Giuppi's Movie Reviews

Crossfire is an interesting movie for two reasons: the first one is that it is the first B movie to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture; the second one is that it is a social message film and a noir thriller at the same time. Nowadays, it's a rarely remembered movie but to be fair a certain importance should be acknowledged to it, because it is an example of how a relatively low-budget film can still be stylistically and aesthetically remarkable and also because of its attempt to treat a socially significant matter within the story of a murder mystery. That said, it's not a movie that achieves everything it sets out for itself and it's also one that has clearly suffered from the passing of the years. But its ambition is still worthy of praise and respect. The story begins with the beating and killing of Joseph Samuels (Sam Levene) at the hands of two men in his own apartment. Samuels, a discharged soldier, was a Jew. Police captain Finlay (Robert Young) is...

Though presented as a true account of the life of the actress Frances Farmer, Frances  has been proved in later years to be a largely fictionalized telling of her story, more based on the actress' inaccurate biography written by William Arnold rather than historical facts. Speaking for myself, I'm not particularly bothered by the lack of historical inaccuracy as long as it is not ridiculously and blatantly obvious and most importantly does not betray the nature of the person involved (a recent exemple is The Greatest Showman , in which P.T. Barnum, by all accounts an exploiter, is turned into a champion of diversity and human rights). The problems with Frances extend past its historical innacuracy: for instance, the movie's choppy editing results in a rather uneven pace and for every visually appealing frame there is one that feels even clumsily shot. Ultimately it is neither a great biopic nor a great film, but Jessica Lange's incendiary, showstopping performance ...

In an unspecified year in the era of the Belle Epòque, a lonesome carpenter is standing in an inn near Paris. He is raptured by the beauty of a blonde woman, who is dancing with another man. The two lock eyes: as she dances, she glances at him with a playful smile and he smiles back. This is the opening of Jacques Becker's Casque d'Or , a film bursting with erotic flame from start to finish.  Georges Manda, the carpenter, is an ex-convict who has decided to start his life over. He is played by Serge Reggiani in a sublime, largely silent portrayal of quiet strength, subtle warmth and profound dignity. Marie, the woman, is a prostitute under the protection of a local criminal named Roland (William Sabatier, effective at portraying his character's vile, pathetic nature). She is played by Simone Signoret, whose incandescent, rightfully iconic performance earned her a well-deserved BAFTA for Best Foreign Actress. Roland becomes jealous of the growing attraction between ...

Alex Garland's directorial debut, Ex Machina , is widely recognized as one of the best movies of 2015: it was indeed a compelling, thrilling sci-fi that not only kept you on the edge of your seat for its whole running time but that was also a profoundly throught-provoking piece of art, a layered reflection on what defines human and not. Annihilation is a similar movie in terms of genre, though its aim is even higher this time around. Ex Machina was an intimate piece which managed to use its limited setting and its small number of characters to its advantage, creating an oppressively claustrophobic atmosphere; Annihilation , focusing on a dangerous odissey in an extraterrestrial place, is much bigger and ambitious in scope: the result is an occasionally interesting but more often problematic misfire whose flaws end up overshadowing its merits. The film's leading character is Lena (Natalie Portman), a biology teacher whose husband Kane (Oscar Isaac), an Army Special Forc...

The story concerning the distribution of The Constant Nymph is often more remembered than the movie itself. This is because Margaret Kennedy, the author of the novel on which the movie is based, stated on her will that, after the end of its theatrical run, the picture could be shown only at universities and museums, making it nearly unavailable for the public until 2011. Nowadays, though accessible, the film is still rather obscure and the discussion over its long unavailability has definitely overshadowed any critical debate over its quality. So, is The Constant Nymph any good? Yes, even though it has its flaws.  I had already seen a couple of Edmund Goulding's movies and I was not especially impressed: Dark Victory (1939) was a decent but rather unremarkable product made worth-watching by a phenomenal and underrated performance from Bette Davis, whereas The Razor's Edge (1947) was a dull, uneven mess with the sole redeeming quality of Anne Baxter's poignant, Osca...

There are certain actors that are simply born for the camera. Spanish-French actress Marìa Casares , best remembered for her magnificent performance in Jean Cocteau's Orpheus , was one of them. Her face, simultaneously mask-like and expressive, is the key element to the success of Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne , Robert Bresson's second feature film. Bresson, better known for movies like A Man Escaped (1956) and Au hasard Balthazar (1966), went on to become one of the most prominent exponents of minimalist cinema: Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne is among his least remembered work and it's quite easy to see it's an early work - its austere, affected style contrasts strikingly with the director's following production, acclaimed and respected for its authenticity. Still, Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne remains a great film on its own right, a captivating tale of love and betrayal that might not be representative of the director's distinctive style but that is still...

When it came out in 1985,  The Breakfast Club was a financial and critical success. Since then, it has grown to become a cult movie and one of the most acclaimed high school movies of all time. It's cultural significance is impossible to deny - it represents a whole generation and it was a trailblazer for all high school movies to come. But its reputation is not only earned on its historical importance - it's a genuinely great film, a sharp, intelligent social commentary that puts it on a completely different level than the majority of coming-of-age movies.  The film was written and directed by John Hughes, one of the most important artists within the genre of coming-of-age movies. With this movie and Sixteen Candles , released the year prior to The Breakfast Club , he invented a new language and a new way to portray teenagers on-screen and his influence can be seen in many contemporary films. His craft was revolutionary because he was one of the first directors and s...

Hi everybody! My name is Giuseppe and I'm a eighteen-year-old boy from Italy. I decided to open this new blog to review movies I watch. I hope you will enjoy my posts and I look forward to read your comments, in which you can ask me all sorts of question about movies, performances, rankings. Occasionally, I'll also post updates on my personal winners from every year and do some surveys to let you decide what movie I should review next. Tomorrow I'll post my first review: The Breakfast Club  (1985).  On my former blog , you can find my reviews on some Oscar-nominated performances.