Category Archives: Not Feel Good

2007, Detective, Not Feel Good, Suspense, Violent

We Own the Night (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) manages El Caribe, a hot New York City nightclub, while estranged brother Joseph (Mark Wahlberg) has followed in their policeman father’s (Robert Duvall) footsteps. The two are reunited by dealings with the Russian mafia, which has a foothold in Bobby’s business. As Joseph puts pressure on the mob, its members turn the screws on Bobby. Eva Mendes and Tony Musante co-star in writer-director James Gray’s action-drama.

More than the above I will not write, because the plot has some original developments. Joaquin Phoenix once again does not disappoint. Similarly Eva Mendes, Mark Wahlberg, and Robert Duvall do a great job. The movie is violent but not especially so. More important are the personalities and how they change, some for better, some for sadder.

By the way, if you have not seen Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk the Line” (a movie for everyone), don’t miss it!

“We Own the Night” tells a great story!

2007, Not Feel Good

Atonement (2007)

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From NetFlix:

In this drama based on the critically acclaimed novel by Ian McEwan, a childhood lie irrevocably changes the lives of several people forever. When 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) misinterprets a moment of flirtation between her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and a servant’s son, Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), her confusion causes her to finger Robbie as the perpetrator of a crime. Brenda Blethyn and Vanessa Redgrave co-star in this Oscar nominee for Best Picture.

“Atonement” is a beautiful sad movie (think “Ivory Merchant”). This movie, in my opinion, is one of those “do not miss”. Some of the WWII scenes were a bit drawn out, however. And definitely not for children. The chronology of the film differs from that in the book by Ian McKewen.

1977, Italian, Not Feel Good, Violent

1900 (1977)

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From NetFlix:

Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic tale follows the lives of two Italian men — a peasant (Gerard Depardieu) and a landowner (Robert De Niro) — both born on Jan. 1, 1900. Friends as children, the two become estranged as their differing social status pulls them apart. Their personal conflicts mirror the political events in Italy, as both fascism and socialism gain footholds in the country. Sterling Hayden, Donald Sutherland and Burt Lancaster co-star.

“1900” is the name of this two-disk film which traces the rise and fall of the Black Shirt Fascists in Italy. It was made in 1977 and gives you an opportunity to see amazingly young Robert De Niro padrone), Gerard Depardieu (peasant farmer), Dominique Sanda (playgirl), and Donald Sutherland (local Black Shirt leader). Burt Lancaster appears as the old grandfather of Robert De Niro.

Italian films do what American films often fail to do: tell it like it was. In the case of a largely peasant population you will see and hear crudity that could never appear in an American film. Even I, as trash acclimated as I am, was shocked.

On the superficial side who knew that Gerard Depardieu was ever handsome instead of being the bloated pig that he currently is. Depardieu acts well but De Niro comes off as not acting very well. The really scary character is Donald Sutherland who plays to perfection a creepy scociopathic homocidal Black Shirt. His violence is truly ugly.

On another superficial topic, the sex scenes are uniquely uninhibited. You get to see Dominique Sanda dancing around practically naked. De Niro and Depardieu share a prostitute in which the actors move about the room in complete frontal nudity. Not that you would be interested.

1000NYTimes, 1001BeforeDie, 1963, Italian, Not Feel Good

The Leopard (1963)

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From NetFlix:

In this war drama set in 1860s Sicily, Prince Don Fabrizio Salina (Burt Lancaster) attempts to hold onto the glory he once knew, while his nephew, Tancredi Falconeri (Alain Delon), has joined opposition forces and is being heralded as a war hero. As Falconeri begins to fall for Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), the daughter of the town’s new mayor, Don Calogero Sedara (Paolo Stoppa), Salina must learn to accept his changing political status.

Garibaldi landed in Sicily in 1860 (at the time of our civil war). Burt Lancaster (speaking Italian) is a Sicilian prince who can never adjust to the new egalitarian order. The film beautifully recreates the book. But the pace is very slow and you really might have to be motivated to watch this film. In my case I read “Il Gatopardo” in Italian.

2003, Italian, Not Feel Good, TV Series

The Best Of Youth (2003)

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From NetFlix:

This sprawling Italian drama sweeps from the ’60s to the 21st century,
tracking the journey of two brothers, Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) and
Matteo (Alessio Boni). The two take different paths: After traveling,
Nicola becomes a successful psychiatrist, while Matteo becomes a policeman
intent on catching criminals. Their politics diverge as well, straining
the family bond. Originally aired as a miniseries on Italian television.

