Go and See...

...State of Play.
I liked this a lot.
Here are some thoughts:
Russel Crow looks like Jesus only twice as heavy and with hair that's half as long.
He's the kind of journalist that can type fast even with a bandaged hand.
Orange seems to severely underpay their actors. The dark haired protagonist of their obnoxious 'don't let your mobile ruin your film'-campaigns has to do jobs on the side. We might think he has earned enough money and a lifelong free use of broadband and unlimited mobile phone calls. But no. He has many mouths to feed and therefore appears in this movie, too, causing the whole audience to break out in uncontrolled, nervous laughter whenever he's on screen. So much for ruining a couple of scenes.
The script writers thought it a good idea to have Helen Mirren say 'Geezer' more times in those 2 hours than I've heard it in the last 2 months in London. Just to make sure every last member of the audience understands she is British.
Oh, and watch out for the bad guy. Well, he's hard to miss, really, sporting a constant grim look on his face and the old scar underneath the eyebrow.
But, I did like it. And the end credit sequence is really nice. Really.

Go and See...

...The International.
Never mind what Mark Kermode says, the shoot-out scene in the Guggenheim is ace! And the other 110min were alright, too. All the Germans were allowed a German accent, very refreshing. Naomi doesn't do much. But Clive, ah, Clive sorts it all out. The end is a bit weird.

Go and See...

...7 films in 11 days.

Rachel getting married
I like the structure and concept of the film, the way it's filmed and the way it lets the actors carry the audience through this authentically told family story. Anne Hathaway does her job well, but for some reason she just always remains Anne Hathaway for me, never a character.


Frost/Nixon
Well acted, well told. Very enjoyable tension.


The Silence of Lorna
Newest film from my favourite film makers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, who made films like The Child, The Son, Rosetta, La Promesse. Not their best work but still a great film. As always no score, all the work comes from the actors. An astounding, yet, as always, understated performance by the lead character, this time Arta Dobroshi. Hard to find a cinema where this film is shown, I went to the Barbican, but I am not sure it is still on.


Waltz with Bashir
We went to see this at the Prince Charles Cinema. It's that place in central London where you used to be able to see films at an unbelievably cheap cost. The cinema which once fought for affordable cinema tickets. Hah, no more. Credit crunch century. It has now given in to the silly idea that two cinemas are better than one and getting back the cost of renovation through horrendously priced cinema tickets is absolutely fine (oh and no student discount, because us students 'have all that money for booze, too'). However, Waltz with Bashir was great. I was so astounded by the animation, I hardly followed the story. This is a good and a bad thing. Basically, I think the film is a great success, but really not because of a great story, but because of an animation technique that blows you away. The soundtrack is also very, very nice.


Milk
Mr. Sean Penn, according to Mickey Rourke the most homophobic man in Hollywood, or something, pulls it off so so well. Truly captivating and very moving. I still think it could have been done braver, it seemed very TV not cinema, according to Mark Kermode, with whom I agree. I love Gus van Sant very much, but I think the qualities of films such as Elephant or Paranoid Park have been slightly lost here.


The Wrestler
Stomach turning. Some people better wait for this to be out on DVD and get ready to watch with the thumb securely resting on the remote control's fast forward button. Needless to say a great performance. From everybody, Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood. I know people don't like the father-daughter bit, but I think it is ok.


Better Things
Ahh. Not a film to watch if you want to believe in the bright futures of adolescents in the English country side. Very bleak. But very good. No happy ending, and that's why I like it. Beautifully photographed, really stunning, and also very well cast. I went to the Q&A with the director Duane Hopkins and it was very interesting to hear how he approached working with these young adults. A great piece of contemporary British cinema.

Go and See...

...The Reader.
Ok. Hold on. What happened here? German book, English film maker. German setting, English speaking. English actors speaking English with German accents, German actors speaking English with...yes: German accents!?
Aha.
Was it assumed that there were no good German filmmakers to make a German film? Or was it assumed the English speaking audience was going to be too lazy to read subtitles like in any other film?
Why, Mr. Daldry, don't you make a film with the undoubtedly talented Mrs. Winslet, that doesn't require long-loved German actors like Bruno Ganz (The Downfall) to make a complete monkey of themselves by speaking a foreign language with their own accent in their own country?

On a lighter note, it was nicely photographed, and David Kross' performance was outstanding. Ralph Fiennes, who I actually like very much, had to do a bit much of his 'I just bit my tongue/bit into a lemon/ lost a loved one'-face. (As seen plentifully in The Constant Gardener).

I read the book in highschool. And I remember somehow you were not supposed to like it; while the book was considered to be important, Bernhard Schlink was accused of 'cultural pornograpy'. He was critisised for manipulating the reader into identifying and ultimately liking a nazi. The question of Hannah's guilt and her involvement in 'the final solution' is not dealt with sufficiently.
My main criticism of the film is that Stephen Daldry had the chance to deal with those problems, but did the opposite: The end is just completely ridiculous.
According to its international success it seems hardly anyone in the audience notices that. I assume: Sad ending + tragic music + Fiennes' hurt face = Emotional overload -> audience unable to judge film rationally.

