Last film of the fest for me this year, and one of the best. Jam packed showing at the Ryerson tonight. Primer is ultra cool, low budget, brilliantly scripted and executed...you want to see this one (Kyle, anyway). Having said that, it's often difficult to understand (and believe) the non-linear and complicated plot. Basically, it's about an unlikely, unsuccessful garage-based start-up company of four preppies that moves in wildly unexpected directions. Overtones are menacing and super-serious, but the film does have a huge sense of irony. I won't give it away.
Stylistically, at the start the dialogue is pure Mamet, overlapping and obtuse, but then it settles into its own rhythm of wildly cryptic, often frustrating double-speak...as the plot moves into hyperspace. It's almost as if writer/director Shane Carruth fashioned this obscure mode of dialogue and editing by taking traditional conversations and pulling out every second sentence, or third word. The main question at the Q&A was "what happened when...."
Nevertheless, highly recommended and coming, I'm sure,to a theatre near you.
Friday, September 17, 2004
9 Songs
I was certainly curious to see whether real sex could work within a relationship story. Done right, surely it could enhance a story ? So, while theoretically it makes perfect sense to me, I was interested to see if sex would take over the film; would you always be waiting for the next sexual interlude rather than watching the characters develop?
The answer, I think, is yes. It overwhelms the other elements, at least in this film. It was all about the sex, which became more graphic as the movie progressed. I initially loved the live music and the energy it added, but even it began to play as a one-note song by the end. The problem for me was that the couple was uninteresting - the female chacater was self-absorbed and a bit of a simpleton, and the male was a non-entity, a made-to-order stud for most of the proceedings. Other than some spectacular footage of the Antarctic, there's no doubt that the sex was the best part.... but what else was there?
The answer, I think, is yes. It overwhelms the other elements, at least in this film. It was all about the sex, which became more graphic as the movie progressed. I initially loved the live music and the energy it added, but even it began to play as a one-note song by the end. The problem for me was that the couple was uninteresting - the female chacater was self-absorbed and a bit of a simpleton, and the male was a non-entity, a made-to-order stud for most of the proceedings. Other than some spectacular footage of the Antarctic, there's no doubt that the sex was the best part.... but what else was there?
A Good Woman
I was very pleasantly surprised by this adaptation of Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan". Of course he's always super-clever, but sometimes his work can feel stilted, banal, or both. Remember "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance..." from a few years back? Probably not.
This one is off the charts good compared to those two - it's a strong adaptation of a more compelling story, with dramatic elements that work very well. Scarlett Johanssen is delic.. I mean, very capable in her role as the title character, and Helen Hunt is a bit of a revelation as her scummy mummy. I won't get into the plot - it's all about plot in this film - but the revelations are extremely well done, and the care we build up for the characters is surprisingly genuine.
This one is off the charts good compared to those two - it's a strong adaptation of a more compelling story, with dramatic elements that work very well. Scarlett Johanssen is delic.. I mean, very capable in her role as the title character, and Helen Hunt is a bit of a revelation as her scummy mummy. I won't get into the plot - it's all about plot in this film - but the revelations are extremely well done, and the care we build up for the characters is surprisingly genuine.
L'Equipier
Definitely the most (really, the only) disappointing film of the festival for me. I'd loved the look of this one in the guide, about a lighthouse keeper who arrives in Brittany, France to take on their sea-bound lighthouse after the death of a the local lighthouse guy (pardon my techinical jargon there). He has a lot of trouble integrating into the insular, ancient culture of the Bretons, though slowly makes friends, and then falls in love with some unfortunate consequences.
OK, maybe the whole "unfortunate consequences" should have twigged me, 'cause this was basically an overly romantic exercise in sentimentalism. Not my thing at all. Mind you, it was beautifully shot, and had the benefit of revealing the Breton culture (which it didn't do all that well), but I stopped caring halfway through - the characters felt one-dimensional, the story was too simple and the resolution frustratingly sentimental. Bah!
OK, maybe the whole "unfortunate consequences" should have twigged me, 'cause this was basically an overly romantic exercise in sentimentalism. Not my thing at all. Mind you, it was beautifully shot, and had the benefit of revealing the Breton culture (which it didn't do all that well), but I stopped caring halfway through - the characters felt one-dimensional, the story was too simple and the resolution frustratingly sentimental. Bah!
And They Lived Happily Ever After
Fuck, that Motorcyle Diaries blog was just as long. I can't stop myself.
OK here goes. Like Kylie and Sarah, I loved this film - probably my favourite of the festival. I'd loved Yvan Attal's previous one (Ma Femme est une Actrice), so my expectations were high. Still this film blew them away. As a writer and director he gets it just right for me, the mix of comedy and drama, the now highly touted soundtrack (hey, those are my songs!), and the "real" feeling of it all. Gotta see it.
OK here goes. Like Kylie and Sarah, I loved this film - probably my favourite of the festival. I'd loved Yvan Attal's previous one (Ma Femme est une Actrice), so my expectations were high. Still this film blew them away. As a writer and director he gets it just right for me, the mix of comedy and drama, the now highly touted soundtrack (hey, those are my songs!), and the "real" feeling of it all. Gotta see it.
Motorcycle Diaries
OK, I'm a few days behind on my films, and can't summon the energy to continue to produce the uncannily insightful, articulate, and thought-provoking reviews to which you've all become accustomed. So I'm picking up the pace a bit.
Walter Salles' M/Diaries was fun early on, then pretty cool and carefully considered, and always beautiful to look at. It's made me curious to read more about my man Che, though it's focused on the period before Che became Che.
