The main character is head of the Squadra Mobile of Florence, a position held by the author who describes Michele Ferrara as the person he would like to be but is not. A series of clueless killings in and around Fl;orence of homosexuals produces no
leads despite the police's efforts. Parallel to the investigation is the story of a beautiful art student who has been befriended by an American journalist who sees in her the face from a Renaissance painting: she moves in to his house but it is some time before anything sexual happens and then at her initiation. She has had a passionate lesbian relationship with a friend since her early teens and is trying to work out what she wants but, before this is resolved, she realises that her male lover is not an
American journalist but an impostor. This results in her death and then that of her female friend. This breaks the case open
and the killer is discovered. Well written with credible characters and a believable plot which is revealed piece by piece as it is worked out by the police; no effort is made to hide the felse turns along the way which adds to the credibility.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Trilogy: Lucas Belvaux
Each of these three films can be seen individually without any problem as each tells a different variation of overlapping events. Set in Grenoble, the first film. 'Cavale', tells the story of Bruno, a left-wing revolutionary who has escaped from prison and is looking to revenge himself on the one who betrayed him. He is only briefly in the second film. 'Un couple epatant', the couple played by Ornella Muti and Francois Morel, both of whom are in all three films. The third film 'Apres La Vie' which is about the efforts of Pascal, played by Gilbert Melki, to deal with his wife's drug habit. Agnes, the wife, played by Dominique Blanc, also appears in all three films as does Catherine Frot playing Jeanne. The settings are much the same and, occasionally, shots from the other films are seen, sometimes from a different angle, but the three stories are separate, though the first and third particularly overlap. In 'Cavale', Belvaux, as Bruno, comes across as a bitter, unyielding revolutionary holding firmly to the views that lef to his imprisonment 14 years ago. His actions then and during the film create an unsympathetic picture of a man driven by hatred. Catherine Frot as his former lover, now happily married, is effective in a difficult role in which she agrees to help him in order to see the back of him and Gilbert Melki as the corrupt cop, Pascal, gives a realistic performance of a man who has bent the system to his own ends but still has a conscience. The ending in which Bruno leaves Grenoble is a brilliant coup de cinema, almost worth the rest of the film.
'Un couple epatant' is completely different with Ornella Muti as Cecile, seen briefly in the first film as tghe owner of the chalet in which Bruno hides, becoming suspicious of her husband, Alain, played by Francois Morel who turns up late for a surprise birthday party with an unsatisfactory explanation for his delay. While he is trying to have a minor operation without bothering her, she suspects infidelity and has Pascal, the policeman from the first film, investigate him privately. This he does as both his wife, Agnes, and Jeanne, Catherine Frot, are teacher colleagues of Muti. He devlops an infatuation for Muti (still desirable though 48 years old at the time) but she rejects him. After a series of incidents involving the husband, his adult daughter, his secretary and doctor in which he is convinced his wife is trying to have him killed, all turns out happily. Not lightly enough acted to be a frothy comedy and not sharp enough to work as a farce despite the farcical situations - in part this is down to the cast but also to the director in the weakest, though most enjoyable of the three films.
'Apres La Vie' places Agnes, Dominique Blanc, in the centre of the action as the morphine addicted wife of Pascal who feeds her habit by 'protecting a local villain; he is the one Bruno is after in 'Cavale' and much of the third film deals with the action of the first from a different angle though it starts with the birthday party from the second film using the same set ups from different angles. Having had his supply cut off until he has killed or had Bruno killed, Pascal tries to get Agnes to go five days without anything but she cannot do this and goes out to find her own drugs. While being beatn by a dealer, she is saved by Bruno who takes her home and looks after her. For this act of kindness she helps him saying she does not know what he had done before and that only his present behavious matters. Acting on a tip, Pascal and Jacquillat, the crook, check out his home and Pascal sees Bruno and his wife together without their seeing him and he leaves saying she is there alone. The next day, Pascal tells Agnes that he cannot get morphine until he had killed Bruno which he will not do; subsequently, he is told by Jeanne, who had refused to say a word when taken in for questioning, that Bruno is hiding in a parking garage which information he gives Jacquillat in exchange for morphine. He gives this to Agnes and leaves but she tthinks this means Bruno is dead and throws it away. After the off-screen climx seen in the first film, Pascal reutns home to be told by Agnes that she no longer needs drugs. Despairing, he leavs and climbs up through the old town to kill himself but she has followed him and the film ends up with thei embracing. Mekli and, especially Blanc, give excellent performances and it is interesting to see the use of scenes from the previous two films worked logically in to the action. This was the best acted of the three films in what is an unusual experiment;
I have seen it called a 'Rashomon' but it is not as the overlaps are really building a more complete picture of a few days events involving the same people. This is not a telling of the same incident from different viewpoints but something rather more complex and I am not too certain that it worked. I saw 'Cavale' about a month ago though the other two both this week so the overall balance has been somewhat disturbed as seeing all three close together might produce a different conclusion.
'Un couple epatant' is completely different with Ornella Muti as Cecile, seen briefly in the first film as tghe owner of the chalet in which Bruno hides, becoming suspicious of her husband, Alain, played by Francois Morel who turns up late for a surprise birthday party with an unsatisfactory explanation for his delay. While he is trying to have a minor operation without bothering her, she suspects infidelity and has Pascal, the policeman from the first film, investigate him privately. This he does as both his wife, Agnes, and Jeanne, Catherine Frot, are teacher colleagues of Muti. He devlops an infatuation for Muti (still desirable though 48 years old at the time) but she rejects him. After a series of incidents involving the husband, his adult daughter, his secretary and doctor in which he is convinced his wife is trying to have him killed, all turns out happily. Not lightly enough acted to be a frothy comedy and not sharp enough to work as a farce despite the farcical situations - in part this is down to the cast but also to the director in the weakest, though most enjoyable of the three films.
'Apres La Vie' places Agnes, Dominique Blanc, in the centre of the action as the morphine addicted wife of Pascal who feeds her habit by 'protecting a local villain; he is the one Bruno is after in 'Cavale' and much of the third film deals with the action of the first from a different angle though it starts with the birthday party from the second film using the same set ups from different angles. Having had his supply cut off until he has killed or had Bruno killed, Pascal tries to get Agnes to go five days without anything but she cannot do this and goes out to find her own drugs. While being beatn by a dealer, she is saved by Bruno who takes her home and looks after her. For this act of kindness she helps him saying she does not know what he had done before and that only his present behavious matters. Acting on a tip, Pascal and Jacquillat, the crook, check out his home and Pascal sees Bruno and his wife together without their seeing him and he leaves saying she is there alone. The next day, Pascal tells Agnes that he cannot get morphine until he had killed Bruno which he will not do; subsequently, he is told by Jeanne, who had refused to say a word when taken in for questioning, that Bruno is hiding in a parking garage which information he gives Jacquillat in exchange for morphine. He gives this to Agnes and leaves but she tthinks this means Bruno is dead and throws it away. After the off-screen climx seen in the first film, Pascal reutns home to be told by Agnes that she no longer needs drugs. Despairing, he leavs and climbs up through the old town to kill himself but she has followed him and the film ends up with thei embracing. Mekli and, especially Blanc, give excellent performances and it is interesting to see the use of scenes from the previous two films worked logically in to the action. This was the best acted of the three films in what is an unusual experiment;
I have seen it called a 'Rashomon' but it is not as the overlaps are really building a more complete picture of a few days events involving the same people. This is not a telling of the same incident from different viewpoints but something rather more complex and I am not too certain that it worked. I saw 'Cavale' about a month ago though the other two both this week so the overall balance has been somewhat disturbed as seeing all three close together might produce a different conclusion.
The White Ribbon (Der Weisse Band: Michael Haneke
A disturbing film set in the months between the middle of 1913 and the start of World War One the following year, Haneke tells of events in a small German village starting with the local doctor's fall when his horse is deliberately tripped by a hidden wire. This is followed by the death of a tenant farmer's wife while working for the local baron, the taking and abusing of his
son, the burning of the grain barn and the suicide of the tenant farmer, a further incident with the baron's son and, finally, the severe abusing of the local midwife's Down's syndrome son. The setting provides an unsettling undertone with the local
pastor demonstrating excessive strictness to his older children in particular, the children of the village going round together and turning up unexpectly almost as a band of Furies, resentment of the baron's treatment of his tenants and, near the denouement of the film, a very nasty dismissal by the doctor of his midwife mistress, Add to this, his sexual use of his daughter (this is underplayed) and the basic poverty of the area (there is one bicycle owned by the estate, for instance) and one is left with an overall impression that is anything but pleasant. The camerawork is brilliant and the acting solid without being outstanding. It is easy to see the seeds of Nazism in the film with the feudal nature of the village at a time of improving education and conditions in the towns but I felt that the pastor's treatment of his older children and the generally repressive nature of his teachings allowed the daughter especially to lead the others doing the unpleasant things they did.
A little overlong, this is probably Haneke's best film; I certainly rate it above both 'Funny Games' and 'Hidden'.
son, the burning of the grain barn and the suicide of the tenant farmer, a further incident with the baron's son and, finally, the severe abusing of the local midwife's Down's syndrome son. The setting provides an unsettling undertone with the local
pastor demonstrating excessive strictness to his older children in particular, the children of the village going round together and turning up unexpectly almost as a band of Furies, resentment of the baron's treatment of his tenants and, near the denouement of the film, a very nasty dismissal by the doctor of his midwife mistress, Add to this, his sexual use of his daughter (this is underplayed) and the basic poverty of the area (there is one bicycle owned by the estate, for instance) and one is left with an overall impression that is anything but pleasant. The camerawork is brilliant and the acting solid without being outstanding. It is easy to see the seeds of Nazism in the film with the feudal nature of the village at a time of improving education and conditions in the towns but I felt that the pastor's treatment of his older children and the generally repressive nature of his teachings allowed the daughter especially to lead the others doing the unpleasant things they did.
A little overlong, this is probably Haneke's best film; I certainly rate it above both 'Funny Games' and 'Hidden'.
Georges Clouzot's Inferno: Serge Bromberg.
Arising from a chance meeting in a broken lift with Clouzot's widow, Bromberg was allowed use of 185 cans of film from the incompleted film Clouzot wrote in the 60s with Romay Schneider and Serge Reggiani as the couple whose marriage is detroyed by his jealousy. A mix of soundless clips from the intended film and of cast and crew with actors reading extracts from the script, the documentary shows how Clouzot's search for perfection became a destructive obsession which led to the project falling well behind schedule and well over budget. Clouzot seemed to be besotted almost with Schneider who was then the most wanted star of European cinema and his treatment of Reggiani could possibly have reflected this: Reggiani did walk from the film in the end which was another reason for its non-completion. With the footage there is, even with no soundtrack, one wonders if some version might not be possible - a comparison with the Beart 'L'Enfer', the same story, would be interesting. Clouzot had moved from the spare directness of 'La Corbeau' and ' Le Salaire de Peur' by experimenting with deliberate distortions which did not seem to have any great relevance. While there is obviously an audience for 'The Making of...' features as is evidenced by their appearance on DVDs, it is the human interaction that is really of interest. Even though there were interviews with a number of the lesser participants, the Clouzot, Schneider, Reggiani triangle which reflects the triangle in the fictional film was not really explored so the film was less interesting. However, one is grateful that anything was made about this great director's 'lost' intended masterpiece.
Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos): Pedro Almoidavar
The story of a love affair opens in the present with a blind scriptwriter, Harry Caine, talking to and then having sex with a young blonde which is interrupted by his female agent and her adult son. She tells him of an offer to write a script with a
mysterious young man which he at first refuses but then accepts to discover that the young man is the son of a rich tycoon who has just died. There is a past history of the two which forms the bulk of the film in flashback. Penelope Cruz plays the tycoon's secretary from whom she seeks help to ease her father's dying days. He gives this and makes her his mistress which she enjoys and when he backs a film she says she wants to be in it. The director is none other than the scriptwriter whose real name is Mateo Blanco and, at this time, sighted. He and Cruz fall in love and have a passionate affair which the tycoon discovers and he has had his son camcord the making of the film and uses a lipreader to tell him what is being said.
His jealousy breaks into violence, firstly pushing Cruz downstairs and breaking her leg, and also cancelling the film but she says she will stay with him if he allows it to be finished. this happens but he then throws her almost naked out of the house so she and Mateo run away to Lanzarote for an idyllic interlude. They find that the film has been released and is a flop so
cruz says she will return to Madrid to find out what has happened but on the way to the airport, the car is braodsided and
she dies and he is blinded. Returning to the present, Harry Caine has become Mateo again, learns that his agent was involved in the cutting of the film that was shown though the tycoon deliberately selected the worst possible takes as a way of revenge but also that she still has the complete footage. The tycoon's son had found them in Lanzarote and filmed what happened which was not a deliberate act but a true accident. The film ends with them recutting the film. Solidly acted and well up to Almodavar's usual levels, the balance between the present and the past and the overall pacing did not quite work as it might have. Cruz is as enticing as ever and amply demonstrates that natural beauty is better than surgically enhanced
efforts are. The strangeness of the Lanzarote landscape emphasises the separation of the lovers from the everyday world, brief though their time there may be. An excellent near miss.
mysterious young man which he at first refuses but then accepts to discover that the young man is the son of a rich tycoon who has just died. There is a past history of the two which forms the bulk of the film in flashback. Penelope Cruz plays the tycoon's secretary from whom she seeks help to ease her father's dying days. He gives this and makes her his mistress which she enjoys and when he backs a film she says she wants to be in it. The director is none other than the scriptwriter whose real name is Mateo Blanco and, at this time, sighted. He and Cruz fall in love and have a passionate affair which the tycoon discovers and he has had his son camcord the making of the film and uses a lipreader to tell him what is being said.
His jealousy breaks into violence, firstly pushing Cruz downstairs and breaking her leg, and also cancelling the film but she says she will stay with him if he allows it to be finished. this happens but he then throws her almost naked out of the house so she and Mateo run away to Lanzarote for an idyllic interlude. They find that the film has been released and is a flop so
cruz says she will return to Madrid to find out what has happened but on the way to the airport, the car is braodsided and
she dies and he is blinded. Returning to the present, Harry Caine has become Mateo again, learns that his agent was involved in the cutting of the film that was shown though the tycoon deliberately selected the worst possible takes as a way of revenge but also that she still has the complete footage. The tycoon's son had found them in Lanzarote and filmed what happened which was not a deliberate act but a true accident. The film ends with them recutting the film. Solidly acted and well up to Almodavar's usual levels, the balance between the present and the past and the overall pacing did not quite work as it might have. Cruz is as enticing as ever and amply demonstrates that natural beauty is better than surgically enhanced
efforts are. The strangeness of the Lanzarote landscape emphasises the separation of the lovers from the everyday world, brief though their time there may be. An excellent near miss.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Vidocq: Pitof
Departieu is a retired policeman, now a private detective used by the French Government, searching for a brutal serial killer but, apparently, killed in a fight with him early in the film. The central part of the film is the story of the journalist, played by Guillaume Canet, who claims to be Vidocq's biographer so one has a series of flashbacks as he tries to find out what happened. Beautifully photographed and staged - I especially liked the look of the early morning sky over the city in more than one scene, this is a fast-moving fantasy thriller unless you accept, for instance, that you can kill someone with lightning.