NetFlix offers this Italian TV miniseries on 2 disks. There are subtitles. You really do get the modern history of Italy in a memorable way by watching the series. You realize how much Italy has suffered (floods, Italian terrorists, etc). The characters are appealing. Warning: do not expect a happy ending. Life just goes on.

1990, Could Be Hard To Watch, Horror, Not Feel Good, Revenge, Stephen King, Suspense, Violent

Misery (1990)

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From NetFlix:

In this creepy thriller based on Stephen King’s book, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) rescues her idol, romance novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan), after a horrible car accident. But she morphs from nurturing caregiver to sadistic jailer upon discovering that Sheldon plans to kill off his literary heroine, Misery, in his next volume. Bates’s disturbing performance as the psychotic Annie netted her a Best Actress Oscar.

The book is quite good especially compared to the movie. The movie vaguely resembles the book but still offers the same roller coaster ride. It’s just fun at a B level. Kathy Bates as the crazy captor and James Caan as the captive are a hoot. Bring along your strong stomach for some of the violence.

2006, DO NOT MISS, Not Feel Good, Redemption, Violent

Steel Toes (2006)

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From NetFlix:

This intense crime drama stars Oscar nominee David Strathairn as liberal Jewish attorney Danny Dunckelman, who’s appointed by the court to defend Mike Downey (Andrew W. Walker), a neo-Nazi skinhead on trial for the murder of an East Indian man. Confronting religious and racial intolerance, Mike and Danny struggle to form an alliance despite their divergent beliefs and sensibilities in this provocative exploration of hatred and forgiveness.

“Steel Toes” is violent because Andrew Walker as a Nazi skinhead in Montreal kicks a defenceless East Indian to death. As a result liberal Jewish lawyer David Strathairn (CIA Deputy Directory in “The Bourne Ultimatum”) decides to defend the skinhead. What follows is some very tight ensemble acting and I found myself riveted to their give and take. My appreciation of Strathairn has, as a result, grown immensely.

1001BeforeDie, 2007, Biographical, Could Be Hard To Watch, DO NOT MISS, French, Not Feel Good

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

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From NetFlix:

In 1995, author and Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke that put him in a coma; he awakened mute and completely paralyzed. Mathieu Amalric stars in this adaptation of Bauby’s autobiography, which he dictated by blinking. Julian Schnabel was nominated for the 2008 Best Director Oscar and won the Golden Globe in the same category for his poignant film about the strength of the human spirit.

This film (one of the “1001 Films To See Before You Die”) is the true story of an editor of “Elle” who suffered a stroke and descended into locked-in syndrome. All he could do was move his left eyelid. His ultra-patient caretakers devised a method of communication with him. Using that he wrote a small book “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” which Julian Schnabel made into this film.. You might want to read that short book. It might be difficult or unpleasant to imagine how it would be to be trapped in such a manner. Unfortunately I came away disliking Bauby. In the film he is cruel, even in his reduced state, to the woman who loves him even while she is helping him. Any comments on this ?

2007, Could Be Sad, Documentary, Not Feel Good, Unusual

Into the Wild (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Sean Penn directs this feature based on best-selling author Jon Krakauer’s true story of a young man who gives up everything to lead a solitary life in the wild. Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a trust-fund college graduate, abandons his safe existence to trek across the harsh yet beautiful terrain of Alaska. William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden co-star, along with Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook (in an Oscar-nominated role).

Because I had first read the book “Into The Wild”, I found the film a bit slow. In fact, I wish you would read the book first. There is a sort of mystery: was there some fatal mistake that McCandless made ? The book gives a very definite answer: YES, and explains just how close McCandless came to not dying. Ask yourself if the film offers the same information. Of course, this film can never have a happy ending. At least it supplies scenes that you might not have imagined while reading the book.

Among other categories, I added “documentary” because the film is historical in nature.

1001BeforeDie, 2006, Biographical, Not Feel Good

The Queen (2006)

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From NetFlix:

After Princess Diana’s shocking death, Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren, in an Oscar-winning role) and Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) engage in intimate talks as Britain demands the princess be memorialized in a manner beyond standard protocol. This Oscar-nominated drama for Best Picture goes behind the scenes as the queen and prime minister try to manage Diana’s death on a personal level while also dealing with a public calling for royal treatment for their beloved princess.

Helen Mirren shows her versatility in a role quite different from her other roles. She IS the film. I couldn’t take my eyes off her perfect performance. You might not even care about British royalty and the whole Princess Diana scandal, but this film might start you questioning the royal motives regarding Diana. By the end of the film I felt quite unsympathetic towards the royal family but very enthusiastic about Mirren’s performance. This is a talking heads film, not an action film. It was recommended as one of the “1001 Films To See Before You Die.” (Such a cheery thought !)