Review of Tout Va Bien (1972) by Timothy M — 21 May 2005

[b]Tout Va Bien[/b] - Godard's self-proclaimed masterpiece may not be for everybody, but thats not Godard's style. He makes films to make statements about society and art, not to please any audience, which is why I suppose I respect him so much. Either way, this was my third experience with the man's work (the other two being Band of Outsiders & Notre Musique), and it was a good one. Not as fun or as exciting as Outsiders, but more focused on a point of view, Godard puts his politics out there as they are and does it with great style. He makes good, if not overdone, use of his large office set and we understand the people's plight for anyone can, they just straight-out explain it to the camera---their thoughts, their feelings, their ideas, their politics, everything. A very interesting piece.

[b]Hidden Fortress[/b] - Kurosawa goes for less of an artistic piece with this one, but he does what he sets out to do---entertain. Great cinematography per usual with Kurosawa and an interesting storytelling style make this for a great ride. Oh yes, and then the whole "one of the main inspirations for Star Wars" thing, it was quite obvious. From the opening shot, we know where R2-D2 and C-3PO came from, and there's even a scene where Lucas basically takes the scene and makes it all Star Wars-ed up. This would be the (naming the better known scene) scene in Return of the Jedi in which the Luke and Leia try to sneak up on the Endor Storm Troopers and they kill one and then the other tells the two on the bikes to send for re-inforcements. This is done in Hidden Fortress almost key-for-key, except with horses. A very fun time.

[b]Waking Life[/b] - Though many, especially in these parts, think this film to be a pretentious mess, I find it to be a very inspiring piece. Self-described by Linklater as a "Kitchen Sink" movie, it shoots thoughts, ideas, and philosophies at 24 frames per second. You take from it what you want to take from it, there's no real desired effect Linklater is really shooting for, except for just a thought-provoking hour and forty minutes, in which he succeeds. Then it throws all of this together in a dream-based setting, which instantly deems it pretentious by 30% of people, and explores them with great thought and care. Matching this visually, Linklater has transformed himself from inpired filmmaker to a visionary (to quote the tomatometer).

[b]The Corporation[/b] - Woah. We're being killed one hour at a time by the mega-corps we love so much. Disturbing yet true, this film will make you question your choices and your lifestyle. Just go see it.