the LAST FILM YOU'VE SEEN thread

[wpqx]

I have that City of Sadness DVD, and that's the only way I saw it, so I still have no idea what the hell the movie is about. It played for one day in Chicago about a year ago, but it was downtown at a bad time, and I couldn't get to see it.

Regarding Rohmer,

I've seen My Night at Maud's, Claire's Knee, Chloe in the Afternoon, A Winter's Tale, and Summer.

Of those I might have found Claire's Knee the most interesting, partially because of the whole pedophelia subtext. I just believe he's a director that I'll appreciate the more films I see from him, but I'm starting to lose patience, usually five films is more than enough to grasp a director. Speaking of which I'm about to have my introduction to Bela Tarr, so we'll see how that goes.

Regarding Hou, I am not too familiar with a lot of his films. He's an avenue I'm quite excited about exploring (along with Peter Greenaway, if I could possibly get a larger contrast). At least these director's are readily available, at least their later films are. Cafe Lumiere I still have heard no news about being released here in Chicago, so keep my fingers crossed. Not to get on a rant, but I also don't see The Weeping Meadow on the upcoming release list for the next month or two, I really hope this film comes around as Angelopoulus is damn close to my favorite director currently making movies.

[arsaib4]

City of Sadness recounts the massacre committed by Chinese troops in 1947, but it's not overtly political, it makes its point by following a single family through the tribulations. I was fortunate to see the film at the Walter Reade a few years ago and I'm dying to see it again. A vhs exists in the U.K. but it's OOP.

I'm looking forward to your take on Tarr. But early Tarr isn't what you might expect based on his recent works.

I'm a bit surprised that you haven't gotten into Hou yet. Trust me, there's much to explore and you won't be disappointed. Café Lumière doesn't have a U.S. distributor. However, a few screenings have been held recently in major cities; not sure about Chicago. The Taiwanese DVD has subs. I want to write about a few of his films starting with his latest.

I'll try to watch The Weeping Meadow next week. Angelopoulos is one of the few filmmakers who deserve to be seen on the big screen. But, as you saw, I posted about the DVD which is available in the U.K.

[wpqx]

Autumn Almanac (1984) - Bela Tarr

Well who wants to see a bunch of miserable people try and make life more miserable for each other? If you answered yes, you have some issues you need to deal with and you should also check out this film. Perhaps because I was just thinking about the film, but this reminds me a little of the tormenting family in Zanussi's Family Life. Whereas in that film people existed for the sole purpose of making their family miserable, this group has some agenda, and of course it involves money.

The whole film is masked in darkness. Tarr tints nearly every image, and most of the picture is shrouded in blue. The takes are moderate, but certainly not the epic shots that earned Tarr his current reputation. The film is heavy on dialogue in parts, and comes off more as a chamber drama than anything else. You could see a film like this working on the stage, and therefore the actors give a theatrical performance to it. The words are spoken with some angst, and nearly everyone is prone to violence.

I was hoping my first Tarr film would be characteristic, hence the reason I avoided the three films already on DVD, but alas I'll have to wait a little longer before I can make him out as a director. I can however assess this particular work as a film in and of itself. It's not the most spectacular of films, and certainly can wear your resistance down (as many gloomy films can), but there is something intriguing in the misery.

[arsaib4]

Abdellatif Kechiche's Games of Love and Chance (2005)

Patrice Chéreau's Gabrielle (TIFF)

[arsaib4]

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Doppelgänger (2005)

Im Sang-soo's The President’s Last Bang (TIFF)

[arsaib4]

Béla Tarr's The Prefab People (1982)

Amos Gitaï's Free Zone (TIFF)

[arsaib4]

Turtles Can Fly (Lakposhtha hâm parvaz mikonand) is the third feature film from award-winning filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi. And much like his earlier two films, A Time for Drunken Horses (2000) and Marooned in Iraq (2002), Ghobadi has set it near the Iraqi border. Here, more specifically, it’s Northern Iraq from where the Kurd population spreads out inside the border of Turkey, another country (besides the likes of Iran, Syria, and Armenia -- who also hold Kurd population along their borders), which has failed to acknowledge the region commonly referred to as "Kurdistan." But this film isn’t about borders; it, in fact, transcends any that exist, whether geographical or political, and that’s one of its major triumphs.

Our protagonist is a young 13-year-old boy (Soran Ebrahim) who’s nicknamed "Satellite" due to his ability to install TV satellite dishes. He’s also the leader of a horde of orphan kids living in makeshift refugee camps as they depend on him for various "odd" jobs, including plucking mines from minefields, something that has taken many lives and limbs. Their territory is partly invaded by an armless boy who can see the future (an obvious and rightful attempt by Ghobadi to undermine what villagers got through news channels after upgrading -- the one they flipped on was Fox!), but Satellite eventually tries to befriend him because of his hauntingly beautiful young sister (Avaz Latif) who’s usually seen carrying a child, a relationship that gets defined in a disturbing flashback.

Turtles Can Fly is strikingly shot. The stunningly poetic visuals remind one of mid-period Kiarostami, perhaps not surprising since Ghobadi, a Tehran based Kurd, was an assistant of the master on The Wind Will Carry Us (1999). But Ghobidi’s landscape is almost mythical, perpetually shrouded in fog and mist, a potent metaphor or perhaps a pungent pun. Unfortunately, the film’s narrative also seems lost at times in trying to impede the impending tragedy, which doesn’t hit as hard partially because this isn’t the first film that has dealt with kids in precarious situations. However, it was the first to be shot in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein (a giant arm from one of his numerous statues gets bought by a kid for a few mines!), obviously a time-period which coincided with the arrival of American troops. But Ghobadi seems ambivalent, and rightfully so: the problems of his people didn’t start with Saddam and they’re not going to end with the Americans. And the last thing to do now is to start the blame game because that will only delay the support the Kurds rightfully deserve.


