Major disagreement on this one. Spirit of the Beehive, which is in my all-time top twenty, is a beautiful rendering of the inner life of a child as well as being a subtle commentary on Franco and Fascist Spain. Probably the best Spanish film that I have ever seen.
Sergio Leone's intention was two parts but it was out of his hands. A lot got cut out and was released in one longer film (like Cleopatra). As Alfred Hitchcock used to say 'The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.' The pan flute is a great effect.
Well, I was riveted from start to finish. What you found monotonous I likely found fascinating. I agree that the movie was subtle: indeed, I think that it was a masterclass in subtlety. That doesn't mean there wasn't a lot going on that shaped Ana's trauma. There's the original screening of Frankenstein that kicks off her questioning her sister why the monster killed the girl and why the villagers killed the monster. There's her relationship with her mother and her rather distant father who seems preoccupied with keeping his beehives. There's the fugitive that she discovers and his possible relationship to her mother. There is the war still going on in the background, her relationship with her loving but sometimes cruel older sister, and her own imagination that eventually confronts the Frankenstein monster (and the obvious wordplay on "Franco" contributes to another dimension of this particular monster). So much is communicated by the child's expressions--Anna Torrent is marvelous, and director Victor Erice coaxes an amazing performance from her. All the events and the internal repercussions are filtered through Ana's five or six-year-old sensibility--that is a very young head to get inside of and I think Erice does that beautifully. To me, its subtlety is part of what helps make Spirit of the Beehive a masterpiece. But I also think there is great deal going on in the storytelling.
Hmm. You're a day late, but I'll let it slide. How was the bratwurst?
Nomadland (2020) Directed by Chloe Zhao 8B
Her husband dead, her factory shut down, her community turned into a ghost town, Fern (Francis McDormand) starts a new life, joining other "nomads", modern day American gypsies, who have taken to the road and its day to day existence out of necessity. Some have the life thrust upon them, their lives victimized by larger forces; others come to choose to be exiles. Director Chloe Zhao finds a very naturalistic way to tell Fern and her fellow nomads' story. Zhao owes a considerable debt to French director Agnes Varda's experiments in hybrid documentary form. Varda's The Gleaners, about the people who trail the harvest in Europe picking up the discarded fruits and vegetables that are left behind as unsuitable for commercial consumption, provides part of the blueprint for Nomadland. But Zhao makes great use of McDormand's mammoth talent and a host of amateur actors playing slightly fictionalized versions of themselves. McDormand is one of only two recognizable actors that I noticed in the movie. For virtually the first half of the film Fern moves from place to place and menial job to menial job talking to and learning from folks who find ways to make ends meet and to survive harsh economic conditions. This documentary-like approach gives the movie an incredibly different feel for an awards' contender while showing off McDormand's astounding ability to blend in with the amateurs naturally and respectfully. In some respects, Nomadland is a modern day Grapes of Wrath; in other respects, it speaks to a real, ongoing revision of the American Dream. If Nomadland wins the Academy Award for best picture, it will be unlike any other movie that won before it.
Best of 2020
1) Nomadland, Zhao, US
2) First Cow, Reichardt, US
3) Small Axe: Lovers Rock, McQueen, UK
4) Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Hittman, US
5) Sound of Metal, Marder, US
6) Babyteeth, Murphy, Australia
7) Dick Johnson Is Dead, Johnson, US
8) Swimming Out till the Sea Turns Blue, Jia, China
9) Another Round, Vinterberg, Denmark
10) Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Wolfe, US
In other words, a 2/10 from you is worse than a 1/10. Thanks for clearing that up.
The ending is the best part! You're in luck, though, because there's an American remake with Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock. It's one of kihei's favorites.
Oh, you evil pelican! There are only a very few movies I viscerally hate and that remake of The Vanishing is right at the top of my list with Forest Gump and El Top0.
The ending is the best part! You're in luck, though, because there's an American remake with Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock. It's one of kihei's favorites.
