midnight rambling

So, 5 hours of cinema experience totally busted my spine. It's kind of hurting sporadically, in a subtle way. I hope I haven't asked for any permanent damage.

My mind has gone bankrupt now so I should refrain from the ambition of writing down my thoughts, but since I am here, pourquoi pas?

Paris Nous Appartient - well, what can I say? It's occasionally engaging, but the overlong duration quickly exhausts the tricks and ideas. The description from Cinematheque (or somewhere else) best explains the movie's merits as a few prototypes for Rivette's idiosyncrasy and foreshadowing for a great body of work that follows them. Nevertheless, the black and white photography is as remarkable as reviewers point out - beautiful depth compositions and some evocative camera movements, most of them taking place in tight Parisien apartments. Rivette in this case shows radical unconcern for scenes that allow characters to move from one location to another, usually by moving extremely fast and assembling random shots of traveling to quickly bring the characters together for one-on-one interaction. Chamber drama with a small ensemble cast (just 4 or 5 people) is what Rivette does best, and so far I have the impression that it's the only thing he's comfortable doing. And what is the fixation on conspiracy? I wish he didn't use a story inspired by Fritz Lang, and enough fascination with American film noir!

There was a collective roar of laughter for Jean-Luc Godard's cameo appearance. He's one of these folks who can provoke laughter by doing absolutely nothing. Like Buster Keaton? I am going too far.

Va Savoir: I very much enjoyed this. My biggest complaint, however, is that I felt I was watching a movie assembled from leftover footage. As you might know this is the shorter version of Va Savoir (with the complete one called Va Savoir+, and yeah, you ought to get used to the idea of an 150-minute movie being short). To prepare a shorter version of his films, Rivette doesn't cut scenes from the complete versions; instead, he uses remaining footage, namely shots not making their way into the original finished products. While Va Savoir does feel like a complete film, it contains some really sloppy editing and obviously disjoint scenes. After seeing tightly, economically constructed films such as Histoire de Marie et Julien, one can definitely say that what one sees in this version of Va Savoir does not represent the director's optimal effort.

The most common adjective used for Va Savoir is "cute" - which is often followed by "light-hearted" and perhaps "inconsequential." These words all apply. What stay most dearly in my memory are the incredibly natural and convincing performances from all of the actors and actresses. Jeanne Balibar, in particular, lives her character. Further illuminating such remarkable performances is again William Lubtchansky's exquisite lighting that wraps up a beautiful piece of art and entertainment. One of the best 150 minutes I've ever spent.

Tomorrow (well this evening exactement) - Out 1: Spectre.