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Movies in Brief (Third quarter, 2008)
Kabluey
The only adult human she can call on is Salman (Scott Prendergast, also
writer and
You could say the job suits his personality and his gifts. He is to don a
light blue animal suit (as in the company logo) and stand along the highway
giving out circulars for rental space in the business headquarters building.
And here's where the movie, which has been amateurish in all respects,
becomes extraordinary.
The image is pure and powerful. A fuzzy blue clad cartoon figure that's
something between an oversize rabbit and a sightless salamander against flat
fields and cloudy skies or to the side of a highway disappearing into the
distance is a whole other level of original movie imagery. The character's
softness, with a round, disproportionately large head gives it a benign
quality that just stops you in your tracks. You study it. You try to
understand it. A rich, good looking woman offers Salman a hundred bucks to
make an appearance in the suit at her kid's weekend party. Trash collectors
leave him with a beer and good wishes. He scares some; fascinates others;
overcomes everyone.
So here's the formula for this strangely different movie: awful writing, with
terrible dialogue, painfully annoying characters, complete illogic
in their actions and decisions, screamably cliched situations and, then, a
"rabbit-out-of-the-hat" invention that's so cool and charming they couldn't
blast you out of your seat. Magic. Genius.
Yella
An attractive German woman, Yella, (Nina Hoss) must leave her East German
home town and loving father for an accountant job and new life in the West
and to escape her stalking ex-husband Ben, a pitiful and dangerous failed
businessman who can't accept her rejection and who seems to know her every
move.
She manages to surface and make her way to the embankment. He follows,
dragging himself alongside. Somehow, defying all laws of buoyancy, her purse
and handbag wind up at river's edge making it convenient for her to grab and
run off from her still conveniently groggy would-be killer.
After her job fizzles out, but safe in West Germany, she's at dinner in a
hotel dining room where she notices a man's computer with a balance sheet
on its screen. He notes her interest and uses it to introduce himself.
Learning that she's familiar with this esoteric tool of accountancy, Philipp
(David Striesow) offers her a one day job to accompany him in a corporate
negotiation. She agrees, and she blows his adversaries away. He pays her
one thousand marks and, excited by her clear superiority with numbers, hires
her again for a few more rounds of debunking false claims and phony
financial balances.
He tests her honesty, which she fails. His anger subsides, a romance
develops, and he offers her a partnership in his less than honest business
plans.
Petzhold's style is full of incomplete dialogue, unanswered questions,
baffling decision-making, and inner mysteries--annoying but suggestive. Ben
reappears and disappears like a ghost, implying that he is, by now,
imaginary. The surprise ending explains it all and puts this film in the
category of copycat, as anyone who's seen "The Life Before Her Eyes" will know.
Wall-E
In a dystopian future world of about 700 years hence, the planet as we know
it has become fouled by so much garbage and consumer refuse its inhabitants
have gone. Except for two. Wall-E (voiced by Ben Burtt), a diminutive robot
programmed
But inside little Wall-E's circuitry there pulses a heart and mind, not
unlike the little real-life kiddies targetted to bond with him by the
hundreds of millions. Officially a unit known by its generic moniker, Waste
Allocation Load Lifter-Earth, he sorts through the trash and sets aside
objects that appeal to him, including a dance video from "Hello Dolly."
Other objects he stores on categorized shelves in his personal truck,
designed as his home and headquarters, where he sleeps at night. In the
morning, he holds up his solar array to the sun to recharge his battery for
another day of duty.
His happy hours in a city he has virtually to himself are interrupted one day
with the arrival of a massive spaceship which deposits a "probe" and
then returns to wherever it came from. The white egg-shaped visitor turns
out to be an Extra-terrrestrial Vegetation Evaluator ("Eve"-a female!-voiced
by Elissa Knight) that is quick to zap that which she doesn't understand or
thinks poses a threat. Her mission is to electronically report any sign of
organic life to the mother ship Axiom.