Act 1 is all energy and light adventure as the Future Che (the Man Who Would be Che) and his randy buddy (Granado) travel across S. America on a pitifully old motorcyle. Lots (too many probably) of Butch Cassidy / Sundance Kid type chases out of towns. The film (and Che) develops a conscience as the two encounter the poor fortunes of the native people throughout S.Am. Finally in Act 3 they arrive at their original destination - a leper colony, where they work and learn more about the people of the land. This act felt about ten minutes too long - we seemed to be living through many daily experiences at the colony without seeing much change in Che.
The admittedly sparse dramatic tension is created from knowing that this young, quiet hotty (Gael Garcia) eventually becomes a famous revolutionary, and seeing when and how it happens. Salles certainly doesn't make the ties overpowering, and at he may have left the transition too subtle. When F/Che announces at the end that everything has changed for him because of all of the injustice he has seen, my first reaction was "injustice? oh...right".
Re-reading this, it sounds highly critical, but in fact I thoroughly enjoyed the film, so you figure it out.
Walter Salles' M/Diaries was fun early on, then pretty cool and carefully considered, and always beautiful to look at. It's made me curious to read more about my man Che, though it's focused on the period before Che became Che.
Act 1 is all energy and light adventure as the Future Che (the Man Who Would be Che) and his randy buddy (Granado) travel across S. America on a pitifully old motorcyle. Lots (too many probably) of Butch Cassidy / Sundance Kid type chases out of towns. The film (and Che) develops a conscience as the two encounter the poor fortunes of the native people throughout S.Am. Finally in Act 3 they arrive at their original destination - a leper colony, where they work and learn more about the people of the land. This act felt about ten minutes too long - we seemed to be living through many daily experiences at the colony without seeing much change in Che.
The admittedly sparse dramatic tension is created from knowing that this young, quiet hotty (Gael Garcia) eventually becomes a famous revolutionary, and seeing when and how it happens. Salles certainly doesn't make the ties overpowering, and at he may have left the transition too subtle. When F/Che announces at the end that everything has changed for him because of all of the injustice he has seen, my first reaction was "injustice? oh...right".
Re-reading this, it sounds highly critical, but in fact I thoroughly enjoyed the film, so you figure it out.
The Libertine
Oh Johnny Depp...(sigh)...He's not always the most stellar actor, but I have to say that he's certainly not hard to look at. A little disappointing that he wasn’t at the screening of the movie, but after seeing it I realized why!
Maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more if I had been able to hear. I understand that it’s a work in progress, and I’m certainly not a professional, but should the music really be louder than the actors? But, trying to keep hope alive in the name of Depp, I remained in my seat and craned my neck for the first half hour in order to hear. Eventually the sound got better, but then all I could hear was the little voice in my head asking me when the pain would end.
How could a film about a 17th Century Earl with a sole focus on wine, sex and mud have no current US deal in place? I mean, come on…who doesn’t need a refresher lesson that syphilis can kill?
The last scene of the film has the Earl of Rochester (Depp) asking: “Do you like me now? Do you like me now? Do you like me now? Do you like me now?”
My answer Mr. Dreamy Johnny Depp is: “NO. NO. NO. NO.”
Maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more if I had been able to hear. I understand that it’s a work in progress, and I’m certainly not a professional, but should the music really be louder than the actors? But, trying to keep hope alive in the name of Depp, I remained in my seat and craned my neck for the first half hour in order to hear. Eventually the sound got better, but then all I could hear was the little voice in my head asking me when the pain would end.
How could a film about a 17th Century Earl with a sole focus on wine, sex and mud have no current US deal in place? I mean, come on…who doesn’t need a refresher lesson that syphilis can kill?
The last scene of the film has the Earl of Rochester (Depp) asking: “Do you like me now? Do you like me now? Do you like me now? Do you like me now?”
My answer Mr. Dreamy Johnny Depp is: “NO. NO. NO. NO.”
Cinq fois Deux
Roughly translated means 80 slow damn minutes!
I love a movie that makes me think, but a movie that leaves so much unanswered that I feel confused as to the whole damn point...well that's just not cool. Why did the husband rape his newly divorced wife? Where'd that anger come from? Why did he sit in a cafe eating lunch while his wife was in labour? Why did he show up at the hospital only to leave five minutes later without seeing his wife? Why did she have sex with a stranger on their wedding night? WHY? WHY? WHY DIDN'T I LEAVE FOR GODSAKE?
Great premise though...Begins with the divorce of a couple and takes you through a total of five periods of their life together, ending with them meeting for the first time. Just too bad that there was ZERO character development.
I love a movie that makes me think, but a movie that leaves so much unanswered that I feel confused as to the whole damn point...well that's just not cool. Why did the husband rape his newly divorced wife? Where'd that anger come from? Why did he sit in a cafe eating lunch while his wife was in labour? Why did he show up at the hospital only to leave five minutes later without seeing his wife? Why did she have sex with a stranger on their wedding night? WHY? WHY? WHY DIDN'T I LEAVE FOR GODSAKE?
Great premise though...Begins with the divorce of a couple and takes you through a total of five periods of their life together, ending with them meeting for the first time. Just too bad that there was ZERO character development.
'Hotel' and '9 Songs'
Sigh. Since hitting the high mark with 'And they lived happily ever after..." on Tuesday night, a film I thorougly enjoyed and highly recommend to all when it is inevitably released here sometime in the next two years, it's been very slow going. I've chronicled my displeasure with 'Cafe Lumiere' and last night's 'Hotel' was only slightly better.
While I did lose consciousness for about 15 to 20 minutes, there at least was a semblance of a story here: a woman goes to work at a hotel in the woods and is curious that her predecessor seems to have myseriously disappeared. You'd think, from this premise, that an interesting little story would unfold. Here again, I think it's far more effective to just describe what happens on screen rather than to come up with clever phrases to convey my disappointment.