The plot revolves around a search for perfection by three corrupt officials and, when the story returns to the time of the opening fight Vidocq is actually alive and ready to unmask the villain in a startling closing sequence. Fortunately, this film is considerably better than the director's later, second attempt - the Halle Berry 'Catwoman'. Thoroughly enjoyable and well acted with a special mention to Jean-Pierre Gos who plays Vidocq's official successor.
The plot revolves around a search for perfection by three corrupt officials and, when the story returns to the time of the opening fight Vidocq is actually alive and ready to unmask the villain in a startling closing sequence. Fortunately, this film is considerably better than the director's later, second attempt - the Halle Berry 'Catwoman'. Thoroughly enjoyable and well acted with a special mention to Jean-Pierre Gos who plays Vidocq's official successor.
Suter, Martin: A Deal with the Devil
Sonia Freay is the divorced wife of a man who tried to kill her who is presently in a secure clinic awaiting trial. Although she does not need the money she takes a job as a masseuse at a remote hotel which has just re-opened. The young woman who owns the establishment seems rather unconcerned at the paucity of guests and also relatively undisturbed by a series of unexplained events in the hotel. Sonia has read the local legend of Devil of Milan and sees a correlation between what is happening and that legend though nobody else seems to agree - at first. She is in a somewhat disturbed state of mind which does not help matters. As events unfold she becomes increasingly scared for her own safety, especially when her ex-husband's mother turns up asking her again to drop he charges against him. The writing is straightfoward and economical and portrays both the atmosphere of the hotel and surroundings but also Sonia's reactions admirably. The climax when it comes is unexpected but consistent with what has taken place. A well-plotted novel by this excellent Swiss writer.
Morgan, Richard: Market Forces
This powerful novel postulates a newar future in which corporations vie with each other to run countries economically for the returns this brings with promotion and the winning of contracts being settled by duels to the death using cars. The protagonist is married and his wife is the one who keeps his car in the best condition possible. With a possibly fading reputation, he has joined a new firm at the start of the book. A series of scenes show his progress from a near liberal state of mind in which he is considering joining a branch of the UN which tries to limit excesses to being completely in tune with the system, losing his wife in the process and finally killing his best friend in the final trial. An England with safe, highly-desirable secure areas on the one hand is contrasted with the run-down slums controlled by gangs with little regard for life.
Well-written and believable, Morgan has taken a number of current trends in society and pushed them to somewhat extreme conclusions to present yet another dystopia for those not well up the ladder of success.
Well-written and believable, Morgan has taken a number of current trends in society and pushed them to somewhat extreme conclusions to present yet another dystopia for those not well up the ladder of success.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
London Film Festival 2009: Summary
Films selected for Festivals are chosen because of the director in some instances, actors in some instances and subject matter in others - animation, fantasy, silents and Far Eastern historicals. This year was no different with the two animated features, the three silents, the Depardieu, Coen Brothers, Jeunet and Breillat etc. There were a number of disappointments with the two documentaries being particularly poor and some of the others no more than average but there were some definite delights. 'Fantastic Mr Fox' and 'Metropia', 'Bellamy'and 'Kamui' were well above average. The three best films were ' A Serious Man', 'Laila' and 'J'accuse' which are sufficiently different that it would be invidious to choose between them. I think that future programmes may require a more careful reading and some supplementary checking to limit the mistakes.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Laila: George Schneevoigt
One of the glories of Scandinavian silent cinema, setting it apart from the rest of fledgling European production, was its use of natural landscape settings - some of the most spectacular in the world - which, coupled with a literary tradition based on the Nordic sagas, lent itself to epic filmmaking of the purest kind. Norwegian cinema more or less bowed out of the silent period in 1929 with 'Laila', a splendidly sprawling adventure of the frozen Far North, replete with reindeer, wolves, Lapps and ice-melting passions. Ranged across several generations, the story begins with a wealthy merchant, Lind, and his wife travelling in the coldest depths of winter to christen their baby daughter. Attacked by wolves, they lose the baby, which is founf by the lapp Jaampa (a deminating performance by Tryggve Larssen) and subsequently raised by a rich reindeer herder, Aslag Laagie. Thus the saga begings...George Schneevoigt, a noted Danish-German cinematographer who had shot four of Carl Dreyer's films, was hired to direct his own script, on the strength of his camerawork a year earlier on Ragnar Westfelt's
'Viddenes folk (People of the Tundra), a similar tale. A successful director of talkies, he hemled a sound remake of 'Laila' on 1937. The re-emergence of the silent 'Laila', for decades treated risibly through being shown at the wrong speed, is the result of expert restoration work by the Norwegian Film Institute at the Norwegian NationalLibrary, producing a speed-adjusted print to give the film a long and flexible new life.
MGP: A delight. Not only was the frequent use of location shots of the north of Norway interesting, it certainly added to the effectiveness of the film which had a relatively straightforward story. A baby girl is lost, rescued from wolves by a Lapp and raised by the senior member of the tribe until he discovers when the child is a year old that her parents are alive. Returned to them, she is then orphaned when the settlement is stricken with the plague and agin save by the Lapps where she is raised to become a lovely tomboyish girl of marriageable age. On a trip to sell furs with her 'father', she meets the son of the trader and his sister who take her under their wing though she does not know that they are actually her cousins. She falls in love and agrees to run away with him but on the eve of their elopement his father dies and she is left thinking he has changed his mind. She agrees to marry her 'father's son but at the very last minute, ik.e. midway through the wedding, her lover turns up and all ends happily. Well acted and excellently filmed with several interesting shots, e.g. the galloping hooves of the reindeer pulling the sledge when they are fleeing from wolves and the tiver rescue; allowing for its being 10 years younger than 'J'accuse' so having the benefit of imrpoved equipment this was the most satisfying of the three silents.
'Viddenes folk (People of the Tundra), a similar tale. A successful director of talkies, he hemled a sound remake of 'Laila' on 1937. The re-emergence of the silent 'Laila', for decades treated risibly through being shown at the wrong speed, is the result of expert restoration work by the Norwegian Film Institute at the Norwegian NationalLibrary, producing a speed-adjusted print to give the film a long and flexible new life.
MGP: A delight. Not only was the frequent use of location shots of the north of Norway interesting, it certainly added to the effectiveness of the film which had a relatively straightforward story. A baby girl is lost, rescued from wolves by a Lapp and raised by the senior member of the tribe until he discovers when the child is a year old that her parents are alive. Returned to them, she is then orphaned when the settlement is stricken with the plague and agin save by the Lapps where she is raised to become a lovely tomboyish girl of marriageable age. On a trip to sell furs with her 'father', she meets the son of the trader and his sister who take her under their wing though she does not know that they are actually her cousins. She falls in love and agrees to run away with him but on the eve of their elopement his father dies and she is left thinking he has changed his mind. She agrees to marry her 'father's son but at the very last minute, ik.e. midway through the wedding, her lover turns up and all ends happily. Well acted and excellently filmed with several interesting shots, e.g. the galloping hooves of the reindeer pulling the sledge when they are fleeing from wolves and the tiver rescue; allowing for its being 10 years younger than 'J'accuse' so having the benefit of imrpoved equipment this was the most satisfying of the three silents.
A Serious Man: Joel and Ethan Coen
In quick succession the Coens have given us a multiple award-winning literary adaptation and a scrwball parody thriller, and with no sign of slacking are back with what feels like a more personal but no less playful new feature. After a gloriously lugubrious prequel, we enter the late 1960s and the resoundingly normal world of Larry Gopnik. Larry is a good husband and father, and a conscientious professor at a quiet Midwestern university. He always tries to do the fair and just thing in the face of life's temptations and trials. but one day, everything starts to go wrong. His wife leaves him for reasons she cannot explain, and her intolerably pompous new lover muscles in on the family and their home, convincing the already cash-strapped Larry to move into a motel. His career is put in jeopardy by a series of anonymous letters falsely accusing him of unspecified misdemeanours, and his unemployable brother is becoming more and more of a burden. Larry's attempts to find some equilibrium and be a righteous man in the face of all these vexations is the source of a great deal of droll humour, particularly acute in Larry's attempts to seek guidance from a succession of uninspiring or unavailable rabbis. Michael Stuhlbarg is unshowily excellent as Larry, and this wonderfully rounded and satisfying character study is classic Coens at their best.
MGP: The anecdotal pre-credit sequence was delightfully droll and established the right mood for what followed. Though set in the midwest of the USA, the emphasis was decidedly Jewish with the combination of wry resignation and humour that seems to be the stock-in-trade of Jewish comedians. The air of bewilderment which Michael Stuhlberg has throughout is the face of growing adversity and problems adds to the humour of the film. The smarmy, touchy-feely adulterer is truly vomit-worthy and the fact that he has done this only three years after his own wife died seems to be a matter of surprise. The vague vacillations of the rabbis and the ease with which they answer questions with either questions or non-sequitors adds to the increasing perplexity of the 'serious man'. The ending with the impending storm may or may not be allegorical.
MGP: The anecdotal pre-credit sequence was delightfully droll and established the right mood for what followed. Though set in the midwest of the USA, the emphasis was decidedly Jewish with the combination of wry resignation and humour that seems to be the stock-in-trade of Jewish comedians. The air of bewilderment which Michael Stuhlberg has throughout is the face of growing adversity and problems adds to the humour of the film. The smarmy, touchy-feely adulterer is truly vomit-worthy and the fact that he has done this only three years after his own wife died seems to be a matter of surprise. The vague vacillations of the rabbis and the ease with which they answer questions with either questions or non-sequitors adds to the increasing perplexity of the 'serious man'. The ending with the impending storm may or may not be allegorical.
What Do You Know About Me (Di me cosa ne sai): Valerio Jalongo
LFF: A provocative, idosyncratic and very entertaining documentary. Taking as its subject Italian cinema, past and present, it gives a particular and fascinating perspective on the political and industrial decisions which influenced Italian cinema in the postwar era, and features a range of remarkable archive footage, newsreel, clips from film masterpieces and great interviews with directors such as Fellini, that to most non-Italians will be completely unfamiliar. Yet this is far more than another version of, say, Martin Scorsese's 'Voyage to Italy' because the director is truly interested in why Italian cinema is what it is now. To this end, he looks at the multiplex boom, developing technology, changing political regimes and film funding; and interviews with just about every major Italian filmmaker currently working, including Francesca Comencini, Marco Bellochio, Giuseppe Piccioni and Paolo Sorrentino. For anyone remotely interested in Italian cinema, this is a genuinely must-see experience, as it puts the whole Italian film industry in a new from of reference, and even if you don't necessarfily agree with all of itsd ideas and suggestion, it is a remarkably clever and instructive experience.
MGP: I was expecting a revisionist view of Italian cinema cutting across the more traditional history which Scorses has so excellently portrayed but what did I find - a tedious, left wing polemic by filmmakers who could not get their films made or distributed because of the claimed dominance of the American companies. Even Ken Loach added a few remarks. What came across was not a reasoned argument though the dominance of Berlusconi's companies in the media was a point that probably needed emphasising. The collected view came across as if those involved were owed a living but this was a given for European cinema as a whole in the Paul Joyce documentary made in the early 90s with more coherence. Whatever the merits of the case against the spread of U.S. culture, this film was too unbalanced and diffuse to convince.
MGP: I was expecting a revisionist view of Italian cinema cutting across the more traditional history which Scorses has so excellently portrayed but what did I find - a tedious, left wing polemic by filmmakers who could not get their films made or distributed because of the claimed dominance of the American companies. Even Ken Loach added a few remarks. What came across was not a reasoned argument though the dominance of Berlusconi's companies in the media was a point that probably needed emphasising. The collected view came across as if those involved were owed a living but this was a given for European cinema as a whole in the Paul Joyce documentary made in the early 90s with more coherence. Whatever the merits of the case against the spread of U.S. culture, this film was too unbalanced and diffuse to convince.
J'accuse: Abel Gance
LFF: Abel Gance's epic anti-war statement, 'J'accuse', was the first great pacifist film, to put alongside such classics as 'The Big Parade' and 'All Quiet on the Western Front'. It was also the first major statement in artistic terms condemning the insanity of WW1, and it remains a potently angry indictment of mindless military ambition and aggression. Gance himself, who had experienced the loss of many friends in the War and witnessed its futility at first hand, called it a 'modern tragedy...a human cry against the bellocise din of armies'. Like Gance's other masterpieces, 'La Roue' and 'Napoleon', it was boldly experimental and innovative, and was a huge box-office success, in Britain and North America as well as in France. This new, colour-tinted restoration by the Netherlands Film Museum, in collaboration with Lobster Films, is therefore both timeley (when would it not be?) and welcome, drawing upon six different print sources from archives around the world. The story concerns a pacifist poet, Jean, in love with Edith, who is married to Francois. Both man join the army. Edith is captured and raped by German soldiers, deported and has a child. Francois is killed, while Jean, shell-shocked and driven insane, evokes the ghosts of the war dead in a climactic sequence of unique visual impact, heightened by the appalling irony that 80% of the soldier-extras enlisted lost their lives days later at Verdun. A film of lasting power and relevance.
MGP: What a difference! A single pianist who doubled on the flute and made direct use of the interior of the instrument for effect gave a brilliant example of how a silent film should accomapnied - with relevance and feeling. Of course, the film in question is far superior to the afforts of Anthony Asquith nine years leter. Starting as a tale of unrequited love immediately before World War 1, the gradual change in attitude between Jean and Francois is a skilled demonstration of the way that the
stresses of front-line warfare can produce comradeship that can outweigh previous enmity. The fictional scenes of battle are interwoven with newsreel footage to good effect but the great strength lies in the episode after Jean has returned home to berate those in his village - 'J'accuse' - for accepting the war and its slaughter with his calling of the dead from the battelfield to support him. This scene alone raises the film well above the ordinary and makes up for the less successful use of animated skeletons of death overlying some scenes. A great film.
MGP: What a difference! A single pianist who doubled on the flute and made direct use of the interior of the instrument for effect gave a brilliant example of how a silent film should accomapnied - with relevance and feeling. Of course, the film in question is far superior to the afforts of Anthony Asquith nine years leter. Starting as a tale of unrequited love immediately before World War 1, the gradual change in attitude between Jean and Francois is a skilled demonstration of the way that the
stresses of front-line warfare can produce comradeship that can outweigh previous enmity. The fictional scenes of battle are interwoven with newsreel footage to good effect but the great strength lies in the episode after Jean has returned home to berate those in his village - 'J'accuse' - for accepting the war and its slaughter with his calling of the dead from the battelfield to support him. This scene alone raises the film well above the ordinary and makes up for the less successful use of animated skeletons of death overlying some scenes. A great film.
Underground (1928): Anthony Asquith
LFF: Passions run deeper than the Northern Line in Anthony Asquith's tale of love, jealousy, treachery and murder on the London Underground. Eighty years later, your average tube ride might not be quite as eventful, but anyone who has exploited the city's public transport system to romantic advanrage will find much to recognise. Restored by the BFI National Archive and presented with a live performance of Neil Brand's new score by the Ptima Vista Social Club, Asquith's working class love story is one of the great British silen feature films. It is also one of the great films about the capital - a journey through the Underground (many of the scenes were filmed at Waterloo) via old London boozers and open-topped buses to a climactic chase through Lots Road power station that magnificently reveals the smoking roofscape of the coal-fuelled city. In the late 1920s Asquith, along with Hitchcock, was one of the most audacious talents working in British film. At the age of only 26 he demonstrates and assured and spare style with some remarkably cinematic flourishes clearly inspired by contemporary German and Russian filmmakers. For many years restoration of 'Underground' presented insurmountable difficulties. With recent developments in digital technology available to the BFIO's film restoration team we have now been able to make a significant improvement to the surviving film elements.
