westonatthetaps
Lifetime Total
5+
IMDb Member
13 years
Reviews
Trenque Lauquen (2022)
A beguiling anti-noir mystery
This is a wonderfully tense noir mystery that rewards patience; both parts I and II taken together make up four and a half hours.
As many mysteries do, it begins in the middle. When botanist Laura goes missing her older boyfriend, Rafa, and would be suitor Chicho, team up to search for her, but find no trace, nor any apparent reason for her disappearance. She left with Chicho's car, so it seems to them unlikely she was abducted. Rafa convinces himself that she is in away in pursuit of a new orchid and will re-emerge once her work is completed. But they find a note from Laura, to Chicho, concerning a project they were working on. In addition to her work as a botanist, Laura has a spot on the radio where she brings attention to historic women. During research for this at the library, she has found love letters hidden in pages of books that border on the pornographic.
Part One concerns Laura's life prior to disappearance, told as flashbacks, and her developing affair with Chicho.
The second part begins with a seemingly unrelated mystery. Director Laura Citarella deliberately avoids convention; the film may be seen as a noir, but refuses to follow its norms, most obviously in its cinematography, its score and its chapter structure, which when presented always abruptly interrupts the conversation or the music.
As if to emphasize that she is doing her own thing, Citarella introduces an element of science fiction, which moves the fable into absurdist territory for a while. Meanwhile, new characters, new micro-mysteries, are continually introduced.
When the ending arrives, it is as ambiguous as one might expect. Has the mystery been solved, or are its various strands left to meander on endlessly - viewers will have different opinions, which I think is a really appealing feature. Any degree of unresolution does seem perversely satisfying however. That is the sort of film this is. The real fascination is in the dialogue, like in the best noir. Any application of logic is likely to be a waste, rather sit back and enjoy the reaction of the characters to the situations they are presented with.
It is a highly entertaining piece of what I suppose may best be termed, anti-noir.
IMDb score 7.3 / 10 - My score 9 / 10.
As many mysteries do, it begins in the middle. When botanist Laura goes missing her older boyfriend, Rafa, and would be suitor Chicho, team up to search for her, but find no trace, nor any apparent reason for her disappearance. She left with Chicho's car, so it seems to them unlikely she was abducted. Rafa convinces himself that she is in away in pursuit of a new orchid and will re-emerge once her work is completed. But they find a note from Laura, to Chicho, concerning a project they were working on. In addition to her work as a botanist, Laura has a spot on the radio where she brings attention to historic women. During research for this at the library, she has found love letters hidden in pages of books that border on the pornographic.
Part One concerns Laura's life prior to disappearance, told as flashbacks, and her developing affair with Chicho.
The second part begins with a seemingly unrelated mystery. Director Laura Citarella deliberately avoids convention; the film may be seen as a noir, but refuses to follow its norms, most obviously in its cinematography, its score and its chapter structure, which when presented always abruptly interrupts the conversation or the music.
As if to emphasize that she is doing her own thing, Citarella introduces an element of science fiction, which moves the fable into absurdist territory for a while. Meanwhile, new characters, new micro-mysteries, are continually introduced.
When the ending arrives, it is as ambiguous as one might expect. Has the mystery been solved, or are its various strands left to meander on endlessly - viewers will have different opinions, which I think is a really appealing feature. Any degree of unresolution does seem perversely satisfying however. That is the sort of film this is. The real fascination is in the dialogue, like in the best noir. Any application of logic is likely to be a waste, rather sit back and enjoy the reaction of the characters to the situations they are presented with.
It is a highly entertaining piece of what I suppose may best be termed, anti-noir.
IMDb score 7.3 / 10 - My score 9 / 10.
La montagne (2022)
This doesn't go where you think it might..
The star of this pleasantly strange film without doubt is the mountain itself, set as it is, almost entirely on the snowy peaks and rockfaces of the Mont Blanc massif above Chamonix.
As to the question of what it's about, it's about a middle aged man caught in the humdrum of daily life, (work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep..) who decides it's time for a change, and at the same time, its about the mountain itself, also coming of age and struggling, but in its case, because of the loss of its glacier.
Thomas Salvador stars as the man in question. It's something of an indulgence by him, as he gets to direct as well.
I'm pretty confident in saying, that this won't go in the direction you think it might. There are plenty of films about middle-aged crises, but only one that covers it in this way. It's the middle age crisis of the man, and of the mountain.
As to the question of what it's about, it's about a middle aged man caught in the humdrum of daily life, (work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep..) who decides it's time for a change, and at the same time, its about the mountain itself, also coming of age and struggling, but in its case, because of the loss of its glacier.
Thomas Salvador stars as the man in question. It's something of an indulgence by him, as he gets to direct as well.
I'm pretty confident in saying, that this won't go in the direction you think it might. There are plenty of films about middle-aged crises, but only one that covers it in this way. It's the middle age crisis of the man, and of the mountain.
Amulet (2020)
Proper Horror
This is a story full of haunting images, a few well-timed jump scares, and tremendously hideous monsters, but it works so well because of the deeper messages that tie it all together. The last twenty minutes are bravely done and make it stand out in its field, it is prepared to go to places so many others in the genre are not prepared to.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
Two stand-out performances
I really enjoyed this.
Two deeply flawed characters, both performances make the film, and of course, the New York setting.
Two highlights.. Jack says to Lee 'You're a horrible c...', and Lee agrees, and turns it back to him.
Late in the film when Jack isn't looking his best , Lee says to him she isn't surprised after he 'screwed his way through Manhattan' in his younger days. Jack thinks it would serve well as an epitaph.
Two deeply flawed characters, both performances make the film, and of course, the New York setting.
Two highlights.. Jack says to Lee 'You're a horrible c...', and Lee agrees, and turns it back to him.
Late in the film when Jack isn't looking his best , Lee says to him she isn't surprised after he 'screwed his way through Manhattan' in his younger days. Jack thinks it would serve well as an epitaph.
Climate of the Hunter (2019)
Sanity questioned
Just what exactly does 'sane' mean?
Reminded me in that respect of the Poe story in which the lunatics take over the asylum.
Extremely entertaining and discussion inducing.
Some wonderful images. Clever throughout with some very humorous moments.
Reminded me in that respect of the Poe story in which the lunatics take over the asylum.
Extremely entertaining and discussion inducing.
Some wonderful images. Clever throughout with some very humorous moments.