Take a sequence that is repeated several times throughout the film with little variation: Maid walks down a dimly lit hallway. She turns on a light. She turns the corner down another corridor. She turns on a light. She walks into the darkness in the next corridor (and at this point, and every time the scene is repeated, i was steering myself for some type of jolt, a hand or the sudden appearance of something scary) and then....emerges at the other side of the darkened hallway. She opens a door and walks outside. She stares out into the darkened woods. Scene ends. Time elapsed: 8 minutes.
There was an interesting moment where she picks up a guy at a bar and takes him home and he stares at her for a few minutes and the stare turns slowly into a creepy smile. This garnered many laughs from the audience but that was about the most exciting to happen all evening. Even at a comparatively spare 82 minutes, it still felt too long.
'9 Songs' was a lot better at eliciting reactions from an audience which packed the theatre on a weekday afternoon to take in a little Franz Ferdinand and hardcore porn. Some attendees, apparently unaware that the Visions Progamme is comprised mainly of films that lack anything resembling a plot or that the warning, "Contains explicit sex scenes" in the Programme book, was to be taken literally, left shortly into the proceedings. But perhaps I'm too hasty to ascribe an intolerant puritanism to the departing throes: maybe they just hated the music, the quality of the video, or the forementioned lack of a real story.
Me, I kinda liked it, the live music sets especially (other acts to perform songs or snippets of songs included: Primal Scream, Super Furry Animals, Dandy Warhols, Elbow--man, all these directors seem to be borrowing heavily from my music collection), and the flow of the scenes and images in coordination with the soundtrack. The sex scenes....well, they certainly didn't bother me but I didn't find them particularly arousing, perhaps because I found the lead actress incredibly annoying and not all that appealing. I thought the aerial shots of Antartica were far more interesting than some of the other, um, shots. Recommend for those who are interested in this type of thing.
Note to Stuart: I find that movies, like concerts and plays, are always more interesting when you show up for them on the date printed on the ticket. Just a tip, big guy.
While I did lose consciousness for about 15 to 20 minutes, there at least was a semblance of a story here: a woman goes to work at a hotel in the woods and is curious that her predecessor seems to have myseriously disappeared. You'd think, from this premise, that an interesting little story would unfold. Here again, I think it's far more effective to just describe what happens on screen rather than to come up with clever phrases to convey my disappointment.
Take a sequence that is repeated several times throughout the film with little variation: Maid walks down a dimly lit hallway. She turns on a light. She turns the corner down another corridor. She turns on a light. She walks into the darkness in the next corridor (and at this point, and every time the scene is repeated, i was steering myself for some type of jolt, a hand or the sudden appearance of something scary) and then....emerges at the other side of the darkened hallway. She opens a door and walks outside. She stares out into the darkened woods. Scene ends. Time elapsed: 8 minutes.
There was an interesting moment where she picks up a guy at a bar and takes him home and he stares at her for a few minutes and the stare turns slowly into a creepy smile. This garnered many laughs from the audience but that was about the most exciting to happen all evening. Even at a comparatively spare 82 minutes, it still felt too long.
'9 Songs' was a lot better at eliciting reactions from an audience which packed the theatre on a weekday afternoon to take in a little Franz Ferdinand and hardcore porn. Some attendees, apparently unaware that the Visions Progamme is comprised mainly of films that lack anything resembling a plot or that the warning, "Contains explicit sex scenes" in the Programme book, was to be taken literally, left shortly into the proceedings. But perhaps I'm too hasty to ascribe an intolerant puritanism to the departing throes: maybe they just hated the music, the quality of the video, or the forementioned lack of a real story.
Me, I kinda liked it, the live music sets especially (other acts to perform songs or snippets of songs included: Primal Scream, Super Furry Animals, Dandy Warhols, Elbow--man, all these directors seem to be borrowing heavily from my music collection), and the flow of the scenes and images in coordination with the soundtrack. The sex scenes....well, they certainly didn't bother me but I didn't find them particularly arousing, perhaps because I found the lead actress incredibly annoying and not all that appealing. I thought the aerial shots of Antartica were far more interesting than some of the other, um, shots. Recommend for those who are interested in this type of thing.
Note to Stuart: I find that movies, like concerts and plays, are always more interesting when you show up for them on the date printed on the ticket. Just a tip, big guy.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Glad to read that most of you are having a much better filmfest experience than I am. Who am I kidding it actually pisses me off. I'm zero for nine at this point after tonight's pointless "Automne". Who writes this stilted stuff?
Nothing as ridiculously bad as last year's "The Tesseract", Oliveira's howler "A Talking Picture" or the so funny it was almost scary "The Grudge" but I went through last year's book and there were nine films that I saw that were better than anything I've seen this year. Three more to go tomorrow and thank goodness I'm done. If any one of them moves me in any way, shape or form I'll gladly share my exuberance with one and all.
At least I can look forward to "Motorcycle Diaries" and the Chinese cop thriller "Internal Affairs" both out on the 24th.
Nothing as ridiculously bad as last year's "The Tesseract", Oliveira's howler "A Talking Picture" or the so funny it was almost scary "The Grudge" but I went through last year's book and there were nine films that I saw that were better than anything I've seen this year. Three more to go tomorrow and thank goodness I'm done. If any one of them moves me in any way, shape or form I'll gladly share my exuberance with one and all.
At least I can look forward to "Motorcycle Diaries" and the Chinese cop thriller "Internal Affairs" both out on the 24th.
Red Dust - Tom Hooper
A complex, sad, and resonating film about modern day South Africa, Red Dust is my choice for best movie made by or about SA that I've seen (and I've seen a lot of 'em). It's a courtroom drama dealing with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which ran from 1998 - 2002 or so. I won't bother outlining the very complex plot, but will say that generally, this film was enormously well informed and sensitive to the nuances of such a complex time in the country's checkered history. The layered drama leaves no one unsullied by blame, or undamaged by guilt.
