Review of Miffo (2003) by Angie L — 18 Jul 2011

I don't know. Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron has an original and mesmerizing style. James Coburn is sergeant Steiner, a man with a love/hate relationship with his life on the Russian-German front circa 1944. It's a very good film, that's all I know.

Douglas Sirk's A Time to Love and a Time to Die is about a german soldier coming home on a three week leave from the aforementioned Russian-German front. Only, the vacation is no picnic either. Frankly, they're bombing the shit out of Berlin, and it's not nice for anybody. The guy is looking for his parents, but finds a girl instead. Generally great stuff.

All in a Night's Work is a fun movie. Shirley MacLaine is really cute and Dean Martin is better than usual(obviously usually he sucks). Good film, just not anything too profound.

Miffo, from Sweden. Is about a young priest called Tobias(curiously looking like a greatly upgrated version of Toby Maguire) who is trying to get his life in order. Struggling for independence from his wealthy parents and high-class background, struggling with his ambitions to do good in his profession, and generally struggling in his messy personal life, he meets a girl in a wheelchair, who is of the lower uneducated classes and looking like a polish hooker, so naturally there's immediate attraction. For some odd reason the film occationally threatens to suffocate itself with stupid Hollywood cliches, but luckily director Daniel Lind Lagerlöf has enough style and grace to steer through the sometimes a bit too conventional plot succesfully. Some delicious scenes. A smart small film that yet doesn't want to stray far from the mainstream.

Insomnia is a good solid mediocre thriller from the Memento guy.