Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm winners

won best British film from BAFTA and was nominated for best foreign film by NBR

want to see this because it won best foreign-language film with the NYFC and was nominated for best foreign film by NBR

want to see this because it won best picture with the BAFTA

This movie has a little sword play, but is primarily a drama. A group of rebels try to take over the government. A loyal samurai saves a woman who was sent out as a decoy disguised as the princess. He is awed by her beauty, and when they see each other later after the rebels' attempt was stopped, she thanks him for his valiant efforts. To our eyes, it doesn't look like she was too forward, but just by speaking to this man she does not know she may have said too much. It turns out she is married to a city official. The samurai falls in love and becomes obsessed. Not aware that she is taken he asks for her hand as his reward for fighting loyally. He becomes embarrassed and further obsessed when he finds out she is not available. The samurai pleads with the woman to leave her husband, but when she insists on remaining faithful, he decides he must remove the husband from the picture. This does not work out as planned though when the woman takes responsibility for having started the trouble. Though the culture is of a different place and time, there is nothing particularly foreign about the themes, relationships, or emotions portrayed here.

The original 40 Year Old Virgin. Well I don't remember if the character was 40 years old, but you get the point. Much more subtly funny and dramatic. One of the first award winning movies I can remember that didn't deal with beautiful people. This was the first Oscar winning movie that was a remake of a TV movie.

want to see this because it won best foreign film with the NBR

want to see this because it was nominated for best picture at the oscars and by NBR

The Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice transplanted to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. The French director directed a mostly Brazilian cast. Like O Brother, Where Art Thou?, music plays a big role in the telling of this story. In this case, it is the bossa nova beats of lots of drums, some lyrical singing and guitar playing, and energetic dancing, which helps tell the story. Eurydice is visiting her cousin near the city because she is trying to escape death, this creeping guy in a skeleton costume. Orpheus has just become engaged to a girl who is flirty and a real looker, except his soul mate is Eurydice. The two meet by chance a couple times and quickly fall in love, death eventually catches Eurydice, and Orpheus has to symbolically go to the underworld to find her. There's a wise man sort of character who's a friend of Orpheus and a couple boys who want to be like Orpheus and assist with the romantic relationship. An at times celebratory, romantic, proud, jealous, suspenseful, always rhythmic movie.

want to see this because it won best foreign-language film with the NYFC and was nominated for best foreign film by NBR

nominated for best foreign film at the oscars

nominated for best foreign film by NBR

nominated for best foreign film at the oscars

nominated for best foreign film at the golden globes

nominated for best foreign film at golden globes

I wasn't very interested in the characters. The story was slow and the version I saw on video had really bad voices dubbing the English. You could especially tell that the voices of the kids of the man and woman were being dubbed by adults talking in a higher pitched voice to try to sound like children.

want to see this because it won best picture with the NSFC and was nominated for best foreign film at golden globes

nominated for best foreign film at the golden globes

nominated for best picture by NBR and for best foreign film at the golden globes

nominated for best picture by NBR

want to see this because it won best picture with the NBR, and was nominated for best picture at the golden globes and at the oscars

nominated for best picture at the oscars

want to see this because it won best foreign-language film with the NYFC and was nominated for best foreign film by NBR

nominated for best picture by NBR, at the golden globes, and at the oscars

want to see this because it won best foreign film with the NBR, best foreign-language film at the oscars, and with the LAFC

The word phantasmagoria in the synopsis here is a good description of this odd picture. Not an autobiography, but Scheider plays a thinly veiled version of Fosse himself. I couldn't really identify or connect with anybody or anything in this strange movie. The music and dance wasn't all that impressive and I couldn't find any solid meaning to hook me to the story.

nominated for best foreign film by NBR, at the golden globes, and at the oscars

nominated for best foreign film at the oscars

Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek are so natural. Have you ever watched the show Without A Trace? This is basically a feature length version of that show, but with no detectives. The family has to search for themselves. It also seems to have some similarities to the new movie coming out, In the Valley of Elah.

nominated for best foreign film by NBR and at the golden globes

nominated for best picture by NBR and for best foreign film at the golden globes

nominated for best foreign film by NBR, at the golden globes, and at the oscars

nominated for best picture by NBR and at the oscars

want to see this because it won best foreign-language film at the oscars and at the golden globes, and was nominated for best foreign film by NBR

The book Cinematic Storytelling by Jennifer Van Sijll uses several examples from this movie to illustrate film making techniques. I have to agree that the Coen brothers are superb at their craft. I respect them for their craft and I am loving working my way through their works. The foley artist is highlighted in this story. So many small things like a mosquito buzzing around, a creaking bed, and gooey peeling wallpaper distract Barton Fink (Turturro) from completing his writing assignment in Hollywood. Ultimately the movie is about a guy who DOESN'T LISTEN though.

