As much for the pictures as the text!!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 05, 2011
Sundance Cinemas, Welcome to Houston!
So far I have attended three screenings at the new downtown art house cinema, Sundance Cinemas, and let me tell you, my movie-going will never be the same! After a much-needed $3 million renovation of the former home of the neglected Angelika Film Center (neglected by Houstonians AND by its corporate parent), the place has been transformed into a Movie Palace.
The ticket prices are transformed, too. Introducing a concept called 'amenity fees' -- to counter the cost of being 'green', so they say --each ticket comes with a surcharge of $0 to $2.00, depending on the time of day. You will need a cheat sheet to figure out how much a movie will cost at any given screening. Even after paying more than I've ever paid to see a movie outside of NYC ($12.50 on weeknights, $15.50 to see Hugo in 3D!), I intend to be a regular.
The 3 films I saw there were:
1) J. Edgar -- with such a clear picture, you can see just how bad the make-up jobs were on the actors.
2) Melancholia -- if you have to sit through this bore, it might as well be in nice surroundings (with a pizza and wine). The constant thumping from the Twilight soundtrack in the next theater was a major distraction.
3) Hugo - 3D -- the cool glasses aside (which they wouldn't let me keep!), I did not get much from the 3D experience.
Another plus: each theater's capacity has been dramatically reduced, giving it the feel of a screening room more than a multiplex. The projection was exceptional, the seats plush and rocking. As I said before, I intend to be a regular. Who else should support a venue like this but the foreignfilmguy?? It's my duty, cost be damned!! [I'll never get used to the 'reserved seating' concept, however -- I like to choose my seat once I get in the theater (after I identify all the talkers and avoid them!).]
The ticket prices are transformed, too. Introducing a concept called 'amenity fees' -- to counter the cost of being 'green', so they say --each ticket comes with a surcharge of $0 to $2.00, depending on the time of day. You will need a cheat sheet to figure out how much a movie will cost at any given screening. Even after paying more than I've ever paid to see a movie outside of NYC ($12.50 on weeknights, $15.50 to see Hugo in 3D!), I intend to be a regular.
Concession stand at Sundance Houston
(the wine bar is to the left of this picture)
Yes, a wine bar! And real food (the pizza's are not great, however).
The 3 films I saw there were:
1) J. Edgar -- with such a clear picture, you can see just how bad the make-up jobs were on the actors.
2) Melancholia -- if you have to sit through this bore, it might as well be in nice surroundings (with a pizza and wine). The constant thumping from the Twilight soundtrack in the next theater was a major distraction.
3) Hugo - 3D -- the cool glasses aside (which they wouldn't let me keep!), I did not get much from the 3D experience.
Another plus: each theater's capacity has been dramatically reduced, giving it the feel of a screening room more than a multiplex. The projection was exceptional, the seats plush and rocking. As I said before, I intend to be a regular. Who else should support a venue like this but the foreignfilmguy?? It's my duty, cost be damned!! [I'll never get used to the 'reserved seating' concept, however -- I like to choose my seat once I get in the theater (after I identify all the talkers and avoid them!).]
Sunday, November 27, 2011
My blog's Re-Dedication
Goodbye Naomi ... hello Jessica!Are you like me? Have you watched all five of the lovely actress Jessica Chastain's movies that have been released this calendar year, and you still can't get enough of her? Well, this posting is for YOU!
I predict 2011 will go down in Hollywood history as the year of the "Jessica Chastain Harmonic Convergence." In case you've been under a cinematic rock these past 10 months (or watching the latest 3-D / comic-book summer-time nonsense that invades our screens every year), I have included at the end a brief rundown of her five break-though performances so far in 2011 (with more complete reviews to come).
In a quirk of filming schedules and studio politics, all five of these films have been released in quick succession, leading one to think this woman is a work-a-holic, and on every studio head's speed-dial. In fact, I understand The Debt was in the can for a year before the studio released it; Tree of Life director Terence Malick takes a notoriously long time to complete a film (Tree was shot in 2008, in Smithville, Texas mainly--with Sean Penn's work scenes filmed in the downtown Houston office building where FFG has his day job -- shout out to 1100 Louisiana!).
For that reason, she deserves the place of honor on my blog once reserved for the likes of Sandra Bullock and Naomi Watts.*
I'm basing my assessment of her star potential purely on her film work to date. All I know about her personally is the following (courtesy of imdb): Born: Jessica N. HowardMarch 29, 1981 in California, USA. She is obviously too busy filming to sit down for cover stories and fashion shoots, which no doubt will come in time. [I respectfully offer one bit of (self-interested) career advice: "Buy a house on Lake Travis in Austin -- just to get away from it all!" And ... don't hook-up with tatooed-biker bad-boys.]
I plan to post lots more glamour shots of her in the coming months -- I expect her to be a fixture on the red carpet during awards season (mark my words!) The question is not if she will get nominated, but how many!? I read a debate among people who predict Oscar nominations year-round (not an occupation to be proud of) concerning which one of her performances should be promoted in the two acting categories, since Academy rules now prevent multiple nominations for the same actress!
Here are her five best performances in 2011:
TREE OF LIFE
I'm still wrestling with this head-scratcher of a film (I need to see it again before reviewing it), but one thing is certain -- at the movie's center is the role of "Mother" -- and the film would not have worked if not for the unknown, angelic redhead whose performance was every bit the equal of Brad Pitt's "Father." A Star is Born.
THE DEBT
In the summer's best action movie, JC had to convincingly play a trained Israeli Mossad agent in WWII Berlin, whose mission is to capture and guard a Nazi war criminal, all while passing herself off as a German and a younger version of the great Helen Mirren. A piece of cake for JC.
I can think of numerous things this movie could have benefitted from, but here is the most-obvious one: MORE JESSICA CHASTAIN!
She is a delight as Celia Foote, the well-meaning, if ditzy, newlywed who is shunned by the society ladies of Oxford, Mississippi, and bonds with the maid who is also an outcast. While all the performers seem to be having fun with their roles, Jessica overcomes the screenplay's many broad brushes with dramedy and creates a sympathetic character you wish the movie had more time for.
Not that the movie needed to be longer.
While Aussie Sam Worthington wrestles with his Texas accent (sometimes it is there, sometimes
it does a disappearing act), his co-star from 'The Debt" (JC) breezes into her few scenes like a Texas Tornado -- all gun-toting attitude and gumption, playing a detective from a neighboring county working similar crimes, who is also his ex-wife, btw. Her accent? She nails it!
