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Martin Paule's Micro Movie Reviews: A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z-

Frida

Julie Taymore's beautifully filmed portrait of Mexican artist Frida Kalho avoids most the stodgy pitfalls of the biopic with a flamboyant design and a structure that offers context for her paintings and episodic glimpses into her tempestuous life and two marriages with muralist and serial philanderer Diego Rivera. Salma Hayek, who has often been consigned to lightweight roles and who championed getting this movie made, shines as Kalho as does Alfred Molina playing Rivera. That's the good news. The bad news is though Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography (he filmed the powerful Amores Perros) is splendid, the music is exceedingly well chosen, and there are countless touches of great ingenuity, the screenplay doesn't work so well. Hammered together by a conglomeration of writers along with Hayek's main squeeze, Edward Norton, it fails to get very far below the surface. Hampered as the film is by being in English rather than Spanish, that problem is sometimes exacerbated by having these Mexican bohemians spouting dialog that sounds like it belongs in a film about mainstream, contemporary American lives. Still, for anyone with an interest in Kalho or Rivera, Frida offers rewards.

Fando & Lis

Director Alejandro Jodorowsky created this astonishing allegory by shooting on weekends in Mexico. Its '70s debut at the Acapulco Film Festival caused such a furor that the festival was shut down never to be revived! As with his other films (El Topo, Santa Sangre, et al.), synopsizing the story is not fruitful. The title characters embark on a long strange journey in which parallels with Dante's Inferno abound. Fando is an actor and poseur whose child-like persona we soon discover is a front for a much more vengeful, darker personality. He constantly torments his more innocent fiancé, Lis, a paralytic who he trundles about in a rickety cart. The DVD version includes an extensive documentary titled Constellation Jodorowsky in which the director expounds on his art and life and in which we see him holding forth at a weekly psychodrama/lecture series in Paris. A must for fans of this iconoclast.

Far From Heaven

Crafted in the manner of a Douglas Sirk 1950s melodrama, Heaven  casts Julianna Moore as an upscale June Cleaver caught in the mores of that decade and dealing with the revelation that her husband (Dennis Quaid) is gay. Unable to confide in her circle of matronly friends or discuss what is going on with her Type-A husband, she turns to her black gardener exposing she and her family to scandal. Director Todd Haynes uses saturated Trechnicolor-like tones to evoke the era and employs color in his sets and costumes to evoke the dramatic developments operating below the surface. Elmer Bernstein supports the atmosphere with his lush, dramatic score while Moore continues to wow us with her extraordinary range.

Following

Director Christopher Nolan who made the excellent Memento created this debut feature on a tiny budget that in no way reduces the film’s impact. As with his later film, Nolan plays with the time frame of his story to keep us guessing as he spins his tale of a scruffy would-be writer who begins following people at random to develop material. One of his targets turns out to be a cat burglar who brings the writer along on some of his jobs. Before long the writer is caught up in a series of events from which he finds extrication impossible. We are kept guessing until the very end when we become privy to the intricate structure of Nolan’s plot. Very clever stuff told compactly and masterfully.

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China

This astonishingly moving documentary covers the maestro's 1979 visit to China during its recovery from the devastating Cultural Revolution in which music school faculties were imprisoned and all western music traditions were expunged. The interactions between Stern and Chinese music students are remarkable. In a matter of minutes he is able to take technically proficient but stiff Chinese students and infect them with his joie de vivre for the music. We witness an instant transformation in their playing—Stern's impish and caring presence imparts the passion. Rarely have I seen such an immediate and obvious transmission of emotion, or better, soul, take place. This is a testament to the power of music as the universal language and as a means to achieve international understanding. No matter how cliched that may sound, there are some truly transcendental moments in this Oscar-winning film that hold out the hope for genuine cross-cultural acceptance.

Freeway

Reese Witherspoon is a spitfire of a trailer park girl whose speed-freak hooker mother and abusive meth dealer stepfather both land in jail during the early going. Dressed in a trashy red leather jacket, (this is an update on Little Red Riding Hood) she goes in search of her grandmother only to be waylaid by the I-5 Killer, a serial murderer played to the hilt by Kiefer Sutherland. This is one girl who he shouldn’t have tried to screw with. Devotees of such female ass-kicking epics as Thelma & Louise. and Bound will find plenty to like.

Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Other Strange Tales

This is a quartet of short films loosely based on four of Kafka’s absurdist stories, the best of these being the first, titular tale that deals with the author’s struggle to get the first line of Metamorphosis. on paper. Its brevity and Richard E. Grant’s quirky turn as the tortured Czech writer serve to make a difficult film subject—writers doing their work—succeed here. Though the remaining three stories are less engaging, Kafka fans should be pleased.

The Fast and the Furious

This throwback to the hot rod B-movie features of the ‘50s and ‘60s offers an updated version of the genre with Asian faces replacing crewcut blondes, hip-hop supplanting rock’n’roll, and Hondas standing in for flathead Fords. These modern American street racers are equipped with cell phones and police monitors to stay a step ahead of the cops but the genre’s original macho vibe still persists. It plays like a video game with plenty of flash and noise. Memorable quote: “I live my life one quarter-mile at a time”. 

The Fallen Idol

In this screen adaptation by Graham Greene of his own short story, the young son of the French ambassador in London lies to protect the embassy’s chief servant (in a superb performance by Ralph Richardson) when an accident occurs. The boy’s lie, resulting from his adoration of the Richardson character, creates serious entanglements for his idol. Exceedingly well acted (Jack Hawkins is brilliant as the investigating detective) the story is made more by primarily presenting the boy’s point of view.
 

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara

At one point in this brilliant portrait of the secretary of defense who served JFK and LBJ during the quagmire of Vietnam, McNamara says, “In order to do good, one may have to do evil”. This is at the heart of quandary that still plagues McNamara (and the U.S.) four decades later. As are his reflections over the firebombing of Tokyo at the end of WWII. He is haunted by questions of what extremes a nation may go to in prosecuting war, and in a begrudging way, he admires General Curtis (“Let’s bomb ‘em back to the Stone Age”) LeMay whose victory-at-all-costs approach sidesteps the nagging ambiguities that trouble McNamara. Director Errol Morris has masterfully created what on first blush would appear to be a boring talking-head yawner into a riveting inquiry into America’s place in the world. With exquisitely well-chosen archival footage and excerpts from presidential tapes, Morris paints a picture of well-educated men drawn into an inextricable madness. This stuff should be required viewing for our current policy makers.

Friday Night Lights

In West Texas, Sunday is for church and Friday night is for high school football. Set in Odessa, this is based on the true story of the Permian High School football team’s eventful 1988 season. Though it resorts to some of the clichés of the genre (think Rocky), for the most part this is a film that largely dispenses with formula to focus in on the lives of three members of the team and their coach (nicely underplayed by Billy Bob Thornton). Crunching game action is quite well balanced with quieter moments  and the recurring theme of personal integrity registers strongly. 

Festival in the Desert

Recommended to anyone with an interest in exotic music, especially the musical traditions of North and West Africa, this no-frills documentary records a once-in-a-lifetime music festival that was held in 2002 in the Malian Sahara desert, literally miles beyond Timbuktu. Mounted to help heal the enmity between warring indigenous groups, the acts include Taureg performers, West African stars such Omou Sangara, and the Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure. The setting is knockout and so is the music.   

Festival Express

In 1970 a rock promoter rented a train from the Canadian national railroad, hired on some of the biggest music acts of the day, and set out on a westward-bound trip across Canada putting on rock festivals along the way. Though the festivals lost a pile of money (the promoter has never specified just how much), the trip was a halcyon moment for the performers who took part. The roster was a stellar one that included Janis Joplin, The Band, The Grateful Dead, Delaney & Bonnie, and bluesman Buddy Guy. Thankfully there were cameras to document the proceedings. The most satisfying moments come aboard the train with the musicians hanging, jamming, and getting drunk and high together. The performances are a mixed bag with The Band doing fine work, Janis screaming her ass off with just a bit more nuance than she showed at Woodstock, and Buddy Guy tearing the roof off with his adrenaline-inflected Stratocaster. For my taste, there is a bit too much time devoted to noodling Grateful Dead jams, but the DVD release includes another hour’s worth of performances by just about everyone that didn’t make the final feature cut. An interesting commentary on how times (and admission prices) have changed are the well-documented and sometimes violent protests the festivals engendered with hippies screaming that the $14 admission to the all-day events was a ripoff! 

