Aliker

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Jt

AlikerAliker

Guy Deslauriers :: France :: 2009 :: 1h50

A historical drama following André Aliker, one of the founding fathers of the French free press, and a good general introduction into the recent politically turbulent history of the beautiful French West Indies.

André Aliker (played by Stomy Bugsy) was born in 1894 in the French Caribbean. Surviving the atrocities of military service in the first world war, he returns to Martinique a changed man. On finding his island in its neo-colonial form with its unbearable poverty gap, he rebels, joining the local communist party to fight injustice and improve the living and working conditions of the impoverished majority. As he rallies at their side and writes for the newspaper Justice to spread the word, he discovers that there is something more dear to him than fighting for social justice: fighting for truth. Aliker uses the Justice newspaper to bravely turn it into the first independent news source of the island, and a turning point for its democratic future.

Aliker’s fate, and hence the film, is tragic. The filming style, from one emotionally charged theatrical moment to another, with mostly fill-up in between, is a little cumbersome, without peaceful moments of release. To match this harshness, the film does not show the expected palm tree and pastel painted houses caribbean image. The only release from the fear, intimidation and harshness of life is the community spirit of the people. In the suffering of the common man, there is a double issue – on the one hand they are not being paid their worth, keeping them in dismal conditions, and on the other hand they find themselves in an inherited racial divide, a remnant of the slave era. Aliker clearly sees these two sides of the coin, and consciously chooses the non racial “class struggle” vision as it is the one which offers a way out of the misery the people find themselves in.

Aliker’s wife, whether or not she was really like that, does not give a positive image of women. She might want to support him in his quest for justice and doing the right thing, but it is clear that her fear for them (and their children) exceeds any demand that the “right thing” may expect. In other words, she would rather he just ignored injustice to feed them, as her egoism trumps her altruism.

Doing the right thing in challenging times is the material for heros, like Aliker, but not only do most people not share his courage, they also are not prepared to pay the price. Where Aliker leads, few can follow, but we can protect what has been achieved – a free press. And there is no better time to remind ourselves of that, as we roll into the biggest newspaper crisis the modern times have known. The search for truth is, after all, the first step to combat injustice. It is, however, a pity that the film’s rushed ending leaves the viewer more with the sentiment of bitterness and injustice than the achievements of Aliker and his friends, but we will just have to remind ourselves… and Google him afterwards…

www.aliker.com

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Toute l’histoire de mes échecs sexuels

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Jt

19075351.jpgA complete history of my sexual failures

Chris Waitt :: UK :: 2008 :: 1h33

After another failed relationship, Chris Waitt starts to wonder what he has been doing wrong all these years. To take matters into his own hands, he decides to interview every ex-girlfriend he has had to ask them what they think is wrong with him, or at least, try to. Many decline, but from those that accept, the exchanges turn out to be remarkably (and painfully) frank.

You could rightfully wonder why you would want to watch a loveable loser spend his time un-constructively chasing his happy-go-lucky past, but as the messy film progresses not only does the project actually bare some fruits but the end result is remarkably poetic. Who would have thought that about a film which opens with an unshaven young man stuck in an adolescence for a decade, or so. You see him mumbling into a webcam as in a YouTube diary, with a Russ Meyer poster prominently displayed behind him, flanked on both sides by guitars covered in stickers. As you hear him talk, you know that his life will resemble his apartment. As you listen a little more, your attention is taken in by his honesty mixed with understatement as his trademark humour. And now the tough part, getting the girls to agree. You realise very quickly that this is not going to be easy.

It is anyone’s guess how much of the film is real, and how much has been added in fiction to complete it. Knowing that some of the people in the film were acting would surprise me, which is telling of the emotion and reactions of girls who once shared his life. The films swings off into tangents and back to the subject with the mood of director, comically amassing insights into his life. Surprisingly enough, he actually manages to bring some kind of a conclusion to the whole courageous confrontational episode, but what really sticks is the loving characters he had apparently met in his life who have gone on to live their lives but share a moment of reflection with us.

