Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

The Passenger (1975)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Steven Berkoff
Running time: 126 minutes



David Locke is a television journalist who is in Chad, gathering footage and information for a documentary on post-colonial Africa. Coming back to his hotel, he realizes that the businessman in the room next to his, with whom he had conversations in the past, is dead on his bed. Locke decides to modify their respective papers and switch their identities. What he doesn’t know is that Robertson, the man whose identity he took, is an arms dealer connected to the rebels involved in the current civil war.

This drama art film has a very slow and deliberate pace. There is not a lot of action or dialogue; it is more of a character study. Like David Locke, many of us have, at one time or another felt alienated from the world around and has wanted to escape and start over.

The role of David Locke was a very different one for Nicholson. There was only one little scene of anger; the rest was subtle and laid back, with lots more restraint than we have been accustomed to with Jack.

Overall, this a good art film, with beautiful scenery, great shots and good acting. You just have to adjust to the slow pace and put the effort in to appreciate it.
Rating: ««««


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