FilmJerk Favorites

A group of unique directors and the essential works that you've got to see.

||| Stanley Kubrick |||
Stanley Kubrick

A filmmaker of international importance, Kubrick was one of the only directors to work within the Studio System and still have full artistic control over his films from scripting through post-production, prompting Time Magazine to compare Kubrick’s early independence with the magnitude of Orson Welles.

An uncompromising antiwar film, this gut-wrenching drama depicts a World War I officer as he labors with an ultimately futile defense for three painfully sympathetic men tried for cowardice. Kubrick artistically utilizes a beautifully washed-out black and white photography to represent the muddied boundaries of right and wrong, and the many gray areas that lay between.

A fabulous and inspiring adventure, this visually stunning epic stars Kirk Douglas as the heroic slave who fights to lead his people to freedom from Roman rule. Although a clear departure from Kubrick’s oeuvre, “Spartacus” is an all time classic helmed by a man with a precise vision who is equally capable of crafting colossal spectacle, tense tête-à-têtes, and a tender moment between lovers.

This film is so stylish it’s easy to forget it’s a horror film at heart. Considered to be the thinking man’s thriller, Kubrick molds this very particularly “Stephan King” material into the portfolio of his films about human failure, as the hero’s desperate desire to become somebody ends in frustration and tragedy.

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Millennium Actress

By CassyHavens

September 1st, 2002

I was smart enough to purchase tickets to the 2 American Premieres at the Big Apple Anime Festival a week before they were scheduled to show. "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie" (although I still prefer the other title, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door was shown Friday night, and completely sold out. There were over 20 desperate fans begging for extra tickets outside the Virgin Megastore in Times Square where it was being shown. I had been slightly disappointed by Bebop due to the English dub. I much (big surprise) prefer the original Japanese Audio. But there’s a double-ended sword with that. Lately, my eyes have gotten really REALLY bad, so reading small subtitles is hard for me. Hence, when I showed up for the screening of "Millennium Actress," I sat in the front row. There was no way in hell I was missing a second of this film.


I honestly knew next to nothing about it, which was about twice as much as my 2 guests knew. All I knew was this was the latest from Satoshi Kon, the guy who gave us "Perfect Blue." I have seen 3 amazing anime movies in the last month, and I swear, they’re all trying to top each other. This film tied with "Spirited Away." Actress is about Genya Tachibana, but not really. Genya is a director who is asked to do a documentary on a film studio that after 70 years is closing its doors. As his subject, he chooses Chiyoko Fujiwara, a superstar actress who made the studio successful for nearly it’s entire history. The only trouble is, Chiyoko became a secluded hermit 30 years ago. Genya and his cameraman meet with Chiyoko, and to help her open up about her past, Genya gives her a small brass key, which has a very mysterious, and long history. Chiyoko tells them about her past, how she started in films, and why. All her memories of her life are blended seamlessly with her films; they jump in and out with such a fluid grace that is completely breathtaking. Joining her in her memories, enacting roles and following her through her long life are Genya (who actually used to work on the crew when she was making films, and is a huge fan of hers) and the young cameraman.

Very few movies can make you laugh your ass off and make you cry a few scenes later, like this film can. It touched me on a level that apparently didn’t reach to my two male guests. They didn’t like the film half as much as I did. But I’m always a sucker for a great story, centered on a romantic plot that drives the heroine the way this film did.

I set off in this review not to spoil everything about this film, and I think I’ve done a pretty decent job. (I went overboard in "Spirited Away") When Dreamworks finally release this film in 2003, make sure you’ve got your tickets.

My rating: A