AFTER THE WEDDING
8/10
Danish film - it starts showing the main character working in an orphanage in India, but in his pursuit to gain funding to keep the project going, is told that he will need to meet a potential donor in Denmark. Without the funds, the place'll close so his hands are tied and off he goes. He meets with the investor, gets invited to his daughter's wedding, and lo and behold finds his ex-girlfriend there with a couple more surprises in tow. I really liked this film which was pretty hard to pin down, as you suspect initially that it's going to be about the man's pursuit of funds for his charitable work, yet it twists into something entirely different 'after the wedding'. Great exploration of relationships, families and how change can affect them.
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS
5/10
This film won multiple awards, sold out this session and was getting a good buzz around the festival. I don't know why. It's about a college girl in Romania who's pregnant and wants to get an abortion. Whether you're for or against abortion, you probably won't be able to help feeling a little ill at ease with the circumstances of this decision - especially because she's so infuriatingly stupid and useless. It felt over-dramatized and unnecessarily long scenes were hard to watch - particularly the family visit by the girl's friend to her boyfriend's place. I figure the filmmaker could have given us indications that the family dinner was long and uninteresting without making us have to sit through the whole thing. Was very glad that this wasn't my last film of the festival.
THIS IS ENGLAND
8.5/10
Wonderful film to end the festival. This was the closing night film and was set in the UK in 1983. It's about a young boy who's father died fighting in the Falkland War. He's without a father figure and is being picked on at school. One day on his way home he's taken under the wing by the leader of a local gang of skinheads - but, not one of the racist ones - this collection of kids is more about the culture/music/style and not the politics commonly associated with the skinheads (nazi/racist/etc). The first half of the film does a great job at showing comradery amongst the friends and the fun they have in their summer holidays. The film shifts into more of a drama in the latter half on the re-arrival of the just-out-of-jail skinhead who starts injecting the negative politics into the group and dividing them. It's a fantastic period piece and does a good job at providing a spectrum of the skinhead movement of the time from the good to the bad. Must see.
Monday, August 13, 2007
WE ARE TOGETHER
7/10
Documentary shot on digital video showing the plight of an orphanage in Africa housing some very spirited young kids. As can be expected from a story like this, we're shown some of the difficulties that these children have had to live through (and continue to in some areas). The uplifting side is that while they have such troubled pasts, they still are able to smile, laugh and have fun. They also sing, and pretty well too! From a 'film' perspective, I felt that there were slight levels of manipulation in regards to trying to be more an advertisement for supporting the plight of this group/orphanage, rather than a disassociated look into their world. This is not a film that needs to be seen in the cinema - watch it when it's on TV, and do consider contributing, because a lot of us are truckloads more lucky than these kids, and they need the help. See http://www.wearetogether.org for more info.
FIDO
7.5/10
This was a good sci-fi/comedy in a world where zombies are kept as pets. The backstory is that a meteor hit the earth and something in it caused all the dead to come back to life as zombies. Luckily an inventor was able to curb the zombies' need to eat flesh by attaching a special electronic collar. There's plenty of fun to be had here - especially in the various ways that zombies are being used for various purposes around the town. There was pretty much no horror in this film, despite being billed as one - had a good start and a reasonably good end, but it dragged a little bit around the middle. Fantastic set design and wardrobe/styling of the actors for that 50s feel.
7/10
Documentary shot on digital video showing the plight of an orphanage in Africa housing some very spirited young kids. As can be expected from a story like this, we're shown some of the difficulties that these children have had to live through (and continue to in some areas). The uplifting side is that while they have such troubled pasts, they still are able to smile, laugh and have fun. They also sing, and pretty well too! From a 'film' perspective, I felt that there were slight levels of manipulation in regards to trying to be more an advertisement for supporting the plight of this group/orphanage, rather than a disassociated look into their world. This is not a film that needs to be seen in the cinema - watch it when it's on TV, and do consider contributing, because a lot of us are truckloads more lucky than these kids, and they need the help. See http://www.wearetogether.org for more info.
FIDO
7.5/10
This was a good sci-fi/comedy in a world where zombies are kept as pets. The backstory is that a meteor hit the earth and something in it caused all the dead to come back to life as zombies. Luckily an inventor was able to curb the zombies' need to eat flesh by attaching a special electronic collar. There's plenty of fun to be had here - especially in the various ways that zombies are being used for various purposes around the town. There was pretty much no horror in this film, despite being billed as one - had a good start and a reasonably good end, but it dragged a little bit around the middle. Fantastic set design and wardrobe/styling of the actors for that 50s feel.
