"The Unknown Woman" Blogs and Blabs

Director Giuseppe Tornatore’s "The Unknown Woman" is a haunting story of mystery and love about a Russian woman named Irena who calculatedly drops herself into the lives of a young, affluent Italian family. Stopping at nothing to become the couple’s trusted maid and the beloved nanny to their fragile young daughter, Irena risks everything in her quest to
uncover the truth about the family. Like an intricately constructed jigsaw puzzle, "The Unknown Woman" reveals piece by piece the enigma of Irena’s past.
Approaching to the end, when the mysteries are solved, the great suspense atmosphere ends quickly and the last 15 minutes are pure drama. It's not a bad thing at all, but it wasn't a good choice for the movie. Those scenes doesn't ruin the movie(it's still great for me) but it ruins the chance of making a masterpiece that could be even compared to Hitchcock's suspense classics.
I think that this movie allows Tornatore to examine such current issues as human trafficking and black-market babies is never less than gripping and astonishing. I was very moved and disturbed by some of the images but I felt it really gave the Irena's motives justification. Her revenge was the moral of a very intriguing and helpless story and nonetheless, it was also very believable. Some parts were a bit confusing but all in all it was a great film noir followed by a great score by Ennio Morricone.

"Strawberry and Chocolate" Blogs and Blabs

Strawberries and Chocolate is a film about the friendship between two men. David and Diego make an odd couple and are opposites in many ways. David is a college student full of ideals but lacks in maturity and is homophobic. David is also a communist studying political science but has a love for literature. He is educated and well-versed. Diego is a flamboyant homosexual that is sophisticated but also a bit cunning. Diego strikes up the friendship but David hesitantly accepts it because he is heterosexual and is aware of Diego's advances sexually towards him. We really do not know much of David other than from the opening sequence in which he promises to wait to have sex to his girlfriend until after marriage but she jilts him shortly later. The story unfolds as Diego puts aside his sexual urges and David becomes more comfortable being around Diego. They embark on a friendship that leads them both to accepting each other for who they are. Their common interests bring them together and both teach each other about life. The story does not have that many characters and is fairly simple yet the way the film explores unlikely friendship is amazing. Strawberries and Chocolate is a Cuban film so for those who are not familiar with Cuba may find this movie a bit exotic just because of this (there are a few parts with love spells and fortune telling).
I think the movie a great eye-opener for the communist controlled Cuban society as well as for all societies and countries in the world. The movie takes on the harsh reality of life without the restrictions of being able to freely express oneself in society through global art, literature, and their own sexuality. Culture matters, and it helps us to understand ourselves better as well as those around us. I think David and Diego build on that idea and find friendship. David also finds love with the crazy neighbor Nancy, who frequently tries to commit suicide. They both learn about love and sex from each other and become lovers and friends. David's maturity grows throughout, and it becomes apparent he is more tolerant as an individual and has become more mature from his friendships with Diego and Nancy.

"The Battle of Algiers" Blogs and Blabs

"The Battle of Algiers" is the story of a revolution. The film--based on real events--begins in 1954 with Ali-La-Pointe--an illiterate, unemployed ex-boxer. He winds up in prison, and it's there that he begins to identify with the F.N.L.--the National Liberation Front. The F.N.L.'s goal is an independent Algeria--free from French occupation--ruled "with a framework of Islamic principles." Once out of prison, Ali joins the F.N.L and begins 'cleansing' the Casbah (the Muslim section of Algiers) of undesirable Algerians. The film shifts focus from Ali to the uprising against French Occupation. The situation escalates--French police who sit peacefully drinking coffee in street cafes are murdered, and anti-Arab feelings mount. With a momentum of its own, the situation is blown beyond all control--terrorism is rampant--cafes, air terminals, and racetracks are all targets. Naturally, the French respond, but terrorism still increases, and French officials bump up against such necessities as search warrants and paperwork. Soon the French are behind sandbags and barbed wire, and the Muslim population are subject to checkpoints manned by French soldiers. At this point, seasoned warrior French Lieutenant Colonel Mathieu arrives. While the French residents of Algiers welcome his arrival, Mathieu's march though the streets ultimately seems sinister. He's a career soldier, highly principled in his own way--and he's there to win.
Mathieu takes control of the situation and tells his officers "to succumb to humane considerations only leads to hopeless chaos." Strategy dramatically changes as Mathieu methodically rounds up and tortures Algerians. It's a shotgun approach--evidently if you round up enough people and torture them, information will eventually pry loose. And it is by this method that Mathieu begins to break down the cell structure of the terrorist group. Using torture undermines the morality of the French position, but Mathieu tells the troubled French press that the matter is simple--the F.N.L wants the French out, but if France chooses to keep Algeria "you must accept the consequences."
"The Battle of Algiers" is in black and white and was directed by Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo with English subtitles. The film has a somewhat grainy look to it that underscores the feeling you're watching a documentary. Interestingly enough the only professional actor in the entire film is Jean Martin who plays Lt Colonel Mathieu (based on General Massu). It's a travesty that this film has faded into obscurity, but evidently enough people know about it for a screening of the film to take place for Special Operations at the Pentagon on August 27, 2003. "The Battle of Algiers" was banned in France and is considered the quintessential film study of a nationalistic insurgence against capitalist suppression.
This film was very well done. It didn't shy away from showing the atrocities committed by both sides of the conflict. Also, I am pleased that the examination of the arguments advanced by both sides, (represented by Ben M'Hidi and Colonel Mathieu) was well-presented, avoided bias and was not overly emotional.
Ultimately, the film evades answering its own moral challenge. It justifies its support of FLN terrorist murder over French torture by rewriting history. According to the film, terrorizes people didn't work. What finally drove France out, it suggests, was a spontaneous explosion of popular resistance. That scenario, however, is a fantasy. What drove France out was sustained and bloody rebellion.