For the adult who doesn't watch all this through the eyes of a young
offspring, the joy is in the expressiveness of the characters, art direction
and seamless visual artistry. In that, this is a treasure trove of high
achievement. Plenty of pats on the back all 'round. But, with what is, at
best, an animated emulation of flesh and blood sci-fi thrillers (with
message), the story may be too artificial and predictable for a demanding
grown up. The story provides action and effects, all exceedingly charming,
but doesn't bring to life or interest the "evil" forces so hell bent on
avoiding a return to earth, the reason for which is less than adequately
explored. Does it mean the loss of absolute control?
In fact, once Wall-E follows Liz to Axion the story takes a turn that sheds
no light on what made him the brave mini-compactor that he is, which is where
we want the story to take us. Without the understanding of villainous purpose
and the source of its power, we're asked to just go along with it without too
much questioning--but that makes the hold on our gut-level attentions
tenuous. The threat level is too lightweight to be felt (other than a
feeling of detachment). Love of the marvelous lead characters and awe of the
production design, brilliant though they may be, shouldn't be mistaken for
dramatic fulfillment. Cutes-E, but not enough gravit-E. Which--minority
opinion notwithstanding--doesn't mean it won't be up for the Oscar.
The Edge of Heaven
Using his own nationalistic mix for his characters and their situations, he
delivers as unique a geographical texture as you're likely to find in film.
Three chapter headings frame the structure of the piece: "Yetter's Death,"
"Lotte's Death" and "The Edge of Heaven." When these titles appear on
screen we have no idea who these tragically destined people are or what the
heaven is that we're on the edge of. But with incredible sureness, Akin
leaves no questions behind. We're on a journey with genius.
Nejat Aksu (modestly intent Baki Davrak) is Ali Aksu's (Tuncel Kurtiz)
professor son, teaching classes at Hamburg University. Ali, the father, a
lonely widower, buys the services of a prostitute named Yeter (marvelous,
real Nursel Kose). Later, he offers her payment equivalent to what she makes
in her red light life to come live with him, and she goes for it. The major
concern in her life is finding out what's become of her long missing daughter
Ayten Ozturk (tough, beautiful and engaging Nurgul Yesilcay), last seen in
Instanbul, Turkey.
The odd pairing isn't, at first, comfortable for Nejat, the dutiful son, but
he comes to appreciate the hard life of his father's new companion and form a
sympathetic attachment. She's there for both him and his father when Ali
suffers a heart attack. But, it's she who dies, and Nejat travels to
Istanbul to comfort her family, vowing to find Ayten.
We meet Ayten, operating under the alias Gul, in an insurgency cell. When
the authorities attack their safe house, she escapes to Hamburg to find her
mother. She takes up a relationship with pretty Lotte Staub (Patrycia
Ziolkowska) against the wishes of Lotte's mother Susanne (Hanna Schygulla)
and, later, faces deportation.
Paths cross, in an agony of unfamiliarity and unrealized promise, as
writer-director Akin weaves a journey that is both intricate and uniquely
engaging. His characters are formulated with just the right delicacy to make
this adventure into the mysteries and myriad possibilities of life ironically
twisted and artistically singular. His movie is ingeniously structured and,
I daresay, the least formulaic film of the millenium.
He achieves this, in part, by taking no detail for granted. While the role
of Lotte's displeased mother might so easily have been a minor cliche', where
he has her going on her story trajectory is a constant revelation of
character and concentration. It is also played by a woman who, in her early
years, was the sensual sensation of the New German cinema ("Berlin
Alexanderplatz," "The Marriage of Maria Braun"), starring in 23 films by the
infamous Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Kenneth Branagh's "Dead Again." Hannah
Schygulla's appearance here is marvelous to behold and shows she's lost none
of her acclaimed versatility.
Profound kudos to this film that lives up to its title's "Edge," and to its
maker, Fatih Akin.
War, Inc.
