Breaking The Waves - 1996 - Denmark

Breaking The Waves - 1996 - 7/10

 
Bess misses oil rigger husband Jan, emotionally and sexually, and prays to God to return him.
And lo, God responds.  Jan is injured, badly, and flown back.  Paralyzed.
To save him, the devoutly religious Bess, begins offering herself to increasingly brutish men.
Widely acclaimed film, notable for Emily Watson’s fearless performance.
This is really an uncomfortable watch, however.  Score above is for Watson, period.
The director, I felt, took delight in his mistreatment of Bess … and other women in subsequent films.
I am not a fan of Dogma 95, nor of this director.

Swede Caroline - 2024 - UK

Swede Caroline - 2024 - 6/10

 
“Those two are the main rivals in the Big Veg world.  Like Cassius Clay versus Muhammad Ali, yeah.”
Welcome to the world of large vegetable competitions.
Where competitors will do any and everything to secure that plastic trophy.
Like threatening, stealing, kidnapping, even – gasp! – murder.
This mockumentary follows Caroline, or Caro, grower of the largest marrow.
Or is it?   Surely the judges are not corrupt, as well?
Hit and miss spoof.  Enjoyment depends on how well you take to characters.

Dead Calm - 1989 - Australia

Dead Calm - 1989 - 6/10

 
Rae and John sail the Great Barrier Reef, still grieving over the death of son.
They rescue the lone survivor of a sinking boat.
When John decides to investigate the damaged craft the survivor seizes control and leaves with his ship.
What follows is tense thriller between wife Rae and the rescuee, Hughie, immature and treacherous.
Sam Neill has a thankless role as John, chasing in an ever-sinking tub.
Nicole Kidman runs a gamut from desperate, calculating, formidable.
Third role, Billy Zane, unforgettable as the polite, apologetic, lying, lethal Hughie.

Forbidden - 1932 - USA

Forbidden - 1932 - 6/10

 
Small town librarian, Lulu, realizes life is passing her by.
She empties her savings account and boards a cruise to Havana.
Lulu enjoys a shipboard romance with a distinguished lawyer.
Which continues all the way back to New York.
Even though he is slightly married, the affair escalates.
Birth control?  In the 1930’s?  Oops.
Stanwyck and Menjou are great together, with Bellamy a conniving heel.
First third really moves, making for an enjoyable Pre-Code.
Sadly, for me, the plot slowly settles into Capra schmaltz.

Madame Sousatzka - 1988 - UK

Madame Sousatzka - 1988 - 6/10

 
Russian pianist, who never quite made the professional ranks, trains gifted pupils.
Her latest is from India, and his mother works slavishly to move his career.
Sousatzka is a fire-breather … with a heart of gold.
Sounds like a cliché?  Well, not quite.
She finds the talent, grooms them, hones them, only to watch them vanish up the ladder.
To the wealthy agent, the famous instructor.  Sousatzka is forever a minor league manager.
MacLaine excels in this, and I am not normally a fan of her work.

Into The Mud - 2016 - Spain

Into The Mud - 2016 - 6/10

 
She lies sprawled nude across a plastic sheet.  Cut, bruised, but no bones seem broken.
What happened?  How?  Why?  No idea.  Then the man with the rifle arrives.
Effective hunter / hunted drama saves its jolt and surprise for the end.
Spanish short makes a good opener for your Horror marathon.