It is not an exercise I would recommend anyone to do, as it could shatter your self confidence more than it teaches, but reminding yourself that those you disappointed, or who disappointed you, still hold fond memories of you is a touching thought. Watching Chris Waitt take on the challenge, is something I would recommend. He does so bravely and admirably and in his own way, remaining true to himself. The film is funny, touching and original, even if his life resembles light tragedy. You know he will get out of it. And he can amuse us all as he is doing it. Not a bad way out of a worrying situation.

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Looking for Eric

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Jt

19100518.jpgLooking for Eric

Ken Loach :: UK :: 2008 :: 1h59

Ageing Manchester postman Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) lives an empty life with his two delinquent step sons. Taken in by panic attacks, one day he causes a car crash which (finally) wakes him to the reality of his predicament. He has a lot to face, not least of all his first wife and love, Lily. He needs help and the mythical Manchester football player Eric Cantona shows up to guide him along.

This is a very depressing film to watch, with superficial dialogues about football, uninspiring ones about relative poverty, unattractive locations and a simple story-line. The film is only saved, if you consider it to have any merit, by the screen time of the tough but sensitive Cantona who lightens things up a bit, with his meditative approach to life, his proverbs, his aphorisms and his strength of character.

Bishop pulls himself up on the power of his hero Cantona, but it all does not follow through. Without ruining the course of events, if they had really taken the actions they took in the film, he and his sons would presumably have been shot by gang members afterwards. If this is not enough, the character of Lily is completely implausible, if you run through your head what she has had to put up with, and being betrayed and lied to and the awful future which her ever forgiving nature will lead her to. For a film which is supposed to show a man picking himself up and re-building his life, with a little help from his friends, the story lends very little support to its central thesis on reflection.

As you watch the self absorbed Bishop, who has ruined many lives, ruin a few more, you can not help but wonder how a director should go about making a film which can function as uplifting for a class of people (such as these) who live miserable lives. The idea of Cantona, a local hero, to pull people up through admiration seems like a good idea. After all, what better way to  aspire to more than to imitate those we love? But I think that cutting out Bishop, Lily and the delinquent sons & friends would have made more sense – just Cantona, the man, and his own struggles to make something of his life in Manchester. That would have given less cheap and easy emotional scenes and more idealistic substance.

www.lookingforeric.fr

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Anges et Démons

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Jt

19079653.jpgAngels & Demons

Ron Howard :: USA :: 2009 :: 2h20

Professor of Symbology Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is lifted out of a Harvard swimming pool by a Vatican official to be shown the symbol of an ancient church scientific spin-off sect the Illuminati. Four cardinals have been kidnapped and they need the professor’s help in following the Illuminati trail, to save their lives and a looming catastrophe. Within the hour, Professor Langdon is crossing the Atlantic to Vatican City.

After all the religious controversy of the first instalment, The DaVinci Code, this second appearance of Prof Langdon is considerably less critique prone, if you forgive the film’s ticking body count. The Vatican is, however, the main subject matter of the film and whether or not they are portrayed positively is up for debate. What does remain untarnished, is the central Catholic doctrine. There is a curious science-faith opposition worked into the story which will mean more to an American living through the raging creationist-evolution debate than to a contemporary Vatican clergyman. But other than that, the mystery is a political one, not theological.

For most of the film, Langdon is explaining Church history as they move from one breathtaking location to another. Not only do we get to snoop around Vatican City (and now I really wonder what the archives look like!), but we are also granted a full tour of the splendours of the eternal city! It does somewhat surprise me that director Ron Howard managed to get at least some filming done at the Vatican, considering that he had not made himself very popular with the authorities three years ago, famously not being allowed to film in the Parisian St Sulpice. It is not clear how many of the locations were artificially re-created, but the splendour of the Vatican comes out magnificently!

