Films: I

Interesting and quite powerful doco.

Superb film about a glorious legend.

entertaining to a point, but not scary and a little stupid.

Watched in August 2010

From it's glorious opening shots of a bleak snow covered Milan, it's buildings looking surreal, it's streets empty and over this, stark overly large titles, this film had my attention. We are introduced to a family, upper class, full of wealth as they celebrate the Grandfather's birthday. They live in an exquisite house, full of art and antiques, the family are presented as smart, clever and intellectual, yet there is a regulated manner to them, a certain behavior. Shots of the coldness outside, compare well with the warmth of the house inside. The film moves forward to summer and the mother, Emma, encounters a young chef through her son and an affair starts.

The affair is the start of the unraveling of both Emma and her family, a family that is almost void of emotion and suddenly they are thrown into chaos. It is a remarkable transition. The later stages of the film are so epic it feels like an opera playing out full of drama, tension and events unexpected.

The film is a masterpiece. Firstly it looks stunning, every scene is beautifully shot, unusual camera angles give a new perspective on an otherwise ordinary shot and production values are superior throughout, the house, the setting, the wardrobes all fit into the world we enter so perfectly. Simple ideas such as Emma sitting on the toilet touching her lips after her first encounter with her lover are wonderful. Little daydream sequences play out before being thrown back into reality. Dialogue is often used sparingly and music often feels the voids, sometimes quietly and with a gentle subtlety, other times with a loud flourish.

Then there is the cast, all fine in the roles, the house keeper is wonderfully gentle and kind, the daughter, herself experiencing love is beautifully played by Alba Rohrwacher, but one person shines throughout and that is Tilda Swinton. Here Swinton not only impresses with her Italian, but captivates throughout as Emma. She is radiant to look at and yet so brilliant at capturing so much, with at times nothing more than her face, using her eyes to communicate, it is both mesmerizing and beguiling to watch her. Her performance is so controlled at first as the perfect matriarch until her life encounters a change and we see her become a different woman. It is an astonishing performance.

The film plays out with some stark contrasts brilliantly: the opening scenes with the cold stark bleakness of winter is comparable to the coldness, the stiffness of the family. The external shots of the house and the city are so bleak, they have the look of black and white film. As summer is introduced and Emma begins her affair we have another vivid contrast, full of light, colour and nature, the idea of sex and nature, that love and beauty can be combined. It is an excellent comparison of the characters lives.

It is rare for me to be moved to tears in a film, well to be really moved, but I was completly absorbed with this, that at times it felt overwhelmingly emotional and beautiful to look at. The twist comes so unexpected and leads to the dramatic and tragic final scenes, that I was transfixed. The very final scene where the family turn to look at the girlfriend before they turn to reveal an empty room, shows the brilliance of the director.

This is a film that really affected me, as a story it is so brilliantly played, full of subtle moments, full of emotion and yet as a film it soars, with it's combination of fine performance and direction. Few films stay with me for hours after viewing, that have a effect on me that lasts, but this is one of them and what a stunning experience it is.

Great Hitchcock thriller. Clift is superb.

Interesting film about Fassbinder. Such a talent.

This really is a dreadful film, though it did occupy the flight to Auckland.

At times funny, at times, confusing. Great cast

More funny than I though it was going to be!

MIFF 2010Watched in August 2010

This debut from Canadian director Xavier Dolan had an 8 minute ovation when it screened at Cannes last year. Full credit must be given to Dolan for an ambitious film on a low budget. However I struggled with much of the film, which is a shame, as it has potential, storywise to be a great film.

Hubert and his mother are a terrible pair, both self absorbed, both loathing each other, both loving each other. Hubert is an angst ridden 16yrs and his mother is the scourge of his life. Hubert's attitude, his demeanor and his behavior are often brutally cruel, his treatment of his mother his often despicable and shocking and far from anything that normal teenage angst brings. This was what I struggled with, his behavior, he was vile and it all felt so unnecessary, there is little explanation to his dislike of his mother, his parents are estranged, but that seems irrelevant and whilst his mother his often no better than her child, she is a far more nicer person. Her love for her son, shows that despite his abuse and rantings, the love for a child can be maintained throughout. It is remarkable she can stand it all.

Teenage minds work in strange ways, we have all been there and to this extent I would like to think I can see Hubert's understanding, but I just found his behavior so horrid it made no sense. His being gay, seems to be a very little factor in his behavior, his a caring boyfriend and seems comfortable in his sexuality. Does Hubert long to be loved? Well, he is. Does he long to have a mother like his boyfriends? Well, maybe she isn't the same person, but he never gives her a chance. That he needs her is something he will never acknowledge.

Story aside, there are some nice moments in it, the scene where the mother lets rip at the school principal is worthy of an award. There are some nice camera techniques and the acting is good throughout. The film is very dark, literally speaking, perhaps this is a directorial choice or maybe it's because of the low budget, but interior scenes where often so dark it looked like night.

This is the sort of film that will be lauded by most and I wish I can be one of them, however with a character so unlikeable was difficult to. There are plenty of other more worthy teenage themed films out there that explore the difficulties of that age much better and are worth the praise: anyone seen The Breakfast Club?