Go and See...

...Che: Part One
Directed by Steven Soderbergh with Benicio Del Toro as a very believable Che Guevara.
On at the Curzon Soho and Renoir.

Go and See...

Savage Grace.
This was SUCH a great film. I loved it. Go and see it NOW. Not later. Be prepared to be shocked.

Go and See...

...Kung Fu Panda.
An easy one to sit through, but nothing not to be missed. In terms of the animation I didn't find it in the slightest as exciting as for example Pixar's 'Ratatouille'. The story and script are so-so, I did like the fact that it got by without a love story.


Kung Fu Panda in your pocket.

P.S.: If you wanted to, you could learn how to draw Panda in five steps here. (Example below)

Munich Film Festival 2008-FRIDAY

I won the ticket to Princ od papira (The Paper Prince) by Marko Kostic when I participated in a survey about the film festival and I thought I'd give it a go. It was part of the children's film festival, and as previously mentioned I am a fan of films for and about children. Since it was for children, and not many Germany children speak English, the Serbian Film was dubbed life into German while also supplying English subtitles which took a little getting used to at the beginning. Not necessarily a must-see but it was a sweet story, though, and an impressive and charming performance by Milica Spasojevic, the little girl.

Phew, that's it. 14 films in just about 6 days. I will now retire from reporting and relax in the Bavarian country side.

Munich Film Festival 2008-THURSDAY

Back To Africa by Othmar Schmiderer. A documentary about some of the crew of Andre Heller's show Africa!Africa!. The film follows several of the artists back to their respective African home countries, interviewing them and their families. We gain an insight into how they grew up and developed their talents. How tough it can be for them to be so far away from their homes and families when touring for several months. I had not seen the show Africa!Africa! and found it a little difficult to follow the film, especially at the beginning–it seems to rely on you having seen the show. (Young@Heart which I saw on Tuesday does a better job at that.) However, it was nice to gain some insight into the artist's origins, see their great performances and listen to beautiful music.


Dirty Hands: The Art And Crimes Of David Choe by Harry Kim. Both artist (David Choe) and director were at the screening and Harry Kim's introduction "I think you guys don't know what you're in for" aptly summed it up. I really didn't know what I was in for and it was quite disturbing at times. This is a brilliant film about an incredibly talented by quite strange guy from Los Angeles who spends most of his time (or so it seems in the film) drawing naked women in disagreeable positions, upsetting feminist groups and so on. He also does very cool graffiti and maybe not so cool shop lifting, in this case upsetting police. Watching the film, I really started to like this guy when he recalls getting sent to prison in Japan. He comes back after 3 months with some legendary soy sauce drawings. (And his personality seems changed forever, too?). This is really a must-see so I wont give away too much.


This is funny. Somewhere in our ticket buying rush we ended up with La Matinee (about an Uruguayan carnival group) instead of La Maison (about a French father of three). Never mind. This film by Sebastián Bednarik tells the story of a group of carnival choir singers who are reunited after 20 years to play in the Uruguayan carnival scene again. They perform what's called a 'murga' (noise) which is a chorus that recites social and political themes with percussion accompaniment. They all wear make up and dress up, too. This documentary gives a rare insight into the lives of these men, all together real characters.

Munich Film Festival 2008-WEDNESDAY

Waiting for love by James Lee. Not an easy one, especially after the last film on Tuesday ('El cielo...'); again, really slow, really uber-realistic. A little boring I think. The picture above wouldn't tell, but if you have an aesthetic interest in cinematography, leave your glasses at home. The whole film is shot with what looks like a cheap digital camera, the lighting is bad and mean and the colours makes everyone look like they're having bad hangover, magenta sprayed skin. I'm allergic to that because it reminds me of try-hard-but-boring student films. However, I'm prepared to 'look' past the look if the story is capturing but even that wasn't the case.


Orz Boys by Ya-Che Yang, who was there on the night and had to face a smaller audience than deserved due to the overlap with the first half of Germany - Turkey. We decided in favour of the film and I have no regrets. This is a sweet film about two Taiwanese boys called only (liar) 'No. 1' and 'No. 2'. They spend their days trying to trick class mates into giving them small change, creating hyper-space atmospheres with the help of dozens of ventilators (only blowing the fuse) and saving up for a trip to the water park. I love films about and for children if they authentically dip into children's worlds and this one manages it very well.