The verdict on the film will no doubt vary, as on the surface the plot is Hollywood simple as you would expect from such a production. It is funny to realise that under the bonnet it is considerably worse, as the unfolding events become nothing short of being completely implausible. And through it all, Langdon cracks one mystery after another as crisps from a bag, without loosing a single one, taking you smoothly forwards through to that unlikeliest of conclusions. But it all does not really matter. There is some great photography of the Rome and the Vatican and it has Ewan McGregor, who makes a great Pope’s assistant, the Camerlengo. Or is that not enough?

www.angesetdemons-lefilm.fr

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Gouttes d’eau sur pierres brûlantes

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Jt

19090570.jpgGouttes d’eau sur pierres brûlantes

Francois Ozon :: France :: 1999 :: 1h30

Young Franz follows the fifty-year-old Léopold home and surprises -even himself- when he lets himself be seduced by this older man. Franz slowly finds himself transformed into a submissive role, catering to ever more whimsical Léopold. Franz accepts his fate out of love. Six months later, and half way through the film, Franz’s long-time girlfriend Anna shows up, leading to a scene not quite as you would imagine. And to add onto the already curious and estranging situation, Léopold’s old love Vera turns up as well, having just completed a sex change(!).

The movie opens with 1970s coloured postcards of Berlin, with the sounds of cars and church bell towers worked into the accompanying music, as if you are watching a film. The absurdity of hearing sounds linked to a stationary image is one which is upheld throughout the work. It is an absurdity which pushes the characters to say and act in unexpected ways, as if they are re-writing a code of conduct applicable only to the sealed off test tube world in which they live.

Based on an unpublished play by Fassbinder, Water Drops on Burning Rocks, the movie holds on to its air of theatre, taking place entirely in bachelor Léopold’s pad with only the 4 characters. The details on this stage are telling, so accurately done it is hard to believe the film had been made in 1999. The apartment is decorated in a 1970s brown, grey and orange, with the fluffy carpeting and modern furniture to go with it. Léopold lusts and consumes in a three-piece business suit or silk dressing gown. Franz is mostly dressed as the romantic 19 year old that he is, with turtle neck jumpers, Anna, the intrigued external party, is either naked or in bright blue lingerie and finally Vera, the ghost of love lost, is in a fur-lined overcoat. The coat of elegance to hide the tragedy.

As you would expect from an Ozon film, the images are often framed to the perfection of a photograph, moving the actors through the frame with a balance of shadow and light on their faces using whole images to convey a message. But despite the perfection of the details, and the absurdity of the presentation, you can not be detracted away from the harsh message, of romantics falling prey to sexual predators, who leave their abandoned lovers along the route in their search for gratification. Nowhere does this line hit home more clearly than in the desperate closing image, as a moving Hopper painting pushed to hopelessness. This is a unique piece of cinema and a curious element in Francois Ozon’s portfolio. For lovers of cinema, theatre and the two combined: try not to miss out.

www.francois-ozon.com

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Etreintes brisées

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Jt

Etreintes briséesLos abrazos rotos

Pedro Almodovar :: Spain :: 2008 :: 2h09

Harry Caine (Lluìs Homar) is a writer living his life comfortably in Madrid with his agent and friend Judit and helped by her son Diego. But his blindness, which hides the visible world from him, also protects him from seeing his tragic past. Till the fateful day they are confronted with Ernesto Junior, a figure set to re-awaken the life they once had.

The serene Harry Caine was not always Harry Caine, and he was not always blind either. In his previous life, he was a talented movie director with the name Mateo Blanco. And it was this Mateo who had fallen hopelessly in love on the set with the beautiful actress Lena (Penélope Cruz). Unfortunately, she was already claimed by a desperately jealous tycoon Ernesto Senior, who seems to spend more of his time guarding over Lena than he does managing his empire. By now you will understand that the movie-in-the-movie has become a ticking time bomb.

The film is made for people who love cinema, with direct references for real buffs. We see the young mistress of the manor dining with the old Tycoon as in a 50s film, we see her standing dangerously on top of a long majestic staircase, we see clips of the comedy Lila is filming as if they are clips of Almodovar’s Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Almodovar plunges you into a passion he shares with his audience, cinema itself, while pulling you into the emotional thriller provoked by the Lila’s uncontrolled magnetic attraction to Mateo. Although you are taken along in the unfolding story, the medium -cinema- and the choices made throughout -like the hairstyles- remain elements of pleasure and recognition for the viewer.

