As I predicted I cut down a bit on the viewing of new films with the heavy dosage I got from WIFF. I did see (not including watching Deathproof and Kill Bill Vol. 2!) 3 movies over the past weeks.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009)
Absolutely wonderful. So innocent yet off-kilter. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling after watching.
One week later....
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) (2009)
I could spend paragraphs failing to rationally explain to the average friend how, somehow, there's some deep disturbing place in my mind that really wanted to see this. But I really want to be honest in my disclosure of the types of movies I seek. I'll just say that no movie since Battle Royale offered a concept so bizarre and so unfathomable that imagining how this movie was going to be became a pathological distraction. Every boring meeting, every idle moment, allowed my mind to wander to this movie to the point where I had to see it as soon as possible, even going so far as to pay, full-price, for an HD version of the movie on-demand.
And it delivers, in awful awful ways. I don't really want to see it again, and I don't want to discuss this film with anyone if I don't have to. Sometimes things just have to be seen.
I can't begin to understand how the scenes from the Human Centipede still stick with me, while the happy pleasant memories of Fantastic Mr. Fox fade away.
EDMOND (2005)
And this weekend I returned to reality... somewhat... with a character whose neuroses are nearly as off-putting as any monstrous medical procedure. Written by David Mamet... with that same rhythmic dialogue, but this time it's delivered almost entirely by William H. Macy in a manic performance. It's very low-budget and anti-epic and gets a little absurd and pointless by the end. But it still is gifted in how the script rounds out a character while giving you barely a hint of what motivates them.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
WIFF 2010 last two
THE ART OF THE STEAL
The traditional style documentary of my film fest experience, this was riveting on all kinds of different levels, even in the realms of my day job... urban planning.
Basically, this is the story of an extremely valuable collection of impressionistic art that was curated by a wealthy doctor named Barnes in the 20s and 30s, well before all these famous artists became respected among the elite and mainstream of art patrons. Through an amazingly complex series of steps, that can put fear into the heart of anyone that wants to consider joining a non-profit board of any kind, this collection is eyed by the city leaders of Philadelphia as the key to downtown urban revitalization and tourism. But Barnes, in his will, specifically laid out how is collection was going to displayed and where it's permanent home should be, which was in a exhibit space in suburban Philadelphia.
What emerges is a thorough questioning of whom art belongs to and how important the context around art should be in considering how it should be appreciated. A couple more things this documentary revealed to me was how something as seemingly pure, creative, and universally important as historic visual masterpieces can be commercialized like a latest blockbuster. I'll never look at those big banners draped over the Chicago Art Institute advertising a limited-run collection (tickets extra beyond general admission) the same way again. The other thing was the danger of civic leaders wanting increasingly more showcases and big projects to keep their City on the map. From all I've heard, Philadelphia, outside of NYC, Chicago, and probably Boston, has one of the most vibrant city centers with dense residential, commercial, and cultural uses. Why would it be so necessary for them to "steal" this collection to make the City "better"? I felt a slightly similar feeling when the Chicago Olympics talk was going on.
TERRIBLY HAPPY
A great capstone... apparently "deadpan Danish dramas" are a hit of WIFF attendants, so I'll glad I made this screening. In fact, the last few Danish films I saw were more humanistic and realistic, although with a very unique tone. This, however, comes straight out of the world of dark comedy, with hints of Coen Brothers and David Lynch. Just I wanted to dive into the world of Prague with Shameless, I was only wanting to see what the Danish rural frontier was like. Not a charming place.
It's a simplistic but still entertaining heart-pounder with lots of quirks about a reassigned Danish cop who runs in with all sorts of weird troubled cowboy Danes with their own sense of justice and order. I think the less said the better.
And that's what I saw... looking back my take away from this 8-film marathon was not so much that I was enjoying cinema as I was exploring little genres that appeal to the various niches of my personality. There's no doubt that Iron Man 2 is the BIG MOVIE to see right now, but all these quirky compelling films at WIFF represent not so much films as the few extra exotic colors added to my cultural palette.
Back to regular movie programming!
The traditional style documentary of my film fest experience, this was riveting on all kinds of different levels, even in the realms of my day job... urban planning.
Basically, this is the story of an extremely valuable collection of impressionistic art that was curated by a wealthy doctor named Barnes in the 20s and 30s, well before all these famous artists became respected among the elite and mainstream of art patrons. Through an amazingly complex series of steps, that can put fear into the heart of anyone that wants to consider joining a non-profit board of any kind, this collection is eyed by the city leaders of Philadelphia as the key to downtown urban revitalization and tourism. But Barnes, in his will, specifically laid out how is collection was going to displayed and where it's permanent home should be, which was in a exhibit space in suburban Philadelphia.
What emerges is a thorough questioning of whom art belongs to and how important the context around art should be in considering how it should be appreciated. A couple more things this documentary revealed to me was how something as seemingly pure, creative, and universally important as historic visual masterpieces can be commercialized like a latest blockbuster. I'll never look at those big banners draped over the Chicago Art Institute advertising a limited-run collection (tickets extra beyond general admission) the same way again. The other thing was the danger of civic leaders wanting increasingly more showcases and big projects to keep their City on the map. From all I've heard, Philadelphia, outside of NYC, Chicago, and probably Boston, has one of the most vibrant city centers with dense residential, commercial, and cultural uses. Why would it be so necessary for them to "steal" this collection to make the City "better"? I felt a slightly similar feeling when the Chicago Olympics talk was going on.
