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Arsaib: I liked "The Five Obstructions". I liked the concept but it seemed that Von Triers was cheated every time and his obstructions weren't all that creative.
It does prove that limitations often spawn MORE creativity rather than less. This is something directors in Hollywood (and George Lucas) should take note of.
I agree that the obstructions themselves could've been more creative from the very start, but I think, like you said yourself, some of them evolved into concepts that ended up being much more interesting. So, there was a little give and take between the two. We should also take in consideration the budgetary concerns which might've had some impact (they still spent a lot form the look of it).
Good point about our filmmakers.
I was quite satisfied with the obstructions in The Five Obstructions as conceived by von Trier. I wouldn't venture to judge the creativity level of the obstructions. They seemed obstructive enough to make the way Jørgen Leth overcame them seem both inventive and elegant. Any thinking in this area impresses me, because my mind works the opposite way, toward finding ways to make things easier.
Indeed a good point about our filmmakers, but one surely wasted on most Hollywood people, who succeed chiefly by -- or in spite of -- excess.
The title of the film, Angel on the Right (Fararishtay kifti rost), is derived from an Islamic law which states that every human being has two angels, one of each shoulder, who document the good and the bad deeds to be interpreted on judgment day. So, with that in mind, it becomes obvious early on that one of the angels on our protagonist, Hamro (played with a brooding intensity by Maruf Pulodzoda who looks like an extra from a Guy Ritchie flick), hasn’t been doing much work lately as we learn that this ex-con has just spent 10 years in a Moscow prison for murder, and has also been involved with drugs in the past. But, as he makes his way back towards the remote, poverty-stricken village in Tajikistan, he doesn’t realize that he’s being duped by his mother (Uktamoi Miyasarova) and the local villagers (including a tyrant of a mayor) into coming back so he can pay off his numerous debts. Directed by Jamshed Usmonov, a Tajik who is most famous for a playing the lead in Darezhan Omirbayev's The Road (Yol, 2001), Angel on the Right is a relatively minor parable in every sense, although, it’s not without its pleasures. Along with examining a couple of interesting relationships, Usmonov often livens up his bleak milieu with dry humor and by introducing some wicked local customs -- one involves a barbaric hand-shake (Tourist Warning: Don’t try to bargain!). Eventually, Hamro comes across his son (Kova Tilavpur), possibly a product of his past relationship with a local whore, and develops sexual feelings for a beautiful young nurse (Malohat Maqsumova), but Usmonov wisely refuses to redeem this selfish and materialistic man for the most part. A political reading of the film might render it even more important, because as the director said, "[Angel on the Right]reflects the problems of present-day Tajik society, which is facing profound social and political upheavals and a seven-year civil war. The main character Hamro is the product of these events." If I were to decipher my opinion using the film’s titular logic, then I’d say that there's definitely more good here than bad.
Grade: B
*ANGEL ON THE RIGHT was released directly on DVD on the 21st of June.
*The film premiered in 2002 at the Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard)
*It was part of the Global Film Initiative series which tours many universities and other theatrical sites in order to promote World Cinema originating from remote locations. They recently formed a partnership with First Run Features so the films will eventually become available on DVD. Some of their other features include Whisky (Uruguay), Fuse (Bosnia Herzegovina), Shadow Kill (India), Today and Tomorrow (Argentina) etc.
In these days of religious and cultural confusion it may be best to point out that the two angels aren't a "law" of Islam but simply a part of the Moslem vision of final judgment referred to in the Koran and much elaborated in traditionThey're in Sura 82 of the Koran (Surat al-Infitar), The "shattering," describing Judgment Day in prophetic rhymed prose and famously referring to the two angels by the phrase, "Kiraaman kaatibayna," "two generous writers," and in another Sura it says they stand on the right and the left. So they're in the book, as the saying goes, but not exactly a law.
In these days of religious and cultural confusion it's better not to interpret the law w/out much knowledge of the subject at hand. Many friends and their family members do consider the book a "law," so it's not exactly "how the saying goes."
I have studied the Koran in Arabic, but I'm not a Moslem so if your contacts say the two angels are a law, so be it.