I loved many of the performances, most notably the black lead (I don't have the names in front of me) playing ANC once-dissident-now-parliamentarian Alex Mpondo, and the Afrikaans police officer whose admission of torture forms the basis for the Commission hearing. Really incredible. Much less satisfying was Hilary Swank as the (gorgeous) former S/African lawyer returning from New York to represent Mpondo - her look was incongruously over-glamorous, and she made no attempt to speak with the hybrid accent she should have had she lived half her life in each country. She was a little off-putting but didn't by any means ruin this outstanding film.
I loved many of the performances, most notably the black lead (I don't have the names in front of me) playing ANC once-dissident-now-parliamentarian Alex Mpondo, and the Afrikaans police officer whose admission of torture forms the basis for the Commission hearing. Really incredible. Much less satisfying was Hilary Swank as the (gorgeous) former S/African lawyer returning from New York to represent Mpondo - her look was incongruously over-glamorous, and she made no attempt to speak with the hybrid accent she should have had she lived half her life in each country. She was a little off-putting but didn't by any means ruin this outstanding film.
Cape of Good Hope - Mark Bamford
This South African film (though made by a first-time American director), is a slice-of-life comedy-drama about a woman running an animal centre in Cape Town, and the people who work there, their lifes and loves. It's a light and gentle film which acknowledges all of South Africa's complexities but doesn't dwell on them. There are parallel stories for black, Indian, and white characters, each with its own unique and predictable set of problems.
The script is well written, the cast (all South African actors) is uniformly strong. Very likeable, basically, and popular at the screening. V and I enjoyed it at the time, and have spent a lot of time subsequently debating whether a film like this makes sense from such a traumatized nation...and ultimately I decided that it didn't work for me. I don't believe you can ignore (or trivialize) the deep-seeded grief in South Africa even ten years after democracy. Certainly many people in SA do exist (or attempt to) on the level portrayed in the film, and the country is doing what it can to forgive and forget, but anyone having lived through the past twenty years knows that the healing will take another generation (interesting comparison between this film and Red Dust). For the here and now, this film feels false, or at the very least, naive.
It's worth noting that Mark Bamford and his wife, who co-wrote and mounted the production, have lived in Cape Town for only four years. Cape of Good Hope very likely reflects their perspective honestly, but I don't buy it. Interesting and enjoyable but highly flawed.
The script is well written, the cast (all South African actors) is uniformly strong. Very likeable, basically, and popular at the screening. V and I enjoyed it at the time, and have spent a lot of time subsequently debating whether a film like this makes sense from such a traumatized nation...and ultimately I decided that it didn't work for me. I don't believe you can ignore (or trivialize) the deep-seeded grief in South Africa even ten years after democracy. Certainly many people in SA do exist (or attempt to) on the level portrayed in the film, and the country is doing what it can to forgive and forget, but anyone having lived through the past twenty years knows that the healing will take another generation (interesting comparison between this film and Red Dust). For the here and now, this film feels false, or at the very least, naive.
It's worth noting that Mark Bamford and his wife, who co-wrote and mounted the production, have lived in Cape Town for only four years. Cape of Good Hope very likely reflects their perspective honestly, but I don't buy it. Interesting and enjoyable but highly flawed.
And They Lived Happily Ever After
What a great movie. I think Kyle must have secretly worked on the film soundtrack since it was entirely music that we own (lots of Radiohead, Velvet Underground, Sparklehorse).
A movie about the realationship of married couple going bad. It was really sad but also managed to be very funny at times. I also enjoyed the surprise of Johnny Depp. He was not listed in the film fest book or the opening credits. I had sweet dreams of Johnny Tuesday night.
A movie about the realationship of married couple going bad. It was really sad but also managed to be very funny at times. I also enjoyed the surprise of Johnny Depp. He was not listed in the film fest book or the opening credits. I had sweet dreams of Johnny Tuesday night.
Cafe Lumiere a la Sarah
The best thing about my Cafe Lumiere experience last night came when Kyle and I noticed two more people leaving the theatre before the movie was over (many, many people trickled out of the theatre after about the first 20 minutes of the movie). Kyle leaned over to me and said "Don't they want to know how the movie ends?" It was all I could do not to burst out laughing. NOTHING INTERESTING HAPPENED IN THIS MOVIE. I fell asleep at some point very early on in the fim but sadly I woke up.
Kyle has descibed some dull moments in the film. The dullest moment for me was when two of the characters spent 5 minutes looking at an image on a computer screen. They zoomed in on the image and zoomed out. The characters were engrossed. I wondered whether I should just go back to sleep.
I only suggest renting this one if you are tired and your sleeping pills are not working.
Kyle has descibed some dull moments in the film. The dullest moment for me was when two of the characters spent 5 minutes looking at an image on a computer screen. They zoomed in on the image and zoomed out. The characters were engrossed. I wondered whether I should just go back to sleep.
I only suggest renting this one if you are tired and your sleeping pills are not working.
'Cafe Lumiere'
Well, it was bound to happen. As soon as I start going on about how I haven’t had a bad film yet at the festival, the next one I see turns out to be a stinker. Ah well.
How bad is ‘Café Lumiere’? Allow me to describe a few scenes: mother places bowl of noodles in front of daughter and husband. They eat the entire bowl of noodles. Mother removes plates. End scene. Total screen time: 5 minutes. Let’s listen in on another scene where the daughter answers her cell phone and proceeds to have the following conversation: “Mushi mushi. Hai. Hai. Hai. (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) Hai. (grunt) Hai. Arrigato”. Total screen time: 4 minutes.
Derek: if you thought ‘Millennium Mambo’ (his previous film, which I enjoyed and was the basis for this choice) was slow…this one makes ‘Millennium Mambo’ seem like ‘Run Lola Run’.
