> Welcome to KPK’s “QuickPix”, brief capsule reviews of very worthy films- not a stinker in the lot. Culled from my monthly compendiums, every title here is a 4 to 5 star movie. It don’t get any better than this. Every QuickPix will look at 4 or 5 films from any and all times in cinema history- since the first feature film that premiered in Australia on Boxing Day in 1906, up to and including today!
(A reminder gentle reader: All films are rated on a 5-star basis
and must be over a decade old to hit the “classic” jackpot.)
Enjoy! This excursion features the following excellent films:
THE CAVE OF THE YELLOW DOG (2005)****+
THE IDIOT (1951)****
A HIJACKING (2012)****
FATELESS (2005)****
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THE CAVE OF THE YELLOW DOG (2005) ****+
This breathtaking docudrama provides a fascinating glimpse into a quickly disappearing way of life among Mongolian nomads. Time rages on, but in Mongolia, it unravels at a far slower and more deliberate way. It’s a terrific companion piece to director Byambasuren Davaa’s earlier and similarly low-key THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL. Both revel in the rhythms of nature and the way mankind harmonizes with these rhythms. I found them both mesmerizing filmmaking.
THE IDIOT (1951) ****
The mighty Akira Kurosawa directed this postwar adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s classic Russian novel. It is impeccably shot- up to the great artist’s high standards, as always, and populated by his usual stable of highly expressive and watchable actors. The compelling story centers around a man who is so pure of heart that everyone who meets him is moved and shamed, even as they take advantage of his innocent nature. (Shades of Herzog’s STROSZEK.) Innocence abused, exploited- I’ve seen it happen in my own life. The increasingly predatory nature of society is a sad story, but THE IDIOT is rather wonderful stuff.
A HIJACKING (2012) ****
This Swedish thrilling nail-biter is a good companion piece to the Paul Greengrass film CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. Both movies involve the hijacking of cargo ships by ruthless Somali pirates who prey upon vulnerable vessels in those dangerous waters. Globalization widens the resource gap between peoples, and contributes to new kinds of desperate crime. This one is a taut thriller about high-stakes negotiations to free the captive vessel and her crew, told from the compelling POV of the likable ship’s cook, and the professional negotiator hired to navigate the explosive situation and avoid sudden violence- which is very much a threat. These are not sophisticated syndicates, but more like gangs of dogs chasing a big car. Occasionally, they catch one, and may not be quite sure what to do with their new prize. First-rate stuff, A HIJACKING delivers big time. In its way, it’s even better than CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. (Less shaky, nausea-inducing camerawork, for one!) It’s a thriller with brains.
FATELESS (2005) ****
One of the most expensive movies ever produced in Hungary, this harrowing P.O.W. film was impeccably shot, powerful, and brutal to watch- as such a film probably should be. It’s tough stuff. Nobel Prize-winner Imre Kertész penned the screenplay from his own novel. This little slice of the big tragedy of World War II tells the story of a teenage boy facing the indescribable horrors of Buchenwald and Auschwitz. Hauntingly scored by iconic film composer Ennio Morricone, it also features a brief cameo from Brit Daniel Craig as a U.S. military man. This very fine document of tragedy and survival took a while for me to warm to because, honestly- is one ever really in the mood for watching a film that reenacts the most vicious and ugly of human behavior? But, I got FATELESS because I read it was excellent, and I stayed with it because… it was excellent!
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See y’all next time. Cheers, cinemaniacs!
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© Kevin Paul Keelan and lastcre8iveiconoclast, 2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kevin Paul Keelan and lastcre8iveiconoclast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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