Momma's Man by Azazel Jacobs with his parents Flo and Ken Jacobs and a stunning performance by Matt Boren. This might be my favourite of the festival. (I'll have to admit, though, that I missed the beginning due to an unlucky overlap with the vitally important last 10 minutes of the semi-final with Germany - Turkey. Filmed in a totally crazy and chaotic New York apartment in which his parents apparently really live (for 500$ a month). This is a story of a grown up son who visits his parents on a business trip from California and ends up finding it impossible to leave. Azazel Jacobs wanted to make a film to capture what is still left of his childhood home. It might soon disappear due to the fact that a banker has recently bought the building in the Tribeca neighbourhood where his parents have lived for the last 40 years. He did so well. Really, really, really brilliant!

Munich Film Festival 2008-TUESDAY

The Drummer by Kenneth Bi with Jackie Chan's son Jaycee who plays Sid, the son of a Hong Kong gangster. When he gets caught out with the girlfriend of another powerful mob leader he has to flee in order to save his hands which are demanded by the leader for revenge. He ends up in the mountains of Taiwan and joins a group of Zen drummers. Nice, but not a must-see.


Young@Heart by Stephen Walker. This documentary which was produced for Channel 4 follows the Young@Heart chorus, whose 24 members' average age is about 80. The choir from Northampton in Massachusetts performs songs from Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead and Coldplay and even goes on world tours. Great film, bring tissues!


El cielo, la tierra y la lluvia (The sky, the earth and the rain, imdb) by José Luis Torres Leiva is set in the south of Chile. Boy, this film takes a lot of time. It was extraordinarily beautifully shot, really almost like moving paintings. However, almost nothing happens, or you have to have a 6th-(cineast)-sense to appreciate it, I'm not sure. I like films that are hard to watch, I like films that take their time and I like films that try something different, but in this case it was all a bit much. I did like it but I'll also admit to leaving the cinema early, mostly due to the lack of air conditioning in the cinema (as in general in Germany) and the late start (22.30).

Munich Film Festival 2008-MONDAY

My favourite film so far: O’Horten by Bent Hamer from Norway. I couldn't find an official website, only the imdb link and the youtube Trailer. The film opens with a beautiful and unusual title sequence following a train (the main character, Odd Horten, is a train driver). The camera dips into blacks and whites–from the dark tunnels into the bright snowy Norway. We then follow the protagonist on his last days before his retirement encountering one strange situation after another. This strange film speaks, I think, a language typical for 'northern' films (Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, I mean), similar to the genius of Aki Kaurismäki. Something I couldn't imagine in German or American cinema, which makes films like this so enjoyable and film festivals, where you get exposed to them, so great.
P.S.: Our usual 3 films a day quote was impaired by the need to attend the annual feast event of DelikatEssen. The magazine about fine Munich restaurants invites their writers, amongst them my parents, once a year to gorge on small portions of steamed asparagus, roasted wild board and cherry tomato and apple risotto etc. Tough ;)

Munich Film Festival 2008-SUNDAY

Time To Die (Pora umierac) by director Dorota Kedzierzawska was a beautifully shot b&w film about an old lady (Danuta Szaflarska) in an even older house. She spends the days sitting on the veranda with her dog, watching what's happening in the neighbouring houses.


The End
What an unusual film. Nicola Collins (director) and her sister (producer) interview a group of London's East End criminals. But it's their father who's the leader of the gang. This unusual documentary provides a rare insight into how the people who are involved in crime think and feel about their life. They tell a story of childhood poverty and striving for a better life which they found in crime. You cant help but feel charmed by their personalities though it's comforting to see them on screen, not in real life.


Ethan Hawke in Chelsea on the rocks.
Interesting documentary about the many inhabitants of the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Slightly weird use of life action material to tell some of the stories of the likes of Janis Joplin and Sid and Nancy. The director Abel Ferrara was present for a Q&A (his personality very much suiting the film, shall we say). Still definitely one to watch.

Go and See...

...Happy-Go-Lucky by Mike Leigh. I loved it. Sally Hawkins brings so much energy to the screen, portraying a truly loveable and unusual character. She gets mixed up in all kind of weird situations which is, though sometimes painfully chaotic, very entertaining to watch. Eddie Marsan's performance is ace. One of my favourite films in the last couple of years.

Go and See...

...The Darjeeling Limited.
Not overly brilliant but definitely good fun. The little pre-film with Natalie Portman was not quite as amazing as expected but surely worth seeing just for its weirdness.




Not directly related but nice...:

Go and See...

...The Conformist, at the BFI Southbank or at the Renoir. One of my favourite films, beautifully photographed, it is a treat to see it on the big screen.

Go and See...

...Be Kind Rewind





Not my favourite Michel Gondry but still very entertaining, especially the first half with the remake of Ghost Busters which is so funny, you're lucky if you've been to the bathroom before the film started. The story behind the film is not a shocker but still quite sweet and the remake-ideas make it worth watching though I think it is very self-referential, in that the ideas the two characters have, are actually very clearly Michel-Gondry-Style and not likely to pop into the heads of those two video store employees.

Go and see...

The Savages



4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days



I'm not there