Assassin Brand Hauser (John Cusack) gets his marching orders from Walken (Ben
Kingsley) a villainous voice behind an oracular window in a deeply secured
room somewhere. His assignments are for purposes of repositioning players
who do business with the American private corporation occupying Turaqistan
headed up by former U.S. VP (Dan Aykroyd).
To provide cover for Brand, he is to hook up with Marsha Dillon (Joan Cusack)
who has set up a therapy and amusement center within the Emerald City, a
highly guraded refuge from the chaos going on outside its walls. Brand is to
take over as the CEO in charge, which brings immediate attention from
the cynical press, chiefly in the lovely form of Natalie Hegalhuzen
(really lovely Marisa Tomei). It's so clear that Brand's cooperation
has a lust component that Natalie needs to declare from the outset that
"you're not going to fuck me!"
Hilary Duff shows up as scimpily clad Yonica Babyyeah, a pitiful sex bomb
performer betrothed to marry a mindless but rich sheik. She comes on to
Brand as though philandering on her fiance is nothing, but can't handle
Brand's rejection until she bonds with him and Natalie because of their
kindness and protection. But all these diversions from the job at hand,
namely to kill Omar (Lyubomir Neikov) are burrs in boss Walken's
psychopathology and arousing his worst paranoia. Meanwhile, oversized Omar
is imagining that he has what it takes to score with Natalie.
Cusack is actually good in this. Cusack soir gets a chance to work out her
lungs for some fitful fun on the extremities. Kingsley is entirely over the
top. And, Tomei has never looked more luscious. However, see this at your
own risk. It's not everyone's cup of ammo and misfires are part of the
strategy.
City of Men
Perched on the high reaches of Dead-End hill, narcissistic gang leader
Midnight commands his
In the milieau of turf war that this opening sequence frames, and under the
confusion of loose editing and copious footage, the emotional core of the
story is about fathers and sons. It revolves around two friends, "Ace"
Acerola (Douglas Silva), and Laranhjinha aka Wallace (Darlan Cunha).
About to turn 18, Ace is a rarity in the favela: a father who has stuck
with his wife (Cris - Camila Monteiro) and 2-year old tot Clayton, even
though his stronger and more natural compulsion is to be out with his pal and
their gang, making family responsibility an ongoing struggle.
The theme of missing fatherhood is expressed as the central issue by Wallace,
who decides to track his ex-con father down, ostensibly for his signature on
an ID card but mostly to fill the gap in his self identity. The unfolding of
the relationship and the facts of Wallace's parentage, initially brings joy
to father and son, until dad's explanation of his incarceration seriously
threatens to turn Wallace and Ace into enemies.
The characters and their stories emanate from the successful TV Globo series
and are compelling enough to achieve considerable dramatic interest despite a
fatiguing running length and rough cutting. Director Paolo Morelli's
shooting and editing (from a script by Elena Soarez) makes it a labor to hang
in with, considering its loose and choppy structure.
Diminished Capacity
The dynamic is a super-genial Chicago journalist (Matthew Broderick as
Cooper) losing some memory cells following a
After meeting his old flame Charlotte (lovely Virginia Madsen) at the local
grocery and learning that she's going to Chicago to apply for a coveted job,
a plan is hatched for them all to go and to take the baseball card to a
sports memorabilia convention where collectors exchange huge sums of money
for special items. The old man's mental condition makes him a ready mark for
unscrupulous seller Lee Vivyan (villainous Bobby Cannavale) who cheats him
out of his card for a lousy $500. Uncle Rollie is stunned and speechless
when he realizes that he has tragically lost the chance to auction his
treasure for a fair price.
Things get really dicy when nearby seller Mad Dog McClure (Dylan Baker)
threatens Vivyan by not liking him and when, through all this pandemonium,
Charlotte breaks through Cooper's reserve and shyness enough to make a
pairing possible. Zowie. Do we know how to live up to a title, or what?
