Ikiru (1952) ****1/4

Japanese with English subtitles; directed by Akira Kurosawa

Kanji Watanabe is "section chief" in a department of City Hall. He spends his days (years, decades) reviewing forms and stamping them with approval. He learns that he is dying of stomach cancer and is overwhelmed with regret at how he has spent his life, having accomplished nothing worthwhile.

The premise of the movie sounds pretty dismal, yet in the end it is touching and thought provoking. I liked this movie, but I think Kurosawa could have gotten the story told using at least 30 minutes less time.

Crustacés et coquillages (2005) ***1/2

French with English subtitles. Directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau (co-directors)

Marc and Béatrix arrive with their daughter Laura and teenage son Charly at the seaside house where Marc spent his summers as a youth. The lazy summer atmosphere and aphrodisiacal crustaceans ("violets") seem to arouse everyone's appetite. Soon, Laura takes off for Portugal with her biker boyfriend and Charly's gay friend, Martin, shows up for a visit, followed by Béatrix' secret lover, Mathieu and eventually Marc's former lover. In addition to confusion about Charly's sexuality, everyone seems to be involved with someone else. The movie is whimsical and upbeat, but requires a tolerant attitude toward sexuality and orientation. I imagine all French families to be exactly like this one, but I'm sure that's a fantasy.

Red Doors ***

Ed Wong keeps trying to kill himself, but his daughters keeps interrupting him. Ed, and his three daughters, are trying to find themselves; define themselves. The saddest character is the mother, I thought, who isn't trying at all. She's oblivious.

An entertaining film, although not great. I don't know what went wrong, but it felt more like a sitcom than a movie.

My Best Friend ***3/4

French with English subtitles.

François Coste is a Paris antique dealer who purchases an antique vase at an auction for an exorbitant price. That evening, his partner, at a dinner with friends, accuses him of not having a single real friend. He is stunned to learn that his "friends" all agree. Nevertheless, he bets his partner that he can prove to her, within a matter of ten days, that he has a real friend. He faces losing the €250,000 vase to her and scrambles to find a friend.

It's a completely ludicrous premise, stitched together with scenes that are obviously ridiculous. Yet, I enjoyed the movie a great deal. It was funny, entertaining and, surprisingly, devilishly clever. I recommend it.

Pickpocket ***

French with English subtitles; Directed by Robert Bresson

Michel, a pickpocket, has deluded himself into believing that people of a certain intelligence have a right to steal. He ignores his dying mother and treats his only friend like dirt. He appears to have no moral conscience; a psychopath who perfects pickpocketing. Indeed, it's a kind of how-to movie that shows how to go about the trade. Of course, the risk is that you might end up in jail. What was interesting to me is the technique of pickpocketing in which the pickpocket stands face-to-face with the "mark" while swiping his wallet. Wow, that's nerve. In another scheme, he "helps" the victim by grabbing his wrist to pull him out of a predicament while single-handedly taking his wristwatch. In one scene, the pickpocket returns an emptied wallet into the mark's pocket. True story: On his prom night (1969), a friend of mine lost his wallet to a pickpocket while dancing at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building in Chicago. He suspected a certain couple who bumped into him. Later that evening, his wallet reappeared, sans the cash. I guess if you're going to be a mark, at least getting nailed by professionals leaves you with an amazing story.

The characters in this movie are largely emotionless, except for Jeanne (that's her in the photo), his mother's neighbor, who is shown crying. It's a strange style, yet I found the movie was interesting. It's hard to connect to Michel, although it's natural to want to, but he's a psychopath, after all, so it's probably a good sign that I didn't. Bresson's photography was often mesmerizing.

It's a short movie, only 75 minutes.