In & Out
This section is dedicated to a number of films I have seen and which I would like to give some hints about. My classification has been elaborated according to the following pattern, also biased by my personal taste (duh!):
| **** | Fascinating story, both stylish and restrained approach |
| ***1/2 | Definitely innovating approach of a well-thought story |
| *** | Efficient story and technique |
| **1/2 | Overall ok but something is missing... or it's not really my type! |
| ** | Interesting concept but something messed out... or it's kind of déjà vu! |
| *1/2 | Formless or biased or just soooo disappointing... |
| * | Clichés, overacting, nonsense... |
| - | Who do you think you're kidding??? |
| **** |
| Gilda, by Charles Vidor (USA, 1946) | |
| Gotterdämmerung, by Luchino Visconti (Germany-Italy, 1968) | |
| Heavenly Creatures, by Peter Jackson (New-Zealand, 1996) | |
| Paris, Texas, by Wim Wenders (Germany, 1984) | |
| Raise The Red Lantern, by Zhang Yimou (China, 1991) | |
| Tesis, by Alejandro Amenabar (Spain, 1997) | |
| The Sweet Hereafter, by Atom Egoyan (Canada, 1997) | |
| Twelve Monkeys, by Terry Gilliam (USA, 1995) | |
| ***1/2 |
| A Clockwork Orange, by Stanley Kubrick (GB, 1971) | |
| Albino Alligator, by Kevin Spacey (USA, 1997) | |
| Arizona Dream, by Emir Kusturica (USA, 1995) | |
| Blade Runner, by Ridley Scott (USA, 1982) | |
| Bound, by Larry and Andy Wachowski (USA, 1996) | |
| Chasing Amy, by Kevin Smith (USA, 1996) | |
| Denise Calls Up, by Hal Salwen (USA, 1995) | |
| Encore, by Pascal Bonitzer (France, 1996) | |
| Face Off, by John Woo (USA, 1997) | |
| Hana-Bi (Fireworks), by Takeshi Kitano (Japan, 1997) | |
| Interview With The Vampire, by Neil Jordan (USA, 1994) | |
| LA Confidential, by Curtis Hanson (USA, 1997) | |
| La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful), by Roberto Benigni (Italy, 1998) | |
| Laura, by Otto Preminger (USA, 1944) | |
| Living in Oblivion, by Tom DiCillo (USA, 1994) | |
| Lost Highway, by David Lynch (USA, 1996) | |
| Mars Attacks!, by Tim Burton (USA, 1997) | |
| Mina Tannenbaum, by Martine Dugowson (France, 1993) | |
| Mon Oncle d'Amérique, by Alain Resnais (France, 1980) | |
| Night On Earth, by Jim Jarmusch (USA, 1991) | |
| Nikita, by Luc Besson (France, 1989) | |
| No Smoking, by Alain Resnais (France, 1992) | |
| Pulp Fiction, by Quentin Tarantino (USA, 1993) | |
| Ridicule, by Patrice Leconte (France, 1996) | |
| Scream, by Wes Craven (USA, 1997) | |
| Sib (The Apple), by Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran, 1997) | |
| Smoking, by Alain Resnais (France, 1992) | |
| Swimming With Sharks, by George Huang (USA, 1995) | |
| The Fearless Vampire Killers, by Roman Polanski (GB, 1967) | |
| The Ice Storm, by Ang Lee (USA, 1997) | |
| The Naked Lunch, by David Cronenberg (Canada, 1991) | |
| The Shining, by Stanley Kubrick (GB, 1980) | |
| The Silence Of The Lambs, by Jonathan Demme (USA, 1990) | |
| The Usual Suspects, by Bryan Singer (USA, 1995) | |
| Trust, by Hal Hartley (USA, 1991) | |
| Un Air de Famille, by Cédric Klapisch (France, 1996) | |
| Un Héros Très Discret, by Jacques Audiard (France, 1995) | |
