Movie Maven List H-I

Happenstance

(2000) French, subtitles
Director/Screenwriter: Laurent Firode
Principals: Audrey Tautou, Faudel, Eric Savin, Nathalie Besancon

This must-see film directed by Laurent Firode stars Audrey Tautou in another magical role. This film covers 24 hours in Paris where serendipity is the order of the day. Amusing, amazing and wonderful circumstances connect until we see what was right before our eyes. Creative and special, this film is as good as it gets.

Happy Accidents

(2000) Indie
Director/Screenwriter: Brad Anderson
Principals: Marisa Tomei, Vincent D’Onofrio

This quirky, little movie is about a time traveler from the year 2470 who could succeed in saving the one he loved if only she would love him back. Marisa Tomei and Vincent D’Onofrio are so accomplished in their roles that you might even come away believing in time travel and happy accidents. Writer/director Brad Anderson covers familiar territory but in a uniquely surprising way.

Harrison’s Flowers

(2002) Yugoslav, English
Director/Screenwriter: Elie Chouraqui
Principals: Andie MacDowell, Elias Koteas, Brendan Gleeson, Adrien Brody

This film is about a photojournalist who gets lost in the turmoil of the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Although melodramatic at times, the scenes of utter chaos and insanity seem so real that this film looks like a documentary. If you ever secretly wanted to be a war correspondent, you might change your mind after seeing this film.

Hero

(2004) Chinese, subtitles
Director/Screenwriter: Zhang Yimou
Principals: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

This story involves the attempt by Qin, the king of the northern province, to unite the six warring states in pre-imperial China. Zhang Yimou writes and directs with Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and a cast of thousands. The plot will hold your attention but it’s the visual quality, direction, color, sound and musical score which will knock you out. And, of course, the martial arts sequences, which fill up the entire screen with a savage dance, are both spectacular and magical. For the inner-child in all of us that wants violence in large doses…

House of Fools

(2002) Russian, subtitles
Director/Screenwriter: Andrei Konchalovsky
Principals: Julia Vysotsky

This is not an easy film to watch because it tells the story of patients in a mental hospital who become pawns in the tides of war. Chechen and Russian soldiers fight each other with the inmates of the asylum caught right in the middle of the battlefield. Andrei Konchalovsky wrote and directed this film which on one level shows the madness of war far exceeds the madness of insanity. Nevertheless, it is man’s care and concern for his fellow man which overrides the brutality present in the house of fools. Julia Vysotsky stars in a film that is definitely not for beginners.

Hurricane Streets

(1998) Indie
Director/Screenwriter: Morgan J. Freeman
Principals: Brenda Sexton III, Antoine McLean

* unfortunately, at this time, Hurricane Streets is only available on VHS. A link is provided to Amazon.

This gritty, powerful film tells the story of a boy growing up in the hood who dreams only of moving to New Mexico. The characters and their motivations are clearly drawn without sentimentality. Brendan Sexton III creates a character that no matter what he does, you end up rooting for him. Although this film is anything but a comedy, the ending may remind you of The Graduate. This film is a reality play for our times.

Husbands and Wives

(1992) Woody
Director/Screenwriter: Woody Allen
Principals: Woody Allen, Judy Davis, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack

Husbands and Wives is about the Big Apple and the residents who endure and exult in relationships all the while gabbing about their phobias and hang-ups to an unseen therapist. Of course, this is pretty much what every other Woody Allen film is like! Woody, Judy Davis, Mia Farrow, and Sydney Pollack look and act like quintessential New Yorkers. The only thing wrong with this movie is the use of the herky-jerky camera. Like many of his other films, Husbands and Wives will make you feel good about yourself since you couldn’t possibly be as screwed up as Woody or the characters he creates.

-I-
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I Shot Andy Warhol

(1995) Indie
Director: Mary Harron
Screenwriter: Mary Harron, Daniel Minahan
Principals: Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Martha Plimpton

This is not your average run of the mill film. I Shot Andy Warhol includes various cinematic techniques such as monologues and flashbacks, and deals with the complex, true story of a psychotic, who at times seems saner than the world she inhabits. The real stars of this film are Lili Taylor who plays Valerie Solanas, and director Mary Harron. Taylor appears in almost every scene and plays a daunting character with subtlety and passion. Harron pieces together a complicated story and recreates Warhol’s “factory” with craft and verve.

