Christopher
18May12
Does anyone know if the "Train Montage" music uses a melody from a song in an Ozu movie? It just sounds so familiar to me.
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Displaying wall posts 1 - 30 of 39 in total
Christopher
18May12
Denis's best, most beautiful film, but I say that probably because of the Ozu influence.
DT
6May12
Skilfully framed through Denis’ own worldview is this postmodern take on Ozu’s seminal motifs, reinterpreting his canon in context of today’s globalised world, and illustrating its universal nature by adapting his themes onto a group of African expatriates living in modern day Paris. Simple yet emotionally dense, the gentleness of its nuance makes it shine - not merely charming a work, but joyous, vibrant and stunning from the first frame. A rare film that touched me on a personal level.
Gaik Cheng Khoo
2Mar12
This is the Claire Denis of Chocolat that I so admire. Many reviewers claim that these characters' blackness isn't political. But I beg to differ. The fate of Rene and the melancholic air that fills the film throughout is the melancholia of the diaspora. The solitary exile unable to return, several times displaced, finds there is no home other than the previous one he's just retired from. A lesson for Lionel.
Christopher and Loraine like this
Coheed 2.0
10Feb12
It may work better on another viewing after time has passed, but there are a lot of paradoxes that are an issue. Its a naturalistic work whose contemplative scenes of human activity are the best and least interesting aspects at the same time and at the end, despite the almost documentary style, ends up being a conventional art cinema drama about family bonds which is treading no new ground or anything substantial.
David Churbuck
9Feb12
My second Claire Denis (Beau Travail was the first) and she continues to impress and amaze.
mariapuder
26Jan12
Not as good as I expected.It got 4 points from me because of some beautiful,effective moments in some scenes but I think the movie as a whole deserves like 3.5 points.But, worth seeing
Michael Harbour
13Jan12
Very well made with subtle performances but, as good as it is at what it does, it doesn't sufficiently repay the viewer's investment in watching the movie.
Richard Vialet
31Dec11
Can't believe I waited so long to see this. And now that I have, it's like a breath of fresh air! Great flick!
AdamantCocoon
22Oct11
Gossamer lyricism married to emotional accessibility. Fine work, though I'm not certain it's an achievement. Trouble Every Day is such a baroque polemic of the anima and animus that it's the only Claire Denis film I learned to love.
Bongos615
18Oct11
Holy shit, that "Nightshift" scene has got to be one of the most beautiful song/image pairings I can remember. Terrific film.
DT likes this
Feu_follet
26Aug11
Some directors, despite all their efforts, cannot represent or show any believable emotions with their images. Denis succeeds wonderfully with a small amount of words and a great use of cinematographic language. Soundtrack is, as usual, amazing.
Matthew Martens
4Aug11
Quiet, subtle, but never austere, Denis and her actors in 35 Shots of Rum achieve a remarkable tenderness and warmth within a mise en scene of tightly defined frames and lines that could have been chilly and estranging, but instead limn simply and movingly the ways in which we move towards and away from those closest to us. Tracks of all kinds recur repeatedly, and there is always, one way or another, blood on them.
Gerry Miriello likes this
Dave Kang
15Jun11
From my short review of seeing the film in person with Claire Denis! "With a nod to Ozu’s Late Spring, Denis conjures another rhapsodic meditation on bodies, love and solitude...She is quite simply our greatest cinematic poet of human touch." Read the whole review here: http://thecinemaunderground.wordpress.com/2011/05/23/feature-festival-report-jeonju-international-film-festival-part-ii/
Marcus Killerby
11Jun11
After failing to like Trouble Every Day I think it's time I gave Denis another shot... A shot of rum if you will.
Mugino
30May11
The nods to Ozu are evident, but it's not an imitation: this is Denis' own style and rhythm. As Denis has stated, she is aware of the inherent "immodesty" of film that could be perceived as pretentiousness. Yet somehow she succeeds in capturing the unspoken, private moments of people's lives without saying too much or placing value judgments. Some cite simplicity like it's a fault but in fact, it's a gift.
Veritas Verte
20Mar11
Slow and rich, brimming with subtle intensity that, for me, evoked tenderness for all of the characters presented. In some ways, it is about the pain and comfort of silence between people who love each other.
Aarthi Subramani
1Jan11
A Hallmark Father’s Day Card this film is not. One Rainy night, a Jamaican cafe, The Commodores and a dance sequence for the ages. I dare you to blink. Also, Mati Diop has a heartbreakingly gorgeous smile. Heady stuff…Rum or no rum.
Lars Ole Kristiansen
19Aug10
Completely unspectacular, but still one of the warmest, most beautiful films of the year. This is such a resonant work - it's about everyone everyday everywhere. Therefore it touched me quite deeply. And using "Nightshift" by Commodores in it's most electric scene is pure genious. I'm really looking foreward to watch more of Denis' films (I also liked "The Intruder").
DT likes this
Lorna Singh
26Jul10
Slow,tedious,pretentious,annoying,with no character development.Actually, the only character i cared about was Rene,the just retired co worker. One wonders if some think "art film" because the incestuous relationship was just hanging there,not addressed.
Jacob McKinley
7Jun10
A rare treat! This wonderfully shot homage to Ozu captures more emotion than most films, and with less than a page of dialogue.... truly wonderful.
filmcapsule
16May10
This homage to Ozu takes the feeling and mood of the Japanese master, but brings its own style. Denis’s use of “ellipses” to tell a simple family story allows you to glean all the emotional information needed about the characters. Time passing in this film doesn’t feel like a gap of information, but a selection of all the right moments.
Hideous Bitch Princess
23Feb10
Incoherent, poorly developed themes. At first I thought Claire Denis was purposely playing the fool, then I listened to a few interviews with her and realized she just has no idea what she is talking about, and clearly has trouble articulating herself in person or through her work (a necessary skill for a minimalist.) Sorry to her fans, I guess we'll never see eye to eye.