I finished watching Hanna K. the other night and it seemed much more involving during the 2nd half of the film, so much so that I found myself engrossed in it and very interested in how things were going to shake-out. Although it ended with many unanswered questions, the finale was very attention-grabbing. So, although I didn't exactly love the film, overall I believe it's definitely worth viewing if you're a fan of Costa-Gavras and/or interesting, intelligent films.
My "find" of this past week, however, was something special for me, in that I have an incurable attraction to quirky, beguiling films, especially ones with a heart. Therefore, 1982's The Personals was right up my alley. Where do I start with this one...well, it was independently produced in Minneapolis (before the advent of the Independent Film movement), it's completely refreshing and free of the requisite mawkishness of Hollywood romantic comedies, it's peopled by characters to whom I could relate (and actually cheer for), it featured excellent all-around nuanced performances, and it was an awful lot of fun to watch. So much so that I screened it one night, then again the next (something I've only done once or twice before...ever). The narrative does contain a few sequences in which it appears to be teetering towards silliness, but each time it redeems itself before it gets there. Also, the film's lack of Hollywood nonsense, while a real strength, takes a little bit of getting used to, in that the absence of slickness makes for a rough-around-the-edges feel initially (that, again, becomes a strength as things move-along). Best of all, actor Bill Schoppert's lead character "Bill" is remarkable: it's a rare instance of a fully realized, original performance that's remarkably derivative-free. In other words, Schoppert never builds his performance by leaning on any stock characters or other film personalities. The only downside to this is that Schoppert has appeared in very, very few films since, which is too bad because, based on his performance in this film, he's a true original and that's a commodity that's all too rare. Actually, there is one more downside to this wonderful & engaging film: it's only available via used, ancient 1984 VHS that was released by Embassy Home Entertainment. And even though I have a true passion for obscure VHS finds, the picture quality is, as you might expect, very murky (and the audio isn't much better). I'd like to think that someday this one will see a DVD release, but I highly doubt it since this wasn't a big-budget production that included recognizable stars and it features songs by the late Nicolette Larson throughout (which fit the mood of the film quite nicely). And if you know anything about the DVD age & music, it's that the dreaded "music rights" issue (the owner of the rights to the music used in a film will prevent it from being released on DVD until such time as she/he/they feel justly compensated) is typically what often keeps older films from making it to DVD. A real shame because this is a truly delightful endeavor.