TAKE SHELTER
Another completely convincing performance as a young, Midwestern wife and mother dealing with the increasingly erratic behavior of her husband.
Another completely convincing performance as a young, Midwestern wife and mother dealing with the increasingly erratic behavior of her husband.
Not enough of a good thing, you say? Here is the good news: we have two more Jessica Chastain-starring films to look forward to by the end of the year!!
- CORIOLANUS - directed by Ralph Fiennes
- WILDE SALOME - directed by Al Pacino
- THE WETTEST COUNTY (IN THE WORLD) -- A crime-drama centered on a family of Depression-era bootleggers in the American South
These are indeed heady times for Jessica Chastain -- and for this blog, too (I cannot wait for awards season!)
- * Poor Naomi has succumbed to the "Sandra Bullock curse": she made one-too-many bad movies for the foreignfilmguy to sit through. In Naomi's case, "Mother & Child" was her "Two Week's Notice" (that lame Hugh Grant rom-com was Sandy's undoing). I couldn't bring myself to sit through "Dream House" in spite of its all-star cast. It looked as bad as Sandy's pre-Oscar "All About Steve." On the bright side, now that I have shifted my allegiance, Naomi should be in line to pick up her first Academy Award (a la Sandy's "The Blind Side"). I hope for her sake Naomi doesn't follow it with that other curse: the "Best Actress winner break-up curse"! Yikes!
- You can still read an updated tribute to Naomi Watts' many excellent performances in an upcoming post.
Monday, November 14, 2011
3rd Annual Cinema Arts Festival
Houston's BEST Film Festival closed with not one, but two memorable and important film events.
The evening showing of Lech Majewski's The Mill & the Cross (a full review to come) followed an afternoon screening in the same MFAH theater (a great venue, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) of a newly-discovered silent film classic, Upstream (1927), directed by John Ford, with live musical accompaniment by Donald Sosin and his ensemble (of Rice University music students, one of whom bears a striking resemblance to Zooey Deschanel).
For a clip of "Upstream", please visit my facebook page, until I can successfully upload it here.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Opening Night of Houston's "Cinema Arts Festival"
For your listening pleasure … A special performance by Russian classical violinist Philippe Quint (star of the opening night film "Downtown Express"), accompanied by his Julliard classmate Melissa Marse, performing 2 minutes of Tchaikovsky (not bad sound quality from my iPhone!)
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Contagion
3*** stars
Dir: Steven Soderburgh (SS)
Finally, a horror movie for germa-a-phobes!
- * That is putting it mildly, as the movie charts her character's fate in grim detail. I should let you vote on which Hollywood beauty suffers the worse, more-abrupt fate in movies this year: Ms. Paltrow or Christina Hendricks in Drive.
SS assembles a cast worthy of an "Ocean's 14" movie, only he uses them for a higher purpose. Matt Damon is good as Gwyneth's husband. Kate Winslet is also aboard, as a CDC investigator sent to godawful Minnesota (at least that's how the state is portrayed by SS, complete with snow and bitchy bureaucrats).
As he did so effectively in exposing the multitude of effects of the world-wide drug trade in "Traffic" (the gripping 200- Oscar winner), SS intercuts between several different storylines across the globe to detail the numerous agencies involved in identifying, then trying to contain, a public health threat of this magnitude. This device is less effective here, mainly because so many of the stories followed here are under-developed or half-baked. Jude Law makes a valiant effort to infuse some life into his character, but his story seems too contrived. That description goes double for the Marion Cotillard subplot -- she plays a WHO official sent to China to investigate the origin of the epidemic, and is caught in a ludicrous plot device. (She disappears for a large chunk of the movie, so it is hard to care about her fate, or understand her actions). SS is obviously more interested in the head of the CDC (an imposing Laurence Fishburne) and the team of scientists who franticly attempt to isolate the strain, then develop a vaccine -- lead by the riveting Jennifer Ehle, in another unglamorous role.
As I left the screening, passing by the ubiquitous racks of 3D glasses next to the ticket-taker, I thought of an effective way to market Contagion: every ticket holder gets a surgical mask and travel-size bottle of Purex. I would certainly use mine!
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
*The reason for the title of this post will be apparent after reading all three reviews
What makes "Weekend" refreshing is this honesty: the film foregos the traps of conventional storytelling to make the story charming or likeable: chance meetings and endearing quirks to ingratiate the characters with the audience are nowhere to be found. Instead, the movie focuses on what the lovers think and feel, and how they struggle to express that to each other. In doing so, it gets to a place that movies (about straights or gays) rarely have the courage to take us.
One Day (2011) - 2 stars
Dir: Lone Scherfig
With One Day, Scherfig dips into that well yet again, with two similarly-attractive leads in a British love story, only this time with a weaker script, exposing all her directorial inadequacies to the glaring light of day.
Let's start with the source material (one of those popular/maudlin bestsellers you are glad you avoided reading). The movie's central conceit is not bad: checking-in on one couple on the same day over a twenty year period. As in her previous film, the fashions and hairstyles are the visual guideposts that bring you into the period (even though the early attempts to make Anne Hathaway homely and geeky are woeful). Once you are in the period, alas, you immediately realize so too are those same overbearing, self-involved twits you've been stuck with throughout the film. Why the novelist would construct a story around these two unlikeable characters -- not immoral, bad characters, just 'why should I care about them' characters -- is a mystery. The very likeable British actor Jim Sturgess has the more difficult task: his character is an irredeemable douche! (Even his dying mother -- an out-of-place Patricia Clarkson -- thinks so). What "Em" ever saw in "Dex" throughout the years they remained friends, then became lovers (no spoiler alert needed) is baffling.
True, as the characters mature and movie reaches its conclusion there are some heartfelt scenes, but those emotions do not feel earned.
Whereas newcomer Carey Mulligan carried the previous film on her pale, delicate shoulders, the casting of American Anne Hathaway was a huge mistake. I will defend her and Gwyneth and any other U.S.-born actress for taking on British roles ("Becoming Jane" and "Emma" were both delightful!) but here her attempts at an accent are painful. It is as if she decided only to accent every third word. [How is it that the reverse is not also true? Witness Ms. Mulligan's believable role in "Drive."] Only a director tone-deaf to the English language would have allowed that to pass. Lone -- your time is up!