Just watched Sling Blade (1996) - Billy Bob Thornton
Got to give Thornton some respect for this one. His performance might not have been to spectacular, but that's jut because I believe that the mentally challenged are the easiest acting job a person can get, but I do admire the fact that he didn't exactly play this the conventional way. No tantrums or fits here, but more importantly I admired his directing style. Lots of long shots, and nothing in the film was really overwhelming, he could be a major American filmmaker, but instead he'd rather do a remake of Bad News Bears, but that's another story. He seems to have fallen victim to the win an Oscar, then make nothing but shitty movies curse that goes around. Hell look at the great acting roles Gwenyth Paltrow has had since Shakespeare in Love. Maybe I shouldn't pass judgement because Catwoman wasn't bad was it? Maybe Halle Berry needed to stretch with that one.
Anyways if I want to be generic, I'll say thumbs up on Sling Blade, kinda makes me want to kill rednecks though.
The Descent directed by Neil Marshall 2005.
Can't say too much because it'll probably take a good couple of months before it's released in the US but the basic premise is a group of 6 women set off to explore some deep caves and things go horribly wrong.
The good thing is, it's a film that has several layers and therefore several interpretations, you can take it at it's most basic, a fairly decent horror flick or you can delve deeper which means re-interpreting some of the early scenes, enough said for now.
Cheers Trev.
I think you're right there's no US release date announced yet, though I have seen a preview here. NOt to be confused with Descent with Rosaria Dawson, scheduled for 2006 and directed by a woman.
I read that The Descent is quite violent and gory. I've had my fill this year with High Tension so I'm probably gonna stay away. It seems like these kind of films are coming back so to speak (a Rob Zombie film is also on the way) after we had years of cheesy "teenage" horror flicks. I'm not affected by watching such mayhem (or maybe I am), but in any case, I'd rather stick to Argento or Bava even with their shoddy production values, idiotic premises etc. because they never take themselves too seriously.
I read that The Descent is quite violent and gory.
Yes that is true, it'll definitely please the gore-hounds in fact at points it reminded me of some of the films from the 70's and 80's, things like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes.
I also had flashes of Alien and Ripley also Predator and as for poor old Gollum, he will never seem quite the same again.
It is a shame in a way because the best moments in the film and the ones that crank up a real sense of danger are the ones involving the sheer claustrophobic feel of the caves. At least it didn't fall into the usual "all female" cliches, nothing remotely sexual and not just lambs to the slaughter. Another thing it reminded me of though was Star Trek, it was easy to work out who would be first to get it.
As I said initially this is a film of more than interpretation and I prefer the deeper meaning but judging by the reviews I've seen, that side of it has been totally missed.
I did see a trailer for the new Rob Zombie film, it looked about as appealing as having your teeth extracted with a pair of rusty pliers.
Cheers Trev.
it looked about as appealing as having your teeth extracted with a pair of rusty pliers.
C'mon, don't remind me of Oldboy again. ;)
One British horror film I didn't mind was The Bunker. It was also quite claustrophobic. The film was about a group of German soldiers (speaking in perfect English accents!) who end up in a bunker with secret tunnels et al. They end up retreating toward those tunnels where their haunted past catches up with them. It was more psychological than anything else. Low budget, but it was worth the time.
Finished Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), from Sam Peckinpah.
This is number 5 from Peckinpah for me and violent as ever. The film is dirty and in many ways nihlistic. Peckinpah seems to be a fan of everybody loses stories, and this is certainly an example. But with any Peckinpah film it's not who dies, but how they die, and the carnage is well calculated here.
In Crónicas ("Chronicles"), the focus is on media's coverage of events that are capable of being exploited, along with its victims, for personal benefits. Directed by Ecuadorian filmmaker Sebastián Cordero (Ratas, Ratones, Rateros), the film features A Miami TV crew -- including its flashy reporter, Manolo (John leguizamo), producer (Leonor Watling), and a cameraman -- which is dispatched to a poor Ecuadorian village in order to cover the story of a serial killer (nicknamed: "Monster of Babahoyo") on the loose, accused of sexually assaulting and then murdering his young victims. It doesn’t take long for Leguizamo to get involved after he ends up saving the life of a traveling Bible salesman (Damián Alcázar), who accidentally kills a young boy but has to bear the wrath of an already angry mob of villagers. Once in jail, the salesman cuts a deal with Manolo so he'll be shown favorably in his report in return for the clues of the real killer he met on the road (he even informs him about the burial site of a young girl). Manolo goes along with it while still believing that the salesman is the real criminal. Produced by the likes of Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro, Crónicas’s conventional narrative structure is enhanced by the realistic, atmospheric settings. The film boasts strong performances from the entire cast (but especially from Alcázar and a focused Leguizamo), while commenting on the voyeuristic and self-interest tendencies in reporters that damage the credibility of news reports. However, Crónicas loses some of its edge in the third act, venturing toward the more run-of-the-mill elements one often finds in Latin American films.
