Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett) ***1/2
- A black man works in a slaughterhouse to support his family and make ends
meet. That's it. The most remarkable thing about this film is how unremarkable
the lead character is. The film simply chronicles his life and the lives of his
family and neighbors in a typical lower-middle-class (to put it very nicely)
neighborhood during the '70s. It's a fascinating look into the lives of
African-Americans during that time period but it still feels remarkably relevant
and resonant to this day.
Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Neon) (Lino Brocka)
**** - I actually saw this film in college years ago. Enough time has passed
that I feel that I have to actually review this film. This is of course one of
the Philippines' most famous films (it's the only Filipino film in the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book)
and widely regarded as one of the best Filipino films ever made. It's not QUITE
my favorite but it's in my Top 10. The version I saw is a brand-new fully
restored print (made possible in part by Martin Scorsese) and it was BEAUTIFUL
to look at. So much better than the scratchy, somewhat blurry VHS we had to make
do in my college class. For those of you who don't know the plot, it's about a
young man from the rural areas who comes to capital city of Manila to look for
and win back his childhood sweetheart. It's a tragic love story which brings to
light the many struggles of the less fortunate in my country which sadly is
still prevalent to this day. It's got great performances. It might be a little
heavy-handed and preachy but that's to be expected but the filmmaking is still
impeccable. It's a must-see for all Filipinos and for all lovers of cinema as
well.
Valley of the Dolls (Mark Robson) **1/2
- This film wants to have its cake and eat it too. It's clearly a rather trashy,
campy soap opera that's a bit naughty (for its time) but it also seems to want
to be taken seriously as a drama. It's about three women struggling the ups and
downs of show business: the sex, the booze, the drugs. It's pretty racy and
shocking at the time but fairly tame now (It could get away with a PG-13, quite
frankly). It's a tad overlong and the drama is kind of blah. There are fun,
campy bits but they come and go. It's gorgeously shot and designed though.
Entertaining and watchable but not a must-see.
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1 comment:
I'm not too sure if I'd enjoy the first film since not too much seems to happen but it got a good rating so it might be worth watching. Great round-up as usual buddy, that goes without saying.
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