MGP: Let me get the gripes out of the way first. A pair of boring, self-congratulary speeches are possibly par for gala performances but added nothing except annoyance at the delay. The Prima Vista Social Club (how banal) did nothing to help the film - quite the contrary; they played between forte and fortissimo almost the entire time. The scenes in the store and the picnic scene would have been better off with hardly any music at all rather than the overpowering noise there was. This left me feeling less generous towards the film than I might have been. The story is trite and melodramatic, the acting wooden and the camerawork nothing out of the ordinary though I am prepared to accept that some of the angles may have been innovative in Englsh filmmaking. The location shots did add something, particularly at Lots Road, though I could not work out the link between that location and the final shots on the Underground as the nearest line is some distance away. I suppose having an 80 year old film is watchable condition is something to be praised but it is no masterpiece.
MGP: Let me get the gripes out of the way first. A pair of boring, self-congratulary speeches are possibly par for gala performances but added nothing except annoyance at the delay. The Prima Vista Social Club (how banal) did nothing to help the film - quite the contrary; they played between forte and fortissimo almost the entire time. The scenes in the store and the picnic scene would have been better off with hardly any music at all rather than the overpowering noise there was. This left me feeling less generous towards the film than I might have been. The story is trite and melodramatic, the acting wooden and the camerawork nothing out of the ordinary though I am prepared to accept that some of the angles may have been innovative in Englsh filmmaking. The location shots did add something, particularly at Lots Road, though I could not work out the link between that location and the final shots on the Underground as the nearest line is some distance away. I suppose having an 80 year old film is watchable condition is something to be praised but it is no masterpiece.
Kamui (Kamui Gaiden): Yoichi Sai
LFF: There hasn't been a decent ninja movie for decades, but Yoichi Sai's adaptation of a story from Sanpei Shirato's legendary multi-volume manga 'Kamui' bestrides the entire gtenre: this is probably the best ninja movie ever made. Ninja are all about secret servitude, quasi-magical martial arts skills and issues of loyalty, betrayal and vengeance. 'Kamui' delivers all of the above minus the history lessons that are too often part of the deal. The Korean-Japanese director (current chair of the Directors' Guild of Japan) treats the story as a folk-tale, complete with the grizzled voice of Tsutomu Yamakazi as narrator. It's a kind of parable: Kamui, ( played by new star Kenichi Matsuyama, also in 'Bare Essence of Life') has escaped rural poverty and family ties by becoming a ninja, but now wants a kind of freedom not permitted in feudal Japan, the freedom to live his own life. The plot finds him in an area controlled by the corrupt and effete Lord Gumbei, allying himself with the fisherman Hanbei and his family and then all but press-ganged into a band of shark hunters. treachery and triple-bluffs on all sides and Kamui himself is often the prey.
MGP: A great action movie with exotic backgrounds and a solid story - once a ninja, always a ninja...or dead. The life of Kamui from childhood enrolment as a ninja through breaking away for independence to his efforts to stay alive is spiritedly portrayed with some interesting twists along the way. One or two episodes seemed puzzling though not unduly so and the downbeat ending leaves the way open for a sequel as it is obviously meant to do.
MGP: A great action movie with exotic backgrounds and a solid story - once a ninja, always a ninja...or dead. The life of Kamui from childhood enrolment as a ninja through breaking away for independence to his efforts to stay alive is spiritedly portrayed with some interesting twists along the way. One or two episodes seemed puzzling though not unduly so and the downbeat ending leaves the way open for a sequel as it is obviously meant to do.
Who's Afraid of the Wolf (Kdopak by se vlka bal): Maria Prochazkova
LFF: Every night, Terezka's mother reads her the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Although it gives her bad dreams, it is her favourite story. But a crisis begins to develop in her apparently stable family life. A triangle drama develops as her mother, a promising singer who gave up her career to get married, is encouraged by her mother to re-establish relations with her former boyfriend, a successful musician. Simon, a friend from nursery school, suggests to Terezka that her mother may be an alien. As the domestic drama enacts itself in the 'real' world, Terezka's interpretation merges it with the world of fairy tales and imagination. Writer-director Maria Prochazkova ('Shark in the Head') is also an animator, and here treads a delicate path on the border of fantasy, supplementing her story with drawings and animation. Beautifully handled, it is a film of considerable charm,considerably enhanced by its lush visuals and Jan P Muchow's impressive score. It is not a children's film, notes its director, but one for adults to watch with children.
MGP: The fairy tale element is not overly relevant except as an indication of the daughter's reactions to the adult conflicts around her. The conflict is not so much that the wife wants to resume her singing career but rather that her mother is encouraging her to do so with the biological father of her daughter. She does this as far as agreeing to go to Japan with him, this being where he has his base, getting as far as the airport before events make her realise that home is not only best but what she really wants. A pleasant little melodrama but no more.
MGP: The fairy tale element is not overly relevant except as an indication of the daughter's reactions to the adult conflicts around her. The conflict is not so much that the wife wants to resume her singing career but rather that her mother is encouraging her to do so with the biological father of her daughter. She does this as far as agreeing to go to Japan with him, this being where he has his base, getting as far as the airport before events make her realise that home is not only best but what she really wants. A pleasant little melodrama but no more.
Metropia: Tarik Saleh
LFF: Set in the not-so-distant future, 'Metropia' shows a familiar but menacing dystopian Europe. A continent where English is spoken throughout, surveillance cameras dominate the landscape and a web of underground lines link key cities, creating an immense network beneath its surface. Roger, a young man from the suburbs of Stockholm, is wary of the increasingly coropration-dominated world and the scary TV game shows dealing in life and death, whilst traveling (sic) on the underground makes him feel uneasy. His paranoia is further aroused when he begins to hear strange voices in his head: is someone trying to control him, and if so, why? using innovative animation techniques, director Tarik Saleh creates a deadbeat, toned out and sparse vision of the future. With shades of '1984' and 'Blade Runner' and a voice cast drawing on the talents of Vincent Gallo, Stellan Skarsgaard, Juliette Lewis and Alexander Skarsgaard, the downbeat animated sci-fi noir is consistently innovative and intriguing.
An interesting approach to a dysfunctional future - I wonder how long it would take to produce an undeerground rail network of the size that appears here - probably centuries! The story was confusing and possibly needs more than one viewing to be fully understood though this is something that will be worth the effort. The unusual animation certainly adds to the feel of the film and, for once, the stellar vocal talents were irrelevant as I recognized none of them. The film reminded me of 'La Antena' which may be reflection of the tones used in the animation - greys and blacks.
An interesting approach to a dysfunctional future - I wonder how long it would take to produce an undeerground rail network of the size that appears here - probably centuries! The story was confusing and possibly needs more than one viewing to be fully understood though this is something that will be worth the effort. The unusual animation certainly adds to the feel of the film and, for once, the stellar vocal talents were irrelevant as I recognized none of them. The film reminded me of 'La Antena' which may be reflection of the tones used in the animation - greys and blacks.
Barbe Bleu (Bluebeard): Catherine Breillat
LFF: Despite its unusually muted, indeed implicit, sexual content, Catherine Breillat's low-budget fairy tale bears the unmistakable stamp of French cinema's leading provocatrice. Set in a bygone France, this elegant Freudian fable begins with two girls, Marie-Catherine (Lola Creton) and reportedly 'bad seed' younger sister Anne (Daphne Baiwir), being sent home from convent school when their father dies. With their family facing poverty, defiant Anne marries a much feared local seigneur, the hefty hirsute Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas) and proves an unflappable match for him. In a present-day parallel strand, the Charles Perrault tale of Bluebeard is read by another pair of siblings, Marie-Anne and Catherine, who give the story their own comic gloss. Using a lively and much younger female cast than usual, Breillat offers a pointed commentary on girlhood, its dreams and rebellious impulses. Mounted with a stylised spareness recalling French medieval dramas by the likes of Jacques Rivette and Walerian Borowczyk, 'Bluebeard' is a sly somewhat bunuelian essay that will appeal not just to Breillat devotees but also to lovers of the dark side of fairy tale - and, incidentally, to readers of Angela Carter who made the Bluebeard story her own in the collection 'The Bloody Chamber'.
MGP: What I noticed most about this film was the beautiful photography and loving attention to detail in a France that appeared to be medieval though the convent school seemed to be intruded from much later. The counterpoint with the two young present-day children was charming and very true with the protective older sister and the younger, more rebellious one.
Rather slow-moving , the climax, when it comes, seems hurried and the modern parallel more than a little shocking. While the sibling relatgionship is a regular Breillat feature, the film was considerably different in tone from her earlier work
MGP: What I noticed most about this film was the beautiful photography and loving attention to detail in a France that appeared to be medieval though the convent school seemed to be intruded from much later. The counterpoint with the two young present-day children was charming and very true with the protective older sister and the younger, more rebellious one.
Rather slow-moving , the climax, when it comes, seems hurried and the modern parallel more than a little shocking. While the sibling relatgionship is a regular Breillat feature, the film was considerably different in tone from her earlier work
Monday, November 16, 2009
Bellamy: Claude Chabrol
LFF: Gerard Depardieu has been on a roll since his 2006 triumph in Xavier Giannoli's 'The Singer'. He's on equally ggod form in the latest from Claude Chabrol. This mischievous and laid-back thriller is the veteran director's double tribute to two men called Georges - writer Simenon and much-loved songsmith Brassens. Depardieu plays Paul Bellamy, an eminent policeman taking a holiday with his wife (Marie Brunel) but unable to turn off his detective instinct. His curiosity is piqued by the murky case of a mysterious fugitive (Jacques Gamblin) and a local femme fatale (Vahina Giocante) - and complicated further when Bellamy's troublesome brother (Clovis Cornillac) turns up unannounced. Remarkably, this is the first ever collaboration between Chabrol and Depardieu, and the two veterans take to each other like a treat. The film finds them both in affable, relaxed mode - but that makes this entertaining divertissement no less taut and devious, while terrific performances from Bunel and Cornillac highlight the psychological tensions of the Bellamy household. Depardieu willing, the Maigret-esque Bellamy could provide Chabrol with his first continuing character since his Inspector Lavardin (Cop au Vin) of the 80s.
MGP: This played out partly as a psychological drama and partly as a near policier which had some puzzling moments. At first it appeared that the story was one of a holidaying detective, Departieum taking an unofficial interest in a local murder but the arrival of his dissolute brother changed the tenor of the film. There were moments when one wondered if the brother was somehow involved in the crime and others when it seemed that he and Departieu's wife were cuckolding him, especially since the wife had been much friendlier towards the brother's staying. Whether the latter was true of not, it did not detract from the way in which Departieu teased out the answer to the crime. A quiet, almost bucolic, thriller which was well made and acted by the main leads.
MGP: This played out partly as a psychological drama and partly as a near policier which had some puzzling moments. At first it appeared that the story was one of a holidaying detective, Departieum taking an unofficial interest in a local murder but the arrival of his dissolute brother changed the tenor of the film. There were moments when one wondered if the brother was somehow involved in the crime and others when it seemed that he and Departieu's wife were cuckolding him, especially since the wife had been much friendlier towards the brother's staying. Whether the latter was true of not, it did not detract from the way in which Departieu teased out the answer to the crime. A quiet, almost bucolic, thriller which was well made and acted by the main leads.
MICMACS: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
LFF: Is it better to live with a bullet lodged in your brain even if it means you might drop dead at any time? Oe would you rather have the bullet taken out and live the rest of your life as a vegetable? Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes? Is scrap metal worth more than landmines? Can you get drunk by eating waffles? Can a woman fit inside a refrigerator? What's the human cannonball record? All these questions and more are answered in 'MICMACS', the latest dazzlingly conematic outing from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a satire on the arms trade which grounds this director's cinema of fantasy firmly in reality. Dany Boon leads a terrific cast including Andre Dussolier, Dominique Pinon and the matchless Yolande Moreau in a thrilling comedy about one man's plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers, with a little help from his friends. Few directors are more imaginative and inventive in creating their own distinctive on-screen worlds ('Delicatessen', 'Amelie') and the aesthetic sensibility at play in 'MICMACS' is breathtaking. Better yet, it works in tandem with pacy edge-of-the-seat storytelling and no end of visual gags and witty wordplay.
MGP: Beautifully photographed and rapidly paced, the film is, for the most part, a series of visual gags as the hero sets out to
get revenge on the manufacturer of the landmine that killed his father and the manufacturer of the bullet lodged in his brain.
That their offices and factories face each other proved a little confusing at first but this did not really matter as the hero and his new-found friends take their revenge. The various scenes fit together well and the several set pieces are not telegraphed but fall naturally into the narrative to the extent that it would be invidious to single out any one for more praise than the others; similarly, the cast as a whole provide a well-tuned and effective ensemble.
MGP: Beautifully photographed and rapidly paced, the film is, for the most part, a series of visual gags as the hero sets out to
get revenge on the manufacturer of the landmine that killed his father and the manufacturer of the bullet lodged in his brain.
That their offices and factories face each other proved a little confusing at first but this did not really matter as the hero and his new-found friends take their revenge. The various scenes fit together well and the several set pieces are not telegraphed but fall naturally into the narrative to the extent that it would be invidious to single out any one for more praise than the others; similarly, the cast as a whole provide a well-tuned and effective ensemble.
Too Many Husbands: Wesley Ruggles
LFF:The systematic exploration in recent years of the Columbia Studio's archives by Grover Crisp and his team of expert restorers has thrown up many forgotten Hollywood gems, most valuably from Columbia's beginnings in the late silent era and the pre-Code talkies, when Frank Capra and others were cutting their teeth. This hidden surprise comes from a decade later and seems to have been playing truant from the school of screwball comedy. More likely, it fell in the shadow of RKO's similarly-themes hit , 'My Favorite Wife', released the same year. Directed by veteran Wesley Ruggles, from a play by W. Somerset Maughan, the plot turns triangularly on a woman (Jean Arthur) finding herself with two husbands (Fred MacMurray and Malvyn Douglas) when the first turns ip a year after reportedly drowning on a boat cruise. To her increasing delight, they vie desperately for her affections. Kept light and pacey by Ruggles, the comedy sails surprisingly close to the censorship wind with Arthur's coquettish performance and a strong suggestion of her not being averse to a menage a trois. With hindsight, there is a pre-echo, too, of the more serious actuality of soldiers returningn home from WW2 to find their wives and girlfriends otherwise engaged. The casting is high-class, with Arthur a particular joy to watch as she appears in a succession of haute couture hats and expensive animal furs, and both Lionel Banks' art direction and Joseph Walker's black-and-white photography are impeccable. A welcome rediscovery from Sony-Columbia.
