Austin360 blogs > Austin Movie Blog > Archives > 2009 > April > 04 > Entry
What I’m watching
Wherein our movie critic periodically shares what DVDs he’s been viewing in his spare time …
“3 Seconds Before Explosion” by Motomu Ida (1967; Japan): Goofy, noirish exploitation, post-war Japanese-style. Not as snappy as you’d hope, but some brisk hand-to-hand action, shiny color visuals (including garish shades of blood) and sprinkles of wit. Ida is no Seijun Suzuki (“Branded to Kill”), but his film is serviceable pulp.
“It’s Winter” by Rafi Pitts (2006; Iran): Beautifully depressing tone poem from the Iranian new wave about a man’s struggle to get work and support his family — a quaint patriarchal notion still alive in the Middle East. It’s told with simplicity and heartbreaking purity, flaunting the hallmarks of latter Iranian cinema — unhurried quitetude, non-professional actors, arid realism — while flouting the form with a linear story and a romantic-love thread. The evocative title expresses its elegiac mood. Would fit well in today’s “neo-neo-realism” trend.
“Landscape in the Mist” by Theodoros Angelopoulos (1988; Greece): This sweet and sour picaresque following a young brother and sister as they make their way alone to Germany is deemed the Greek maestro’s masterpiece. No argument here. Rambling but emotionally acute, it’s a classic, almost Truffautian tale of innocence robbed and coming-of-age amid a backdrop of indifferent adults and harsh lessons.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: DVDs
Comments
Click here to report comment abuse.