“Broken Embraces” is truly cinema, in its tense but playful form. It is passionate and cruel, true and fabricated, creative and destructive, figuratively both black and white and colour. It is a funny and challenging film which reminds you, lest you forget, of why you love cinema. And why you love Almodovar.

www.losabrazosrotos.com

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Un été Italien

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Jt

19081537.jpgGenova

Michael Winterbottom :: UK :: 2008 :: 1h34

Joe (Colin Firth), is a widow who moves to Italy with his two daughters to escape the painful memories of his wife’s death in a car accident. His two daughters were in the car when it happened and the youngest one is submerged in feelings of guilt. Joe protects little Mary all he can, as she struggles with nightmares and visions, to try to live their lives normally.

With a hot southern summer to go before school starts, Kelly, the oldest daughter, finds herself a backseat on a Vespa. Hiding her new friends from her father, she discovers the early pleasures (and disappointments) of becoming a woman. Her first steps into adulthood naturally conflict with Joe’s demands as the head of their family and her little sister’s wish for companionship. Joe too, struggles between the promise of new romance (ah Italy!) and the pain of the loss of his wife and the demands of his family.

Although the movie is slow and mostly filmed in close-ups, the tranquility, romanticism and heat of the Italian coastal city never really develops. We see the long alleyways and the interplay of the sun and the shadows which so marks Mediterranean cities, with the famous washing hanging high above the streets, the young men on scooters hanging around… but there is a music in the air which keeps a tension, a fear in the air as if something will happen to the girls at any moment. The fear of them having an accident, or being attacked, is overwhelming. This is the feeling Joe tries so hard to suppress. But should we be feeling this pressure too? The constant tension and fear start to conflict with the latin lightness of being which slowly creeps under the skin of the characters. The tension becomes excessive and unnecessary for a family drama creating a hollowness to the film which should not be there. A pity, for what essentially, is a touching portrait of a mourning family.

www.diaphana.fr

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Vox Populi

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Jt

Vox PopuliVox Populi

Eddy Terstall :: The Netherlands :: 2008 :: 1h30

A politician living a politically and sexually promiscuous life, is confronted with the opinions of the working class when his daughter starts seeing a young lower class man. The politician befriends the in laws, in so far as their differences allow them to, and he soaks up the popular opinions of the redneck father. As time goes by, the politician starts to integrate the mans opinions more and more into his public discourse.

This is the third entry of a trilogy about Dutch society, after Simon (2004) and Sextet (2007). The first portrayed liberal society at its peak, the second discussed sex within that society as an expression of liberty, and this latest installment -and the most political- seems to proclaim its decline. There is some optimism within the latest vision, but I still left the film with a negative overall view with respects to the success of the “multi-cultural society” as seen by Terstall, with his unsophisticated opportunists as political leaders. The message seems to be that politicians should listen more to the lower class, although they should do so “intelligently”. (Which is as obvious as it is contradictory.)

This is quite a curious film. The Netherlands seem to be (still) going through a turbulent period,  politically, since the murders of the politician Pim Fortijn and the film director Theo van Gogh, both by minority radicals. The clash between the conservative muslims and the liberal atheists rages on throughout the movie, and the director’s support of the Dutch labour party seems to be a direct link between the movie and real life. In the end, we are treated to a moralizing political speech, as if the movie did not have enough of them, exposing common sense in terms general enough to make them useless. Unless you are writing a thesis on contemporary Holland, I think the movie could easily be missed. The intentions are perhaps good, but the result feels like a long political TV message with a xenophobic tone and little content. Although, as opposed to the real thing, this movie has humour going for it…

www.voxpopuli.nl

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Star Trek

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Jt

Star TrekStar Trek

J.J. Abrams :: USA :: 2009 :: 2h08

The film opens with a dramatic scene of a man who sacrifices his life to save his ship’s crew, including his wife and son. The son  grows up in the countryside with a reckless streak and a craving for adrenaline. This is the young James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine). In parallel, we see the young Spock grow up, caught between the love of his mother and the demands of the culture of his rational Vulcan father. Both gifted youngsters end up on the starship Enterprise, to face a vengeful Romulan who lashes out around him in an uncontrollable anger, unfortunately for all, with a huge ship and heavy weaponry.