MGP: what the above omits is that MacMurray and Douglas were best friends running a publishing house together with the latter somewhat neglecting Arthur for his work. A pleasant film with fine performances from both men and a better one than I was expecting from Jean Arthur whose voice has always put me off. The premise is nonsense as surely six months is not enough time to have someone declared officially dead when there is no body but the trio carry the situation off well. The film has been available on DVD for some time, probably not in the restored version and its restoration is perhaps a surprise since it is far from being a masterpiece - and the nonsense contained in the sentence above about WW2 is just that, a nonsense.
MGP: what the above omits is that MacMurray and Douglas were best friends running a publishing house together with the latter somewhat neglecting Arthur for his work. A pleasant film with fine performances from both men and a better one than I was expecting from Jean Arthur whose voice has always put me off. The premise is nonsense as surely six months is not enough time to have someone declared officially dead when there is no body but the trio carry the situation off well. The film has been available on DVD for some time, probably not in the restored version and its restoration is perhaps a surprise since it is far from being a masterpiece - and the nonsense contained in the sentence above about WW2 is just that, a nonsense.
Double Take: Johan Grimonprez
LFF: An ingenious hybrid, 'Double Take' is part mock-documentary, part conceptual provocation, and altogether a thought-provoking, hugely entertaining piece that does for Alfred Hitchcock what Orson Wells did for himself in his myth-making 'F for Fake'. Using a zippy assemblage of TV and newsreel material artist/filmmaker Johan Grimonprez muses if Hitcock's persona and humour, reading his films of the late 50s and early 60s against the climate of Bomb-era political anxiety. The film especially mulls on Hitchcock's preoccupation with doubles, a theme that recurs not just in his films but in the portly auteur's jokey intros to the vintage TV series 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'; the theme is further expanded on in an apocryphal story about the maestro meeting his own future self. Interwoven with all this is a mass of newsreel material, dealing largely with US-USSR Cold War relations and focusing on America's relationship with that other famous Hitchcock look-alike Nikita Krushchev. Grimonprez leaves viewers to draw their own conclusions about identity, filmmaking, power and paranois, but the films' love of Hitchcock - artist, public face, TV clown - is unmistakeable and very infectious.
MGP: The above was the reason this film was selected, alas. It turns out to be an incoherent, badly conceived and even worse edited load of rubbish. Perhaps I should have taken more heed of the ridiculous notion that Hitchcock and Krushchev are look-alikes; even the professional Hitchcock impersonator was only vaguely the same. Next thing will be Sarkozy being compared with Charles Aznavour.
MGP: The above was the reason this film was selected, alas. It turns out to be an incoherent, badly conceived and even worse edited load of rubbish. Perhaps I should have taken more heed of the ridiculous notion that Hitchcock and Krushchev are look-alikes; even the professional Hitchcock impersonator was only vaguely the same. Next thing will be Sarkozy being compared with Charles Aznavour.
Fantastic Mr Fox: Wes Anderson
The first of this year's London Film Festival and I shall give the official programme note for the films seen as well as any comments of my own. LFF: In his first animated feature, Wes Anderson proves the perfect filmmaker to bring Road Dahl's much-loved story to life. Mr and mrs Fox live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting your nephew Kristofferson.
But, after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox's wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief, and in doing so endangers not only his own belowed family, but the whole animal community.
Trapped underground with not enough food to go round, the animals band together to fight against the evil farmers Boggis, Bruce and Bean, who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost. Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach have stuck closely to the spirit and events of the original, but have opened it out, adding new scenes and giving depth to a range of hugely engaging and heavily anthropomorphised characters, replete with foibles good and bad. The voice cast are exemplary, with a host of Anderson regulars including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson featuring alongside British actors such as Michael Gambon and Brian Cox and some Anderson family and friends, Jarvis Cocker amonst them. Leading the pack of course and George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr and Mrs Fox, he roguish and debonair, her (sic) beautiful, wise and funny. Creating alternative universes is something this director has always excelled at, and his attention to detail finds great espression here. Using classic stop-motion animation gives the story a delightful home-made feel, and the autumnal palette adds a particular warmth. Anderson's stylistic choices are recognisable from his
earlier films, resulting in an animated film that feels uniquely entertaining and enjoyable. It succeeds in retaining the essance of Dahl's writing, which has enchanted audiences for over 40 years, but filtered through a very distinct and visionary sensibility.
MGP: Having never knowingly read any Roald Dahl, I have no idea which parts of the film are his and which are additions though this does not matter. Praise must be given to the studio in London which worked for some two years in making the film even though the feel of the film is naturally Anderson's. The early sequence sets the mood for the later stages though, as with most animated films, there is a strong element of farce in some scenes. There were a few scenes which seemed to be
'normal' animation, e.g. the cross-section scene under the three farms, which jarred a little. While the use of known actors to voice animations is commonplace, I wonder what this adds - Gambon, Cox and Murray were distinctly recognisable but the other leads less so. Is one expected to visualise George Clooner, for instance, in the leading role or do the filmmakers hope that the audience will subconsciously think this? Whether in the original or not, the theme of family loyalty which is strong in other Anderson films is definitely seen here though this is necessary to bring about a happy ending.
But, after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox's wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief, and in doing so endangers not only his own belowed family, but the whole animal community.
Trapped underground with not enough food to go round, the animals band together to fight against the evil farmers Boggis, Bruce and Bean, who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost. Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach have stuck closely to the spirit and events of the original, but have opened it out, adding new scenes and giving depth to a range of hugely engaging and heavily anthropomorphised characters, replete with foibles good and bad. The voice cast are exemplary, with a host of Anderson regulars including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson featuring alongside British actors such as Michael Gambon and Brian Cox and some Anderson family and friends, Jarvis Cocker amonst them. Leading the pack of course and George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr and Mrs Fox, he roguish and debonair, her (sic) beautiful, wise and funny. Creating alternative universes is something this director has always excelled at, and his attention to detail finds great espression here. Using classic stop-motion animation gives the story a delightful home-made feel, and the autumnal palette adds a particular warmth. Anderson's stylistic choices are recognisable from his
earlier films, resulting in an animated film that feels uniquely entertaining and enjoyable. It succeeds in retaining the essance of Dahl's writing, which has enchanted audiences for over 40 years, but filtered through a very distinct and visionary sensibility.
MGP: Having never knowingly read any Roald Dahl, I have no idea which parts of the film are his and which are additions though this does not matter. Praise must be given to the studio in London which worked for some two years in making the film even though the feel of the film is naturally Anderson's. The early sequence sets the mood for the later stages though, as with most animated films, there is a strong element of farce in some scenes. There were a few scenes which seemed to be
'normal' animation, e.g. the cross-section scene under the three farms, which jarred a little. While the use of known actors to voice animations is commonplace, I wonder what this adds - Gambon, Cox and Murray were distinctly recognisable but the other leads less so. Is one expected to visualise George Clooner, for instance, in the leading role or do the filmmakers hope that the audience will subconsciously think this? Whether in the original or not, the theme of family loyalty which is strong in other Anderson films is definitely seen here though this is necessary to bring about a happy ending.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Child, Lincoln: Deep Storm
Set in an underwater complex in the North Atlantic, this is a thriller with futuristic overtones. Whether the technology now exists to drill into the earth's crust to reach the Mohorovic discontinuity, that is the bsis of the story and the engineering and
other aspects are probably accurately described. Densely written with sometimes unnecessary elaborations, the author keeps things moving along satisfactorily to an explosive denouement and a logically disturbing afterthought. Better known as the co-author with Douglas Preston of a series of books, Child's individual effort here is acceptably entertaining.
other aspects are probably accurately described. Densely written with sometimes unnecessary elaborations, the author keeps things moving along satisfactorily to an explosive denouement and a logically disturbing afterthought. Better known as the co-author with Douglas Preston of a series of books, Child's individual effort here is acceptably entertaining.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Griffin, Kate: A Madness of Angels
Set in a London where angels, sorcerers, magicians and shape-changers exist, this first novel is a tour de force. Using many
areas of London as the sites of magic powers, the book is very well written and the use of magic in one form or another more
than acceptable. Some of the concepts are extremely well thought out - a litterbug monster eventually trapped in a rubbish
bin, the continuing life of telephone conversations unheard and the use of urban legends as reality. While the London settings and esoterica remind one of Christopher Fowler's work, this excellent novel raises the level considerably. The author is a successful writer of fantasy for young adults under her real name, Catherine Webb, and I shall try one of these soon.
areas of London as the sites of magic powers, the book is very well written and the use of magic in one form or another more
than acceptable. Some of the concepts are extremely well thought out - a litterbug monster eventually trapped in a rubbish
bin, the continuing life of telephone conversations unheard and the use of urban legends as reality. While the London settings and esoterica remind one of Christopher Fowler's work, this excellent novel raises the level considerably. The author is a successful writer of fantasy for young adults under her real name, Catherine Webb, and I shall try one of these soon.
Interlude in France
For some years now I have intended our going to Dijon to use as a base for visiting Beaune to see the great Van der Weyden
polyptych in the Hotel-Dieu there. When I first thought of doing this Ryanair flew to Dijon which would probably have made
for an easier journey though not necessarily a pleasanter one. Taking Eurostar from St Pancras with a change in Paris is
fairly straightforward. Fast, fairly smooth journeys of around two hours more or less on each sector. Overall, I thought the
French TVG stock was better quality than that of Eurostar with better announcements (the heavily accented English on Eurostar was not that good). The local train between Dijon and beaune was adequate for a short ride. With the pound having lost value against the Euro, meals were costly - our hotel was adequate as a base but rather costly and breakfast at
£15.00 was a meal we took elsewhere. By and large, the meals we had, both informal and formal, were OK but not outstanding and the wines unexpectedly expensive for the heart of a major wine growing area. I tried andouillette which is a
tripe-filled sausage at one meal - interesting but I don't think I shall repeat it. A major gripe about both websites and the
publicity materials issued by tourist authorities is the lack of any scale on so many of the maps. The one I eventually found for Dijon was fine, that for Beaune covered a small enough area that the lack of scale did not matter but the one I used for the detour to the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris on the return journey gave us grief: what appeared to be possibly a 10 minute walk turned out to be much more on what had become a hot day - we took a cab back to Gare du Nord afterwards to
make up for this! The Van der Weyden is definitely one of the great masterpieces of the northern Renaissance, not quite as
superb as the Van Eyck 'Mystic Lamb' nor as startling as the Grunewald Isenheim altarpiece, but brilliant in its conception and
execution. Obviously now carefully displayed away from its intended setting, it is easy to imagine the effect it would have had on the occupants in an age where belief was part and parcel of everyday life. To paraphrase Michelin, worth far more than a detour. The Musee des Beaux Arts in Dijon has some fine early work, both Flemish and Italian as well as an extensive collection of later works which received rather less of our time than the earlier items did. The 'Brueghel, Memling, Van Eyck'
exhibition which occasioned the Parisian detour was a disappointment. Very crowded with several group visits in progress with 'learned' lecturers explaining what the paintings were to what seemed to be, as so often, mainly bored listeners. The
trouble is that they detract from the enjoyment of others by obscuring the paintings. This is a practice which should not be
allowed. There was only one Van Eyck and a few Brueghels and Memlings with a fair amount of lesser works but I suppose it would have been a pity to miss it.
polyptych in the Hotel-Dieu there. When I first thought of doing this Ryanair flew to Dijon which would probably have made
for an easier journey though not necessarily a pleasanter one. Taking Eurostar from St Pancras with a change in Paris is
fairly straightforward. Fast, fairly smooth journeys of around two hours more or less on each sector. Overall, I thought the
French TVG stock was better quality than that of Eurostar with better announcements (the heavily accented English on Eurostar was not that good). The local train between Dijon and beaune was adequate for a short ride. With the pound having lost value against the Euro, meals were costly - our hotel was adequate as a base but rather costly and breakfast at
£15.00 was a meal we took elsewhere. By and large, the meals we had, both informal and formal, were OK but not outstanding and the wines unexpectedly expensive for the heart of a major wine growing area. I tried andouillette which is a
tripe-filled sausage at one meal - interesting but I don't think I shall repeat it. A major gripe about both websites and the
publicity materials issued by tourist authorities is the lack of any scale on so many of the maps. The one I eventually found for Dijon was fine, that for Beaune covered a small enough area that the lack of scale did not matter but the one I used for the detour to the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris on the return journey gave us grief: what appeared to be possibly a 10 minute walk turned out to be much more on what had become a hot day - we took a cab back to Gare du Nord afterwards to
make up for this! The Van der Weyden is definitely one of the great masterpieces of the northern Renaissance, not quite as
superb as the Van Eyck 'Mystic Lamb' nor as startling as the Grunewald Isenheim altarpiece, but brilliant in its conception and
execution. Obviously now carefully displayed away from its intended setting, it is easy to imagine the effect it would have had on the occupants in an age where belief was part and parcel of everyday life. To paraphrase Michelin, worth far more than a detour. The Musee des Beaux Arts in Dijon has some fine early work, both Flemish and Italian as well as an extensive collection of later works which received rather less of our time than the earlier items did. The 'Brueghel, Memling, Van Eyck'
exhibition which occasioned the Parisian detour was a disappointment. Very crowded with several group visits in progress with 'learned' lecturers explaining what the paintings were to what seemed to be, as so often, mainly bored listeners. The
trouble is that they detract from the enjoyment of others by obscuring the paintings. This is a practice which should not be
allowed. There was only one Van Eyck and a few Brueghels and Memlings with a fair amount of lesser works but I suppose it would have been a pity to miss it.
Benacquista, Tonino: Framed
While as readable as the earlier novel of his I have read, 'Holy Smoke', this was rather more violent. The humour is well
sustained and the plot just about believable, All in all, a pleasant way to pass the time while offering no great insights or
social comments, not that either of these were intended by the author.
sustained and the plot just about believable, All in all, a pleasant way to pass the time while offering no great insights or
social comments, not that either of these were intended by the author.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Camilleri, Andrea: Excursion to Tindari
One of the Inspector Montalbano detective stories set on Sicily and the first I have read. The Inspector is a well developed
character and is surrounded by adiffuse set of individuals together providing for some pointed comments on the life of the
area and the ever-present Mafia whose influence is sometimes made overt and, at other times, hidden but obvious. The
events in the book fit together eventually but they seem to be there more to provide the reason for a commentary on the
mores of Sicily often expressed with a somewhat bitter humour.
character and is surrounded by adiffuse set of individuals together providing for some pointed comments on the life of the
area and the ever-present Mafia whose influence is sometimes made overt and, at other times, hidden but obvious. The
events in the book fit together eventually but they seem to be there more to provide the reason for a commentary on the
mores of Sicily often expressed with a somewhat bitter humour.
Schenkel, Andrea Maria: The Murder Farm
A slim, economically written tale of murder which is a first novel. It is unusual in that the narrative is unfolded in a series of
interviews and statements to the police and to journalists with, periodically, straightforward passages inserted. This gives an
air of detachment to the murders at the heart of the story while in no way diminishing the overall effect which leaves the reader finally knowing what occured even though no one else does. The use of a litany as punctuation as the story unfolds is
particularly effective.
interviews and statements to the police and to journalists with, periodically, straightforward passages inserted. This gives an
air of detachment to the murders at the heart of the story while in no way diminishing the overall effect which leaves the reader finally knowing what occured even though no one else does. The use of a litany as punctuation as the story unfolds is
particularly effective.