Grade: B
*CRONICAS is now in limited release from Palm Pictures.
*The film premiered at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard).
I agree substantially with your estimate, which you would see if you checked out my more detailed review of Crónicas done at the time of the San Francisco International Film Festival. I have seen the preview being used here: it makes it look very impressive, more that it is. Good packaging.
http://www.filmwurld.com/forums/show...F&pagenumber=4
Ha,...thanks! It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. I was trying to come up with something intelligent for about 3 other films at the same time (bad idea, I must say). Then I realized that this thing is out so I decided to clean up the shit from last year's Toronto thread. Thanks for the link to your fine review; I had forgetten about the fact that you saw the film. We certainly agree here. I think the film will do well, especially with the Latino community.
I hope it does well. So far, I don't know.
Remember The Crime of Padre Amaro? Huge in Mexico, but apparently no success here. Very entertaining, and with Garcia Bernal as a sexy priest. How could you lose?
We'll see.
MetaCritic rates both these in the low, very low, sixties, Crónicas slightly higher.
I was surprised by your comment that Amaro was "apparently no success here". Here meaning the USA, I presume. Surprised because while Mexican films don't do as well in Miami as Spanish films, Amaro had a long run here. So I went to IMdb and learned US domestic gross got close to $6 million. I am under the impression that's higher than the average gross for a foreign language film. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm also not sure Garcia Bernal was as famous when Amaro came out as he is currently.
I didn't find Padre Amaro entertaining. I believe it was overly melodramatic, and its heavy-handedness was ultimately draining. Unfortunately, the sexy priest couldn't save the film.Quote:
Originally posted by Chris Knipp
Very entertaining, and with Garcia Bernal as a sexy priest. How could you lose?
You're absolutely right. He can't save it. It isn't a good movie. IT was quite a sensation in Mexico because it contains shocking information about priestly corruption, but otherwise it was more on the level of a good telenovela than a good 'film.' Perhaps I appreciated Garcia Bernal more than you did. He's awfully good looking and it was a good juicy role for him. A better role than movie. I just thought more people would come out to see it than did, here. Crónicas is somewhat telenovela-esque too.
García Bernal is an extremely good-looking man. I have no problems saying that. But, there are a lot of equally attractive actors who aren't nearly as good as he is. And, even more importantly, he has a good head on his shoulders which is already proven by his choices. After the likes of Y tu mamá también and The Motorcycle Diaries he could've easily sold out but he has chosen to appear in indies like The King (James Marsh), The Science of Sleep (Michel Gondry), and Babel (Alejandro González Iñárritu).
While you two keep discussing Mexican actors you'd like to sleep with, I'll get back to Werner Herzog. Just watched Little Dieter Needs to Fly and it is not only the first documentary from Herzog I've seen, but the first of his films made in the nineties that I've managed to catch. I know my knowledge of foreign film rarely extends past the last twenty years, but I do make an effort, lord knows I can't keep up with new releases.
As for the film it was simple, moving, and confrontational. Herzog never once questions the war, but rather choses to look at the impacts of a POW in Vietnam. He could have very easily preached but he didn't. Even the moments of destruction and chaos were undercut merely as representations of fact. Herzog didn't seem to be out for sympathy, he respects his audiences intelligence too much. ALso have to commend him for returning to the scene with Dieter to show where he was taken.
Hey! Just because a man happens to find another attractive, that doesn't make him gay -- not that there's anything wrong with that. I'll be glad to pass the opportunity to Chris and I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
Film Comment did a nice roundup on Herzog's docs in their recent issue. Too bad it isn't available online.
Steve Martin introduced Garcia Bernal at the Oscars this way: "I'd do anything to look the way he does... except of course exercise or eat right." One thing is clear: I don't want to sleep with Werner Herzog. But he's made some great movies. Garcia Bernal has made some interesting choices. Padre Amaro was closer to his telenovela youth. I personally found dot the i useless, but it was a try. We'll see how these other new indies turn out.
