the LAST FILM YOU'VE SEEN thread

I've seen a few Naruse films so far in Toronto (his retrospective is taking place over there also). Will see Oliver Twist tomorrow. What did you think?

Not sure if Jarhead has anything new to offer. Same for Three Extremes, although I believe Chris Doyle has shot one of the segments.

Alan Clarke's Elephant (1989)

Anders Thomas Jensen's Adam's Æbler (TIFF)

Comments:

Some images and scenes are breathtakingly beautiful.

Most of the voiceover work is campy, silly, and just plain juvenile.

There is no grace or fluidity to the narrative like there was in "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back"

The lack of logic and planning by the Jedi make them seem more like smugglers in the vein of Han Solo rather than zen sci-fi samurai.

Comments towards the end of the film annoy:

"Only the Sith deal in absolutes"? Isn't that, in itself, an "absolute" statement?

Let's imagine the Jedi in a slightly different way:

They are a mysterious, exclusive and elitist society that meddles in all aspects of society: a sort of a intergalactic Klu Klux Klan. Let's look at this phrase one more time:

"Only (insert derogatory racial epithet here) deal in absolutes."

Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman lend real class to the film.

George Lucas muddled story is matched only by his muddled understanding of government and politics.

The script spends far too much time in exposition:

Weird Jedi guy: "What about the droid attack on the Wookies?"

Mace Windu: "It is critical we send an attack group there immediately."

Obi Wan: "He's right. It's a system we cannot afford to lose."

Yoda: "Go I will. Good relations with the Wookies I have."

Mace Windu: "It's settled then. Yoda will take a battalion of clones to reinforce the Wookies on Kashyyyk."

OK. WE GET IT! No need to repeat the point five times.

It's as if they are desperate to make it realistic that Yoda would be off Coruscant and "out of the way" so all the other plot lines can converge. Yoda's (and Obi-Wan's) mission gives them an "out" implying that Anakin would never have been turned to the Dark side had Yoda or Anakin been there.

Does anyone else feel as if these Jedi have been clueless and sitting around in councils while the galaxy falls apart around their ears?

I was a bit disappointed by the Naruse Late Chrysanthemums. I was expecting Mizoguchi or Ozu and this wasn't up to that level.

I hope other people will see Three Extremes if it's being distributed now so we can get reactions, and I might write a review.

I'm also looking forward to writing a review of Bellocchio's Buongiorno, notte/Good Morning, Night, which seems to be getting limited distribution, starting in NYC; I have a DVD of it and have watched it a number of times this year.

Forgot to mention that I also saw North Country. I don't think it's got a very good screenplay, but the material is important, Theron's acting is commited and believable, and I was stunned by the material -- till the Hollywood ending and skimpy followup.

Jarhead may or may not be a well made war film. I'm not sure Mendes et al. knew what they were doing. But for me this film has a profound meaning. I do not agree with the critics who said it falls apart toward the end or that there's no sense of structure. I plan to write a review.

Oliver Twist is involving and vivid, well worth seeing. I was especially impressed by how brilliantly Ben Kingsley disappeared into the role of Fagin and kept the performance from seeming caracatured or cliched -- despite Dicken's extreme conception of the character in the first place. But the story is very familiar -- Imdb lists twenty versions -- and I should think David Lean's 1948 version will remain the classic cinematic version, unchallenged by this one. One of the reasons Polanski's doesn't challenge it is his cast hasn't the same depth.

"Workmanlike" is the word that comes to mind while thinking of Oliver Twist. I was quite impressed with its faithfulness to the source material. Ben Kingsley was wonderful as always. Production/costume design deserve nominations at the end of the year. The young boy was also quite good. Perhaps the film never quite comes to "life," but I'm not sure if Polanski really wanted that to happen.

I hope other people will see Three Extremes if it's being distributed now so we can get reactions, and I might write a review.

I've had the dvd for quite a while now and I know wpqx has seen it as well, we differ on our preference for each of the episodes and I'd certainly like to hear your opinion Chris.

Cheers Trev.

P.S Also thought Buongiorno, notte/Good Morning, Night was an excellent film.

I think I do remember your alluding to Buongiorno notte but the title of Three Extremes slipped by me till I saw it showing at the Quad Cinema, though a friend has reminded me it was showing at this year's San Francisco Film Festival. I will put my thoughts on it down shortly, still regrouping after my long trip.