"Tsotsi" Blogs and Blabs

An amoral teenager develops an unexpected paternal side in this powerful drama from South Africa. Tsotsi (thug) is the street name used by a young Johannesburg delinquent who has taken to a life of crime in order to support himself. Tsotsi comes from a blighted upbringing -- his mother died slowly from AIDS-related illnesses, and his father was tortuously abusive -- and he has developed a talent for violence borne of necessity as well as taking strange pleasure in hurting other people. One evening, Tsotsi shoots a woman while stealing her car, and only later discovers that her infant son is in the back seat. Uncertain of what to do with the baby, Tsotsi takes the boy home and tries to care for it -- going so far as to force a single mother living nearby to nurse the baby. With time, Tsotsi learns the basics of child care, and the presence of the baby awakens a sense of humanity in him that life on the street had stripped away. Tsotsi was adapted from a novel by the award-winning South African writer Athol Fugard.I thought this movie was outstanding. It didn't fall into cliches, and it never succumbed to the sentimentality that some movies feel the need to portray when transforming an evil character into that of a good person with moral and ethics. As a matter of fact, Tsotsi did not easily turn around from being a thug with a superiority complex to becoming a selfless, humble individual. It wasn't until the very end of the movie that he began his transformation. The soundtrack to the film (African Kwaito music) was also outstanding, displaying the movie's rural, impoverished cities with such raw feeling that I felt like I was part of the community watching the film.The moral of this story stems from the character of Tsotsi who seems to use his amoral violence to get what he wants. He learns value, self-worth and gains a new outlook on life when he is given the opportunity to raise another life, and sees that he wants more for the baby than he does for himself.

"Amores Perros" Blogs and Blabs

"Amores Perros" is a set of three stories of the lives of three different people in Mexico City that converge in this dramatic thriller. Octavio is sharing an apartment with his brother, which leads to a serious problem when he falls in love with Susanna, his sister-in-law. Octavio and Susanna want to run away together, but Octavio has no money. He does, however, know a man who stages dog fights, and he volunteers his dog Cofi for the next round of fights. Cofi bravely rises to the occasion, but the dog's success in the ring leads to a violent altercation. Elsewhere, Daniel, a successful publishing magnate, leaves his family to take up with a beautiful model, Valeria. Valeria, however, soon loses a leg in an auto accident, and as Daniel tends to her needs, her tiny pet dog gets trapped under the floorboards of their apartment. And finally, El Chivo is an elderly homeless man who is trying to contact his daughter, whom he hasn't seen in years. Desperate for money, El Chivo is hired by a businessman to assassinate his partner; however, as he's following his target, he's interrupted by an auto accident, from which Octavio and his injured dog stagger in search of help. "Amores Perros" was the debut from director Alexandro Gonzalez Inarritu.I thought the movie was well played out and very intense. The first story of Octavio was the most gripping, and the most dramatic of the three stories. The auto accident that played such a poignant part of each of the three lives reminds me of many movies that I have seen where a fatal accident has brought together many lives for one purpose. For instance, the movie "Intersection" and "Crash" reminded me of this movie. In my opinion, this movie is a tribute to love. The entire movie is about love. As the title suggests, the dogs in the movie symbolizes love. Roughly, everytime something bad happens to the dog(s) in one of the segments, the love also seems to go downhill: Octavio and Susanna's love is destroyed, not long after Cofi gets shot. Richie disappears under the floor, shortly thereafter Valeria and Daniels relationship goes downhill. Its a bit different with El Chivo. He loses all of his dogs, but gains a new one, Cofi. This represents a change in state of mind regarding his love to his lost daughter. Maybe he realizes that love (dogs) is fragile, and can die, and sees that he has to do it now, not later (that beeing contacting his daughter). Here's also a parallel to Octavios much asked question to Susanna: If not now, when? The end closes the movie incredibly beautifully for me. The name Negro (black), for his new dog, his new love, and the ending scene is in my opinion very beautiful symbolism: El Chivo comes up with the name Negro (black), it seems, rather randomly when asked by the mechanic, like its a bit of a coinsidence og just something he says. Then when he walks away, the ground as long as you can see, is black. And the picture fades to black. The way I interpreted it was that everything is love. The dogs (loves) name is Negro (black), and the ground El Chivo walks on is black, and at last, everything is black.