Simon of the Desert (1965)

Spine #: 460

Luis Buñuel's powerful forty-five minute short film takes place sometime in the 4th century where a ridiculously religious man named "Simon" is standing on the top of a ridiculously tall pillar in the middle of the desert, in order to feel "closer to God". After some time standing on this pillar (about six years or so) a problem arises in the form of Satan paying visits every now and then. Satan takes different forms when he visits Simon, but my favorite was that of Silvia Pinal, the actress pictured "getting familiar" with Simon above. The only flaw of this film was its abrupt ending, if this were to be feature length I feel it would have been one of Buñuel's masterpieces. The good news is Buñuel is not to blame, upon doing a little research I discovered he could not get funding to finish the picture and had to end production prematurely, preventing it from being feature length as he intended. Even with these unfortunate circumstances, I feel the film was still successful and highly recommend seeing it.

IMDB:******** 8/10

Netflix:****4/5



Off Topic: Cool Dog (2010)

Cool Dog, directed by Danny Lerner who is responsible for directing and producing pretty much every one of Steven Seagal's films, has really done it this time. Besides giving birth to the fat, balding martial artists tortuous sorry career, he has achieved the stature to be named with the likes of Uwe Boll, Tyler Perry, and Ed Wood. In what I pray is the last film of his career, a boy named "Jimmy" and his best pal/dog "Rainy" become separated when the family decides to move from New Orleans to a "no dogs allowed" apartment in NY. Not to fear though... this dog is no slouch, after watching some TV and listening to music through headphones on his neck (this is the dog I'm talking about mind you) Rainy follows a trail of Liquorice from NO to NY. How is this possible you ask? Why, its simple... Rainy operates an array of complicated machinery, from trains to boats to cars while simultaneously playing checkers, the banjo, piano, buying hot dogs and giving the vendor money with his paw. All of this would have been somewhat bearable if it wasn't for the actors... they make the mentally challenged people in Crispin Glover's films look like the Marlon Brando's of our time, and that's being forgiving. I wouldn't wish this movie on my worst enemy and the mere fact that Hollywood allowed its existence made me consider abandoning film and taking my own life.


The Films budget was two million dollars... Where is your god now?

The Red Balloon (1956) & White Mane (1953)

Spine#:N/A

These are two wonderful shorts directed by Albert Lamorisse, that are similar by using the age old tale of a lonely young boy finding a friend or companionship in something other than a human being. The Red Balloon, which has been shown for years in schools all over the country, is a heartwarming story of a young boy who comes across a balloon that seems to have a mind of its own. It caused me to reminisce on child hood memories both happy and sad. Although filmed in 1956, the use of Technicolor was extremely effective in bringing the vivid,vibrant,and brilliant coloration to the picture.**SPOILER** My favorite scene is toward the end of the short when a group of bully's are chasing after the balloon, throwing rocks at it until one of the rocks manages to land on target. There then is a beautiful shot of the balloon slowly deflating, that made me feel as if the boy was watching a friend pass away despite the fact it was merely an inanimate object**. Three years prior to The Red Balloon was the equally moving short; White Mane. Filmed in black and white, this short is about a herd of wild horses that are captured by ranchers and the leader of the herds (White Mane) constant struggle for freedom as well as a young boy's compassion to the horses desire to be free.**SPOILER** There is a scene unlike anything I have experienced while watching film, where a horse challenges White Mane's position as leader of the herd leading them to engage in a violent and bloody confrontation to obtain the top spot**. At about twenty minutes in length each, I highly recommend viewing these shorts, you wont be disappointed.

IMDB:*********9/10
Netflix:*****5/5

BUFF

Over the weekend Sean and I were able to check out the BUFF (Boston Underground Film Festival). It was a great time, there were Q&A's after each screening and parties to top off of each night were you could meet some of the film makers and actors that participated in the festival. I would recommend checking it out if your from the Boston area.. Its at the Kendall Sq. Theatre and runs until Thursday the 31st.

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?), (1966)

Eclipse Series 9

I am going to start this blog with my thoughts on the William Klein film; Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? I felt this would be appropriate because I may have a different opinion then most others who have been lucky enough to view the film. From the title scene at the very beginning until the final roll of the credits I was completely stunned by it's visual beauty. It is most certainly a work of art, which makes sense when you consider the masterful photography that Klein has created throughout his career. The use of black in white throughoutt the movie is nothing less than perfect along with gorgeous costume design and makeup. Alright, enough about how pretty it is , to my surprise its also wildly entertaining and full of humor that is clever and ahead of its time. The beautiful Dorothy McGowan (Polly Maggoo) is a warm, quirky, likeable character that is chosen for a T.V. documentary entitled "Who Are You?". The purpose of this show is to discover if this American model Polly is more than just a pretty face, and you come to realize that there is much more to her than looks alone. Although the film is not exactly critically acclaimed, I would argue that it is a perfect balance of abstraction, humor, and visual mastery. I refuse to reveal any major spoilers because this is required viewing for anyone that considers themselves a fan of film.

Hate it or love it, there's no denying the beauty of this criterion gem.

IMDB:**********10/10
Netflix:*****5/5