The fact that Après Vous ("After You"), a slight yet sweet-natured French rom-com, has done quite well at the U.S. box-office (about $1m, the benchmark for most foreign films) shouldn’t be surprising because European releases featuring pleasant, sitcom-ish characters/situations tend to "click" with the audiences here -- and I’m sure everywhere else too, for that matter. Ideally, of course, one would prefer more challenging fare to succeed. But on the other hand, it would also be a bit futile to damn a film for its fame, especially one like this which is aware of its limitations, and thus doesn’t attempt to insult anyone’s intelligence. In Après Vous, French star Daniel Auteuil plays Antoine, a selfless maitre d' at an upscale Parisian brasserie. One night after work, while scampering to meet his girlfriend (Marilyne Canto) for dinner, he ends up saving a man from committing suicide in a local park. Antoine’s monotonous life takes a dramatic turn with this act. First, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Antoine more or less ends up adopting Louis (José Garcia), the physical and emotional wreck he saved. And then after discovering Louis’ love (Sandrine Kiberlain), the cause of his problems, he ends up falling for her himself. Director Pierre Salvadori approaches this trivial premise as realistically as possible, a mistake because the film could’ve benefited from some inspired silliness. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have its share of droll moments. It certainly does, but with heavily reliance on narrative contrivances. What makes Après Vous agreeable, however, is the work of its cast. The ubiquitous Auteuil (about 20 films in the last 5 years -- perhaps following Depardieu’s footsteps) is in form after duds like Petites Coupures (2003) and Rencontre avec le dragon (2003). Garcia and Kiberlain are also quite effective.

Grade: C+
______________________

*APRES VOUS is now available on DVD.

Have not seen in spite of my desire to see lots of French films--due to reports of mediocrity. So your grade sounds right from what I've heard. Should I see it, and if so, why?

That’s a tough one, actually. I’d say that you’ll like the performances (like I did), and the fact that it’s pretty easygoing. Basically, if you’re looking for a film to simply enjoy without much effort, then go for it. (Après Vous is certainly superior to Ozon's 5x2, which I saw last week.)

You mentioned in an e-mail that overall the French selections weren't as good this year in Paris. What were some of the better ones, though?

Thanks for reminding me to do this, arsaib. I can't say anything unique to French release was outstanding, but here is all that I saw. Paris is a wonderful movie city, but you can't expect great stuff to be opening every week. The trouble is there were few surprises and few standouts other than Caché (which I could have seen at the NYFF but just missed). I admit to finding Les poupées russes very enjoyable. Klapish is an inventive entertainer and he started with a good given context. I didn't get excited by anything otherwise; but look, in my month on the East Coast before this, I saw forty movies.....and some of them were great....so it really didn't matter. There are other things to do in Paris. I could have seen Café Lumière at a special one-time MK2 showing, as I mentioned before, and I'm sorry I forgot to show up for it that morning.

Last year I saw more films in slightly less time and they seemed more interesting. Maybe it was because that was in September and this was October. Due to my departure date this year I just missed the opening of Woody Allen's Match Point, a shame because it sounds promising and I'd have scooped you guys, since it doesn't open here till Christmas Day.

The French language films I saw in Paris this time were:

Klapisch , Les poupées russes (12 June release, but still showing)
Sequel to L'Auberge espagnole, popular, with the same actors and others, near the end of its French run. Enjoyable, though not as unified as the first one. Kevin Bishop (William) is featured, a good idea because he was one of the most interesting characters in L'Auberge.

Alain Cavalaier, Le Filmeur (21 September release)
Idiosyncratic "no-budget" self-portrait shot over an 11-year period by the cultish 74-year-old director, shown at Cannes. An admiring description appeared in Variety . I found the narration hard to follow at times and would like to see this again with subtitles.

Richard Dembo, La maison de Nina (12 October release)
WWII story about a French haven for young Jewish refugees, starring Agnès Jaoui. Average in quality I think, this is a bustling \ little footnote to the many chronicles about Jews protected during and after the Holocaust. Malle's Au revoir les enfants is more focused and emotionally powerful.

Stéphane Brizé, Je ne suis pas là pour être aimé (12 October release)
A bittersweet, rather downbeat romantic comedy in which the star, Patrick Chesnais, is very appealing as the depressed bailiff who finds romance and a love of tango at the same time.

Michael Haneke, Caché (5 October release)
You know about that one!

Other films I saw in Paris:

Shane Black, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (14 September release?)
Spoofy-noir with Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, this has done pretty well in US reviews, released a bit later here I think. I was too jetlagged to appreciate it; the French subtitles distracted me. Really it seemed too frivolous and pleased with itself, but there are those who will love it.

Eric Khoo, Be With Me (12 October release), Singapoorean film with multiple plots, this has been discussed on FilmWurld, mostly shown only in festivals. I didn't altogether buy or like this, but the director showed some assurance.

Wim Wenders, Don't Come Knocking (12 October release) Though it's fun to watch Sam Shepherd and Jessica Lange and some of the visuals of the West are handsome, this is a bit slim, not Wenders' best. The young Gabriel Mann was strong, if a bit over the top, as the pair's forgotten son, now a singer. I don't think this is coming here till March 2006; I don't think it's going to do very well.

