Hello,
what time is it?
Oh, right: Weekly Retrospective Time!

Last week I didn’t watch a whole lot of movies and next week I’m sadly going to be zero, but that’s my funeral. Last week: Last week was the Confederations Cup in Brazil so two nights were reserved for that. Since I’m Italian and I have to show a little bit of faux patriotism every once in a while. Moving on, the few movies I’ve seen weren’t all that great so again, this week there’s going to be just one post about it and sadly next monday ‘nothing’. I’m sad and sorry. Forgive me and follow me still, if you will.

Errors in the Human Body (2012) – 4.5 (IMDb 5.3) – Horror, Drama (Germany)

A Werewolf Boy (2013) – 6 (IMDb 6.7) – Fantasy, Romance (South Korea)

Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) – 6 (IMDb 7.7) – Drama, Criterion (France)
After hearing that Jeanne Dielman was very similar and influential on one of my favorite films (Somewhere) I thought it was about time to check it out. I can honestly tell you that the similarities are only there on the surface: The tone and mood of the film is completely different. Technically it’s a well made film, but it’s a bit boring (on purpose). I also get the impression the director wants to make fun of the viewer, if not insult them. It’s a pretentious film, but not in a good way. You can see the actress acting and her son (in the film) is one of the least sympathetic characters of all time. The ending is just preposterous. Catherine Breillat does it better.

Suburban Mayhem (2006) – 6.5 (IMDb 5.7) – Crime, Drama, Comedy (Australia)
I watched Suburban Mayhem because of its title, I like everything with a suburban feel, but I didn’t get much of that. Also Mia Wasikowska! This is her first film and you can already see she’s really good. Shot part faux documentary (with the annoyingly “cute” interview scenes) this is a film about despicable people doing terrible things. Like one of the characters himself states it doesn’t really give us much reason to love its characters. I can appreciate that, but at the end of the day I want to empathize with the people I see on screen, otherwise there’s not much at stake for me. What I take away from this film is its sick, twisted sense of humor and Mia’s strong supporting performance.

Container (2006) – 7 (IMDb 5.2) – Drama (Sweden)

Oz The Great And Powerful (2013) – 6.5 (IMDb 6.6) – Adventure, Fantasy, Family (USA)
If you’re a kid or a James Franco fan you’re going to love this film, if not maybe you can still kind of like it. I certainly appreciated seeing Raimi’s trademarks in this film, the stellar cast (Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz) and the black & white opening. As the film progresses it becomes silly and childish. Some of those unnecessary scenes could be cut out and the film’s pacing would benefit from it. Kids would also prefer a shorter crispier film I’m sure. Besides, we’ve seen this kind of plot a thousand times, we know how it’s going to end: Let’s just get to it! Some bad CGI, typical Raimi cheesiness/camp, but a lovable James Franco as always.

‘PICK OF THE WEEK’
I’m Here (2010) – 8 (IMDb 7.8) – Drama, Sci-Fi, Short (USA)

That’s it for this week. I hope you check out Spike Jonze’s I’m Here, because it’s worth your time and also you can see it for free on YouTube.

See you next time,
Au revoir!