Higher Ground (2011) - 1 star
That leads to Culprit #3: Ms. Farmiga's insistence on unattractiveness. It seems to be her overriding directorial vision: make everyone in the film appear in as unflattering a posture as possible. The clothes, the lighting, the absence of make-up (forget real make-up, these people aren't wearing any movie make-up!) -- all conspire to give this movie its depressing and unappealing sheen. Even Ms. Farmiga's natural beauty is ill-served under the washed-out lighting that is the hallmark of a cheaply-made film. **Note the difference by watching "Weekend," where the light is harsh and unforgiving -- reflecting the reality of the characters working class milieu -- but it is never uncinematic. I call this whole exercise "Vera Farmiga's Anti-Vanity Project" (hence the title of this post).
Weekend (UK 2011) - 3-1/2 stars
Dir: Andrew Haigh
Starring: Tom Cullen and Chris New
Dir: Andrew Haigh
Starring: Tom Cullen and Chris New
It came and left Houston's River Oaks Theater in a mere week, but this British import might end-up on many a year-end Top Ten list (mine included). I admit to neglecting the genre known as "Queer Cinema" -- there are enough GLBT film festivals around the country for a cottage-industry of indie films (and bloggers) -- so I cannot say whether gay-themed films in the U.S. have been this bold and unflinching in depicting the beginnings of a homosexual relationship, not to mention doing it in the matter-of-fact style favored by Hollywood these days concerning young, heterosexual couplings ... always as romantic fluff ("No Strings Attached" and that already forgotten Justin Timberlake-Mila Kunis vehicle). But with "Weekend" the director makes a statement early-on: No Compromise, and No Apologies to the squeamish heteros who may be uncomfortable sitting in the theater watching this. That in-your-face quality makes this movie as honest and effective as it is.
The honesty comes from the natural, unselfconscoius performances by the two unknown lead actors: Tom Cullen as the quiet Russell and Chris New as Glen (imagine a British Ryan Gosling). The extroverted Glen gives voice to the film's attitude: at one point, he rails against having to hide his feelings in public and constantly defering to the sensibilities of others -- when those same people feel no shame in flaunting their heterosexuality in front of him. Having spent a weekend in the rough-and-tumble north of England (Liverpool) this year, I can imagine that being a gay man in Britain comes with a unique set of problems and prejudices. All of these are effectively realized in the working class Nottingham setting of the film. Some of the street scenes are so authentic you can tell the nonactors are unaware a film is being shot. A late scene at the train station is enhanced by this improvised, on the fly quality.
The honesty comes from the natural, unselfconscoius performances by the two unknown lead actors: Tom Cullen as the quiet Russell and Chris New as Glen (imagine a British Ryan Gosling). The extroverted Glen gives voice to the film's attitude: at one point, he rails against having to hide his feelings in public and constantly defering to the sensibilities of others -- when those same people feel no shame in flaunting their heterosexuality in front of him. Having spent a weekend in the rough-and-tumble north of England (Liverpool) this year, I can imagine that being a gay man in Britain comes with a unique set of problems and prejudices. All of these are effectively realized in the working class Nottingham setting of the film. Some of the street scenes are so authentic you can tell the nonactors are unaware a film is being shot. A late scene at the train station is enhanced by this improvised, on the fly quality.
What makes "Weekend" refreshing is this honesty: the film foregos the traps of conventional storytelling to make the story charming or likeable: chance meetings and endearing quirks to ingratiate the characters with the audience are nowhere to be found. Instead, the movie focuses on what the lovers think and feel, and how they struggle to express that to each other. In doing so, it gets to a place that movies (about straights or gays) rarely have the courage to take us.
One Day (2011) - 2 stars
Dir: Lone Scherfig
Lone Scherfig is a Dane. Lone Scherfig is a Woman. Lone Scherfig is a Danish woman director who's gig is about to be up! Riding in on a wave of celebrated Danish female directors -- I can only think of Susanne Bier and her Oscar-winning "In A Better World" (do two people constitute a wave?) -- Scherfig wrote (and apparently directed--there is an odd uncertainty on IMDB) the well-received "Italian for Beginners" in 2000. She hit the jackpot two year's ago at the helm of the sweet (but overrated) "An Education" which catapulted cute Brit Carey Mulligan to stardom and a worthy Oscar nomination. The movie's many charms masked its many weaknesses -- most of the latter involving the leaden direction of scenes and mis-handling of the actors.
With One Day, Scherfig dips into that well yet again, with two similarly-attractive leads in a British love story, only this time with a weaker script, exposing all her directorial inadequacies to the glaring light of day.
Let's start with the source material (one of those popular/maudlin bestsellers you are glad you avoided reading). The movie's central conceit is not bad: checking-in on one couple on the same day over a twenty year period. As in her previous film, the fashions and hairstyles are the visual guideposts that bring you into the period (even though the early attempts to make Anne Hathaway homely and geeky are woeful). Once you are in the period, alas, you immediately realize so too are those same overbearing, self-involved twits you've been stuck with throughout the film. Why the novelist would construct a story around these two unlikeable characters -- not immoral, bad characters, just 'why should I care about them' characters -- is a mystery. The very likeable British actor Jim Sturgess has the more difficult task: his character is an irredeemable douche! (Even his dying mother -- an out-of-place Patricia Clarkson -- thinks so). What "Em" ever saw in "Dex" throughout the years they remained friends, then became lovers (no spoiler alert needed) is baffling.
True, as the characters mature and movie reaches its conclusion there are some heartfelt scenes, but those emotions do not feel earned.
Whereas newcomer Carey Mulligan carried the previous film on her pale, delicate shoulders, the casting of American Anne Hathaway was a huge mistake. I will defend her and Gwyneth and any other U.S.-born actress for taking on British roles ("Becoming Jane" and "Emma" were both delightful!) but here her attempts at an accent are painful. It is as if she decided only to accent every third word. [How is it that the reverse is not also true? Witness Ms. Mulligan's believable role in "Drive."] Only a director tone-deaf to the English language would have allowed that to pass. Lone -- your time is up!