| *** |
| A River Runs Through It, by Robert Redford (USA, 1991) | |
| Affliction, by Paul Schrader (USA, 1997) | |
| Alien Resurrection, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (USA, 1997) | |
| Apt Pupil, by Bryan Singer (USA, 1998) | |
| Basic Instinct, by Paul Verhoeven (USA, 1991) | |
| Bedrooms and Hallways, by Rose Troche (GB, 1998) | |
| Beetlejuice, by Tim Burton (USA, 1988) | |
| Breaking The Waves, by Lars Von Trier (Denmark, 1996) | |
| Budbringeren (Junk Mail), by Pal Sletaune (Norway, 1997) | |
| Casino, by Martin Scorsese (USA, 1995) | |
| Chacun cherche son chat, by Cédric Klapisch (France, 1995) | |
| Der Himmer über Berlin, by Wim Wenders (Germany, 1986) | |
| Desperado, by Robert Rodriguez (USA, 1995) | |
| Don Juan De Marco, by Jeremy Leven (USA, 1994) | |
| Donnie Brasco, by Mike Newell (USA, 1997) | |
| Eat Drink Man Woman, by Ang Lee (Taiwan, 1993) | |
| El Evangelio de las Maravillas, by Arturo Ripstein (Mexico, 1997) | |
| Everyone Says I Love You, by Woody Allen (USA, 1997) | |
| Evita, by Alan Parker (USA, 1996) | |
| Festen (The Celebration), by Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark, 1998) | |
| Funny Games, by Michael Haneke (Austria, 1997) | |
| Happy Together, by Wong Kar-Wai (Hong-Kong, 1997) | |
| Insomnia, by Erik Skjodbjaerg (Norway, 1997) | |
| Joe's Apartment, by John Payson (USA, 1996) | |
| L'Appartement, by Gilles Mimouni (France, 1996) | |
| La Classe de Neige (The Class Trip), by Claude Miller (France, 1998) | |
| La Haine, by Mathieu Kassovitz (France, 1995) | |
| La Vie Rêvée des Anges (Angels' Dreams), by Erick Zonca (France, 1998) | |
| Leaving Las Vegas, by Mike Figgis (USA, 1995) | |
| Léon, by Luc Besson (France, 1996) | |
| Lolita, by Stanley Kubrick (GB, 1962) | |
| Ma Vie En Rose, by Alain Berliner (Belgian, 1997) | |
| Mort à Venise, by Luchino Visconti (France-Italy, 1970) | |
| Only The Brave, by Ana Kokkinos (Australia, 1994) | |
| Outbreak, by Wolfgang Petersen (USA, 1994) | |
| Ponette, by Jacques Doillon (France, 1996) | |
| Reservoir Dogs, by Quentin Tarantino (USA, 1991) | |
| Romeo and Juliet, by Baz Luhrmann (USA, 1997) | |
| Select Hotel, by Laurent Bouhnik (France, 1996) | |
| Shine, by Scott Hicks (Australia, 1996) | |
| Starship Troopers, by Paul Verhoeven (USA, 1997) | |
| The Blackout, by Abel Ferrara (USA, 1997) | |
| The Brothers McMullen, by Edward Burns (USA, 1996) | |
| The Craft, by Andrew Fleming (USA, 1996) | |
| The Mask of Zorro, by Martin Campbell (USA, 1998) | |
| The People vs Larry Flynt, by Milos Forman (USA, 1996) | |
| The Rock, by Michael Bay (USA, 1996) | |
| The Russia House, by Fred Schepisi (USA, 1990) | |
| Titanic, by James Cameron (USA, 1997) | |
| Toy Story, by John Lasseter (USA, 1995) | |
| **1/2 | |
| A Gun For Jennifer, by Todd Morris (USA, 1993) | |
| A Vendre (For Sale), by Laetitia Masson (France, 1998) | |
| Babe, by Chris Noonan (Australia, 1995) | |
| Bad Lieutenant, by Abel Ferrara (USA, 1991) | |
| Beautiful Thing, by Hettie MacDonald (GB, 1996) | |
| Bernie, by Albert Dupontel (France, 1996) | |
| Boogie Nights, by Paul T. Anderson (USA, 1997) | |
| Copycat, by Jon Amiel (USA, 1995) | |
