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Reviews
La dolce vita (1960)
One of the greatest films ever made.
This movie ruined film for me.
For a couple of weeks after seeing "La Dolce Vita" at the Bay Theatre in Seal Beach, I tried to avoid seeing movies. Because I deeply enjoy film, however, I was unable to successfully sit out two weeks of viewing, so I saw "Broken Blossoms" and "Trainspotting". Due to the inexpressionable impression "La Dolce Vita" left in my memory, I was disappointed by both films (before you start screaming, "Trainspotting" is also in my top twenty of all time). Watching "La Dolce Vita" was like eating the greatest meal of my life: nothing tasted quite as good afterward.
This film engaged me at all possible levels. It was intellectually stimulating, with endless symbols and philosophical content. Marcello descends into a fantasy world every night, only to ascend to the harsh light of reality in the morning, over and over again. Women, religion, family, work, nothing offers real satisfaction, but only a temporary escape from the dull routine of life. Whether it is Steiner or his fiancé, Marcello ultimately finds that nothing is what it appears and that, when dawn breaks, he is back where he began, searching vainly for meaning until he is left with a life of debauchery devoid of hope, an unidentifiable monster of nature, unable to even comprehend hope or innocence.
It was also technically stunning. Many of the shots are among the most gorgeous ever committed to celluloid. Of course, the scene in the fountain with the beautiful movie star stands out, but so do many others: the ascent in the tower to overlook Rome, the aristocratic party in the old mansion. The acting is flawless, from Marcello down to the smallest bit part.
It was also entertaining. In spite of the heaviness of the philosophical material, Fellini successfully injected a surprising amount of humor. I found myself, and the audience around me, laughing out loud on a number of occasions. Anyone who isn't completely charmed by the night-time dance scene with the movie star is more jaded that Marcello at the end of the film. I found myself with a giant, irrepressible grin on my face at the conclusion of that scene, and realized that I, like Marcello, had been seduced by the beauty and joy of the moment.
This movie is perfect. People have criticized it for meandering about for three hours, but this is precisely the point. We are following Marcello, who is meandering through life, looking for something that he cannot find. At the end, he is left with a life as inexplicable and unattractive as the strange sea monster on the beach, and we are left with startling memories of an unforgettable film.
Katakuri-ke no kôfuku (2001)
A Japanese musical horror dramedy
I highly recommend this film. I found it to be tremendously entertaining. It is very well acted, very well directed, and the production values are high.
Having said that, it must be noted that the film is, well, wacky. The plot is really very simple. A father quits his job in the city and purchases a guest house in the country with the hopes of reuniting his torn family. He brings them together, only to have the success of the inn threatened first by a lack of visitors, then by the suicide of his first customer, then by the accidental death of the second and third customers. The family unites, overcomes the difficulties, and, in the end, the guest house is successful and the dream is achieved. With a plot this simple, one would expect a standard running time. It is an indication of the peculiarity of this film that it's running time is over two hours.
A brief plot description is probably the least accurate way to describe this film. The simple plot is used as a vehicle for all kinds of outlandish explorations of loneliness and death, as well as simple, unmitigated silliness. This film contains random and intense song and dance sequences (by actors who, for the most part, obviously cannot sing or dance very well), gratuitous claymation sequences, and melodramatic sequences discussing subjects such as familial loyalty, duty, and death - all performed in song with straight, and serious, faces. In one scene, a major character engages in an extended song and dance sequence with her new love interest (an American sailor whom she just saw for the first time) that involves lots of wire work, a choreographed dance routine with about thirty waiters, and an animated sequence with flowers being blown on the new couple by a fat woman. In another scene, the family breaks into the room where their first guest has stayed, only to find his dead body lying on the floor.
However, they bust in using a carefully choreographed, eighties-style dance routine, and they sing their woe and confusion rather than speaking it.
Does this sound crazy? It is. What's more, the above examples only scratch the surface. There's an extended fight sequence done entirely in claymation, with the actors' real heads occasionally superimposed over the claymation heads at especially dramatic moments. There's an extended song and dance sequence in which the dead guests of the inn rise zombie-style and break it down with the inn owner and his family.
Ultimately, the film truly cannot be described with words. It must be seen to be believed.
See this movie! It is a truly unique film and will, at the least, provide you with a fun afternoon, especially if watched with a large group of friends. Or I may be a weirdo. Either way, this is definitely worth watching.