I respect naturalism in film and if not much is going to happen in the span of an hour and forty five minutes, well, okay, then at least give me some expressions or close-ups of the actors so I can infer some type of thought or emotion on their part. Or do something interesting visually or with the soundtrack or, this may be a wacky suggestion but, give the film at least one engaging quality, scene, or moment.
Sigh…okay. I’m 10 for 11, if you include ‘Les Revenants’ among the good, which, in hindsight (ie. relative to last night) was exceptional.
Also: um, I know we're all busy but I would like to hear about some of your films, be they good, bad, or mediocre. Skinny Ebert's take on the Toback film still makes me giggle so please, share.
How bad is ‘Café Lumiere’? Allow me to describe a few scenes: mother places bowl of noodles in front of daughter and husband. They eat the entire bowl of noodles. Mother removes plates. End scene. Total screen time: 5 minutes. Let’s listen in on another scene where the daughter answers her cell phone and proceeds to have the following conversation: “Mushi mushi. Hai. Hai. Hai. (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) (grunt) Hai. (grunt) Hai. Arrigato”. Total screen time: 4 minutes.
Derek: if you thought ‘Millennium Mambo’ (his previous film, which I enjoyed and was the basis for this choice) was slow…this one makes ‘Millennium Mambo’ seem like ‘Run Lola Run’.
I respect naturalism in film and if not much is going to happen in the span of an hour and forty five minutes, well, okay, then at least give me some expressions or close-ups of the actors so I can infer some type of thought or emotion on their part. Or do something interesting visually or with the soundtrack or, this may be a wacky suggestion but, give the film at least one engaging quality, scene, or moment.
Sigh…okay. I’m 10 for 11, if you include ‘Les Revenants’ among the good, which, in hindsight (ie. relative to last night) was exceptional.
Also: um, I know we're all busy but I would like to hear about some of your films, be they good, bad, or mediocre. Skinny Ebert's take on the Toback film still makes me giggle so please, share.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Les Revenants
They came back! And they seem more of a burden than a relief to any of their relatives!
When I read the description in the Programme Book, I thought it sounded like a quirky little film about life and death. The picture showed what appeared to be pajama-clad (this how the dead are prepped for burial in France?) group of people walking en mass out of a graveyard. Even the reviews suggested that this would be a lighthearted, playful film. But man, was it anything but.
And okay, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it's to the director's credit that he fought the impulse to make a lighthearted film that in Hollywood, results in 'feel good movies' that feature the words 'Starring Jim Carrey' and 'in a film by Ron Howard' in the opening credits and instead opted for a more sober exercise on the effect death has on the living.
There's something to be said when a film can create such a heavy atmosphere that you almost feel like you're sinking in your seat while watching it. There were times when the tone was so sombre, the characters in such pain, that I thought, 'Wait, this must be intended as a joke or a satire and I'm just not getting it'. So I'd look for clues, some type of over-the-top dialogue or some outlandish performance that would indicate that yeah, this is meant to be too serious on purpose. But no, the mayor would try in vain to get any type of response from his wife or the couple who'd lost a child would take their returned son to the park and stare forelornly as he'd indifferently ride various playground equipment and it just kept getting heavier and heavier.
It's not that I have a problem with watching misery unfold onscreen; if there's no conflict then it's not going to be much of a movie. It's just that I found it hard to find any sympathy for any of the characters (except perhaps the dead husband, when he's relegated from his white collar job to a blue collar job just for like, being a creepy zombie which is like so unfair but whatever...) when they only seemed to muster one emotion. An interesting film but not sure who I'd recommend it to.
When I read the description in the Programme Book, I thought it sounded like a quirky little film about life and death. The picture showed what appeared to be pajama-clad (this how the dead are prepped for burial in France?) group of people walking en mass out of a graveyard. Even the reviews suggested that this would be a lighthearted, playful film. But man, was it anything but.
And okay, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps it's to the director's credit that he fought the impulse to make a lighthearted film that in Hollywood, results in 'feel good movies' that feature the words 'Starring Jim Carrey' and 'in a film by Ron Howard' in the opening credits and instead opted for a more sober exercise on the effect death has on the living.
There's something to be said when a film can create such a heavy atmosphere that you almost feel like you're sinking in your seat while watching it. There were times when the tone was so sombre, the characters in such pain, that I thought, 'Wait, this must be intended as a joke or a satire and I'm just not getting it'. So I'd look for clues, some type of over-the-top dialogue or some outlandish performance that would indicate that yeah, this is meant to be too serious on purpose. But no, the mayor would try in vain to get any type of response from his wife or the couple who'd lost a child would take their returned son to the park and stare forelornly as he'd indifferently ride various playground equipment and it just kept getting heavier and heavier.
It's not that I have a problem with watching misery unfold onscreen; if there's no conflict then it's not going to be much of a movie. It's just that I found it hard to find any sympathy for any of the characters (except perhaps the dead husband, when he's relegated from his white collar job to a blue collar job just for like, being a creepy zombie which is like so unfair but whatever...) when they only seemed to muster one emotion. An interesting film but not sure who I'd recommend it to.
'House of Flying Daggers'
In the reviews of this film that you've read this week or will read later when it is in widespread release, you’ll almost certainly come across phrases like ‘breathtaking sequences’ ‘visually stunning’ and 'a spectacular achievement in cinematography'. In my mind, these are understatements; I could honestly have spent another hour or two watching some of those scenes unfold in a continual loop. Like the treetop scene in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' or the three different colour-coded versions of the assasin encounters in Yimou’s previous film ‘Hero’, there were times when I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen anything this beautiful on the screen before’. Likewise, there were times when I looked at lead actress Zhang Ziyi and thought, ‘I’ve never seen anything this beautiful on screen before’.