Turtles Can Fly - Grade: B+

_________________________

*The film had its international premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2004. IFC Films released it theatrically in the U.S. earlier this year. It is now available on DVD.

[Johann]

Vincent and Theo


According to Robert Altman the van Gogh brothers had quite a relationship in the 1800's.

With Tim Roth as Vincent and Paul Rhys as Theo, this film is stately, visually stunning and emotionally gripping.

It was screened at the cinematheque for the "Frames of Mind" series on supposed "mad artists". Loved it.

The costumes and sets seem just about perfect. Altman's locations are evocative and serve their point marvellously.
Vincent pretty much lives in squalor while Theo is more "upper crust". He's an art dealer, and he can't sell his brothers' paintings to save his life.

{van Gogh sold only one of his paintings in his lifetime, and the film opens at the 1988 Christies auction where his canvas "Sunflowers" sold for 40 million pounds}

The contrasts and clashes between between "the Artist" and "the narrow-minded successful brother" is what makes the story so great. And the casting of two FINE actors to play the leads adds mountains to the experience.

This is an Altman film I'd seen on vhs many moons ago but had forgotten how incredibly accurate and engaging this movie is.
The big-screen amplified everything, and the opening credits are among the best in cinema history- it's just paint...

Kudos especially to Tim Roth, an actor that I wouldn't have thought could play Vincent van Gogh.

He sucks the paint from his brushes, he drinks the cleaning water from his canisters, he cuts his ear off, he goes out into the middle of a field...

[JustaFied]

Originally posted by Johann
The contrasts and clashes between between "the Artist" and "the narrow-minded successful brother" is what makes the story so great.

I like your review of this film, Johann, but maybe I didn't see Theo as being quite so "narrow-minded'. Yes, he was more practical than Vincent, whose brilliance lay in his madness. But Theo was also a sympathetic character who, unlike Gauguin, never really wavered in his love and support for Vincent.

I agree that Tim Roth's performance is top-notch, and Altman's "realism" type directing is perfect for the story of this man's life. This ain't no period piece, folks. Fluffy dresses and funny accents aren't gonna tide you over here. Van Gogh was inspired by a woman pissing in a bucket, and Altman's not afraid to show it, and if that makes you quesy than you better not watch this film. But if you're interested in the devolution (or evolution) of a brilliant artist's mind, then this film will certainly hold your interest.

Also recommended for anyone planning a trip to Paris is a visit to the large Van Gogh collection at the Musee D'Orsay. And if you make it to Provence region of southern France, stop by the town of Arles, where Van Gogh descended into madness while producing some of his most famous paintings. Lots of beautiful sunflower fields in the area.

[stevetseitz]

"Flightplan"






Spoilers!


The Jodie Foster vehicle makes good use of her range and abilities as an actress but unfortunately descends into sap and goofiness at the end of the film. A serious Sean Bean is given little to work with as a frustrated captain. The tension is sustained and the feeling of unease is well crafted until the unfortunate third act.

Peter Saarsgard seems to be trying to channel John Malkovich with his sleepy and insincere portrayal of a corrupt air marshall.

Wait for video (if that).

[arsaib4]

As good as Altman's effort is, I think the great French director Maurice Pialat's film simply titled Van Gogh is better. Pialat, as always, also didn't pull any punches showing a burnt-out Vincent nearing the end of his rope. Unfortunately, it's only available here on vhs. Hopefully a DVD will come shortly.


Flightplan seems quite unusual. Although, I do recall the audience laughing at its preview before another screening. It was either gonna be really good or it was gonna suck. Looks like the latter is true.

[Johann]

Haven't seen Pialat's movie. Thanks for the tip.

JustaFied: I agree with everything you said.
The relationship between the 2 brothers is near perfect acting. I'm not taking anything away from Paul Rhys. He was stuffy, but his stuffiness comes from the time and the employment he had.

It's such good acting because this is how people relate to each other. The problems Vincent had with "marketing" his work were very real, and that was the time.

The auction at the beginning is Altman's trump card for driving home the idea (which Antonin Artaud made famous) that van Gogh "was suicided by society".

An Altman masterpiece I would say. See it folks!
There is so much to admire in an Altman film!

[arsaib4]

Jason Reitman's Thank You for Smoking (TIFF)

2005 / 3rd Q Film List

[arsaib4]

Jang Jun-hwan's Save the Green Planet! (2005)

Pierre Morel's Banlieue 13 (TIFF)

[wpqx]

Female (1933) - Michael Curtiz, George Cukor, William Dieterle

Well it took three men to direct a 60 minute movie, although only Curtiz got the credit. The result is a pre-code film that could have been extraordinary, but instead reaffirmed chauvinist attitudes of the day. In other words a women's picture written and produced by men.

Ruth Chatterton plays a corporate boss who is able to command pretty much anything she wants, and as we see she isn't used to not getting what she wants. Her philosophy is to treat men the way they treat women (at least at the time). She invites them to her home, gets them drunk, has sex with them, and then disregards them the next day at the office. Right now you're probably thinking this movie rocks, but it is when she meets George Brent's character that the film turns to shit. Suddenly this cold calculating woman becomes a mere child doing "men" things. All that thinking and hard work, it's too much for her to bear. Let her worry about important things like finding a husband and raising kids. This solution is not a surprise, but it is a letdown. I found it degrading and as a result the whole film suffers. It also is flawed by it's multiple director approach, blatant stock footage, and uneven pacing. My how times have changed though.

Grade D+