TERRIBLY HAPPY
A great capstone... apparently "deadpan Danish dramas" are a hit of WIFF attendants, so I'll glad I made this screening. In fact, the last few Danish films I saw were more humanistic and realistic, although with a very unique tone. This, however, comes straight out of the world of dark comedy, with hints of Coen Brothers and David Lynch. Just I wanted to dive into the world of Prague with Shameless, I was only wanting to see what the Danish rural frontier was like. Not a charming place.
It's a simplistic but still entertaining heart-pounder with lots of quirks about a reassigned Danish cop who runs in with all sorts of weird troubled cowboy Danes with their own sense of justice and order. I think the less said the better.
And that's what I saw... looking back my take away from this 8-film marathon was not so much that I was enjoying cinema as I was exploring little genres that appeal to the various niches of my personality. There's no doubt that Iron Man 2 is the BIG MOVIE to see right now, but all these quirky compelling films at WIFF represent not so much films as the few extra exotic colors added to my cultural palette.
Back to regular movie programming!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
WIFF 2010 Movies 5-6
oh boy... Death Proof arrived through Netflix today!
That's besides the point...
SHAMELESS
Despite being my least favorite movie of the festival, it was interesting for a few reasons. The main being that this is an international festival, and as the old saying goes, you haven't lived until you've seen a film from the Czech Republic. Prague definitely looks like a beautiful city, and the film looked interesting enough in the program, about a fellow in a mid-life crisis who does some interesting acts of deception to continue his affairs. There were some very odd character moments that were off-putting, which I think was exactly the point. Otherwise there were lots of inconclusive moments, very little urgency in the character's motivations, and a lot of directionless scenes. By the time of the ending, which was unexpected and anticlimatic in all the bad ways, I had that sensation of watching a mediocre indie film. These are the types that are interesting enough in the sense that they aren't tugging violently at your sensations like blockbusters. But they lack any stylistic boldness or meaningful themes that make them stand out from anything riveting.
HANDSOME HARRY
One type of film I'm trying to deliberately avoid is any variation of the 'road movie'. I imagine a montage of a car driving on an open road sandwiched between character monologues the chew the scenery, and I get bored. But this fit into my schedule, and while a road movie in the broadest terms, it had a very suspenseful undercurrent that sustained the trips to different locales. There were some underformed characters and cliche moments that risked this movie being similar to Shameless. What all the male character macho posturing and genuflecting did, however, was really truly fool me into complacency that made the surprising conclusion bubble up so subtly. It has been a long time since I've seen an ending to a movie so unforgivably depressing, not in the way it makes you feel, but the way it makes you feel towards the protagonist. I really thought I figured this guy out by most of the movie, but kudos to the filmmaker for flashing us back to the past and forward again, revealing just the right about to keep us guessing.
I thought I was going to wrap up.. but the final 2 films will come later.
That's besides the point...
SHAMELESS
Despite being my least favorite movie of the festival, it was interesting for a few reasons. The main being that this is an international festival, and as the old saying goes, you haven't lived until you've seen a film from the Czech Republic. Prague definitely looks like a beautiful city, and the film looked interesting enough in the program, about a fellow in a mid-life crisis who does some interesting acts of deception to continue his affairs. There were some very odd character moments that were off-putting, which I think was exactly the point. Otherwise there were lots of inconclusive moments, very little urgency in the character's motivations, and a lot of directionless scenes. By the time of the ending, which was unexpected and anticlimatic in all the bad ways, I had that sensation of watching a mediocre indie film. These are the types that are interesting enough in the sense that they aren't tugging violently at your sensations like blockbusters. But they lack any stylistic boldness or meaningful themes that make them stand out from anything riveting.
HANDSOME HARRY
One type of film I'm trying to deliberately avoid is any variation of the 'road movie'. I imagine a montage of a car driving on an open road sandwiched between character monologues the chew the scenery, and I get bored. But this fit into my schedule, and while a road movie in the broadest terms, it had a very suspenseful undercurrent that sustained the trips to different locales. There were some underformed characters and cliche moments that risked this movie being similar to Shameless. What all the male character macho posturing and genuflecting did, however, was really truly fool me into complacency that made the surprising conclusion bubble up so subtly. It has been a long time since I've seen an ending to a movie so unforgivably depressing, not in the way it makes you feel, but the way it makes you feel towards the protagonist. I really thought I figured this guy out by most of the movie, but kudos to the filmmaker for flashing us back to the past and forward again, revealing just the right about to keep us guessing.