Higher Ground (2011) - 1 star
Dir: Vera Farmiga
I have nothing but respect for the acting talents of the lovely Vera Farmiga ("The Departed"). This indie film, populated with New York theater actors and filmed upstate (most-apparently on a one-shoestring budget) marks her directorial debut. Let's hope it is her swan song as well. (Sorry to be hatin' on the ladies in this post!)Culprit #1: source material! This messy, meandering, ill-conceived story is based on someone's memoir??? Apparently, the writer and her family fell-in with a cult-like group of evangelicals, and the story is her attempt to break free from the dogma of organized religion and forge her own relationship with God. I do not doubt her (or Ms. Farmiga's) sincerity in this venture: kudos to anyone who tackles religion and faith in a movie without tiptoeing around it or resorting to lazy caricatures.
Culprit #2: lazy caricatures! All the men in this flock are treated as unthinking-uncaring idiots, spouting pablum and ripe for derision (their idea of marital counseling is a group listen to a series of cassette tapes on how to please a woman). The Tony-Award winning Broadway actor Norbert Leo Butz draws the short straw in portraying the lead idiot. The sincerity of their underlying belief is undercut at every opportunity, just what you'd expect from a 'liberal Hollywood movie' (that's my attempt at caricature). One example: the movie appears to be set in the Seventies, but the clothes these unfortunate actors are forced to wear can only be described as Seventies-era Mennonite chic. How can the audience take these characters seriously when the director dresses them like clowns?That leads to Culprit #3: Ms. Farmiga's insistence on unattractiveness. It seems to be her overriding directorial vision: make everyone in the film appear in as unflattering a posture as possible. The clothes, the lighting, the absence of make-up (forget real make-up, these people aren't wearing any movie make-up!) -- all conspire to give this movie its depressing and unappealing sheen. Even Ms. Farmiga's natural beauty is ill-served under the washed-out lighting that is the hallmark of a cheaply-made film. **Note the difference by watching "Weekend," where the light is harsh and unforgiving -- reflecting the reality of the characters working class milieu -- but it is never uncinematic. I call this whole exercise "Vera Farmiga's Anti-Vanity Project" (hence the title of this post).
Thursday, August 11, 2011
3 recent films
From best to worst:
BUCK (2011) - 3-1/2 stars
Documentary directed by Cindy Meehl
A Sundance and SXSW fan favorite, this pleasant doc follows around horse trainer extraordinaire Buck Brannaman (the original 'Horse Whisperer') as he teaches his humane methods of horse training across the West. What makes the movie work is its engaging and pleasant subject: Buck's understated, self-deprecating personality is a joy to spend time with. Amazing, given his beyond-abusive upbringing by his unloving, drunkard of a father, who also trained Buck and his older brother as a trick-roping duo (the brother's absence from this project is the movie's only unanswered question). Buck's ability to deal with the terror he experienced as a child, and grow into this gentle, loving family man is a lesson in the power of the human spirit. In exploring the fraught relationship between father and sons, this movie is a nice companion piece to "Tree of Life"-- without the cosmic pretensions. Sometimes the best-told stories are the simplest ones.
BEGINNERS (2011) - 2-1/2 stars
Directed by Mike Mills ("Thumbsucker" is his only previous credit)
Starring: Ewan McGregor; Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent ("Inglourious Basterds")
This movie, by the husband of the more-talented director-artist Miranda July ("You, Me & Everyone We Know" and the upcoming "The Future") is cutesy without being cute; pleased with its own cleverness, but not that clever; and generally more interested in cinematic style over substance. I'm all for "meeting cute," but what was the point of having the actress/love interest pretend not to be able to speak for the first 20 minutes, then suddenly drop the shtick for no reason? Even the trick of having the family dog communicate in subtitles comes across as cloying, as the dog (a veteran actor who I think was Frasier's dog, too) seems to respond to his off-camera trainer more than to his onscreen co-stars. (Buck taught me to look for that!)
It is a shame the director makes such a muddle of his autobiographical story with this nonsense, since it would be a gripping tragi-comedy if played straight: soon after burying his mother, his father comes out of the closet at age 75 and finds out he is dying of cancer. Christopher Plummer is a marvel as the sympathetic septuagenarian. The rest of the cast is fine, too (poor Goran Visnjic ("ER") is quite miscast as the old man's lover, however).
Starring Kristen Scott Thomas ("The Horse Whisperer"), Aidan Quinn ("Practical Magic"), and a bunch of French actors I've never heard of before
This is the turkey of the trio, I'm afraid to say. Sad, since I am one of those people who thinks every story about the Holocaust needs to be told, again and again. (I recently watched the 9-and-1/2 hour Holocaust documentary "Shoah" in one day-long sitting!). Just don't tell it in this inept, melodramatic, badly-acted fashion!
The movie begins by following the fortunes of a small Jewish family during the notorious round-up of Parisian Jews in 1942 by the French police, who herd them into an overcrowded Velodrome for a week before transporting them out of the country to their ultimate fate. By far the most-compelling and authentic scenes in the movie (despite the overbearing musical soundtrack telling you how to feel), the movie makes two inexplicable mistakes: 1) it continually switches the story to modern-day Paris to follow an American reporter as she uncovers this story and deals with her own changing life -- which frankly, by comparison to the horrors we are witnessing, comes across as narcissistic in the extreme; and 2) the dramatic conclusion to the 1942 episode with the young heroine Sarah comes much too quickly, stripping the film of any tension it might have built for the remaining running time.
What we are left to suffer through are mundane scenes of the journalist tracking down Sarah's story (all movie journalists are intrepid!) and dealing with her selfish husband and in-laws. It is notable that these flat scenes are mostly spoken in English, because I have a strong suspicion that this French director doesn't have command of this language. How else to explain why the English-speaking scenes are uniformly stilted, unconvincing, and in some cases, downright poorly-acted.
I was surprised to read this movie was based on a novel, rather than true events, since the progression of the young heroine's life after the war is so messy and unfulfilling (as in real life, as opposed to a novelist's imagination). The very lack of detail in Sarah's post-war experiences is supposed to lend mystery to the story, I suppose, showing how a person's life and motivations are ultimately unknowable -- but by having this character speak not a line of dialogue for the last half of the movie seems to me a mistake, dramatically. I know it was a mistake, cinematically.
