Great cinematography. The mood is incredible- it expresses the laziness of the country really well. It's captivating. Just the ending could have been stronger, but overall it was very good, with great performances from most of the cast.

A better title for this film would be A Crash Course on Mexican History. Schygulla becomes interested in Adjani's character and travels to Mexico to learn more about her. But Antonieta, is seems, was at the center of Mexican history that it becomes impossible to tell her story without it. And this alone does not make for a good film. The characters become secondary and small details come to the spotlight instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTI7H1ohD2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEkSTtYnQeA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBkwrTOXSNk

The story is sometimes a bit weak, but everything else was superb. This is Crawford's show and we never forget it. She and everything that surrounds her is photographed beautifully. The lighting and the cinematography are incredible, an endless source of inspiration. I really love these old Hollywood classics. They capture mood like nothing else.

The first two thirds of this film are awful. FIlled with unfunny dialogue and illogical banter between Madonna and Giannini. The film moves ahead to quickly failing to maintain a proper mood. And on top of that it's continuously interrupted by mindless montages. The end pf the film is rather melancholy, which would have worked perfectly as a romantic comedy, bit nonetheless it's good. I liked the ending.

EPISODE 6: Focusing to a greater degree for the first time on non-western cinema, we learn about film across the globe. Egypt, India, China, Japan, and my beloved Mexico. However, for a series that prides itself in showcasing world cinema, there certainly isn't a lot of it. It says a lot about film scholars, when even those who are conscious of the limits in the academia fail to explore beyond the surface.

While it's made with a lot of emotion, sometimes it doesn't translate well to the screen. There are moments where the action is confusing, simply because of how underplayed it is. Aside from that, some scenes felt oddly paced, and I think that is a great flaw. Like the moment where the man dies, and seconds later they're chasing turkeys. And then more people die. It's a bit grating. But Katy Jurado! She stands out.

God this was awful. THERE'S A BOMB IN THE OVEN! The pacing was way off. Too much exposition and then everything else is cramed in the last 40 minutes.

EPISODE 5: It tries to cover the years after the war, but I think that that era being one of the greatest in film history, that was too much to try to cover. It talks about film noir and neo realism, but not much else. For an era where so many films were made, it should have had more time to cover.

EPISODE 4: The introduction to sound, the genres that arose and European cinema in the 30s. When Cousins talks about the genres, he talks in length about gangster pictures, but seems to fly past everything else, especially screwball comedies and westerns. I felt like he could have spent more time on these, since there is so much to cover and they were so influential.

EPISODE 3: Focusing on the rule-breakers of world cinema, Cousins talks about directors that are already established in the canon. He talks about German, Soviet, Japanese, and Chinese filmmakers, but does not go beyond talking about them and mention the rest of those industries. It's informing, but it could have provided more information about other cinemas: Latin American or Indian, which by this time had industries

EPISODE 2: This focuses on the rise of Hollywood and its establishment as the leading film industry. It explores the rise of some directors whose success has made them part of the cannon. It's obvious that the "story of film" would focus on Hollywood, and it also focuses a bit on others, like Scandinavia, but I want to know more about other industries that I know will not be covered in upcoming episodes.

EPISODE 1: I have heard the history of film many times. You could say I know it all in general terms. This episode presents that same history, but it makes it interesting. It's a film, telling of the magic of film. I think it achieves its purpose and does so entertainingly. It piqued my interest and brought new examples to the table. It even made me excited and got my imagination and creativity rolling. 5/5.

This movie is incredible. Not so much for the commentary, but simply the images. Every single frame of Figueroa's work is a masterpiece. That said the cinematographers do bring up good points. Towards the end, it veers off course when they talk about the current cinema. Yes it's important, but not relevant to this topic. And I loved the international presence, but there weren't enough Mexican cinematographers.

The visuals are incredible. I feel like it creates a wonderful mood in the desertic region. It seems like after the war everyone wants to escape, and they do. The mother by sending letters and the father with his bees. They leave the girls to their imagination, and they make the most of it. I felt the story was good, but the last act is not that good. It doesn't feel conclusive. Apart from that, it's a great film.

;__; his name alone makes me cry. perfection if there ever was such a thing.

http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi2954929177/

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=618143594867805

Indie film love story. It could seem condescending, but I did not find anything else. Maybe I'm just bitter.

La Tarea is shot so as to appear as a single take. In this sense, it is an example of great film-making, of taking risks, and of experimenting. The film flows effortlessly, showcasing the flawless performances by María Rojo and José Alonso and fearless direction from Jaime Humberto Hermosillo. He chooses raw topics like sex, sexuality, marriage, sickness and aims to explore them within this concentrated experiment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H27Jje_-RBc

The three main characters feel real, complex, and even when their flaws get the best of them, one continues rooting for them. They feel completely human. Some of the scenes between Bratt and Erika alone make watching the film worth it. In the end, there aren't that many Chicano or Latino films that portray this topic as honestly, so any film that dares to go there is going to merit a watch. You know what I'm saying?

Many elements are incredibly experimental, and they achieve so much that it's easy to overlook the flaws. The editing, especially, takes many risks in presenting the story in a disjointed manner, with abrupt cuts, that do not distract from the overall narrative. The dialogue is so rich and beautiful. I don't think there has been a film in my recent memory where the dialogue resonated so much from a poetic angle.

Very well made, but the story is not well developed. The acting is good, but the storyline hinders the actors in small ways that make this film less than satisfying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF6-i8IGAlg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zICACBRFFo

It's like something that I've never experienced before. The climax seems to happen 40 minutes before the movie ends, when Noriko accepts she wants to marry. A sentimental feeling is present and sustained for the following forty minutes until everyone gets to express how they feel. Then, it just ends, without actually resolving any issues, but leaving us with the lingering feeling that everything will be fine.

A nice surprise. At first I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did. It's very simple, but at the same time, unclear. In that way, it reminded me of Weerasethakul. The actors are actually very sympathetic. The only element that left me skeptical was the cinematography. With no lights it's mostly underexposed, but through the windows it's overexposed, and some shots have a really shallow focus.