5 Fingers

In this terrifically suspenseful story based on a book purported to be true, James Mason plays a servant in the British embassy in Ankara, Turkey during WWII. He regularly rifles the embassy safe for top-secret material that he then sells to the Germans. Great cloak-and-dagger material with a twisty plot bound to please suspense fans.

The Fifth Element

A tempestuous stew of wild effects, creative art direction and an ingenious screenplay that imagines how life will be in 23^rd century New York, combine to offer a heady piece of entertainment. Gary Oldman plays a cab driver that rescues a mysterious woman who may hold the key to the planet’s survival. The film eventually wears out its welcome and grinds to a trite finish. But it’s a helluva lot of fun along the way.

The Firm

Though it's a little bloated, this story of a star law school grad (Tom Cruise) that is avidly recruited by a prestigious Memphis law firm, offers solid entertainment. Engaging performances and flashy visuals coupled with plenty of sinister atmosphere and suspense make up for some longeurs.

A Flight of Rainbirds

A virginal Dutch scientist is given an ultimatum: he must either bed a woman within a week or he will be condemned to spend eternity in Hell. This is an off-kilter comedy with interesting ideas about the nature of religion and death.

Frenzy

Among the more graphically violent Hitchcock films (but certainly less so than Psycho), Frenzy achieves its aims using all the master's usual elements: an innocent man running from the cops, dark humor, and some superb camera work. In one especially effective scene the camera follows the serial strangler who has created out hero’s dilemma as he approaches a building housing his next victim. Instead of following him into the building, the camera shrinks back in horror letting our minds conjure a scene far more horrific than the one that might have been staged.
 

The Freshman (1990)

Marlon Brando appears to be having a lot of fun parodying his Don Corleone persona in this pleasing comedy about a whimsical New York mob family engaged in the illegal exotic species trade.

Fresh

Sean Nelson offers a powerfully affecting performance as a 12-year old heroin courier trying to survive in an ultra-violent ghetto landscape. The film is both heartbreaking and tension-drenched and may be offputting to more sensitive viewers. 

DVDs To Your Doorstep!

Face (1997)
Scots actor Robert Carlyle ("Trainspotting") has developed a thriving
franchise playing tightly wound, violent men. He hits the mark solidly in
this high energy heist story that details a daring London robbery and the
subsequent breakdown in the relationships of the five cockney robbers.
Carlyle's Ray is a former lefty activist who has turned to thievery when
his faith in the movement wanes. The story line here is a well worn one
salvaged by a fine cast and terrific pacing. (In cockney gangster-speak, a
face is a standup guy.)

The Fury
Brian DePalma directed this arresting bit of horror popcorn on the heels of
"Carrie" and demonstrated an ongoing mastery of his pop art. A boy with
psychokinetic powers is snatched by a villainous U.S. government operative
in Israel under the nose of his father (Kirk Douglas). Douglas undertakes a
dauntless search to find his boy encountering a girl with similar powers (a
doe-eyed Amy Irving in one of her early roles) along the way. DePalma's
storytelling has a few frayed ends, but his assured camera work and set
pieces make it all worth while.
 

Felicia's Journey
Bob Hoskins makes an indelible impression as a prissy catering manager at a
Midlands factory who seemingly rescues a young Irish woman who has come
over the Channel to find an errant lover. Hoskins is haunted by his dead
mother who hosted a French cooking show in the 50s. He obsessively runs
tapes of her shows while preparing the dishes detailed in them. Slowly we
become aware that there is more to this eccentric-he has rescued a series
of young women in the past with less than charitable intentions. Hoskins is
a marvel as the outwardly subdued maniac, his beady eyes only subliminally
registering his twisted inner state. Far more about character than
suspense, this is a strong followup to Canadian director Atom Egoyan's
previous triumph "The Sweet Hereafter" (reviewed earlier).
 