BUCK (2011) - 3-1/2 stars
Documentary directed by Cindy Meehl
A Sundance and SXSW fan favorite, this pleasant doc follows around horse trainer extraordinaire Buck Brannaman (the original 'Horse Whisperer') as he teaches his humane methods of horse training across the West. What makes the movie work is its engaging and pleasant subject: Buck's understated, self-deprecating personality is a joy to spend time with. Amazing, given his beyond-abusive upbringing by his unloving, drunkard of a father, who also trained Buck and his older brother as a trick-roping duo (the brother's absence from this project is the movie's only unanswered question). Buck's ability to deal with the terror he experienced as a child, and grow into this gentle, loving family man is a lesson in the power of the human spirit. In exploring the fraught relationship between father and sons, this movie is a nice companion piece to "Tree of Life"-- without the cosmic pretensions. Sometimes the best-told stories are the simplest ones.
BEGINNERS (2011) - 2-1/2 stars
Directed by Mike Mills ("Thumbsucker" is his only previous credit)
Starring: Ewan McGregor; Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent ("Inglourious Basterds")
This movie, by the husband of the more-talented director-artist Miranda July ("You, Me & Everyone We Know" and the upcoming "The Future") is cutesy without being cute; pleased with its own cleverness, but not that clever; and generally more interested in cinematic style over substance. I'm all for "meeting cute," but what was the point of having the actress/love interest pretend not to be able to speak for the first 20 minutes, then suddenly drop the shtick for no reason? Even the trick of having the family dog communicate in subtitles comes across as cloying, as the dog (a veteran actor who I think was Frasier's dog, too) seems to respond to his off-camera trainer more than to his onscreen co-stars. (Buck taught me to look for that!)
It is a shame the director makes such a muddle of his autobiographical story with this nonsense, since it would be a gripping tragi-comedy if played straight: soon after burying his mother, his father comes out of the closet at age 75 and finds out he is dying of cancer. Christopher Plummer is a marvel as the sympathetic septuagenarian. The rest of the cast is fine, too (poor Goran Visnjic ("ER") is quite miscast as the old man's lover, however).
SARAH'S KEY (French 2010) - 1-1/2 stars
Directed by Gilles Paquet-BrennerStarring Kristen Scott Thomas ("The Horse Whisperer"), Aidan Quinn ("Practical Magic"), and a bunch of French actors I've never heard of before
This is the turkey of the trio, I'm afraid to say. Sad, since I am one of those people who thinks every story about the Holocaust needs to be told, again and again. (I recently watched the 9-and-1/2 hour Holocaust documentary "Shoah" in one day-long sitting!). Just don't tell it in this inept, melodramatic, badly-acted fashion!The movie begins by following the fortunes of a small Jewish family during the notorious round-up of Parisian Jews in 1942 by the French police, who herd them into an overcrowded Velodrome for a week before transporting them out of the country to their ultimate fate. By far the most-compelling and authentic scenes in the movie (despite the overbearing musical soundtrack telling you how to feel), the movie makes two inexplicable mistakes: 1) it continually switches the story to modern-day Paris to follow an American reporter as she uncovers this story and deals with her own changing life -- which frankly, by comparison to the horrors we are witnessing, comes across as narcissistic in the extreme; and 2) the dramatic conclusion to the 1942 episode with the young heroine Sarah comes much too quickly, stripping the film of any tension it might have built for the remaining running time.
What we are left to suffer through are mundane scenes of the journalist tracking down Sarah's story (all movie journalists are intrepid!) and dealing with her selfish husband and in-laws. It is notable that these flat scenes are mostly spoken in English, because I have a strong suspicion that this French director doesn't have command of this language. How else to explain why the English-speaking scenes are uniformly stilted, unconvincing, and in some cases, downright poorly-acted.
I was surprised to read this movie was based on a novel, rather than true events, since the progression of the young heroine's life after the war is so messy and unfulfilling (as in real life, as opposed to a novelist's imagination). The very lack of detail in Sarah's post-war experiences is supposed to lend mystery to the story, I suppose, showing how a person's life and motivations are ultimately unknowable -- but by having this character speak not a line of dialogue for the last half of the movie seems to me a mistake, dramatically. I know it was a mistake, cinematically.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Meek's Cutoff - 4 stars****
Meek's Cutoff (2011)
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Starring Bruce Greenwood (Mao's Last Dancer; John from Cincinnati); Michele Williams (Blue Valentine); Will Patton; Shirley Henderson (Topsy-Turvy); Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood); Zoe Kazan (Me & Orson Welles)
To inaugurate a new year of movie-reviewing (a tad belatedly, but all I missed was the dreck of another Hollywood summer!), I have chosen this beautiful, thought-provoking film. The synopsis is provided by IMDB: "Settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions." That's the whole movie, right there; but to call it dull & boring misses the mark entirely. Crossing the Oregon Trail was rough! Hot, dangerous, and risky (without a capable guide), the film doesn't sugar-coat their travails (with fresh clothing, clean hair, and all the other accoutrements of a studio-produced film).
From the stunning cinematography and sound effects (the monotonous creak of the wagon wheels, for instance) to the many wordless scenes of the settlers walking through this barren landscape -- I had no idea Oregon had a desert! -- every detail adds to the group's growing sense of desperation. We have to experience that to appreciate not only their predicament, but to understand the 'leap of faith' one character takes that will decide their fate.
I was never a fan of director Kelly Reichardt before (after only seeing one of her previous two films, "Wendy & Lucy," also starring Michele Williams). Perhaps I had to sit through her previous film to appreciate her storytelling rhythms--patient, leisurely, with the silences conveying a character's feelings as much as dialogue (Michele Williams' talents are perfectly-suited to this director, as Wendy was in rather desperate circumstances, too). Bruce Greenwood does a fine job in the only role with any "meat" to it (I'd say bordering on ham, but only because all the other roles are fittingly under-played). Reichardt made a wise choice this time in using only professional actors (I think) in her small cast of nine. I suspect she used some non-pros in Wendy, and the movie suffered for it. The musical soundtrack was also well done: spare, yet edgy.
To those who may feel cheated by the ending-- and I count myself firmly NOT in their company (it was the perfect ending) -- two pieces of advice:
It's not the destination but the journey.
It's an 'art house' movie, what did you expect??