Ducastel/Martineau, Cote D'Azur/Crustacés et coquillages
Lexi Alexander, Green Street Hooligans
Michael Almareyda, William Eggleston in the Real World
Gaël Morel, Three Dancing Slaves
Sam Wood, Beyond the Rocks
Marcos Siega, Pretty Persuasion
Deborah Koons, The Future of Food
Mike Mills, Thumbsucker
Lionel Baier, Garçon Stupide
Shinya Tsukamoto, Haze
William Cameron Menzies, The Green Cockatoo
John Madden, Proof
Puiu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Stephen Soderbergh, Bubble
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes, L'Enfant
Hany Abu-Assad, Paradise Now
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Dorota Kedzierzawska, I Am
Michel Negroponte , Methodonia
Bennett Miller, Capote
Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale
Pierre Garrel, Regular Lovers/Les amants reguliers
David Cronenberg, A History of Violence
Mitsuo Yanagimachi, Who's Camus Anyway?
Bohdan Sláma, Something Like Happiness
Hong Sang-soo, Tale of Cinema
Lars von Trier, Mandarlay
Through the Forest/A travers la forêt
Paula Heil Fisher, Finding Eleazor
Park Chan-wook, Lady Vengeance
Hou Hsiau Hsien, Three Times
Neil Jordan, Breakfast on Pluto
Im Sangsoo, The President's Last Bang
Michaelangelo Antonioni, The Passenger/Professione: Reporter
Tennyson Bardwell, Dorian Blues
Aleksandr Sokurov, The Sun
Patrice Chéreau, Gabrielle

I also re-saw:

Jim Jarmusch, Broken Flowers
Jacques Audiard, The Beat That My Heart Skipped/De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté

Wow! Thanks for the lists.

Les poupées russes. This was a big hit during the Summer. It comes out on DVD next month, so I'll give it a try.

Caché. I passed on it in Toronto knowing that it's getting distributed. If it turns out to be anywhere close to Code Unknown, The Piano Teacher, and Time of the Wolf, then Haneke deserves consideration as the best filmmaker in Europe today. (A friend of mine has it on DVD and I must say that I've been tempted.)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Probably the most hyped film in Toronto. Haven't seen it yet. It's said to be a subversive version of Shane Black's previous endeavors. I thought this might be something you'll like.


*I guess most of the films on the list are NYFF selections. It's funny that I also re-watched Broken Flowers (for free). Can't say that I liked it any more or less than the first time around.

Any comments on Haze and Three Dancing Slaves?

Do see Les poupées russes; it's fun. As I said, I was too jetlagged to appreciate Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; in an alert state I might like it. A friend of mine said they would like anything with Val Kilmer as a gay detective. Robert Downey Jr. goes at it with his usual enthusiasm, and he provides a glibness to his role that I guess is what's wanted. It just tired me out.

I definitely think Caché is up to the other work, and yes, Haneke is possibly the most important director working in Europe, at least of his generation.

Eleven on that list were not part of the NYFF which, remember, was only 25 official selections, plus one or two special showings I caught. I loathed the tasteless and unfunny Pretty Persuasion, was underwhelmed by the somewhat original but uneven Garcon Stupide, I found The Future of Food very worthwhile, I really liked Thumbsucker, was disappointed in the filmed play Proof, enjoyed Cote D'Azur but don't think it's memorable, got a kick out of Charlie Hunnam paired with Elijah Wood in Green Street Hooligans (if you like gangfighting it's your thing, and Charlie rules in the movie); Dorian Blues is forgettable gay coming-of-age stuff...Broken Flowers dragged a bit the second time but I still love parts of it, and The Beat That My Heart Skippedis a movie I will never get tired of watching--it may be the best French film of the year (not counting Haneke as French), the second half of the year, anyway.

Haze: didn't really grab me, it's so claustrophobic that you can't really see anything, and that doesn't work very well, but it's interesting that Tsukamoto is the creator of Tetsuo/The Iron Man (1988), which is one of the most amazing hallucinatory sci-fi films I have ever seen. If you haven't seen it find it and watch it.

Morel's 3 Dancing Slaves/Le Clan is full of gratuitous homoeroticism. I thought it a bad sign that it was coauthored by Christophe Honoré who made the terrible Ma mère released earlier this year. Le Clan is moody, meandering, and not very believable, but it has gay audience appeal for sure. As Dennis Lim wrote in the Voice, "Like so many films that target a gay male audience, Three Dancing Slaves transpires in an abstract parallel universe where half the population has mysteriously disappeared and the other half works out a lot and often goes unclothed." Right. The guys are built, hot, and often unclothed.

I forgot to mention seeing Late Chrysanthemums in the Film Forum Naruse festival. It was instructive but I wasn't very moved by it. I was looking for Ozu or Mizoguchi--they all seem to have films with "chrysanthemums" in the titles. But I think I spotted Armond White in the back taking notes, and that was cool; I admire him for contradicting all the other critics, even though he's a bit nuts.

The Devil's Rejects



Woo-eee what a movie.
Saw it 2 nights ago at my buddy Brent's.

It kicked ass.
A neo-horror film that pulls absolutely NO punches.

Several times Brent and I looked at each other, big shit-eating grins on our faces: "What the fuck is this?!?!"


Blood, gore?
A little.

Sex, violence?
A wee bit.

Dark subject matter?
A tad.

Killer soundrack and awesome shots (some are "frozen" for major cinematic effect), The ZOMBIE has really arrived.

The movie is a quasi-sequel to his well-received House of 1000 Corpses apparently, and I give it a HUGE "thumbs up".

sample line:

A "Reject" is owly in "the motel room", says (paraphrasing):

"The next thing you say had better be some Mark Twain shit, 'cuz it's gonna be on your tombstone."