The visual symbolism in the beginning (or, not symbolism- simile? Metaphor? I don't know!) with the pumpkin getting gutted always gets to the pit of my stomach. Other than that, a few very intriguing faces (the sad old woman with the twisted nose was HYPNOTIZING). I also found the sequence comparing the old people to babies very somber.

I actually watched this from 5 to 7 in real time!!!! YEAH!!!! My favorite part is when she puts her own song on the jukebox in the cafe, then walks around looking to see if it has an effect on anyone. Would make a great double feature with Godard's My Life to Live.

Some of Charlie's best sight gags in this film! Love the boat stuff but the genius restaurant scene takes the cake. You can see the influence on some of his feature length gags (ducking behind the waiter=ducking the boxer in City Lights). He's one of the few auteurs who defines himself by his visage and movement on screen, as opposed to his mis-en-scene, etc.

I love this movie so much. I can't really put it into adequate words. It literally gets better every time I watch it. I bow to Ozu, one of the greatest artists who ever lived.

Chaplin's early shorts always seem so messy. Yet so hilarious. I just saw this and The Cure (this was much better) and noticed I get the biggest laughs usually from the smallest details- a tiny nod, a blank stare, a flick of the foot.

John Ford is really good at filming cloudy skies.

I have no clue what to think about this. Less Godardian tricks here than usual, he really restrains himself and tries to say something meaningful, poignant. At times, I felt it was like a cheap knock-off of Bresson. I don't think Anna Karina is a very good actress. I'll have to re-watch at some point in the future. Really liked the ending.

I just love how people drive those big boat cars in old foreign films- speeding recklessly, driving on sidewalks, etc.

Not as poetically tragic as Late Spring or Floating Weeds, this Ozu film is still rich and interesting for 3 aspects: the photography stood out in several spots (unusual for Ozu) with some great silhouette shots; Ozu suffocates us with very crowded frames here (especially in the office) and moves the camera (!!!) a few times in odd places; and finally the 3 brief singing scenes and comedy contrast the sorrow nicely.

My second viewing, haven't seen it in years. Still one of my favorite of Kurosawa's, I love how he drags on the search for the gun in the beginning. Watch Mifune in each scene- he plays the eager greenhorn with detail and subtlety. Kurosawa turns a basic detective story into a rich experience about humanity and justice, and who's to blame. The ending scene with the children singing is also pretty gut-wrenching.

Hm, well, I feel like this film should have been more affecting than it was. The structure was an absolute mess (although I can't think of any way it couldn't be) and honestly, the only thing that saves it is the ending. I found most of the characters uninteresting and cared little for the overwrought back stories. I didn't buy the love story with Mifune and it cheapened the character. Still, that ending saves it.

Kelly Reichardt! Another subtle little piece on the heels of the amazing Old Joy, KR is two for two for me (gotta check out her back catalogue). The film didn't effect me until hours later, as I lay in bed. A really sad portrait that gets to this American loneliness that most American directors ignore (Jarmusch gets to it, and in a way, Wenders). I had some minor problems with the film, but overall, great.

You know, the more I see this film, the more I feel like it aged really badly. This used to be one of my all time favorites, but something about the cheesy piano bang riffs and over-obvious existential woes start to dull the impact one the 6th or 7th view. I don't know. I still like it, and it's still a great film- but I'd rate Cries and Whispers and even Shame higher than this nowadays...

This film starts out like a comical light breeze and is very inviting. I found it dull at around the halfway point, but something enigmatic and lonely happens in the second half. It's hard to explain and I'll need the film to sink in a few more days. The ending was makes you reflect on what type of film it really is, and for better or worse, A.W. captured a type of universal isolation perfectly.

I watched this for the 3rd time in my life the other day. I have a lot of problems with this film, especially towards the end, but damn if I don't love it for nostalgic reasons. I LOVE the opening of the film, I love Javier Bardem's acting and voice- and I love the music in this film. Carter Burwell's score is one of my favorite of all time, plus the Cuban music makes it unforgettable. A lot of passion here at least.

I also re-watched this for Kurosawa's 100th birthday. Much better than my first viewing about 3 years ago. I find Kurosawa's framing and sense of time awkward sometimes, messy and uncaring almost. But it also gives me a sense of feeling freer than, say, watching an Ozu film. AK's actors wildly scream, grimace and gesture, and I think this passion works against the sad, quiet ending.

I found the film a bit messy at first, but I think Kurosawa screwing with our narrative expectations creates the whole impact and sadness of the film. I watched this in part to celebrate the master's 100th birthday. It didn't disappoint- although honestly, I think Takashi Shimura was wrong for the role. His expressive face overplayed the material and was a bit maudlin for me.

Wow, perfect directing from Bresson, especially in the opening and closing segments. However, after two views I still feel little from this film. I really liked the moment at the end where the tractor driver doesn't return her gesture. However, I prefer Pickpocket and Au Hasard Balthasar.

Hm, on second thought, I'd like to see it again. There are a few moments I can't get out of my head, like the scene where Masina stares at that sick kid.

My second Fellini film, and I wasn't hugely impressed. Don't get me wrong, Giulietta Masina is amazingly expressive. I just loved her and her movements. Quinn was serviceable, but this is really her show. I felt the direction was at many times aimless (especially the framing) and the film would have sunk without her. I do have to say I loved the ending, and am glad Fellini went for tragedy and avoided sappiness.

This film felt weird compared to other Bresson works. I really love Bresson's style here, and started to understand his use of sounds to "transform" images. He's razor sharp, with most of the movie completely without dialogue. The ending seemed more pessimistic than anything else he's done, and I came away feeling less moved. Need to see it again, but so far prefer Balthazar.

Awful film. While it offers some interesting information (and scary, scary images), it's stuff I already read in Schlosser's (interviewed here in all his camera hogging, hypocritical glory) book. I knew a lot of this stuff, and the film just plods along, skimming the surface. There were so many interesting parts to this doc, but it just skims the surface, with bad structure and cheap editing. It was a lazy film.

Two tragic film nights in a row, what was I thinking? Balthazar is beyond words amazing, the reason cinema exists, the reason we need it! Like many people of today, it took me a while to get into Bresson. He finally captured me with the precision of A Man Escaped, puzzled and mystified me with Pickpocket, and rattled my soul with Balthazar. Complicated, simple, reflective, emotional, mysterious. His style perfected!!

This is the best film about friendship I've ever seen.