Sunday, February 27, 2011
OSCAR Predictions
You can follow who I WANT to win in RED, followed by who I THINK will win in BLUE:
Best Picture
The Social Network
The King's Speech
Best Director
David Fincher
Best Actor
Colin Firth
Best Actress
Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams
Hailee Steinfeld
Best Original Screenplay
David Seidler, The King's Speech
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Best Original Score
The Social Network
Best Original Song
"If I Rise" (127 Hours)
"We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)
Best Animated Feature
Toy Story 3
Best Documentary Feature
Waste Land
Inside Job
Best Foreign Film
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
"Technical" Awards
Art Direction True Grit Alice In Wonderland
Cinematography True Grit
Costume Design I Am Love The King's Speech
Film Editing Black Swan The King's Speech
Make-Up The Way Back The Wolfman
Sound Editing Inception
Sound Mixing Salt The King's Speech
Visual Effects Inception
Best Picture
The Social Network
The King's Speech
Best Director
David Fincher
Best Actor
Colin Firth
Best Actress
Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams
Hailee Steinfeld
Best Original Screenplay
David Seidler, The King's Speech
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Best Original Score
The Social Network
Best Original Song
"If I Rise" (127 Hours)
"We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)
Best Animated Feature
Toy Story 3
Best Documentary Feature
Waste Land
Inside Job
Best Foreign Film
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
"Technical" Awards
Art Direction True Grit Alice In Wonderland
Cinematography True Grit
Costume Design I Am Love The King's Speech
Film Editing Black Swan The King's Speech
Make-Up The Way Back The Wolfman
Sound Editing Inception
Sound Mixing Salt The King's Speech
Visual Effects Inception
Thursday, February 03, 2011
TOP TEN FILMS OF 2010
The wait is over! Here is 'The List'! As in past years when I haven't seen enough (or enough good) foreign films to make separate lists, I have combined the two.
1. The Social Network -- no contest, the #1 movie of the year.
2. The King's Speech (UK) -- an admirable #2.
3. Toy Story 3 -- and I thought I had outgrown animated movies!
>>hey, the Oscars seem to have gotten it right, so far!
4. Un prophete (France 2009)
>>Okay, forget what I said about the Oscars; they completely blew last year's Best Foreign Film award by not giving it to this amazing and gritty film (or the other great film of last year, "The White Ribbon")
5. Black Swan
6. The Kids Are Alright
7. White Material (France 2010)
>>for some reason, even the Cesars (French Academy Awards) ignored this one!
8. True Grit
9. The Fighter
10. Inception
Honorable mention (aka "The Next Five"):
11. Red Riding Trilogy: Part One (UK) -- I don't care that this was a BBC miniseries; on the big screen, this installment was searing (thanks in no small part to the great chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Rebecca Hall).
12. Winter's Bone
13. The American -- I loved the pace of this movie!
14. I Am Love (Italy) -- Tilda Swinton in an Italian melodrama worthy of Visconti!
15. Shutter Island -- Marty & Leo, together again!
A solid list, I think (but there wasn't a lot of competition).
RON'S TOP TEN MOVIES FOR 2010
1. The Social Network -- no contest, the #1 movie of the year.
2. The King's Speech (UK) -- an admirable #2.
3. Toy Story 3 -- and I thought I had outgrown animated movies!
>>hey, the Oscars seem to have gotten it right, so far!
4. Un prophete (France 2009)
>>Okay, forget what I said about the Oscars; they completely blew last year's Best Foreign Film award by not giving it to this amazing and gritty film (or the other great film of last year, "The White Ribbon")
5. Black Swan
6. The Kids Are Alright
7. White Material (France 2010)
>>for some reason, even the Cesars (French Academy Awards) ignored this one!
8. True Grit
9. The Fighter
10. Inception
Honorable mention (aka "The Next Five"):
11. Red Riding Trilogy: Part One (UK) -- I don't care that this was a BBC miniseries; on the big screen, this installment was searing (thanks in no small part to the great chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Rebecca Hall).
12. Winter's Bone
13. The American -- I loved the pace of this movie!
14. I Am Love (Italy) -- Tilda Swinton in an Italian melodrama worthy of Visconti!
15. Shutter Island -- Marty & Leo, together again!
A solid list, I think (but there wasn't a lot of competition).
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Oscar Snubs: 2011 edition
I promised I wouldn't get upset anymore about the inevitable glaring omissions in the nominations list, but the more I think about this year, I can't help myself. This time, I will go a step further and call out the undeserving nominees who took away the spots earned by the following performances.
But first, a tip of the hat to all the nominations TRUE GRIT received, and to the recognition given Deadwood-alum John Hawkes for his work in WINTER'S BONE. Well done, Academy!
Category -- Snub-ee / should have replaced:
ACTRESS -- Julianne Moore / Nicole Kidman
>>I have already made clear my admiration for Ms. Moore's work in "The Kids Are All Right;" I haven't made public my opinion that the great Nicole Kidman has sabotaged her career as a 'serious' actress through cosmetic surgery. Sitting through the contemptible "Rabbit Hole," I couldn't get two thoughts out of my mind: 1) that's NICOLE KIDMAN sitting in a bowling alley in Yonkers with a bunch of average-looking people; and 2) for as emotional a performance as playing a grieving mother, why isn't the bottom of her face moving? Below her eyes, I saw no expression in her beautiful face. What a shame.
ACTOR -- Mark Wahlberg / Javier Bardem
>>Nothing against Javier (I haven't even seen "Biutiful") but Markie-Mark's subdued performance was the backbone of "The Fighter."
Supp. Actress -- Mila Kunis / Jackie Weaver
>>Raise your hand if you have seen "Animal Kingdom." My point exactly.
Supp. Actor -- Andrew Garfield / Jeremy Renner
>>Solid, but not award-worthy work by Renner in "The Town," a standard crime drama; Garfield's breakthrough performance was vital to the superior "The Social Network."
Two comments about the 'minor awards." How can "Waiting for Superman" not be recognized for Best Documentary? How can "Alice in Wonderland" receive 3 nominations, but NOT one for Best Make-Up!?!
And finally, it has become a tradition with me to go off on a rant against one particular nominee (usually in the Best Original Score category). This year, the Winner Is .... A.R. Rahman !! for "127 Hours."
Last year's deserving winner for "Slumdog Millionaire" merely recycled the music and energy that worked so well in the previous film. For a movie about the isolation and desperation of a hiker trapped by a boulder in the middle of nowhere, it could not have been more inappropriate! As with Danny Boyle's "look-at-me" directing style, it was ostentatious and needlessly distracting. Jai-O!
But first, a tip of the hat to all the nominations TRUE GRIT received, and to the recognition given Deadwood-alum John Hawkes for his work in WINTER'S BONE. Well done, Academy!
