcia Gay Harden does deserve her Oscar. And Harris performs well. Pollock isn’t a particularly pleasant character. He’s, well, an alcoholic and crazy in the head. The prototype of every talented artist. But you do get to learn a bit more about him. And his life. And the art is very present.

Time to watch Frida, Mr Turner, Surviving Picasso, Basquiat, Modigliani, etc… 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183659

The Watcher – (*)

There are still some 20 dvd’s in my collection that I have not seen. They have been in the collection for a very long time. There’s never a good moment to watch them, because there’s always a more interesting movie to start watching.

But time to get rid of them!

The Watcher has a cool premise. A serial killer from Los Angeles decides to look up the detective who stopped hunting him and moved to Chicago. The killer ‘misses’ him, or better the challenge, and believes the detective is missing him too. The murders are becoming very personal. The first murdered girl lives in the same building as the detective.

From the very first scene however it’s clear that this is not going to be a good movie. It’s a scene where Keane Reeves (the serial killer) is dancing bizarrely to a nu-metal track in some abandoned loft. That itself is okay, but it’s the way that it is filmed and edited. With a bizarre slow motion effect that was made with the cheapest and most outdated slow motion creating program possible. And almost all the scenes are directed badly. Like the action/chase scene that follows to introduce the ‘tough’ co-detective who will work on the case. It’s not bad enough to be good.

Then there’s the badly written dialogue and monologue. The bad script basically. And the bad acting of James Spader and Keanu Reeves, who look like they weren’t really eager to make this movie.

Since hardly any movie get’s the (*) rating, this one deserves it!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0204626

Fa Yeung Nin Wa (In The Mood For Love) – **(*)

In The Mood For Love is a very atmospheric romantic drama about two neighbors who seek each others’ company once they realize that their partners are having an affair. That’s basically it. The story isn’t all that important, it’s the setting, the colors, the costume design, the acting and the musical score  that create a certain uniqueness. Tony Leung is great – as always. He even won the best actor prize at the Cannes film festival for his part. But Maggie Cheung is even more impressive. She is the personification of grace and beauty. She wears a different dress in every scene and you don’t have to be a fashionista to look forward to the next scene and see what’s she’s wearing now. The directing by Kar Wai Wong is weird – as usual. But it works. The camera focuses on a few locations only and the clever thing is that you never see the adulterous partners. In fact, it’s a bit set up as a thriller. You can interpret the movie however you want. Most will see the relationship between Leung’s and Cheung’s characters as pure platonic. There is only one hint of physical interaction when their hands touch gently. But it’s really not 100% clear that they don’t have a sexual affair as well. You just don’t see it. The ending is a bit abrupt and jumps from Hong Kong to Cambodia for no particular reason. But it’s a great movie about (unrequited) love…

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118694

 

Drôle De Felix – ***

It’s hard not to like Felix, the main character of this great road trip movie about a thirty-something, unemployed, HIV-positive gay guy of North African descent. Just re-read the previous sentence. The guy has everything that would make you feel depressed or frustrated, but he greets life in the most positive way. His smile, his charm, his quirky characteristics and his carefree lifestyle is adorable. There are dozens of scenes that will make you smile, not because they are that funny, but because they just show how interesting chance encounters can be.

Not all is great though. Early on in his trip he witnesses two guys about to throw a beaten-up Algerian guy in the river Seine. The incident is referred to throughout the rest of the movie, but in all honesty, it doesn’t add anything to the story. On the contrary, it makes this movie not the classic that it could be. In fact, after three views (two of which happened 13 years ago) it’s pretty clear that the ‘main’ story is the weakest part of the movie. It’s the chance encounters that make this movie so great and Sami Bouajila’s performance. He steals the show in every single scene he’s in and his character is so much more real than any stereotypical gay character of any stereotypical gay-related Hollywood movie, independent releases included.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0228242

Shit, the whole movie is on youtube

Killin’ Em Softly – **

After watching Kevin Hart, I felt like watching Dave Chapelle. He’s way funnier. Sure, he plays the race card all too often, but he’s funny.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251654