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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).