I suspect though, that a lot of the reviews will go on to bemoan the fact that there's not much else here besides beautiful cinematography. While I'm inclined agree to a certain extent, I'm also thinking, so what? If it's beautiful to look at and I'm not bored and it draws my attention to the use of colour and what can be accomplished visually in film today so much so that I use the word 'cinematography' several times in this post then so much the better.
Is the film completely satisfying emotionally? Maybe not. Like the two wuxia films mentioned above, there’s this tendency to slow down the action in the story as soon as it really starts to get going which, instead of making me understand the characters better only serves to make them a little more distant. Of course, it could also be that years of Western storytelling have conditioned me to expect a certain pace and conflict resolution (why can’t they find happiness, and like, now!?) and in HoFD, this expectation runs smack into an Eastern tradition that conveys a much different truth (because they can’t. With the corollary: get over it!).
The one concession I will make is that it takes too long to end, lurching to its final, pretty frame, rather than bowing out as gracefully as it began.
Highly Recommend.
I suspect though, that a lot of the reviews will go on to bemoan the fact that there's not much else here besides beautiful cinematography. While I'm inclined agree to a certain extent, I'm also thinking, so what? If it's beautiful to look at and I'm not bored and it draws my attention to the use of colour and what can be accomplished visually in film today so much so that I use the word 'cinematography' several times in this post then so much the better.
Is the film completely satisfying emotionally? Maybe not. Like the two wuxia films mentioned above, there’s this tendency to slow down the action in the story as soon as it really starts to get going which, instead of making me understand the characters better only serves to make them a little more distant. Of course, it could also be that years of Western storytelling have conditioned me to expect a certain pace and conflict resolution (why can’t they find happiness, and like, now!?) and in HoFD, this expectation runs smack into an Eastern tradition that conveys a much different truth (because they can’t. With the corollary: get over it!).
The one concession I will make is that it takes too long to end, lurching to its final, pretty frame, rather than bowing out as gracefully as it began.
Highly Recommend.
'Spider Forest' and 'The Alzheimer Case'
Okay, I've decided to work backward as the flicks that are fresh in my mind are easier to write about. I'm going to have to do some more mental flexing to do justice to the ones I saw on Friday. How people with day passes manage to remember any of the films they’ve seen is a mystery to me.
And so here's a great seque to discussing the two films I saw yesterday: both 'Spider Forest' and 'The Alzheimer Case' deal with memory loss, each in a unique and interesting ways.
Before seeing Spider Forest last night, I’d heard it described as a film for those who liked ‘Mulholland Drive’ but found it too linear. While I don’t think it’s very accurate statement, the film does invite comparisons to David Lynch. The creepy tone, gruesome murder scene, elliptical narrative structure, and ambiguous plot resolution are all Lynchian trademarks but I think Spider Forest is a little more straightforward or at least it lends itself more readily to a range of interpretations at to what's happened in the film.
The set up: a man wakes in the forest, discovers the mutilated corpses of coworkers in a house in a forest, and pursues a man he believes to be the killer. Though most of the ensuing story is told in what may be hazy, and possibly wholly fictitious, recollections of the past, each memory recreates a moment of truth that one could easily see as happening to this man. We see him mourn the loss of his wife then hear other stories about death and loss and wonder, are these manifestions of one event or separate incidents that actually occurred.
The film poses epistemological questions like: How do we know that we know? What differentiates consciousness from sleep? Is what we consider reality merely our continual reconstruction of our past experiences? For me, figuring out what's happened to the main character in 'Spider Forest' is akin to piecing together the fragments of a bizarre dream, but with the pleasure of seeing these fragments unfold in a series of beautifully shot frames. Definitely recommend.
'The Alzheimer Case' approaches memory loss more directly. A hitman who suffers from the titular affliction struggles to both elude and assist the police who are trying to solve a string of murders involving child prostitution. As he struggles to both suppress painful memories from the past and he comes into direct conflict with the police detective who is also dealing with painful memories (as in Spider Forest, the loss of a spouse).
This is a really police thriller in the vein of Michael Mann's 'Heat' which I reference mainly because the director himself mentioned it a couple of times during the Q & A (apparently the opening shot is an homage to the opening shot in 'Heat' and he admits to appropriating the same colours used in the photography).
The film got 5 stars in Now Magazine and I can understand why: it's exciting, smart, has a sense of humour, doesn't try to reinvent the wheel or introduce a series of twists (a staple of any recent Hollywood thriller), and presents characters who are complex and fascinating to watch. It will probably be released at some point in the future as it just received the nod as Belgium's official entry for next year's Best Foreign Language Oscar.
Gotta get back to work but will add comments for Sunday's films later...Daniel, did you see Spider Forest last night (I missed your call)? If so, what did you think?
And so here's a great seque to discussing the two films I saw yesterday: both 'Spider Forest' and 'The Alzheimer Case' deal with memory loss, each in a unique and interesting ways.
Before seeing Spider Forest last night, I’d heard it described as a film for those who liked ‘Mulholland Drive’ but found it too linear. While I don’t think it’s very accurate statement, the film does invite comparisons to David Lynch. The creepy tone, gruesome murder scene, elliptical narrative structure, and ambiguous plot resolution are all Lynchian trademarks but I think Spider Forest is a little more straightforward or at least it lends itself more readily to a range of interpretations at to what's happened in the film.
The set up: a man wakes in the forest, discovers the mutilated corpses of coworkers in a house in a forest, and pursues a man he believes to be the killer. Though most of the ensuing story is told in what may be hazy, and possibly wholly fictitious, recollections of the past, each memory recreates a moment of truth that one could easily see as happening to this man. We see him mourn the loss of his wife then hear other stories about death and loss and wonder, are these manifestions of one event or separate incidents that actually occurred.
