Christopher Nolan: Interstellar

I have not seen a good movie in years. Until now!

Christopher Nolan has his own unique touch in making movies. All on his films are not extraordinary but they are always interesting and entertaining.

Interstellar (2014) is perhaps the best of all Nolan-movies. It has some holes in writing but it's a winner, although. Interstellar is a science fiction movie and it contains some echoes from number one: Arthur C Clarke's and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). In good way...

The star is Matthew McConaughey who is good but not in any way great. You could put any actor in the same role and he would be as good as McConaughey is. In matter of fact, Interstellar is not an actor's film it's Nolan's film. Nolan keeps everything going and interesting. He is the auteur, no doubt.

Interstellar is perhaps a bit too long but the viewer in patient in waiting the father-daughter scene and when it comes there is any dry eye in the audience. It's perfect!

Clint Eastwood: Gran Torino (2008)

Well, the Master is back! Clint Eastwood makes always interesting movies but always they are not quite perfect for me. Critics have been good for him during the past years and it's nice to read right now Richard Schickel's book 'Clint Eastwood A Biography' what the man has done before. I -of course- have seen all those Leone movies and Siegel movies and so one. They were great at their time but now his movies has got the Eastwood Touch.
'Gran Torino' is very funny and it's naturally a bit sad movie. Eastwood seems to be older than he actually is and he enjoys doing this work.
I believe.
He knows exactly what he is doing. And he does that fine.
Hope there's plenty more where that came from.

Sam Wood: A Night at the Opera (1935)

The Marx Brothers made several films before the 1935 'A Night at the Opera' -film. Some of those based on stage productions and some were written for screen. This film was the first film made for MGM and the producer had his demands...

And it was good. Groucho, Chico and Harpo were all great and the movie stayed in pieces. This was also the first picture with just three of five brothers. The two younger brothers (Zeppo and Gummo) were on stage in early years and Zeppo were in the first five films. They both build a career in talent agency.


In this film the brothers are not so anarchic. The producer thought that it made them a bit unsympathetic. Perhaps that was a wise move? Anyway this film is luckily as funny as the best of their early works are.

Bernardo Bertolucci: Last Tango in Paris (1973)

Bernardo Bertolucci is an interesting auteur who has done some fine movies and then... some not so great. But. He is a true Moviemaker!

'Last Tango in Paris'/'Ultimo tango a Parigi'. This film was huge succes in its time and it brought wonderful Marlon Brando once again in public. (At the same time with Coppola's 'Godfather' (1972).) And Brando is of course magnificent. The story goes that Brando refused to memorize his lines and instead of that made his own and hanged them in cards around the set.

For co-players playing with Brando is not a nice thing. Brando takes his room. No one remember Jean-Pierre Léaud, Truffaut's alter ego, from this movie. And then there was Maria Schneider. Everybody wrote about the plot and directing, filming, music or Brando for good reasons but not a word about Maria Schneider. And that was so wrong... I felt in love with Maria in those days and I thought that she was great in this movie. And so she was!

Elia Kazan: On the Waterfront (1954)

Yes, I must admit that Elia Kazan's 'On the Waterfront' (1954) is a dull choice. But then you must admit that it is a classic. It is a magnificent movie.

The story of mob violence and and corruption among longshoremen is not perhaps a film that could be done nowadays? No one would dare? The producers would not give the permission?

Anyway the film is done and it is perfect in it's own genre. It's very beautiful in it's black and white world (literally). The plot is very touching.

And the casting is -once again- very fine. Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger and Eva Marie Saint. Every on them is fantastic.

And yes, the one and only Marlon Brando shows what he really is. He is not the man in 'The Island of Dr Moreau' (1996), not at all. He is one of all times actor. It can be The Best? Brando's Terry Malloe is flesh and blood. There's nothing too much in it. That's not easy.

Sean Penn: The Pledge (2001)

When 'About Schmidt' (2002) came out everyone told that there is the new Jack Nicholson. Nicholson wihtout his old tricks. Perhaps so but otherwise that movie was quite boring. I didn't like it at all.

But 'The Pledge' (2001) is something else.

First of all the story is fine. It makes you think and wait what to come. Search of the criminal is one thing and the pledge is another. There's nothing too much in that plot.

And then there is Jack Nicholson indeed. He makes a great role cause he's a professional but now he doesn't do too much. He is wonderful.

Bob Fosse: Cabaret (1972)

Bob Fosse was sure a choreographer but he made also few films. Strangely one of them is fantastic but the others are a bit lame.

The One is naturally Cabaret (1972). The story is great, music is fine and the whole look wonderful. And then comes the touch of Fosse: choreography (and it's filming). It's impressive and it's funny.

The film itself makes you laugh and it makes you cry. So this must be a good film!

One reason is casting. Liza Minelli is so beautiful and skilful in this film that it makes you wonder where did she disappear? Why didn't she made more wonderful movies? There is 'The Sterile Cuckoo' (1969), 'New York, New York' (1977) and 'The Muppets Take Manhattan' (1984) but otherwise.

And then there is the one and only Master of Ceremonies Joel Grey. You couldn't think any better than him! Why is his filmography so short? I simply love his acting.