Friday, August 10, 2007
The case of the disappearing sessions. I've caught a cold thanks to one of the several thousand people around Melbourne who had it before me. Nearly everyone I know at the festival (of which there are at least five or six) has caught a cold this year. It was my turn a couple of days ago, and I've been dropping planned sessions like never before (except for one year where I was totally out for 4-5 days with a flu). So I've missed some good ones apparently, like Azur and Asmar, I Served the King of England, and others. I've also been a little moody and less resiliant to films.
So, that might explain why my sessions on the left have been disappearing in great quantities, and it may indicate a certain tendency towards less favourable reviews over the past couple of days.
WIth all that said, let's do today's films.
WOLFSBERGEN
3/10
This was an unplanned session since I skipped the first two today due to feeling like crap. Starts with a four hour still shot of a forest with birds tweeting. Uh-oh. Continue with a bunch of folks who don't seem to believe in two way conversations. Yes, when your husband tells you he's been having it off with your sister, stare into space. When your dad's crying like a baby and you're a 12 (or so) year old, don't say anything, just hug him. Oh and for god's sake, if your son is helping you pack ceramics into a box, don't even think about using anything like newspaper to wrap said fragile wear. No, just place it in the box - it'll be just fine. Couldn't take it any more and walked out. Okay, there were some nice shots in this. And it probably wasn't as bad as I'm making out. But not for me on a day like this.
THE BOSS OF IT ALL
4/10
Potentially funny film about a company who's real boss is a bit of a fraidy-cat and so has spent years telling staff that the 'boss of it all' is a guy over in the US who is leading, so that he doesn't have the confrontation directly. When a prospective client comes on the seen though, he's got to present the real boss, and his solution is to hire an actor to do it. This was probably also better than I'm rating it, but I have a cold, was feeling dizzy and started falling asleep. And it was freaking hard to watch this as it was subtitled with white text on white scenes so often that half the words looked invisible. Walked out, but might give this another go one day when I am more conscious (and maybe SBS has had a go with their wonderful yellow subtitle machine).
So, that might explain why my sessions on the left have been disappearing in great quantities, and it may indicate a certain tendency towards less favourable reviews over the past couple of days.
WIth all that said, let's do today's films.
WOLFSBERGEN
3/10
This was an unplanned session since I skipped the first two today due to feeling like crap. Starts with a four hour still shot of a forest with birds tweeting. Uh-oh. Continue with a bunch of folks who don't seem to believe in two way conversations. Yes, when your husband tells you he's been having it off with your sister, stare into space. When your dad's crying like a baby and you're a 12 (or so) year old, don't say anything, just hug him. Oh and for god's sake, if your son is helping you pack ceramics into a box, don't even think about using anything like newspaper to wrap said fragile wear. No, just place it in the box - it'll be just fine. Couldn't take it any more and walked out. Okay, there were some nice shots in this. And it probably wasn't as bad as I'm making out. But not for me on a day like this.
THE BOSS OF IT ALL
4/10
Potentially funny film about a company who's real boss is a bit of a fraidy-cat and so has spent years telling staff that the 'boss of it all' is a guy over in the US who is leading, so that he doesn't have the confrontation directly. When a prospective client comes on the seen though, he's got to present the real boss, and his solution is to hire an actor to do it. This was probably also better than I'm rating it, but I have a cold, was feeling dizzy and started falling asleep. And it was freaking hard to watch this as it was subtitled with white text on white scenes so often that half the words looked invisible. Walked out, but might give this another go one day when I am more conscious (and maybe SBS has had a go with their wonderful yellow subtitle machine).
TIME
6/10
The second of two Kim Ki Duk films being shown at this year's festival - the first was Breath, which as I mention below was really enjoyable, but with a pretty strange plot. This one's got an unusual plot too, but wasn't nearly as good in my opinion. It's about a girl who has such low self-esteem that she decides to leave her boyfriend of two years by disappearing entirely out of his life and getting plastic surgery so that she can come back six months later and woo him again. See, she thought he was getting bored of her looks, even though he wasn't. And six months later, when she goes back to him, she succeeds in seducing him as this new girl, except that he's still hung up on the gal he loved that disappaered. And so on the story goes. It's an interesting look into relationships and what is important, but the real lesson I learned is not to ever go out with mentally unstable Korean girls. (Not that I would since I'm married and all, but you get the idea). I've liked every other Kim Ki Duk film I've seen, but I've not seen all of them. So far, this is my least favourite.