In Old Arizona (1929) - Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings
This is the film that cost Walsh his eye, and his acting career. Would the film have been better had Walsh kept the lead? I don't know, early sound films almost always suffer from horrible acting, one of the few exceptions being Bessie Love in The Broadway Melody. Warner Baxter actually won an Oscar for his laughably bad performance as the Cisco Kid. Watching the film from Pre-Code Hollywood it isn't as readily predictable. I can't tell if they're playing against type by having the flirtatious female be the villian or if it's just mysoginist filmmaking. Either way I liked that touch. Direction was rather boring, which may have been Cummings since Walsh actually didn't direct most of the film. The acting was near attrocious, but the film does have it's moments. Over all I'd say only watch this if you're an obsessive Oscar dork who needs to see everything nominated for an Academy Award, otherwise please ignore, certainly not a high point in the career of Walsh.
:)Quote:
Originally posted by wpqx
Over all I'd say only watch this if you're an obsessive Oscar dork who needs to see everything nominated for an Academy Award...
I can't believe that I actually saw Dot the I; it's certainly useless. I think Bernal did this before some of his other recent work, but it just wasn't released till he became famous.Quote:
Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I personally found dot the i useless
Unfaithfully Yours (1948) - Preston Sturges
Absolutely amazing. Quite a pleasant surprise on all counts, complex, funny, and virtually unacknowledged. Don't know why this film isn't as readily associated with Sturges other major classics. There is also a little controversy over whether this is the complete film, as it was edited by Zanuck, but the film itself seems decades ahead of it's time. I'd recommend this film highly to anyone.
That could be true. I saw it in NYC in April. Maybe released in the UK earlier? It didn't do well.Quote:
I think Bernal did this [dot the i] before some of his other recent work
Is Unfaithfully Yours readily available?
I saw The Beat That My Heart Skipped today (Audiard). I think it's still playing in France, which is unusual for it to be here and there at the same time. It's very well done, keeps your interest from first to last and Romain Duris is surprisingly good--I can't believe he was so bland in L'Auberge Espagnole a couple of years ago (but he's been in a ton of films I haven't seen). His sister is a pianist who coached him and did some of the playing in the film. I will write a review.
Criterion released Unfaithfully Yours this week, so it is out, same release date as La Notti Bianche.
thanks
I can't believe he was so bland in L'Auberge Espagnole a couple of years ago (but he's been in a ton of films I haven't seen).
I saw him as Arsène Lupin earlier but he didn't quite fit the role. However, I just watched Tony Gatlif's Exils which started today in Toronto. He is excellent along with Lubna Azabal. The film is ravishing to look at and the sufi music makes you wanna get up and dance. Gatlif has made many "gypsy" films before (one with Duris called Gadjo Dilo); this one has him as a French Algerian going back to find his roots. I hope it comes to the U.S.
Fans of Zhang Yimou's Hero might not have been happy about the way it was handled by Miramax, but they would sympathize with the supporters of The Warrior (and there are certainly a few) because their film has been treated even more harshly by the same company. Miramax bought the film back in 2001 when it premiered on the world stage to much acclaim and sat on it for the next 4 years. But that wasn’t the only injustice The Warrior had to suffer through: in 2002, it became the British nominee for the foreign language Oscars but our academy disqualified it claiming that the film needed to be, well, in English! Some might say that’s the rule but the film the academy did accept from Britain (Eldra) was in Welsh. (This mess prompted a rule change but vagaries still exist.) Okay, enough with the backstory. The warrior is named Lafcadia (Irfan Khan), who's a servant of a tyrannical landlord in feudal India and goes about his job of raiding local villages, along with many other goons, without any remorse. However, one day, as Lafcadia is about to decapitate a young girl, he encounters an almost mystic vision of inner peace and decides to change his ways for good. Others don’t share his view, though -- the landlord sends in Lafcadia’s right-hand-man and good friend to seek revenge for disloyalty. Directed by Asif Kapadia, a Brit who came into the limelight with his student short The Sheep Thief which won an award at Cannes in 1998, The Warrior starts off with strong echoes of various Samurai films of the 50’s and 60’s, but the journey of Kapadia’s warrior (even after his only son is killed) doesn’t involve revenge. This simple and timeless story which is told rather matter-of-factly, yet with a Zen-like spirituality, eventually takes shape as the warrior makes his way from the harsh landscape of Rajasthan to western Himalayas. While Kapadia consistently keeps any violence offscreen, he fails to develop a strong enough motive for Lafcadia’s sudden change. Irfan Khan’s expressive eyes convey the anguish and the locales are expertly shot but more support was required from the narrative itself. So, it turns out that The Warrior has a little more in common with Hero.