Flawless
The pleasure here is the central casting of Robert DeNiro as a
stroke-afflicted former cop and Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Happiness",
"Boogie Nights") as a drag queen who tries to mother and help him. Though
the rooming house in which they live seems to have grown out of the
grand-guignol-fevered imagination of director/writer Joel Schumacher and
hasn't a shred of reality, and the plot suffers from severe overbaking, the
two leads create a powerful dynamic.

Fight Club
Talk about a testosterone-soaked male fantasy! Edward Norton is an
emotionally muted guy with a dull job and no prospects who gets his kicks
by slumming at various 12-step program meetings. His life changes
inutterably when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a brash, masculine role
model who makes a career of upsetting the apple carts of life. Together
they become involved in a weekly session in which manly men get together in
a dank basement to beat the crap out of each other. Very stylish and darkly
funny, director David Fincher's ("Se7en") design is a dark one fascinated
with dingy corners and pools of bodily emissions.
 

Face/Off

If you're looking for some stylish mayhem, you could do much worse than
this engaging entry by the Hong Kong action-master John Woo. Arch-criminal
Nicholas Cage hides a time-delayed biologic weapon in Los Angeles, then
trying to flee the cops is injured and lapses into what appears to be an
irreversible coma. John Travolta is a policeman whose young son was killed
by Cage years earlier. To find the time bomb, Travolta assumes Cage's form.
In turn, Cage emerges from his coma, escapes and assumes Travolta's
identity. Needless to say, this scenario calls for a large helping of
verisilimitude, but thanks to non-stop slam bang action, amazing special
effects and decent performances by the stars in their comic book roles, the
movie works.
 

Fanny and Alexander

Ingmar Bergman's last film is the chronicle of a marriage set in turn of
the century Sweden and recounting all the trials, travails and joys
experienced by the couple and their family. Largely autobiographical, this
film glows with Sven Nykvist's gorgeous camera work.
 
 

Family Life

Janice is a young woman trying to come to grips with her identity within
the controlling and claustrophobic confines of her rigidly middle-class
family and their fixed expectations. Much of the dialog in this episodic
1971 film by Ken Loach ("Riff Raff") seems improvised. Many scenes
involving therapists have a documentary-like ambience. As in a
psychological case study we are led to see Janice's troubles as an outcome
of her parent's controlling behavior. They insist on her having an abortion
which leads to her rapid degeneration and institutionalization. It's a bit
of a period piece in that Loach is clearly in support of talk-based therapy
as practiced by the one positive therapist who treats her. But he is
dismissed from the hospital for bucking the system by using imaginative
experimental techniques and Janice finds herself drugged and subjected to
shock therapy during which her problems deepen. In one stunning scene we
see her go through electric shock treatment and we believe she is the
exclusive focus of the process. Then the camera pulls back and we see a row
of gurneys littered with benumbed patients.
 
 

Fearless
 

After narrowly escaping death in a plane crash, a man (Jeff Bridges) is
forced to reexamine all the givens in his life. He forms a bond with a
fellow survivor (Rosie Perez in a great performance that sprung her from
heretofore one-note typecasting) who lost her baby in the crash. They cling
together for support despite the objections of their respective spouses.
Isabella Rossellini is especially good in her supporting role as Bridges'
wife. At times unbearably sad, a life-affirming note is sounded in the end.
 