Although the introduction is too emotionally heavy to suit the rest, we are quickly swept along in a visually stunning spectacle. The special effects and sounds are, almost without exception, worth the ride all by themselves. You will see the Enterprise in building, huge explosions, the impressive Romulan ship and its obscurely watery insides. Besides the space related effects, the Romulans themselves look like evil gang members and are tattooed like Maoris’ evil brothers to top it up. There is no mistaking who the good guys and who the bad guys are!

It is perhaps peculiar to remind yourself how far removed the film is from the original series, which was much more scientifically realistic and toyed with philosophical existential questions. There are no big questions left to ask here, and the science at times is awful. I am sure you can all forgive starships shooting into warp with a bang for cinematographic effect, but flying away from black holes on engine power, not to mention the creation of them at will… or their impossible use as worm holes? But essentially, for the entertainment that it is, does it matter?

And what about the strange plot holes scattered around a film with an already weak story line?  Why do relatively advanced civilizations (like Earth and Vulcan) not have any planetary defenses? Why was the young Kirk, who was suspended, promoted to 2nd in command by the captain, when surely, there would have already been a capable officer in that role? Why build a spaceship in the desert of Iowa if it is parked at a space station later on? How does a Romulan mining ship become so heavily armed? I think we could whine about quite some choices made in the plot (or in Chekov’s accent), but mostly it is there for one good reason: speed. The movie keeps up its energetic slalom skiing pace partly by swerving around plot holes and by making plot jumps (- warp is almost a teleport in this Star Trek). Curiously enough, this is not regrettable, the new Star Trek does this with a bang! (And, the James Bond franchise please take note: only one noticeable product placement -Nokia- in the entire film.)

www.startrekmovie.com/intl/fr/

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Coco avant Chanel

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Jt

Coco avant chanelCoco avant Chanel

Anne Fontaine :: France :: 2009 :: 1h50

The young Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (Audrey Tautou) and her sister were left to an orphanage by her father. Every Saturday, she would wait to see if he came back for her, which he never did. Her mother had died of tuberculosis, and the nuns at the orphanage did what they could to prepare her for life – teaching her to become a couturier. When she leaves the orphanage, she becomes a cabaret singer which introduces her to the wealthy playboy Etienne Balsan (Benoit Poelvoorde). Attracted by the unconventional, independent young Chanel, he supports her as a milliner for his aristocratic friends. With time, she develops her style for both the hats, and clothes. By the time she meets and falls in love with Arthur “Boy”  Capel (Alessandro Nivola), he can help her set up her first couture house.

Filming the life of a real person is far from obvious, even if they have led a relatively interesting life, as Ms Chanel has. Real life is not dramatized, does not have “good” and “bad” characters, remarkable cinematographic moments or literary turning points. Real life, even such remarkable ones as Ms Chanel’s, progress slowly, where people build on each other, through love and friendship. You can come out of the cinema feeling that you have watched very little going on, even though you saw a young orphan reinvent herself to become one of the leading figures of her times. This is because the film is subtle. Subtle, although there is a clear love story with Coco falling for, her ideal match, the seducer “Boy”.

The focus on the imbalance in a love story, is a recurring theme with the director Anne Fontaine. From the somewhat weak Entre ses Mains (2005) and La Fille de Monaco (2008) to the captivating Nathalie… (2004), they all have the common theme of an innocent victim and the experienced seducer (a dark Benoît Poelvoorde in the first, the young bubbly Louise Bourgoin in the second and a desire incarnate Emmanuelle Béart in the last). Audrey Tautou is clearly the victim of love here, a love she did not initially want, after having been seduced by “Boy”. This is a curious approach, as both of the relationships we are shown in Coco avant Chanel are ones which serve her well. It is through her love stories that she gains her independence and can build her fashion empire – for such a determined young woman this can surely not have been mere coincidence.

I must say that despite the movie, what I mostly loved was the end image – Coco sitting on the staircase after the models had paraded by, wearing her creations in her own fashion show. She stares out before her, with a -strange for her- feeling of belonging. She is changing the lives of those around her, by dressing them, while changing her own destiny. She has become independent, her own person, someone she can be proud of. Of course it is an easy  sentimental image, but it is also justified. You have every reason to be proud of her, as she does to be proud of herself. No longer the little girl waiting passively, but she’s become the creator of Chanel looking on.

www.cocoavantchanel.fr

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