Thursday, March 27, 2014

"the great beauty" and "museum hours"

i've got two movie recommendations for you, "la grande bellezza" and "museum hours". (don't worry, i have returned both of them so you can have your turn at renting them, ha.)

i'm sure that you have heard of "la grande bellezza"/"the great beauty". it did, rightfully, win a slew of awards, the most recent being the oscar for best foreign language film. what to really say about it though? ah, how about this:  it is so intensely beautiful that it sometimes hurts to watch. and, similar to the way that fellini captured post war roman decadence in "la dolce vita", sorrentino relates the less sleazy and more melancholic spirit of berlusconian bunga bunga-ism. (which does not seem like it would be possible but, oh, it is.)

do watch "la dolce vita" and "la grande bellezza" back to back. to do so is a goddmaned treat. (not being sarcastic. these are two of my most favorite italian films.)


similar in feel yet entirely different in scope is "museum hours". sadly, i can't recommend this movie to just anyone as it is very meditative but if you enjoy having a film slowly give up its secrets to you, then have a go at this one.

to me, the story of a transatlantic friendship, while lovely, was secondary. the kunsthistorisches museum and ruminations on art and meaning were my main draw (the ela piplits section was FANTASTIC.) i've already seen this movie twice. (like the main character, i have had my time of noise and now enjoy the quiet, something that "museum hours" has in abundance.)

pair that one with "tokyo-ga"? i can't really give you an exact reason for doing so. the films don't have much in common but they have the same feel.  (and then watch "tokyo story" as "tokyo-ga" is really just a thinly veiled love letter to that particular ozu movie.)

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