Category -- Snub-ee / should have replaced:
ACTRESS -- Julianne Moore / Nicole Kidman
>>I have already made clear my admiration for Ms. Moore's work in "The Kids Are All Right;" I haven't made public my opinion that the great Nicole Kidman has sabotaged her career as a 'serious' actress through cosmetic surgery. Sitting through the contemptible "Rabbit Hole," I couldn't get two thoughts out of my mind: 1) that's NICOLE KIDMAN sitting in a bowling alley in Yonkers with a bunch of average-looking people; and 2) for as emotional a performance as playing a grieving mother, why isn't the bottom of her face moving? Below her eyes, I saw no expression in her beautiful face. What a shame.
ACTOR -- Mark Wahlberg / Javier Bardem
>>Nothing against Javier (I haven't even seen "Biutiful") but Markie-Mark's subdued performance was the backbone of "The Fighter."
Supp. Actress -- Mila Kunis / Jackie Weaver
>>Raise your hand if you have seen "Animal Kingdom." My point exactly.
Supp. Actor -- Andrew Garfield / Jeremy Renner
>>Solid, but not award-worthy work by Renner in "The Town," a standard crime drama; Garfield's breakthrough performance was vital to the superior "The Social Network."
Two comments about the 'minor awards." How can "Waiting for Superman" not be recognized for Best Documentary? How can "Alice in Wonderland" receive 3 nominations, but NOT one for Best Make-Up!?!
Last year's deserving winner for "Slumdog Millionaire" merely recycled the music and energy that worked so well in the previous film. For a movie about the isolation and desperation of a hiker trapped by a boulder in the middle of nowhere, it could not have been more inappropriate! As with Danny Boyle's "look-at-me" directing style, it was ostentatious and needlessly distracting. Jai-O!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
FFG is Wrong Again!
The Oscar Foreign Film shortlist was announced, and I only got one* prediction right!
Here are the nine films still in the running:
Algeria, Hors la Loi (Outside the Law), Rachid Bouchareb, director
Canada, Incendies, Denis Villeneuve, director
Denmark, In a Better World, Susanne Bier, director
Greece, Dogtooth, Yorgos Lanthimos, director
Japan, Confessions, Tetsuya Nakashima, director
*Mexico, Biutiful, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director
South Africa, Life, Above All, Oliver Schmitz, director
Spain, Tambien la Lluvia (Even the Rain), Iciar Bollain, director
Sweden, Simple Simon, Andreas Ohman, director
"The biggest surprise on the list is that Greece’s incest-filled, psychological torture film Dogtooth made the cut."
-- Those crazy Greeks! (I'm sure it won't make the final five by the staid Oscar committee).
"The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 21, through Sunday, January 23, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots."
-- Now that's my idea of a great weekend!
Here are the nine films still in the running:
Algeria, Hors la Loi (Outside the Law), Rachid Bouchareb, director
Canada, Incendies, Denis Villeneuve, director
Denmark, In a Better World, Susanne Bier, director
Greece, Dogtooth, Yorgos Lanthimos, director
Japan, Confessions, Tetsuya Nakashima, director
*Mexico, Biutiful, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director
South Africa, Life, Above All, Oliver Schmitz, director
Spain, Tambien la Lluvia (Even the Rain), Iciar Bollain, director
Sweden, Simple Simon, Andreas Ohman, director
"The biggest surprise on the list is that Greece’s incest-filled, psychological torture film Dogtooth made the cut."
-- Those crazy Greeks! (I'm sure it won't make the final five by the staid Oscar committee).
"The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 21, through Sunday, January 23, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots."
-- Now that's my idea of a great weekend!
Sunday, January 09, 2011
The SEVEN best actresses of 2010
January 11, 2011 --
Yes, I said SEVEN! If the Academy wanted to shake things up, they should have increased the big four nominations by at least one each, instead of their stupid idea to up the Best Picture nominees to ten!
With all due respect to Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole) and Michele Williams (Blue Valentine), whose movies I have yet to see, here are, without question, the Seven Best Lead Performances by an Actress in 2010:
Annette Bening* & Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right -- These two actresses are equally essential to the movie: I cannot imagine either would be as phenomenal if they didn't have the other. Both deserve recognition in the Lead Actress category.
Sally Hawkins, Made In Dagenham -- with every movie she stars in (too few, sadly), Sally Hawkins surprises me with her talent. Her face is so expressive, her acting so genuine, she is a true joy to watch.
Isabelle Huppert, White Material -- this French treasure never fails to deliver a compelling, fearless performance (she chooses her material very well). Here she plays a French plantation owner in an unnamed African country in the midst of a civil war, trying to hold her family's life together amid the chaos. You can't take your eyes off of her, as usual.
Jennifer Lawrence*, Winter's Bone -- the next three actresses all gave breakthough performances, none more surprising than this young actress (unknown, by me). Playing a mature teen (made head of her disadvantaged household by default) in the hellish backwoods of the Ozarks, she shows a grit and determination to hold her family together at all costs (I sense a theme here!)
Natalie Portman*, Black Swan -- nothing less than a tour-de-force performance, NP inhabits the paper-thin body (and fragile mind) a ballet dancer -- complete with all the rigors of toe-shoes, sore muscles and feet, and back-stabbing colleagues. You never once think she's an actor pretending to be a dancer. It is a transformation worthy of DeNiro!
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit -- don't believe the bullshit tactic by the studio (Paramount) to increase their chances of a nomination by promoting her as a "supporting" actress. She is literally in every scene of the movie! It doesn't matter that she is young and unknown, the movie is about her character Mattie Ross as much as Winter's Bone is about Ree, and Hailee's performance is not only the equal to Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn, she carries the movie. Don't take my word for it, either: the directors agree with me.
* I predict only three of the above-mentioned seven will actually receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination. It wouldn't be the Oscars if they didn't slight somebody in every category, would it?.
Yes, I said SEVEN! If the Academy wanted to shake things up, they should have increased the big four nominations by at least one each, instead of their stupid idea to up the Best Picture nominees to ten!
With all due respect to Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole) and Michele Williams (Blue Valentine), whose movies I have yet to see, here are, without question, the Seven Best Lead Performances by an Actress in 2010:
Annette Bening* & Julianne Moore, The Kids are All Right -- These two actresses are equally essential to the movie: I cannot imagine either would be as phenomenal if they didn't have the other. Both deserve recognition in the Lead Actress category.