I thought I was going to wrap up.. but the final 2 films will come later.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
WIFF 2010 Movies 1-4
ABOUT ELLY
This was a last minute entry. As I reshuffled my film viewing schedule due to unexpected work obligations back in Rockford, I decided to leave early on Friday and try to see an early evening film. I'm glad I did. This was one I had in mind, because Iran is one of the countries putting out very interesting movies with a unique tone. South Korea and Denmark are the other countries whose movies just feel different. This movie seems very simply structured, but due to both traditional character conflicts and social norms unique to Iranian society, the tension created in this movie has a strength that is sustained incredibly well. The least said the better, but the basics are that one person's innocent act of deception sparks a situation where a terrible accident becomes more and more devastating. I don't want to judge it right out of the gate, but this is probably the favorite of the festival for me.
SWEETGRASS
The energy and focus required to sit through a film festival shouldn't be discounted, and my Madison friend Steve noted with humor how a movie that literally involves the viewer watching lots and lots of sheep move across the screen might NOT be the best movie to keep you awake! And this is a very patient, beautiful documentary, very similar to the narrative movie Silent Light from last year, which lulled you into an appreciation for the rural lifestyle. This follows a final run of a traditional shepherd route in Montana, and there's beautiful vistas along with plenty of gritty cowboy humor and cursing. I have to add at this point the experience of watching this with the WIFF audience. It's not every crowd that can keep a constant chuckle going and sheeps simply bleating, and it was a very odd moment at the opening scene. A single sheep bleating, collar bell ringing... then growing audience laughter as the sheep slowly turns it's head and looks directly at the camera lens. I didn't find it funny by itself, but it was hard to resist this crowd getting so giddy.
A MATTER OF SIZE
I'm so sophisticated that the very first film that was obviously going to be a requirement of my film festival weekend involved fat Israelis wanting to take up Sumo wrestling! Too good a concept, with the self-deprecating Jewish humor combined with the old-fashioned team building exercise through sport. And this probably had some of the most cliche elements of all the movies... with a love interest and a betrayal and a clumsy forgiveness. No matter... this was so fun. I was curious about this Japanese Zionist movement though, that the sumo trainer was a part of.
A TOWN CALLED PANIC
This film had a "celebrity" introduction, as Nathan Rabin... writer for the Onion's AV Club... explained how this was a very silly movie we were going to see. It was great! However, the manic energy and breakneck speed risks giving you a headache. It's a stop-motion animated movie, but the characters are pretty crude action figurines, which makes it feel like a full length Robot Chicken, though much more surreal with less pop culture references. The key is the great cartoonish voice work. Even though it was in French, the goofy lines were delivered with such bounce and pushed the movie aggressively forward. It's also another great audience movie, and probably a great midnight movie of the future.
Final Four movies coming up!
This was a last minute entry. As I reshuffled my film viewing schedule due to unexpected work obligations back in Rockford, I decided to leave early on Friday and try to see an early evening film. I'm glad I did. This was one I had in mind, because Iran is one of the countries putting out very interesting movies with a unique tone. South Korea and Denmark are the other countries whose movies just feel different. This movie seems very simply structured, but due to both traditional character conflicts and social norms unique to Iranian society, the tension created in this movie has a strength that is sustained incredibly well. The least said the better, but the basics are that one person's innocent act of deception sparks a situation where a terrible accident becomes more and more devastating. I don't want to judge it right out of the gate, but this is probably the favorite of the festival for me.
SWEETGRASS
The energy and focus required to sit through a film festival shouldn't be discounted, and my Madison friend Steve noted with humor how a movie that literally involves the viewer watching lots and lots of sheep move across the screen might NOT be the best movie to keep you awake! And this is a very patient, beautiful documentary, very similar to the narrative movie Silent Light from last year, which lulled you into an appreciation for the rural lifestyle. This follows a final run of a traditional shepherd route in Montana, and there's beautiful vistas along with plenty of gritty cowboy humor and cursing. I have to add at this point the experience of watching this with the WIFF audience. It's not every crowd that can keep a constant chuckle going and sheeps simply bleating, and it was a very odd moment at the opening scene. A single sheep bleating, collar bell ringing... then growing audience laughter as the sheep slowly turns it's head and looks directly at the camera lens. I didn't find it funny by itself, but it was hard to resist this crowd getting so giddy.
A MATTER OF SIZE
I'm so sophisticated that the very first film that was obviously going to be a requirement of my film festival weekend involved fat Israelis wanting to take up Sumo wrestling! Too good a concept, with the self-deprecating Jewish humor combined with the old-fashioned team building exercise through sport. And this probably had some of the most cliche elements of all the movies... with a love interest and a betrayal and a clumsy forgiveness. No matter... this was so fun. I was curious about this Japanese Zionist movement though, that the sumo trainer was a part of.
A TOWN CALLED PANIC
This film had a "celebrity" introduction, as Nathan Rabin... writer for the Onion's AV Club... explained how this was a very silly movie we were going to see. It was great! However, the manic energy and breakneck speed risks giving you a headache. It's a stop-motion animated movie, but the characters are pretty crude action figurines, which makes it feel like a full length Robot Chicken, though much more surreal with less pop culture references. The key is the great cartoonish voice work. Even though it was in French, the goofy lines were delivered with such bounce and pushed the movie aggressively forward. It's also another great audience movie, and probably a great midnight movie of the future.
Final Four movies coming up!
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