DVD Collectors Online

Viagem ao Princípio do Mundo, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are:  Portugal
wikipedia



Overview:
"One of the most beautiful films ever made about aging. VOYAGE TO THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD brings together 89-year-old Portuguese film maker Manoel de Oliveira and Italian icon Marcello Mastroianni, in what would be his last film. Playing a film maker clearly based on Oliveira, Mastolianni takes three actor friends on a driving tour of a mountain village, where one of the actors (Jean-Yves Gautier) is united with the elderly aunt he has never met. Family becomes the link between the past and present, in a film of great simplicity, dignity, and wisdom. Through Mastroianni, Oliveira speculates on the beginnings and endings (the village is in the North, where the Portuguese nation began), on what remains of the past (a primitive wooden statute, the meaning of which has been lost) and on what disappears (the ruins of a hotel). The cinematography, by Renato Berta, is at once radiantly clear and surrealistically devoid of detail - as if what we were seeing was already a recollection." - Dave Kehr, NY DAILY NEWS

My Thoughts:
This was a beautiful, poetic film, simple in execution, subtle and complicated in thought.  It's a study in character, in memory and origins, the meaning and hold of the past, whether that be the past of the individual, the family, or the country.  It's a film that takes it time - another person might say it's slow and talky.  There really isn't any action, all of the conflict is internal, and there are no heroes or villains. Instead it's a film about the search for identity, whether that search is focussed toward the family one comes from or things left behind from one's youth as age has taken over.

I found it to be an elegant little film with a lovely nostalgic atmosphere, but as much as I enjoyed the film, I would only recommend it for the art house crowd.  There is nothing to hold the attention of the Hollywood blockbuster crowd.

Bechdel Test:  Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on May 12th, 2013)

Hana-Bi, a review by Tom

HANA-BI

This movie was okay. A high improvement over the movie I have seen on Saturday 
Director and star is Takeshi Kitano, who has played the character Kitano in Battle Royale. In my opinion he was like a Japanese version of Harvey Keitel in this movie. This movie is a little reminiscient of Tarantino (especially Jackie Brown), but much more subdued with sprouts of violence in-between.

Rating:

(From AsiaFilmFest 2008 on November 4th, 2008)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Fringe

Pilot
When all the passengers and crew on Flight 627 Hamburg-to-Boston die in a hideous manner, FBI agent Olivia Dunham investigates the event. While following up a lead, her partner and lover, John Scott, undergoes life-threatening chemical contamination. A desperate Olivia looks for help and finds Dr. Walter Bishop, who cannot help her because he has been institutionalized. The only way to even question him is with the help of his son Peter.
Olivia continues her investigations and goes to Nina Sharp, a manipulative executive. Olivia, Peter and Dr. Bishop begin to discover what really happened on Flight 627 and start to uncover a larger truth.



A television drama centered around a female FBI agent who is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.

The first part of this pilot is incredibly interesting and promised a great deal. A bit of x-files with more focus on the investigation, the characters were optimistically well thought out, and the pace gripping. I felt it lost its way in the middle as the storyline floundered, with a bit too much focus on introduction of the leads and providing backdrop to the series, but it picked up well with a good and surprising finish.
A definate series to revisit before year-end, this is good viewing for all.
 


(From My PILOT Marathon on September 27th, 2009)