Frightfest 2009: Day 5
'Zombie Women of Satan' is complete and utter rubbish, one of the worst films ever shown at Frightfest.
'The House of the Devil' has a student going to babysit in a creepy old house out in the country - what she is really there for
is to be sacrificed during a lunar eclipse that evening. Well photographed and acted with the iconic Mary Woronow making an unexpected return to the screen, this has much to commend it. Better than many big budget films, this kept one interested right to the end.
'Case 39' is an evil child film with Renee Zellwegger in the lead which may be why I found it not at all involving or that well done. What had happened and what was going to happen was obvious from the start and actimg by numbers did not help.
'Heartless' directed by Philip Ridley was the final film of the weekend for us as we decided against seeing 'The Descenr: Part
Two'. A young man disfigured by a birthmark is cured by a mystic who is really one of the manifestations of the Devil. While the film is trying to draw parallels between the violence of contemporary society in deprived areas and, presumably, the lack of faith that is there, the film left me wondering whether the fuss that the director's return to films had created was really justified. Not a patch on 'The Passion of Darkly Noon'.
To summarise my thoughts on the five days, I would say that the overall standard this year is somewhat lower than in the past. Whether this is a function of age, familiarity, satiation or declining standards I do not know. "Millenium' is every bit
as good as anything shown previously though less spectacular than some; 'Trick 'R Treat'. 'Hierro', 'Dead Snow' and 'Pontypool' are as good in their individual ways as many earlier offerings and I should possibly include 'Triangle' and 'The House of the Devil' here as well though the former has dminished in my eyes with the passing of time. The bad films were
probably no worse than those of earlier years though one's tolerance levels do vary - and this is where satiation comes in -
I am sure my reactions early on tend to be more favourable than those towards the end of the weekend though showing
'Case 39' on the first night, for example, would not alter my opinion.
'The House of the Devil' has a student going to babysit in a creepy old house out in the country - what she is really there for
is to be sacrificed during a lunar eclipse that evening. Well photographed and acted with the iconic Mary Woronow making an unexpected return to the screen, this has much to commend it. Better than many big budget films, this kept one interested right to the end.
'Case 39' is an evil child film with Renee Zellwegger in the lead which may be why I found it not at all involving or that well done. What had happened and what was going to happen was obvious from the start and actimg by numbers did not help.
'Heartless' directed by Philip Ridley was the final film of the weekend for us as we decided against seeing 'The Descenr: Part
Two'. A young man disfigured by a birthmark is cured by a mystic who is really one of the manifestations of the Devil. While the film is trying to draw parallels between the violence of contemporary society in deprived areas and, presumably, the lack of faith that is there, the film left me wondering whether the fuss that the director's return to films had created was really justified. Not a patch on 'The Passion of Darkly Noon'.
To summarise my thoughts on the five days, I would say that the overall standard this year is somewhat lower than in the past. Whether this is a function of age, familiarity, satiation or declining standards I do not know. "Millenium' is every bit
as good as anything shown previously though less spectacular than some; 'Trick 'R Treat'. 'Hierro', 'Dead Snow' and 'Pontypool' are as good in their individual ways as many earlier offerings and I should possibly include 'Triangle' and 'The House of the Devil' here as well though the former has dminished in my eyes with the passing of time. The bad films were
probably no worse than those of earlier years though one's tolerance levels do vary - and this is where satiation comes in -
I am sure my reactions early on tend to be more favourable than those towards the end of the weekend though showing
'Case 39' on the first night, for example, would not alter my opinion.
Frightfest 2009: Day 4
'Dead Snow' is a delightful Nazi zombie comic chiller from Norway in which a group of medical students on a weekend ski trip
inadvertently resurrect a murderous SS squad from World War 2. Not so much a story as a series of sometimes scary but often funny events which see the students die one by one to a never-ending supply of zombies. Great fun.
'Human Centipede (First Sequence)' is about a mad doctor trying to graft humans nose to arse, having already done so with dogs. I only saw the opening half hour or so which was well photographed and seemed to be developing into a really nasty and scary movie.
'Pontypool' is set in a radio studio in the town of that name with a fading shock jock who is brilliantly played by Stephen
McHattie. A deadly virus is causing people to kill and it becomes clear eventually that the virus is caused by the English
language. Most of this is not seen but reported, adding to the weirdness, though the station manager's assistant does become infected and batters herself to death. What keeps the film together is not only the odd premise but especially the
stunning tour de force by McHattie.
'Night of the Demons' is another wakening the demons chiller which is well photographed but not at all involving. Had I
written this closer to seeing it, I might have had more to say but it left virtually no impression on me. Visually it was rather
like an extended music video
'Clive Barker's Dread' expands a novella into a full length film examining what makes people scared. No great shakes with
average performances from the main characters.
inadvertently resurrect a murderous SS squad from World War 2. Not so much a story as a series of sometimes scary but often funny events which see the students die one by one to a never-ending supply of zombies. Great fun.
'Human Centipede (First Sequence)' is about a mad doctor trying to graft humans nose to arse, having already done so with dogs. I only saw the opening half hour or so which was well photographed and seemed to be developing into a really nasty and scary movie.
'Pontypool' is set in a radio studio in the town of that name with a fading shock jock who is brilliantly played by Stephen
McHattie. A deadly virus is causing people to kill and it becomes clear eventually that the virus is caused by the English
language. Most of this is not seen but reported, adding to the weirdness, though the station manager's assistant does become infected and batters herself to death. What keeps the film together is not only the odd premise but especially the
stunning tour de force by McHattie.
'Night of the Demons' is another wakening the demons chiller which is well photographed but not at all involving. Had I
written this closer to seeing it, I might have had more to say but it left virtually no impression on me. Visually it was rather
like an extended music video
'Clive Barker's Dread' expands a novella into a full length film examining what makes people scared. No great shakes with
average performances from the main characters.
Frightfest 2009: Day 3
'Smash Cut' featured cult horror actors David Hess and Michael Berryman and Herschell Gordon Lewis, the director, with Sasha Grey, a recent porn star in a ridiculously bad film that was a complete waste of time.
'Hierro' is the southernmost tip of the southernmost of the Canary islands where the heroine has taken her son on holiday
only for him to vanish from the ferry taking them there. Six months later, a child's body is found and she returns with her
sister to find out if it is her son. She stays on her own awaiting the DNA test result even though it is obviously the body of
her son that has been found. The location adds to the psychological drama and a fine central performance of a woman toppling over into madness made this a better than usual film.
'Millenium: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is in some ways not a Frightfest film as it is a relatively straightforward mystery
from the book which I reviewed recently. Sticking fairly closely to the book but leaving out a lot of background and some of the twists, the film is very well made and acted. Some differences were understandable - finding a lead actress to fit the book's description would have been well-nigh impossible - but the changed ending added nothing. Definitely the film of the weekend.
'Giallo' is the latest Dario Argento offering and it is a great disappointment. There are some touches of Argento's visual
brilliance but the central performance by Adrien Brody made one wish that Oscar awards could be taken back. Emmanuelle
Seigner was not much better though adequate in a part that did not demand much. The oddities were the complete breaching of basic police procedure and the odd reaction of Elsa Pataky when she was rescued - though had she not been
recaught by the killer the film would have been much shorter.
'Trick or Treat' is set at Halloween in a community, which celebrates it seriously, with four interlocking stories. Some of these work better than others but the overall impression is good - a generous mixture of scares and laughs, a nicely judged performance from Brian Cox and a smattering of glamour.
Reports have it that mssing the late film 'Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl' was a sound move.
'Hierro' is the southernmost tip of the southernmost of the Canary islands where the heroine has taken her son on holiday
only for him to vanish from the ferry taking them there. Six months later, a child's body is found and she returns with her
sister to find out if it is her son. She stays on her own awaiting the DNA test result even though it is obviously the body of
her son that has been found. The location adds to the psychological drama and a fine central performance of a woman toppling over into madness made this a better than usual film.
'Millenium: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is in some ways not a Frightfest film as it is a relatively straightforward mystery
from the book which I reviewed recently. Sticking fairly closely to the book but leaving out a lot of background and some of the twists, the film is very well made and acted. Some differences were understandable - finding a lead actress to fit the book's description would have been well-nigh impossible - but the changed ending added nothing. Definitely the film of the weekend.
'Giallo' is the latest Dario Argento offering and it is a great disappointment. There are some touches of Argento's visual
brilliance but the central performance by Adrien Brody made one wish that Oscar awards could be taken back. Emmanuelle
Seigner was not much better though adequate in a part that did not demand much. The oddities were the complete breaching of basic police procedure and the odd reaction of Elsa Pataky when she was rescued - though had she not been
recaught by the killer the film would have been much shorter.
'Trick or Treat' is set at Halloween in a community, which celebrates it seriously, with four interlocking stories. Some of these work better than others but the overall impression is good - a generous mixture of scares and laughs, a nicely judged performance from Brian Cox and a smattering of glamour.
Reports have it that mssing the late film 'Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl' was a sound move.
Frightfest 2009: Day 2
'The Horseman': A father tracks down the makers and distributors of a pornographic video featuring his daughter who has died from a drug overdose. This provides a series of violent confrontations with much letting of blood and a lead character who seems to take an almost unbelievable amount of punishment as he works his way through those he holds responsible.
A new feature this year was the running of a second screen with a number of films each being shown twice. 'I Sell The Dead'
was bodysnatcher story with Ron Pearlman in a major role and Dominic Monaghan as one of the two main bodysnatchers.
The only problem I had was sitting in the front row of a small cinema and thus being unable to focus properly - which in turn
induced sleepiness - so I did not see too much of the film. What i did see moved along at a brisk pace and was more than a little amusing.
This meant missing the documentary 'Beware the Moon' about the making of 'An American Werewolf in London' but this was
followed by a restored high definition print of the film, both being introduced by John Landis who is definitely one of the more articulate film directors of recent years. Seeing the latter again after quite a number of years was an enjoyable experience and the enhanced print added a lot.
Federico Zampaglione is a highly thought-of Italian rock musician and 'Shadow' is his debut film. An American soldier returning from Iraq is on a mountain biking tour following a classic trail in the Italian foothills of the Alps. An incident at a
local inn leads to him and a girl he befriends being chased by two hunters until all four are captured in an isolated laboratory
by a cadaverous scientist (Nuot Arquint plays this all but soundlessly). A number of gruesome 'experiments' leads to a
shocking finale.
'The Horde' starts with a funeral which seems to be of a gang member whose relationship with a woman who turns up at the
ceremony was somehow disturbing. It then turns out that this is actually a select undercover police group and that she is
blamed for his death. They unofficially set out to get revenge on the drug lord who killed their colleague but their raid goes
wrong and they are about to be killed when something external creates hordes of raging zombies so they reluctantly team up
in order to survive - the late start of the film meant we left before the end though only four of them were then left including the woman and the drug lord. I gather they escape only for her to kill him as she had meant to do from the start.
'Macabre' was the really late film from Singapore with lots of blood and anything but a coherent plot.
A new feature this year was the running of a second screen with a number of films each being shown twice. 'I Sell The Dead'
was bodysnatcher story with Ron Pearlman in a major role and Dominic Monaghan as one of the two main bodysnatchers.
The only problem I had was sitting in the front row of a small cinema and thus being unable to focus properly - which in turn
induced sleepiness - so I did not see too much of the film. What i did see moved along at a brisk pace and was more than a little amusing.
This meant missing the documentary 'Beware the Moon' about the making of 'An American Werewolf in London' but this was
followed by a restored high definition print of the film, both being introduced by John Landis who is definitely one of the more articulate film directors of recent years. Seeing the latter again after quite a number of years was an enjoyable experience and the enhanced print added a lot.
Federico Zampaglione is a highly thought-of Italian rock musician and 'Shadow' is his debut film. An American soldier returning from Iraq is on a mountain biking tour following a classic trail in the Italian foothills of the Alps. An incident at a
local inn leads to him and a girl he befriends being chased by two hunters until all four are captured in an isolated laboratory
by a cadaverous scientist (Nuot Arquint plays this all but soundlessly). A number of gruesome 'experiments' leads to a
shocking finale.
'The Horde' starts with a funeral which seems to be of a gang member whose relationship with a woman who turns up at the
ceremony was somehow disturbing. It then turns out that this is actually a select undercover police group and that she is
blamed for his death. They unofficially set out to get revenge on the drug lord who killed their colleague but their raid goes
wrong and they are about to be killed when something external creates hordes of raging zombies so they reluctantly team up
in order to survive - the late start of the film meant we left before the end though only four of them were then left including the woman and the drug lord. I gather they escape only for her to kill him as she had meant to do from the start.
'Macabre' was the really late film from Singapore with lots of blood and anything but a coherent plot.
Frightfest 2009: Day 1
The opening film on 27 August was 'Triangle' with Melissa George in the lead. A time-warp chiller with an initially believable premise and a strong central performance, the film became over-involved and, ultimately, unbelievable. For a yacht to overturn in a storm and then find a deserted liner bearing down on the party survivors is acceptable but the plot's turning on
itself again and again, while making for some scary moments, just did not work.
'The Hills Run Red' had a film buff searching for the full print of a 'classic' horror film of which only the trailer seemed to have
survived. Locating the director's daughter (played by a shapely and exposed Sophie Monk), he persuades her to take him and
his friends to the film's backwoods location where they become part of what was a never finished film - not exactly that good a film, it had its moments.
The late night programme of 'Infestation' and 'Deadwalkers" was missed, as usual.
itself again and again, while making for some scary moments, just did not work.
'The Hills Run Red' had a film buff searching for the full print of a 'classic' horror film of which only the trailer seemed to have
survived. Locating the director's daughter (played by a shapely and exposed Sophie Monk), he persuades her to take him and
his friends to the film's backwoods location where they become part of what was a never finished film - not exactly that good a film, it had its moments.
The late night programme of 'Infestation' and 'Deadwalkers" was missed, as usual.
Williams, Liz: The Poison Master
A combination of Tudor period magical divinations featuring known historical persons and a future where some planets are
relatively backward in many ways while others are very technically advanced and inter-stellar travel is avaiulable to the rich and powerful, this was enjoyable without being overly engrossing. The three different elements - Tudor Europe, the backward planet and the highly advanced areas - are each well done but do not quite make a coherent and acceptable whole.
Something is missing but I cannot quite work out what.
relatively backward in many ways while others are very technically advanced and inter-stellar travel is avaiulable to the rich and powerful, this was enjoyable without being overly engrossing. The three different elements - Tudor Europe, the backward planet and the highly advanced areas - are each well done but do not quite make a coherent and acceptable whole.
Something is missing but I cannot quite work out what.
Stross, Charles: Iron Sunrise
A second novel following the previously reviewed 'Singularity Sky' with Rachel Mansour and her husband again featuring though not the central focus. Well thought out plotting with a young heroine for whom everything does not go according to
plan even with a 'deus ex machina' providing support. Very believable though the scientific elements have to be taken on trust (at least by those such as I with limited knowledge); these elements are consistently applied and do not have any of the
'with one leap he was free because the author forgot to mention something basic' spoiling episodes. An easy read and good
enough to encourage further reading by this author.
plan even with a 'deus ex machina' providing support. Very believable though the scientific elements have to be taken on trust (at least by those such as I with limited knowledge); these elements are consistently applied and do not have any of the
'with one leap he was free because the author forgot to mention something basic' spoiling episodes. An easy read and good
enough to encourage further reading by this author.