A FEW DAYS IN SEPTEMBER
6/10
A few yawns in August. This one came highly recommended to me. It stars Juliet Binoche (good), and John Turturro (good), and is a French thriller type film (good) about spies and stuff (good). So all these things pointed to reasonably good expectations for me. Maybe that's why I was disappointed. Or maybe it's the bad cold I have. Anyway, this didn't grab me - it felt long and dragged out, lacking in story, characters like the one John Turturro played seemed more a nuisance than a necessary part of the story, the whole relationship between the two 'kids' of the missing spy from different families was almost grating to watch. I mean really, they're 20-something years old - why are they acting like 12 year olds half the time? Try it in case it was my cold making me a little less tolerant, but don't have very high expectations...
6/10
The second of two Kim Ki Duk films being shown at this year's festival - the first was Breath, which as I mention below was really enjoyable, but with a pretty strange plot. This one's got an unusual plot too, but wasn't nearly as good in my opinion. It's about a girl who has such low self-esteem that she decides to leave her boyfriend of two years by disappearing entirely out of his life and getting plastic surgery so that she can come back six months later and woo him again. See, she thought he was getting bored of her looks, even though he wasn't. And six months later, when she goes back to him, she succeeds in seducing him as this new girl, except that he's still hung up on the gal he loved that disappaered. And so on the story goes. It's an interesting look into relationships and what is important, but the real lesson I learned is not to ever go out with mentally unstable Korean girls. (Not that I would since I'm married and all, but you get the idea). I've liked every other Kim Ki Duk film I've seen, but I've not seen all of them. So far, this is my least favourite.
A FEW DAYS IN SEPTEMBER
6/10
A few yawns in August. This one came highly recommended to me. It stars Juliet Binoche (good), and John Turturro (good), and is a French thriller type film (good) about spies and stuff (good). So all these things pointed to reasonably good expectations for me. Maybe that's why I was disappointed. Or maybe it's the bad cold I have. Anyway, this didn't grab me - it felt long and dragged out, lacking in story, characters like the one John Turturro played seemed more a nuisance than a necessary part of the story, the whole relationship between the two 'kids' of the missing spy from different families was almost grating to watch. I mean really, they're 20-something years old - why are they acting like 12 year olds half the time? Try it in case it was my cold making me a little less tolerant, but don't have very high expectations...
THE BUBBLE
7/10
My second Israeli film of the festival, which was a reasonable effort. It tells the tale of a bunch of twenty-somethings who live in the bohemian part of Jerusalam. It's kinda like an american 'friends'-esque sort of feel film, but with the minor issue of the political sensitivity going on in the area, what with bombings and strict border patrols, etc. Great soundtrack too, including songs by Nada Surf, Belle and Sebastian and Bebel Gilberto.
7/10
My second Israeli film of the festival, which was a reasonable effort. It tells the tale of a bunch of twenty-somethings who live in the bohemian part of Jerusalam. It's kinda like an american 'friends'-esque sort of feel film, but with the minor issue of the political sensitivity going on in the area, what with bombings and strict border patrols, etc. Great soundtrack too, including songs by Nada Surf, Belle and Sebastian and Bebel Gilberto.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Sorry I've been lazy. Here's what I thought of Sunday's films....
FALLING
3/10
Walked out. Didn't care what was happening with a bunch of Austrian women who went to the funeral of their teacher and then proceeded to hang out at a wedding which was held at a carnvial. Or something. This was billed as being like an Austrian Big Chill. I've never seen the Big Chill, but hopefully it was better than this. Maybe it was just the wrong film at the wrong time for me, but couldn't be bothered with it.
HANA
5/10
Samurai film which was stronger on the comedy than it was on the sword-fighting. In fact there was very little of the latter. I started dozing, and this may have reduced my interest in the film (since it's always a lot harder to follow a subtitled film when your eyes are closed). The beginning was good, the ending was good, the middle was extended and without thrills for me. BTW, to the guy at this sold out session who felt his bag deserved a seat more than paying patrons - you are a butt head, and I'm glad the people near you finally forced you to let someone sit in the seat next to you.
BELLA
9/10
Best film of the festival? Could be. This film really did it for me. It's set in New York City and tells about a day when a restaurant hostess and the head chef of the restaurant spend their day together after certain events cause her to lose her job. I don't want to give too much away, but this was a film with spirit, showing a blooming relationship between two people as well as the man's Mexican family and his past. Lovely in every way. If you liked films like 'In America' you'll probably like this. I'll be buying this on DVD when I can.
FAY GRIM
7/10
Sequel to Hal Hartley's 'Henry Fool'. The original was pretty close to unwatchable for me - I like Hal Hartley's stuff usually, but I just couldn't bear to watch HF. Nevertheless, I was going to give him another chance with this film, set 10 years after the first. And, it wasn't that bad - not great, but certainly a lot more to offer than the original. This film centres around Fay Grim's brush with international espionage as various government agencies attempt to get their hands on the handwritten confessions of Fay's husband, Henry, who disappeared years earlier. Parker Posey does a great job in the title role as an almost naive woman in the middle of a whirlwhid of spies double crossing and scheming around her. She picks up her game after not too long and provides some good comic moments. Not bad.
