Michael-238's reviews

I enjoyed this film, but it made me wish someone would do a historically accurate film about Diane Arbus to go with this self-admitted fantasy.

I felt a strong relationship with this film and Fellini's Juliet of the Spirits - something I haven't noticed any critics remarking upon, so maybe it's a weaker correlation than I believe. In both cases a shy, repressed woman releases her wild inner self by an encounter with a colorful, bizarre, and maybe imaginary neighbor.

The film's striking visual style is complimented enormously by a standout score from Carter Burwell. Here he gets to take a much more active role than the usual minimalism he employs in the Coen brothers films for which he is famous.

I just saw this recently, after an interval of nearly forty years. It holds up well, especially Lionel Bart's outstanding songs. ("Who Will Buy" with it's magical counterpoint, just one of many standouts.)

I disagree with the other post that decried its G rating. The ratings system, brand new at the time, never intended the G (General) rating to mean "completely devoid of conflict".

Characterizing it as unsuitable for kids reminds me of the description I once saw of The Wizard of Oz: A girl arrives in a strange land and kills the first person she encounters. She then goes on a road trip with three male companions and kills again.

I first saw this film by accident - it was in the wrong box from the video rental store. But I'm a huge Wim Wenders fan (especially Wings of Desire) and was not disappointed. It has that undefinable Wenders-created atmosphere of magic existing cheek and jowl with tragedy that really makes you want to know exactly how DOES he see the world. An outstanding cast headed by the criminally under-appreciated Jeremy Davies, with excellent performances by Milla Jovovich, Mel Gibson and many others.

The wonderfully atmospheric score is from a pastiche of sources - something I usually hate - but beautifully chosen in this case, with contributions by Jon Hassell, Daniel Lanois, Bono, and Eno.