| Déjà Mort, by Olivier Dahan (France, 1997) | |
| Dieu Seul Me Voit, by Bruno Podalydès (France, 1998) | |
| Face, by Antonia Bird (GB, 1997) | |
| Fargo, by Joel Coen (USA, 1996) | |
| Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Terry Gilliam (USA, 1998) | |
| Fred, by Pierre Jolivet (France, 1997) | |
| Get Shorty, by Barry Sonnenfeld (USA, 1995) | |
| Happiness, by Todd Solondz (USA, 1998) | |
| Henry Fool, by Hal Hartley (USA, 1998) | |
| High Art, by Lisa Cholodenko (USA, 1998) | |
| I.D., by Philip Davis (GB, 1996) | |
| Je ne vois pas ce qu'on me trouve, by Christian Vincent (France, 1997) | |
| Jude, by Michael Winterbottom (GB, 1996) | |
| Knockin' on Heaven's Door, by Thomas Jahn (Germany, 1996) | |
| Last Night, by Don McKellar (Canada, 1997) | |
| Le Gone du Chaaba, by Christophe Ruggia (France, 1997) | |
| Les Apprentis, by Pierre Salvadori (France, 1995) | |
| Lone Star, by John Sayles (USA, 1996) | |
| Michael Collins, by Neil Jordan (USA, 1996) | |
| Mighty Aphrodite, by Woody Allen (USA, 1995) | |
| Shooting Fish, by Stefan Schwartz (GB, 1997) | |
| Sitcom, by François Ozon (France, 1998) | |
| Slam, by Marc Levin (USA, 1998) | |
| Sleepers, by Barry Levinson (USA, 1996) | |
| Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Bille August (USA, 1996) | |
| Surviving Picasso, by James Ivory (USA, 1996) | |
| Ta'm E Guilass (The Taste of Cherry), by Abbas Kiarostami (Iran, 1997) | |
| The Baby of Macon, by Peter Greenaway (GB, 1993) | |
| The Crying Freeman, by Christophe Gans (France-Canada-USA, 1995) | |
| The Doom Generation, by Gregg Araki (USA, 1994) | |
| The Last Supper, by Stacy Title (USA, 1996) | |
| The Lawnmower Man, by (USA, 1992) | |
| The Negotiator, by F. Gary Gray (USA, 1998) | |
| The Real Blonde, by Tom DiCillo (USA, 1997) | |
| Tieta Do Agreste, by Carlos Diegues (Brazil, 1996) | |
| Tiré à part, by Bernard Rapp (France, 1996) | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies, by Roger Spottiswoode (USA, 1997) | |
| Trainspotting, by Danny Boyle (GB, 1996) | |
| Trop Tard, by Lucian Pintilié (Rumania, 1996) | |
| Velvet Goldmine, by Todd Haynes (USA, 1998) | |
| Welcome To The Doll House, by Todd Solondz (USA, 1996) | |
| ** | |
| A Perfect Murder, by Andrew Davis (USA, 1998) | |
| Box of Moonlight, by Tom DiCillo (USA, 1997) | |
| City of Angels, by Brad Silberling (USA, 1998) | |
| Dobermann, by Jan Kounen (France, 1997) | |
| Fallen Angels, by Wong Kar-Wai (Hong-Kong, 1996) | |
| Hamlet, by Kenneth Branagh (GB, 1996) | |
| In and Out, by Frank Oz (USA, 1997) | |
| In The Company Of Men, by Neil La Bute (USA, 1997) | |
| Irma Vep, by Olivier Assayas (France, 1996) | |
| La Vérité Si Je Mens, by Thomas Gilou (France, 1996) | |
| Le Ciel Est à Nous, by Graham Guit (France, 1997) | |
| Le Cinquième Elément, by Luc Besson (France, 1997) | |
| Le Plaisir (et ses petits tracas), by Nicolas Boukhrief (France, 1998) | |
| Les Randonneurs, by Philippe Harel (France, 1997) | |
| Lethal Weapon 4, by Richard Donner (USA, 1998) | |
| Louise (take 2), by Siegfried (France, 1998) | |
| Lucie Aubrac, by Claude Berri (France, 1996) | |
