Land of Whimsy

Movies watched in August 2005

Land of Whimsy / Movies / Movies watched in August 2005

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

(*) The Sect ***½

Original title: La Setta
Italy: Michele Soavi, 1991

IMDB reference

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

(*) 21 Grams ****½

USA: Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2003

IMDB reference

Monday, August 29, 2005

Garden State ****

USA: Zach Braff, 2004

IMDB reference

(*) Suspiria *****

Italy: Dario Argento, 1977

IMDB reference

(*) Mute Witness ***½

Germany/UK/USA/Russia: Anthony Waller, 1994

I reviewed this film a couple of years ago and gave it an 8/10 rating. This is the first time I've watched it since then, and I must admit that it has, overall, come down in my estimation. At the same time, though, other elements stand out as being even better than I remembered them. The primary problem comes in the second half of the movie, when all the simple yet brilliantly executed terror of the first half collapses into a half-baked and unbelievable conspiracy involving a secret international ring of snuff film makers. Still, on the plus side, the whole thing looks incredible, and there is an obvious Argento inspiration in these extremely wide angles, primary colours and tracking shots. There are two stand-out scenes, where Waller absolutely nails the tension. The first is a lengthy sequence in which our heroine plays a terrifying game of cat and mouse trapped in an abandoned film set with her would-be killers, and the second involves the very same killers paying her a visit in her own home. Fundamentally, though, Marina Zudina is absolutely sublime as the lead. Despite playing a mute, she never has any difficulty in conveying her emotions, and just happens to be drop dead gorgeous as well. It's a shame she hasn't done more films. Mute Witness was her only non-Russian project, and she hasn't appeared in anything since 1996.

PS. On IMDB, it states that the film was originally going to be set in Chicago but was moved to Moscow because of the cheaper labour in Russia. I simply can't imagine how this would have worked if set in the US as the language barrier is of such vital importance to the story (and on more than one occasion leads to situations where even those who have their voices might as well be mute, given their inability to make themselves understood).

IMDB reference