Grade: B-
*The film was released by Miramax on July 15th in NY and LA.
So you've only just got The Warrior on release in the US, thats an unbelievable time lag, the one thing I treasure about the film is that once the change of heart has occured there is no turning back. You mentioned the brutal killing of his son and while I was watching the film for the first time I was wondering if it would turn into a typical "step to far" revenge drama but no, he has made his vow and he sticks with it, in a way this makes the death of his son even more powerful.
I'll have to watch it again to see whether I agree with your overall accessment, it's been a while.
Cheers Trev.
I agree. It was refreshing to see a man, a Samurai, not being influenced by surrounding events; almost a little like Twilight Samurai, even though he eventually had to go.
I'd love to hear your thoughts if you get a chance to see it again. Perhaps I judged it too harshly. I felt like I wanted to know a little more about this man who could change directions so suddenly. I still consider The Warrior an above average film which I hope people will get a chance to see, if not in theaters then certainly on DVD.
Duris has done a lot more than we've seen, I've now learned. I've seen the Gatlif films including Latjo Dilo. I didn't recognize it was the same guy in L'Auberge espagnole. He has a gypsy look in the eyes--in Auberge he comes accross as a conventional Frenchman. I don't know what his ethnic background is. I see now that he's worked a lot with both Gatlif and Klapsch who did Auberge. I've seen only those two, plus this one by Audiard. The French critics say this is Duris's best acting so far. Gadjo Dilo was shown here some years ago. His Latcho Drom was quite a hit in the Bay Area earlier. The Berkeley audience was adoring when I saw it. Gadjo Dilo didn't do quite as well. Mondo was also shown here in Landmark theaters. But Latcho Drom was by far the most successful. People bought the sound track. The cultural and musical trajectory it traces from India to Spain is fascinating.Quote:
Gatlif has made many "gypsy" films before (one with Duris called Gadjo Dilo); this one has him as a French Algerian going back to find his roots. I hope it comes to the U.S.
I read that the sequel to L'Auberge espagnole called Les Poupées russes ("The Russian Dolls") is breaking B.O. records in France. Obviously, as usual, that doesn't exactly mean quality and I'm sure Audrey Tautou has a lot to do with its success. No doubt that it'll eventually show up here; I hope the same happens with Exils.
I didn't realize Poupés russes was a sequel; I saw on his website that it's his new one. He must be popular, Duris. I didn't realize that till now. I have no use for Tatou. She's the kiss of death. However Auberge espagnole, though a bit of fluff, I found forgiveable, entertaining; and since it's an ensemble piece she didn't wreck it. I didn't know they liked her over there too. Her sugary sweetness nauseates me. She's been in a lot of crap, French crap, which they do indeed have. What's Exils?
HOT WEATHER ESCAPES: TALES OF THE SNOW.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093668/
Just re-watched from my tape library the Norwegian-made Pathfinder which recreates with brilliant economy an ancient Laplander myth set around the year 1000 about how evil attackers of a far-north settlement were fought off by a boy. The young central characer Eigen is played by Mikkel Gaup, who I'm going to guess is the director's son, a smart choice comparable to John Boorman's inspired use of his son Charley for the contral role in The Emerald Forest. This is a special experience, though some might want to relate it to the 2001 Inuit film Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, also recounting the ancient legend of a snowbound people and also marked by special and unique location shooting, costumes, and evocation of a culture.
In this chilly vein I might recommend Philip Kaufman's 1974 The White Dawn, about whalers stranded among the Inuit in 1896, who have to learn (reluctantly) their customs language. Louis Gossett (excellent), Timothy Bottoms, the late, great Warren Oates, and a lot of Inuit actors. Fine cinematography by Michael Chapman. Worth tracking down. I think I found it through Michael Sragow's 1990 Produced and Abaondoned: The Best Films You've Never Seen. The recommendations are bolstered by an anthology of reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...6529?v=glance.