That's how you look to me.

Today is Richard Brautigan's birthday.

This blog is named after the very last sentence of one of his short stories: I was trying to describe you.

If you have some time I strongly recommend you to read some of his poems: http://www.brautigan.net/poetry.html

Enjoy ;)

Adam

Adam (Max Mayer,2009) is named after its main character, a Manhattan engineer who suffers from Asperger’s syndrom. Unexpectedly, one day he meets a woman. He likes her, but his autism affects to the relationship.

As you can see in the picture, a medium focal lenght is used in Adam, maybe to express that there is a lot of distance between Adam (Hugh Dancy) and Beth (Rose Byrne). They want to be closer, but it is not so easy as they would like it to be.

Adam is not a predictable film, and it has some funny and sweet scenes, but I it is just a normal film. Not great.

Blow up

Blow up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966) is a film based in the short story "Las babas de diablo", by Julio Cortázar.

Blow up tries to portray the "Swinging London" in the 60s. In the film, all its characters (young people) live a "hedonistic" lifestyle. It can be seen in Thomas' (David Hemmings) job, in the clothes (specially in women's), in the young clowns, the rock concerts, the sex as a simple amusement, drugs..

Thomas, a London photographer, seems to like this kind of life, but he admits he is bored of life in the city. One simple day he takes some photos in a park, and his life changes. He finds something disturbing in that pictures.

Mise-en-scène is really special. Customes, places as the antique shop, Thomas' home or the place where the concert takes place..

The problem in Blow-up is that the viewer does not really know what is happening and what is the purpose of all that. It remains me (up to a point) of Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie, another film in which you do not know which it tries to be conveyed. 
Since I love Cortázar, I suppose (And I hope) the short story is much better than its screen version.

The Departed

The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006) is a crime film that shows both sides of the law. The "goods" and the "bads". I'd recommed its soundtrack. I am sure you have heard it before.

  

Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a cop who is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is a member of the forementioned mob infiltrated in the state police as an informer. This is a film about the opposites side of the same fight.

I think that the film itries to make the viewer identify himself with both of them. 

Personally, I identify myself with Billy Costigan. I do not prefer him just because Leonardo DiCaprio, but also because I can understand his reasons, why he does what he does. This does not happens with Colin Sullivan.

Madolin (Vera Farmiga) knows Colin and Billy. Even more, she feels attracted by both of them. This is a film about both sides of an only conflict, but it also shows how similar both sides may be.

Frank Costello gives a grotesque and extravagant vision to the film.

Up in the air

Up in the air (Jason Reitman, 2009) tells us the story of Ryan (George Clooney), a solitary businessman. The very first part of the movie is very funny, since we realize how well he manages in his way of life.

Ryan seems to enjoy his life. The problem begins when he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga). And what begins with sex, becomes guadually something more. 

I am not telling you the end of the movie but I will say that Jason Reitman seems not to be a fan of the classic romantic comedy. As in Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007) the main character, Ryan, must face a problem. At the end of Juno, the main character is happy, even if the end is bittesweet. At the end of Up in the air, things are not perfect either. But in both films, the protagonist learns a great lesson.

The Dreamers

The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci, 2003) is a controversial film that takes place during the May 1968, in Paris. Nevertheless, the film does not concentrate in the protests but in the relationship between three youngs: Matthew (Michael Pitt), Isabelle (Eva Green) and Theo (Louis Garrel).

Matthew is the voice that narrates the film. He is an American student in Paris. There he falls in love with cinema, with Isabelle and Theo (twins), with their parents, with the city..

Their relation between the three of them grows up so much so that he moves to the twin's home. He realise there is something strange between Theo and Isabelle. But he is happy living in this bohemian life. 
There is a lot of references to cinema. They do not only have a "cinema contest" but also identify themselves with some of the films and they imitate their favorite films. This is a way to have the life of their dreams.

Almost all the film takes place at home. It is a claustrophobic space, but also a reflection of the relation. Even if the film does not concentrate in what happened in Paris, their life inside is a metaphor of what's happening outside. They family changes, they have a different conception of sex.. Taboo subjects, as incest, become natural. There are a lot of explicit sexual scenes.

 The Dreamers is colorful and inspiring. Its mise-en-scène reflects the 60s. For example, in costumes, or in the cinema scene where everyone smoke.

 

However, The Dreamers may leave a bad taste in one's mouth. The transition from adolescence to adulthood, the discovery of one's and the others, the separation from one's parents, the fantasy of a different and better life.. They also do.

Every thing You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)

Every thing you always wanted to Know about sex (Woody Allen, 1972) is a collection of 7 stories about the different ways in which people live sex and love.

I would separate these stories into two groups: The ones in which Woody Allen acts and the ones in which he does not. Don't kill me. I know Woody Allen is a cult director and all that, and I appreciate him as a director, but, as an actor, I do not like him at all. And sometimes, a bad actor (Or what the viewer thinks a "bad actor" is), may mess up a good film.


In short, I do not like Woody Allen as an actor, but these 7 stories still are absurd, funny and entertaining at the same time.

"We can get through this together, I'll get a job, I'll pull through...if you're willing to stick by me". 

Scarface

Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983) is a remake of a previous film with the same name, Scarface (Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson, 1932). It is a long film (170 min), but the viewer never gets bored of it.

The main reason why I liked Scarface is the main character, Tony Montana (Al Pacino). He is a phychopat, he is not a good person, he is not the kind of people you want to be your friend, he is not handsome, he is not clever, but, in some way, he is very charismatic and the viewer finds himself indentifying with him, and feeling attracted by him. Maybe because he is a self-made man.
Al Pacino acting is very credible. His Spanish, for example, is much more credible than Charlton Heston's in Touch of Evil (Orson Wells, 1958). After The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola,1972) and The Godfather II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974) he seemed to be comfortable in a gangster's skin.

Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) tells Tony what she thinks is the most valuable lesson: "Don't get high on your own supply". Nevertheless, both of them do. Just as Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace do in Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994). The relationship between Vincent and Mia is clearly based in the one between Tony and Elvira.

With regard to the soundtrack, by Giorgio Moroder, I find it funny. I mean, in the montage where the viewer is told how time passes, the song that accompanies it sounds old-fashioned but it is appropiate to the 80s.

Inglourious Basterds

Inglorious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) is divided into 5 chapters. Here you have 5 reasons why you should watch it:

1 Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). He is the responsible of the funniest scenes and the wittiest conversations. Listening to him talk German, French, English and Italian fluently is also a pleasure. To finish with him, his face at the moment he knows is going to be marked for life..

2 The soundtrak. Most of the tracks are by Ennio Morricone. Music in the first chapter has an interesting effect. You think you are watching a western and not a film that takes place in the occupied France.

3 Samuel L Jackson. Ok, I know he is not acting as Jules, speaking about hamburguers in Europe, but the narrator's voice is his.

4 Shosanna's (Mélanie Laurent) story, the reference to The Searchers (John Ford 1956) at the end of the first chapter (When she is introduced), and the scene when the cinema burns.

5 The last reason for watching Inglorious Basterds, just if you are a real Tarantino's fan are.. the dialogues. This is a long film, in part, thanks to the tedious nonsense dialogues.  The "Who I am?" scene is one of them.