FALLING
3/10
Walked out. Didn't care what was happening with a bunch of Austrian women who went to the funeral of their teacher and then proceeded to hang out at a wedding which was held at a carnvial. Or something. This was billed as being like an Austrian Big Chill. I've never seen the Big Chill, but hopefully it was better than this. Maybe it was just the wrong film at the wrong time for me, but couldn't be bothered with it.
HANA
5/10
Samurai film which was stronger on the comedy than it was on the sword-fighting. In fact there was very little of the latter. I started dozing, and this may have reduced my interest in the film (since it's always a lot harder to follow a subtitled film when your eyes are closed). The beginning was good, the ending was good, the middle was extended and without thrills for me. BTW, to the guy at this sold out session who felt his bag deserved a seat more than paying patrons - you are a butt head, and I'm glad the people near you finally forced you to let someone sit in the seat next to you.
BELLA
9/10
Best film of the festival? Could be. This film really did it for me. It's set in New York City and tells about a day when a restaurant hostess and the head chef of the restaurant spend their day together after certain events cause her to lose her job. I don't want to give too much away, but this was a film with spirit, showing a blooming relationship between two people as well as the man's Mexican family and his past. Lovely in every way. If you liked films like 'In America' you'll probably like this. I'll be buying this on DVD when I can.
FAY GRIM
7/10
Sequel to Hal Hartley's 'Henry Fool'. The original was pretty close to unwatchable for me - I like Hal Hartley's stuff usually, but I just couldn't bear to watch HF. Nevertheless, I was going to give him another chance with this film, set 10 years after the first. And, it wasn't that bad - not great, but certainly a lot more to offer than the original. This film centres around Fay Grim's brush with international espionage as various government agencies attempt to get their hands on the handwritten confessions of Fay's husband, Henry, who disappeared years earlier. Parker Posey does a great job in the title role as an almost naive woman in the middle of a whirlwhid of spies double crossing and scheming around her. She picks up her game after not too long and provides some good comic moments. Not bad.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
CONVERSATIONS WITH MY GARDENER
9/10
A lovely French film that explores the friendship between two gentleman who were young school friends many years before but are reunited when one, an accomplished artist moves back to his village and hires the other as his gardener. The film has a wonderful warm feel to it, and tells a nice story without having to turn to melodrama or excessive sentimentality. Must see, and probably the highlight of the festival.
IRINA PALM
8/10
Funny film starring Marianne Faithful as a grandmother who is desperate to get together enough money so that her sick grandchild can get the medical attention he needs. She's already sold her home to pay for medical expenses and has no more assets. Banks won't lend her the money, so she gets a job 'servicing' men with her hands in a soho sex club. Conveniently she's separated from the men by a wall with a hole in it, so her age isn't nearly as important as the softness of her hands. Or so the story goes. Obviously she's not keen to tell people in her life how she's getting the money, and with her friends and son increasingly curious, while demand for her efforts by patrons are increasing, it's only a matter of time before the reality of the situation hits a head.
THE HOME SONG STORIES
7/10
My second Australian film in as many nights. This was an improvement over the last (and the director didn't feel the need to spend too much time with thankyous before the film started). It's about a Chinese mother who moves to Australia in the late 60s/early 70s with her two children. She was a nightclub singer in Hong Kong, but moves to Australia following an Aussie sailor who is going to look after her. Except that things don't work out, and this leads her and the kids to move houses to the next gentleman who is willing to host her. And repeat. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest child (her son). I felt that it went on a little bit longer than it needed to, and the story began to wane after some time - the number of times that they move house, suicides are attempted, man leaves, man returns, man leaves, etc began to wear a bit thin. It must have been difficult for the children, and while the mother isn't painted in an entirely positive light, I'm surprised how much they tried not to cast an ever more negative slant on her character. At least it was an interesting new story and perspective for an Australian film.
9/10
A lovely French film that explores the friendship between two gentleman who were young school friends many years before but are reunited when one, an accomplished artist moves back to his village and hires the other as his gardener. The film has a wonderful warm feel to it, and tells a nice story without having to turn to melodrama or excessive sentimentality. Must see, and probably the highlight of the festival.
