Movies
Chacun Son Cinéma
Didn't even know Wenders was still making films. He surrounded himself with a good cast, made sure the styling was classy (Benoͮt Debie, need I say more), yet he trips over the somewhat overbearing drama. The fragmented structure doesn't really help either. The potential is here, but the execution is lacking.
The American Friend
Wenders' take on Tom Ripley, the infamous art forger. It's not too long since I watched Purple Noon, I preferred Wenders' adaptation by a small margin. It's clear that he put a bit more care into the styling of the film, though the harsh 70s look is not something that really vibes with me. Zimmerman makes frames for paintings. When he hears he suffers from leukemia, his world collapses. Then he meets Tom Ripley, who introduces him to the world of art forgery. Zimmerman can make a healthy buck, money that will support his family after he's gone, but to get that money he'll have to venture into a world that is not his own. The performances are decent and the cinematography is above average (for a 70s flick). The plot on the other hand isn't all that interesting. It's another drawn-out noir that wears thin way too soon, and the film isn't stylistically strong enough to make up for that. Wenders has talent though, that much is obvious.Read all
Wenders teams up with Koji Yakusho to shoot a film in Japan. I'm not quite sure why, but it's rare to see a foreign director fare well in Japan, and Wenders fails to change that perception. Perfect Days is a tepid, old-fashioned, and dire drama that, once again, sports an unnecessarily ugly aspect ratio. Hirayama is a simple man who enjoys his basic lifestyle. He has a quiet job, he loves his routines and he manages to enjoy the little things in life. Through a series of haphazard meetings, we learn about the drama in his past, and how he adapted his life to carve his own path. The soundtrack is a selection of crappy pop classics (because our dearest Hirayama loves cassettes), the cinematography is lifeless, often downright ugly and Hirayama is an uninteresting character. Nor did I fully agree with the overarching message of this film. Apart from some solid performances, there's very little here. Disappointing.Read all
Lumière and Company