Female Perversions

Contrary to the title, this isn't a porn lesbo reel, but rather a thought
provoking allegory about feminism. The physically striking British actress
Tilda Swinton ("Orlando") plays Eve Stephens, a tough as nails trial lawyer
who is up for a judge- ship. Despite her hard nosed exterior, Eve is deeply
conflicted. She uses her sensuality to advance her career but is inwardly
repelled by conforming to societal standards of female behavior. Director
Susan Streitfeld, herself a former high powered Hollywood agent, uses
visual clues such as loose threads on Eve's power suits to signal her
impending disintegration. There are also several dream sequences in which
archetypal imagery is used to signal Eve's dilemma. Meanwhile her
kleptomaniac sister, effectively portrayed by Amy Madigan, is working on a
doctoral thesis about a Mexican village in which the women run the show.
Eve's relations with her sister are strained as they are with just about
all her significant others. Her hypertense personality and her constant
quest for personal gratification makes her a rather unpleasant if pitiable
woman. I found the conclusion somewhat unsatisfactory. A rather garbled
flashback about a family event from Eve's childhood tries to neatly apply a
psychological explanation to who Eve is. I found it unconvincing and pat.
Nevertheless, this is an intriguing statement about women's roles that will
offer thoughtful viewers plenty to chew on.
 

The Flamingo Kid

A terrific coming of age story set in 1963 with a charming Matt Dillon in
the lead, this concerns a teenage boy from a bluecollar family who is
swayed in his life choices by a fat cat sharpie (Richard Crenna in an
incisive performance) at the country club where he works. Look for the
scene where Crenna, parked in front of his TV, sees the old sitcom "The
Real Mc Coys" in which he starred.
 
 

Floundering

James LeGros plays John Boyz, a young guy with loads of compassion and
feeling who comes a cropper faced with his spirit-numbing Southern
California existence. Due to a bureaucratic bungle he finds his life coming
apart at the seams with all the attributes that make him a fine human being
slowly seeping away. A tremendously perceptive screenplay and brave
performance by LeGros make this a memorable experience.
 
 

Fluke
 

I was disarmed by this charmer whose premise originally struck me as dumb:
a young father is killed in a strange car wreck and is reincarnated as a
dog who ultimately makes his way back to his former family. This
beautifully mounted film is wistfully funny and intensely touching.
 
 

Farewell, My Concubine

Another Chi-Com production of resplendent beauty, it is the story of two
men who are taken as young boys to be trained as performers in the Peking
Opera. One is gay, the other decidedly heterosexual. The decades-long
scenario tracks their friendship and exotic lives against the context of a
dramatically changing social and political landscape.
 

Federal Hill
 

A latter day variation on the "Mean Streets" "Goodfellas" genre set in
Providence, Rhode Island and featuring a great cast of largely unknowns.
Particularly impressive is Nicholas Turturro as a small time hood with a
bad temper and incredibly poor judgment. There's a nice love story working
in the background also.
 
 

Fiorile (AKA Wildflowers)

On a car trip to see their sick grandfather, a man recounts the story of
the family's history to his children in which their ancestors stole a
fortune in gold during the Napoleonic wars. Complex and fascinating in its
structure, the film addresses the issues of lost innocence and the harm
that arises out of ill-gotten gain. A memorable fantasy that never takes
the expected path.
 
 

A Fish Called Wanda
 

I imagine you've seen this, but if not, put it at the top of your comedy
list. John Cleese wrote the nutty script guaranteeing a full quotient of
bad-taste jokes and strange situations. Kevin Klein is especially good in a
manic, macho role.
 
 

Five Corners

The story of several young people whose lives come together in the title's
Bronx neighborhood during the early 60s. John Turturro, in another
outstanding performance plays a psychopathic bad guy just out of prison who
creates a world of trouble for the the characters including Jodie Foster in
a memorable role. Interestingly, the film foregoes the the temptation to
sprinkle the soundtrack with hits of the era, instead going for a very
moody, atmospheric feel with a score to match.
 
 