IRINA PALM
8/10
Funny film starring Marianne Faithful as a grandmother who is desperate to get together enough money so that her sick grandchild can get the medical attention he needs. She's already sold her home to pay for medical expenses and has no more assets. Banks won't lend her the money, so she gets a job 'servicing' men with her hands in a soho sex club. Conveniently she's separated from the men by a wall with a hole in it, so her age isn't nearly as important as the softness of her hands. Or so the story goes. Obviously she's not keen to tell people in her life how she's getting the money, and with her friends and son increasingly curious, while demand for her efforts by patrons are increasing, it's only a matter of time before the reality of the situation hits a head.
THE HOME SONG STORIES
7/10
My second Australian film in as many nights. This was an improvement over the last (and the director didn't feel the need to spend too much time with thankyous before the film started). It's about a Chinese mother who moves to Australia in the late 60s/early 70s with her two children. She was a nightclub singer in Hong Kong, but moves to Australia following an Aussie sailor who is going to look after her. Except that things don't work out, and this leads her and the kids to move houses to the next gentleman who is willing to host her. And repeat. The story is told from the perspective of the youngest child (her son). I felt that it went on a little bit longer than it needed to, and the story began to wane after some time - the number of times that they move house, suicides are attempted, man leaves, man returns, man leaves, etc began to wear a bit thin. It must have been difficult for the children, and while the mother isn't painted in an entirely positive light, I'm surprised how much they tried not to cast an ever more negative slant on her character. At least it was an interesting new story and perspective for an Australian film.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Will need to give short reviews on these as more there are more films to see today, and I'm running behind!
AFTER LIFE
6/10
This is a japanese film, and the story centres around a building where people go when they die. They spend five days there where they, with the help of an assigned counsellor are asked to decide on their favourite memory of their life. Then this memory is acted out and they carry it on to the after life as the only memory that is remembered. What I liked about this film was how strong the first 30 or so minutes were - I was enjoying it so much I thought we might have a best-of-the-fest coming. As I watched, I started thinking about what I would choose, and in doing this realised how many good memories there are - I thought the film was a great mechanism for making the audience consider their own happy memories and this as a result would generally leave people in a more positive mood. The problem is that the film contained extra story that were unnecessary and worked against it, and it felt way too long. For example, the new arrivals are given three days to consider their favourite memory, and the two days that are left are used to re-enact that memory on film. This is totally unrealistic, didn't even seem necessary, and in some cases would have been impossible or cheapened the actual memory itself. Ultimately the film dragged and was disappointing. It was a film with a good premise that doesn't quite deliver. But, do feel free to spend a few minutes thinking about what you'd choose if you could only pick one happy memory to take with you to the afterlife - it's not as easy as I'd have thought...
FOREVER NEVER ANYWHERE
8/10
This Austrian film was one that could have gone either way, and for me it went the right way. It's a comedy about three men stuck in a car; two who are brother-in-laws, and one who's a German 'comedian' that is picked by them on a highway at night. The car drives off the road and ends up in a spot that prevents any of the men from being able to get out the vehicle, due to a perfect storm of blocked doors and non-functioning windows/doors/etc. Most of the film is shot with the men in the cabin of this car, so is a little claustrophobic - as can be expected it involves a lot of dialog as the men get to know each other, create and resolve anxieties, and deal with the one boy who knows where they're stuck, but seems more interested in conducting experiments with them rather than running to get help. Had a good ending too.
VIVA
5/10
I like 70s paraphernalia, furniture, outfits, etc, and this film did a fantastic job at showing it - an amazing effort so far down the track to find everything that was used in this film - however, it had very little more to offer. The forced 'bad acting' grated on my nerves (unlike one of my festival favourites from 2004, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra), and the plot didn't seem to be going anywhere. Just about everything was done by Anna Biller for this film; acting, writing, directing, producing, production design, editing and costume design. So, credit to her for trying, but next time, maybe someone should tell her to let go of the baby a little bit so that it can grow into something much better. This would have made a great short film.
MANUFACTURING DISSENT: MICHAEL MOORE AND THE MEDIA
6/10
Hold onto your seat as I prepare to rock your world. Ready? Here goes: Michael Moore edits his films and manipulates information and people to tell the stories he does in his films. Are you shocked? Do you need a hand to get up off the floor? You know how you thought all his stuff was in true documentary style showing 100% facts and telling both sides of a story fairly? Well it's not true! Yawn. Maybe this doco will be a shocker to the left wing folk who eat up Michael Moore's stuff without questioning, but I'm not one of them. I happpen to support most of Michael's viewpoints in his films, and I'm glad he's out there fighting for good causes. One of the best things I liked about his series 'The Awful Truth' was that he makes people question what they're fed by the media and the goverment. For anyone to take that opportunity and not start questioning Michael himself is missing the point, I think. So yes, basically he uses the same weapons as the right-wing media to get a message across, except he's one of the few doing with with left-wing ideals. So, get your own brain, stop believing everything you're spoon-fed from whatever source you choose, and try and find your own truth or beliefs if you can. Personally, I'm glad that gun control, health care, etc are being scrutinized more closely as the result of Michael Moore's films. And, I never really considered them as 'documentaries' given their obvious slant and over-simplification for the masses. So, if this film was meant to leave me disillusioned, it failed.
