Nyff 2013

[Chris Knipp]

Anyway I don't think I can get LA POISON on Netflix. However though they don't have Leos Carax's MAUVAIS SANG I decided to buy a DVD, which I found for cheap. i have not seen it before and I so liked HOLY MOTOERS.

I also like MUSEUM HOURS: as you may recall I reviewed it as part of the SFIFF. HERE AND THERE , part of the 2012 NYFF, I didn't warm to, though it won the Critics' Week prize at Cannes. I thought you had mentioned it favorably here, but I guess not. I have seen the new US-made Funny Games but not the original German one. Ugh is right.

I recall you liked FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED very much, also 2012 NYFF, and it is good. Banker White and Anna Fitch's THE GENIUS OF MARION (Cinema by the Bay series, just shown in San Francisco), which I reviewed last week, relates to it.

[oscar jubis]

No, I haven't seen First Cousin Once Removed either. I'm going to watch the Sorrentino movie tomorrow, and my friend wants to watch 12 Years a Slave, so why not? La poison, which as you probably know is slang for a mean, conniving woman, is a UK release so Netflix doesn't carry it. They must have the 4 films in the Guitry box I reviewed in same journal. It includes his pre-War films, which I prefer. Thing is that Michel Simon plays the protagonist in La Poison and he is one of my favorite actors: a hugely redeeming facet.

[Chris Knipp]

Well, let us know when you've seen all this stuff.

[cinemabon]

I tried to watch the online version, but without subtitles and my French being extremely poor, I watched for esthetic reasons. Here is a recent link. Thanks for your posts. As usual, you are the enlightened duo.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013...-guitry-review

[oscar jubis]

Thanks cinemabon. I think French is right when he writes that The Story of a Cheat is Guitry's "supreme" film. It is a U.S. release (Eclipse series) along with The Pearls of the Crown, which is very enjoyable too. Interesting that French ascribes the misogyny in the film to the character played by Simon and not to the film, ignoring that the characterization of the female protagonist is ugly caricature and that other characters ridicule women throughout.

[Chris Knipp]

I take it from that Philip French GUARDIAN article on LA POISON that Guitry is seen quite generally as a kind of precursor of the Nouvelle Vague.

If the mena and women are unpleasant as well maybe the film is misantropic rather than misogynistic? And if the title means "a mean, conniving woman" (one definition is simply "unpleasant woman"), is it a surprise she'd be represented negatively? But I have not seen the film.

[Chris Knipp]

Jehane Noujaim: The Square

Jan. 18, 2014: This film is now available both on Instand Play from Netflix. I strongly recommend this excellent, moving doc about the Egyptian revolution in its early days of transformation and hope.

The Square2013NR
Nominated for the 2014 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature, this critically praised documentary chronicles the history-making revolution in Egypt that captivated the world with scenes of courage and freedom in the face of violent opposition.

Cast:Khalid Abdalla, Dina Abdullah, Dina Amer, Magdy Ashour, Sherif Boray, Aida Elkashef, Ramy Essam, Ahmed Hassan, Bothania Kamel, Khaled Nagy, Ragia Omran, Salma Saied, Ahmed Saleh, Alaa Seif, Pierre Seyoufr
Genre:Social & Cultural Documentaries, Political Documentaries, Foreign Documentaries, Documentary
--Netflix blurg.

[Chris Knipp]

Rithy Panh's THE MISSING PICTURE/L'IMAGE MANQUANTE has a US theatrical opening coming via Strand Releasing:


ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILIM[QUOTE]
OPENS IN LOS ANGELES ON MARCH 21, 2014:
LAEMMLE'S ROYAL THEATRE & PLAYHOUSE 7[/QUOTE]

And possibly Wed., March 19 in NYC.

[Chris Knipp]

ADAM BAKRI IN OMAR

OMAR (Hani Abu-Assad 2013)

FRI., 21 FEB, 2014.
This intense drama about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that debuted at Cannes MAY 2013 (Un Certain Regard, Jury Prize) and was seen at the fall 2013 New York Film Festival (click for Filmleaf review above) has just opened in New York and Los Angeles. A.O. Scott reviews it in today's NY Times and notes the conflict has been "a boon to ambitious genre filmmaking" and OMAR, "tightly plotted and cleanly shot (and an Oscar nominee for best foreign-language film), has the speed and suspense of a crime thriller." Scott notes that Omar, the protagonist played by Adam Bakri, is "the sensitive one, handsome and athletic with the soul of a poet."

[Chris Knipp]

In NYC for the 2014 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at Lincoln Center.
I've watched a couple of non-French films.



