Top Three At-Home Films
By: Joanna Arcieri
Issue date: 3/15/07 Section: Entertainment
When you head out to Blockbuster this spring break, pick a movie that might be out of your comfort zone.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Marie Antoinette caused a stir when it was booed at Cannes last May. Needless to say, director Sofia Coppola's latest feature, with its apparent historical inaccuracies, was not appreciated by the French media. Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman star as Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, the ill-fated queen and king of France. Be warned: this isn't your average biopic. Instead the movie seems like a two hour music video. Coppola takes artistic liberties that range from costumes (in one scene Marie is seen wearing converse sneakers) to lack of accuracy in the soundtrack. Yet, these choices form a delightful film that has been wrongfully ignored by many. If you are looking for a typical historical film, with meticulous details and a non-ambiguous ending, then this isn't the movie for you. However, Marie Antoinette is perfect if you want to see a movie that is a complete pleasure to watch.
The Great Dictator (1940)
Charlie Chaplin was once told that he bore a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler. Intrigued by this statement, Chaplin used their similarities to direct, write and star in one of the greatest political satires ever made. In his first "talkie," Chaplin had a double role as a Jewish barber and Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator or der Nutsie of Tomania. The barber adapts to life in the ghetto while Hynkel becomes obsessed with world domination and invading nearby Osterlich. Classic moments include an upside-down plane ride, Hynkel's dance with a globe, a food fight between Benzino Napaloni, the dictator of Bacteria, and the film's closing speech. Chaplin mixes comedy with bold satire and a strong condemnation of Hitler, unheard of in the United States in 1940.
The House of Sand (2006)
In 1910, pregnant Áurea (Fernanda Torres) travels with her mother, Maria (Fernanda Montenegro) and fanatical husband, Vasco (Ray Guerra), to the sand dunes of Maranhão in northern Brazil. Vasco intends to establish a farm but Áurea longs to return to the city so that her daughter, Maria, can have a normal life. For 59 years, the three women adapt to their isolated lives among the dunes. The House of Sand is a movie where absolutely nothing and everything occurs. The narrative is simple; its focus is on mother-daughter relationships and how fate drives one's life. Torres and Montenegro alternate between the roles of Dona Maria, Áurea and Maria as the characters age. Their performances match the simple beauty of the film created by director Andrucha Waddington and cinematographer Ricardo Della Rosa. The House of Sand is visually breathtaking and an exceptional drama.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Marie Antoinette caused a stir when it was booed at Cannes last May. Needless to say, director Sofia Coppola's latest feature, with its apparent historical inaccuracies, was not appreciated by the French media. Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman star as Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, the ill-fated queen and king of France. Be warned: this isn't your average biopic. Instead the movie seems like a two hour music video. Coppola takes artistic liberties that range from costumes (in one scene Marie is seen wearing converse sneakers) to lack of accuracy in the soundtrack. Yet, these choices form a delightful film that has been wrongfully ignored by many. If you are looking for a typical historical film, with meticulous details and a non-ambiguous ending, then this isn't the movie for you. However, Marie Antoinette is perfect if you want to see a movie that is a complete pleasure to watch.
The Great Dictator (1940)
Charlie Chaplin was once told that he bore a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler. Intrigued by this statement, Chaplin used their similarities to direct, write and star in one of the greatest political satires ever made. In his first "talkie," Chaplin had a double role as a Jewish barber and Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator or der Nutsie of Tomania. The barber adapts to life in the ghetto while Hynkel becomes obsessed with world domination and invading nearby Osterlich. Classic moments include an upside-down plane ride, Hynkel's dance with a globe, a food fight between Benzino Napaloni, the dictator of Bacteria, and the film's closing speech. Chaplin mixes comedy with bold satire and a strong condemnation of Hitler, unheard of in the United States in 1940.
The House of Sand (2006)
In 1910, pregnant Áurea (Fernanda Torres) travels with her mother, Maria (Fernanda Montenegro) and fanatical husband, Vasco (Ray Guerra), to the sand dunes of Maranhão in northern Brazil. Vasco intends to establish a farm but Áurea longs to return to the city so that her daughter, Maria, can have a normal life. For 59 years, the three women adapt to their isolated lives among the dunes. The House of Sand is a movie where absolutely nothing and everything occurs. The narrative is simple; its focus is on mother-daughter relationships and how fate drives one's life. Torres and Montenegro alternate between the roles of Dona Maria, Áurea and Maria as the characters age. Their performances match the simple beauty of the film created by director Andrucha Waddington and cinematographer Ricardo Della Rosa. The House of Sand is visually breathtaking and an exceptional drama.