SEPTEMBER
7/10
My first Australian film of the year. Was nice enough, but I didn't feel the story was particularly original. And, the introduction consisted of a short funny speech by the sponsor (Holding Redlich lawyers) followed by what felt like four hours of thank yous by the films producer and director. Sheesh. Anyway, after that they finally started the film... It's set in 1968 and is about two young boys on a farm in WA; one's white and the other is aboriginal. They're mates, and yes, you guessed it, race becomes an issue which causes tension. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil the film for those intending to see it - and it *is* worth seeing, but it just seemed a little too predictable to me.
AFTER LIFE
6/10
This is a japanese film, and the story centres around a building where people go when they die. They spend five days there where they, with the help of an assigned counsellor are asked to decide on their favourite memory of their life. Then this memory is acted out and they carry it on to the after life as the only memory that is remembered. What I liked about this film was how strong the first 30 or so minutes were - I was enjoying it so much I thought we might have a best-of-the-fest coming. As I watched, I started thinking about what I would choose, and in doing this realised how many good memories there are - I thought the film was a great mechanism for making the audience consider their own happy memories and this as a result would generally leave people in a more positive mood. The problem is that the film contained extra story that were unnecessary and worked against it, and it felt way too long. For example, the new arrivals are given three days to consider their favourite memory, and the two days that are left are used to re-enact that memory on film. This is totally unrealistic, didn't even seem necessary, and in some cases would have been impossible or cheapened the actual memory itself. Ultimately the film dragged and was disappointing. It was a film with a good premise that doesn't quite deliver. But, do feel free to spend a few minutes thinking about what you'd choose if you could only pick one happy memory to take with you to the afterlife - it's not as easy as I'd have thought...
FOREVER NEVER ANYWHERE
8/10
This Austrian film was one that could have gone either way, and for me it went the right way. It's a comedy about three men stuck in a car; two who are brother-in-laws, and one who's a German 'comedian' that is picked by them on a highway at night. The car drives off the road and ends up in a spot that prevents any of the men from being able to get out the vehicle, due to a perfect storm of blocked doors and non-functioning windows/doors/etc. Most of the film is shot with the men in the cabin of this car, so is a little claustrophobic - as can be expected it involves a lot of dialog as the men get to know each other, create and resolve anxieties, and deal with the one boy who knows where they're stuck, but seems more interested in conducting experiments with them rather than running to get help. Had a good ending too.
VIVA
5/10
I like 70s paraphernalia, furniture, outfits, etc, and this film did a fantastic job at showing it - an amazing effort so far down the track to find everything that was used in this film - however, it had very little more to offer. The forced 'bad acting' grated on my nerves (unlike one of my festival favourites from 2004, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra), and the plot didn't seem to be going anywhere. Just about everything was done by Anna Biller for this film; acting, writing, directing, producing, production design, editing and costume design. So, credit to her for trying, but next time, maybe someone should tell her to let go of the baby a little bit so that it can grow into something much better. This would have made a great short film.
MANUFACTURING DISSENT: MICHAEL MOORE AND THE MEDIA
6/10
Hold onto your seat as I prepare to rock your world. Ready? Here goes: Michael Moore edits his films and manipulates information and people to tell the stories he does in his films. Are you shocked? Do you need a hand to get up off the floor? You know how you thought all his stuff was in true documentary style showing 100% facts and telling both sides of a story fairly? Well it's not true! Yawn. Maybe this doco will be a shocker to the left wing folk who eat up Michael Moore's stuff without questioning, but I'm not one of them. I happpen to support most of Michael's viewpoints in his films, and I'm glad he's out there fighting for good causes. One of the best things I liked about his series 'The Awful Truth' was that he makes people question what they're fed by the media and the goverment. For anyone to take that opportunity and not start questioning Michael himself is missing the point, I think. So yes, basically he uses the same weapons as the right-wing media to get a message across, except he's one of the few doing with with left-wing ideals. So, get your own brain, stop believing everything you're spoon-fed from whatever source you choose, and try and find your own truth or beliefs if you can. Personally, I'm glad that gun control, health care, etc are being scrutinized more closely as the result of Michael Moore's films. And, I never really considered them as 'documentaries' given their obvious slant and over-simplification for the masses. So, if this film was meant to leave me disillusioned, it failed.