An Ideal Husband

(1999) British
Director/Screenwriter: Oliver Parker
Principals: Jeremy Northan, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver

This screen rendering of the Oscar Wilde play is a witty, laugh-a-minute romp, just as you’d expect. When a gossiping madam demeans the reputation of an upstanding, government minister, he turns to his philandering friend for advice to rectify the misdeed. Lies and witticisms get twisted round and round, and he who was thought to be perfect turns out flawed and the one who is less than ideal must do something right. The cast of Jeremy Northan, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett and Minnie Driver makes each character come alive. Best of all is Rupert Everett who plays farce better than anybody else because of his subtle facial expressions and inflection. The production design and the costumes are Victorian gaudy, the orchestral music fits perfectly with this period piece, and director/screenwriter Oliver Parker mimics Wilde perfectly.

Il Postino

(1995) Italian, subtitles
Director: Michael Radford
Screenwriter: Michael Radford, Anna Pavignano
Principals: Philippe Noiret, Massimo Troisi, Maria Grazia Cucinotta

This wonderful, beautiful, happy, bittersweet, sad film tells the story of a simple man who becomes the friend of one of the 20^th Century’s most revered poets, Pablo Neruda. The screenplay is moving without being sappy, the direction is clear and simple, and the acting, which captures something seldom seen on film, i.e. the love and friendship of two men, is subtle and nuanced. This film will take you to another time, another place, where life and poetry are one and the same.

In the Mood for Love

(2000) Hong Kong, subtitles
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Wong Kar-Wai
Principals: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Maggie Cheung Man-yuk

This one is not for the casual filmgoer. It develops slowly, subtly, carefully - an art film in the finest sense. The music perfectly accompanies every little move. Actors Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung Man-yuk play characters who fall in love in the oddest of circumstances but can never fully show it to one another. Producer/writer/director Wong Kar-Wai is masterful in framing each shot to elicit just the right mood and feeling. For serious filmgoers.

In the Name of the Father

(1993) Irish
Director: Jim Sheridan
Screenwriter: Terry George
Principals: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson, Pete Postlethwaite, John Lynch

Another fantastic film by Jim Sheridan, In the Name of the Father tells the story of Gerry Conlon, who along with three other innocent people spent 15 years in prison and came to be known as the Guildford Four. This story about how the British cracked down on IRA terrorism with their own version of the Patriot Act has striking relevance to what is happening in America today. Sheridan directs with his usual dramatic flair, and Daniel Day-Lewis brings Conlon to life. Pete Postlethwaite, John Lynch and Emma Thompson make up a perfect supporting cast. This moving drama is must-see filmmaking.

Insomnia

(1997) Norwegian (subtitles)
Director: Erik Skjoldbjaerg
Screenwriter: Erik Skjoldbjaerg, Nikolaj Frobenius
Principals: Stellan Sarsgaard, Maria Mathiesen, Sverre Anker Ousdal

Don't confuse this film with the pale by comparison Al Pacino remake. Stellan Skarsgaard stars as a detective assigned to sleuth a murder committed in a town in the north of Norway where the sun never sets. Skarsgaard and the supporting cast create believable characters that get caught up in a web of confusion stemming from the sleeplessness caused by eternal sunshine. This simple fact ends up driving the story and the action in this mystery within a mystery which will have you rubbing your eyes by its conclusion. This film exhibits a masterful screenplay and superb camera work, which perfectly capture the essence of the whodunit genre.

Internal Affairs

(2004) Hong Kong, subtitles
Director: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak
Screenwriter: Felix Chong, Alan Mak
Principals: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

Not to be confused with the film starring Richard Gere and Andy Garcia, this Internal Affairs was directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and unlike so many thriller movies from Hong Kong, this one has an engrossing who will find who first story. The cinematography moves to the beat of the quick paced action, the musical score is electric, and the other production credits are all first-rate and help to accentuate the theme. This film will take you on a very fast, dangerous ride.

Into the West

(1993) Irish
Director: Mike Newell
Screenwriter: Jim Sheridan
Principals: Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin

This beautiful film by Jim Sheridan & Mike Newell involves the struggles of gypsies in Ireland, an endangered white horse, and two boys who take flight to save it. Much of the action takes place in the Irish countryside and Newell films the landscape in breathtaking fashion. It is interesting to compare the gypsies in this film with those in Snatch because although they both break the law, they have little else in common. See this film with a child.

Iris

(2001) English
Director/Screenwriter: Richard Eyre
Principals: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslett, Hugh Bonneville

This is the true story of British novelist, Iris Murdock. Not often does a film come along with acting good enough to win awards in all leading and supporting categories. Look no further. In Iris, the physical mannerisms and elocution of Judi Dench, who plays Iris, are mimicked perfectly by the young Iris, Kate Winslet. The same can be said of Jim Broadbent, who plays Iris’ husband, and Hugh Bonneville, the young Mr. Murdock.