Movies
Chacun Son Cinéma
Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl
One of Oliveira's later films. He has had a long and prosperous career, though I must admit I haven't seen many of his films. This is only the second one, and so far, I can't say I'm that impressed. Of course, he made this one at the end of his career, and at a rather respectable age, too. Generally speaking, I'm going to struggle with these types of films. The cinematography is too classic for my taste, the pacing is too slow (because the styling isn't on point), and some of the conversations felt extremely scripted. There is a little intrigue, and the film is quite short, so it's not the worst thing ever, but I'm pretty sure I won't be remembering this one for long.Read all
Manuel de Olivera's first feature film. I haven't seen too much yet from this lauded director, though I doubt he'll become a big favorite of mine. Aniki Bóbó is a rather cheesy and sentimental film, somewhat reminiscent of the Italian Neorealist cinema that would reign supreme a decade later. The soundtrack is pretty dominant (and annoying), the performances of the kids are poor and the plot is uninteresting, even though the runtime is rather short. The cinematography is relatively polished but it didn't excite me much, other than that this film was completely wasted on me.Read all