A FIELD IN ENGLAND (Ben Wheatley 2013). Wheatley's previous films, DOWN TERRACE, KILL LIST, SIGHTSEERS, have been most interesting. Here he and his wife-collaborator and cowriter Amy Jump, who does most of the initial scripting, have tried something different, a costume piece, though it is as mean, odd, and violent as before. This time events transpire during the 17th century during a battle of the English Civil War. Four men meet in the eponymous field in England. One of them is n alchemist assistant who has run away from his employer, two are deserters, and the last is an Irishman in fine clothes called O'Neill, who takes control over the others. Some kill others, and some reappear again at the end, restored to ife. Very puzzling and deeply English in flavor, this piece allows the team to indulge their taste for the occult, and also to explore avantgardist visual possibilities, incorporating double images, flash-editing, and a succession of sudden tableaux in which the principals strike meaningful poses. A very peculiar film, not to my mind as satisfying as their earlier ones focused more on crime and criminals (KILL LIST is my favorite so far), but savory for its language, its acting, its costumes, and its very handsome, crystal-clear black and white photography. Repeated viewings might be necessary for it all to make sense.



AFTERNOON OF A FAUN: TANAQUIL LECLERCQ (Nancy Buirski), a documentary sponsored by Martin Scorsese, was a sidebar of the NYFF 2013, now showing in NYC. It's standard filmmaking, but a must-see for ballet fans. Essential to know about Miss Leclercq (pronounced "Tanakill Leclaire", but everybody calls her "Tany"), a major muse for George Balanchine, his 5th wife, and longtime off and on-love of Jerome Robbins. Leclercq had already made a significant mark on ballet when she tragically was stricken with polio in 1956 when only 27, never dancing or walking again. This was in the early years of the Salk poliovaccine. Other Balanchine company members were inoculated but Leclercq had held off. One arm and both legs remained non-functional. Yet she defied doctors' predictions she would not live beyond the age of 40 and lived on, with remarkable grace and good humor, till the age of 69. This is attributed in the film to her strength of character, determination and the egocentrism she had cultivated as a diva (with a stage mom whom she had to stave off in later life). She was active as a choreographer and coach at the Dance Theater of Harlem with its founder and codirector Arthur Mitchell, who had danced with Balanchine. Jacques D'Amboise was another of Leclerq's major partners. All these voices and more are heard in the film. It might have been nice to get more detail about Leclercq's unique look and style as a dancer, the choreography written for her, and a bit less about the touching and uplifting but still less important story of the illness and brave survival. Screened at Cinema Village.



CHILD POSE (Calin Peter Netzer), debuting at Film Forum, comes from Romania. It has interesting writing by Razvan Radulescu (script consultant with Cristian Mungiu on 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS), but is an unsatisfactory movie, unclear and unfocused in places, meandering, with much of the acting indifferent, poor use of locations, and with horrible jittery camerawork in some key scenes. It is however worth watching for the intense performance of Luminita Gheorghiu (known for THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU, NYFF 2005) as Cornelia, the main character, the mother of a young man who, speeding on a freeway, has hit and killed a 14-year-old boy who ran in his path. The story of CHILD'S POSE focuses on the dysfunctional relationships in the fatal driver's family and the wealthy and formerly accomplished mother's relentless effort to insure that her son will not go to jail for causing the boy's death. Everything is left inconclusive, but Gheorghiu has some impressive scenes. I notice Mike D'Angelo reviewed this film in more detail for AV Club. He gives it a B- but his title is "For a Romanian New Wave film, Child’s Pose is surprisingly sloppy," and D'Angelo, rightly I think, suggests that it's only because of the good but diffuse screenplay and good acting its"formal ineptitude" doesn't "sink the picture." He particularly emphasizes as I would how terrible the camerawork is. Screened at Film Forum, where it is having a US premiere.



EASY MONEY: HARD TO KILL/SNABBA CASH II (Babak Najafi Karam 2013i), same Swedish crime series, same star, Joel Kinnaman (the new RoboCop and TV star of "The Living"), same main characters from the first film; new (Iranian Swedish) director, delivers a dark prison-break-drug-deal-gone-wrong story with violent action, obvious cross-cutting, succinct editing delivering a shorter run-time and setting fans up for SNABBA CASH III. Still hard to see how the tall, patrician, bright-eyed Kinnaman can be cast as a loser and man who goes wrong. He has winner written all over him. This movie delivers, but the setup and storyline are not as interesting as the original's. In Swedish, Serbian, Arabic, English. Screened at Cinema Village, where the projection seemed of dubious quality during low-lit sequences.



ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME (Chiemi Karasawa 2013) A live portrait of the indomitable Broadway and cabaret regular completed a couple years ago when she was nearing age 87 (b. 1925) and did "farewell" shows at the Cafe Carlyle, TownHall, and other venues. Most review of Stritch's past is real-time except for one or two clips. Mainly Karasawa just follows her around as she talks, rehearses, and struggles with Type 1 diabetes and memory lapses. It's interesting to see how she falters in rehearsals, but blooms in front of an audience, especially a larger one. To criticize this movie would be to criticize the very unvarnished and honest essence of this feisty, blunt-spoken star of stage and film (and TV: especially "30 Rock," where she played Alec Baldwin's mother for six years). Notably, though she now drinks one Cosmo a day (or is it two?), she is a recovering alcoholic who was sober for 25 years -- she is shown heading for an AA meeting; so when she says she learned a long time ago that deception was lethal and honesty essential, she may be referring to the lessons of addiction and recovery. Stritch has reportedly now "retired," left NYC and moved back to her native Michigan. A portrait of the pure essence of a performing artist. Screened at IFC Center.

[Chris Knipp]

Roger Mitchell: Le Week-End (2013)

This new collaboration with the writer Hanif Kureishi (MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE) opened in the US in limited release this weekend 4 April 2014. It stars Jim Broadbent, Lindsey Duncan, and Jeff Golblum, with olly Alexander. It's not the greatest selection of NYFF 2013. I wrote, "Ultimately this is a film with very few false steps and a number of good moments, and yet it tends to cancel itself out and end by being a fine diversion but not terribly memorable." But in today's movie scene you could do a lot worse.

[Chris Knipp]

Declan Lowney: Alan Partridge (2013)

This BBC comedy series based movie from the 2013 NYFF has opened in limited release today also, 4 April 2014. For fans of Steve Coogan and very British silly comedy this is highly recommended. Others need not apply.

[Chris Knipp]

Another NYFF 2013 feature coming out in US theaters.

Jim Jarmusch: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Unfortunately this movie is slow as molasses and not conceptually original or even smart about the vampire genre, but it's drenched in beauty, moodiness and hipness and a must-see for Jarmush fans.

[oscar jubis]

I finally watched Claire Denis' Bastards and to my eyes it is her least successful film. As you probably know by now, I appreciate films that are enigmatic and mysterious, and come to an end without answering all the questions they pose. This is one of those films but not a very interesting or inspired one. Additionally, many of the shots have a very narrow depth of focus, like the films of Lynne Ramsay, but in combination with a depleted color palette and dim lighting, the result is a very ugly film to watch. The plot involves murder, suicide, rape, kidnapping, extortion, corporate greed, bankruptcy, estranged families, etc. etc. but I don't think the film (Denis) really cares about any of it. It's all "mood" which opens the door for charges of exploitation and nihilistic posturing. I am going to continue watching everything she does because her record indicates that she will come up with another Beau Travail or, even better, 35 Shots of Rum. Vincent Lindon is always good though, even here.

[Chris Knipp]

You are not saying anything surprising. That's more or less what I said, and a lot like what I quoted D'Angelo as saying, except I don't dislike it; it's more fun for me than WHITE MATERIAL, going by my memory of that, even if unraveling BASTARDS reveals not much there, the unraveling is fun, or the initial mystery perhaps more so. I like THE INTRUDER/L'INTRUS a lot. That is the one that made me a fan, not BEAU TRAVAIL. Also liked NENETTE ET BONI, but was not aware of her as a director yet then. Big favorite now: 35 SHOTS OF RUM. And I agree, she will come through with more good stuff in future, we can certainly hope. I like the people she works with, Alex Descas, Gregoire Colin. Always like Vincent Lindon, but he didn't come in for the best one. I found FRIDAY NIGHT too grueling and drawn out and did not know who Vincent Lindon or Clair Denis were yet then. Would probably like it more now since I respect them both so much.

Do you not like shallow focus? What would you think of Xavier Dolan's 1:1 screen ratio for his new film, MOMMY? I watched the whole conference de press with him and his three stars yesterday, which is 40 percent in English and 60 percent in French, first time I saw him, and I found him very likable. His English is also excellent, no accent, in fact less of an accent than his native Canadian French! Also watched Taraantino's press conference, first time I've watched that long of him, and I really like the guy. He is so up front, passionate, and funny. He is really huge fun to watch.

Shalliow focus makes me think of the ultra-orthodox Israeli arranged marriage flick FILL THE VOID, which uses a lot of that. It's very pretty. I can't relate much to the movie and think it somewhat overrated. There are better Israeli movies, quite a few.

French critics' ratings going by Allociné

4.3 BEAU TRAVAIL
4.0 VENDREDI SOIR
3.9 WHITE MATERIAL (don't agree)
3.8 35 RHUMS
3.6 L'INTRUS
2.9 BASTARDS (big drop, actually)

Earlier ones -- no press ratings:
CHOCOLAT
NENETTE ET BONI
J'AI PAS SOMMEIL
S'EN FOU LA MORT