Retrieval
(Aka, Z odzysku)
The story about 19-year old Wojtek (Antoni Pawlicki) isn't so much his
awkwardness in dealing with choices and desires as it is his downright
naivete' and learning difficulties. Physically strong, a cement factory
worker in the poor city of Slask, in his spare time he can outbox an opponent
and win a modest purse, which brings him to the attention of boyish-faced,
soft-talking nightclub owner and mob boss Gazda (Jacek Braciak) and the offer
of employment as a new member of his enforcement team.
Ironically, he's more in harmony with her views than he, himself realizes. He
goes to work for Gazda and, even, gets his best pal Baton (Michal Filipiak) a
job, as well. Only he isn't up to the job description, which is to hurt
people who owe Gazda money. He quits, until pressures and Gazda's smooth
talk and liking for him puts Wojtek back in the position of thug/henchman,
with a large, white apartment as a perk of the job. As long as he's willing
to do what he needs to for his boss, he's now a real provider for his desired
family: Katia and son. Pushing himself to live up to Gazda's assignments,
Katia begins to understand what Wojtek's "job" entails and tries to do
something about it.
Auteur Slawomir Fabicki's story elements are intriguing and deserve great
praise; no less so is the meritorious cast. But even as we applaud the
fascination of a
Wojtek, however, is even more bothersome as he repeatedly ignores what he's
being called upon to do--things that are so clearly in opposition to his
moral nature. Like a child, he denies the meaning behind other people's
obligations on him, putting himself in compromise after compromise. He somehow
convinces himself that he's handling the issues in his life while denying the
indignities of the obligations. And, Pawlicki's flitting, awkward unnsureness
on screen becomes a bother, as well, even though the performance, irrespective
of his facial tics and false moves, does fulfill the role rather well.
Vdovina's portrayal of Katia is fine work, indeed, but another thing taking
away from a very interesting film (contributing writers were Denijal
Hasanovic and Marek Pruchniewski) is the poor hand-held camerawork and the
rather rough lighting by cinematographer Bogumil Godfrejow. None of my
carps, however, amount to a suggestion to skip this surprising film. It's
just somewhat imperfect, is all.
Deal
There is so little originality here and so much faking it that it hardly
justifies critical analysis. I'm being kind. It's really a vacuum of
talent.
Bringing Charles Durning on screen for a brief cameo is so badly conceived,
it's cruel. Shannon Elizabeth is entirely cool and Jennifer Tilly as one of
the briefly seen players actually comes off okay.
Director/co-writer Gil Cates, Jr, might want to consider taking this off his
resume' and co-screenwriter Marc Weinstock, should find work in another
capacity. The only thing merciful about it is the 88 minute running time, but
that will have the feel of two hours.
America the Beautiful
Since a lot of this is about sounding alarm bells about the hordes of women
trying to get thin and/or stay thin and the unhealthiness of the quest, the
absence of a balancing reference to the more alarming phenomenon of obesity
tells you something about how the documentarian is stacking his deck to make a
narrow point.
Since Gerren's reality turned out to be heartbreaking (though disappointment
is tempered by the life possibilities a determined pre-teen), Roberts
apparently realized that his story of a girl's ambition wouldn't fly unless he
widened the viewpoint. But his intercutting the costs of American women's
chase-after-beauty story (suggesting much waste and futility) with Gerren's
personal one never quite blends into an organic whole, unfortunately, and the
film is more dizzying than naturally connected, making it an over-insistent,
dispersed experience. The two threads are not as mutually supportive as
Roberts calculated.
Reprise
The casting is fine, with Trier having what appears to be an unending
resource of blond, handsome men--from the leads to the extras. The beauty of
many of the women is world-class but none as intriguing as the one in the
center, Viktoria Winge as Erik's girlfriend Kari. With her dark haired,
natural, screen-commanding presence she robs the emotional heart of the piece
from the writer-boys who wrestle with their demons as they pursue their
muse.