Larsson, Stieg: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
The first of the 'Millenium Trirlogy' which has rightly been acclaimed. A complicated mystery about a girl who vanished 40
years earlier and is presumed dead though no body has ever been found. The journalist hired to re-visit the case by the now
retired business tycoon, whose favourite the girl was, agrees to do so because he is promised information on another tycoon
who has just successfully sued him for libel. The eponymous heroine is initially unrelated to this but is hired well into the
journalist's work because of her reputation for unearthing information from many sources, often doing this illegally. There
are a number of strands, some related, some not, which combine excellently and the whole story moves along to a conclusion that is both startling and enexpected. The book most definitely deserves its reputation.
years earlier and is presumed dead though no body has ever been found. The journalist hired to re-visit the case by the now
retired business tycoon, whose favourite the girl was, agrees to do so because he is promised information on another tycoon
who has just successfully sued him for libel. The eponymous heroine is initially unrelated to this but is hired well into the
journalist's work because of her reputation for unearthing information from many sources, often doing this illegally. There
are a number of strands, some related, some not, which combine excellently and the whole story moves along to a conclusion that is both startling and enexpected. The book most definitely deserves its reputation.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Romy Schneider
Cinemoi had a Romy Schneider season in the Spring which still left one wondering at her iconic status as one of the great female actresses of European films. While I have seen her described as beautiful, this is surely journalistic exagerration as she is easy on the eye but no head-turner.
'L'important c'est d'aimer' is a poor film but it must be hard for a good eactress to play a poor one trying to be good without resorting to over-acting. "Les Choses de la Vie' and 'Max and the Junkmen' were definitely worth watching to see Michel Piccoli in top form but Schneider's roles in both films were underwritten so much that she was a copher. 'Le Train' is something of a 'why was it made?' sort of film but at least she was better than Trintignant though he is another mystery! "A Woman at the Window' is another poor film saved bu a fine piece of acting, this time by Philipe Noiret; Schneider seemed ill at ease in her role which could have been better played.
Her career blossomed with her early playing of Sissi, the Austrian princess of the late 19th Ct, in three films which I have not seen. Her forays into US productions are on a par with those of many actresses who refused to be moulded into the expected Hollywood conception and her role in 'Plein Soleil' is again a little underwritten. Possibly there are films that do reveal an actress of great qualitiy but what I have seen to date does not bear this out.
'L'important c'est d'aimer' is a poor film but it must be hard for a good eactress to play a poor one trying to be good without resorting to over-acting. "Les Choses de la Vie' and 'Max and the Junkmen' were definitely worth watching to see Michel Piccoli in top form but Schneider's roles in both films were underwritten so much that she was a copher. 'Le Train' is something of a 'why was it made?' sort of film but at least she was better than Trintignant though he is another mystery! "A Woman at the Window' is another poor film saved bu a fine piece of acting, this time by Philipe Noiret; Schneider seemed ill at ease in her role which could have been better played.
Her career blossomed with her early playing of Sissi, the Austrian princess of the late 19th Ct, in three films which I have not seen. Her forays into US productions are on a par with those of many actresses who refused to be moulded into the expected Hollywood conception and her role in 'Plein Soleil' is again a little underwritten. Possibly there are films that do reveal an actress of great qualitiy but what I have seen to date does not bear this out.
Why the delay?
Dealing with the Vuelta a Espana which gave Valverde his first Grand Tour and Cadel Evans another podium place( though one
wonders what would have happened had he not lost a full minute through a very slow wheel change at as inopportune a moment as there could be) kept me occupied through 19 September with the subsequent World Championships which saw
Cadel Evans at last throw off the 'doesn't attack' epithet as he took the Elite Road Race title and the Boassen Hagen triumph in the Tour of Britain adding to the load. With only two more Classics to come, life should settle down to a more regular pattern.
wonders what would have happened had he not lost a full minute through a very slow wheel change at as inopportune a moment as there could be) kept me occupied through 19 September with the subsequent World Championships which saw
Cadel Evans at last throw off the 'doesn't attack' epithet as he took the Elite Road Race title and the Boassen Hagen triumph in the Tour of Britain adding to the load. With only two more Classics to come, life should settle down to a more regular pattern.
Monday, September 14, 2009
General Remarks
That brings the previous blog on to this one in full although its predecessor is, alas, lost in the void of cancelled electronics. The time since June when the previous entry was made has been spent readin back issues of 'Interzone' rather than any novels until not too long ago. Since the magazines dated b ack to 2000, reading them was long overdue and there is still a
long way to go to get up to date -watching cycling, films on TV etc. seems to occupy rather more of my time than it did which
may be a function of increasing years and reduced energy. There are still a few entries needed to bring myself up to date but these will all be original ones not previously entered ones.
long way to go to get up to date -watching cycling, films on TV etc. seems to occupy rather more of my time than it did which
may be a function of increasing years and reduced energy. There are still a few entries needed to bring myself up to date but these will all be original ones not previously entered ones.
Leon, Donna: Suffer the Little Children (15.06.09)
After a somewhat untypically violent opening, the continuing tales of Commisario Brunetti settles down the more normal espansive narrative with well-wrought scenes of family life interspersed with the criminal investigation (or should it be the other way round). Well up to the high standard of previous works, the only jarring note for me was the dialogue between Brunetti and the victim of the initial violence which brings the story to a close. While the denouement was anticipated in that it had been all but spelt out, the way it was laid out was not to my liking.
Sleuth: Shaffer/Mankiewicz/Branagh 905.05.09)
The original play by Anthon Shaffer opened with Anthony QWuayle and Kieth Baxter in the lead roles in 1970 before running for some 1200 plus performances on Broadway also with Quayle in the lead, Patrick MacNee taking over later.
It was rapidly followed by the 1972 film directed by Joseph Mankiewicz with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine to the playwright's own script. The plot is si9mple - a games loving best selling mystery writer persuades his wife's young lover to visit him in his country house, purportedly to discuss a divorce, but then plays a self-devied game with him. The film is set in a traditionally styled house (athelhampton in reality) with all the expected appurtenances of a rich country gentleman's life. The stage origins are emphasised by the opening shots which move in from a proscenium surround to the house's grounds. Olivier displays his usual run of histrionic tricks and funny voices in something of a virtuoso display to which caine as a half-Italian up-and-coming fashionable hairdresser responds in a much less flashy style - rather Harry Palmerish with emotion. This was Mankiewicz's last film and it does nothing to damage his reputation with few wasted shots and scenes, the two hours plus passing effortlessly in what is very much only a slightly opened out version of the stage play: effortless directing and excellent acting together give the film a high rating.
Kenneth Branagh refilmed the play in 2007 with a script by Harold Pinter with Michael Caine again, this time in the role of the writer and Jude Law in the role Caine had in the first film. Still set in a cvountry house but this one with an ultra-modern interior designed by the wife and with far less emphasis on games. The main differences are firstly, the debasing of the language to the extent that it seemed that every other word was either f...ing or c..., completely unnecessarily, secondly, that Law is now an out-of-work actor who also does hairdressing and thirdly, and most importantly from a cinematic point of vierw, Branagh seems to have discovered that cameras can be angled to record scenes or part scenes from ridiculous angles, none of which are in the last way helpful to developing or understanding the plot. With Caine's non-theatrical background, his role is far less histrionic than the Olivier one and `law again shats that, pace 'Alfie', he should not essay repeats of roles previously played by Caine. Seeing the two films back to back (though the eaelier one seen secondly was skip-watched) makes for the comparisons suggested but the more recent film has moved sufficiently away from the play that it is almost a different story and deserves to be considered in isolation, hard though this is to do (how does one dismiss memories). of the two, the former is the better film, even with Olivier, and the latter would be a better film, even with Law, had Branagh restrained himself
Comment
A far more complete and therefore better review than mine, but I think we agree which of the two films is the superior. I still can't believe that for once a remake was shorter than the original but as you rightly point out they are, in the end, really two different movies starting from the same basic plot but moving in wildly different directions.
pppatty
It was rapidly followed by the 1972 film directed by Joseph Mankiewicz with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine to the playwright's own script. The plot is si9mple - a games loving best selling mystery writer persuades his wife's young lover to visit him in his country house, purportedly to discuss a divorce, but then plays a self-devied game with him. The film is set in a traditionally styled house (athelhampton in reality) with all the expected appurtenances of a rich country gentleman's life. The stage origins are emphasised by the opening shots which move in from a proscenium surround to the house's grounds. Olivier displays his usual run of histrionic tricks and funny voices in something of a virtuoso display to which caine as a half-Italian up-and-coming fashionable hairdresser responds in a much less flashy style - rather Harry Palmerish with emotion. This was Mankiewicz's last film and it does nothing to damage his reputation with few wasted shots and scenes, the two hours plus passing effortlessly in what is very much only a slightly opened out version of the stage play: effortless directing and excellent acting together give the film a high rating.
Kenneth Branagh refilmed the play in 2007 with a script by Harold Pinter with Michael Caine again, this time in the role of the writer and Jude Law in the role Caine had in the first film. Still set in a cvountry house but this one with an ultra-modern interior designed by the wife and with far less emphasis on games. The main differences are firstly, the debasing of the language to the extent that it seemed that every other word was either f...ing or c..., completely unnecessarily, secondly, that Law is now an out-of-work actor who also does hairdressing and thirdly, and most importantly from a cinematic point of vierw, Branagh seems to have discovered that cameras can be angled to record scenes or part scenes from ridiculous angles, none of which are in the last way helpful to developing or understanding the plot. With Caine's non-theatrical background, his role is far less histrionic than the Olivier one and `law again shats that, pace 'Alfie', he should not essay repeats of roles previously played by Caine. Seeing the two films back to back (though the eaelier one seen secondly was skip-watched) makes for the comparisons suggested but the more recent film has moved sufficiently away from the play that it is almost a different story and deserves to be considered in isolation, hard though this is to do (how does one dismiss memories). of the two, the former is the better film, even with Olivier, and the latter would be a better film, even with Law, had Branagh restrained himself
Comment
A far more complete and therefore better review than mine, but I think we agree which of the two films is the superior. I still can't believe that for once a remake was shorter than the original but as you rightly point out they are, in the end, really two different movies starting from the same basic plot but moving in wildly different directions.
pppatty
Hill, Reginald: An April Shroud (03.05.09)
I don't recall having read any Hill novels before though I may have done. This one dates from 1975 so is an early entry in the Dalziel and Pascoe saga. Concentrating almost exclusively on Dalziel during a reluctantly taken holiday, it is both well written with believable characterisation and an interesting plot but also with a lot of humour to the extent that it is almost a comic novel rather than a crime one
Fowler, Christopher: Disturbia (27.04.09)
An aspiring writer has to solve a series of clues to different locations in London to stay alive after he becomes involved with a group of upper-class neo-fascists. Displaying his usual erudition and love of the unusual, Fowler has told a fast-moving tale which is anything but pleasant as there are a number of murders in the run-up to the denouement which has an almost unbelievable twist. Bryant of the Bryant and May books has a brief appearance as do others appeaing in the stories though they all are peripheral to the main story. Well-written but the overall effect was not at all pleasant.
Gold, Glen David: Carter Beats the Devil (18.04.09)
This long novel took some time getting through. Many chapters are excellent in themselves and the basic story an interesting none though it does get lost in the pyrotechnic display of information about the mechanics of magic. I have read it over a quite lengthy period as the book is too large for reading on the train etc., but it was interesting enough for me to persevere to the end. I don't know if i would have rated it more highly had I read it more immediateoly but I think now - well written and plotted but too diverse.
Frightfest 2009: OneDay Event (09.04.09)
The regular one day taster was held this year at the Prince Charles and a fine and varied programme of films it turned out to be.
EMBODIMENT OF EVIL
A continuation of the Coffin Joe series and thus an acquired taste which I do not have. A lot of the imagery was well done and the quality of the film noticeably higher than I remember from the early films.
SHUTTLE
Even though taking place at night, this was darkly lit and rather confusingly filmed though the basic story was interesting and several of the effects well done. In some ways it was a refreshing (!) change for the feisty heroine to lose out after coming close to success more than once. The sort of film that would, in the good old days, have been a fine scond feature if cut back somewhat.
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
This was a hoot as long as it was not taken seriously. A sort of 'Little Ship of Horrors' for tomorrow with some good performances from Paul Sorvino and others though the female lead was rather under-powered voicewise.
LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS
This was the surprise film receiving its premiere as ther had been someproblem with what should have been the first showing. The comic duo from TV is not one I know since my funny bone started to go when Morecambe and Wise stopped but they were pleasant enough in the small undemanding film. Some critics have subsequently buried it under a weight of comment the film is just not meant to have and some of the comments about the mainly female cast were a little cruel though none are great beauties: Myanna Buring who is the leade female is rather nice, however. Taken as a mindless bit of fun, it worked.
NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD
A lengthy documentary on Australian cinema from the 60s to date outside the 'serious' efforts of such as Peter Weir. Dealing with smutty humour, nudity, shock and gore followed by horror it had a fine selection of clips though the inane remarks of the inevitable Quentin Tarantino added nothing.
We skipped the final film as we have a copy though my recololection of it is that it has some good gore effects and little else.
Comment
Glad to see that you finall got around to this - again you are far more lenient than I
pppatty
EMBODIMENT OF EVIL
A continuation of the Coffin Joe series and thus an acquired taste which I do not have. A lot of the imagery was well done and the quality of the film noticeably higher than I remember from the early films.
SHUTTLE
Even though taking place at night, this was darkly lit and rather confusingly filmed though the basic story was interesting and several of the effects well done. In some ways it was a refreshing (!) change for the feisty heroine to lose out after coming close to success more than once. The sort of film that would, in the good old days, have been a fine scond feature if cut back somewhat.
REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
This was a hoot as long as it was not taken seriously. A sort of 'Little Ship of Horrors' for tomorrow with some good performances from Paul Sorvino and others though the female lead was rather under-powered voicewise.
LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS
This was the surprise film receiving its premiere as ther had been someproblem with what should have been the first showing. The comic duo from TV is not one I know since my funny bone started to go when Morecambe and Wise stopped but they were pleasant enough in the small undemanding film. Some critics have subsequently buried it under a weight of comment the film is just not meant to have and some of the comments about the mainly female cast were a little cruel though none are great beauties: Myanna Buring who is the leade female is rather nice, however. Taken as a mindless bit of fun, it worked.
NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD
A lengthy documentary on Australian cinema from the 60s to date outside the 'serious' efforts of such as Peter Weir. Dealing with smutty humour, nudity, shock and gore followed by horror it had a fine selection of clips though the inane remarks of the inevitable Quentin Tarantino added nothing.
We skipped the final film as we have a copy though my recololection of it is that it has some good gore effects and little else.
