Jonas Ferry’s blog

Zatôichi (Takeshi Kitano, 2003). The blind masseur/swordsman Zatôichi gangs up with two geishas to defeat a common enemy. Oh, the blood! They used CGI effects to create the blood spurts, but didn’t even try to make them look realistic. The dreamlike effect of the blood spurts hanging in midair for half a second is beautiful. A good samurai movie, with the two geisha’s pasts being quite creepy. [8/10]

The United States of Leland (Matthew Ryan Hoge, 2003). A young man is sent to a jail for juveniles after killing another boy, and is befriended by one of the teachers who wants to write a book about him. This movie tries so hard to be profound, but falls well short of the line. [5/10]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977). Aliens visiting Earth, and the people whose lives are affected. This is a good film, apart from the annoying tone sequence that was repeated until it burned itself into my brain, most interesting as a story of people obsessed with things others can’t see. [7/10]

Eyes Without a Face (original title: Les Yeux sans visage (Georges Franju, 1960). A plastic surgeon and his female assistant kidnaps young women to remove their faces and put on the doctor’s daughter deformed face. A chilling story, with the eerie mood increased by the daughter “floating” around in the mansion with a nondescript white mask on her face to hide all emotions. [8/10]

Ken Park (Larry Clark and Edward Lachman, 2002). A bunch of kids with different difficulties in their lives, mostly with parents, look for calm and support in each other. They really manage to make the parents unsympathetic (child molesting fathers, beer-drinking pregnant mothers), but in the end the whole message of the film is “shrug”. [7/10]

Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 1997). Two men attack a family in their home and makes them perform sadistic games. A statement on media violence and how we as viewers respond to it, the film breaks the fourth wall a couple of times to great effect. [9/10]

Paths of Glory (Stanley Kubrick, 1957). In the trenches of World War I a number of soldiers are sentenced to death acting cowardly to cover up the superiors’ tactical mistakes. A very good film that conveys it’s message brilliantly. You can almost taste the hopelessness of the soldiers’ situation. [9/10]

Intacto (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2001). Some people have the ability to steal people’s luck by touching them, and then compete against each other in games of chance to decide who’s the luckiest. Visually very good, with a nice story and cool games. Also, Max von Sydow plays the luckiest man on Earth, and he’s good as always. [8/10]

Happiness (Todd Solondz, 1998). This ironically titled film is about different people being unhappy with various things in their lives. The humor is pitch black, but I rather enjoyed it. It was fun to see Cynthia Stevenson playing the sister of someone called “Joy”, as her character in Dead Like Me (TV-series, 2003) is called exactly that. Then again, I don’t know how common the name is in America. [8/10]

Julien Donkey-Boy (Harmony Korine (uncredited), 1999). Julien is a schizophrenic man, and in disjointed scenes we follow him in different parts of his life. I liked that Korine had used a relative as a basis for the character, as he feels real, and I really liked Werner Herzog as the father. But I didn’t like the obvious event that happened to the sister, how you can’t know if you’re supposed to be mad because exactly what you expect happens. [7/10]

Les Misérables (Bille August, 1998). After 19 years in jail Jean Valjean falsifies his identity papers and becomes mayor of a small French town, until his past catches up with him. Beautiful film, nice characters and a very well thought-out story that connects them together. [8/10]

Proof (John Madden, 2005). When a great mathematician dies his daughter carries on his work, but few people believe it’s really her work and not her father’s. I guess it’s a professional film, but I didn’t like the main character and couldn’t feel for her at any point during the film. [6/10]

Le Mystère de la chambre jaune (English title: The Mystery of the Yellow Room) (Bruno Podalydès, 2003). A woman is murdered in a room locked from the inside, and the members of the household are all suspects. Parts of it were cool, but it failed to actually show any of the clues to the audience and instead depended on a “now the detective will reveal the whole thing” scene at the end. [6/10]

The Life of David Gale (Alan Parker, 2003). A death-penalty opponent is sentenced to death, but continues his campaign with the help of a journalist from the outside. Kevin Spacey is great and Kate Winslet is good as the self-centered journalist, in a story that twists and turns without ever feeling forced. Highly recommended. [9/10]

Pay It Forward (Mimi Leder, 2000). As a school assignment a kid, the annoying Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense, comes up with the idea that you should be nice to people. This is the typical feel-good movie, the kind that usually leaves me bitter and enraged afterwards. [5/10]

Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971). A death-flirting young man befriends an older woman and follows her on her wild antics. The woman, played by Ruth Gordon, is refreshingly crazy and the film brilliantly balances the fun and sadness. [9/10]

4 Inyong shiktak (English title: Uninvited) (Su-yeon Lee, 2003). Two young girls die and haunt a guy, who meets a narcoleptic woman who can see ghosts and through her tries to go on. Honestly not very memorable, a common Asian horror flick. [6/10]

Rakvickarna (English title: Punch and Judy) (Jan Svankmajer, 1966). Two puppets fight it out over a guinea pig that both want. A brilliant 10 minute short by Svankmajer as an allegory of greed and fighting over scarce resources. Apparently the title is mistranslated and the character besides Punch is Jody, not Punch’s wife Judy. [9/10]

MirrorMask (Dave McKean, 2005). The story of an adolescent girl that’s thrust into a dream world with the inhabitants all wearing mask, where she has to find a way to get out. Pretty apparent coming-of-age story with the girl choosing between being “good” or “bad” person. [7/10]

Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (original title: Kozure Ôkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru) (Kenji Misumi, 1972). The Shogun head executioner is betrayed and goes ronin to avenge himself, with his young son in a baby cart with him. Based on a really good manga, the first film in a series delivers nice action and good characters. [7/10]