The film poses epistemological questions like: How do we know that we know? What differentiates consciousness from sleep? Is what we consider reality merely our continual reconstruction of our past experiences? For me, figuring out what's happened to the main character in 'Spider Forest' is akin to piecing together the fragments of a bizarre dream, but with the pleasure of seeing these fragments unfold in a series of beautifully shot frames. Definitely recommend.
'The Alzheimer Case' approaches memory loss more directly. A hitman who suffers from the titular affliction struggles to both elude and assist the police who are trying to solve a string of murders involving child prostitution. As he struggles to both suppress painful memories from the past and he comes into direct conflict with the police detective who is also dealing with painful memories (as in Spider Forest, the loss of a spouse).
This is a really police thriller in the vein of Michael Mann's 'Heat' which I reference mainly because the director himself mentioned it a couple of times during the Q & A (apparently the opening shot is an homage to the opening shot in 'Heat' and he admits to appropriating the same colours used in the photography).
The film got 5 stars in Now Magazine and I can understand why: it's exciting, smart, has a sense of humour, doesn't try to reinvent the wheel or introduce a series of twists (a staple of any recent Hollywood thriller), and presents characters who are complex and fascinating to watch. It will probably be released at some point in the future as it just received the nod as Belgium's official entry for next year's Best Foreign Language Oscar.
Gotta get back to work but will add comments for Sunday's films later...Daniel, did you see Spider Forest last night (I missed your call)? If so, what did you think?
Monday, September 13, 2004
Mi Fin de Semana Loca
In the span of 3.5 days I’ve seen 8 films, hosted dinner for my parents Saturday, Sarah’s parents on Sunday, and I’m yet, as I sit here hoping to catch up with all my voice and email messages, I’m still a little sad that I’m not waiting in line at the Cumberland or Varsity at this very moment.
With 8 films to comment on, I found myself making notes this morning so I could remember some of the finer points of each to share. I'm gonna start posting this afternoon and hope to have thoughts on all the films I've seen thus far posted by tomorrow morning.
I can say that the quality of the films I've seen this far has been outstanding. There have been no films I've disliked and a few that I've liked quite a lot. Notables include: The Alzheimer Case , The House of Flying Daggers , and 3 Iron (not listed at imdb for some reason), which may be my favourite thus far. Posting details soon....
With 8 films to comment on, I found myself making notes this morning so I could remember some of the finer points of each to share. I'm gonna start posting this afternoon and hope to have thoughts on all the films I've seen thus far posted by tomorrow morning.
I can say that the quality of the films I've seen this far has been outstanding. There have been no films I've disliked and a few that I've liked quite a lot. Notables include: The Alzheimer Case , The House of Flying Daggers , and 3 Iron (not listed at imdb for some reason), which may be my favourite thus far. Posting details soon....
Films?
Where are all the blogs, for Pete's sake? Is nobody seeng any movies?
I'll let you know about last night's feature later today.
I'll let you know about last night's feature later today.
Friday, September 10, 2004
When Will I Be Loved?
Honestly - I chose this movie before I knew it had 5 minutes of Neve Campbell in the nude. I can't really even say why I chose it, its not like Ive seen any of Toback's earlier works. I guess what it comes down to is that I was secretly hoping that Neve would come down off the stage and make love to me during the Q&A.
Unfortunately, that never happened.
And that's too bad because it would have made this film SLIGHTLY more tolerable.
In a nutshell, Neve's character either fucks or flirts with every single other character in the movie. As filler are a bunch of inane conversations - most of which I couldn't understand because the sound was so bad.
And apparently this film was made in 12 days with a 37-page script. They kept talking about how great it was to come into work and have no idea how the scene was going to go because so much was improvised. IMPROVISED???!!! Most of the scenes seemed horribly forced - like they were scripted right down to the pregnant pauses. I think the movie they THINK they made and the movie I saw were 2 very different things.
I could go on and on about how the casting was misguided or about how 20 minutes worth of jibberish should have been left on the cutting room floor. But I won't.
Put it this way, Mike Tyson had a one minute cameo that stole the show. Enough said.
Avoid this movie at all costs. Unless you are interested in seeing Neve Campbell get it on with a showerhead. Then you'll be one satisfied customer.
Unfortunately, that never happened.
And that's too bad because it would have made this film SLIGHTLY more tolerable.
In a nutshell, Neve's character either fucks or flirts with every single other character in the movie. As filler are a bunch of inane conversations - most of which I couldn't understand because the sound was so bad.
And apparently this film was made in 12 days with a 37-page script. They kept talking about how great it was to come into work and have no idea how the scene was going to go because so much was improvised. IMPROVISED???!!! Most of the scenes seemed horribly forced - like they were scripted right down to the pregnant pauses. I think the movie they THINK they made and the movie I saw were 2 very different things.
I could go on and on about how the casting was misguided or about how 20 minutes worth of jibberish should have been left on the cutting room floor. But I won't.
Put it this way, Mike Tyson had a one minute cameo that stole the show. Enough said.
Avoid this movie at all costs. Unless you are interested in seeing Neve Campbell get it on with a showerhead. Then you'll be one satisfied customer.
Human Touch
Stu - right on. The film made me think about the importance of physical contact, and about personal sensuality as the ultimate form of communication and, in a way, conflict resolution. Very interesting to get all that from what is, on the surface, a simple-ish relationship movie. It was all about the sub-text in this one. In that light, I also loved the abstract art context (one of the minor characters who appeared regularly, almost as a "chorus" function, was an aging artists working on large-scale sensual works) that was intertwined with the emotional thread of the plot.
One of the aspects of the film I struggled with was the secondary theme of time/nature continuum - the whole "caves" motif - as an overriding concern, and arguably, as Cox himself dicussed in the Q&A, the only resonant component in existence. Humans are fleeting beings who walk the earth for a short period, whose existence will be better served with an understanding of their irrelevance, and who should respect and live within this context. Very interesting thoughts, and well put forward in isolation, but not, I didn't think, tied well into (almost at odds with, in fact) the central theme of human sensual existence.
