Movies Blog : movies, good and evil

The Spirit of the Beehive

wag.mado@evpl — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:07:00 GMT

Thanks to a recommendation by my friend, I watched a stunning film this weekend. Set in a Castilian village somewhere in early 1940's rural Spain, this movie has won international acclaim as a masterpiece - labeled one of the greatest Spanish films of the 1970's. On the surface, it is a coming of age story in which six-year-old Ana, played by Ana Torrent, tries to make sense of the world after seeing a young girl die in the classic 1931 film, Frankenstein. However, the movie is chock-full of symbolism and is also a commentary on life at the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War. The cinematic photography shot by Luis Cuadrado (who was going blind while the film was being made) is stark and breathtaking. Each scene seems to stay in your memory as a snapshot. As with many foreign films, the pace is hauntingly slow and the dialogue is sparse, adding to the intense feeling and emotion of the storyline. Isabel Telleria plays the innocent Ana's older sister Isabel, and has a menacing side to say the least. Together, these beautiful little girls bring this powerful story to life.

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) was written and directed by Victor Erice and is one of only three movies he made over a 20 year period. The other two films, The South (1982) and The Quince Tree Sun (1992) are also highly regarded.

Treat yourself to The Spirit of the Beehive. It now ranks among my top ten favorite foreign films.

The Dark Knight is way too dark

MediaPhile@evpl — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:16:00 GMT

SPOILER ALERT!

This movie is about a half-hour to one hour too long -- it could have used some judicious editing. Once the relationship between Batman and Rachel is resolved (I won't tell you how), the dramatic tension is gone. They should have just said "And then..." and ended the dang thing. We all know that we will be seeing these characters in the sequel anyway so we will have plenty of time to get to know their latest foibles.

Re all the profound ruminations by critics and the movie's characters of the battle between good and evil, hey, what movie doesn't deal with this eternal struggle? (Well, I guess we can exclude comedies). So one side is bad and the other good. So what? I doubt that anyone was made a better person or a better citizen by watching this flick. And if the point is that a true hero would choose GOOD over LOVE, it's obvious this script was written by a man. The choice ends up being wrong, anyway, since ultimately Good turns to Evil and a new villain is created.

I saw "Dark Knight" in IMAX and by far the best parts were when we were soaring or otherwise doing acrobatic tricks above the Chicago (Gotham) skyline. Awesome!

And of course there is Heath Ledger. His performance was deliciously wierd, but I couldn't stop thinking about how he is dead. Now "Brokeback Mountain," THAT was a GOOD movie!

So, heh, Rotten Tomatoes -- a 94%!?!? Well I guess it will sweep all the Oscars (Not)!