SEPTEMBER
7/10
My first Australian film of the year. Was nice enough, but I didn't feel the story was particularly original. And, the introduction consisted of a short funny speech by the sponsor (Holding Redlich lawyers) followed by what felt like four hours of thank yous by the films producer and director. Sheesh. Anyway, after that they finally started the film... It's set in 1968 and is about two young boys on a farm in WA; one's white and the other is aboriginal. They're mates, and yes, you guessed it, race becomes an issue which causes tension. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil the film for those intending to see it - and it *is* worth seeing, but it just seemed a little too predictable to me.
A bit late with my comments but it's been a busy couple of days...
EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN
8/10
This Canadian film was written by Douglas Coupland, who's one of my favourite authors, and set in Vancouver (Go Canucks, Go!), my second favourite city (Melbourne's #1). I was raised there till I was 12, so that might have something to do with it. So, I was very much looking forward to this film that was meant to show Vancouver as itself. Due to lower costs of shooting, Vancouver is used a lot for filming of TV and movies and is shot to represent generic american cities. 21 Jump Street was shot there, so was Dead Like Me, and the Fantastic Four movie. The film itself was very 'Coupland-esque', so if you've read his books you'll probably know what to expect - not a huge action packed story, but more of a meander through the lives of a few characters. In this one, the lead character loses his girlfriend and his job in the first 10 minutes of the film, and the rest of the film deals with his new job, a girl he met who he's interested in, and about how the world's system of ethics is a grey area and how people choose to live their lives. There are lots of great shots of Vancouver's trademarks (which, like Melbourne there are few, if not none that are 'world famous' We saw GM Place (where the Vancouver Canucks play), the Science museum, Grouse Mountain, the Lion's Gate Bridge, etc. One of my faves of the festival.
SOMEONE TO RUN WITH
8/10
Every year I try and pick a one or two films out of a showcase that I wouldn't normally consider myself interested in. The Israeli showcase is one of those, and I've picked two films this year. I like to experiment with the films I see, as I might just find something that surprises me. This is one of those films - I really didn't know what to expect, but really enjoyed this. It's a bit of a journey film (not quite a road movie) about a boy who's trying to find the owner of a lost dog in his summer job at a pound. As the dog leads him around town, the film cuts to scenes from the recent past where the dog's owner, a young girl, has had some kind of experience of her own, and this builds the background story of what happened to her and the dog as we go. The boy becomes infatuated with finding the girl, almost to the point of obsession. The film could have been better, but could easily have gone so much more wrong. A couple of points were a little confusing to me, such as what the whole premise about the girl's living conditions were - she's a busker who sings, and joins a collective of other buskers who are ruled with an iron-fist by a pig of a man who is running them as a front for his business I think. But why, I'm not sure... Also, strangers seem to immediately know the dog when the boy comes to a new location. This is a labrador mind you, and not one with a giant 'I belong to...' tattoo on its fur, so how people come to immediately know that the dog that the boy is walking is the same dog they saw with a girl weeks earlier, I'm not sure. Anyway, it was an enjoyable film, and worth checking out.
EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN
8/10
This Canadian film was written by Douglas Coupland, who's one of my favourite authors, and set in Vancouver (Go Canucks, Go!), my second favourite city (Melbourne's #1). I was raised there till I was 12, so that might have something to do with it. So, I was very much looking forward to this film that was meant to show Vancouver as itself. Due to lower costs of shooting, Vancouver is used a lot for filming of TV and movies and is shot to represent generic american cities. 21 Jump Street was shot there, so was Dead Like Me, and the Fantastic Four movie. The film itself was very 'Coupland-esque', so if you've read his books you'll probably know what to expect - not a huge action packed story, but more of a meander through the lives of a few characters. In this one, the lead character loses his girlfriend and his job in the first 10 minutes of the film, and the rest of the film deals with his new job, a girl he met who he's interested in, and about how the world's system of ethics is a grey area and how people choose to live their lives. There are lots of great shots of Vancouver's trademarks (which, like Melbourne there are few, if not none that are 'world famous' We saw GM Place (where the Vancouver Canucks play), the Science museum, Grouse Mountain, the Lion's Gate Bridge, etc. One of my faves of the festival.