Comment
Glad to see that you finall got around to this - again you are far more lenient than I
pppatty
Manotti: Dominique: Lorraine Connection (09.04.09)
An interesting combination of industrial espionage, murder and the darker workings of government policies which uses real rather than imaginary firms. I assume that the basis for the story at the local level is invented though the high-powered scheming may well be a feasible interpreation os what may have happened. There is a steady pace throughout even during what are necessary explanatory or background passages and most of the leading players well described though many of the lesse ones are but ciphers - as it should be. It certainly kept my attention with the result that I read the book ssomewhat more rapidly than usual
Glauser, Friedrich: Fever (09.04.09)
Sergeant Studer finds himself in Paris at the start of the book, then Basel and Bern before returning to Paris and then travelling to a Moroccan outpost of the Foreign Legion in disguise in this very complicated tale of murder and greed. possibly because of the numerous changes in location and the occasional unexplained coincidences, I found this less satisfying than the books firmly set nin Switzerland while still admiring the excellence of the plotting and the economical use of language. As I have mentioned before, how much of one's appreciation is due to the translator rather than the originator is hard to decide though it must be assumed that the style of the former has to match that of the latter as closely as possiblt to prudce a satisfactory result
Glauser, Friedrich: The Spoke (09.04.09)
Returning to this writer after some time has passed, I was again delighted with the simple straightforward telling of what was a somewhat complex murder plot. Featuring Sergeant Studer again, the characters are all economically but believably portrayed and some parts, like the description of the village midway through nthe novel, are poetic without being overblown. It is easy to accept that Glauser was one of nthe greats of the inter-war crime story.
Dieu Seul Me Voit: Bruno Podalydes (02.03.09)
The first film I have seen on the new Cinemoi channel wich shows only Frecnh films - some classics, others not. This falls into the latter class though it is pleasant enough. It is the story of a boom operator who, over a few days, finds himself the lust object of three different women in a rather limited environment. Quite amusing in places though not as frothy as some French comedies can be, this film relies on the acting of the main characters, all of whom acquit themselves adequately.
Comment
Just a postscript: the lead actor is the director's brother and also had a hand in the not too brilliant screenplay.
pppatty
Comment
Just a postscript: the lead actor is the director's brother and also had a hand in the not too brilliant screenplay.
pppatty
Les Portes de la Nuit: Marcel Carne (02.03.09)
Apparently intended as a vehicle for Gabin and Dietrich which would have provided a completely different film, this moody evocation of Paris in the final year of World War II is not that good. Perhaps it is wrong to expect name directors to provude the goods in all their films (cf. John Ford and 'Gideon's Day') but this did not click. A rather melodramatic tale which was not helped by the wooden acting of Miss Nattier as the love interest, it has some nice touches - the sub-pot of the daughter and her new boyfriend, for instance, with Dany Robin shining as the young girl - but the main interest of the film now is like to be the appeance of Yves Montand in an early role and the theme music known in the USA and UK as 'Autumn Leaves' from the Johnny Mercer versiopn of the original Jacques Prevert verses.
Voyages Secrets: Paul Prevert (02.03.09)
Part of a Jacques Prevert/Marcel Carne season at the BFI, this farce was written by the former and directed by his brother. A simple robbery is conflated with a failing motor coach firm and an off screen revolution to provide a series of delightful visual gags which keep the action moving admirably. no great opus this but a pleasing diversion from the rather odd motor coach
that takes its clients on the mystery tour to an early appearance Martine Carol in the lead female role.
that takes its clients on the mystery tour to an early appearance Martine Carol in the lead female role.
Kent, Christobel: A Florentine Revenge (02.03.09)
While the description of Florence and its surroundings came across well as did the feeling of the city in winter, the overall pacing was on the slow side with the climactic scenes a long time coming. What did spoil an otherwise reasonably pleasing novel was the epilogue, especially the final page of it. The3 explanatory coda was acceptable but the book should have ended there.
Homes, Geoffrey: Build My Gallows High (Out od the Past)(19.02.09)
it is no wonder that the film is as highly praised as it is since the author of the book provided the screenplay which allowed Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer to give such memorable performances. The book must rate as one of the foremost of the genre - a complicated story of double cross wuth its roots in the past played out against a tender love story with the unfortunate but inevitable ending. Both the direct action and the interspersed almost lyrical descriptive passages are the work of a master craftsman.
Youth Without Youth: Francis Ford Coppola (19.02.09)
Based on a short story by the Romanian philosopher Mircea Eliade whose best known work is probably 'The Sacred and the Profane', this is completely unlike anything else Coppola has done. An elderly man falls and, while in hospital becomes much younger in appearance while retaining the memories of his life. Tim Roth plays the central role extermely well in a mesmerising film about belief and memory which demands another viewing to understand its complexity. Unlike "Banjamin Button' which is a strightforward tale of a baby born physically old and regressing through life to die as an infant, 'Youth Without Youth' is a far more complax examination of what it means to be human.
Face of Another: Hiroshi Toshiguhara (19.02.09)
A man badly disfigured in an inductrial accident which he caused is rejected physically by his wife. The doctor treaing him persuades him to try a new technique which requires him to select a live person's face which is then somehow fitted over his while still leaving the original intact and still in place. He does this and sets out to seduce his wife which he does successfully only to find out from her that she knew about it all along. he leaves her and the film ends with his killing the doctor. The film is low key with no 'horror' images as seen in 'Yeux Sans Visages', for example, though there are some deliberate distortions through various items of laboratory equipment. Near the end there is a rather disturbing scene of the man and doctor walking against a crowd of masked figures. The question of the extent to which appearance determines identity and behavious lies at the heart of the film and no real conclusion is reached. The man has a new face which gives him a new confident approach yet he is still the same husband that his wife has always known despite her physical rejection of him earlier in the film - her willingness to be seduced was because she thought that was what he wanted rather than any weakness on her part. A Japanese existential movie which is not as well known as it should be.
Four Months, three weeks and two days: Cristian Mungiu (19.02.09)
This highly praised and critically acclaimed film has recently received yet another reward and I still wonder why. I have seen comments claiming this is an indictment of the Ceacescu regime but the only real difference between the setting and that of an industrial city in Western Europe is the limited street lighting and the only other difference is that graduates are directed to their first employment which, with the state paying for their education, does not seem that unreasonable (cf soldiers in the UK having a university education in return for a given number of years' service). The acting of the female lead is first-rate even if her relationship with the girl needing, and getting, the abortion is not as clear as it might be and she is well supported by the rest of the cast. There are some fine camera shots especially during the night scenes but the overall impression I had was of a well-made film of no great significance about an incident of importance to thos involved but no more - the Dardenne brothers produce films that are as well-made, if not better, and every bit as miserable!
Pryce, Malcolm: Don't Cry For Me Aberystwyth (10.02.09)
The fourth Louie Knight noir in the parallel universe where Aberystwyth is home to, among others, veterans of the Patagonian war. With most of the characters continuing from the previous novels, the murder of Father Christmas starts the story off with Adolf Eichmann, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Etta Place, Mossad and the Pinkertons all playing a part. this is a briliant mix of noir and spy fiction with the latter being dominant. The many twists are reminiscent of those spy thrillers where no-one is quite who or what they seem to be with the whole revolving around the solidness of the ongoing cast led by Knight, his partner Calamity, his father Eeyore and his recovered love Myfanwy. brilliant in both conception and execution.
Kirino, Narsuo: Real World (10.02.09)
A rather strange novel about four girl students, one of whom lives next door to a weedy student they call 'Worm' who murders his mother, steals the main girl's bike and mobile telephone which then leads him to talk to all of them. One actually goes off with him which results in a tragic end for her. In few words, the author conveys the world of the girls and their respective natures very well though the overall impression is one of some disquiet - possibly this is intended.
Sullivan, Tricia: Double Vision (03.01.09)
An interesting novel in which the heroine seems to be employed as a human filter for images transmitted from a far-off planet where there is a battle between humans and The Grid whereas she is employed by a company that specialises in marketing using subliminal images - or does she? There is a conflict between what she considers real and a somewhat tenuous grip on everyday life. Even with different typefaces to separate the two worlds, I was not always certain which was which though this is possibly inherent in the plot. The book is well written and leavened with humour at times with both realities being credibly delineated.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Armstrong, Kelly: Haunted (19.12.08)
With the heropine a dead witch enlisted by the Fates to recapture a Nix, this is quite a good story with the lead character anything but infallible. It took me some time to get into the story partly because, as with most books these days, It read it in a number of small amounts though, later on, I made certain of extending these. Worth another try with this author.
London Film Festival 2008 (08.11.08)
Another festival has been and gone and it has been a little less enjoyable than last year though this may be distance lending enchantment.
DEAN SPANLEY
A delayed start as the cast were paraded for no good reason as only the director spoke. Early parts of the film seemed to be rather overlaid with tricksy camera angles which added nothing but a tour de force by Sam Neill and the usual charismatic performance from Peter O'toole which more than matched that in 'Venus' made this a delightful film to watch. Solid support from Jeremy Northm and Bryan Brown and a nice cameo from Judy Parfitt rounded things out.
THE WARLORDS
A Chinese epic which does not have spectacularly brilliant costumes like 'The Curse of the Golden Flower' but has a more solidly based character driven plot from the opening sequence where Jet Li, a general who has been thoroughly defeated, pulls himself from under dead bodies of his troops to the final few moments. Based, apparently on a manga, it tells the story of Li and two bandits who become blood brothers and then defeat the enemies of the Emperor but have a falling out. The battle scenes are very well handled with a cast of thousands (not CGI) in contrast to the very human interaction between the three and others. Overall, a very good film.
ACHILLES AND THE TORTOISE
The latest Takeshi Kitano effort is a distinct improvement on his previous two which were more than a little self-indulgent. A strange story about an obsessive artist who shows great talent as a rich child but then, following his father's ruin and death becomes impoverished while supported by a loving wife. The adult artist is played by Kitano and the art shown is his - some of it more acceptable than others - with the film being a satire on the art world of today, the indluence of dealers and their control of both the market and 'taste' and the ever-present search for the next big idea.
THE SILENCE BEFORE BACH
A finctionalised documentary with one very great advantage - Bach's music. Starting in an ampty set of rooms with a player-piano moving around while playing the Goldberg Variations, it then takes scenes from the life of Bach and, later on, Mendelssohn, as well as a number of contemporary scenes though what a lingering sequence of a well-rounded young violinist taking a shower has to do with the rest is not clear - at least she had the figure for it.
THE FUGITIVE FUTURIST
A short silent shown in Trafalgar Square before the main feature which I did not see as it had started to rain- sitting on cold steps is just about acceptable but cold, WET steps is not. The film purported to show a future London though a machine which showed the Thames covered over by a roadway amongst other fancies (and the winner of a future horse race) with the finale being the inventore being taken back to the asylum! Enjoyable.
LOUISE-MICHEL
This possibly claims the tital for the biggest load of pretentious rubbish I have set through (only because I had a dinner reservation at the end of the tilm). There are bad films cheaply made by beginners and others like some of the Frightfest offerings and many of those which go straight to DVD but this was supposedly made with serious intent and greeted with near reverence as the latest masterpiece from Kervern and Delepine whose previous offering 'Aaltra' had some merit. The best part of this mess was the fact that it ran only 90 minutes though this felt like several hours.
HANSEL AND GRETEL
A scary fairy tale for adults when a young man crashes his car and wanders into the forest looking for help. He is found by a sweet young girl who takes him to her home. His phone does not work and there is no phone in the house where the parents and three children make him welcome for the night - but the next day he finds no way back to the road and rescue. An interesting Korean film, well made and conceived with a charming and unexpected ending.
THE LIVING CORPSE
A 1929 German-Russian co-production which has been restored complete with orchestral accompaniment, a change from piano onl;y which can be a little wearing. The gret Russian director, Vsevolod Pudovkin, takes the lade role of a husbadn who wants his wife to be happy by marrying her lover but finds that is not possible as there are no grounds. He refuses to compromise by arranging a false adultery and then fakes his own murder which allows his wife to marry after a year's mourning. Some years pas but he is recognised by the man who was setting up the fake adultery who then tries to blackmail him. He refuses and there is a trial for bigamy (!) during which he commits suicide to allow his wife to continue her life. The two things that puzzle me and why he went back to a restaurant where he was bound to be recognised and why he appeared to be the one on trial. The film was long but well mad with some very noce shots and interesting montage sequences.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD
A great romp set in the 1930s - Indiana Jones meets the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! The plot which involves a treasure map, a bandit, a bounty hunter and a patty criminal and the Japanese army is almost irrelevant, providing the basis for a series of splendid set pieces - a train robbery, a running battle through the thieves' quarter of the city and an extended chase in the semi-deserts of Manchuria which is where the Japanese army gets involved. Very well done with the main characters all demonstrating great panache in their roles.
Comment
Yop... that about covers it. By and large we agree with each other (so what else is new/) with perhaps more tolerance on your part for historical 'epics' than on mine. The one thins we can agree 100% upon is that 'Louise-Michel' was a complete, but complete waste of our time (and I didn't reack 'Aaltra' either)
pppatty
DEAN SPANLEY
A delayed start as the cast were paraded for no good reason as only the director spoke. Early parts of the film seemed to be rather overlaid with tricksy camera angles which added nothing but a tour de force by Sam Neill and the usual charismatic performance from Peter O'toole which more than matched that in 'Venus' made this a delightful film to watch. Solid support from Jeremy Northm and Bryan Brown and a nice cameo from Judy Parfitt rounded things out.
THE WARLORDS
A Chinese epic which does not have spectacularly brilliant costumes like 'The Curse of the Golden Flower' but has a more solidly based character driven plot from the opening sequence where Jet Li, a general who has been thoroughly defeated, pulls himself from under dead bodies of his troops to the final few moments. Based, apparently on a manga, it tells the story of Li and two bandits who become blood brothers and then defeat the enemies of the Emperor but have a falling out. The battle scenes are very well handled with a cast of thousands (not CGI) in contrast to the very human interaction between the three and others. Overall, a very good film.
ACHILLES AND THE TORTOISE
The latest Takeshi Kitano effort is a distinct improvement on his previous two which were more than a little self-indulgent. A strange story about an obsessive artist who shows great talent as a rich child but then, following his father's ruin and death becomes impoverished while supported by a loving wife. The adult artist is played by Kitano and the art shown is his - some of it more acceptable than others - with the film being a satire on the art world of today, the indluence of dealers and their control of both the market and 'taste' and the ever-present search for the next big idea.
THE SILENCE BEFORE BACH
A finctionalised documentary with one very great advantage - Bach's music. Starting in an ampty set of rooms with a player-piano moving around while playing the Goldberg Variations, it then takes scenes from the life of Bach and, later on, Mendelssohn, as well as a number of contemporary scenes though what a lingering sequence of a well-rounded young violinist taking a shower has to do with the rest is not clear - at least she had the figure for it.
THE FUGITIVE FUTURIST
A short silent shown in Trafalgar Square before the main feature which I did not see as it had started to rain- sitting on cold steps is just about acceptable but cold, WET steps is not. The film purported to show a future London though a machine which showed the Thames covered over by a roadway amongst other fancies (and the winner of a future horse race) with the finale being the inventore being taken back to the asylum! Enjoyable.
LOUISE-MICHEL
This possibly claims the tital for the biggest load of pretentious rubbish I have set through (only because I had a dinner reservation at the end of the tilm). There are bad films cheaply made by beginners and others like some of the Frightfest offerings and many of those which go straight to DVD but this was supposedly made with serious intent and greeted with near reverence as the latest masterpiece from Kervern and Delepine whose previous offering 'Aaltra' had some merit. The best part of this mess was the fact that it ran only 90 minutes though this felt like several hours.