I echo your thoughts about the acting - marvy. And that skinny chick in the lead role was pretty special in a plain, mousy way. I also thought the two male leads were great.
Human Touch made me think a lot, and about things outside my comfort zone. Well done.
One of the aspects of the film I struggled with was the secondary theme of time/nature continuum - the whole "caves" motif - as an overriding concern, and arguably, as Cox himself dicussed in the Q&A, the only resonant component in existence. Humans are fleeting beings who walk the earth for a short period, whose existence will be better served with an understanding of their irrelevance, and who should respect and live within this context. Very interesting thoughts, and well put forward in isolation, but not, I didn't think, tied well into (almost at odds with, in fact) the central theme of human sensual existence.
I echo your thoughts about the acting - marvy. And that skinny chick in the lead role was pretty special in a plain, mousy way. I also thought the two male leads were great.
Human Touch made me think a lot, and about things outside my comfort zone. Well done.
Human Touch - Paul Cox
The site looks great Kyle, thanks for setting it up.I hear Paul Cox has beem around for a while and I can see why. I thought it was pretty great. For me it fit into a dialogue about what constitutes art which I have been having with a few collegues of mine. So far our definition has been if you experience something , anything, and it changes your perspective on how you view life (be it a micro or macro perspective) then it constitutes art. ( Hence a barn painting with fog around it seen at the local flea market is a neigh, "A love supreme " is a yea) . This film , though exploring relationship issues, does get into questions re: art as beauty or "touch"..... or is it primarily a personal obsessive selfish act ... . Can the act of touching constitute art? Beautifully acted, I have also found a new lead female to obsess over......Fuck it if this sounds like bullshit, its the film fest dont ya know?
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Cool - thanks Kyle. Hey, I like the look of it. I may have to use it as my wallpaper (the real kind, not the screen saver.)
I'm off to see the highly touted "Human Touch" tonight so I'll let you know.
I have two media beefs which may make good blog fodder:
(1) Enduring Love is a novel not a short story. I love the fact that the Globe is obviously simply cribbing notes from the film festival guide (where they originally mis-classified the book as a short story) in its "hot pick" review. Great journalism - these guys really know their stuff.
(2) it irritates me that periodicals all pick the movies to see at this stage. There are 328 films being shown for Chrissake, why do we have to distill it down to a top ten before the festival? To make us (a) feel smug that we chose one of the "hot" films by chance ("yeah, I'm a real veteran of the TIFF, I can always tell from those one-pagers what will be brilliant", "I chose 5 out of the best (before the festival started) ten, how about you?") or (b) disappointed that nobody (i.e. media geniuses who crib notes form the festival guide) thinks the movie will be any good ("gee, it sounded good on paper, but the Globe doesn't mention it, maybe I'll trade it for one of the "hot" movies that I didn't like the sound of").
OK I'm done. Reviews to follow.
I'm off to see the highly touted "Human Touch" tonight so I'll let you know.
I have two media beefs which may make good blog fodder:
(1) Enduring Love is a novel not a short story. I love the fact that the Globe is obviously simply cribbing notes from the film festival guide (where they originally mis-classified the book as a short story) in its "hot pick" review. Great journalism - these guys really know their stuff.
(2) it irritates me that periodicals all pick the movies to see at this stage. There are 328 films being shown for Chrissake, why do we have to distill it down to a top ten before the festival? To make us (a) feel smug that we chose one of the "hot" films by chance ("yeah, I'm a real veteran of the TIFF, I can always tell from those one-pagers what will be brilliant", "I chose 5 out of the best (before the festival started) ten, how about you?") or (b) disappointed that nobody (i.e. media geniuses who crib notes form the festival guide) thinks the movie will be any good ("gee, it sounded good on paper, but the Globe doesn't mention it, maybe I'll trade it for one of the "hot" movies that I didn't like the sound of").
OK I'm done. Reviews to follow.
Toronto International Film Festival
No doubt in the time spent racing between the Paramount and Cumberland, you will be crafting your own review of the film(s) you've just seen in your head. Doubtless too, you'll find that in between viewing films, getting to work, tending to offspring, and scarfing down the odd meal, you'll have shitloads of extra time to visit and contribute to this blog.
Why put this together? Well, if you're like me, you enjoy thinking about movies more than you do actually working, no matter how much you may like your job. Also, since it's not possible to see all the 328 films playing at this year's festival, I'd like to hear what my friends thought of the ones they saw; also, I'm totally into subjecting you to my thoughts about films I've seen. Whether you agree with me or think my reviews are pretentious shite (a distinct possibility), here's a place to have your say and share your thoughts about the films you liked and loathed and about the celebrities you've ogled and quasi-stalked.
Today's Globe and Mail Article mentioned a few films I'm seeing so I'm starting to get psyched. I'm especially pleased that they mentioned "Haven", which I'm seeing with my parents on Saturday night. Anyhow, enjoy your films and I hope to hear about them here!!
Why put this together? Well, if you're like me, you enjoy thinking about movies more than you do actually working, no matter how much you may like your job. Also, since it's not possible to see all the 328 films playing at this year's festival, I'd like to hear what my friends thought of the ones they saw; also, I'm totally into subjecting you to my thoughts about films I've seen. Whether you agree with me or think my reviews are pretentious shite (a distinct possibility), here's a place to have your say and share your thoughts about the films you liked and loathed and about the celebrities you've ogled and quasi-stalked.
Today's Globe and Mail Article mentioned a few films I'm seeing so I'm starting to get psyched. I'm especially pleased that they mentioned "Haven", which I'm seeing with my parents on Saturday night. Anyhow, enjoy your films and I hope to hear about them here!!
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