Red Desert (1964)

The great Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni continues his theme of alienation and disconnect with his first color film, Red Desert, and the effect is perhaps even more astounding than in his black and white films. Now, more so than using just shapes and spaces, Antonioni now gets to play with bright colors, and lack of colors. Everyone agrees that, in this regard, the film is a masterpiece, but the film once had -- and perhaps still has -- many detractors, arguing that Antonioni's musings don't amount to much. read more...

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• Rules ▶ Rigid or strongly constrained
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L'Avventura (1960)

This 1960 masterpiece by Michelangelo Antonioni is about a group of bored vacationers who go on a boat trip. When one woman turns up missing, her lover (Gabriele Ferzetti) and her best friend (the lovely Monica Vitti) go searching for her on a rocky island. Eventually they give up and start a half-hearted romance of their own. read more...

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• Boldness ▶ Surrender, endurance, struggle, supression or restraint
• Production Level ▶ Polished
• Overall Depth ▶ Deep or penetrating
• Pace ▶ Slow
• Takes itself Seriously ▶ Yes please
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Identification of a Woman (1982)

By 1982, the great Michelangelo Antonioni no longer received much love. His great films (L'Avventura, Red Desert, Blow-Up, etc.) were in the past. What he had done lately was the flop Zabriskie Point (1970), the little seen The Passenger (1975), and then The Mystery of Oberwald (1981), a strange, early experiment in shooting on video. read more...

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The Tree of Life (2011)

Director Terrence Malick is one of the most mysterious and powerful filmmaking talents in the world today, and the infrequent release of his movies (only five in 40 years) creates a tremendous sense of anticipation. Yet, in 2011, we are not well equipped to deal with someone like Malick. For example, he likes narration in his films, but in our Syd Field world of three-act movies with likeable characters and happy resolutions, we are taught that narration is uncinematic; it's "telling" and not showing," never mind that great narration can be as cinematic as any other element (Apocalypse Now, Manhattan, Sunset Boulevard, etc.). read more...

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• Production Level ▶ Polished
• Overall Depth ▶ Deep or penetrating
• Pace ▶ Slow
• Takes itself Seriously ▶ Yes please
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Diary of a Country Priest (1950)

One could say that 1999 was the year of Bresson. He hadn't made a movie in 17 years, but a retrospective of his work traveled all over the country to sold-out houses. On December 22, 1999, at the age of 98 (or 92, I've seen it listed as both) and just before the turn of the century, Bresson died. read more...

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• Moralistic ▶ No thanks
• Overall Depth ▶ Deep or penetrating
• Pace ▶ Slow
• Takes itself Seriously ▶ Yes please
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time