Look up the definition of the word "fink." The definition fits Turturro's character like a glove. He plays it excellently. I was really looking forward to this movie because of the time period and because I knew it dealt with a writer transitioning from New York theatre to Hollywood moving pictures. The character of Barton Fink was not exactly what I expected. The disreputable hotel in L.A. is sharper satire than I expected. There are some really strange happenings in this story including a mystery about a serial killer. Goodman as another Coens regular is disarming. Lerner and Shalhoub (standing out in his few scenes) are loud, fast talking movie producers. Davis and Mahoney, who both draw attention to their smaller roles with well developed performances, are the experienced couple who help show Barton the way things are in the picture business. There are very few other speaking parts. I was not surprised when the murderer was revealed. Partially the writing sets up pretty plainly what the twist will be. Maybe partially it is the cinematic techniques that are used, which lead anyone paying attention to recognize the characters' relationships and other things hidden just under the surface. And partially it is simply because of the minimal cast that we don't have too many options for who the murderer could be. I wish the mystery had been harder to figure out and that some of the things going on in Barton Fink's head were explained more, however the characters and locations that the Coen brothers craft can't be beat for a bit of escape.

want to see this because it won best foreign film with the NBR, with the NYFC, at the golden globes, with the LAFC, and from BAFTA, and was nominated for best foreign film at the oscars

The camera work is great at capturing the wild frontier of New Zealand and the social conventions of the civilized folk trying to tame the land and native peoples. This movie is really about immersion into the environment of scraggly trees, knee-deep mud, and rough waves. The story takes place on a relatively claustrophobic island. Even though Ada (Hunter) cannot speak, the label at the time being dumb and therefore betraying society's lack of understanding, she IS educated and considers herself quite cultured. In the clothing civilized people were required to wear, with the moral conventions that everyone was expected to follow especially in the context of a religious mission to pagan people, and with a new husband who is both possessive and distant, it is no wonder that Ada's cultured self fights a major battle with her own undiscovered passions and the brutal landscape. Ada's first passion is her piano and her playing is beautiful and heavenly in such an unforgiving environment despite disturbingly bartering her body for its return. Wonderful performances from the four leads.

want to see this because it won best picture with the LAFC and was nominated for best picture by NBR, the golden globes, and the oscars

won best foreign film with NSFC

want to see this because it won best foreign-language film with the LAFC

Esoteric - adj. 1. Understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite. This movie is too esoteric for me. Pina was easier to understand. I was really trying to enjoy the images of far off galaxies and the natural beauty of lava flowing, waves crashing, and life beginning, but it was all filled with such religious language. Right from the start we are shown a bit of scripture from Job. Then some member of the O'Brien family, usually Jack (Penn) or his mother (Chastain) is sporadically appealing to some God-force for answers, while we are shown telescopic and microscopic images from our universe. I kept wondering if it was possible to interpret this film as an ironic exploration of the questions asked in personal tragedies juxtaposed with the unresponsive expanse of the world both large and small. Taking it as a whole, I don't think this film fits in that interpretation. The music, the fact that Malick chose to tell the bulk of his story in the 1950's midwest, all the starring up through the branches of trees at the sun, and the representation of some sort of afterlife at the end combined into a mystic, yet narrow view of the creation and meaning of life.

That being said... Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are wonderful as a young couple in love and starting a family. Their oldest son is Jack played the majority of the time by Hunter McCracken. Sean Penn is the grown up Jack, who has "lost" his way in the big city. Through Jack's memory we catch glimpses of his life and not always linearly. His mother is nurturing and playful. His father is difficult for me to define. He is at times demanding, petty, arbitrary, yet loving, but he turns abusive when he doesn't get the respect he thinks he deserves as the man of his castle. Young Jack's life turns dark as he tries to escape the confinement of his home life and turns to more delinquent acts. Young Hunter kept me interested in the story when he was on screen. Jack has two younger brothers, R.L. and Steve, and there was a family tragedy where one of them died at the age of 19. We are never shown the three boys later in life when this tragedy would have occurred though. I think it was the middle son, R.L., who dies, but I'm not sure since the movie remains vague on this major family event. There is a lot of asking why by brother and mother, and guilt from the father for treating his son harshly. It is through remembering this tragedy that Sean Penn's Jack starts wandering in a desert. When he crosses the threshold maybe he has died to rejoin his family. I found this artistic looking film long and depressing.