Sally Hawkins, Made In Dagenham -- with every movie she stars in (too few, sadly), Sally Hawkins surprises me with her talent. Her face is so expressive, her acting so genuine, she is a true joy to watch.
Isabelle Huppert, White Material -- this French treasure never fails to deliver a compelling, fearless performance (she chooses her material very well). Here she plays a French plantation owner in an unnamed African country in the midst of a civil war, trying to hold her family's life together amid the chaos. You can't take your eyes off of her, as usual.
Jennifer Lawrence*, Winter's Bone -- the next three actresses all gave breakthough performances, none more surprising than this young actress (unknown, by me). Playing a mature teen (made head of her disadvantaged household by default) in the hellish backwoods of the Ozarks, she shows a grit and determination to hold her family together at all costs (I sense a theme here!)
Natalie Portman*, Black Swan -- nothing less than a tour-de-force performance, NP inhabits the paper-thin body (and fragile mind) a ballet dancer -- complete with all the rigors of toe-shoes, sore muscles and feet, and back-stabbing colleagues. You never once think she's an actor pretending to be a dancer. It is a transformation worthy of DeNiro!
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit -- don't believe the bullshit tactic by the studio (Paramount) to increase their chances of a nomination by promoting her as a "supporting" actress. She is literally in every scene of the movie! It doesn't matter that she is young and unknown, the movie is about her character Mattie Ross as much as Winter's Bone is about Ree, and Hailee's performance is not only the equal to Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn, she carries the movie. Don't take my word for it, either: the directors agree with me.
* I predict only three of the above-mentioned seven will actually receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination. It wouldn't be the Oscars if they didn't slight somebody in every category, would it?.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Fearless Oscar predictions
January 7, 2011 --
One of my New Year's resolutions is to do things early. So expect my annual Top Ten List on MLK's Birthday! And why should I wait for the Academy Award nominations to be announced? (January 25th, 7:30 a.m. Central). I will charge ahead with my predictions for who gets nominated -- in the Best Foreign-Language Film category.
This is easier than it sounds, now that the Academy has started announcing a "short list" for nominations in the Foreign Film and Documentary Feature category. Now, instead of waiting until nomination morning to be outraged by the Academy's unexplicable slights, we can be outraged two weeks in advance. For example, this year's short-list for Best Documentary does not include the well-received "Marwencol," "Sweetgrass," or "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work." !
Who can forget the outrage that accompanied the foreign film short-list for 2008, when Romania's "Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days" was excluded. The Outrage! It took me awhile to accept the fact that the whole system is rigged: each country can only submit one entry, so much of what gets chosen is dependent on favoritism, politics, etc. (like the World Cup selection). So this year, don't expect to see these foreign favorites nominated: I Am Love (Italy), White Material (France) or any of the "Dragon Tattoo" movies (released in 2009, but I'm sure Sweden could have nominated one). Instead, they have pinned their hopes on a movie called "Simple Simon." Go figure.
I haven't seen a short list yet, so I am making my choices based on the original list of 65 movies (including first time submissions from Ethiopia and Greenland!). Truthfully, I only chose movies I have heard of, so there may be some dark horses to emerge, but here goes:
Kawasaki's Rose (Czech) - since this is the only one of the 65 I have actually seen, I have to include it.
Of Gods and Men (France) - it's about monks. Good reviews.
Biutiful (Mexico) - actually a Mexico-Spain co-production, but it has a big name star and director behind it.
The Edge (Russia) - know nothing about it, but it has a Golden Globe nomination.
"Uncle Boonmee ..." (Thailand) - big winner at Cannes; I will spare you the actual Thai title and director's name.
That leaves Romania out in the cold -- again! But if one of these gets dropped, I would add Florian Serban's "If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle" (an award winner at Berlin). Other dark horses are:
- Denmark's Globe-nominated "In a Better World."
- Greece's experimental "Dogtooth"
- Turkey's "Bal" (Honey), also at Berlin.
Greece vs. Turkey: now that would be as brutal as a World Cup match!
One of my New Year's resolutions is to do things early. So expect my annual Top Ten List on MLK's Birthday! And why should I wait for the Academy Award nominations to be announced? (January 25th, 7:30 a.m. Central). I will charge ahead with my predictions for who gets nominated -- in the Best Foreign-Language Film category.
This is easier than it sounds, now that the Academy has started announcing a "short list" for nominations in the Foreign Film and Documentary Feature category. Now, instead of waiting until nomination morning to be outraged by the Academy's unexplicable slights, we can be outraged two weeks in advance. For example, this year's short-list for Best Documentary does not include the well-received "Marwencol," "Sweetgrass," or "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work." !
Who can forget the outrage that accompanied the foreign film short-list for 2008, when Romania's "Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days" was excluded. The Outrage! It took me awhile to accept the fact that the whole system is rigged: each country can only submit one entry, so much of what gets chosen is dependent on favoritism, politics, etc. (like the World Cup selection). So this year, don't expect to see these foreign favorites nominated: I Am Love (Italy), White Material (France) or any of the "Dragon Tattoo" movies (released in 2009, but I'm sure Sweden could have nominated one). Instead, they have pinned their hopes on a movie called "Simple Simon." Go figure.
I haven't seen a short list yet, so I am making my choices based on the original list of 65 movies (including first time submissions from Ethiopia and Greenland!). Truthfully, I only chose movies I have heard of, so there may be some dark horses to emerge, but here goes:
Kawasaki's Rose (Czech) - since this is the only one of the 65 I have actually seen, I have to include it.
Of Gods and Men (France) - it's about monks. Good reviews.
Biutiful (Mexico) - actually a Mexico-Spain co-production, but it has a big name star and director behind it.
The Edge (Russia) - know nothing about it, but it has a Golden Globe nomination.
"Uncle Boonmee ..." (Thailand) - big winner at Cannes; I will spare you the actual Thai title and director's name.
That leaves Romania out in the cold -- again! But if one of these gets dropped, I would add Florian Serban's "If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle" (an award winner at Berlin). Other dark horses are:
- Denmark's Globe-nominated "In a Better World."
- Greece's experimental "Dogtooth"
- Turkey's "Bal" (Honey), also at Berlin.
Greece vs. Turkey: now that would be as brutal as a World Cup match!
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