HANSEL AND GRETEL
A scary fairy tale for adults when a young man crashes his car and wanders into the forest looking for help. He is found by a sweet young girl who takes him to her home. His phone does not work and there is no phone in the house where the parents and three children make him welcome for the night - but the next day he finds no way back to the road and rescue. An interesting Korean film, well made and conceived with a charming and unexpected ending.
THE LIVING CORPSE
A 1929 German-Russian co-production which has been restored complete with orchestral accompaniment, a change from piano onl;y which can be a little wearing. The gret Russian director, Vsevolod Pudovkin, takes the lade role of a husbadn who wants his wife to be happy by marrying her lover but finds that is not possible as there are no grounds. He refuses to compromise by arranging a false adultery and then fakes his own murder which allows his wife to marry after a year's mourning. Some years pas but he is recognised by the man who was setting up the fake adultery who then tries to blackmail him. He refuses and there is a trial for bigamy (!) during which he commits suicide to allow his wife to continue her life. The two things that puzzle me and why he went back to a restaurant where he was bound to be recognised and why he appeared to be the one on trial. The film was long but well mad with some very noce shots and interesting montage sequences.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD
A great romp set in the 1930s - Indiana Jones meets the Good, the Bad and the Ugly! The plot which involves a treasure map, a bandit, a bounty hunter and a patty criminal and the Japanese army is almost irrelevant, providing the basis for a series of splendid set pieces - a train robbery, a running battle through the thieves' quarter of the city and an extended chase in the semi-deserts of Manchuria which is where the Japanese army gets involved. Very well done with the main characters all demonstrating great panache in their roles.
Comment
Yop... that about covers it. By and large we agree with each other (so what else is new/) with perhaps more tolerance on your part for historical 'epics' than on mine. The one thins we can agree 100% upon is that 'Louise-Michel' was a complete, but complete waste of our time (and I didn't reack 'Aaltra' either)
pppatty
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Koontz, Dean: The Darkest Evening of the Year (08.11.08)
Another first following from the Srephen King experience earlier in the year. Apparently, this is not typical of the author though it does mix the supernatural in a thriller setting. Character development was a little flat and the heroine and hero a little too good to be true while the villains were just bad. some of the imagery is rather overblown - " In the sky's distillery, the afternoon kight was a weak brandy" being a particularly noteworthy example. The various strands from the early chapters and skil;fully brought together and the book is a good read. I shall eventually try others.
Comment
I'm obviously having a pernicious effect on your choice of reading - but there are some treats amongst both Koontz and King
pppatty
Comment
I'm obviously having a pernicious effect on your choice of reading - but there are some treats amongst both Koontz and King
pppatty
Leon, Donna: Blood from a Stone (08.11.08)
Another excellent novel about Commissario Brunetti which again gives a convincing portrayl of Venice without hyperbole and presents a rounded picture of Brunetti and his family. The plost is possibly a little overblown though not until the denouement. Not only Brunetti's family environment but also his working one are skilfully depicted with economy. The whole series is well worth seeking out - and I must try one of the German TV adaptations soon
Banks, Carla: The Forest of Souls (08.11.08)
A rather confused novel in many ways, it examines the events before and during World War II in what is now Belarus by taking the back story of two elderly people, one the grandfather of a university lecturer and researcher and one the mother of the former's department head. The link is added to by an investigating journalist who interviews the grandfather as a result of which he has an involvement with the graddaughter while also being a friend of the mother. The murder of the lacturer's best friend provides the basic plot but there is an overload of information which is presented in a far from satisfactory manner.
Robinson, Todd (Ed): Hardcore Hardboiled (08.11.08
A variable collection of 'neo-noir' fiaction, some of them good, some of them not to good. As with most such collections, the phrase 'parson's egg' comes to mind though one doesn't know in advance which are the good bits.
Carofiglio, Gianrico: The Past is a Foreign Country (24.09.08)
A positively brilliant psychological study of the insidious effects of 'hero' worship when a law student is led astray by a charismatic man of about the same age (ealy/mid 20s) whom he meets at a party. Very much in the Patricia highsmith vein and completely believable with the early loss of morality coming in small doses once the first step has been taken. The parallel police investigation seems irrelevant until near the end when the denouement provides some sort of salvation. An excellent study of a flawe human being from an Italian master.
Frightfest 2008: Day 5 (24.09.08)
THE DEAD OUTSIDE
Yet another of the fatal pandemic leaving few survivors type, this time set in Scotland. Dour and downbeat, it is probably well done but just did not resonate withme at all.
THE DISAPPEARED
Set on a London housing estate, the elder of two sons is blamed for the disappearance of his younger btother by his father.
He starts hearing voices, meets a girl living in the next flat who persuades him to visit a clairvoyant. Matters come to a head when his best friend's sister goes missing and he is led to the rather shocking truth. A mix of realism and the supernatural comes off well though, as with the preceding film, I find it hard to relate to the characters.
MIRRORS
A Hollywood remake of a Korean horror and it shows - high production values with an in vogue star in Kiefer Sutherland, a nude Amy Smart (is it written into her contracts?) and brilliant special effects. At the end of it all, definitely inferior to the original.
Summary
Two outstanding films in 'Let The Right One In' and 'Martyrs', some greatly improved British offerings compared with earlier years and a strgong mix of schlock from the USA made this a solid festival if not quite up to one or two earlier editions.
Comment
As you now know ms smart manages to keep her duds on in 'Love 'n' Dancing'(but this is a movie that only completists like me are likely to see)
pppatty
Yet another of the fatal pandemic leaving few survivors type, this time set in Scotland. Dour and downbeat, it is probably well done but just did not resonate withme at all.
THE DISAPPEARED
Set on a London housing estate, the elder of two sons is blamed for the disappearance of his younger btother by his father.
He starts hearing voices, meets a girl living in the next flat who persuades him to visit a clairvoyant. Matters come to a head when his best friend's sister goes missing and he is led to the rather shocking truth. A mix of realism and the supernatural comes off well though, as with the preceding film, I find it hard to relate to the characters.
MIRRORS
A Hollywood remake of a Korean horror and it shows - high production values with an in vogue star in Kiefer Sutherland, a nude Amy Smart (is it written into her contracts?) and brilliant special effects. At the end of it all, definitely inferior to the original.
Summary
Two outstanding films in 'Let The Right One In' and 'Martyrs', some greatly improved British offerings compared with earlier years and a strgong mix of schlock from the USA made this a solid festival if not quite up to one or two earlier editions.
Comment
As you now know ms smart manages to keep her duds on in 'Love 'n' Dancing'(but this is a movie that only completists like me are likely to see)
pppatty
Frightfest 2008: Day 4 (24.09.08)
FROM WITHIN
This is set in a community ruled effectively by the local pastor whose fundamentalism is willingly accepted by the locals to the
extent that deviation leads to ostracism. His son is even more fundamental than he is. A series of suicides and the return of an outsider after the death of his mother lead to an unexpected denouement. Well enough done without being too good.
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
According to the writer of the novel and screenplay, the film is based on his own childhood with the supernatural element added. A teenage vampire love story which is extremely well done with the setting in a small town in the depths of winter excellently portrayed.
THE BROKEN is an English supernatural thriller - what happens when you see yourself drive by? Excellently acted by Lena Headey in the lead with able support from Richard Jenkins as her father, the twists of the plot tighten the tension in a believable London for a change.
AUTOPSY
A rather poor gore strewn piece of rubbish with no much to commend it.
MARTYRS
A disturbing Frecnh film about the work of a rich cult who lebieve that ultimate suffering brings revelation of life after death.
If it were not so well done and acred, it would be just another nasty piece of exploitation but the film is much more than that - almost up to the standard of 'Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door' from last year in its impact.
Comment
I did not find Martyrs a festival highpoint - too unrelenting for entertainment
pppatty
Reply
not everyone thinks films should just entertain: what is entertaining about slasher horroer other than the relief that it is happening to someone else
mgp1449
This is set in a community ruled effectively by the local pastor whose fundamentalism is willingly accepted by the locals to the
extent that deviation leads to ostracism. His son is even more fundamental than he is. A series of suicides and the return of an outsider after the death of his mother lead to an unexpected denouement. Well enough done without being too good.
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
According to the writer of the novel and screenplay, the film is based on his own childhood with the supernatural element added. A teenage vampire love story which is extremely well done with the setting in a small town in the depths of winter excellently portrayed.
THE BROKEN is an English supernatural thriller - what happens when you see yourself drive by? Excellently acted by Lena Headey in the lead with able support from Richard Jenkins as her father, the twists of the plot tighten the tension in a believable London for a change.
AUTOPSY
A rather poor gore strewn piece of rubbish with no much to commend it.
MARTYRS
A disturbing Frecnh film about the work of a rich cult who lebieve that ultimate suffering brings revelation of life after death.
If it were not so well done and acred, it would be just another nasty piece of exploitation but the film is much more than that - almost up to the standard of 'Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door' from last year in its impact.
Comment
I did not find Martyrs a festival highpoint - too unrelenting for entertainment
pppatty
Reply
not everyone thinks films should just entertain: what is entertaining about slasher horroer other than the relief that it is happening to someone else
mgp1449
Frightfest 2008: Day 3 (24.09.08)
PEUR(S) DU NOIR
An animated feature made by a number of different animators which I had thought of mssing. As it tunred out, it was variable but the good bits were very entertaining and there were enough of them for the lesser parts to be ignored.
DANCE OF THE DEAD
Zombie formation from toxic waste combined with prom night angst in a forgettable but enjoyable mix which turned out to be rather better than I was expecting.
MANHUNT
A Norwegian version of 'The Most Dangerous Game' with a foursome going into the Norwegian wilderness where they are hunted by some of the locals. Rather shocking and brutal with, yet again, the resourceful female escaping - or does she?
THE CHASER
A Korean suspense thriller where inept cops and an ex-cop lead who runs a call-girl ring. he gets involved in the hunt for a killer when he thinks he is losing girls because they run away. Very well done with a fine leavening of humour and a strong central role.
BUBBA'S CHILI PARLOR
A near amateur effort at producing the grindhouse movie reproduced by Tarentino and Rodriguez, much more professionally.
Virtually no redeeming features.
Comment
Ine tends to lore tolerance and patience after sitting thru (sic) so many films in a row but Bubba's whatsit was total rubbish
pppatty
An animated feature made by a number of different animators which I had thought of mssing. As it tunred out, it was variable but the good bits were very entertaining and there were enough of them for the lesser parts to be ignored.
DANCE OF THE DEAD
Zombie formation from toxic waste combined with prom night angst in a forgettable but enjoyable mix which turned out to be rather better than I was expecting.
MANHUNT
A Norwegian version of 'The Most Dangerous Game' with a foursome going into the Norwegian wilderness where they are hunted by some of the locals. Rather shocking and brutal with, yet again, the resourceful female escaping - or does she?
THE CHASER
A Korean suspense thriller where inept cops and an ex-cop lead who runs a call-girl ring. he gets involved in the hunt for a killer when he thinks he is losing girls because they run away. Very well done with a fine leavening of humour and a strong central role.
BUBBA'S CHILI PARLOR
A near amateur effort at producing the grindhouse movie reproduced by Tarentino and Rodriguez, much more professionally.
Virtually no redeeming features.
Comment
Ine tends to lore tolerance and patience after sitting thru (sic) so many films in a row but Bubba's whatsit was total rubbish
pppatty
Frightfest 2008: Day 2 (24.09.08)
TIME CRIMES
Another in a line of excellent Spanish films where the horror is psychological rather than blood-spattered. Ignoring the theory that you cannot go back in time (or forward) and meet yourself, the film plays with the results of going back a short way in time by leaving the current male lead in a nightmare where he meets himself not once but twice with devastating effects.
KING OF THE HILL
This late substitute for 'The Substitute' is anoth Spanish film again using the theme of killer children in the wild, more or less and adventure film than any sort of frightener - reminiscent of 'The Most Dangerous Game' withouth the prey knowing who was hunting them or why. Well filmed and gripping, it had a plus in that the hunter came out on top.
TRAILER PARK OF TERROR
This took the teenagers in jeopardy theme into a parody of the genre while piling on the gore. Not that good though it kept moving.
MUM AND DAD
What a nasty little film. Some nice touches though.
Gave up on the remaining films of the day.
Comment
I wasn't as taken with the two Spanish entries as you seem to be although i found the first one rather fascinating, albeit totally
unlikely
pppatty
Another in a line of excellent Spanish films where the horror is psychological rather than blood-spattered. Ignoring the theory that you cannot go back in time (or forward) and meet yourself, the film plays with the results of going back a short way in time by leaving the current male lead in a nightmare where he meets himself not once but twice with devastating effects.
KING OF THE HILL
This late substitute for 'The Substitute' is anoth Spanish film again using the theme of killer children in the wild, more or less and adventure film than any sort of frightener - reminiscent of 'The Most Dangerous Game' withouth the prey knowing who was hunting them or why. Well filmed and gripping, it had a plus in that the hunter came out on top.
TRAILER PARK OF TERROR
This took the teenagers in jeopardy theme into a parody of the genre while piling on the gore. Not that good though it kept moving.
MUM AND DAD
What a nasty little film. Some nice touches though.
Gave up on the remaining films of the day.
Comment
I wasn't as taken with the two Spanish entries as you seem to be although i found the first one rather fascinating, albeit totally
unlikely
pppatty
Frightfest 2008 Day 1 (24.09.08)
A month has passed since the rather tiring Frightfest weekend sponsored by Film4 so there has been time to allow the immediate to be replaced by a more considered opinion - though not any great change of heart.
EDEN LAKE
The opening film is a British effort set somewhere in a rural part of the commuter belt round London (at least one reviewer places it in the Midlands but I think wrongly so) which tells how a couple are terroried by a gang of local youths whose path they cross in a bucolic seting which is presumably meant to point up the difference between superficial appearance and 'reality'. Better done than many recent British horror films, it has some resonance with films such as "A Clockwork Orange' and 'Them' (not the ants one) while tending to reinforce the feelings of ther well-to-do about the 'lower' classes being a bunch of ill-behaved criminals which is far from the truth for the most part.
I KNOW HOW MANY RUNS YOU SCORED LAST SUMMER
An Australian comedy horror which should have stayed there.
Comment
I'm I guess pleasantly surprised at how well reviewed 'Eden Lake' has been (at least in the British press); I doubt the reviews will by quite so glowing in other markets.
pppatty
EDEN LAKE
The opening film is a British effort set somewhere in a rural part of the commuter belt round London (at least one reviewer places it in the Midlands but I think wrongly so) which tells how a couple are terroried by a gang of local youths whose path they cross in a bucolic seting which is presumably meant to point up the difference between superficial appearance and 'reality'. Better done than many recent British horror films, it has some resonance with films such as "A Clockwork Orange' and 'Them' (not the ants one) while tending to reinforce the feelings of ther well-to-do about the 'lower' classes being a bunch of ill-behaved criminals which is far from the truth for the most part.
I KNOW HOW MANY RUNS YOU SCORED LAST SUMMER
An Australian comedy horror which should have stayed there.
Comment
I'm I guess pleasantly surprised at how well reviewed 'Eden Lake' has been (at least in the British press); I doubt the reviews will by quite so glowing in other markets.
pppatty
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