Trier may be basing his concept of moviemaking on the films of his distant
cousin Lars von Trier who's style may derive from the French spareness of the
sixties. He seems, however, to be having more fun in the editing room than
his premise requires and he'd be well advised to spend more time in the
deeper development of his characters, some probing of their talents and the
dramatic unfolding of their story. I didn't find this 2006-produced
"reprise" (opening here on DVD* - click film title) much more than
superficial but I call upon American producers to bring Winge ashore. Her
resume indicates she's ready to go.
Man On Wire
After showing us Petit's preceding glories, with ever rising levels of
difficulty, plans begin to conquer the two towers. Precise training in his
field in France alternate with trips to Manhattan to study architectural
details of the building as well as how to penetrate security protection
against intrusion of any kind.
At every point from there on, the detailed steps that Petit and team take to
spirit themselves and their load of equipment to the towers' roofs, under
excruciating threat of discovery and defeat, build a tension much like a Fort
Knox break-in. If this were fiction, Petit's part might be played by the
very acrobatic
Petit's own recounting is joined by members of his team and his wife,
building a spectrum of emotions surrounding the project--such that, the joys,
penalties and tears flow with the accomplishment. Art and deviltry combine
and permeate this ode to a man's dream.
When I first heard this title, I thought it was a play on "Man On Fire."
But, no. The title is derived from the police report which, in police
understatement, was headed, "Man on Wire." To be sure.
Sukiyaki Western Django
Ringo (Tarantino) sets it up in an entirely surreal way with a prologue act
by a supposed legend of iron and leather confrontation. The principles are
Yoichi (Masanobu Ando), Taira no Kiyomori (Koichi Sato), Ruriko (Kaori
Momoi), Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Yusuke Iseya) Benkei (Renji Ishibashi) and
Shizuka (Yoshino Kimura).
Can't erase the feeling that this is a bald-faced attempt to capture the
magic of Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in the exaggerated
heroics of the spaghetti western. Well, let me tell you about that: The
"Good" is the visual power in composition and lighting superbly accomplished
here by cinematographer Toyomichi Kurita; the "Bad" is the concept of "more
is less;" the "Ugly" is the narrative mess that flows from the Bad. Also,
from an auteur known for visually conspicuous violence and blood, it's
relatively tame. What's he going for, a mainstream audience?
Days and Clouds
Clouds form. Michele is squeezed out of his partnership by the introduction
of a third partner who has provided sorely needed funds. The loss of income
puts the family into a downward spiral. The step-by-step deterioration of
their lives makes up the body of the story and, as fine as the acting is, and
as attractive as Buy is, Soldini's cloud of morose details obscures all sight
of a silver lining and hope of a reconciliation with dramatic purpose or
payoff. What seemed at first a provocative study of a family tragedy becomes
a two-hour immersion into minutiea until you start thinking that the exits
are where the action is.
Obscene
Those who didn't live through this period and haven't studied it may take for
granted the totality of free expression enjoyed today. They should have
their eyes opened by this homage to a man with a spirit of courage and
adventure who played a key role in altering the course of literary and social
history--despite enduring lawsuits, death-threats, a bombing of his offices,
government surveillance and the occupation of his premises by enraged
feminists. No casual observer of his time, Rosset put himself in constant
peril with his fearless approach to recognizing and promoting vanguard art,
including some choice ventures in the porno zone.
Directed by first time filmmakers Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O'Connor, the
wide ranging and well-made doc features music by Bob Dylan ("It's All Over
Now Baby Blue"), The Doors, Warren Zevon and Patti Smith as well as
never-before-seen footage.
Movies in Brief, 2009 1st Quarter
Reviews:
|
Cinema Signal: 
With the blackening of her hair from her normal blond, Winge (arguably) bears
a resemblance to young Bjork (in many angles) and adds considerable
sensitivity into the mix with intoxicating expressiveness and vulnerability.
Just watch what she does when she becomes aware of Erik's suicidal tendency
as they stand on a high tower in Paris and he counts down from 10 to zero.
The growing fear and morbid anxiety on her face in that moment is award level
tension-building.
Jason Statham ("Bank Job," 