| Marius et Jeanette, by Robert Guédiguian (France, 1997) | |
| Microcosmos, by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perennou (France, 1992-96) | |
| Mission: Impossible, by Brian de Palma (USA, 1996) | |
| Practical Magic, by Griffin Dunne (USA, 1998) | |
| Primary Colors, by Mike Nichols (USA, 1998) | |
| Ronin, by John Frankenheimer (USA, 1998) | |
| Schindler's List, by Steven Spielberg (USA, 1993) | |
| Shallow Grave, by Danny Boyle (GB, 1993) | |
| She's The One, by Edward Burns (USA, 1996) | |
| Snake Eyes, by Brian DePalma (USA, 1998) | |
| Species, by Roger Donaldson (USA, 1995) | |
| The Daytrippers, by Greg Mottorola (USA, 1996) | |
| The Game, by David Fincher (USA, 1997) | |
| Tokyo Eyes, by Jean-Pierre Limosin (France, 1998) | |
| Un Eté à la Goulette, by Ferid Boughedir (France, 1996) | |
| Western, by Manuel Poirier (France, 1997) | |
| You've Got Mail, by Nora Ephron (USA, 1998) | |
| Zonzon (Banged-Up), by Laurent Bouhnik (France, 1998) | |
| *1/2 | |
| Assassin(s), by Mathieu Kassovitz (France, 1997) | |
| Carla's Song, by Ken Loach (GB, 1996) | |
| Dracula, by Francis Ford Coppola (USA, 1991) | |
| Heat, by Michael Mann (USA, 1995) | |
| Heaven's Prisoners, by Phil Joanou (USA, 1996) | |
| Hoodlum, by Bill Duke (USA, 1997) | |
| Ma 6T Va Cracker, by Jean-François Richet (France, 1997) | |
| Men In Black, by Barry Sonnenfeld (USA, 1997) | |
| Philadelphia, by Jonathan Demme (USA, 1993) | |
| Stealing Beauty, by Bernardo Bertolucci (Italy, 1995) | |
| Strange Days, by Kathryn Bigelow (USA, 1995) | |
| Twister, by Jan de Bont (USA, 1996) | |
| * | |
| Absolute Power, by Clint Eastwood (USA, 1996) | |
| Beyond Rangoon, by John Boorman (USA, 1994) | |
| Brute, by Maciej Dejczer (France-Germany-Poland, 1997) | |
| Crash, by David Cronenberg (Canada, 1996) | |
| Dead Man Walking, by Tim Robbins (USA, 1995) | |
| Diabolique, by Jeremiah Chechik (USA, 1996) | |
| From Dusk Till Dawn, by Robert Rodriguez (USA, 1996) | |
| Goldeneye, by Martin Campbell (USA, 1996) | |
| In The Bleak Midwinter, by Kenneth Branagh (GB, 1994) | |
| Jeanne et le garçon formidable, by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau (France, 1997) | |
| Johnny Mnemonic, by Robert Longo (USA, 1994) | |
| Les Kidnappeurs (The Kidnappers), by Graham Guit (France, 1998) | |
| Les Voleurs, by André Téchiné (France, 1996) | |
| Post Coïtum, Animal Triste, by Brigitte Roüan (France, 1997) | |
| Seven Years In Tibet, by Jean-Jacques Annaud (USA, 1997) | |
| That Thing You Do!, by Tom Hanks (USA, 1996) | |
| The Avengers, by Jeremiah Chechik (USA, 1998) | |
| The English Patient, by Anthony Minghella (USA, 1996) | |
| The Man In The Iron Mask, by Randall Walace (USA, 1997) | |
| There's Something About Mary, by Bobby and Peter Farrelly (USA, 1998) | |
| True Lies, by James Cameron (USA, 1995) | |
| - | |
| A Time To Kill, by Joel Schumacher (USA, 1996) | |
| Contact, by Robert Zemeckis (USA, 1997) | |
| Les Trois Frères, by Les Inconnus (France, 1995) | |
| The Net, by Irwin Winkler (USA, 1995) | |
| The Spanish Prisoner, by David Mamet (USA, 1997) | |
| Threesome, by Andrew Fleming (USA, 1994) | |
© BQT - February 1999