MIFF 2010Watched in July 2010

This dark comedy started well, but two thirds in I began to struggle with it. It's not because the main characters are gay, far from it, that is not an issue, they are gay, but not stereotyped. The love is clear and real and different from other portrayals of gay love. I struggled with Jim Carrey's character Steve, he is a conman through and through and never stops being one. He is clever at doing it and this provides some of the funnier moments in the film. But Steve, for me is very unlikable, what he does is wrong and his treatment of his partner Phillip is often cringe worthy. Even though it would appear that much of his actions are for Phillip. Phillip is played brilliantly by Ewan McGregor, he is a gentle person, far from Steve. Yet somehow they find each other and love each other. It is quite touching, the romance, yet I couldn't get passed how dreadful Steve is. The final outcome is very sad and even though he never kills or hurts anyone, he destroys the chances of having what he wants the most; to be with Phillip.

I also struggled with Jim Carrey: he is quite restrained here, but he is still Jim Carrey and at times he just didn't appear right for the role. It's a shame as his opposite McGregor is really wonderful in his role. I wanted Phillip to be happy and yet we see that ultimately he never will be while Steve does what he does and that is tragic. There are somethings to enjoy, but for me it didn't work on certain levels to make this a hit.

Effective thriller. Nice special effects and Smith is good in this.

MIFF 2007This beautiful shot film follows the life of one man over four decades in what could be considered the most turbulent part of Czech history-from World War II, up until the Soviet takeover. His main pursuits are money and woman, the latter something we see alot of and mostly naked, so much so that he seemed over the top. Ivan Barnev is a delight as the younger Jan Dite and brings to the film some wonderful comic moments. He is a joy to watch. There are also some wonderfully whimsical moments; for instance when the woman is followed by bees. However the film did drag towards the end.

Wonderful film, funny and moving.

pretty graphic, but the Australian censors shouldn't have banned it.

Likable, but very flat and really fails to engage fully.

Nice enough thriller. Owen in his brooding best.

Nice doco - good concert footage.

Likable, but better if you're a Dylan fan. Some segments work better than others

This is both funny and camp and woeful and cringeworthy.

Watched in March 2011

When Joaquin Phoenix announced his retirement from acting there was a heavy sigh of disbelief. His subsequent announcement that he was making a hip hop record was met with raised eyebrows. Brother in law Casey Affleck decided to film this transition and the documentary I'm Still Here was born. The film follows Phoenix as he makes his announcement, grows a beard and tries his hand at hip-hop whilst it seems entering a near self destructive course of drugs.

Among this we have Phoenix' entourage, a two man team who seem to both aid Phoenix aswell as frustrate him, as he wonders why he's being driven around in a minibus whilst actors like Leonardo Di Caprio would be in a limo or how he doesn't want to go to President Obama's inauguration ball. Phoenix is seen dancing with prostitutes hired from the internet and getting frustrated that his rapping debut isn't understood by the crowd. And there's media buzz around his departure from acting aswell as his famed and very uncomfortable interview on the David Letterman Show, where he sat sullen and quiet whilst Letterman ripped him to pieces.

Of course, rumours abounded even before the films release whether it was all real or rather a very clever hoax, on viewing his Letterman appearance it seemed quite possible that is was infact real, that he had infact quit acting and perhaps gone a little mad. Soon after the films release however director Casey Affleck announced that the film was indeed a 'mockumentary' and him and Phoenix had worked on the project as a glimpse into the world of celebrity and how it's viewed by both outsiders and those within.

Knowing this before watching the film, makes for an interesting predicament; will this still work as a film? Infact it does and very well it does too. The film is very clever in absorbing the viewer into Phoenix's world and his career change. He makes for compulsive viewing and his performance as 'himself' is remarkable, he seems utterly consumed by the role, so much that the fact that it's a character we are watching and a fully thought out process disappears as we watch his descent into something quite dark. Because the film plays utterly straight works in it's favour, there is no tongue in cheek style here and it is at times impossible to know what parts are staged and what isn't. Some say the Letterman appearance was staged and Letterman was in on it; but there's also a meeting with Ben Stiller and encounters with Sean 'P-Diddy' Combs who it appears seems unimpressed by Phoenix' musical aspirations.

These encounters are as fascinating for their realism as they are frustrating for wanting to know if they were all part of it, none the less it all adds to the brilliance of the illusion. As a statement on celebrity it works very well, a scene where the screen fills with video of news reports, tabloid speculation and youtube user videos all debating Phoenix' choice is an overwhelming declaration of the fascination that is held towards celebrities and every move they make.

Towards the end with it's long scene of Phoenix visiting his father in Panama and walking through the river became a little tedious, but otherwise this is a very clever film that is engaging and compulsive viewing.

Failed to engage me even if Scott Thomas does a good job.

Likable and fun. The character with the acorn is the best part.

slighty too slow, but affecting story with stunning black & white cinematography

Effective with a good cast.

Failed to get me involved in what should be a climatic story.

While vaguely funny, it is otherwise just pushing the 'boundary' too far.

Interesting enough. Sure they have a message but will it do any good?

Likable film with a great performance from Culkin

Watched in July 2009

I was really surprised by this animated feature. I had heard very little about it and watched it based on a few good reviews and I really enjoyed it. The characters are great, as is the animation and more to the point it's often very funny, though much of the humour I felt would have gone over most kids heads. Sean Hayes and Steve Buscemi provided many of these laughs through their characters, Brain and Scamper. You can see the outcome a mile away but it is all really well brought together.

Likable and effective film. Nicely shot.