One-Liners

UPSTREAM COLOR (A-minus) - I need another viewing to do justice to the latest jumbled narrative from Shane Carruth, who previously amazed with "Primer." This one is a bit easier to follow. It is, at its core, a simple but powerful love story. It focuses on the relationship between two people who both were apparently used as subjects of an experiment involving a worm-borne virus transmitted through pigs. Thoreau's "Walden" holds some sort of secret to the mysterious exercise, but I couldn't make all the connections. What I saw was lovely and compelling. It's due out on video at the end of the month. I'll report back.

BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET (1959) (B+) - Bumbling petty thieves plot a big score -- a pawn-shop safe -- in this endearing crime caper that builds toward a Keystone Cops version of the heist scene in "Rififi." Snappy repartee and crisp black-and-white cinematography make this feel fresh. The ragtag crew, mentored by a retired safecracker with a grab-bag of kitchen-sink tools, also includes a boxer with a glass jaw, an ex-jockey with a monumental appetite, and a petty thief who swipes baby carriages.  Marcello Mastroianni stands out as the hard-luck photographer stuck with an ever-wailing baby while his wife, like many of the characters here, does time. Claudia Cardinale is spectacular as ever as Carmelina, under house arrest by her brother looking to marry her off but who falls for the crook with a heart of gold looking to aid his former orphanage with his share. It's all smarter than it looks.


THE ISLAND PRESIDENT (B-minus) - A interesting but not necessarily compelling chronicle of the recent history of Maldives, the Indian Ocean nation that claims the lowest height above sea level in the world at 1.5 meters. In 2004, the country was devastated by a tsunami, and in 2008 a new constitution was implemented, ushering in as president Mohamed Nasheed, who quickly made climate change his international mission. This documentary tells his charming underdog tale. Not a must-see, but a good history lesson.
Available at PBS.org under "Independent Lens."


ONE-LINER
From Shane Carruth's previous effort, the time-travel mind-scrabble "Primer":

• "Are you hungry? I haven't eaten since later this afternoon."