SOMEONE TO RUN WITH
8/10
Every year I try and pick a one or two films out of a showcase that I wouldn't normally consider myself interested in. The Israeli showcase is one of those, and I've picked two films this year. I like to experiment with the films I see, as I might just find something that surprises me. This is one of those films - I really didn't know what to expect, but really enjoyed this. It's a bit of a journey film (not quite a road movie) about a boy who's trying to find the owner of a lost dog in his summer job at a pound. As the dog leads him around town, the film cuts to scenes from the recent past where the dog's owner, a young girl, has had some kind of experience of her own, and this builds the background story of what happened to her and the dog as we go. The boy becomes infatuated with finding the girl, almost to the point of obsession. The film could have been better, but could easily have gone so much more wrong. A couple of points were a little confusing to me, such as what the whole premise about the girl's living conditions were - she's a busker who sings, and joins a collective of other buskers who are ruled with an iron-fist by a pig of a man who is running them as a front for his business I think. But why, I'm not sure... Also, strangers seem to immediately know the dog when the boy comes to a new location. This is a labrador mind you, and not one with a giant 'I belong to...' tattoo on its fur, so how people come to immediately know that the dog that the boy is walking is the same dog they saw with a girl weeks earlier, I'm not sure. Anyway, it was an enjoyable film, and worth checking out.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
CONTROL
8.5/10
All day yesterday I had Joy Division's 'Transmission' in my head ('dance! dance! dance! dance! dance to the radio!'). So yeah, I'm a big fan of Joy Division (who aren't overrated) though admittedly I prefer New Order's stuff. Anyway I was very much looking forward this this 'biopic' about Ian Curtis of Joy Division showing his life from when he was in high school until the eve of Joy Division's first tour of the USA. And I wasn't disappointed - this was my fave film of the festival so far. It was filmed well in black and white by Anton Corbjin who has done lots of rock photography in his time. He did that cover of U2's the Joshua tree for example, though Bono wasn't in this film - it's a biopic, not a documentary, you see... That said, Bono was in New Order's doco 'NewOrderStory' where he sang the lyrics to Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' incorrectly. That crazy Bono and his documentary appearances! But I digress... Anton also did work for Depeche Mode, which is how I first heard of him. Anywy, the story itself is quite good and as accurate as a biopic can be apparently. It didn't paint Ian in a particularly sympathetic light to be honest, but it was an interesting watch. I didn't realise how young he was when he died - only 23! Not a bad effort for someone so young to do so much that remains in people's minds and hearts 30+ years later. I can't say everyone will like this, but if you like JD, it's a must see.
DAY WATCH
7/10
This is a Russian film, and is the sequel to 'Night Watch', a kinda halfway cross between supernatural action scifi type flick. I thought the first one was okay. And this was okay too. A little cheesy in parts and perhaps a degree of 'cool' is lost in the translation from Russian. The special effects were great though! Really impressive destruction of buildings, and a very original use of driving skills in one scene particularly. Of particular note were the use of subtitles, which, instead of the usual boring text at bottom had a tendency to animate and change colour to approprtiately describe feelings. I wouldn't rank it particularly highly on the must see list, but if you're into stuff like Underworld, and don't mind a plot that's a little hard to follow at points, then check it out.
8.5/10
All day yesterday I had Joy Division's 'Transmission' in my head ('dance! dance! dance! dance! dance to the radio!'). So yeah, I'm a big fan of Joy Division (who aren't overrated) though admittedly I prefer New Order's stuff. Anyway I was very much looking forward this this 'biopic' about Ian Curtis of Joy Division showing his life from when he was in high school until the eve of Joy Division's first tour of the USA. And I wasn't disappointed - this was my fave film of the festival so far. It was filmed well in black and white by Anton Corbjin who has done lots of rock photography in his time. He did that cover of U2's the Joshua tree for example, though Bono wasn't in this film - it's a biopic, not a documentary, you see... That said, Bono was in New Order's doco 'NewOrderStory' where he sang the lyrics to Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' incorrectly. That crazy Bono and his documentary appearances! But I digress... Anton also did work for Depeche Mode, which is how I first heard of him. Anywy, the story itself is quite good and as accurate as a biopic can be apparently. It didn't paint Ian in a particularly sympathetic light to be honest, but it was an interesting watch. I didn't realise how young he was when he died - only 23! Not a bad effort for someone so young to do so much that remains in people's minds and hearts 30+ years later. I can't say everyone will like this, but if you like JD, it's a must see.
DAY WATCH
7/10
This is a Russian film, and is the sequel to 'Night Watch', a kinda halfway cross between supernatural action scifi type flick. I thought the first one was okay. And this was okay too. A little cheesy in parts and perhaps a degree of 'cool' is lost in the translation from Russian. The special effects were great though! Really impressive destruction of buildings, and a very original use of driving skills in one scene particularly. Of particular note were the use of subtitles, which, instead of the usual boring text at bottom had a tendency to animate and change colour to approprtiately describe feelings. I wouldn't rank it particularly highly on the must see list, but if you're into stuff like Underworld, and don't mind a plot that's a little hard to follow at points, then check it out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)