Full Metal Jacket
 

This is the only Viet Nam movie that really pulled my chain. (Though I
liked "Born On The 4th of July" even if it is somewhat overbaked. I got to
know the real-life subject of the film, Ron Kovic, when we took a writing
class together. It was there he began to tell his horrendous tale.)
"Jacket" has a great soundtrack that integrates beautifully with the
visuals. At one point the "Papapapapapapapaoomowmow" of the Garbagemen's
"Surfin' Bird" segues seamlessly into the sound of a chopper lifting off.
Kubrick shot part of the movie at a huge British power station complex
slated for demolition. By bringing in some palm trees and other tropical
props, he was able to simulate the Vietnamese provincial capital, Hue,
which apparently has a similar 30s industrial look to it. The first half of
the film is taken up with basic training at a Marine boot camp at Perris
Island, S.C., and Kubrick cast an actual Marine drill instructor to play
that part in the movie. The guy is fantastic despite never having acted
before. By the way, I don't consider "Apocalypse Now", great as it is, a
Viet Namfilm. That movie is really an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novella
"Heart of Darkness" and it seems to me the setting is somewhat incidental to
the interior story about the nature of madness. Ditto for "The Deerhunter",
another superb film that is set in Viet Nam but really has other fish to
fry. Anyway, all four of these flicks have lots to offer but since there's
only so much time and so many movies, I'd opt for "Full Metal Jacket" if I
had to just choose one from this bunch.
 

The Full Monty
 

My initial response to this gutsy, feel-good film was one of surprise that
it has made such a resounding impression with U.S. audiences. In theme and
tone, it differs little from the grittily realistic work of English
directors Mike Leigh and Ken Loach neither of whom have made much boxoffice
headway here. I suppose the subject matter-the story of a group of down and
out British steelworkers in Sheffield developing a full nudity strip show
to make some extra quid - may have hooked American moviegoers. But it was
the heartfelt and humane story of these displaced workers and their sad
lives that built the film's enormous word of mouth reputation. One cavil:
the film stops abruptly just as they launch into the public debut of their
act which was developed despite enormous obstacles. Though we realize that
the performance doesn't represent a magic bullet which will extricate them
from the socioeconomic disaster that is their lives, I would like to have
seen the script indicate a little more clearly how their gumption has
resulted in a greater sense of self-worth and accomplishment for these
likable guys.
 
 

Funny Bones

Though it generally got lukewarm reviews, I found it very creative and
unusual as comedies go. It's the story of a comedian who is the son of a
widely beloved stand up comic. The son finds his own career falling apart
and goes to Liverpool to find his roots and maybe some inspiration. Though
the movie shifts all over the place in terms of tone, it somehow manages to
hang together as a genuine entertainment.
 

Flight of the Phoenix
 

Robert Aldrich's rousing adventure concerns a disparate group of men whose
plane goes down over the Libyan desert and how they attempt to salvage the
damaged aircraft to escape certain death. A fine international cast that
includes Jimmie Stewart as the pilot, Richard Attenborough as his alcoholic
navigator and Hardy Kruger as a slide-rule toting German engineer interact
smartly. The stunt pilot who manned the cobbled together aircraft in the
tense, closing scenes was killed during filming requiring the producers to
find a lookalike craft to finish the movie. I find Jimmie Stewart's
characterization especially interesting; he plays a stubborn and very
fallible character that contrasts with the good guy screen persona that was
his usual metier.
 

Flirt
 

The same story is told three different ways in three different cities: New
York, Berlin and Tokyo. In each segment a flirtatious lover is confronted
with having to choose between two partners...
 
 

Flirting With Disaster

Any movie with Mary Tyler Moore flashing her breasts has gotta be a winner,
right? A guy discovers he's adopted and sets out to find the birth parents
with his current family in tow. Along the way they run into some truly
hilarious people and situations. Highly recommended for maximum laughs and
minimal thinking.
 

The Fourth Man

Before coming to America and making some big budget blockbusters, director
Paul Verhoeven crafted this darkly brilliant story of a bisexual and
alcoholic writer who is seduced by a woman whose three previous spouses all
died under suspicious circumstances. What is real and what is fantasy is
the consuming question here.
 

Frankie Starlight
 

A whimsical fantasy about an unwed mother and her dwarf son trying to make
lives for themselves in Ireland. Rife with astronomical and metaphysical
metaphors this film never seems to go where you expect. Ann Parrillaud (of
"La Femme Nikita"), Gabriel Burne and Matt Dillon all acquit themselves
well, but it is Alan Pentony and Corban Walker who play the dwarf son as
respectively, child and adult who turn in the best performances. The plot
suffers from a mild case of over-complexification offset by the film's
originality.
 

Frantic